biblical worldviewing

The following is an outline I drew up (and emailed to my pastor). I’d say it is the product of lots of months of prayer and waiting on God. It is so exciting that now may be the time the Lord is putting me into full time ministry! It is a first draft, and as I said to my pastor, I hope to refine it and work through a lot of it. I mean what I say though, about these things being part of a wholesome, or spiritual healthy, youth group.

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Dear Greg,

Here is an outline of what I hope to incorporate in a youth ministry. The outline will go pretty much in order from sublime to common. These points cover what I think is wholesome for a youth ministry, but please feel free to completely blast anything here! Also, feel free to share anything here with others in the body.

I. Feasting Upon Grace - Hebrews 13:10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. Feasting upon grace includes everything sweet and pleasant about being a believer! It ranges from joyful confidence in hope and holding fast through adversity, to the sweet fellowship of the brothers and sisters, boasting in weakness, and, as John Piper says, making people who die well. It is my hope to offer a table of spiritual food of encouragement and satisfaction in God, even if just milk, that won’t be like certain youth groups that just teach something “cool” and “relevant” about how to be angry and not sin, or how to be a good republican or something, without providing the wellspring of joy in God. In short, making everything we do something that lets us feast more fully on grace or tear down any stronghold keeping us from grace.

Worship is the natural result of such ingestion of grace, and I hope any worship in music done is in response to the riches of the wisdom of the knowledge of God.

(Starting points: Philippians 3:7-11, counting all things loss; James 4:13-17, life as a vapor and the will of God supreme; Psalm 63, longing after the presence of God; Hebrews 6:3, sanctification in God’s control)

II. Heroes - Looking at those who have gone before and learning from their ministries, Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Reading essays and articles, even books by great Christians who have gone before. Being encouraged by biographies of missionaries! And ultimately, being blessed by the Apostles and letting the Holy Spirit indoctrinate us with an attitude that aligns with their own revealed in Scripture, and with Jesus. Praying scripture.

III. Systematic Theological Discussion - Stimulating, edifying, open conversations about points of doctrine and systematic theology, I Corinthians 4:1 This is how you should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Never induced by any one’s agenda or personal preference, but in love and pursuit of holiness. Never a “quick-fix” or “pat” answer, but more Socratic, leading questions to develop a young person’s wisdom and create dialogue.

Worship is the natural outcome of the Spirit imparting wisdom on points revealing the glory of God, and I hope any worship in music will be enriched and deepened by this.

IV. Warfare - Taking joy earnestly with awe and trembling, Hebrews 12:28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. Praying Scripture. Using any spiritual gifts with confidence and boldness, not allowing any opportunity to the devil. Being ready to give encouragement always for any, even the smallest step towards holiness, and doing anything possible so a little one will not stumble.

V. The Procedural/Practical/Fun and Games - Lots to cover here, much up to personal preference and opinion. It is important to allow enough time and not go on too long. It is important to have games and fun sometimes, and allow for young people to get to know each other (and leaders) in a fun way. It is important not to have a rigid, set in stone program that will choke the joy out of engaging with God intellectually.

Thanks Greg! Keep in touch, and let’s go over some more things on how we are going to conduct Sunday’s meeting. I know we have a lot more practical/liability things to talk about, but it might be better for Nate to input here!

Love you man,

Blake

psalm 136
	
O to the Lord render full appreciation, for
		he is wholesome,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages.
O to the true God of gods thank,
                   for everything thank,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages.
O to the Sovereign of sovereigns show proper gratitude,
		for everything thank,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
	
the only one to perform awesome miracles—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
the only one with wisdom to arrange the skies—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
the one who placed continental masses upon water—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
the one who gave the heavenly bodies their radiance—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
the sun he placed to crown the day—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
the moon and stars he set to crown the night—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
	
the one who reaped Egypt by pricking all firstborn—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
and delivered Israel free from Egypt,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
forcefully and reaching out,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
the one who split the Red Sea in two—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
and caused Israel to proceed through walls of water,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
but caused the ruin of Pharaoh and his chariots in that same sea,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
	
the one who directed his chosen through the wild expanses—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
the one who cut down mighty monarchs—he,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
and brought the lauded monarchs to death,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
Si’hon, monarch of the Amorites,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
and Og, monarch of Bashan,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
and bestowed their monarchies as a legacy,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
a legacy to his subjects Israel,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages.
	
In our despondency, it is he that acted on our behalf,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
and saved us from our enemies,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages;
the one who nourishes every cell,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages.
	
O prostrate yourselves in appreciation to the Monarch of heaven,
	for his love never lessens, his love
		out lasts the endless ages.

Notes on Figurative Language

Anthropomorphism – this psalm records many historical events and to every one, expresses the love of God as either the source or directly related to the event. In a way, God is to be thanked and praised for every single motion of history. Also, verse 12 says God worked the Exodus with “a strong hand and an outstretched arm”, possibly suggesting something forceful and irresistible, yet still reaching; not withheld.

Personification – the sun and moon and stars are referred to as rulers of day and night, even though they derive their authority from the God who set them there.

Irony – I just find the last claim before the final exhortation to praise ironic, “who gives food to all flesh”. It doesn’t seem to belong, since before it is the record of how God has smiled and shown favor upon Israel and brought destruction upon other nations (the Amorites!), yet God gives any food to all cells of all flesh at the same time. In Christian terms, this is known as Common Grace.

Simile – the land Israel received from God (from the Amorites and Bashan) is like a heritage. This simile of land to heritage implies that the land is much more than earth to live off of and occupy, but it is to be a realm of blessing with God as Monarch.

Job 2:10, in three parts.

• But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak.”

There is a way in which we can have a bad attitude. I believe it is the work of the Holy Spirit that gives us a spiritual maturity that is not shaken or fazed by catastrophe. There are many verses for this, but some really clear ones are the instructions Paul gives over and over ‘don’t be like children’ and ‘leave the elementary teachings’ and ‘press on to maturity’. The powers of darkness do NOT want us to believe that there is actual struggle and maturing in spiritual wisdom in this highway of holiness, but rather believe that it’s good to have ‘faith like a child’ and take Jesus’ words out of context; to be like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven is good, but we can’t believe Jesus calls us to be like children in all respects.

• “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”

Or as the NRSV says, ’shall we receive good from the hand of God?’ which I believe is a better translation because of the stunning, sin-mortifying concept implied so clearly… that evil comes to us by God’s design!! It grieves me so much to hear someone who has gone through suffering or pain say ‘it was a mistake that it happened, God never wanted that.’ Yes he did. Amos 3:6 ‘Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?’ Job is speaking out of a spiritual maturity and wisdom that affirms the sovereignty of God over terrible events.

You know I actually spoke to a Christian who does not believe God caused Hurricane Katrina? It is very discouraging to believe in a God who is petty enough to deal with us ‘according to our sins’, as Psalm 103 explicitly says ‘He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.’ For God to be dependant on any created circumstance to dictate his response or his course of actions is pathetic. Look at the larger scale, look at the Cross. Did Jesus die for us? Yes, as he says ‘the Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep’ John 10. Does Jesus die because of us? No. ‘No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.’ It is all of his own accord. Not according to our sins. Not according to our iniquities, but this charge he received from the Father. This is critical, please don’t emasculate Jesus! See how Job’s wisdom takes us all the way to the loving design of the Cross, the ultimate pain and suffering, that was planned before the creation of the world, before any sin, that was planned for a purpose of redemption

• “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

In case we desired to write off what Job said as just Job’s opinion, and not authoritative for doctrine on the fact that evil does come from the hand of God, the Holy Spirit writes that Job is speaking truth. Job says it is God’s very hand that brings evil upon him, and makes no sin in saying so.

Even the evil one does the will of the Father. How could he not? How could anything not? Please pray for brothers and sisters I have been in conversation with that make me write this… pray for any brother or sister that denies the glory that God has designed within the affliction of evil on this world–a thing that was inevitable as the Cross, and as inevitable as our own salvation.

(slants are not necessarily bad, some of them are very very good)

When I began this blog, the first thing WordPress wanted from me was a blog title. I was on the spot! I picked something out that’s really important to me, but I knew it would be temporary, because I knew I was going to probably think of something better eventually. Brother to Brothers is a great slant, but I never thought it had real ’staying-power’ or was too descriptive as a theme. Well I think I have thought of something a little better now. A lot of blogs out there have titles that serve as good themes or describers for the general topic of the writing. If I only wanted that, then this blog would be called:

• Reformed Evangelical Presbyterian College Student Cultural Student Church Purist Blog

The obvious problem is the length and the encumbrance such a name entails. If all these elements could be expressed in a concise, catchy and original phrase, it would be fantastic! Possible? Probably not, but I think I’ve hit on something that has a good feel for some of the elements listed above.

• Job Said It First

I have been deeply moved by Job and he has become somewhat of a hero to me in the last week or two. The title is not to say that everything written on this blog is something that Job has said or dealt with specifically, but that I think a lot of the things I have come to understand Biblically can find their roots in the book of Job.

In other news, classes are going so great! Another blessing is the new apartment I signed for on Friday. On Saturday I moved in with a lot of stuff, and by Saturday afternoon there was my stuff strewn out everywhere, and I was kind of exasperated about how it might all come together–but by Saturday night, after a $100 trip to Target, it was all coming together so nicely, and I really love the look and feel of it. When my mom walked in on Saturday afternoon, she declared the place must be built around 1910, and it has many of the original things like cabinets, sinks, floors and windows that give it a very classic appeal. Well I’ll stop talking about it and put up some pictures soon.

More essays on the theology of Job to come too…

PS - this story from Jeremy from Jeremy is way too classic not to link