The last sentence of the Apostles’ Creed in verse

“I believe in the Holy Ghost…”
The great Spirit of God, the Helper, the Dove,
would descend when the Christ sent Him and ascended above,
to do greater works through His strong power and might,
and cause the glory of Jesus to be clear in our sight.

“…the holy catholic church…”
Diverse peoples as one- gospel unity-
was how the Triune God planned the purposed mystery
of the Church so the wisdom and glory of He
would be made known to all powers and authorities.

“…the forgiveness of sins…”
Forgiven, found favored and counted as free,
the full payment for debts owed was cancelled for me.
Not cheaply but at cost to God’s own precious Son,
the full payment for sin in His suffering was done.

“…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting…”
Even when my flesh is sown, spent and sore,
from this husk He will raise me to so much more.
The resurrection hope, eternity of breath;
the empty tomb crushes, reverses death

“…Amen.”
Let it be, even so, let is be as we say
for our loud “Amens” in the way that we pray
through the mediating work of our faithful High Priest,
for whose sake the Almighty will hear the littlest and least.

Unashamed of the gospel

In an era where kids don’t read - and it’s not just the kids - it’s people in general - who have lost the interest and habit of communing and enjoying the written word, conservative evangelicals, who put their faith in the power of the word, get nervous. Sociologists have been telling us for some time now, that with the advent of new technology and the power of media, and indeed, new media, the structure of our minds and brain practices have changed. With movies and image-saturated culture surrounding us and bombarding us from every corner, the written medium has been washed out, drowned out, and rendered impotent if at best, a relic of a distant past. How will the message of the Gospel go out in a generation that can’t find the mental determination to sit down and process words, much less 66 books of God’s self-disclosure through His Son? How will the convicting, soul-stirring power of the Scripture strike at our hearts when it puts us to sleep when passing through our eyes? Has the God of the Word become the forgotten God?

Apparently, we should have seen the signs coming. We have been warned again and again about the appalling biblical literacy of our youth. We have been warned about the need to make our bible studies and youth ministries interesting, attention-grabbing and hands-on, if not, in tune with ‘the culture’. But it’s not just the youth, as though we could slide the entire predicament into some kind of simplified attack on a generational defect of the young. No, the seeker-friendly movement reeked of the same analysis, that the written word and the preached word no longer had power, and failed to draw, so we had to repackage the service in order to appeal, in order to attract. The same thing is true for churches who abandoned their posts to feature videos, skits, and other media to entertain if not, inspire (another sad word) instead of convict, teach, instruct and proclaim the deeds and ways of the living God.

Or perhaps this is true of our worship culture? The songs we sing feature massive repetition and bugglegum prayers turned into pithy sayings. Our hymns have become dense and incomprehensible, we are told, and at best, the language is archaic and foreign. Too many metaphors, vocabulary too unfamiliar- although much of our figurative language takes its bearing from the more pictorial sections of the Scripture, like the prophets. Oh by the way, we stopped reading them too. How much of our inability to understand or emote through the hymns simply reflect our inability to understand them? Could the problem be a simple one of having poor command of language? Perhaps so. 

One can get discouraged in an era where the written word is the forgotten word, and the Word of God simply, cannot be understood. But all is not lost.

After all, Jesus Christ entered into an incomprehensible world to make mysteries plain, and make other plain things mysteries. He spoke in parables precisely because they could be understood, and yet, they were still befuddling to some. “He who has an ear, let him hear,” He used to say. In the incarnation of the true Word of the Father, the infinite become finite, the unintelligible became telligible, the divine became mortal, and the mystery became a clear message. When the Word, that immortal spirit clothed Himself in flesh, He crossed a thousand barriers of translation, transliteration, transculturation and transmission in order to fulfill and preach the Gospel of Himself. 

Thabiti Anyabwile’s sermon at T4G 2012 was helpful in reminding me to put my trust in the Gospel. God in His kindness, tells me again and again, because I am daft, “Put it HERE.” Do not look to clever manipulation or profound sociology. Do not look to intelligent plans or pithy sayings. Do not even look to boggling theology or complex social forces. Do not look to latest fads and effective techniques. Do not look to faithful men or reliable forces. Do not look to classic books or generous supporters. Instead, look to the power of the Gospel to get the job done. Are you weak and heavy-laden? Take it to the Lord of the Word, to the Lord of the Gospel and He will deal with it. It is His work. 

Oh how I need to repent of my good deeds and best intentions. I will make a pile of all my righteousness and set them next to a pile of my worst sins and flee them both to Christ.

Is this an era where kids don’t read? Just love and preach the gospel. Is this an era where moral absolutes give way to postmodern uncertainties? Just love and preach the gospel. Is this an era where human cruelty thrives? Just love and preach the gospel. Is this an era where plural challenges of religions compete with God’s work in the world? Just love and preach the gospel. Are we under attack from Satan raging and raging against the church? Just love and preach the gospel. Are we confused, uncertain, and wasting away as we are pressed, struck down and opposed? Just love and preach the gospel. Are we poor, needy, unappreciated, forgotten, alone, anguished, bereaved, sick, unfruitful and struggling? Just love and preach the gospel. 

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation for everyone who believes…

"And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD."

Selected quotes from essay in ‘Understanding Scripture’ eds. Grudem, Collins and Schreiner by John Piper

Definition of communion with God: Before we see the Bible’s answer, let’s clarify what we mean by “communion.” Communion refers to God’s communication and presentation of himself to us, together with our proper response to him with joy. We say “with joy” because it would not be com- munion if God revealed himself in total wrath and we were simply terrified. That would be true revelation and a proper response, but it would not be communion.

Our need for communion with God. Communion with God is the end for which we were created. The Bible says that we were created for the glory of God (Isa. 43:7). Yet glorifying God is not something we do after communing with him, but by communing with him. Many human deeds magnify the glory of God’s goodness, but only if they flow from our contentment in communion with him. This is why we pray, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love” (Ps. 90:14). The joy of this communion in the love of God confirms God’s worth and shows his glory.

The Bible as a means for communion. Therefore, the first thing to say about the Bible in relation to communion with God is that the message of how to be reconciled to God for the glory of God is the central message of the Bible. There is no communion with God without salvation from our sin and God’s wrath. The Bible is the only book with final authority that tells us what God did through Christ and how we must respond through faith to be saved and to enjoy communion with God (2 Tim. 3:15). But the Bible is more. The Bible tells the story of creation, of the fall of humanity into sin, and of the history of God’s chosen people Israel leading up to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. Then it recounts the life of Christ and his teachings, his mighty works, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension. Finally, it tells the story of the early church after Jesus had returned to heaven, and how we are to live until Jesus comes again.

God-centered communion with God. To be sure, God is active everywhere in the world today, and we experience his precious power wherever we trust him and do his will. But we will go astray if we make this daily experience of God the basis of our communion with him. We know God for who he is, and meet him as he is, when we meet him through his Word—the Bible. We see this principle at work, for example, in 1 Samuel 3:21: “The Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.” The Lord himself is revealed by his word, that is, by what he says to us, whether audibly or in written form. Therefore, when we seek to enjoy communion with the Lord—and not to be led astray by the ambiguities of religious experience—we read the Bible.

How should we respond in communion with God? God communicates with us in many ways through the Bible and seeks the response of our communion with him. If God indicts us (2 Cor. 7:8–10), we respond to him with sorrow and repentance. If he commends us (Ps. 18:19–20), we respond to him with humble gratitude and joy. If he commands us to do something (Matt. 28:19–20), we look to him for strength and resolve to obey with his help. If he makes a promise (Heb. 13:5–6), we marvel at his grace and trust him to do what he says. If he warns us of some danger (Luke 21:34), we take him seriously and watch with a thankful sense of his presence and protection. If he describes something about himself (Isa. 46:9–11), his Son (Mark 1:11), or his Holy Spirit (John 16:13–14), we affirm it and admire it and pray for clearer eyes to see and enjoy his greatness and beauty.

The Trinity in communion according to Owen. As the great Puritan John Owen wrote in his classic Communion with God, the Father communicates himself to us by the way of “original authority,” the Son from a “purchased treasury,” and the Spirit by an “immediate efficacy.” 

Prayer and communion with God. Prayer is the verbal aspect of our response to God in communion with him. The Bible does speak of “groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26), but ordinarily prayer is the response of our heart to God in words. It may be in private (Matt. 6:6) or in public (1 Cor. 14:16). It may last all night (Luke 6:12) or be summed up in a moment’s cry (Matt. 14:30). It may be desperate (Jonah 2:2) or joyful (Ps. 119:162). It may be full of faith (Mark 11:24) or wavering with uncertainty (Mark 9:24).

But it is not optional. It is commanded—which is good news, because it means that God loves being the giver of omnipotent help (Ps. 50:15). 

God’s glory and our joy in prayer. The Bible shows that prayer is near the heart of why God created the world. When we pray for God to do what only he can do, he alone gets the glory, while we get the joy. We see this when Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13), and then later says, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). In prayer, God gets the glory and we get the joy. God is the overflowing fountain; we are satisfied with the living water. He is infinitely rich; we are the happy heirs.

What do we pray for so that God gets the glory and we get the joy? Central to all our praying, as we have seen, must be our longing that God’s name be hallowed in the world—known and honored and loved (Matt. 6:9). To that end, we pray (1) for his church to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness … to the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:11); (2) that the gospel would spread and awaken faith in Jesus among all the nations (2 Thess. 3:1); and (3) that many who do not believe would be saved (Rom. 10:1).

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Source: http://www.wtsbooks.com/pdf_files/9781433529993.pdf

"Because here’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship — be it JC or Allah, bet it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles — is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness"