The Valley of Vision

The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions that I invariably turn to for spiritual food. The first entitled, calls us to renew our spiritual perspective by entering into 'The Valley of Vision to survey the glorious paradoxes of the Christian life.

Lord, High And Holy, Meek And Lowly,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley.

A philosophy with no foundation

Every day we rub shoulders with those who have come to think that life has no ultimate meaning or purpose. In our conversations we come across the belief that 'truth' cannot be discovered but is rather determined by an individual. This explains how two opposing and contradictory positions can be regarded as equally true. Part of apologetics (the reasoned defence of Christianity) is to help people see the flaws inherent in their worldview. A useful question in seeking to show somebody the implications of their philosophy of life is to ask, 'Can we live it'? The following story might illustrate the point I am making.

Ravi Zacharias was visiting Ohio State University when he was taken to visit the 'Wexner Center for the Arts'. When he arrived in the building he was confronted by the strange sight of staircases that led to nowhere and pillars that served no purpose. He asked his driver to explain the sight before him. The driver replied, "this is America's first Post-Modern building". The philosophy of the building was further explained to him when he was introduced to the architect of the Wexner. The architect said, "If life has no meaning and purpose then why should our buildings"? Hence the staircases leading to nowhere and the pillars that served no purpose. Zacharias replied, I have one question for you, "Did you do that with the foundations"?

Holy Boldness

Ray Ortlund in his blog, 'Christ is deeper still' quotes from Horatius Bonar's preface to John Gillies' Accounts of Revival. In the preface Bonar provides nine characteristics of men God has used in revival and is well worth the read. However it is his sixth comment on boldness that struck me most powerfully,

"Timidity shuts many a door of usefulness and loses many a precious opportunity; it wins no friends, while it strengthens every enemy. Nothing is lost by boldness, nor gained by fear."

Let us not forget in praying for opportunities to speak to others about Jesus, to ask for the boldness to take them.

A Tinker's definition of prayer

Have you ever taken time to define 'prayer'? The simple answer to this question is talking to God.

However sometimes it is helpful to push the bounds of our understanding a little further. John Bunyan, famous for writing 'A Pilgrim's Progress', also wrote a book on prayer. In this book he penned what must be regarded as one of the finest (if not the shortest!) definitions of true prayer in the English language.

'Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to his word, for the good of the church, with submission to the will of God.'

Not bad for a tinker as I am sure you'll agree!!

Over the next few weeks we are going to break this definition down into its component parts. Our goal, to move us forward in our understanding and practice of prayer taking upon our lips the disciples request, 'Lord teach us to pray'.

Right from wrong?

The Daily Telegraph reports on the government's recommendation to parents not to teach their children right from wrong when it comes to sex. Here is another indication of the ever increasing encroachment by the state into territory traditionally belonging to parents. What assumptions can we make from this about the moral framework governing sex education in our schools?

How should Christian parents react? To whose voice shall we listen? We must remember that it is our duty to bring up our children in the 'fear and instruction of the Lord'. At the very least this includes helping our children to distinguish between right from wrong (See 1 Sam 3.13). We must teach them how to live in a way that pleases God when it comes to sex and relationships.

Does it make any difference? Listen to these words highlighting the value of hearing and heeding biblically informed parental instruction.

Proverbs 1.8

'Hear, my son, your father's instruction and forsake not your mothers teaching, for they are a graceful garland around your head and pendants for your neck.'

Here is Proverbs 6.20-30. Note the link between parental guidance with the avoidance of sexual immorality.

'My son, keep your father's commandment,
and forsake not your mother's teaching.
Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
to preserve you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished.'

Two claims to be the voice of wisdom. Let's choose the wisdom of Solomon.

Listen to Sinclair Ferguson for hours

Here is a collection of sermons from Sinclair Ferguson on a whole variety of subjects. This webzine from the folks at Sovereign Grace looks like it will be very helpful in the months to come.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have been enjoying reading Jonathan Aitken biography of 'John Newton'. It is a well written book that neatly interweaves historical fact with spiritual insight. Aitken's work also has the freshness you would expect from a man who has recently experienced God's amazing grace in his own life.

I have been struck by the numerous times that the life of John Newton was preserved by God before his conversion. Knowledge of such events gives new meaning to the line in Amazing Grace, 'through many dangers toils and snares'.

Consider the following brushes with death he experienced,

• At the age of twelve, Newton fell from his horse narrowly avoiding being impaled by a sharp spike protruding from a hedgerow.
  
• Newton had arranged to visit a man-of-war with a friend anchored of the coast of Purfleet. He was delayed in his journey and missed his quayside rendezvous with his friend. However his disappointment turned to relief when the Man-of-War's longboat hit an underwater obstacle and capsized.
• Harsh experiences as a sailor caused him to contemplate suicide by throwing himself into the sea.
• Near starvation and exposure to the elements while held captive on the Plantanes.
• While in Africa, on Cape Lopez, Newton and a number of other companions made a journey inland. During this hunting expedition they became hopelessly lost in territory renowned for its predatory animals. Thankfully the moon and stars emerged from behind the clouds enabling the party to find their way back to the ship.
• Almost drowning on the Greyhound as a result of the ship being battered by North Atlantic gales.

Reflecting upon what he called these 'calls, warnings and deliverance's' was one of the means God used to bring him to Christ.

His scrapes with death continued after his conversion. For example, Newton narrowly avoided shooting himself with a rifle while attending a shooting party with the mayor of Londonderry.

God's preserving grace brought John Newton safely through all these dangers. Too often we are unaware that the same grace is necessary for each one of us.

May we live our lives with the awareness that at all times we are dependent on God to keep and sustain us.

As Newton said,

'Thus when we think of ourselves in the greatest safety we are no less exposed to danger than when all seems conspiring to destroy us. The divine providence that is sufficient to deliver us in our utmost extremity is equally necessary in the most peaceful situations.'

Bible on the top shelf

The Daily Telegraph has an interesting article on Muslims, the Bible and public libraries.

Follow the link to read...

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/4687077/Bible-put-on-top-shelf-in-move-to-appease-Muslims.html

How many people would you like in your church?

As a young Pastor of a relatively small church it is easy to envy those leading bigger congregations. Pride tempts every Pastor to measure their success by counting heads. So please pray for me and others in Christian leadership that we would aim for faithfulness rather than success. Perhaps we will be helped by remembering the words of John Brown (described by Mark Dever as his single most influential quote on leadership),

“I know the vanity of your heart, and that you will feel mortified that your congregation is very small, in comparison with those of your brethren around you; but assure yourself on the word of an old man, that when you come to give an account of them to the Lord Christ, at his judgment-seat, you will think you have had enough.”

Prayer - Where is your confidence? -

Every week I hope to post something that will help us to grow in our understanding and practice of prayer.

Before we begin I want to make two introductory points,

(1) I am not writing these words as an expert. I simply want to pass on what I am learning from others.

(2) I am not wanting to make you feel spiritually inadequate or increase your guilt. Is there another area of life where Christians feel more guilty?

I am convinced that much of our guilt stems from our confidence about prayer being in the wrong place.

Derek Prime reminds us where our assurance about prayer should lie,

'Our confidence in prayer is not in our understanding of it, or our methods of discipline in it, but in God's character and revelation of himself in our Lord Jesus Christ.'

What to expect?

In order to encourage you to read my blog I now want to give you some idea of the content I hope to post.

(1) Insights from my reading of the Bible and others Christian books that might stimulate and challenge others. My primary intention is to stand on the shoulders of giants and so pass on the wisdom of others rather than my own.

(2) Comment on contemporary affairs that impact the lives of Christians and the Church in the UK.

(3) Posts that will cause us to think about elements of our culture through the lens of the Scriptures. What does it mean to be a discerning Christian in the news we hear, the films we watch, and the books we read? I want to grow in my own discernment by interacting with you.

(4) Book reviews and recommendations. I want to get people reading great books. After Bible Reading, prayer and the support of other Christians the reading of good books has helped me to grow spiritually more than anything else. It is also an essential trait for anyone who might think about preaching for in the words of John Wesley, 'A man who will not read will not preach'.

(5) Lessons I am learning about preaching and pastoral ministry.

On "this being a few thoughts"

I have thought about writing a blog but have resisted the temptation for the following reasons...

(1) The sheer number of Christian blogs out there.

(2) The fact that many of these bloggers are able to write with greater ability than I am capable.

(3) Initial indecision about what I wanted to do with this blog.

(4) A mild fear of simply 'multiplying words'.

However I have decided to give it a go for the following reasons...

(1) Many Christian blogs are based in the US and therefore have limited value to Christians living in the UK.

(2) That while I might not write helpfully for millions I might be able to inform and encourage at least one. And even if nobody chooses to read it, writing down my few thoughts will enable me to order my mind.

(3) Finally understanding what it is that I want to do with this blog which I will explain below.

(4) Realising that while in blogging lies the danger of 'multiply words' it also has the potential to glorify God.