An odd argument against weekly Communion

Tags

C.H. Spurgeon, Charles Spurgeon, christianity, church, communion, Lord's Supper, ordinances, Religion and Spirituality, sacraments, worship

All my life I’ve heard one particular argument against weekly communion used over and over.  You may have heard it too.  It generally goes something like this:  “If we celebrate communion every week, it will become commonplace and lose its meaning.”

I believe I could make a strong biblical case for weekly communion, but that’s not my goal in this post.  I simply want to briefly consider this particular objection.

What makes it seem like such an odd argument to me is that those who use it only apply it to communion.  I’ve never heard anyone say that if we sing or preach or pray every week, then those actions will lose their meaning.  Shouldn’t the same logic apply?  I don’t mind if you want to make a biblical argument against weekly communion, but I just can’t see how this objection holds any water.

Recently I came across an excerpt from Charles Spurgeon’s writing

Contentment

Tags

books, christian, christianity, contentment, God, Jesus, prayer, Puritans, Religion and Spirituality, Valley of Vision

Contentment is such an elusive thing.  Few of us are genuinely content, even when our outward circumstances are for the most part favorable.  We may have all our basic needs met, and yet find ourselves restlessly longing for something—more money, a better job, different circumstances, more fulfilling relationships, a new car, and on and on.  We always want something new.  Something more.  Something better.  Something different.  I don’t know if that sounds like contentment to you, but it doesn’t to me.

As Christians, however, we’re called to be content.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  (Matthew 6:25)

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this [thorn in the flesh], that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  (Philippians 4:11-13)

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  (1 Timothy 6:6-7)

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  (Hebrews 13:5)

Even when we find ourselves in situations that we should try to change (and there are some),

Prayer for the Lord’s Day

Tags

christianity, devotional, devotionals, Jesus, prayer, Puritans, Religion and Spirituality, Sunday, The Lord's Day, Valley of Vision, worship

I’ve used this prayer on a couple of occasions recently to help prepare my heart for Sunday morning worship.  It’s taken from Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions.  I commend it to you this Lord’s Day for your own devotional use.

O Lord, My Lord,

This is thy day,
the heavenly ordinance of rest,
the open door of worship,
the record of Jesus’ resurrection,
the seal of the sabbath to come,
the day when saints militant and triumphant unite in endless song.

I bless thee for the throne of grace,
that here free favour reigns;
that open access to it is through the blood of Jesus;
that the veil is torn aside and I can enter
the holiest
and find thee ready to hear;
waiting to be gracious,
inviting me to pour out my needs,
encouraging my desires,
promising to give more than I ask or think.

But while I bless thee, shame and confusion are mine:
I remember my past misuse of sacred things,
my irreverent worship,
my base ingratitude,
my cold, dull praise.
Sprinkle all my past sabbaths with the cleansing blood of Jesus,
and may this day witness deep improvement in me.

Give me in rich abundance the blessings the Lord’s Day was designed to impart;
May my heart be fast bound against worldly thoughts or cares;
Flood my mind with peace beyond understanding;
may my meditations be sweet,
my acts of worship life, liberty, joy,
my drink the streams that flow from thy throne,
my food the precious Word,
my defence the shield of faith,
and may my heart be more knit to Jesus.

Charles Simeon’s embrace of biblical paradox

Tags

Arminianism, biography, calvinism, Charles Simeon, christianity, church history, John Piper, John Wesley, paradox, reformed theology, Religion and Spirituality, theology

Was Charles Simeon a Calvinist?  Your answer probably depends on what you know about Simeon and your own theological perspective.  I’m not sure how Simeon himself would have answered that question, but we may be able to find some clues in his writings.

Without a doubt, Simeon was and still is considered a Calvinist by most, although he himself eschewed the label.  His goal was to be faithful to Scripture, without any concern for whether that made him sound like a Calvinist or an Arminian.  In truth, Simeon did not appear to believe that Scripture could, in the end, be reduced to or fully comprehended by either system:

It were well, if, instead of contending for human systems, and especially those of Calvin and Arminius, we were content to receive the Scriptures with the simplicity of little children: for, after all that has been said or written in support of those two most prominent systems, it is impossible to reduce the Holy Scriptures either to the one or to the other of them: for, on both hypotheses, there are difficulties which can never be surmounted, and contrarieties which man can never reconcile. It is by attempting to be wise above what is written, that we involve ourselves in all these difficulties. If we would be content to take the Scriptures as they are, and to leave the reconciling of them unto God, by whose inspiration they were written, we should find them all admirably calculated to produce the ends for which they were designed. (via Calvin and Calvinism)

I probably don’t have to tell you that Simeon’s position isn’t very popular today.  Many people want to put themselves (and everyone else) squarely in one camp or the other; a few seem utterly compelled to

Randy Alcorn talks about abortion and family planning

Tags

abortion, birth control, christian, christianity, family, Family planning, Mark Driscoll, pro-life, Randy Alcorn, theology

Earlier this year I wrote a post about the relationship between birth control pills and abortion.  It was at least as controversial as I expected it to be.  If you missed it, you may want to read it (and the comments) before proceeding.

That post was prompted by something author and theologian Randy Alcorn had written on the subject, something that actually caught me off guard and exposed my ignorance.  Recently Alcorn sat down for an interview with Mark Driscoll.  They discussed (among other things) birth control, abortion, and family planning, so I decided to embed below three relevant video clips from what appears to be an 8-part interview, as a follow-up to my post in January.

Are Young Pro-Life Evangelicals Inconsistent?, posted with vodpod

Is There a Connection Between Birth Control and Abortion?, posted with vodpod

How Should Christian Couples Approach Family Planning?, posted with vodpod

————————————————
See all posts tagged: Abortion

Humble Yourself (or God will do it for you)

Tags

Charles Spurgeon, christian, christianity, Daniel, God, humility, Nebuchadnezzar, pride, Religion and Spirituality

Recently I came across this quote by Charles Spurgeon:

Every Christian has a choice between being humble or being humbled.

Even though I’d never seen it before, I believe it expresses a basic biblical principle:  “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).  When we’re proud, God opposes us; he becomes our adversary.  You might think you can successfully oppose God.  You may even deny his existence.  But in reality, your arms are too short to box with God.  You’re going to lose every match.  The tragic irony of that fact is this: hearing it only makes some people even angrier at God, or more persistent in their denial of him.

However, God makes a promise to those who do humble themselves:

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:5-7).

If we humble ourselves, God will exalt us in due time.  However, the opposite is also true.  If we assume God’s role and exalt ourselves, then He will assume our role, and humble us.  In fact,

One Thing

Tags

christian, christianity, God, J. C. Ryle, obsession, one thing, quotes, religion, Religion and Spirituality, sermons, zeal

Years ago, I was struck by a particular way that the phrase “one thing” was occasionally used in Scripture.  Here are a few examples:

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
(Psalm 27:4)

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13-14)

One thing I ask… one thing is necessary… one thing I do.  Ultimately, it seems to me, the “one thing” asked for, needed, and aimed at in those passages is God Himself.  Of course, any time I make an observation like that it has an immediately humbling effect on me.  Is God Himself—His presence, His glory—the only thing that I really desire and long for?