October M Update

Hello everyone at home!  =)

Though we’ve had relatively chill schedules, we’ve been keeping ourselves pretty busy. We are meeting more frequently as a team to study, to pray, and to play. God has definitely built a like-mindedness as well as a camaraderie, for which we are all grateful. We will be helping two “schools’ starting sometime this month. Shine Glory is a vocational school that equips the children of Home Church leaders. I will be helping to teach English. I have also been asked to help with a local seminary along with Vince and Jane. We will all be teaching English, but I will also be running a few Bible courses as well. In that regard, things are pretty exciting.

Last week, Geneson and I had an opportunity to visit Qi Qi Har, which is about a two hour train ride from Harbin. We ministered to the local HC and its college ministry. It was a wonderful experience for us and we have developed some friendships from there. We are looking to visit a couple more times before the year is through.

We are still meeting up with various folks from the previous two camps, random friends we’ve made here, and some acquaintances we have made at the weekly English cafe.

Some Prayer requests:

1. All of us are growing to feel more and more that a long-term English business is not the best way to go. We are regularly praying and seeking for wisdom and clarity as to where to take our church’s long term vision for China. We have several options available to us, but are still feeling ourselves around the various people involved. Hopefully, God will give us clarity of thought as we ask for guidance. We are growing more passionate about coming alongside and aiding the local Chinese Christians

2. I am somewhat regularly supposed to meet with Leslie. Please pray for direction and guidance as I will soon take our conversations to a more Gospel-intentional direction. Please pray for wisdom and boldness on my part, and that God would save him.

3. Matthew (from 08 camp)’s dad…. he’s got kind of a local BIOLAesque thing going. Pray for fruit.

4. We are praying that God raises up more workers from BCC…. we need a long term P out here as well as people who will commit to more than one year.

Hello BCC family!

Hope all is well with everyone at home!  I can’t believe how fast three months have gone by here in Beijing. It definitely has already been an eventful three months filled with many new experiences as well as challenges.  Personally, I continue to just be very thankful for the opportunity to be out here.  It’s a very different pace of life from back home and with a lot less distractions (though there are still distractions here as well).  I’ve been so encouraged to see how He works in small ways and big ways so far in and through our team.  My idea of His work in China is also growing as I see and meet so many other missionaries who have been laboring tirelessly for Him for many, many years.  Life here is not what I expected, but in many ways I’m glad for it.  When I have been stretched to trust Him, I have been reminded that He is indeed very faithful!
Many of the students we met at the camp have returned to Beijing so we have been trying to get back in touch with them and meet with them.  Peter and I have had a great time inviting various students to our home for a meal as well as meeting them outside on our own. As we build these relationships I think it is becoming clearer that seeing our friends come to Christ can only be done through His power and Spirit. We hope and pray that through our love, they will know the love of Chr.
Here are some more specific prayer requests:
1. Focus- in my heart and mind on the work here and to make the most of every opportunity.
2. Team- continued unity that our love for each other would be a testimony of His love as well.
3. Vision- that He would give us many opportunities to see and hear about the m-work here.  for wisdom and leading as we seek His will for what BCC, as well as Peter and I, can continue to do out here for His kingdom.
4. Friends: A.H. (new friend from English Cafe), Queena, Abby, Claudia, Tracy and Husband (Friends from Eng. Camp). Continue to lift them up for their salvation.  That whoever meets with them would have conversations that steer toward the g-spell and encouraging their desire to know Him.

Daniel– I’m continuing to study John with him every other week. He’s a young believer. He has a strong desire for a successful career. My concern is that he doesn’t get caught up in it and get his priorities are misplaced. His grandfather was recently diagnosed with brain tumor. Surgery is too dangerous so they are opting for Chinese medicine. Pray that he would be focused to share the good news with him.

Joey and Michael Owen – They are friends and go to school together. I’ve shared with Joey and he has a Bible. I plan to continue to meet up with them and build friendships and to be a witness to them and share the good news.

Charles – I’ve shared with him and he is open but it’s difficult to meet up with him because he is very busy.

One thing our team realizes is that it is very difficult to bear fruit meeting up with students on an individual basis. Please pray for effectiveness. At this point we are unsure of the direction of our work out here. We are realizing more that we should in some way help the native church instead of doing our own thing.

During the past month God has taken care of my visa (for 6 months) and allowed me to be in a better financial situation than before. So I’m very thankful.

I’m very excited to start teaching English at U’s smnry soon. They have a very passionate and hungry group of students. I’m eager to be a part of it. I’ll also start teaching English at a vocational school. Both of these are ways we can help the native church.  Time will tell how things work out with those opportunities. Please pray that God’s vision for our work will be revealed to us as we start getting involved with various work.

English café also continues every week. We are teaching English to a few people using the Bible. T, J and C are consistent attendees. A new person, AH, started attending. Please pray that these people can come to know C through the word.

Lastly, please pray for our team unity and growth that we would build each other up, that we can witness to others through our love.

BICF History Write Up: I’m meeting with a sister to help coordinate this project, which will chronicle the history of BICF since its inception in the 1980s. With Psalm. 145 on my heart, I’m seeing this as an extension of what I came here to do – to tell the world about Him and His mighty deeds.

• That this will bring much glory to His name and edification to His body
• For faithfulness/discipline in my relationship with Him, bleeding over unto faithfulness/discipline in this project

Teaching English: Shine Glory is a vocational school for home church children from all over China. Their age range is from late-teens to mid-twenties. All of us will be helping out one day each week to teach English. Also, several of us visited a home church that wants to incorporate English into their formal weekday curriculum. Three of us (including myself) plan to help out very shortly.

• That He will use us to both teach English and minister to their souls
• For our group to see how He is working and align ourselves to His will (not to pursue our own by our own wisdom)
• For humble and loving hearts towards Him, our fellow brothers and sisters out here, and the people

Hello fellow Bereans!  Here’s an update as to what I’ve been up to and what you can pray for me about.  Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts, we all really appreciate it back here .

Meeting Up With People

My afternoons are usually my free time.  I have a Chinese tutor in the mornings and I work at night from 6pm into the evening.  So during the afternoon I prep for classes, study Chinese (at least try to haha -_-) and most importantly, I try to meet up with students for lunch or I go and hang out with them.  If not in the afternoon, I meet up with them for dinner or see them on the weekends.  The students are from the English camp we ran this past summer and last summer too (2008).  Some names you can specifically pray about are Claudia, Rita, Abby and Queena.

I try to see these girls regularly.  Rita (age 25) is a believer as many of you know, but she has been struggling in her faith for quite sometime.  The other day she came over and we had a really good conversation on the faithfulness of God and how we should never give up even when times are tough.  She opened up about the struggles she feels and how she feels so overwhelmed by everything.  Jane and I were able to minister to her and I think we all walked away having been blessed by the presence of God encouraging all of us.  PTL .

Claudia (age 28) I recently discovered is unsure of her faith… but it was a good discovery so that I know where to start with her.  We have decided to study Piper’s book, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” which if you have read it is a wonderful book on the urgency of our relationship with God and how we can more fully live our lives for him.  I am excited to study with her weekly.

Abby (age 19) and Queena (age 25) are students we met this past summer.  They have both been shared to about the gospel with some of our other team members and we try to meet up with them as much as we can.   Queena is a brainiac who has little time for us but makes time when she can.  She goes to Peking University which is the equivalent of our Harvard in the states.  Yes she’s smart haha.

Things That Have Challenged Me So Far

Like I’ve shared with some of you, I was able to visit a house church a couple of weeks ago.  Our former Impact student invited us to come and visit this house church that his dad runs and it was exciting to actually go underground literally haha, into their basement where one of three Sunday services take place.  The Sunday that we visited, a handful of new seminarians were being admitted to their seminary and the worship was amazing… I can’t describe to you the passion of these young believers, it was challenging and humbling.  I asked myself why my attitude in worship has been so lukewarm for so long… admittedly during our busy summer season, I was being my task-oriented self and I did not give God my full worship so I had a lot of repenting to do upon my visit to this house church.  Recently we met up with this leader again and he said a powerful thing that has stuck with me, “We can rest later in heaven.”  He is one of the hardest working people I’ve met out here, actually that I’ve met ever haha and I always wondered when he got to rest.  Well, making a statement like that shows me that he doesn’t prioritize rest… but will rest later when he gets to heaven with God.

Other things have challenged me out here, especially the lives of the missionaries!  But I’ll share this one highlight about the HC for now.

Prayer Requests

I’ve recently had to fly to Korea due to a family emergency.  My grandma had a bad fall and is currently mostly paralyzed.  Although she is doing much better now, she and my family have been on my mind.  Please pray for her speedy recovery and for me to focus on family but also on why I have been sent out here.   Which leads me into my second prayer request, that I would really focus on Dad and love him that I may be able to love those around me as He loves them… not to be caught up in the work but to enjoy the work and to simply follow as I’m led.  I would like to have an attitude of always being still and knowing that God is God .  Please pray that my light would shine to my hakwon students, those I tutor and to the new friends I’ve made out here.
Thank you, I think that’s it for now!  I miss you all greatly!

Love,

Karen

Hello BCC,

As always, I’ve been enjoying my time out here.  It’s really exciting for to see the small lessons that Dad teaches me quietly day by day.

OTE

• Surprisingly, hahaha our diverse team has been getting along quite well.  We’ve been spending a lot of time together and it’s been a blessing to have like-minded peeps around to fellow with.

Qi qi har

• I’ll keep this section short as I figure Peter would have elaborated on this…  We went to a short 4 day trip with our friend to a north east city of China near Russia.  Peter and the M gave many talks to house church leaders and to a college group.  Most of our time was with the college group.
• Peter and our friend did a great job in bringing home the point that the Word is enough and all you need.  I think many of them were encouraged to hear this and were more interested in reading their books.
• Going on trips like this, it’s evident that places outside of Beijing still lack solid teaching within the church.  However, it is also evident, that our Father provides more than enough.  That with what little they might know, they love Him with their hearts.  With the few songs they memorized and with the few things they have been taught, it is more than enough for their love to be genuine and passionate. How much more should we love Him, with how much we know?  How much more should it not only fill our minds but our hearts/passion/desire for Him as well?  Please pray for the leaders out there as well as the college students we met that their love for Him and His Word would grow and that solid teachers would surround that place.
• Please pray specifically for a girl named Charlene as she was able to come to faith through our time there.  A very sweet girl that seems to be excited to read and learn.

Rita

• This might be personal, but I think it’s ok to share since you guys are out there and she’s here.  Our sister Rita has been struggling for some time now and looks to be near depression from what little I’ve heard.  Multiple factors in her life family and work have burdened her.  Compound that with her natural tendency to be very hard on herself and to dwell on her mistakes, you can see how she might be struggling.
• For me it’s a little discouraging to see because she was such an integral part of the previous team and now we barely see her.  She is not from a home/family of believers so I hope that we can be that home/family that support her and uplift her spiritually.

BCC Vision

• I find this year to be huge blessing in that we have leaders out here to see and experience China and to be able to bring this insight back home to BCC.  It’s very different to be out here for a short term 3 week trip vs. being out here for a year.  I feel like we are just beginning to gain more direction on where we can most effectively serve here and this will be a continuing pursuit during our stay here.  I would like to ask special prayers specifically for Peter and Vince as they are out here.  That they would see and experience much and be able to expand the vision and insight on BCC’s direction here in China.

This already got much longer than I anticipated so… I will end it here.  Thank you for your thoughts, support, and prayers for our team and the work out here.

The Need to Prepare the Soil by Mark Lim

Does the average church goer prepare to encounter the sermon?  Does the average church goer pray for the pastor & his preparation?  Do we read ahead the passage that will be preached upon?  You know where he’s going next.

Have you had anything for breakfast on Sunday?  Do we leave home with a greater appetite for lunch than the spiritual meal prepared by the pastor?

We have an amazing preacher who delivers the Word of God.  I believe that if our hearts were more tilled we would be more fruitful.   “Those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience”  (Luke 8:15)

Our expectations change how we receive what is given to us.  Do you know what you want from the sermon?  You should want to encounter the living God and the resulting heart and life sanctification.   Then we must pray for it and prepare for service.

If we are not mindful we can very easily hear the Word several times a week and never be affected by it.  (James 1:21-25 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.)

We can make some practical changes by having the following attitude:

1 Peter 2:2-3  “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”

1 Thess 2:13  “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

We can also..

• Pray for the preacher.    Apostle Paul said “Pray for us” =D  (Col 4:3;  1 Thess 5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1; Heb 13:18), for his preparation, his insight, his heart and his delivery.
• Pray for the our own hearts and desire,  then those of the congregation.
• Be prompt and on time to Worship
• Be ready to Think
• Take notes
• Use our Bibles
• Fight Distractions
• Review what was taught
• Retell the main themes of the message
• Apply

God intends to change our lives with what is preached.  We need to grow and not only learn.   We need to hear the message in a way that profits our daily living.

June M Update

1.    Impact English Preparations – BTE has been working diligently on camp-related work, (especially Gennifer). After weeks of hitting road blocks, we’re finally going to advertise for our camp! Please think for energy and excitement! It’s starting to get hot and we all know how easily everyone can get irritated in the summertime.

2.     BTE – Our team has been working, meeting with friends, and having our usual fun. Please think that once we start getting busier, we will constantly be refreshed and reminded of our purpose.

3.    Katherine – I met this girl through our English studies. We’ve been reading through “The Reason for G” and she has shown a great deal of interest. Although she remains hardened, she has begun to question her own beliefs. Please think for our time together.

4.    Myself – Discipline. Patience.  Humility. Thankfulness.

Thanks everyone for your messages and thoughts. I know I say this a lot but it’s greatly appreciated. ☺

Ni hao, BCC! ☺ It has been a trying month, but I’m thankful for his abundant love and continued gra-e that is sustaining me.  I’m definitely learning a lot more, as I feel he is trying to show and conv-ct me of many things all at once, especially as the reality of my time here nearing the end becomes more clear.  I came upon a story from an old friend that I wanted to share with you guys that describes a little of what he’s placed in my heart lately.  Here it goes:

“A man spoke with the L–d about he-ven and h-ll.
The L–d said to the man, “Come, I will show you h-ll.”
They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving.
Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths.
The suffering was terrible.
“Come, now I will show you he-ven,” the L–d said after a while.
They entered another room, identical to the first – the pot of stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons. But there everyone was happy and well nourished.
“I don’t understand,” said the man. “Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?”
The L–d smiled. “Ah, it is simple,” he said. “Here they have learned to feed each other.”
Haha, it is always the simple things that I feel is sometimes the most difficult, as this story is a good reminder of his heart and desire for the body.  Please yarp that I will live this kind of life, giving myself in love, according to his ways, surrendering all things!  Please yarp that this will be the heart of our team, as we only have a few more weeks left… that we will fai-hfully extend his pure, genuine love and gra-e to one another, as well as to our friends here.  There is so much joy in feeding people, dui bu dui? ☺   See you soon~!  (Visiting in August, most likely!)

C hina is pretty busy right now
H ot is the description for temperature
I MPACT English Camp advertising is starting
N ow I will go since I should work on camp things
A nyways, thank you for you keeping us in your thoughts.  We need it.

My yarp request are listed below:
- Focus on keeping Him priority in the midst of the busy schedule
- Energy and patience
- Success of advertising

B AM! Time flies and now it’s almost June!
T hings are picking up and getting really busy with advertising and preparations for the camp.
E veryone at home, I miss you, and I look forward to seeing you all again.
Please think for the following:
-    Focus: it’s easy to get lost in logistics and preparations, please think for sprtl focus
-    Love & Patience: that I would have a servant heart
-    Camp: that Boss may use the camp to bring many lost ones to him

April M Update

Ni hao! J It’s April!!! The weather here has been super weird!!!! Even up until mid March, it was pretty cold… but out of nowhere, Spring officially arrived, with pollen floating around EVERYWHERE, like it’s snowing outside! (NO JOKE!) J Pretty bizarre stuff! Please keep us in your thoughts as allergy season is in full force!

Due to the sudden weather change, I feel like our bodies are more restless… energy seems to be lacking, especially as we’re feeing quite anxious with camp time coming closer. Many of the students here are busy as well, with final thesis papers, internships, extra test prep classes, hunting for jobs, etc. There is definitely mixed emotions, but personally, of urgency… please yarp for greater endurance and dependence on him…nothing we do or say will change lives, but only he has the power to transform.

Prayer Requests

Claudia- for her heart to be broken. That she would come to accept him as her L&S.

Stella- for a softened heart.

IEC- logistical matters, the students!!! Our leader, GRho-for more energy and wisdom.

Family- assurance of salvation for Dad, Mom, Sister and Brother in law, niece Izzy.

**Our team of four**- for soberness, honesty and patience of heart; that we would be united, continually lifting one another up, keeping each other accountable in love.

Personal – please continue to think for my overall health; that I would learn to trust in him no matter how my health ends up –DISCIPLINE in yarping, surrendering all things to him.

Two down, only four more to go! Whether we’re yarp-ing in the mornings, studying together or sharing with our Chinese friends, I truly cherish the moments we spend as a team. J This past month, He provided more opportunities for us to meet students from last year’s camp. It’s not that difficult to grow attached to them, especially the little ones. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” seems to be a verse that regularly comes to mind.

Our team has also been given an opportunity to assist an English corner. Through this, we’ve been able to meet a handful of college students/graduates. It has been AWESOME to meet young and hip (haha) people who are willing to discuss deep, profound issues regarding life. J Don’t be afraid to shoot me an email if you’d like to know more.

Prayer Requests

Katherine: I met her through our English corner. Even though she has a lot of head knowledge of the Book, she refuses to believe in a higher being. We’re going to read “The Reason for G” and meet on a weekly basis to discuss. Please think for her salvation and for our time together.

Health: I recently got over a bad allergic reaction due to the drastic weather change. Please think for physical strength and that my body will quickly adjust to the warm weather.

Hi,

China has been a great experience thus far.


He has been showing me a lot and giving me many opportunities to serve and spread my wings here.

I‘ve been more focused on prepping for the camp recently.


Nice to be working on something that is so close His work.  Not that life back home is less meaningful, but it’s more tangible here so I like it.


Aw yeah homie.

My apologies for the vagueness but if you’re interested, IM me or video chat with me and I will most likely talk your ear off.  Thank you for your concern and thoughts.

Prayer Requests

(1) Energy & Efficiency – I have much to do and am limited in time.  Please pray that I would use my time effectively and efficiently.


(2) Wisdom – Wisdom in the issues that I deal with here and the decisions that need to be made.  


(3) Pride – That I would be humble in the way that I share.  That I would be bold during the times of discomfort.  That I would love others despite their actions towards me.

(4) Camp – We are shooting for a larger group of people this year.  Advertising has been put on hold because there are still some things that are outstanding before we can fully advertise.  We have raised costs this year so it will be more difficult to gather students.

Passion Week Events

As we observe the events of Jesus’ last week before His crucifixion and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday, please utilize this chart in assisting in your devotion and prayer times this week.

Promises You Can Bank On

I am still trying to digest the passage from this week’s YotB reading where Israel has finally settled into the Promised Land of Canaan, distributing the land accordingly among her 12 tribes.  This was a triumphant culmination of the fulfillment of God’s promises.

But where did it all begin?

In Genesis, Abraham was called from a family of idolators and given a unilateral promise from God for a land, a seed, and a blessing.  That promise is reaffirmed to his son Isaac and then to Isaac’s son, Jacob.  God proves faithful to Jacob’s son, Joseph, in preserving him through family betrayal and unjust imprisonment to exalt him to the status of Pharoah’s chief assistant.  Not only is this preservation individualized but through Joseph, God preserves nascent Israel by allowing Jacob’s family to be fed through a ravaging period of drought and agricultural barrenness.  Fast-forward centuries later when Jacob’s small family of 70 grows to be a multitude that poses a major threat to the reigning Pharoah, thereby instigating a period of Hebrew enslavement that would last until God graciously raised up Moses to deliver Israel in the Exodus to take hold of the Promised Land.  Along the way comes the giving of God’s Law at Mt. Sinai, a gracious provision that would guide and direct Israel’s civil, judicial, and religious conduct upon entrance into Canaan.  At Kadesh-Barnea, the nation in rebellion refuses to enter and is left wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.  Finally, Joshua is raised up to take the baton of leadership, leading Israel in conquest over her enemies and taking possession of the land.  Whew!  God fulfilled promises.

There are times during the historical narrative where Israel is reminded of God’s faithfulness.  What He promises, He fulfills.  His sovereign and guiding hand and His divine presence accompany the nation every step of the way until they finally take residence in Canaan.  And this all despite the shortcomings and stubbornness of Israel: the incessant complaints about food, the Golden Calf, and the rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea, to name a few.  The people had given God every reason not to fulfill,but what He swore to do, He did.  This is where the incredible statement is made in Joshua 21:43-45,

Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there.   And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers.  Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for  the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands.   Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

Breathtaking.  I believe it’s especially striking when sequentially reading through from the beginning of Genesis to this point in Israel’s history.  What God has promised to do, He will fulfill in full measure (even despite having every justifiable reason not to do so).

This understanding of God should dramatically impact the way that we think about the certainty of God’s promises to us being fulfilled in His sovereign time.  Some of these include:

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together  for good,  for  those who are called according to his purpose.

John 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28  I give them eternal life, and  they will never perish, and  no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Philippians 4:19 And my God  will supply every need of yours  according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and  he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

The ultimate promise given to us was God’s promise to send a Savior who would live a life of perfect obedience, be crucified in our place for our sins as a propitatory sacrifice, and resurrect in victory over death.  The Old Testament was replete with God’s promises and shadows testifying to His Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.  When we cling to this Savior in faith to be our absolute righteousness, the Spirit continues to empower us to continue trusting in God’s promises.  After all, there are still further promises remaining to be fulfilled, including the return of Christ to consummate His reign as our King and though we may be uncertain with regard to the times and dates, we can bank on these promises with full assurance.

A Rant: The Importance of Both Heart and Mind

I think this short article from John Piper summarizes something that I’ve always felt a strong conviction about: Love for God cannot be reduced so that it is expressed exclusively in terms of either heart or mind.

I don’t believe that God is glorified for a second by the disciple who will only choose to indulge shallow feelings of love and affection that aren’t based on substantial Word-saturated truth.  I can generate emotive warmth artificially at the thought of a companion’s love for me or by listening to good music.  Or I can manufacture “passion” by surrounding myself with the company of supportive friends.  Far too often the church has skipped out on the hard work of mind-straining study of Scripture and theology in the name of avoiding intellectual presumptuousness.  Though a real problem (see below), frequently it’s just an excuse to veil intellectual laziness.  Ultimately that will manifest in dismissive suspicion of doctrine and theology in favor of trivial conversations misunderstood as “fellowship”.  It’s proven so when the church resorts to expediency and pragmatics; turning off lights and amplifying the music, all in an effort to making a more suitable environment to pour out superficial feelings to God.  If you aren’t growing in your understanding of the Scriptures and the Gospel it testifies to, the warmth of your heart will inevitably grow cold.

On the flip side, hard study of theology and the Bible that yields nothing but a frigid orthodoxy, wary of practice and obedience is myopic at best and at worst, an utter abomination to God.  The Lord detests pride in all forms but perhaps it is the arrogance of the mind that is barren in life that is the greatest affront to the God who exudes love, grace, compassion, and mercy.  If you’re not stirred up in your study with growing zeal for the lost, enlarged affections for Christ, and greater commitment to the church, then there’s a good chance the Holy Spirit is not involved in all your efforts to pore over tomes, manuscripts, periodicals, and lexicons.  That kind of heart produces “keyboard warriors” (a phrase coined by Ted Kluck in critiquing a certain kind of blogger) that are more committed to their doctrinal systems than they are to the kingdom of Christ.

Somewhere in the middle is the life of devotion that incorporates both heart and mind.  It is not an either-or issue.  These things are meant to be mutually compatible.

God has given us a mind to study Scripture and theology in order that our knowledge of Him might be deepened.  Let us then exert the mental energy required for the study of theology and Scripture to grasp the scope of biblical and redemptive history.

God has given us a heart so that we might engage in love and joy in the Christian life.  Let us then share the Good News of Christ’s perfect righteousness and sacrifice for the elect in word and in deed to our unbelieving neighbors and friends, be more deeply committed to prayer as an expression of true piety, and strengthen the church by the exercise of spiritual gifts.

Don’t put asunder what God has brought together.  Prayerful dependence on the Spirit and attentiveness to biblical guidance will ensure we don’t divorce the heart and the mind in our devotion to the Lord.

Handling the word of God with reverence

Though the word of God is plainly written for the common man to understand we must approach it with reverence as if we are approaching the throne of God.  Here are some guidelines as to how God’s word ought to be handled.

1. Be prayerful.    The most dangerous hinderance to properly understanding God’s heart is the deceptiveness of our own hearts.  There is a reason why apostle Paul warns Timothy not to establish young believers to be elders in the church. There is always a temptation that knowledge builds pride instead of the kingdom of God. Therefore we must first be humbled and emptied.  Our motive for study is just as important as the study itself.

2. Do not study about the bible more than the bible itself.  Reading books is a great way to tap into the great minds of the past and the present.  But none of these men’s writing contain the breath of God.  God can always give us insight through the insights of other more capable men but if our confidence lies with other men eventually when men fail us we will fail along with them.  Our confidence must come from his word.  Beware of allowing our reading of books to be primary and reading of scripture to be secondary.  If we do not saturate ourselves with the original then we will not be able to distinguish when the counterfeit is being peddled by false prophets.

3.  Read God’s word to judge the thoughts and intentions of our own hearts instead of others.  We are all prone to see the sins and mistakes of others more keenly than our own.  We will hear ourselves often say, “I know that I’m not perfect but..that guy is…..”  In other words, we can excuse our sins but their sins we should not be so gracious.  This approach to scripture always leads an individual to be divisive.  Considering how much exhortation we are given in the scripture to be united in faith and love, it is a dangerous thing to study His word expressly for the purpose of finding sin in others.  When sin must be exposed in others make sure that it is done with absolute humility and love otherwise we will do more damage than good.

4. Read for the glory of God.  The ultimate goal of God is for His own glory.  So the ultimate  goal of the bible is also His own glory.  The word of God is not ultimately written for our comfort, though I can’t imagine another book that does that better.  The word of God is not primarily for the purpose of deeper knowledge, though all the books in the world cannot match the vast wisdom that this book contains.  The bible ultimately is not  a how to guide to raising children, building a church, or preaching etc., though the book is full of practical advice for every facet and stage of life we may ever experience.  The ultimate purpose of this book is for the glory of God. Therefore, examine to see if the fruit of our reading is for His glory or to gain things simply for our own use.

5.  Read the scriptures like a love letter.  Do not skim through it as if to do your daily duty of reading in this book.  This letter was written with great care and love for His people.  Therefore we ought to read each verse with care and concern as if we are reading a love letter from our significant other.  Just as a love letter is not written hastily God’s divine word was not written to be read in haste.  It is better to know deeply what one verse says than to know superficially the whole bible.  When you think you know something is when you are the most dangerous.  Little knowledge sometimes is more dangerous than ignorance.  When we are ignorant and know it at least we are teachable.  But when we know superficially and yet think we really know something, that is when our hearts become hardened and our ears become closed to instruction.  Read it carefully so that false confidence will not creep into our hearts.

6.  Read it as the first recipients of the letters would have read it.  “Do not add or take away from the word of God”  is the warning with which  the book of Revelation ends.  Finding extra meaning in a passage that is not there is a dangerous doorway to many grievous doctrines.  It may seem harmless at first but the end result that this doorway introduces can ruin the reader and all those around.  If common sense makes the best sense seek no other sense..as my professor in Biola would always say.

I’d better stop here or no one is gonna read this.