As we get involved in our newly formed Grace Groups we have the challenged and opportunity before us of pursuing true and deep fellowship.  Real fellowship is real- not fake.  It is deep- not shallow.  It is hard work- not always comfortable.  Real fellowship is a reflection of the gospel and the closeness it brings about between us and God.  Real fellowship is an instrument God uses in our lives as He conforms us the image of His Son.

Mark Lauterbach over at GospelDrivenLife recently did a series of five posts (Pt. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) entitled, “Is Biblical Fellowship Optional.”  All of the posts are worth reading but below I have chosen to post the majority of part five.

…the mood of fellowship is very simple — it is encouragement.  For those who want to be helped to see this, I recommend C J Mahaney’s message, “Grace and the Adventure of Leadership” that you can get here.

When I come to Hebrews, which contains some of the most severe warnings in the NT, I find the primary admonition of how believers are to relate is “encourage” and I find it to be done “daily” and “all the more.”  Yes, yes, we are watching over each other for sin — but encourage is what we are to do to help I tend to think it should read, “Watch out for the deceitfulness of sin. Keep a sharp eye out for sin.  Rebuke each other often.  Be suspicious of each other.”  But that is not what it says — it says that the way to guard against hardness of heart is encouragement.  That does not mean there is no place for rebuke — it means the first step is to be alert for grace in each other and fan it into flame.

It takes no advanced degree to find fault with another man — or to show the stupidity of someone else’s thinking. It takes much grace to see God at work in a fellow redeemed sinner whose life is marred by sin and marked by grace.  It takes grace to see it and strengthen it.  It takes grace to encourage them in a way that glorifies God and strengthens faith.

Notice — we are called to consider each other and to think about the other person and God’s work in them) to provoke (really stir them up) unto love and good works.  That means I am looking for where God is at work and I am stirring it up.

We are called to do it diligently.

My children tell me I am very hard to please.  I do not think I am — I think I have very good standards and they need to measure up.  I wake up in the morning and the first thing I see is what has not been done.  I see faults all over.  I am God’s agent to make them excellent.

A few years ago a friend saw my sin and encouraged me to spend a whole summer doing nothing but encouraging my children.  It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  Every day I would look for grace in them but find faults.  I had to bite my tongue all the time.  But the fruit on their lives and our relationship was amazing.

So — as I lead my family, do they hear my criticism more than my commendation?  Do I see myself as the great and indispensable fault-finder?  As I relate to fellow-Christians, am I more aware of their sin or of their growth in sanctification?

I am learning this most crucial element of fellowship — and seeing it as the first step.  Until I see grace in others I am in no position to help them grow by pointing out their sin.

October 12-13th Desiring God is holding a regional conference in Sacramento.

John Piper will be speaking and the theme for the conference will be The Pleasures of God. I am currently reading Piper’s book by this title and find that my affections and love for God are stirred each time I sit down to read.

This is a unique opportunity to grow in knowledge, be challenged by the word, and drink deeply of the greatness of our God.

The conference will be held from 5-10 on Friday evening and from 8:30-12:30 on Saturday.

The cost is $30.

More details can be found on the Desiring God website.

Mark your calendars, talk to your Grace Group about going together, sign up, find childcare, go, enjoy, and by God’s grace grow in your understanding and love for our great God.

Last week I read three different posts on reading.

Some people simply don’t enjoy reading or don’t see it as very profitable.  On the other hand sometimes those of us who do read can become prideful and self-righteous in some sort of intellectual and scholarly superiority.

In light of these factors I hope the articles linked below will both encourage us to read and equip us to read rightly. Enjoy the reading!

What- Me Read?- Worship Matters

Books Don’t Change People-Sentences Do- Challies.com

7 Tips for Better Book Reading- The Blazing Center

On Reading- Desiring God (from back in July)

A Compelling Reason for the Rigorous Training of the Mind- John Piper (article from 2005)

Here is a take away quote from Bob Kauflin at Worship Matters.

But even if I don’t read as many books as others, I read. If I’m not reading, I’m relying on my memory. Which seems to be decreasing daily. So I read. I once heard someone say that books don’t change people - sentences do. If I glean two or three sentences from a book that affect the way I think and the way I live, that’s time well invested. So I read. Books give me the opportunity to learn from and about godly, bright, insightful people I’ll never meet. So I read. What I know will always be dwarfed by what I don’t know. So I read. Books help me become more effective at what I do. So I read.
What I’m saying is that I know I’ll be learning by reading for the rest of my life. That compels me to find time to read. Even if reading seems dry at the moment, I know that at some point I’ll find something insightful, engaging, or potentially life-changing. Without the inner drive and conviction that there is always more to learn, I stop reading. And when I stop reading I usually find that I drift and/or become complacent.

I have seen this quote twice lately floating around on the blogosphere.  It is from D.A. Carson in his book Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians.  May we treasure the God of the gospel such that we give up all we have and are with joy.

I would like to buy about three dollars worth of gospel, please.

Not too much – just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted.

I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust.

I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture.

I want ecstasy, not repentance;

I want transcendence, not transformation.

I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad-minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races – especially if they smell.

I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged.

I would like about three dollars worth of the gospel, please. (pp. 12-13)

This Sunday morning- the 26th- we will began meeting at 10am at the Canyon View Center.

Recently I have come accross a couple helpful resources on the topic of election. I have added to this some other sites where solid and helpful articles can be found.

If you struggle to understand and accept the doctrine of election these posts and articles may be helpful in clarifying what Scripture teaches.

If you have embraced the doctrine of election this will give you a great opportunity to reflect on the wisdom and grace of God. It is sweet to think of how God sovereignly chose us to be His own- this is sheer grace and pure love.

Pulpit Blog-

Is the Doctrine of Election Unfair - by John MacArthur

What is the Doctrine of Election-by John MacArthur

Human Desire and Divine Election- Quotes from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon

Reformation Theology Blog-

J.I. Packer Interview on Election

Desiring God-

Sermons and Articles on Predistination- written and audio

What We Believe about the Five Points of Calvinism

Sovereign Grace Ministries-

Sovereign Grace and the Glorious Mystery of Election Booklet- by C.J. Mahaney

Sovereign Grace — Ephesians 1:3-14- Audio Sermon by C.J. Mahaney

Monergism.com-

Essays on Election

Audio on the Doctrines of Grace/Calvinism

Matt Schmucker who blogs over at ChurchMatters posted this week on why we so often tend to loose site of eternity in favor of focusing on the here and now. Here are his six reasons:

1. We’re distracted by baubles. We don’t long for and speak of eternity because in our hyper-connected, wealth-soaked, desires-driven world we remain suspended in a state of EXTREME DISTRACTION –by baubles—showy ornaments of little value. Music, drink, golf, houses, cars, IPODS, DVDs ESPN, HBO or MTV. These things are not necessarily bad. But too often mere baubles. Meaningless. They are nothing in light of eternity. But, boy, are they powerful.

2. We’re too content. Living in America is to be comfortable. I know there are exceptions, but even the poor in America (according to recent studies) live better than most of all of human history. We’re content. Why long for something else when things are fine — here? Our wealth buys us out of hard labor. Our healthcare buys us out of extreme pain. We are content/comfortable with this world, not eager for the next. And so we don’t speak of eternal matters.

3. We may not be Christians. We don’t speak of eternity because we don’t know the eternal God. Jesus said, “Out of the mouth comes that which fills the heart (Matthew 12:34). It’s a nice little test the Lord of the Universe came up with. You want to know what’s on your heart? Check what comes out of your mouth. Sports? Work? Relationships? Money? Politics? Does anything eternal ever make it out? I have a special concern here for you who are or have grown up in a Christian home. You learn early how to talk the talk. You know the Christian buzz words and adopt the Christian culture, but is what you say you believe real to your own soul?

• You talk about mysteries without standing in awe.
• You talk about zeal without any passion.
• You speak of sin in the absence of sorrow.
• You even speak of heaven without any eagerness.

Be on your guard that you are not playing the role of the Pharisee. We may not be Christian and so we don’t speak about eternity.

4. We’re Christians, but our holy desires may be too slight. About John Owen (leading Puritan preacher) it was said, “holiness…shined in his whole course [his whole life], and was diffused through his whole conversation.” Owen in his own words: “If the word does not dwell with power in us, it will not pass with power from us.” Owen desired all things holy and it came out. Our holy desires may be too slight. And so we don’t speak.

5. We don’t understand our role as Christians. We don’t “get saved” then do what we want and see God sometime way off in the future. When you come to Christ, you get a new identity and with that a new role, if you will. When John the Baptist comes on the scene, the Jewish leadership sent priests out to find out who this guy was. “Who are you?” “Are you Elijah?” “Are you the Prophet?” “What do you say about yourself?” What is John’s description of himself? I AM A VOICE. I’m not a lawyer or a nurse or a federal worker. I’m not a teacher, homemaker, student or pastor. I’m not a painter or a journalist. I AM A VOICE. That’s your role! I believe and therefore I speak (2 Cor 4:13). We don’t understand our role and so we don’t speak for our eternal God.

6. We’re too fearful. We fear the reproach of men. We fear being rejected by family. We fear the loss of friends. We fear looking different/acting different/being different. Friends, we need to be willing to have every part of this life look stupid if it means being faithful to God and preparing to stand in His presence in the next.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.  Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

-1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (ESV)