Posted by Tom Welch on November 24, 2008 under Essay | 
This week our church began a study of the Apostle’s Creed. This creed has helped to shape and define the Christian community for centuries. But the creed has a very personal beginning; “I Believe”. J.I. Packer has some great insights about this in his book “Affirming the Apostle’s Creed”:
In worship, the Creed is said in unison, but the opening words are “I believe”—not “we”: each worshiper speaks for himself. Thus he proclaims his philosophy of life, and at the same time testifies to his happiness: he has come into the hands of the Christian God where he is glad to be, and when he says “I believe,” it is an act of praise and thanksgiving on his part. It is in truth a great thing to be able to say the Creed.
Fresh and living faith is a great liberating and strengthening force! But what about the doubts that many (most?) Christians struggle with from time to time? What do you do when faith does not come easy? Again, let me lean on Dr. Packer’s wisdom:
I write as if God’s revelation in the Bible has self-evident truth and authority, and I think that in the last analysis it has; but I know, as you do, that uncriticized preconceptions and prejudices create problems for us all, and many have deep doubts and perplexities about elements of the biblical message. How do these doubts relate to faith?
Well, what is doubt? It is a state of divided mind—”doublemindedness” is James’ concept (James 1:6-8)—and it is found both within faith and without it. In the former case, it is faith infected, sick, and out of sorts; in the latter, it belongs to a struggle either toward faith or away from a God felt to be invading and making claims one does not want to meet. In C. S. Lewis’ spiritual autobiography, Surprised by Joy, you can observe both these motivations successively.
In our doubts, we think we are honest, and certainly try to be; but perfect honesty is beyond us in this world, and an unacknowledged unwillingness to take God’s word about things, whether from deference to supposed scholarship or fear of ridicule or of deep involvement or from some other motive, often underlies a person’s doubt about this or that item of faith. Repeatedly this becomes clear in retrospect, though we could not see it at the time.
How can one help doubters? First, by explaining the problem area (for doubts often arise from misunderstanding); second, by exhibiting the reasonableness of Christian belief at that point, and the grounds for embracing it (for Christian beliefs, though above reason, are not against it); third, by exploring what prompts the doubts (for doubts are never rationally compelling, and hesitations about Christianity usually have more to do with likes and dislikes, hurt feelings, and social, intellectual, and cultural snobbery than the doubters are aware).
The well wisher of your soul’s happiness,
Pastor Tom
Posted by Tom Welch on November 18, 2008 under Essay |
You know – your heart, the core of your being, who you really are, the seat of your values, desires, and affections. Where do you hide your heart? How do you find your way to someone’s heart? How do you find the true inclinations of the heart of another? Can you guide and direct your own heart?
Jesus answers all these questions on Matthew 6:19-21:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly!), Jesus tells us straight up: to find a person’s heart, look to where he hides his treasures. To put it crassly: the heart follows money. As much as we’d like to romanticize the largesse of our souls, our credit card bills and checkbooks are a more accurate assessment of our affections than our warm-hearted sentiments.
And not only an assessment of our affections but also of our trust. Do we trust God with our future or our investments? What tale does our bank account tell? A wise man once laid out the options for us:
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
“A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.” Proverbs 18:10-11
Today, everyone is looking for safe shelters for their finances. And there is nothing wrong with being wise. But beware the “wisdom” which would make wealth our “strong city” when in fact “the name of the Lord is a strong tower”.
And yes, we can guide our hearts in new directions. Begin making kingdom investments. You will find your heart moving in a kingdom direction. And you will never be disappointed with the rate of return! As we invest with the eternal values of Christ’s kingdom in mind (“treasures in heaven”), God promises to handle the “daily bread” stuff for us:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
The well wisher of your soul’s happiness,
Pastor Tom
Posted by Tom Welch on November 10, 2008 under Essay |
Question: How do we maintain our personal stability in unstable times?
Answer: Turbulent times call for a transcendent God.
We live in uncertain times. Some say the myth of security has masked the fact that we always live in uncertain times! We see major change in the political realm, fluctuation in the financial world, insecurity in foreign fields. Change leads to stress, stress leads to fear, and fear erodes faith. We turn inward, gathering what we have around us and clinging for security to our own resources. The only solution is to lift our eyes and remind ourselves of just who our God is. Consider the vision of God that David, a great king of Israel, had:
10Â ”Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11Â Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12Â Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13Â And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.”
What do we see here?
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God is Lord of all.
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God is owner of all.
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Everything thing we have comes from God and belongs to God.
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We are merely managers of all He give us.
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Our proper response is thanks and praise!
We trust not the government, the markets, or any other source for security. We trust a sovereign God! And we live lives of humble faith, doing the most with what He provides. And He will provide. Confidence in such a great God frees us from miserly fear to live lives of gracious generosity!
The only question remains is, “What are you doing with God’s stuff?”
The well wisher of your soul’s happiness,
Pastor Tom
Posted by Tom Welch on November 3, 2008 under Essay |
Each and every week the people of our church entrust me with something very valuable – time. Each week you graciously and responsively listen s I share the message with you. That is a trust I take very seriously. Which is why I have no desire to fill up your time with anyone’s views, opinions, or directives – but God’s!
That is why the Bible is so prominent in our church.
Last Sunday we saw how the Bible is preeminent in its circulation, influence, and scope. The Bible is the most widely owned, read, influential book in human history. Within its pages you will find history, poetry, stories, drama, practical wisdom, fantastic images, and plain teaching.
We looked at the Bible’s permanence. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). World leaders, idols, even heaven and earth will pass away. But God’s word lasts forever.
But the foundation for all of the above is the Bible’s source and origin (its “provenance”!). We are told that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Since God is the author of scripture, the Bible is eternally relevant, popular, and powerful!
I realize I may be “preaching to the choir” here, but I want us all to remember why the Bible is so important to us. So we will read it, study it, apply it, memorize it, live it, and by God’s grace, always preach it!
The well wisher of your soul’s happiness,
Pastor Tom
