Gospel-Centered Funerals

I remember my very first funeral I ever conducted.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I got all my advice from a little booklet that I bought during my time at seminary and I realized quickly that my time at seminary did nothing to prepare me for this.  In fact, the seminary I attended encouraged us not to share the Gospel at funerals as it would be awkward for those not knowing Christ.  Of course I immediately disagreed with the thought because the Gospel, I believe, needs to be the center of all I do as a pastor, no matter how it makes people feel.

A few weeks ago I came across the 9Marks blog post that addresses this exact issue.  How does a pastor handle different funeral situations and keep the Gospel at the core of the message?  This is something I struggle with each and every time I conduct a funeral.  Check out the post below.  I plan on buying the suggested book and make it a vital part of my personal library.

Conducting Gospel-Centered Funerals

By Michael McKinley | 5.9.2011

Today I received an email from a woman to whom our church has been reaching out. She was asking if I'd be willing to lead a memorial service for her friend's mother who had recently passed.

Of course, I said "Yes". Who would pass up a gospel opportunity like that? But then I had that moment (not uncommon in my expierience of ministry) where I realize that I'm not sure about the next steps to take.

So, I was ridiculously glad to receive in the mail a new book by my friends Brian Croft (of 9Marks blogging fame) and Phil Newtown: Conduct Gospel-Centered Funerals. I've already read it, and it's very, very good.

Given the dynamics of my church, I do 50 weddings for every funeral that I conduct. To be honest, I don't have a ton of experience. And so I greatly appreciate how specific the book's counsel is. If you want advice on how to appropriately eulogize an adult with mental handicaps who was not known to you, there's a section in the book for that. I'm not joking... and it's good advice too!

If you're ever called on to take part in funerals, this is a great resource to help you think through how to love people and shine the gospel clearly in that moment.

Quality or Quantity: Which is More Important for a Child?

Do you struggle with balancing home life and work life?  How much time do you spend with your kids and how do you make that time high quality?  Anyone in any job, let alone ministry, would attend to the fact that these are questions that are hard to answer.  Hopefully we all desire for our children to grow up feeling loved by their parents.  That is what we desired from our own parents.  Mark Driscoll gives a few words on the difference between quality and quantity when it comes to kids and how Jesus Christ modeled this for us in scripture.  Check the short clip out here.

Improper Boasting

Ephesians 2:9 (ESV) Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

A number of Christmases ago I built an advent calendar for my brother and his wife.  It wasn't very fancy but through much trial and error I finally had it finished where it wouldn't fall apart.  I was very proud of that calendar.  It was the first (and so far the only) I had ever built.  When they opened their present that Christmas I began to tell them how I made it, how long it took, how many times I made mistakes, and I'm sure boasted too much for my own good.  It was my calendar made with my own hands.  If it was beautiful it was because I made it that way.

Sometimes we can have the same attitude towards Christ.  We claim that Christ saved us from our sins but then proceed to tell how "I" made the decision to follow Christ and how "I" wouldn't have been saved if "I" didn't trust in him.  It's amazing how we give ourselves the credit for something that we had absolutely nothing to do with.  Yes, we did choose Christ but He chose us first (John 15:16).

Even further there are some who believe that we can work our way into God's favor.  What foolishness.  TableTalk has a good explanation on this.

People who trust in their works think they can boast in them, but all such bragging is futile.  Yet those who understand that salvation is not of themselves or their works at all can boast properly (Eph. 2:9).  They can boast of the great mercy of God that was poured out on them when they least deserved it and give the Lord all the glory for their salvation (2 Cor. 10:17; Gal. 6:12-14).

The mercy and grace we have received from God is not given to us because we deserve.  That defeat the purpose of mercy.  Mercy is given when least deserved and so we who are reconciled to God through the death of His Son Jesus Christ should stand in awe of the greatness of the glory of God.  We are his children because He made us His children. Boast only in his great mercy and glory.  Amen.

Cleaning Up The Mess Harold Camping Left Behind

I went to church yesterday morning and was very glad to see that I wasn't the only one there.  I have no idea what I would have done if the rapture happened and I was "left behind."  I don't feel that I have to expand much on this fiasco that happened on Saturday.  The whole situation speaks for itself.  But unfortunately this event will be something that the church will be cleaning up for years to come.  Harold Camping has now become the poster boy for the church and I'm not very happy about it.  In fact, I agree completely with Kim Riddlebarger's blog from yesterday.  Below is a sample and you can read the entire short post here.

This, then, is why it is so important to expose this man for who and what he is--a false prophet, a schismatic and a kook, lest anyone think that Jesus will not return when we least expect it, to judge the world, raise the dead, and make all things new.  And frankly, it is sad that so many Christians expect non-Christians to do our job for us.

How Do You Deal With the Loss of a Child?

Our beautiful daughter Kahra born February 2009

It was on July 28, 2005 that my wife and I had a miscarriage at around eleven weeks along and we lost our first child.  To this day the emotions are fresh and the feelings of a life lost are still raw.  The wound has healed, but the scar is deep and still very sensitive.

To this day my wife and I struggle to explain exactly why God would take something so precious to us without knowing a face or personality.  Having a child was a great desire for us both.  Perhaps we weren't ready.  Maybe we both needed to grow up a little before the pressure of a baby in our life changed everything.  Perhaps there is no explanation that can satisfy the pain of our experience.

But we do know that God is God and we are not.  Whatever he has planned for our lives we, as his children, must submit to and glorify him.  Through that difficult time we slowly healed and opportunities arose for us to care for and cry with others who had lost a child.  We understood the pain.  We understood the confusion.  We understood the loneliness that so many parents go through when they lose a child.  We understood the completely unbiblical things people would say to make us feel better.  (i.e. - "Your baby must have been deformed and God knew you couldn't handle it." or "God needed him with him." as if God needs anything from us.) 

We are better people because of the loss of our child.   God is more glorified with our lives now than before our loss.  In the end, to Him be the glory.

If you encounter those who have lost a young child or older child it may be difficult to know how to react.  Lisa Blanco has written a great article on Gospel Coalition's blog here on the loss of their son who was born six week premature.  If you are in a ministry of any sort (full-time or volunteer) please read her article.  It will proved great insight into how God works through such terrible circumstances and our reaction to those circumstances and God as His children.

The Doctrine of the Trinity

Ephesians 1:10 (ESV)
¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

There are some doctrines in our Christian faith that are difficult to understand.  One of these is the doctrine of the Trinity.  How can one God be in essence three distinct persons?  Our limited minds cannot comprehend such depth.  Those who are looking to prove Christianity as a farce point to this doctrine.  After all, the word Trinity isn't even found in Scripture.  Though the term Trinity is not found in God's Word does not make the doctrine untrue for it summarizes the truth of God as three distinct Persons yet one God.

TableTalk explains this doctrine well.

We see in [Ephesians 1:3-6] that the Father planned redemption, having predestines His people to eternal life in Christ.  The Song of God carried out the work necessary to secure the salvation our Father planned and promised.  Jesus Christ, the God-man who is the perfect union of the second person of the Trinity with our humanity, shed His blood to bring us forgiveness and, due to His obedience, is exalted as King over all (Ephesians 1:7-12).  God the Holy Spirit seals the work of Christ to us, applying the benefits of salvation and marking us off as our Creator's special possession (Ephesians 1:13-14).  Each person works distinctively to bring salvation, yet harmony pervades the process, for the works of the Trinity are undivided - all of the persons of the Godhead work together to achieve the same end and never stand at cross purposes with one another.  God, therefore, is irreducibly three in person - Father, Son, and Spirit - and one in essence.

We can stand firm in our faith that God the Father, Son, and Spirit are one, working together for the will of the Father.  May His name be glorified by our lives as we grow and are sanctified in Him.

The Gift of Gifts

O SOURCE OF ALL GOOD,

What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts,
   thine own dear Son, begotten, not created,
   my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,
   his self-emptying incomprehensible,
   his infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.
Herein is wonder of wonders;
   he came below to raise me above,
   was born like me that I might become like him.
Herein is love;
   when I cannot rise to him he draws near on
      wings of grace,
   to raise me to himself.
Herein is power;
   when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
   he united them in indissoluble unity,
      the uncreated and the created.
Herein is wisdom;
   when I was undone, with no will to return to him,
   and no intellect to devise recovery,
   he came, God-incarnate, to save me
      to the uttermost,
   as man to die my death,
   to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
   to work out a perfect righteousness for me.
O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,
      and enlarge my mind;
   let me hear good tidings of great joy,
      and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,
      my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
      my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;
   place me with ox, ass, camel, goat,
      to look with them upon my Redeemer's face,
      and in him account myself delivered form sin;
   let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child
      to my heart,
   embrace him with undying faith,
   exulting that the is mine and I am his.
In him thou hast given me so much
      that heaven can give no more.
                                  (from The Valley of Vision)

No One Is Righteous - Yes, That Means You

Romans 3:10-18 (ESV) ¹⁰ “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³ “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Last night at our Wednesday night Bible Study we focused on Habakkuk 2:18-20 where God warns the Babylonians of their coming judgment and how their idols will not save them.  We were reminded of our own lives and the idols that we create only to have them fail.  In those moments we are not seeking God, but thanks be to His mercy and grace and salvation that those moments hopefully do not last long.

But Paul reminds us that with no understanding of God and no fear of him or desire to seek him we are bound my our unrighteousness.  We have no way of being justified in his sight.  The idols we bow down to cannot save us.  They are but speechless, breathless created things that in the end, when we desperately need divine intervention, only remain silent before us.  Then we are utterly alone.

It is a good reminder that through Christ we are made righteous.  Through Christ we are justified in his sight.  Through Christ does redemption come.

Praise be to God.

More Thoughts on God's View of the Death of Osama bin Laden

Below is taken from the Desiring God blog which I follow.  I am posting this to encourage believers in their war against themselves on the death of Osama bin Laden and give a greater understanding of what scripture has to say about God's reaction to this incident.  I have already written my thoughts on the death of Osama bin Laden here so I will not say more.

 

God’s emotions are complex—like yours, only a million times more. Right now, your emotions about bin Laden are not simple, i.e. not single. There are several, and they intermingle. That is a good thing. You are God-like.

In response to Osama bin Laden’s death, quite a few tweets and blogs have cited the biblical truth that “God does not delight in the death of the wicked.” That is true.

It is also true that God does delight in the death of the wicked. There are things about every death that God approves in themselves and things about every death that God disapproves in themselves.

Is God Double-Minded?
This is not double talk. All thoughtful people make such distinctions. For example, if my daughter asks me if I like a movie, I might say yes or no to the same movie. Why? Because a movie can be assessed for its 1) acting, 2) plot, 3) cinematography, 4) nudity, 5) profanity, 6) suspense, 7) complexity, 8) faithfulness to the source, 9) reverence for God, 11) accurate picture of human nature, etc., etc., etc.

So my answer is almost always “yes, in some ways, and no in other ways.” But sometimes I will simply say yes, and sometimes no, because of extenuating circumstances.

Here is why I say God approves and disapproves the death of Osama bin Laden:

In one sense, human death is not God’s pleasure:

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? . . . For I do not pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live. (Ezekiel 18:23, 32).

In another sense, the death and judgment of the unrepentant is God’s pleasure:

Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself. (Ezekiel 5:13]
[Wisdom calls out:] Because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you. (Proverbs 1:25–26)

Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! (Revelation 18:20)

As the Lord took delight in doing you good . . . so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. (Deuteronomy 28:63)

We should not cancel out any of these passages but think our way through to how they can all be true.

God is Not Malicious or Bloodthirsty
My suggestion is that the death and misery of the unrepentant is in and of itself not a pleasure to God. God is not a sadist. He is not malicious or bloodthirsty. The death and suffering considered for itself alone is not his delight.

Rather, when a rebellious, wicked, unbelieving person is judged, what God has pleasure in is the exaltation of truth and righteousness, and the vindication of his own honor and glory. (For further discussion of God’s heart in judgment see the section in The Pleasures of God called “How Is God Like George Washington?”, pp. 147–149.)

When Moses warns Israel that the Lord will take pleasure in bringing ruin upon them and destroying them if they do not repent (Deuteronomy 28:63), he means that those who have rebelled against the Lord and moved beyond repentance will not be able to gloat that they have made the Almighty miserable.

God is not defeated in the triumphs of his righteous judgment. Quite the contrary. Moses says that when they are judged they will unwittingly provide an occasion for God to rejoice in the demonstration of his justice and his power and the infinite worth of his glory (see also Romans 9:22–23).

A Warning
Let this be a warning to us: God is not mocked. He is not trapped or cornered or coerced. Even on the way to Calvary he had legions of angels at his disposal: “No one takes my life from me; I lay it down of my own accord”—of his own good pleasure, for the joy that was set before him.

At the one point in the history of the universe where God looked trapped, he was in charge, doing precisely what he pleased—dying to justify the ungodly like you and me.

(Adapted from The Pleasures of God, pp. 66-74.)

The Abundance of Blessing in Christ

Ephesians 1:3 (ESV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

When was the last time you sat and praised God for His blessings in your life?  In just the past twenty-four hours God has stirred my heart to recognize the many blessings He has given me that I all too often fail to recognize.  I have a beautiful, wonderful, loving, and caring wife that is more forgiving than I give her credit for.  After a few years of trying to have a baby now we have two.  My son doesn't stop talking from the moment he gets up to the time he goes to bed.  But his laughter, curiosity, and constant energy lift me up when I need it most.  I have a beautiful daughter who's smile and gorgeous eyes melt your heart every time.  There's nothing better than to hear your daughter run to the door to great you when you come home from work.  I am the pastor of a wonderful church of caring and loving people who truly desire to live for God.  It's not perfect (no church is) but God is doing a mighty work in the lives of people all around me. 

Finally, and the most important, God has blessed me with eternal life.  What a blessing to know that despite myself God has saved me.  The Son of God has redeemed me from my sins.   The Holy Spirit is at work within me to sanctify my and help me live like Christ.  This blessing is above any gift that God can give.  What a joy to know that I will be with Him forever in Glory.

We should remember to bless God for His blessings upon us.  They are undeserved and God should be praised for them.

I'll end with a quote from TableTalk by Ligoner Ministries.

There are many reasons why God deserves our praise, but in Ephesians 1:3 the apostle tells us that our Father should be praised for sharing the abundance of His goodness with us - for bestowing upon us spiritual blessings.

Amen and Amen.

Praise and Thanksgiving

O My God,

Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
   my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
   for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
   and I would pour out all that fullness before thee
      in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee
   ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
   ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
   ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
   crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
   for adorning it, sanctifying it,
      though it is fixed in barren soil;
   for the body thou hast given  me,
   for preserving its strength and vigour,
   for providing senses to enjoy delights,
   for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
   for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
   for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
   for a full table and overflowing cup,
   for appetite, taste, sweetness,
   for social joys of relatives and friends,
   for ability to serve others,
   for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
   for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
   for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
   for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
   for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.
I love thee above the power of language
      to express,
   for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time
   and eternity.

                           (from The Valley of Vision)

Should We Rejoice At His Death?

I am torn.  At the news of the death of Osama Bin Ladin last night I was shocked, grateful, and saddened.  It is difficult for me to rejoice at the death of another human being, a creation of God.  But it is hard to contain my feelings of justice brought to him by God last night.  I sort of feel like I have a split personality and they are warring against each other.


Denny Burk wrote a good piece on his reaction to the news and how he feels we as believers should respond.

Earlier this evening, we all learned that U.S. special forces have killed Osama Bin Laden, who was hiding out in a mansion in Pakistan. The reaction across the country has been remarkable. I cannot remember another instance in my lifetime when throngs gathered spontaneously in the streets of our major cities to celebrate, but that is indeed what is happening right now as I type. That being said, I just wanted to take a moment to jot down where my thoughts have been over the last couple of hours since the news broke.

1. Romans 13:4, “It does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.” If ever there were a just use of force, this was it. The U.S. government carried out its God-ordained task and has acted as the minister of God bringing His wrath upon one who practiced evil. The U.S. government isn’t God’s only minister of the sword. But tonight was our night, and I am grateful that justice was served.

2. Hebrews 10:31, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Isaiah 33:14, “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?” I shudder to think of what Bin Laden is facing right now. I do not question the justice of it, but I can hardly bear to contemplate the horror of it. If my thinking is defective now, it won’t always be. The day will come when God will command me to rejoice in His justice in the damnation of the wicked (Revelation 18:20). Until then, the horror should serve as a motivation to warn people to flee the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

3. I think Christians are right to contemplate how jubilation (like we see on TV right now) is consistent with Ezekiel 33:11, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.” So I can understand why Christians may be asking, “If God is not delighting in the death of the wicked, then how can we?” I think there is confusion on this point because this verse is easily misunderstood. The second part of the verse is key to understanding its meaning. The text is not trying to say that God never delights in the death of the wicked. Rather, the verse means that God prefers for sinners to repent rather than to perish. If they refuse to repent, God delights in His own justice enough to punish them appropriately (e.g., Psalm 1:5-6; 5:4-6; 68:2; Isaiah 13:1-22; Jeremiah 18:11). We have to be willing to praise God for His justice one way or the other (Psalm 139:19-22; Proverbs 11:10; 28:28; Revelation 19:1-3).

I can see his point and I agree to a point.  We were all disgusted at the sight of throngs of people in the Middle East rejoicing during the 9/11 attacks.  And yet last night many in America did the same thing.  They rejoiced in the streets.  We could make the very good argument that those who died in 9/11 were innocent while Bin Ladan had blood on his hands and was far from innocent.  And that would be a very good and true argument.  But how does this make us any different than the throngs?  We are all rejoicing over death.  But we are called to bring life through Christ and rejoice in that life. 


I do praise God that his justice was done.  But I am more saddened that Bin Ladan never repented and turned to Christ.  That may have seemed like an impossibility, but God is a God of impossibilities.