"Our hearts are Restless until they rest in Thee, O Lord" -Augustine of Hippo-
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This week the Associated Press story about Matt Chandler pastor of The Village Church is the featured article on MSNBC.com. Chandler’s cancer has led to the gospel being proclaimed in the news on MSNBC. He says a number of things in the article that bring Glory to God who never surprised, sovereign, and loves Matt. Keep him and his family in prayer. Some quotes from the article
His theology teaches that all men are wicked, that human beings have offended a loving and sovereign God, and that God saves through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection — not because people do good deeds. In short, Chandler is a Calvinist, holding to a belief system growing more popular with young evangelicals.
“Lord, you gave this to me for a reason. Let me run with it and do the best I can with it.”
“This has not surprised God,” Chandler says on the drive home. “He is not in a panic right now trying to figure out what to do with me or this disease. Those things have been warm blankets, man.”
Chandler has, however, wrestled with the tension between belief in an all-powerful God and what he, as a mere mortal, can do about his situation. He believes he has responsibilities: to use his brain, to take advantage of technology, to walk in faith and hope, to pray for healing and then “see what God wants to do.”
“Knowing that if God is outside time and I am inside time, that puts some severe limitations on my ability to crack all the codes,” he says. “The more I’ve studied, the more I go, ‘Yes, God is sovereign, and he does ask us to pray … and he does change his mind.’ How all that will work is in some aspects a mystery.”
“For I consider that 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
I have always been an avid reader of the famed author and pastor-teacher Henry Blackaby since I first read his book “Experiening God”. Since then I have enjoyed listening and reading from the works of his sons Mel, Richard, Tom who are in full time ministry and part of Blackaby Ministries International.
In this short but powerful book, Going the Second Mile by Mel Blackaby. Blackaby describes what it is to live on the second mile according to what Jesus stated in the text of Matthew 5:41. Mel is currently the senior pastor of FBC Jonesboro in Georgia. In the verse “Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” blackaby gives insight into the historical context of this scripture by stating that back in Jesus’ time, Roman law gave a soldier the right to force a jewish civilian to carry his pack for a mile. The law, designed to relieve the soldier, not only caused great inconvenience to jewish civilians but was made even more despicable by the fact the oppressed jews were made to carry the equipment and weapons for their oppressors. Outside of combat the Roman soldier was probably never more hated than when he forced someone to carry his pack.
Then blackaby goes into demonstrating that living on the second mile is about going beyond what this world dictates that we should do and be. We’re called to a higher standard of living above the norm. We are to live a life that reflects Jesus, a life of devotion to him in service to others. While the world sees your ability on the first mile, they see Christ’s power working through you on the second. He carries the burden and takes you beyond yourself to accomplish what is impossible by your own natural abilities.
But this means going against the tide of natural human instinct. We usually do the minium that will get us by. Consequently, this idea makes the reader uncomfortable in a good way though. Each chapter offers a new challenge, addressing God’s perspective on a particular aspect of the Christian life. The book is broken into small manageable chapters and is easily digestible. The questions for reflection and further application at the back end give themselves well to a discussion group format.
 Baal Who are these idols Baal and Molech whom they sacrifice there children to? They are part of the pantheon of Canaanite religion that the Israelites had succumbed to. It was a semetic fertility cult in which they would worship and appease these God’s in order to obtain prosperity in the harvest.
Baal was the primary god of the Canaanite fertility cults. He was often depicted as a man with the head and horns of a bull, who carried a lightening bolt symbolizing destruction and fertility. Baal supposedly won his dominance by defeating other deities such as the god of the sea and the god of storms. The Canaanites believed that his victory over death was repeated each year when he returned from the underworld and brought rain to renew the earth’s fertility.
Because Hebrew culture believed the sea was evil and destructive, Baal’s promise to prevent storms and control the sea, as well as his apparent ability to produce plentiful harvests, made him attractive to the Israelites.
Baal worshipers tried to satisfy him by offering sacrifices, usually sheep and bulls. During times of crisis, however, Baal’s followers sacrificed their children, Usually the firstborn in order to gain personal prosperity (Isa. 57:5-7).
The other is Molech. It had the head of a calf, and was made of brass and it was hollow inside. There was a place in the side to make fire in it. When it got very hot the wicked people used to put the infant in its arm where it burned to death there. The priest would would put the child in the idol’s arms. Other men would are blowing trumphets and beating drums in worship and making great noise so not to hear the loud crys of the small child (Leviticus 18:21, Leviticus 20:2-5, 2 Kings 23:10, Jeremiah 32:35).
Israel had accepted the canaanite fertility cults and were wanting the blessing on there lands to have a productive and plentiful harvest. They turned to idols Instead of trusting and worshiping Yahweh for there dependance and provision. The sacrificing of the innocents showed there spritual temperature as america’s murder of the innocents shows our spritual temperature as a nation that is straying from the one true God. We are in strife concerning the state of the economy, jobs, terrorism, health reform, and Obama pleading for a blessing from God. Yet 1.5 million die in our abortion clinics each year in silence. We are nation that desires prosperity and children with teenage pregnancy are stumbling block to that. So abortion gets rid of what they call the problem. ”Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them” -Psalm 127:4-
 - Child Sacrifice to Molech
The sin of sacrificing the innocents on the altar of prosperity is a familiar sin in the pages of scripture. All we have to do is look at the people of Israel. It began when Solomon who built a place for Molech (I Kings 11:7-8). The Semitic cult of Molech was associated with child sacrifice. After the time of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel split up into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah. We see Israel worshipped other pagan deities Asherah and Baal whom they made burnt offerings of there sons and daughters in worship to them (II Kings 17:16-18).
This continued into the reign of King Hoshea who was the last king of Israel before it split from Judah. Under his reign the people burned their sons and daughters. “They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger (2 Kings 17:16-17). King Ahaz’s grandson, Manasseh, reigned for 55 years, the longest in Judah’s history. He is said to have burned his son as an offering. We can safely assume that the practice was widespread among the people of Judah during his reign. “And he burned his son as an offering, and practiced soothsaying and augury, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger (2 Kings. 21:6, 2 Chron. 33:6)”
A time of reformed occurred during the reign of Josiah. King Josiah’s reign began approximately 50 years before the exile and lasted 31 years. Yet at this late stage, he still had to devote effort to stopping the people of Judah from sacrificing their children to Molech. “He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of Benhinnom, so that no one would make a son or a daughter pass through fire as an offering to Molech. (2 Kings. 23:10)
Jeremiah was a prophet during the time of King Josiah. He complained about the people of Judah burning their sons and daughters to Molech (Jer. 7:30-31; Jer. 32:35). Many kings of Judah were condemned for burning their sons in offerings to Baal (Jer. 19:3-5). Ezekiel was a prophet during and after the Babylonian Exile, 586 BCE. As God’s spokesman, Ezekiel complained about the people of Judah burning their children to death (Ezek. 16:20-21). King Ahaz burned his son as an offering according to the abominable practices of hostile nations (2 Kings 16:2-3). The psalmist complained about the people sacrificing their sons and daughters to demons. (Palms 106:37-39). We clearly see Israel’s history is tainted with the sacrifice of the innocents and God’s anger burned against them bring judgment and exile upon them.
On this Sunday Jan. 17, 2010, Southern Baptists again observed “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday,” marking the 37th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. This is special day to celebrate the intrinsic value of all human life. On Jan. 22, 1973 the United States Supreme Court, in a decision known as Roe v. Wade, ruled that state laws banning abortion were unconstitutional. The court ruled that a woman’s privacy was more important than the interest of any state in protecting unborn children.
Allow me to share some statistics on abortion from The Alan Guttmacher Institute the research arm for Planned Parenthood. 1% of abortions are by victims of rape or incest. 1% is due to fetal abnormalities. 4% had a Dr who said their health would worsen if they continued the pregnancy. 50% didn’t want to be a single parent. 66% stated they could not afford a child. 75% said the child would interfere with their lives. We are seeing here that 95% of aborted children are killed for the reasons of convenience. Americans are sacrificing their children on the altar of prosperity.
Scripture says human life represents the “image of God” (Gen. 1:26, 27). Also concerning this human life that you should not murder (Exodus 20:13). God regarded this seriously because to kill was to destroy the image of God on humanity (Gen. 9:6). God hates those who shed innocent blood (Proverbs. 6:16-17). Yet 1.5 million are killed in America every year and astonishly 27 million since 1973.
As noted earlier 95% are aborted in America out of convenience and killed on the altar of prosperity. As pastor Voddie Baucham has said, “In our culture today it’s not about how many children you can have, but how many you can afford.” American thought and culture takes children as a hindrance to there accumulation of stuff and excelling in corporate America. But the scriptures say children are a reward and make a man blessed (Psalm 127:3-5). Even the very words of our own president speak of unplanned pregnancys as punishment.
Matt Chandler talks to John Piper about his experience in the embracing of calvinism and reformed theology along with his beliefs in sexual complementarity.
Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that I recently introduced Matt Chandler who in my humble yet accurate opinion is the best pure communicators I have ever heard. He has become one of the foremost speakers within reformed circles.
The following is an interview that John Piper conducted in which Chandler tells his story and expounds on different theological issues. If you liked the clip of Chandler earlier posted you will enjoy these clips.
I thought it might be helpful for those of you who do not know who Matt Chandler is to learn a little about him. In the interview Matt was asked to give a brief biography about who he is, his testimony, as well as about his ministry. This is the first part of a four part interview video.
 THE UNHEEDED CHRIST: Jesus Demands Serious Obedience by David Cook. The author David Cook is the principal and Director of the School of Preaching at Sydney Missionary and Bible College (SMBC).
Jesus Christ is a provocative, uncompromising teacher. Yet it is easy to become so accustomed to Jesus’ words that they become old friends – comfortable, unfamiliar, and unchallenging. We get so used to him that we forget to take notice of what he commands us to do. It reminds me of a term I believe Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church, has coined as inoculated Christians. If you know anything about vaccines or inoculations it’s where they inject a small enough amount of the virus so that your body creates an immunity strong enough to not catch the disease. In the same sense people in well-churched cities like Dallas, TX have heard enough of Jesus to never really become followers of Christ. In the end Jesus teachings of Lordship and obedience go unhead and unheeded.
In this book Cook shows how Jesus demands serious obedience from his people in all areas of life. Here he challenges us about crucial issues – loving enemies, forgiveness, sex, ambition, adultery, wealth accumulation, revenge, impending judgment, resolving tension between Christians and self-delusion. His words come across as fresh, immediate, wise, authentic and discerning. Listen to him again – and this time, don’t let him go unheeded. This was a great read and not for the faint of heart.
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"There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence" -John Calvin-
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