On my plane ride back from Tokyo two weeks ago, I read the following account from Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret. It has without a doubt, been the most life-changing page I’ve read outside the Bible this year. I misplaced the book, so I don’t have page references, but I wrote the following scattered quotes down in my journal. I pray they would impact you as much as they have me.

“I knew that if only I could abide in Christ all would be well, but I could not…Then came the question, is there no rescue? How could I preach with sincerity that, to those who receive Jesus, ‘to them gave he power to become sons of God’ when it was not so in my own experience?

I thought that holiness, practical holiness, was to be gradually attained by a diligent us of the means of grace…I do not think that I was striving to attain it in my own strength…

As gradually light dawned, I saw that faith was the only requisite–was the hand to lay hold of his fullness and make it mine…

I strove for faith, but it would not come…

When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed to me the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before:

‘But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the faithful one…’

‘Ah, there is rest!’ I thought. ‘I have striven in vain to rest in him. I’ll strive no more. For has not he promised to abide with me–never to leave me, never to fail me?’…

The sweetest part, if one may speak of one part being sweeter than another, is the rest which full identification with Christ brings. I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize this: for he, I know, is able to carry out his will, and his will is mine. It makes no matter where he places me, or how. That is rather for him to consider than for me…

‘I have just to roll the burden on the Lord.’ Day and night this was his secret.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this book to be really insightful about witnessing not just to relatives/family members, but to anyone. It is very accessible, and very practical. Lots of new ideas to put into practice. Worth reviewing periodically too. Here are some of the highlights for me:

“I resisted the temptation to just give answers. I found that answering her questions with questions was more productive. Not only was this a very Jewish style of communication, but it engaged her in the thinking process far better than just telling her what I thought.” (19)

“I had to come to that painful realization that I was broken just like my parents were. When I focused in on my father’s escape from reality through his alcohol or my mother’s walking away from me, God would point out that I, too, dull my pain with escapes from reality and I have walked away from God all my life. It was only when I began to forgive my parents that they saw something different in me that was worth asking about.” (41)

“All this leads me to say that the process of witnessing to family needs to begin in our hearts. For us to have fruitful outreach to our family, we need a wellspring of grace flowing from within.” (53)

“Why not start with joy-based apologetics instead? Why not talk to people about the good things in life that we enjoy so much–food, friends, beauty, etc., and try to see if we can point them to the Giver of such good gifts?…My point (and I think it was Paul’s as well) is that in some situations, starting with common grace can pave the way to openness toward the specific grace of the gospel.” (57-58)

“As we bring the gospel home to our family, we dare not do so as a self-righteous older brother. Even if our family members are out squandering their inheritance with prostitutes or wallowing in the mud with pigs, if we’re pointing to our record of good behavior while condemning their wicked ways, it will be some message other than the gospel that they hear. They would be wise to reject such a message.” (62)

“Such guilt may also flow from the kind of pride that causes us to think that we are the prime mover for salvation for our relatives. …The gospel can move us from guilt to tears just as it moves us from fears to tears. But these tears are sad ones rather than guilty ones. Sadness is a far more healthy and productive emotion than guilt or fear. Sadness is right and appropriate when we think of loved ones separated from the Lord. It drives us to our knees in prayer for the lost and loosens our lips to say words of grace.” (70)

“(By the way, many people told me their best conversations occurred in a car–where both people faced forward, rather than toward each other. Perhaps the indirect eye contact posed less of a threat.)” (91)

“Loving our relatives is a challenge. Expressing it is another. Family dynamics often create an odd tension where love is expected and assumed the most but communicated and received the least.” (117)

“Gospel-love, by its essence, takes the initiative. God did so by sending his Son. We do so by taking the first steps. Parents need to find ways to express love so that their children actually feel loved.” (117)

“Instead, we must ask God to enable us to love them. Period. No strings attached. If they’re waiting for the other shoe to drop–a shoe in the form of a gospel presentation–they won’t feel loved by us because, in fact, they’re not.” (118)

“Question 1: How many times have you called your parents in the past month, just to talk–not to ask them for anything, especially money?…Question 4: List three ways you express love to your parents other than with words.” (121)

“We need to follow the flow of Paul’s logic. We can show humility toward nonbelievers if we grasp how gracious God has been toward us.” (134)

“Sometimes the difference between humility and arrogance can flow from tiny word choices. The use of the word ‘we’ instead of the word ‘you’ can make a world of difference. ‘We all need forgiveness for some things’ sounds more palatable than, ‘You need to repent.’ Another tiny vocabulary choice that makes a big difference is the selection of the word that follows ‘I’m sorry.’ If you say, ‘I’m sorry if I hurt you,’ it doesn’t sound like a real apology. It can almost come across as an accusation: ‘Well, I’ll say I’m sorry but this is really your problem. You’re too sensitive.’ A much better way to apologize is, ‘I’m sorry that I hurt you.’ Better still, instead of ‘I’m sorry,’ try, ‘I was wrong. I should not have done that.’ Do you see the difference? Some of the most humble words we can say are ‘I don’t know.’ That three-word phrase has the power to work like a crowbar to open people’s hearts to the gospel.” (145)

“A problem arises when we learn most of our apologetics from a sermon (there’s nothing wrong with that) but need to express it in a conversation.” (148)

“They all want to jump in and tell their story. I warn them to beware of telltale vocabulary that signals a hijacking of the conversation. ‘Me too’ is a favorite. They just told you they had a stressful day, and you want to tell them about yours. ‘That’s like…’ is an even worse offender. They just told you about a great deal they got on a new coat and you want to trump them with, ‘That’s like the bargain I got on my new hat. Let me tell you about it.’ Nothing screams ‘I don’t care about you’ louder than an interruption or a hijacking comment that jerks the attention away from them onto you.” (148)

“The Jewish community collects stories that highlight their minority identity in a predominantly Gentile world. One memorable tale tells of a young boy who asked his rabbi, ‘What’s the difference between Jews and other people?’ The rabbi replied, ‘Oh, Jews are just like everyone else . . . only more so.’ I often wonder if witnessing to family is just like witnessing to everyone else . . . only more so. Witnessing takes time. With family, it takes even more time. Witnessing involves the expression of love. With family, that love flows deeper but requires clearer expression. Witnessing encompasses a comprehensive worldview. With family, we have a wider range of common experiences in which to shine the glow of the gospel.” (209)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About to leave Minneapolis, where the Desiring God National Conference took place from Friday through this morning. Got to also visit Bethlehem Baptist Church‘s evening service tonight. All the messages should be available for free online in audio and video formats starting tomorrow (Monday) from the Desiring God main website. I’d really recommend listening to them all.

5 quick one-sentence reflections:

5. A haunting question: How much of my life is spent on “worthless things” and am I really living “life in Your ways”? (Psalm 119:37)

4. A missions promise overlooked: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)

3. A lightbulb that went off yesterday morning: The gospel has an answer to every possible missions objection.

2. A recurring thought: 9 years ago I heard my first (and most life-changing) message by John Piper on a cassette walkman in the UC Berkeley library and I still don’t think that message is fully done with me yet.

1. My recurring prayer: “Don’t let me waste it!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve not been very consistent in blogging recently, but this morning I thought I’d share a few quotes from an abbreviated biography on George Whitefield by Arnold A. Dallimore (Note: there is a much larger unabridged 2 volume biography by Dallimore as well). Whitefield was a famous British preacher/revivalist who lived during the 18th Century, and a friend and contemporary of other well-known saints such as Jonathan Edwards, John and Charles Wesley. He also was a close friend to Benjamin Franklin, and was well respected by other agnostics/atheists like David Hume.

I was drawn to know more about Whitefield for 3 reasons:

1. He was one of God’s agents for the greatest revival on American soil (The Great Awakening), and I pray God would send more revival in our day!

2. He was considered the spiritual hero of my spiritual hero, John Newton (who was even labeled by others as “The Little Whitefield”).

3. I really enjoyed the biographical message on Whitefield by John Piper (click to download).

Piper comments in his biography that Whitefield’s ministry load and preaching schedule are almost unbelievable. After reading his biography, I’m in even more awe of how one man could accomplish so much. Hope you enjoy a few of these quotes:

“We can visualize him at 5 in the morning in his room over Harris’s bookstore. He is on his knees with his Bible, his Greek Testament, and a volume of Matthew Henry spread out before him. With intense concentration he reads a portion in English, studies its words and tenses in the Greek, and then considers Matthew Henry’s exposition of the whole. Finally comes his unique practice of ‘praying over every line and every word’ in both the English and the Greek, feasting his mind and his heart upon it till its essential meaning has become a part of his very person. When we shortly see him preaching forty and more hours per week with virtually no time whatsoever for preparation, we may look back upon these days and recognize that he was then laying up a store of knowledge on which he was able to draw amidst the tumult and haste of that later ministry.” (p.23)

“God give me a deep humility, a well-guided zeal, a burning love and a single eye, and then let men or devils do their worst.” (p.30)

“Sometimes whole nights were spent in prayer. Often we have been filled as with a new wine. And often have we seen them overwhelmed with the Divine presence and crying out, ‘Will God indeed dwell with men upon earth! How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God and the gate of Heaven!” (p.42-43)

“Give me where to stand and I will shake the earth.” (p.48)

“Benjamin Franklin measured the distance at which his [Whitefield's] voice could be heard, and stated, ‘I computed he might well be heard by more than thirty thousand.’ But altogether we consider Franklin’s figure too high, and if we reduce Whitefield’s by half, still we are left with congregations that, before the electrical amplification of sound, were undoubtedly the largest ever reached by a human voice in all history. And this was the work of a youth of twenty-four.” (p.56)

“The whole world is now my parish. Wheresoever my Master calls me I am ready to go and preach the everlasting Gospel.” (p.66)

“Unless your hearts are free from worldly hopes and worldly fears you will never speak boldly as you ought to speak.” (p.67)

“I love those that thunder out the Word. The Christian world is in a deep sleep! Nothing but a loud voice can awaken them out of it.” (p.67)

“I [Ben Franklin] happened, soon after, to attend one of his sermons, in the course of which I perceived he intended to finish with a collection [for an orphanage], and I silently resolved he should get nothing from me. I had in my pocket a handful of copper, three or four silver dollars and five pistoles of gold. As he proceeded I began to soften and concluded to give the coppers. Another stroke of his oratory made me ashamed of that, and I determined to give the silver; and he finished so admirably that I emptied my pocket wholly into the collector’s dish, gold and all.” (p.77)

“But no matter how weary he might be, to stand before a crowd and face the responsibility of declaring the gospel had a reviving effect upon him. For the hour–or perhaps two–of intense activity of mind and body he became incredibly strong, till the immense task was completed and he sank into exhaustion again.” (p.78)

“Most important was the effect of his preaching on the creation of the Negro Spiritual. The black man heard from Whitefield spiritual truths declared in a manner that, despite his uneducated condition, he could understand, and he returned to his toil soothing his soul in the truths he had learned. He repeated over and over some phrase he had gained from the lips of the preacher till the repetition became rhythmic and his natively musical soul linked it with melody. He sang it again and again, others heard and joined their voices, and the whole was repeated day after day till it became part and parcel of their lives.” (p.81)

More to come next time.

One of my favorite songs now has an animation video:

[Here's my 5 minute devotional on "I Thirst", followed by lyrics to the song, "God Of Every Fountain" from last night's Good Friday Service. Blessings on your Easter weekend.]

“I thirst.”

They say the key to being a good student of the Bible isn’t knowing all the right answers but knowing how to ask the right questions. Perhaps the first question that comes to mind with this passage is “Why does Jesus thirst?” or “Why is Jesus thirsty?”

Although this is an important question, it’s not the most important question we can ask. For we know why Jesus thirsts. He thirsts, because he’s been hung out to dry on a cross. Of course He’s thirsty.

Then what is the most important question we can ask?

The question for us is not “Why does Jesus thirst?” It’s “Why does Jesus say that He thirsts?”

Why does He vocalize on the cross: “I thirst” instead of staying silent? Did He not know that his suffering would soon come to an end? Does He say it because He thinks those around Him don’t realize He’s thirsty?

John tells us why. Or at least He answers our question with another question. He writes in 19:28 of his gospel: John 19:28-29 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’

Jesus says “I thirst” to fulfill the Scripture. It is an intentional, active, self-conscious decision.

So what Scripture is Jesus fulfilling? And how is Jesus fulfilling it?

Psalm 69:21 “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.”

Surely, this lines up with the picture of Jesus saying “I thirst” to provoke the soldiers to give him sour wine.

But in what sense is Jesus fulfilling this verse? After all, it seems like a random prophecy to apply to the Messiah. What is so significant about a Messiah who would drink sour wine?

To understand this, we need to look at the larger context of the whole psalm.

Psalm 69 is the theme song to being human. It is a psalm of pain and suffering. In one word, Psalm 69 is a lament.

What is a lament?

One scholar writes, it is “the psalmist’s cry when in great distress he has nowhere to turn but to God. …It is when “we go from the height of our relationship with God to its depths.” (Tremper Longman, How To Read The Psalms, 26)

This is particularly true of Psalm 69. It is an honest plea to God.

It begins, “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched.” (vv.1-3a)

As the Psalm continues, the Psalmist lists his complaints, and the reasons for his despair. But the ultimate cause of the Psalmist’s lament is not just his enemies, but God Himself. He writes:

v.3: “My eyes grow dim with waiting for God.”

v.17: “Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.”

This is a lament.

It is the song genre that is all too lacking in our contemporary worship music, and all too unavoidable in the Bible. One author aptly calls it the “lost language of lament” (Michael Card, A Sacred Sorrow).

We as Christians often don’t feel like we have permission to lament. Especially when it’s for our own sin. We’re often told to have faith instead, as if faith and lamenting are mutually exclusive. To express suffering is something we are suspicious of, even towards God.

Which is why Jesus’ words, “I thirst” are so freeing.

For by opening His mouth and consciously saying, “I thirst”, Jesus applies the entire 69^th Psalm to himself. He fulfills the Scripture of Psalm 69, not by merely drinking sour wine, but by identifying Himself as the suffering, lamenting, Messiah. He becomes the incarnation of the song, as the True Lamenter.

And because of this, we can have full assurance that not only do we have permission to express our suffering to God as Christ did, but we can know with certainty that the God who hears our suffering knows what it is like to suffer.

In fact, Jesus alone has more reason to lament than any of us do:

For whereas the Psalmist pleaded for God to save him and eventually was saved, Jesus pleaded for God to save him and was left to die.

Whereas the Psalmist confessed His own sin as a potential cause for God’s abandonment in verse 5: “O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you”, Jesus had no sin to confess, but even took on the sins of Psalmist himself.

Whereas the Psalmist would call down curses upon his enemies, saying “Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them” (v.22-24) Christ did not call down curses upon his enemies, but received them! God poured out his indignation upon Him, and let His burning anger over take Him! And all of this for YOU!

King David’s psalm is sung now by a greater King. King David’s sufferings point towards a greater suffering.

And whereas the Psalmist, as a human, thirsted, Jesus Christ, the Fount of Living Water, the only one who could offer to quench all thirst for others, thirsted, that we might never experience the thirst He thirsted, but rather, drink for free.

So let us lament. Let us pour out our hearts to God in joy and in pain.

For the One to Whom we sing, is the incarnation of the very song.

 

God of Every Fountain

God of every fountain

And waters of the deep

Hovering o’er the oceans

And calling forth the seas

Creating canopies of glory

And causing floods to cease

Falling down in faithfulness

Your rains new life to bring

 

Power to part the Jordan

And separate the seas

The rains that span Elijah’s land

Bring rivers of relief

Leading us to quiet waters

And bitter springs made sweet

Bursting from the driest rock

And quenching every need

 

Working wine from water

Provider for the feast

The One who walks upon the waves

The Washer of our feet

Offering to end all thirst

With waters yet unseen

Then why oh God of every fountain

Do you thirst upon the tree?

 

Drinking up the cup of wrath

And swallowing the sting

The Fount of Living Water thirsts

That we might drink for free

Pouring out one final flood

As blood and water stream

The God of every fountain

Washing over me

©2011 Ian Nagata.

“Revival doesn’t come to respectable Christians…If you think that because you’re a good church member, or because you belong to such and such an organization, you’re going to be revived, you had better forget it. The basis of revival is men and women shattered by their failures–aware that all is not well, helpless to do anything about it.”

-Ugandan bishop Festo Kivengere, as quoted in A God-Sized Vision by Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge, p.133.

I like “Korean Prayer”.

I didn’t always, but my attitude has changed over the past couple years.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, let me share the first time I was introduced to “Korean Prayer”.

During my first year at UCLA I would typically wake up and head to the Tree House area of the Student Union to eat breakfast and do my devotionals. One morning I arrived earlier than usual. I noticed a group of about 25 Asian-looking people about 15 feet away behind me. At first they were just talking casually. Then it got quiet. Then it got loud. Really loud. I thought a fight was breaking out. I turned around and to my surprise, there was no fight. They were praying. All at once. Loud and with passion. I was scared. Then the scared became more of a sense of awe. Then I was just weirded out.  That’s “Korean Prayer”.

In any case, I was happy to finally read the origins of “Korean Prayer” this week in A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir, by Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge (pp.107-108):

“The Koreans could hardly imagine in 1905 what the next half century would hold for them. …The Koreans were further encouraged to expect that God would work in powerful ways to revive their whole land. Meeting in Pyongyang on January 6, 1907, about 1,500 missionaries and indigenous leaders persevered through momentary discouragement to offer expectant prayers. At one point, Korean leader Graham Lee asked for prayer, and several people led out at the same time. He responded, ‘If you want to pray like that, all pray,’ so all 1,500 prayed out loud at the same time. Many wept over their sins as they realized their need for God’s grace and forgiveness. Leaders who harbored silent jealousy confessed and reconciled.

‘The effect was indescribable–not confusion, but a vast harmony of sound and spirit, a mingling together of souls moved by an irresistible impulse of prayer,’ Presbyterian missionary William Blair remembered. ‘The prayer sounded to me like the falling of many waters, an ocean of prayer beating against God’s throne. It was not many, but one, born of one Spirit, lifted to one Father above. Just as on the day of Pentacost, they were all together in one place, of one accord praying…’ ”

The authors then note several paragraphs later:

“The revival also launched several distinct practices that have become closely associated with Korean Christians. Decades later, Wesley Duewel reported that one-third of Korean church members still arose for daily prayer meetings at 5:00a.m. Koreans still pray out loud simultaneously and evangelize courageously, sending more cross-cultural missionaries than any other nation except the United States.” (p.109)

I’m sure that like any tradition or form, it can be abused. I’m sure it can work up false emotional energy at times (just like worship singing). I’m sure there are times where it is more edifying to pray one-at-a-time, so you can hear what each person is saying clearly. And yes, function needs to be evaluated with form, and God doesn’t work in formulas. But…I think there is a time and a place for it. (And not just when you’re short on time and need to be efficient.) I think there is something powerful in hearing people shout their hearts out to the Lord, just as it can be moving and edifying to hear people do so in congregational singing. I think there are times when our hearts have so many requests and praises and confessions that shouting and begging and weeping and raising our voices is appropriate…together. I don’t think even think it’s a “charismatic” practice, biblically speaking (unless they’re praying in tongues…I wouldn’t know since I don’t understand Korean). I even think the Puritan Jonathan Edwards, would affirm its value for stirring up “religious affections”.

The bottom line is that God doesn’t answer our prayers because we pray simultaneously or one-at-a-time, loud or soft. He answers our prayers because we come in Jesus’ name. He answers our prayers out of grace and mercy. But perhaps we can learn and grow from what His Spirit has done in different cultures and different time periods throughout the Church.

Treasure your weakness
For in it He shows
A surpassing power
The strong never know