BookPastor >> "40 Questions about Church Membership and Discipline" (Jeremy M. Kimble)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on July 19th, 2017. 

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TITLE: 40 Questions About Church Membership and Discipline (40 Questions & Answers Series)
AUTHOR: Jeremy M. Kimble
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2017, (272 pages).

What is the purpose of Church membership? Is it enough to just attend Church? Why should anyone bother about some official papers just to be a member? Biblically, we are already members of the Church of God, so why even mention Church membership? What about Church discipline? This book covers these topics in a Q&A manner, giving a broad range of perspectives and implications. It is divided into three categories of questions: Theological; Ministry; and Practical. The author's conviction of Church membership is this: Church membership and discipline is critical to the life of a Christian. Membership is about community and responsibility. Discipline is about authority and accountability. Kimble provides three basic reasons for Church membership:

1. The Perseverance of the Saints is about community development
2. The Church is the invisible spiritual community made visible
3. The Church is a people in covenant with God to one another.

He also gives three reasons for Church Discipline:

1. It's instructed by Scripture
2. It is biblical love
3. It facilitates the perseverance of the saints.

Midweek Meditation: "The Undiscouraged Perseverance of God" (J. Oswald Sanders)

"Our God knows no unfinished task. He completes what He begins. Though Israel balked and thwarted Him at every turn, He persisted in His gracious disciplines until His purposes were realized, and in the Hebrew nation all the peoples of the earth were blessed. When one approach failed, He adopted another. If one generation refused to respond, He patiently began again with the next. Time and again succeeding generations of Israel turned to idolatry until at last the chastening of their final captivity in Babylon forever taught them its folly and futility. Never since has the Jewish nation worshiped idols." (J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Maturity, Moody, 1994, p34)

BookPastor >> "Faithful Presence" (David E. Fitch)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Nov 16th, 2016.

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TITLE: Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines That Shape the Church for Mission
AUTHOR: David E. Fitch
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2016, (256 pages).

How do we manifest Christ's love in a world of brokenness and pain? Is there something Christians can do to counter the social injustice and poverty disparities? Can the Church do more than mere handouts? If there is a genuine desire to be part of the solution, how then do believers go about doing it? According to author David E. Fitch, the answer is in the title of this new book entitled, "Faithful Presence." He defines it as follows:

"Faithful presence names the reality that God is present in the world and that he uses a people faithful to his presence to make himself concrete and real amid the world’s struggles and pain. When the church is this faithful presence, God’s kingdom becomes visible and the world is invited to join with God. Faithful presence is not only essential for our lives as Christians, it’s how God has chosen to change the world. In this book I aim to describe what this faithful presence looks like."

Midweek Meditation: "Prayer of Mathe Robin"

"May God take my memory and all it remembers,

Take my heart and all its affections,

Take my intelligence and all its powers;

May they only serve your greatest glory.

Take my will completely,

for always I empty it out in yours.

No longer what I want, O my sweetest Jesus,

but always what you want!

Take me … receive me … direct me.

Guide me! I surrender and abandon myself to you!

I surrender myself to you as a small sacrifice of

Love, of praise and Gratitude, for the Glory of your Holy Name,

for the enjoyment of your Love, the triumph of your Sacred Heart,

and for the perfect fulfillment of your Designs in me and around me." 

(Marthe Robin, 1902-1981)

Midweek Meditation: "Desire and Discipline"

Christian Disciplines have been much talked about whenever we deal with the health or spiritual growth of a Christian. Many Christian communities have at least these four disciplines:

• PRAYER: A desire to deepen our praying lives
• BIBLE: A desire to deepen our knowledge of God's Word
• FELLOWSHIP: A desire to deepen our connections with one another in the community
• SHARING: A desire to share the gospel both inside and outside of the Church

Disciplines alone can only carry us so far. Something else needs to inspire us toward doing these disciplines. This is called desire. Adele Ahlberg Calhoun observes the centuries of connections between Discipline and Desire. An important reminder is this. It is not the discipline that make us more like Christ. It is the Holy Spirit of God that prompts us to be more Christlike, using the disciplines as tools to help us along.

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TITLE: Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun (19-Oct-2005) Paperback

"From its beginning the church linked the desire for more of God to intentional practices, relationships and experiences that gave people space in their lives to 'keep company' with Jesus. These intentional practices, relationships, and experiences we know as spiritual disciplines. The basic rhythm of disciplines (or rule) for the first believers is found in Acts 2:42: 'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching [a practice] and to the fellowship [relationships], to the breaking of bread [an experience], and to prayer [another practice].

The desire to know God and love God fueled these disciplines. But as the early Church community ran into new situations of want, conflict, temptation, and persecution, they wanted and needed help to persevere in keeping company with Jesus. The book of Acts recounts a variety of ways the first-century believers made space for God as they faced difficulties:

• Acts 3 - the discipline of compassion
• Acts 4 - the discipline of witness, intercession and detachment
• Acts 7 - the discipline of service
• Acts 3:1, 10:9 - the discipline of fixed-hour prayer
• Acts 14:23 - the discipline of fasting
• Acts 15 - the discipline of discernment.

...

Ask yourself, How do I want to or need to be with God? Circle the letter in WORSHIP that most catches your attention.

Worship God
Open myself to God
Relinquish the false self and idols of my heart
Share my life with others
Hear the Word of God
Incarnate Christ's love for the world
Pray to God." 

(Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Downers Grove, IL:  IVP, 2005, p17, 21)

BookPastor >> "Dr Karyn's Guide to the Teen Years" (Karyn Gordon)

TITLE: Dr Karyns Guide To The Teen Years
AUTHOR: Karyn Gordon
PUBLISHER: Toronto, ON: HarperCollins, 2008, (320 pages).

This is a parenting guide for all interested in connecting with teenagers. Based on her experience with talking to over 200 thousand high school students across Canada, Dr Karyn Gordon has summarized her "inside-out" parenting approach to help us along. She lists the six keys to parenting teens as:

1. Keeping the Big Picture in mind at all times
2. Acknowledging and adjusting our parenting attitudes
3. Understanding and communicating emotions
4. Building our child's self-esteem
5. Communicating effectively
6. Establishing boundaries and providing structure.

First off is the big picture understanding. Key to all of these is the awareness of "inside-out" versus "outside-in" parenting. The latter basically focuses on what is developing inside the teens rather than what they teens are doing outside. This includes observing the reasons why they are doing what they are doing; the motivation; the sensitivity to their feelings; and the readiness to talk. Character development is more important than mere achievements. This means learning to identify positive traits and helping their self-esteem. Communications are important but right communications are even more important. Between authority and influence, teens respect the latter. Learn about the importance of their peers and friends. Choose to connect more than to control. Check to see which of the three kinds of learning they do best. Are they visual or are they more kinesthetic (learning by doing)? Or are they more auditory? Learn to focus more on learning styles and understanding their relationships.

BookPastor >> "Holy Spirit I Pray" (Jack Levison)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Feb 5th, 2016.

conrade

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TITLE: Holy Spirit, I Pray: Prayers for the morning and nightime, for discernment, and moments of crisis
AUTHOR: Jack Levison
PUBLISHER: Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2015, (120 pages).

Christians have been praying to God in the Name of Jesus since the days of the Early Church. The Holy Spirit came down upon the Church in Acts, sparking a Pentecostal revival that has helped spread the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the outermost parts of the earth. Jesus prayed to the Father in Heaven and encourages us to do the same. He also urges us to pray in His Name. What about the Holy Spirit? It is one thing to be praying in the power of the Holy Spirit, but what if one prays to the Holy Spirit? For that, it is interesting that not many books have been written with regard to this. It is not something explicitly mentioned in the Bible about praying to the Holy Spirit. In this book, Jack Levison, author of Fresh Air: The Holy Spirit for an Inspired Life, not only makes a case for prayers to the Holy Spirit, he shows us how to do it. Readers learn of prayers to allow one to rest, not escape; fly, not flee; and brood, not rush.

There are sample prayers for the morning and the evening. The prayers of discernment top the list of my favourites. What I really like about the prayers is the format of prayers on the left, and a scripture passage on the right. The prayers are written with the Holy Spirit as the focus of prayers. The scripture passage gives us a specific Bible reference to the working of the Holy Spirit. There is also a prayers for anytime section for all occasions.

This is a rare book on prayers to and about the Holy Spirit. I understand some readers may be uncomfortable about the relative lack of reference to Jesus and Father God, but the thrust of the prayers is the same. When one prays to the Spirit, one also prays to the Triune Godhead, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. In all honesty, I think the Holy Spirit is most shy of attention, and like Jesus, will always want to direct attention back to the Trinity. At times, I wish the format of the book be reversed. That is, the Scripture passage begins first, followed by the prayers. In this way, anyone unsure of the direction of the prayers will have the comfort of the Holy Scriptures to guide.

I warmly commend this book for your collection of prayers. It is a wonderful resource for prayer coordinators, prayer warriors, and anyone desiring to grow close to God in prayer.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Paraclete Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

BookPastor >> "Sanctuary of the Soul" (Richard J. Foster)

TITLE: Sanctuary of the Soul: Journey into Meditative Prayer
AUTHOR: Richard J. Foster
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2011, (170 pages).

This is not just a book about prayer. It is a book that guides us toward a JOURNEY into meditation and prayer. Using the teachings of various spiritual pilgrims through the ages, Foster helps us to read them as guideposts in our spiritual pilgrimage. Foster calls this book as "Entering the Experience." He asks readers not to rush into the whole exercise, but to be patient to listen. Learn to recognize the still small voices outside and inside us. In three parts, Foster shows us the way by first laying the foundations of faith, stepping through meditative prayer, and finally, to deal with the difficulties of everyday distractions and problems surrounding our devotional lives.

Part One lays the foundation of learning to be still, to pause, to wait, and to listen for God who is speaking, who is teaching, and who is acting. The two Hebrew words "haga and siach" can be understood as "to mutter, to moan, to whisper, to reflect, to rehearse, to muse, and even to coo like the dove (Isa 59:11)." It calls us to cultivate a delicate familiarity of Jesus, that we are totally dependent on God to transform our heart. The central reality is this: "God is the ultimate form-er and trans-former of the human heart" (29). Three things accompany our seeking.

1. We are always ASKING for God to change our heart to be more like Him.
2. We are always LISTENING for the still small voice of God.
3. We are always OBEYING the Spirit in all circumstances.

Learn to use imagination in prayer. Learn to read spiritually using practices like the Lectio Divina. Learn to affirm the centrality of Scriptures in our lives.

Part Two shows us the steps forward to meditative prayer. It is not a jump or a leap. It is a step. We begin where we are, and aim toward God with a sense of collectedness. Romano Guardini teaches:

"Prayer must begin with this collectedness. As said before, it is not easy. How little of it we normally posses becomes painfully clear as soon as we make the first attempt. When we try to compose ourselves, unrest redoubles in intensity, not unlike the manner in which at night, when we try to sleep, cares or desires assail us with a force they do not possess during the day. When we want to be truly 'present' we feel how powerful are the voices trying to call us away. As soon as we try to be unified and to obtain mastery over ourselves, we experience the full impact and meaning of distraction. . . Everything depends on this state of collectedness. No effort to obtain it is ever wasted. And even if  the whole duration of our prayer should be applied to this end only, the time thus used would have been well employed. For collectedness itself is prayer. . . Finally, if at first we achieve no more than the understanding of how much we lack in inner unity, something will have been gained, for in some way we would have made contact with that center which knows no distraction." (61-2)

It requires us to give a ready surrender, to repent and to confess of our sins. Then we learn to accept the ways of God. In our pristine humble posture, we learn to behold the presence of God. Our inward attentiveness to our soul helps us to discern God's voice and whisper, to enter into the sanctuary of God.

Part Three of the book is particularly interesting. It deals with three major themes. Firstly, it deals with the distracting or the wandering mind. For this, Foster urges us to go easy on ourselves, to be patient and wait for the dust of distractions to settle down. When that happens, we let our thoughts flow like appreciating poetry. Learn to appreciate the economy of words in poetry. Learn to go over and over again the phrases and words we read. More meaning can be gleaned through multiple readings. Learn to see a metaphor forming as we read. Move from words outside to forming a thought or an impression inside. Secondly, be aware of spiritual warfare. Learn from Jesus on how he manages the forty days being tempted in the wilderness. Totally resist the occultic practices the pagans and the demonic forces espouse. Beware of people who claim to be able to exorcise evil spirits. Do not give Satan too much credit. Pray instead for protection. Thirdly, Foster deals with some common questions about prayer and meditation. He gives practical answers like where and when to pray, and how physical demands on new parents can hinder meditative praying, how to meditate on select verses, and to recognize that every place can be sacred to God. What is most pertinent is to recognize that not every question need to be answered. Not every answer needs to be given. We need wisdom and discernment to know which question to ask, and which answer to discern for us.

My Thoughts

This is a simple but well thought out book, laid out in a way that promotes meditative reading and praying. Foster shows his deep knowledge of spiritual classics and devotional literature. Like a gentle spiritual guide, he offers easy steps to follow, and examples to illuminate the salient points. He shares a personal "Entering the Experience" to show us that the teachings are also applied to his own life. Personally, I like this book for the very inviting way it offers for readers to enter into the experience of meditative prayer. It does not list a time schedule. Instead, readers are free to plan their own. It does not fix our minds on any system. Instead, it frees us to move in or out of the practices of prayer and meditation. Above all, it is a lamp that lights up the path for us. When the path is well lit, the next step is ours to take.  Let me conclude with the words of Toyohiko Kagawa.

"Since I learned how to enter the forest of meditation, I have received sweet dewlike drops from that forest. I have found that the door to meditation is open everywhere and any time, at midnight, or at noonday, at dawn or at dusk. Everywhere, on the street, on the trolley, on the train, in the waiting room, or in a prison cell, I am given a resting place of meditation, wherein I can meditate to my heart's content on the Almighty God who abides in my heart. . . Those who draw water from the wellspring of meditation know that God dwells close to their hearts. For those who wish to discover the quietude of old amid the hustle and bustle of today's machine civilization, there is no way save to rediscover this ancient realm of meditation. Since the loss of my eyesight, I have been as delighted as if I had found a new wellspring by having arrived at this sacred precinct."

conrade

Holiness is not an Option

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

One of the struggles in which many churches encounter is that there is a lack of evangelistic zeal or earnest outreach. This is especially so for those of us who have been Christians a long time. In some ways, the very secular society and expectations of non-religious talk have caged us into silence. In other ways, people have dabbled in worldliness so much that they are more often than not, "Christian" by name only. What if, the problem lies not in the secularism around us, or the worldliness all over us? What if the problem is something more internal? A lack of holiness.

Dr J.I. Packer in his book Rediscovering Holiness, makes three observations about why holiness is missing in the modern Church or Christian lives nowadays.

1. There is a lack of teaching and preaching on holiness. 
2. We have not insisted upon holiness on our leaders. 
3. We fail to address the need for personal holiness. 

After commenting about how many Christians of old place such heavy emphasis on holiness, Packer laments the modern state of worldliness. He writes:

 "The Puritans insisted that all life and relationships must become 'holiness unto the Lord." . . . . . But how different it is today! To listen to our sermons and to read the books we write for each other and then to watch the zany, worldly, quarrelsome way we behave as Christian people, you would never imagine that once the highway of holiness was clearly marked out for Bible believers. " (J.I.Packer, Rediscovering Holiness, Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2009, p12-3) 

I wonder what will happen if Christians, instead of worrying about sharing the gospel, start LIVING the gospel. Through honest living. Through purity of thought and word. Through holiness that starts from the inside out. Once holiness takes shape inside us, perhaps, others around us will sit up and take note. How do we do that? Packer recommends the following:

1. Serve one another, especially the least attractive among us.
2. What we do for others is a test of our love for God. 
3. Think of holiness often, as we work and serve. 
4. See negative circumstances as opportunities to learn.
5. Even when we do not understand, continue to do good and to trust God. 

Holiness is not an option. It is a calling, a duty, and an expression of love to God. Let us not be Christians by name, but people of holiness in our words and in our works. Be holy in ALL we do. It is a biblical imperative, not an option. I echo Major Allistaire Smith's words about the call for Christians to be holy. There will then be a revival. Holiness may very well be the gospel's most powerful witness.



conrade