Grace Abounding

My friend Michael Carlyle, a missionary in Cambodia, described in a recent prayer letter the final days of a Cambodian sister in Christ, and her story has has gripped me. Read it below, and reflect how the gospel truly is incredible news to those who have been but are no longer “without God and without hope in this world” (Ephesians 2:12). You can also follow the gospel’s progress in the Carlyle’s ministry in Cambodia at www.khmer4christ.com.

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She died alone. She was 28 years old and had 3 small children, all under the age of 5. Her husband abandoned her several weeks back when she grew sick again for the third time. Her family refused to care for her. Her own mother and father believed that she was getting what she deserved for her evil deeds.

Sok Kim (in pink) the day she was baptized

She never was angry with her husband for leaving her. She understood why he would not want to stay around for another period of sickness. She never was angry at her family for leaving her alone. In fact, she was trying to do things to make their lives easier as they looked after her children. And she knew that she was not getting what she deserved.

In her very simple mind, she understood that she deserved eternal separation from her Creator. She deserved Hell. What she received was an eternal relationship with her Lord. She had the faith of a child. She didn’t know about Jonah and the fish. She never questioned how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. I don’t even know if she could read. But she knew the voice of her Shepherd. Refusing spiritual help from the Buddhist monks despite the pleadings of her family, she followed Jesus alone to her death.

Her funeral took place just a few hours after her death. The customary tent was set up at the house and the funeral call was sent through the neighborhood via loud speaker. The monks came to chant her spirit into the afterlife. The family and “town mourners” lit incense and offered food to her spirit. But she will feast from a banqueting table prepared by the Lamb that was Slain for her.

As we sit just below the chanting monks, the Gospel message is being proclaimed to the neighbor man. As the monks finish and go about the rest of their day, her earthly shepherd shares her story via the same loud speaker—proclaiming the same Message she believed and lived.  Her neighbors and family heard about the source of her hope, and saw the love of Christ displayed through her church. What a contrast! What glory! What a Savior!

Sok Kim died alone in this world, but she will never be alone again.

I can’t think of a more vivid, compelling picture of the gospel in the Old Testament than the drama of the prophet Hosea pursuing and winning back his unfaithful wife Gomer. This Sunday we’ll be taking a look at their story, which is a bright neon sign pointing to Christ and his love for his bride.

To prepare your heart for Sunday, read Hosea chapters 1 to 3 and listen to the song “Hosea” by musician Andrew Peterson. He has done an incredible job telling Hosea’s story from Gomer’s perspective, as she marvels at her husband’s loyal love in the face of her promiscuous sin. See yourself as Gomer, and see Christ in Hosea’s loving pursuit of his wife, in the midst of her sin.

Listen to “Hosea” here:

based on Hosea 1:2-3; 2:13-16; 3:1-2
Lyrics & music by Andrew Peterson. Track #5 of “Resurrection Letters, Volume 2.”

Every time I lay in the bed beside you
Hosea, Hosea
I hear the sound of the streets of the city
My belly growls like a hungry wolf
And I let it prowl till my belly’s full
Hosea, my heart is a stone

Please believe me when I say I’m sorry
Hosea, Hosea
You loveable, gullible man
I tell you that my love is true
Till it fades away like a morning dew
Hosea, leave me alone

Here I am in the Valley of Trouble
Just look at the bed that I’ve made
Badlands as far as I can see
There’s no one here but me, Hosea

I stumbled and fell in the road on the way home
Hosea, Hosea
I lay in the brick street like a stray dog
You came to me like a silver moon
With the saddest smile I ever knew
Hosea carried me home again, home again

You called me out to the Valley of Trouble
Just to look at the mess that I’ve made
A barren place where nothing can grow
One look and my stone heart crumbled
It was a valley as green as jade
I swear it was the color of hope
You turned a stone into a rose, Hosea

I sang and I danced like I did as a young girl
Hosea, Hosea
I am a slave and a harlot no more
You washed me clean like a summer rain
And you set me free with that ball and chain
Hosea, I threw away the key
I’ll never leave

Here’s a YouTube video of Andrew singing “Hosea.” It’s slightly hard to hear, but follow along with the lyrics above.

Seven thousands pastors and church leaders gathered this week at Together For the Gospel (T4G) to glory in God’s grace and discuss what faithful ministry of the gospel looks like. T4G is a diverse gathering of churches that all hold passionately to the core of Christian truth, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Third Time’s the Charm

I’ve had the privilege of representing Grace Church of Alexandria there the three times T4G has been held; this certainly was the best of the three. I must admit I didn’t get much out of the second one, T4G ’08. Must have been because I was utterly spent and exhausted the weekend before from my examination for ordination as a minister of the gospel, held the weekend before in South Carolina. Getting up at 4:30 am and driving to Louisville, KY, for the conference after my ordination just numbed my mind and that conference was a blur. Not so T4G ’10!

A Theology of Sleep

Hearing from John MacArthur on a “Theology of Sleep” (Mark 4) re-kindled my sure confidence that faithful preaching and teaching of the Scriptures inevitably bears fruit, because the power of the gospel is not in me the messenger but in God who grants faith & repentance. MacArthur reminded me that, as a pastor, my utmost focus ought to be on understanding and proclaiming God’s truth accurately, so that I may gladly rest and entrust the congregation’s response to the Word to Him. This sermon serves every Christian who works to share the gospel with your co-worker or family members, and seeks to teach the Word to your children or disciple a Christian friend. God’s Word bears fruit because the sovereign God is the Lord of the harvest. We can rest easy and not fear when we have done our job and delivered the message accurately and faithfully.

T4G 2010 — Session 5 — John MacArthur from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.
Sing Praise To God

Each day was filled with the resounding echo of 7,000 voices of pastors and church leaders giving loud praise to God in singing gospel laden hymns and songs. Making a joyful noise to the Lord with Christians from across the globe committed to the same message, the same Savior, the same body of Christ, and the same glory of God filled my heart with fire to press on in gospel ministry here in our city of Alexandria. For what we believe is nothing new. In fact, it is the same message that countless people in all nations and throughout time have hung their hopes on, and have always found God faithful to deliver on his magnificent and gracious promises.

Watch & Listen For Free

Seven T4G sessions are available in audio and video for free here. Each is worth your time. I especially commend to you John MacArthur’s “Theology of Sleep,” John Piper’s sermon on the stunning clarity of the gospel in the Old Testament and in Jesus’s teaching, and C.J. Mahaney’s encouraging and transparent talk to “Ordinary Pastors.”

If you  would like to share your experience at T4G or have questions, go ahead and post in the “comments” section below this post.

This Sunday Grace Church is getting a front row seat to God’s radical rescue work through the Gospel. We’ll be hearing from a modern-day Paul named Tim Keesee via video journal as he recounts how Christ’s saving grace has broken out in hard-to-reach places and as he explores places where the Gospel has never arrived. Join us at 10:30 am this Sunday (2/28) for a moving experience as we hear from the Word of God’s heart for people and see where God’s transforming grace is breaking into the world, to the praise of his matchless grace.

A Bold Advance from Dispatches From The Front on Vimeo.

The elders who have had the most profound influence on me are those who have overflowed with joy in and thirst for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Above all, they have shown me how to run to the cross every day to find in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection the power and pattern for the life of righteousness, hope, and faithfulness to which we are called. The Spirit-enabled application of the gospel to our daily living is the engine that  powers the Christian life.

Our quest at Grace Church of Alexandria to be a gospel-driven congregation is nothing new. In fact, it’s as old as the New Testament church itself. For the Apostle Paul sought to relate everything he taught to the churches “to Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

If you aspire to be a elder, if you are a pastor, or if you are searching for a church with pastors you can trust, Dr. Michael Barrett, president of Geneva Reformed Seminary, has given some incredibly helpful thoughts along this line:

“It is the chief business of the seminary to give ministers the knowledge of the gospel. . .The gospel of Christ is the answer to every issue of life. The gospel works, and it is the job of the minister to be the spiritual guide and advisor to his people to show them how it works. For this to happen, the fundamental need for ministers is the knowledge of the gospel–to know it firsthand and thoroughly. . .I am more than happy to have a brilliant student, and I have been occasionally happy in my career. But my principal concern in the seminary is to train men to have a personal and contagious passion for Christ.”

Inside GRS (Vol. 3, No. 2) November 2009, p. 3.

An elder who effectively shepherds his flock is one who knows and applies the gospel to his own life, and then turns around and helps his flock to know and apply the gospel to their own lives. As you pray for Grace Church of Alexandria, pray that God will make the gospel ever more precious to our Leadership Team so that we will see its relevance for our lives and our congregation’s daily living.

Note: A recent graduate of GRS, Lance Collins, and his wife Elisabeth, have joined Grace Church of Alexandria and are serving here. They were featured in the same newsletter where Dr. Barrett’s comments on the Gospel are found.

If you are passionate for God’s glory to spread and want to gather with others looking for practical ways to advance the Gospel in our world, Student Global Impact’s National Conference is for you. Garrett Lee and I attended one of the first SGI Conferences nearly 10 years ago, and we encourage you to consider going.

SGI National Conference is three days of biblical instruction, praise and worship of God’s greatness, networking with young people involved in missions efforts, and prayer for the nations. This year’s theme is “God’s Armor: Put It On.”

When: January 4-6, 2010

Where: Inter-City Baptist Church

Who: College students and young adults

How Much: Cost is $40 if you register by December 1, 2009. $50 if you register between December 1 and December 31, 2009. $60 if you register after January 2, 2010.

Register Now: Click here or Call 313.928.5222×506 (SGI Director Tim Aynes)

Getting Interviewed Via Skype

This morning during their chapel for students & faculty, my alma mater, Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Virginia Beach, interviewed me via video Skype about church planting & my seminary experience. I was thrilled to report back and give back to the local church-based seminary that showed us by example how Christ intends to build his church for God’s praise. We are particularly grateful for Central Seminary because three members of Grace Church of Alexandria (Garrett & Amanda Lee & I) are graduates of the seminary and received excellent preparation for Gospel ministry there. As well, two others from the local church where the seminary is based relocated to the Washington D.C. area and are helping us plant Grace Church.

Gospel-Centered Ministry

During the interview, Pastor Jim Newcomer asked me what urgent matters I want to convey to men and women preparing for ministry. I responded, first, make the Gospel central to your every day and learn how to relate it to every area of your life. For the life, death, burial and ascension of Jesus Christ are not just for non-Christians. These truths are at the heart of how to live as a Christian and minister God’s incredible grace to others. That’s why in every sermon and Bible study at Grace Church we relate the cross of Christ to the practical issues and struggles we all have in daily life. That’s also why in the first Bible studies of Grace Church, we studied through the book Living the Cross Centered Life.

Intentional Discipling Relationships

Second, I stressed that the seminary students ought to make discipling relationships a high priority. Find trusted believers and invite them to jump into your life, probe around, and help you run the race for God even more faithfully. And always be looking around for people in your life whom you can love as Christ loved and help them grow in the faith. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 says, “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. . .” This Scripture text and many others couple the faithful teaching of the Word with the need for genuine, meaningful loving relationships.

I’m deeply grateful for the years of close friendship and faithful Word-centered teaching the faculty of Central Seminary of Virginia Beach provided me. Here inside the D.C. beltway, we endeavor to provide to our community the same kind of Gospel-centered ministry and meaningful relationships that have benefited us.

Why do you yearn for Christ’s coming? Is it to be free from the ravages of sin’s curse…disease, hardships, temptation? Is it so all on earth is made right by the Risen Christ? I’m listening to an album of songs sung by Ken Bartholomew, a friend and brother-in-Christ. I’m reminded to yearn for heaven, for the new heavens and new earth because God is there. God himself is the great treasure of the believer’s life to come.

Ken Bartholomew went home to be with Christ last fall. I mourn his passing. His singing in this album “Finally Home” is living on and causing me to search my heart. It’s a collection of songs he sang over the years during worship at Heritage Bible Church where he was a member. Many songs he was well-known for singing had as their theme the abiding presence of Jesus and his yearning to live with Christ in glory. I’m reminded anew of the incredible relationship with Father, Son, and Spirit that the cross has purchased for me, a lowly sinner who deserves only hell and separation from a Holy God forever.

What is it about the coming kingdom and eternity that I should long for? The New England theologian Jonathan Edwards helps me see more clearly:

“What is it which chiefly makes you desire to go to heaven when you die? Indeed some have no great desire to go to heaven. They do not care to go to hell; but if they could be safe from that, they would not much concern themselves about heaven. If it be not so with you, but you find that you have a desire after heaven, then inquire what it is for. Is the main reason, that you may be with God, have communion with him, and be conformed to him? that you may see God, and enjoy him there? Is this the consideration which keeps your hearts, and your desires, and your expectations towards heaven?”

(from Edward’s sermon, “God, the Best Portion of the Christian,” preached in April 1736)

In John 17:3, our Lord himself declared the same, when he defined eternal life: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to know Ken, a heavenly-minded worshiper, who has helped me treasure and thirst for you anew. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

A few years back, Pastor Sandy McCormick gave me an outline from a talk on marriage called “When Sinners Say I Do” that he heard from Dave Harvey. That outline helped me prepare for my marriage to Christy and understand how in our life together we must view each other in light of the Cross every day. I came to see how the Gospel is of first importance in our marriage, both to preserve and deepen our love for each other and to achieve the intent of marriage – to deepen our love for God (1 Corinthians 7:35).

The talk is expanded into a book called When Sinners Say I Do, the best book on marriage I’ve read. It’s 40% off at wtsbooks.com right now. If you are married or engaged, I highly commend you get the book and the study guide and work through it together.

Ever get tired of struggling with sin and wonder if God can really change you. Watch these cardboard testimonies and revel in the power of God’s grace to change us!

I don’t know anything about the church that posted this, but their celebration brought tears to my eyes, tears of sheer gratefulness to our Redeemer! We’re seeing the same gracious work of Christ in Grace Church that is changing us and giving us hope. Our current sermon series, The Gospel Driven Life, is examining just how to experience the transforming power of the Gospel in everyday life.