Reformed SHEology

Last month here at Reformed SHEology the theme of the month was Total Depravity. This month as you know our theme is the Sovereignty of God. Yet very sadly however within the church today and in Pink's time;

“Few, very few, today really believe in the complete ruin and total depravity of man....there are fewer still who really believe in the absolute sovereignty of God.” - A.W.Pink

As a result what is being taught in the pulpits affects our understanding of salvation and even our walk with God. This is exactly what happened to me....

Growing up I believed in God. Deep and firmly rooted within me I knew God existed. However the only place I learnt of God as a child was in school. It was a CofE and we often visited the church we were linked to for the usual celebrated dates. I was in complete awe of the church building. As I sat on those hard wooden pews, tapping the worn prayer cushion on the cold stone floor with my foot, staring at the colourful picture book windows and the smell of incense in the air my mind would wander. My thoughts were far from what was going on in the service. When those thoughts weren't on wondering how to get to the top of the tower to see the bells, they were always on the Being for whom this beautiful building was crafted and constructed for. The church became for me a very special place. It was a kind of refuge for my thoughts. I was Christened there with my brother and sister, took part in school nativity plays for parents and the congregation....... until I was nine and we moved. My life would never be the same again.

Far from where I grew up and in a new school, by God's providence (though I didn't know it at the time) God continued to be made known to me by my new headteacher. A short yet quite broadly built man with a strong Welsh accent(kind of like a granddad type figure, lol.) In every assembly he would sing loudly and almost very proudly, hymns from the school's hymn books. He sang so passionately in fact that I believed every word he sang. Like the building had done, those words drew my attention to the person and work of the Lord. No one really taught me how to pray; I would just talk to God. It was safe to say that growing up I did have a tender conscience however it was often mocked and trampled on. It wasn't "normal" for a child to be so "soft" especially in my family. The women are all very independent and strong minded. But the days came where I was forced to face the harsh realities of life. I felt I had to try and take on some of those characteristics of the women in my family just to survive. Slowly but surely I was pushing aside God and my conscience.I said the prayer, was baptised and that was that. I became just another notch on the belt.

Fast forward to where I was reintroduced to the Lord. He never completely left my mind and neither had my conscience. But the church I became a part of never told me of my sin, only urged me to accept Jesus "back" into my life. I said the prayer, was baptised and that was that. I became just another notch on the belt. Over the next few years I would genuinely seek God but just didn't know why Jesus had to die. No one told me what sin was and the need to be saved. I was in church for years before someone held up to me the mirror of the law and I saw myself for who I really was.....totally sinful, lost and helpless to do anything to save myself. Then I saw Jesus upon the cross and the joy that filled my heart to realise what He had done for me only to be followed by the shock and horror of my sinful self.

There He was.

There I was.

I fell to the foot of the cross in repentance, understood that there on my knees I had to die to self and stand up as a new creation in Christ, take up my cross and follow Him. No more would I be blindly groping in the dark trying to find my own way. Suddenly all made sense to me. I was led to believe that as I let go of God growing up He became a helpless figure unable to tame me. That I was in total control of my life and that I chose Him to "come into my life". OH how wrong I was!

Now as I looked back I saw things very differently. My life now up to this point made complete sense. It wasn't chaotic and unpredictable as I viewed it before. Tracing my footsteps I could see I was never alone. God was directing my steps. I wasn't the independent, free spirit I thought I had become. Far far from it. I wasn't free at all. I was a slave to the wrong master. All this time God had been drawing me to Him. I saw His long suffering towards me. No longer was Salvation for me about choosing the Lord and finding Him but He found me, opened my eyes to sin and the price He paid on the cross!

How many more similar stories I have heard since then. A failure to see ourselves as we really are effects our knowledge of Him. Yet once we realise our need for the Saviour (a truth that needs to be preached more today) we can begin to learn who God is, His attributes, to understand He is sovereign. As we learn more about Him and draw near to the Lord in relationship our faith strengthens and there can be no denying that God is in complete control. This knowledge brings with it comfort:

But When we receive all that enters our lives as from His hand, then, no matter what may be our circumstances or surroundings-whether in a hovel, a prison-dungeon, or a martyrs stake-we shall be enabled to say, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places” (Psalm 16:6). But that is the language of faith, not of sight.”-Pink

As I started my new life in Christ I grew to know Him. It was progressive but the more I learn who He is the more I love Him and the more we focus and fix our thoughts on Him there will be rest for the heart and peace for the mind. Mere head knowledge alone will not do. We must also know God!

To quote Pink once more;

“The people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits, Daniel 11:32 We know of nothing which is more calculated to infuse spiritual vigour into our frames than a scriptural apprehension of the full character of God.”

In summary, it is crucially important that we understand the basic Christian truths and how we apply them, to have a right view of ourselves, and of God. Once we understand God is sovereign we see Him as the the potter and we as the clay, the Lord as The Good Shepherd and we as His sheep. This is the abundant life indeed!

Choosing a marriage partner is perhaps one of the most important decisions in a person's life. For this reason, many people believe it is best to choose from a wide selection of individuals. With so many millions of people in this world, the task of finding "The One" can seem extremely daunting. There's always that nagging thought that if we just hold out a little longer, something better will come along. When we finally do settle, we have a tendency to look at all the others and ask, "What if I made the wrong choice?"

Today, the internet was ablaze with discussion of the American television program, The Bachelor. Like its counterpart The Bachelorette, the show features a man who must choose a wife from a group of 25 women (or a woman who must choose a husband from a group of 25 men). Last night's episode marks with striking accuracy why playing the field is not the best way to find "The One." If you didn't see the show, don't worry - I didn't either -- but countless clips and articles are available online for you to catch up on all the ugly details.

In a nutshell, Jason had whittled his decision from 25 women down to 2. He sent Molly home and proposed marriage to Melissa. But six weeks later, he changed his mind and decided he'd rather be engaged to Molly. The play-by-play is detailed in this article from Yahoo! TV, which includes a culmination of some of the most comprehensive comments made by angry female viewers from around the web. Truly, what Jason did to Melissa is nothing short of despicable. But Jason's problem was not that his feelings for one woman dissolved. Jason's problem was that he was distracted by another. (Two viewers astutely observe in the above article that Jason's fickleness only proves Molly has no security in Jason's declarations of affection, either.)

How many of us are still playing the bachelorette and "dating" 25 men in our minds, even long after we are married?As Christians, we look at this cheap imitation of courtship with disdain. We would never date 25 men, and certainly not all at the same time! But how many of us find ourselves just as distracted as Jason by other members of the opposite sex? How many of us are still playing the bachelorette and "dating" 25 men in our minds, even long after we are married? Perhaps we can console ourselves by rationalizing that we don't have to worry because we've never had the problem of choosing a husband from 25 men. Yet let's be honest: how many of us have secretly been vacillating between two men, (even long after we are married)?

One of the main sources of this dilemma is the view that we are looking for the right man "for us." Never mind that marriage is a vehicle by which we must strive to glorify God - we insist it is all about us. We reject a genuinely nice guy who's asked for a courtship because he's missing some superficial quality that we perceive would significantly reduce our level of happiness. Or we perceive that someone other than our current spouse can make us "happier," so we get a divorce. Simliarly, when we are faced with more than one suitor (and when men are faced with more than one woman to pursue), confusion sets in because we are focusing not on God's will for our marriages, but on our own selfish desires. We only consider what might please us most: "Bill's got a great sense of humor, but he just doesn't listen to me the way John does." When we do not learn to rest in God's sovereignty, we carry this thinking over into the marriage itself: "Why can't my husband be more like Larry?" or, "Perhaps I made a mistake and should have married Charlie instead."

If your thoughts are similar to these, one thing is certain: God is not in control of the situation - you are. The Bible tells us that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). If we find ourselves in a situation where we are torn between two options, regardless of what we feel, we must shut out the opposing voices and rely on God's voice alone. Recognizing His sovereignty in our lives is a surefire way to eliminate all our doubts.

Someone once said, "The safest place on earth that you can be is in God's will." This is true always, but it is a crucial piece of advice when it comes to choosing a marriage partner.Someone once said, "The safest place on earth that you can be is in God's will." This is true always, but it is a crucial piece of advice when it comes to choosing a marriage partner. There will always be those in the world who will insist that they want to be in control of their own lives. But when it comes to choosing a marriage partner, the best guidance these people often have is a few trite words of advice set to music. As Christians, we can rest in the comfort of knowing that God has made these decisions for us. If you are married, there will be no regrets or "what ifs" when you survey your marriage to your husband. And if you are a single woman who does not have two dozen men chasing after you, consider yourself blessed. When one does show interest, you can be sure the absence of the other twenty-three will not distract you from hearing God say, "This is the one!"

Do not stress over the idea that the grass could be greener somewhere else. When we consider that it will essentially take the rest of our lives to fully know just one man, we will never be able to assess every other brother in Christ who may have made a good marriage partner. There's so many men, and so little time. Life is short. Spend it with the man God gives you, and spend it rejoicing:

Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 9:9)

This is one of those movies you'll either love or hate. As always, my hope is you'll love it, as I'd hate for you to sit through something you didn't like for two hours. And as usual, this is a secular film, more humanistic than Christian. Yet I chose it for one main reason: it showed me how incredibly cynical I can be.

At first, the cynic in me mocked this movie. For one thing, much of the plot depends on a string of serendipitous coincidences. I found myself saying, "Aw, come on! Like THAT would ever happen!" Then about halfway through the story, it hit me . . . carefully orchestrated events such as these happen all the time! They are child's play to God. As I realized my attitude, my heart changed. I can now say I absolutely love this movie, and with that, I present to you, August Rush, the story of an orphaned musical prodigy who finds his parents with the help of a social worker and a little thing called fate. Our theme of the month is, coincidentally, "The Sovereignty of God".

STATS
Year: 2007 (Rated PG)
Directed by Kristen Sheridan
Starring Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Terrence Howard, and Freddie Highmore.
Setting: New York City, 1996-2007.

Content warning: Mild language (The word "damn" is uttered about 10 times in one scene by street children. The Lord's name is never taken in vain.) Some mild scenes of violence, mostly in the form of intimidation of children. An implied reference to fornication at the beginning of the film (Couple kisses at night and wakes up the next day in an embrace, fully clothed). And I am pleased to report that this one has a happy ending!

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
1. Watch your attitude. If you're anything like me, you'll be rolling your eyes at first, thinking, "What are the odds of that happening?" but if you stop to think of some of your favorite Bible stories, you'll remember that in real life, events such as these can and do happen against the odds. Remember God is sovereign!

2. Music as a metaphor for God. The creators of this film did not intend for it to be that way, but Christians will appreciate the similarities between the personification of music in this film and the force of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Music appears to be that driving force that compels these characters to make certain decisions. At one point, August (Freddie Highmore) says of music, "Only some people can hear," to which Wizard (Robin Williams) replies, "Only some people will listen." Great exchange of dialogue, and also reminiscent of God's presence in the world.

3. Music as an expression of human emotion. There is a lot to be enjoyed in an auditory sense. There's an eclectic mix of all sorts of genres, from alternative rock to classical music. There's also a great gospel choir!

4. Another interesting commentary on orphans and adoption. Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) decides to carry the child full term, despite her father's urging to "get rid of it." Lyla seems to know this is not just a living being inside her, but an extension of herself and Louis (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers).

TRIVIA
The story is loosely based on Charles Dickens' classic, Oliver Twist.

Click here for the official website. The official trailer is below: