Bring the Books (pt. 3)

Read Part One

Read Part Two

My first post (pt. 1) covered the introduction and first point of Dr Minnick's book talk. The nature of our faith leaves little need to urge believer's to read. The first reading priority for believers is the Bible. Any reading that supersedes our desire for and attention to the Bible is improper.

After the Bible, the thoughtful Christian ought to begin with the writings of the Church's best teachers (see pt.2). Dr Minnick provided some very helpful suggestions and recommendations for tackling these writings. Under this heading he had recommended (very highly) James Rosscup's Commentaries for Biblical Exposition. I'm excited to report that I've acquired a copy for myself. This is a fine resource, indeed, and I'm glad to be able to use it.

After the Church's best teachers, one ought to consider the lives of the Church's faithful Christians. We ought to read the lives of those with whom we agree, and of those with whom we disagree (I'd like to visit this point in another post and share some thoughts on a book I read recently).

Now, to conclude our consideration of Dr Minnick's book talk at the Whetstone Conference (2007) we will look at the final three points in his outline.

IV. THE DEVOTIONAL LITERATURE.

This section merely contains a list of recommended devotional literature. I remember hearing him recommend many of these titles from the pulpit while my family worshiped at MCBC. This is a great list of books that ought to have a good representation in every Christian home (well, if not all of Spurgeon's sermons, at least some of his works).

• John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress; The Holy War [Amazon]
• L. E. Maxwell, Crowded to Christ; Born Crucified [Amazon]
• E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer [Amazon]
• David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression; Revival [Amazon]
• G. Campbell Morgan, Discipleship; The Life of the Christian [Amazon]
• William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armor [Amazon]
• Anything by F. B. Meyer
• Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer [Amazon]
• C. H. Spurgeon (any of his sermons in The New Park Street Pulpit or The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit)

V. OTHER LITERATUrE.

(Quot: Robert Murray M'Cheyne wrote to a friend in school, Beware of the atmosphere of the classics. It is pernicious indeed; and you need much of the south wind breathing over the Scriptures to counteract it. True, we ought to know them; but only as chemists handle poisons--to discover their qualities, not to infect their blood with them [Andrew Bonar, Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne, 29].)

For Guides:

• David L. Larsen, The Company of the Creative [Amazon]
• Leland Ryken, Realms of Gold: The Classics in Christian Perspective [Amazon]

V. SOME SUGGESTIONS OF HOW AND WHAT TO READ:

1. Surrender your reading to the Lord (love Him with all your mind).
2. Be very careful about reading known error. (II Tim. 2:16-18)
3. Pray about what to read/pray when you read.
4. Read those books which call you.
5. Consider charting our yearly reading objectives.

   (Exp: This would include (1) Categories, (2) Titlles, and (3) amounts of time.)

6. Read books of varying difficulty and interest to you.

   (Exp: Read what you want to read, what you don't want to read, and what you should read.

   (Quot: Austin Phelps wrote, A third object of a pastor's study of books [is] assimilation to the genius of the best authors. There is an influence exerted by books upon the mind which resembles that of diet upon the body. A studious mind becomes, by a law of its being, like the object which it studies with enthusiasm. If your favorite authors are superficial, gaudy, short-lived, you become yourself such in your culture and your influence. If your favorite authors are the grand, profound, enduring order, you become yourself such to the extent of yoru innate capacity for such growth (Men and Books, 220).)

   (Exp: If you have difficulty with the mechanics of reading, give some attention to Mortimer J. Adler's How to Read a Book. [Amazon | WTS])


7. Do not dismiss a writer simply because you encoutner something with which you disagree.
8. Be careful not to allow yourself to lose objectivity about a man.
9. Do not be enslaved to finishing books.
   

   (Exp: God had read some books for only one chapter.)
   

10. Note what you read in the margin of your Bible for future use.

    (Quot: Never read without taking notes: all other reading is self-indulgence and an occasion for sleep (John Hutton, That the Ministry be Not Blamed, 152).)

11. Share what you read with someone else.

    (Exp: This completes the joy and makes it more your own.)

12. Purchase books for others to read.

    (Quot: Thomas a Kempis, If he shall not lose his reward, who gives a cup of cold water to his thirsty neighbor, what will not be the reward of those who by putting good books into the hands of those neighbours open to them the fountains of eternal life? (Quoted by Sinclair Ferguson, Read Any Good Books?, 18).)

His 9th point was a great relief to me some years ago when I first heard this. A friend of mine had asked Dr Minnick about finishing books and he gave him this piece of advice which liberated my friend's conscience. I like to finish books, but, now, I don't get so torn up about it. I often need to give the book some time to let it "call out to me."

CONCLUSION

(Quot: Andrew Bonar, at age 45 wrote in his journal, Led today to notice that all my books, my many suitable and profitable books that come to help my study and suggest what I might preach, as well as those papers, and the like, that stir up the soul, are all part of God's calling of me. By these He carries on what He began... (Monday, Nov. 12th, 1855).

With this he concluded his talk. This was an enjoyable and helpful session. I hope and trust that sharing his notes (with a few of my own comments) will be of help to you.

Bring the Books (pt. 3)

Bring the Books (pt. 2)

Read Part One

Having set the Scriptures in their proper place (preeminent) among other books, Dr Minnick progressed to his second point.

II. THE WRITINGS OF THE CHURCH'S BEST TEACHERS.

(Quot: Spurgeon wrote in his Commenting and Commentaries, It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others (9).

1. These Are Christ's Gifts To His Church (Eph. 4:8-11).
2. All things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (1 Cor. 3:21-22a).
3. The Church's Most Gifted Teachers Are All Available Through Their Writings.

(Exp: Their writings continue to be published and read because they are truly classics. Leland Ryken, quotes various authors about what a classic is.

• A masterpiece that modifies our very being and makes us feel...that we are not the same men and women we were when we began...
• [L]ays its images permanently on the mind [and] is entirely irreplaceable in the sense that no other book whatever comes anywhere near reminding you of it or being even a momentary substitute for it...
• [I]n some sense a landmark in our intellectual, spiritual, or literary experience...
• [A] multiplicity of both content and technique that makes them inexhaustible.

(Realms of Gold: The classics in Christian Perspective, 1-2)

(Sugg: Read them first hand rather than through someone else's analysis. Use Shepherd's Notes to get you started with C. S. Lewis, Augustine (City of God, Confessions), Calvin's Institutes, Justin Martyr, etc. or Google for a Wikipedia article to find out the best authority.)

(Note: A word about help with commentaries. The best annotated commentary bibliography available is Commentaries for Biblical Exposition, by James Rosscup (published by Grace Books International). D. A. Carson's New Testament Commentary Survey and Tremper Longman's Old Testament Commentary Survey are useful, but often lack the conservative discrimination.)

III. LIVES OF THE CHURCH'S FAITHFUL CHRISTIANS.

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise (Prov. 13:20).
...whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation (Heb. 13:7).

A. Those With Whom We Agree.
(App: Pick out a saint of the past whose theology and philosophy of ministry accords closely with your own. Let him tell you what to expect when you hold those positions. What criticisms? What encouragements? What's required to persist? Where to get inspiration? What are the consequences?)

B. Those With Whom We Disagree.
(Quot: Phillips Brooks, The object of reading biography...is not imitation but inspiration/instruction.)
(Exp: This will give us a necessary sympathetic understanding, combined with an education in what not to do.)

C. Choose By Author Rather Than Subject.

Examples of well-researched and written biographies:
[Also, check the Westminster Seminary Bookstore for many of these titles.]

—2 vols. of Hudson Taylor’s life by Mrs. Howard Taylor [Amazon | CBD]

—Borden of Yale, by Mrs. Howard Taylor [Amazon]

—But Now I See, life of John Newton, by Josiah Bull [Amazon | CBD]

—Mountain Rain, life of James Fraser, by Eileen Crossman [Amazon | CBD]

—John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides (autobiography) [Amazon | CBD]

—Life of David Livingstone, by William Blaikie [Amazon | CBD]

—To the Golden Shore, life of Adoniram Judson, by Courtney Anderson [Amazon | CBD]

—Isobel Kuhn's autobiographical writings [Amazon | CBD]

—Mary Slessor of Calabar, by W. P. Livingstone [Amazon | CBD]

—C. H. Spurgeon: The Early Years [Amazon | CBD]

—C. H. Spurgeon: The Full Harvest [Amazon | CBD]

—Mrs. C. H. Spurgeon, Charles Ray [Amazon | CBD]

—Andrew Bonar: Diary and Life [Amazon | CBD]

—Man of the Word, life of G. Campbell Morgan, by Jill Morgan [Amazon | CBD]

—Five English Reformers, J. C. Ryle [Amazon | CBD]

—Anything by Iain Murray (Jonathan Edwards [Amazon | CBD | WTS]; David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (2 vols.) [Amazon | CBD | WTS]; A Scottish Christian Heritage [Amazon | CBD | WTS]; etc.)

—Anything by Faith Cook (Singing in the Fire [Amazon | CBD | WTS]; Sound of Trumpets [Amazon | CBD | WTS]; Samuel Rutherford and His Friends [Amazon | CBD | WTS]; Selina: Countess of Huntingdon [Amazon | CBD | WTS]; Hymn-Writers and Their Hymns [Amazon | CBD]; etc.)

(Note: The best survey of the history of preaching is David L. Larsen's, The Company of the Preachers [Amazon | CBD]. Thorough without being tedious, factual though not exhaustive, interesting and well indexed.)

Bring the Books (pt. 2)

Bring the Books (pt. 1)

I was particularly glad when I first learned that Dr Minnick was devoting an entire session on the discussion of books. Sitting under his ministry for about seven years, I learned much of what I know about good books. Dr Minnick is, without a doubt, a man of one Book, but this does not mean that he doesn't read anything else. Matter of fact he has a very large personal library. What is key is the priority he gives to those books. They all are secondary sources. The Word of God is his primary source.

A preacher is greatly impoverished if he spends the bulk of his time in the secondary sources and not in the primary. This is also true of students and teachers of any subject. This is my way of summarizing what I have learned about books from Dr Minnick and other men who have served as mentors to me. Well, enough of my words, here's the first part in a series of posts on Dr Minnick's lecture entitled "Bring the Books." (Note: The following notes are shared with the express permission of Dr Mark Minnick.)

For a text, he chose 2 Timothy 4:14, "When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments." (NASB)

Introduction:

C. H. Spurgeon preached on this text on Sunday morning, Nov. 29, 1863. He noted, Even an apostle must read. Some of our very ultra-Calvinistic brethren think that a minister who reads books and studies his sermon must be a very deplorable specimen of a preacher. A man who comes into the pulpit, professes to take his text on the spot, and talks any quantity of nonsense, is the idol of many. If he will speak without premeditation, or pretend to do so, and never produce what they call a dish of dead men's brains--oh! that is the preacher.

How rebuked are they by the apostle! He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books! He has seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He had written the major part of the NT, and yet he wants books!

The apostle says to Timothy, and so he says to every preacher, "Give thyself unto reading." ...Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read... We are quite persuaded that the very best way for you to be spending your leisure, is to be either reading or praying. You may get much instruction form books which afterwards you may use as a true weapon in our Lord and Master's service. Paul cried, "Bring the books"--join the cry (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, IX, 668).

A. There is Little Need To Urge the Need.

1. The Christian Faith is a religion of cultivating the mind (Romans 12:2).
2. The Calling of a Man of God is to be his people's example.

Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (I Timothy 4:12-16).

I. THE SCRIPTURES MUST HAVE THE PREEMINENCE.
(Exp: The parchments. Word from which we get our word membrane. Refers to manuscripts written on very thin sheep or goat skin--vellum.)
[Quot: Matthew Henry said, No company like good books, especially the book of God (quoted by Warren Wiersbe, Victorious Christians You Should Know, 92).]

We must jealously guard our appetite.

A. Set Aside Anything That Dulls Our Taste For Scripture.
B. Use Varying Approaches.

1. Plow work: the surface. (The Telescopic Approach)
2. Spade work: the depth. (The Microscopic Approach)
3. Memorization.

This is the 1st of six points.

Reflection:

• Are you a reader? If not, why not? God gave us the written Word so that we might read it. If nothing else, we must read the Word. At least in that sense, we must be readers.
• How do you spend your leisure? Read! I don't know about you, but I try to take a book with me, no matter where I'm going. Traffic around here is awful, there's often a chance to read while waiting for traffic to clear. How about waiting in lines? Take a good book. Especially to the DMV.
• Do the Scriptures occupy the highest priority in your reading schedule? What kind of appetite do you have for the Word of God? I must improve here and also with regard to memorization. How about you?
  

Bring the Books (pt. 1)

"Tune My Heart" (Pt 2)

Okay, it has taken longer to get back to this post than I originally expected. Well, I'd like to make some more comments on Dr Peter Davis's Whetstone Lecture entitled "Tune My Heart" Or is that my responsibility...? Having surveyed a few select passages regarding music in the lives of Saul, David and Solomon, Dr Davis turned our attention to the Levites.

TUNING FROM THE LEVITES

Two key texts are 1 Chronicles 16:4-36 and 2 Chronicles 5:11-14.

God's Part: God blessed His people richly, and, in return, they thanked and praised Him in the following ways:

Man's Part: Leadership and ministry were delegated.
Skillful musicians played and sang.
The people said "Amen."
[They] showed participation and focus on God not the musicians.

Dr Davis concluded that from this text we learn that "The key is in how we listen." This is very important to remember in our worship services. How often does our worship become mindless and perfunctory? We become so familiar with words, tunes, and even the order of the service that we don't listen and consider the message in the music. We also need to remember that we are not the audience, God is. We sing and play to worship and glorify God!

From the second text we glean the following points regarding the Levites in public worship:

Man's Part: [They] acquired musical skill.
They sanctified themselves.
[They] clothed themselves in the best linen available.
[They] lifted up their voice in one accord.
[They] praised God for His chesed (loyal lovingkindness).
Apparently they had practiced until they could play as one.
God's Part: In return, God filled His house with glory.

(My thoughts) It seems to me that God is very interested in, not only, what we sing and play, but also how we present ourselves both in dress and skillfulness. What a contradiction to our postmodern ideas of Christian worship!

Next, our attention was turned to the Prophets.

TUNING FROM THE PROPHETS

During a time when Elisha was frustrated, his heart was tuned by the ministry of music (2 Kings 3:15).

Man's Part: Rely on the power of music to communicate God's peace. Call for a mintrel.
Man's Part: [Elisha] listened in such a way as to let the music wash over his spirit.
God's Part: God gave the ability to prophecy. God's work went forward.

Here is a powerful example of the ability of music to prepare the man of God to minister the Word. I can think of a number of times when the special music prior to my opportunity to preach brought peace and encouragement to my heart.

Next, we considered a few passages from the Poets.

TUNING FROM THE POETS

Dr Davis turned our attention to five great passages (Job 35:9-11; Psalm 28:1-7; Psalm 40:1-3; Psalm 108:1; and Psalm 51:14-15). The first passage was very memorable.

God's Part: Initiated the trial. Limited the trial. Orchestrated the trial for overarching plans.
Man's Part: To cry, "Where is God?" (not "Where is my song in the night?")
God's Part: Then God gives the song.

The sequence here is key. We naturally cry out "Where is my comfort?" However, the story of Job teaches us that we are not to long for our "song in the night" but for God, Himself. When we long for God He gives us a song. See especially Psalm 40:1-3 on this wise.

Finally, we looked at the Apostles.

TUNING FROM THE APOSTLES

In Acts 16:25, we come to the familiar story of Paul and Silas in jail.

Man's Part: They had given themselves for the gospel.
[They] had suffered severe beating and imprisonment.
Doubtless, did not feel like singing.
[However, they] prayed and sang.
God's Part: Sent an earthquake.

As we heard repeated, nearly weekly, in a recent Sunday School series on the book of Philippians, our joy in the Lord is not contingent upon our circumstances. This was a good example of that truth.

The final two passages we looked at were Ephesians 5:18-19 and Romans 15:13. The setting of the latter text is "The early church in social conflict." As we began looking at this passage, Dr Davis made the statement that "a theology of music is a theology of joy." This is certainly clear in this last passage.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (ESV)

Man's Part: Believe!
God's Part: God will fill us with joy and peace, the essence of song, through the Spirit's power.

As I mentioned in Part 1, some of the things Dr Davis covered were things I had heard him say over lunch one Sunday afternoon. Much of this was new to me and very helpful. All of these passages are familiar, but I had not strung them together and evaluated them as he did for us on that Wednesday morning. This has been a tremendous help to me as I consider musical part of personal and corporate worship.

There is a common expression, "You are what you eat." This is frighteningly true in many respects. What if we changed this statement, ever so slightly, to "You are what you sing," or "You are what you listen to"? How is your heart tuned by the music you sing and listen to? Is it being tuned? Of course it is. According to what is it being tuned?

Look unto Jesus, draw near unto God and He will give you a song; a new song. He will not give you a song that is contrary to his being and character. Neither will He accept a song that is contradictory to His being and character. When He gives you a song, sing it skillfully, appropriately, respectfully, and worshipfully to Him. Remember, our worship is before His throne.

May our hearts by tuned to sing His praise!

"Tune My Heart" (Pt 2)

Whetstone Opening Service

On Tuesday evening June 26, our Whetstone Conference 2007 opened with a preaching service. The preacher that night was Tony Payne, veteran missionary to South Africa. Preaching from the Parable of the Landowner in Matthew 20:1-16, Brother Payne revealed and corrected the basis on which man naturally tries to conduct his dealings with God.

The parable our Lord gave was in response to a question that Peter asked at the end of the previous chapter. The Lord had just dealt with a rich young man who came to Him asking Him what good thing the rich man could do to inherit eternal life. The man rejected the Lord’s counsel to forsake his idol (wealth) and follow Jesus. Choosing his riches rather than Christ, he went away sorrowful. Jesus then taught His disciples that “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:23). Then Peter said to the Lord, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” Peter was thinking in terms of merit, just like the rich man.

Christ acknowledged that His disciples would have a unique place in the kingdom, but he taught them this parable to correct the notion that they could deal with God on the basis of merit. God deals with us on the basis of grace. We are to respond to Him by trusting, not bargaining.

The parable builds on the practice of the landowner going to the marketplace and hiring a group of men for each day’s work. The first group bargained with the landowner for a denarius (translated “penny” in the KJV), the typical day’s wage for an ordinary worker. The landowner went to the marketplace three more times and each time hired more workers, including some who worked only the last hour of the day. The man told each of the later groups that they would receive what was right, and they went to the field without bargaining. Why did the landowner keep hiring more laborers, especially near the end of the day? Was he that desperate? He wasn’t the one desperate; it was the ones who had waited all day for someone to hire them. The landowner wasn’t desperate; he was generous.

At the end of the day all the workers each received a denarius. The ones who had worked all day grumbled at the landowner because he had made the last group equal to them. They thought they should’ve received more since they had borne the heaviest burden. The landowner reminded the first group that they got what they had bargained for and that he had done them no wrong. He also told them, “I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?'’

Tony Payne brought out two important truths about God from the story of the landowner: God is absolutely sovereign, and He is always good and generous. We tend to think that God should bless our ministries with visible results because we have faithfully labored for so long with so little results, as though God owed us something. This is especially difficult for us when we see Him blessing others with the results we wanted to see. The temptation is to grumble. We think God is angry with us or that He loves the other more that He does us. The implication is that we think God is unfair.

But God is acting according to His own attributes. He is sovereign and can do whatever He pleases. He is also good in everything He does. If He uses us at all, that is grace. He doesn’t have to use us to get His work done. If He uses someone else in a greater, more public way than He does us, that doesn’t mean He cares more for that person or that He is necessarily displeased with us. He is good to relate to us in any way other than judgment because of our pervasive sinfulness.

Peter’s problem was that he wanted to be first. Jesus said that the last would be first, and the first last. In Luke 17 He told His disciples that when they had done all they were commanded, they were to consider themselves as “unprofitable servants.” We naturally want to think of ourselves as profitable and deserving of reward. When someone else gets what we think we deserve, that brings out the envy in us. And the Lord has to deal with that.

Brother Payne began his message by asking which group in the parable we identified with. We probably think of ourselves as belonging to the group that worked all day and should be blessed with much success. Since this was preached at a pastor’s conference, the message was geared mainly toward men in the ministry. But this has application to all God’s people. I know it hit me, and I’m not in the ministry. I must admit that at times I’ve felt jealous when God blessed others in ways that I was looking for. And the Lord dealt with me.

If we would have a closer walk with God, we must deal with Him on the terms He has set: grace rather than merit. God is both sovereign and good. He doesn’t owe us anything. He is right in all that He does. He can be righteous and “bless” some more than others. How many Spurgeons have there been in history? How many Hudson Taylors or G. Campbell Morgans? Our right response to God’s sovereign dealings in grace is faith. Unbelief will distance us from God, and He will deal with his own in correction.

Tony Payne’s theme that opening night was “A Closer Walk through Trusting God.” When the Lord crosses our purposes or seemingly blesses others more than us, do we trust that He is good and is doing right? Or do we complain and imply unworthy thoughts of Him. Brother Payne said that it took him fourteen years to learn this lesson. I admit I still struggle with it sometimes. How about you?

Whetstone Opening Service

"Tune My Heart" (pt. 1)

The second session of the conference was presented by Dr Peter Davis, the assistant music director at Mount Calvary (MCBC) and professor of music at Bob Jones University. Dr Davis is a wonderful and thoughtful musician. My wife got to know Peter's wife, Leslie, while we were members at MCBC. After we had moved to Charleston, we visited Greenville and made it a point to sit down and talk with Dr Davis about church music ministry. We were privileged to do this over a Sunday afternoon lunch. I learned more about music ministry in that 30 to 40 minute visit that I had in any other ministerial class I had taken. We were glad to take some of his ideas and try to implement them in our local church.

Some of the things he shared with us that afternoon were developed more fully in his session at the Whetstone Conference. The title of his lecture was "Tune My Heart, Lord" Or is that my responsibility...? Dr Davis' basic premise was that "Unless the heart is tuned properly, there is no song in the heart, no matter what the circumstances."

In working out this premise, Dr Davis walked us through five basic sections of the Scriptures: the Kings, the Levites, the Prophets, the Poets, and the Apostles. In each section he turned our attention to a couple of key texts, helped us to identify the setting, and then showed how each passage presented both Man's part and God's part in the tuning process.

For instance, the first passage we turned to was 1 Samuel 16:23, "And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him" (ESV).

Setting: Saul in a negative spirit
Man's Part: Believe in the power of the sound of music. Seek out a musician.
God's Part: God drives away the negative spirit. He refreshed Saul.

The power of music is profound. Music is emotive. Certain kinds of music affect corresponding emotions and actions. However, an untuned spirit can hinder the proper affect of music. In the case above, Saul responds in accord with the music and is refreshed. However, in 1 Samuel 18:9-11, Saul does not respond to the music, but "lashes out, unchanged, in a jealous rage." In response, "God does not take away the negative spirit." The power of good, beautiful, God-glorifying music to refresh the soul is amazing.

Well, what about secular music? What about secular, classical music? Here Dr Davis did not want to pass up the opportunity to correct the notion of "Art for art's sake." Rather, he argued, we should view "art for God's sake." To bolster his claim, he turned our attention to Ecclesiastes 2:8-11.

Setting: Solomon in pursuit of pleasure.
Man's part: Solomon no doubt amassed the best secular music of his day.
God's part: God left him empty. Why? God intends we find satisfaction in Him who gives good things, not in the things themselves. (1 Tim. 6:17)

His conclusion to this matter was, "Man, left empty, thus is turned back to God." At this point he brought up the issue of congregants saying "Amen." He said that in the music classes they talk about the amenometer. How well did I sing, or minister is often measured by the heartiness of the "amen." Sometimes a special number is done terribly but the "amen" seems to be louder so that the person won't feel embarrassed. In other words, we have come to distort the whole purpose and usefulness of saying "amen." We are not praising the music or the musician, but God and His message proclaimed (even in song).

At this point, I made a note on the side of my handout, "we need a corporate 'amen.'" The instances in Scripture where you see the people of God saying "amen," it is said corporately (Num. 5:22; Deut. 27:15-26; 1 Chron. 16:36; Neh. 5:13; Neh. 8:6). I've visited a Presbyterian school that is trying to instill this value in it's students. Anything can become perfunctory, but there seems to be strong biblical precedent for practicing this. In the end, the entire congregations is brought into active participation in the entire service. Not only would everyone be speaking the affirmation, "Amen," but they would/should be affirming their acceptance and commitment to the ministry received.

This post has grown longer than I had anticipated. However, this has been a good exercise for me to go through my notes. I'll plan to continue some thoughts on this lecture in the following days.

"Tune My Heart" (pt. 1)

Speak, Lord, in the Stillness (conclusion)

In the opening day session of Whetstone 2007 Pastor Mark Minnick brought a message on the topic, “Speak, Lord, in the Stillness.” Taking his text from Exodus 33:1-19 he raised the question of the necessity of setting aside a place and time for private meeting with God. Though the practice isn’t mandated in this passage, it is shown to be a felt need of God’s men and highly desirable, in spite of the advantages and pressures of being in the ministry. Or maybe private communion is desirable and needed because of the pressures of the ministry. In addition to the tent Moses pitched away from the camp representing a place to meet with God, Pastor Minnick brought out some other applicable lessons from Moses’ practice.

The very location of the tent of meeting was meant to signify something. It signified a grievous spiritual reality: that God was no longer prepared to be in the midst of these people (Ex. 33:1-6). God said He would send an angel to lead them to the land He had promised them, but He would not go up in their midst because He would destroy them for their obstinacy. They had just sinned in connection with the golden calf while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Law. “When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning” (v. 4). It was in this context that Moses pitched the tent of meeting “outside the camp, a good distance from the camp” (v. 7). Though far off, the tent was visible to the people, who would stand and watch when Moses went to meet with God.

It’s interesting to note that despite the people’s disobedience God still guaranteed their success (vv. 1-3). Is it possible to have gross disobedience to the Scriptures and still have success that can be attributed only to God’s miraculous working? Apparently so, according to this passage. That would be fodder for another article to itself, or perhaps a lively (but Christian) discussion in the comments section. Why is the Lord promising to give these rebellious people success? Because of His promise to the fathers (v. 1). They would still have the things promised, but what would be missing was God’s approving presence. That would be strangely absent.

But, though the point of communion was now outside the camp, God was still graciously accessible (vv. 9-10). When Moses entered the tent, “the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent” (v. 9). The people would see this and know that He was still graciously accessible in spite of their sin.

This leads to the next lesson: that place (the tent of meeting) was one where Moses’ practice became influential. After setting up the tent (v. 7), “everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.” When the people saw Moses go to the tent, the pillar of cloud descending in response, “all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent” (v. 10). So Moses’ practice was influential. Maybe that’s one of the greatest arguments for the necessity of private communion with the Lord: to set an example for the people, who truly live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, and who in many ways have been insidiously damaged by the culture in which they live.

What if it’s true that ministers can sufficiently commune with the Lord on the run? What if it’s true that the work of the ministry provides abundant opportunity for fellowship and spiritual growth? Even if all that were true, what of the people? What of the people who don’t live and move where ministers do? What of the people whose business isn’t in the Word all day long? What of the people whose fellowship has frequently been broken by sin; and the ungrieved, unquenched presence of the Lord is seldom, if ever, recovered while they’re carpooling to work? There are few things more powerful in the hearts of the people than when they find out something about their pastor’s own walk with the Lord. A mere passing comment from the minister about his devotional life during a sermon might be what the people latch onto and take home as the inspiration for their own private devotion. Pastor Minnick did this himself in a message this past Sunday. We are sheep listening to the voice of our undershepherd. We are following the leadership of our divinely-appointed guides. Do pastors really want to teach their people to do their devotions on the fly?

Moses set the example, who in his communion successfully interceded for the people so that the Lord was once again willing to go with them and dwell among them (vv. 12-19). This approving presence was what distinguished them from all the nations of the earth. Moses’ experience of the Lord in private communion led him to desire to know more of God. “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” That’s our need! Moses caught a glimpse of God’s glory and it made his face shine. We need our faces to shine with the glory of God, and private communion with Him is where the transformation takes place. May we steal away often to meet with God and hear Him speaking in the stillness.

Certain things from Whetstone have really stuck with me. This message was one of them.

Lord, I have shut the door,

Speak now the word

Which in the din and throng

Could not be heard.

—William M. Runyan

Speak, Lord, in the Stillness (conclusion)

Bob Bixby's thoughts on the Whetstone Conference

Bob Bixby has written a recap of his time at the Whetsone Conference. Bob's brother, Tim, preached an excellent message on Thursday evening.

I've enjoyed reading article on his blog and was glad to meet him. Having been a member at Mount Calvary for about 6 years, or so, I had heard about him and got to know some of his extended family. Bob enjoys a rich family heritage of servants of the Lord.

READ his article on his blog, Pensees.

Bob Bixby's thoughts on the Whetstone Conference

Speak, Lord, in the Stillness (pt. 1)

I’ve been meaning to write something about the first day session of Whetstone 2007. It was a message by my pastor, Mark Minnick, and was titled, “Speak, Lord, in the Stillness.” Pastor Minnick took his text from Exodus 33: 1-17 and raised the question of the necessity of getting alone with God. Acknowledging that many preachers argue against the necessity of seeking quiet times with the Lord, Pastor Minnick demonstrated from Scripture that it seemed to be something highly desirable and was the practice of God’s men from the time of Moses onward.

Some in the ministry argue that because of the nature of their ministry and the demands made on their time they can meet with the Lord anytime, anywhere without something as time-consuming as private devotion. Pastor pointed out that if any man, other than our Lord, had those kinds of demands made of him and had that kind of access to God so that he might feel no need of private time with the Lord, it was Moses. Yet from this point on in the wilderness journey “Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting” (Ex. 33:7). This was before the tabernacle was erected. So Moses, to whom God spoke face to face as a man speaks with his friend, felt the need for shutting out the world for times of getting alone with God. In this way he foreshadowed our Lord Jesus Christ, who had greater demands made of Him and unbroken fellowship with the Father, yet He would often slip away for seasons of private prayer.

The picture on the brochure for the conference is of a room that John Wesley set aside in the heart of London for getting alone with God. Wesley was 76 years old when he moved into this house, and he was still pursuing the same thing that Moses was. The purpose for such a place and time for meeting with God is to shut out the clamor of the world so we can focus our attention on the Lord. Jonathan Edwards used to walk out into the woods to meditate and be alone with God. A.W. Tozer had a small study behind the platform in the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church he pastored. He used this room for getting alone with God in the south side of Chicago. When he entered the room, he would change into a pair of old pants he called his “praying pants” and get down prostrate on the floor with his nose pressed into a handkerchief to avoid breathing dust from the carpet. And there he met with the Lord. This just seems to be the felt need of God’s men from the time of Moses down to the present. While this passage in Exodus doesn’t mandate the practice, it definitely presents private devotion as something highly desirable.

I’ll try to post more on this message soon and bring out some of the details from Exodus 33 that are “written for our admonition.”

Speak, Lord, in the Stillness (pt. 1)

Whetstone Conference 2007

Last week I had the pleasure of spending some of my vacation time in Greenville, SC attending the Whetstone Conference at Mount Calvary Baptist Church. I also had a good time visiting with my friend Tim Ashcraft.


The Whetstone Conference was held for the first time in 1993. Preachers and missionaries who had been sent out from Mount Calvary Baptist Church were invited back for a few days of fellowship, instruction, and refreshment. This year's conference was the fifth gathering (the conference convenes every three to four years), and this was my third opportunity to attend. The theme for this year was For a Closer Walk with God (see here). Speakers included Tony Payne, Mark Minnick, Peter Davis, Bruce McAllister, Gary Bill, Thurmond Wisdom, Dan Brooks, Nathan Crockett, Tim Bixby, Robert Vincent, Steve Hankins, Ken Hay, Gary Wilcox sat in on the panel discussion, and Tom Sims (my pastor). The women listened to Linda Minnick, Joan Hufstetler, Patty Whitcomb, and Cathy Payne.

The conference began on Tuesday evening and continued through Friday evening. Each morning the men gathered together for breakfast at the church. During the days the men enjoyed four sessions while the women met for sessions before an after lunch. Each evening we met together for a General Session of worship in music and the preaching of the Word.

Tim and I have discussed our desire to share some highlights from the conference and we will do that over the next few days, or so. There are a number of things that we would like to share. The Lord used this conference in a very definite way in my life. I was sharpened by the Word and the fellowship of many brethren. My wife also was blessed by the time spent in fellowship with the women.

One of the other highlights was the bookstore. What a sight: a bookstore full of preachers! The selection was fantastic and the prices were superb. Ps. Robert Vincent did a great job of stocking the store with excellent commentaries, biographies, and theological works. I came home with a very nice stack of books. We also were able to select a number of books for our church library.

Well, we'll say more over the next few days.

Whetstone Conference 2007

For a Closer Walk with God

William Cowper penned the words to the following hymn which has been the theme of the Whetstone Conference 2007.

O for a closer walk with God,

A calm and heav’nly frame,

A light to shine upon the road

That leads me to the Lamb!

Where is the blessedness I knew

When first I saw the Lord?

Where is the soul refreshing view

Of Jesus and His word?

The dearest idol I have known,

Whate’er that idol be,

Help me to tear it from Thy throne,

And worship only Thee.

So shall my walk be close with God,

Calm and serene my frame;

So purer light shall mark the road

That leads me to the Lamb.

I’ve looked forward to this conference for about four years (since the last one). My eager expectations have not been let down. Praise the Lord! We have been enjoying some of the finest sermons and lectures on communion with God. I say “finest,” not because the speakers are world renown, but because they are humble, “unprofitable” servants exalting their Savior who is worthy of all praise.

The graphics for the conference banner and literature consist of a peaceful view of John Wesley’s prayer room. This particular room was set aside by Wesley when he purchased this home at the age of seventy-eight for a place to spend quality time communing with his God. This has served as an appropriate reminder of our need for secret communion with God.

I knew that Wesley was born in June in the year 1703 but I had been confused as to the actual date. Some sources site the 17^th, and others site the 28^th. I just learned that the difference is in the calendar used. According to the ‘old style’ calendar, prior to 1752, the date was June 17. According to the ‘new style’ calendar, after 1752, the date is June 28. So, it was neat, for me, to see a connection with John Wesley and the timing of this conference.

I wish that all of you could be here this week. We have truly been blessed by the Lord. Tim and I hope to give more information on the conference lectures over the next week or so.

For a Closer Walk with God