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Re-entering the City

In preparation for this Sunday's sermon, I have done quite a bit of reading that has kept my mind buzzing this last week concerning the Christian's role and responsibility in the public square.

After the defense walls were erected around Jerusalem in 445 BC under the direction of Nehemiah, it was important to repopulate the city with God's people (Neh. 11). The place was empty except for a few.

Similarly, our cities in America must be repopulated by Christians and strong churches who stay in the center to "seek the welfare" of the city (Jer. 29:4-7). When I think of the center of the city, I don't necessarily mean the physical center of the city, but its social, economic, and cultural center. Christians need to be where the ideas, plans, dreams, and values of the city are being created and that isn't necessarily the downtown area; much of that happens in the suburbs, too. As the city goes, so goes the culture.

Here's some articles that have stirred my thinking:

Tim Keller, A New kind of Urban Christian

James Davison Hunter, To Change the World

Harvest's Vision for Counseling

Isaiah 9:6 calls the Messiah “Wonderful Counselor” and so He is. Jesus said the Father would send “another Helper, the Holy Spirit, [the Intercessor, one called alongside to help] … that He may be with you forever.” (John 14:16,17) This is the foundation for our ministry of counseling at HBCR. As we minister in the power of God, to the glory of God, and for the Son of God, Who is preeminent in all things, we can summarize the ministry in six principles.

God-centered. It is focused on our God; it is localized in our relationship with Christ Jesus; it is Spirit-empowered, or energized by the work of the Holy Spirit. Rather than emphasizing problems or personal benefit, God’s transforming work in our lives is our concern.

Oriented toward Holiness. Christ-likeness is the goal of sanctification, which counseling serves to advance, rather than relief from problems or the promise of comfort. As the Apostle James (1:2-4) reminds us, trials are to be a joy for us because they produce endurance whose perfect result is maturity. The goal of the body of Christ is that “we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” God said it like this: “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Tempered by Love and Compassion. As God is love, so Jesus told us that others would know we were His disciples by our love for one another. We abide in faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love. “A new command-ment I give to you, that you love one another…” (John 13:34) And “as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”(Col 3:12)

Spiritual in Nature. Believers are alive in the Spirit of God because they have been born of the Spirit and this new life is enabled by His indwelling presence. Our obligation is to live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh (Romans 8:12f). Scripture makes clear that the flesh and the Spirit are in conflict with one another (Galatians 5:17), that we are to make no provision for the flesh in regard to it’s desires (Romans 13:14), and that we are not be taken captive by philosophy, deception, tradition, and other elementary principles of the world (Colossians 2:8). In contrast, 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 and 2 Corinthians 3:18 provide us the perfect portrait: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God…we have the mind of Christ…We are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Founded on the Word of God. The Word of God is both Authoritative and Sufficient for all our needs. 2 Timothy 3:16 reads ”All scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” The word is “living and active and sharper than any two- edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints marrow, able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”(Heb 4:12)

Directed by Biblical Wisdom. Divine wisdom as preserved for us in God’s Word is what directs our lives. Rather than relying upon human wisdom and knowledge, we are to heed the Bible’s call for wisdom. Prov 2 “…Make your ear attentive to wisdom… if cry for discernment… seek her as silver…then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God…For the Lord gives wisdom; He is a shield…guarding the paths of justice…then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course…wisdom will enter your heart…discretion will guard you… understanding will watch over you…” Wisdom guards our counsel.

Every (obedient) Believer Competent. According the grace God has given each one, he can and should minister the manifestation of the Spirit of God which is given for the common good (1 Cor 12:7; Rom 12:6-8; 1 Pet 4:10,11), teaching and admonishing one another (Col 3:16); not turning aside to human philosophy (Col 2:6-9), nor the counsel of the wicked(Ps 1:1) for wisdom or insight; any and all ability of the believer to counsel is dependent upon the Holy Spirit’s influence and power. The obedient believer continues to abide in the Word of God and the Word abides in him and he will be fruitful. (John 15:4-11)

Bible Reading for the Summer

If reading through the Bible in a year is too aggressive of a reading schedule for you, try one of the following for the summer months (June through August):

Psalms.............(approx. 2 chapters per day)

John, Acts........(approx. 1/2 chapter per day)

Proverbs..........(approx. 1/3 chapter per day)

Ephesians 6x (approx. 10 verses per day)

National Day of Prayer

Just got home from our city-wide prayer meeting at the Coranado Theater. There was about 1000-1200 people in attendance and it was a real treat to pray with so many and to worship in song. I am thankful to live in a city where the Mayor and Chief of Police attend a prayer meeting and publicly pray to God! Part of the sweetness of the night was having Luke, my son, with me.

Keep praying for Revival!

How to H.E.A.R the Word of God preached

As I prepared to preach Nehemiah 8, I couldn't help but notice the eagerness of the listeners in Nehemiah's day. God was truly preparing the soil of their hearts to receive the Word. Is there a way to prepare our hearts to hear the Word preached or is the tenderness of our hearts completely up to the Holy Spirit?

Certainly, the Holy Spirit can break the hardest heart without people preparing for it. If that were not true, no one would be saved. Nevertheless, believers can ready their hearts for the Word preached by the following:

Humble your heart - Remind yourself how much you need Him
Engage your emotions - Use song to lift emotions to match the gravity of the biblical themes
Ask for help - Pray for divine assistance in hearing the Word - attentiveness and tenderness
Ready to write - Bring your Bible and a journal to take notes (active listener)