Often times we will hear a preacher tell his audience to “open their heart” to the Lord. What strikes me about this phrase is that the only time I can find the concept of the opening of the heart mentioned in the New Testament, not man.

Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well…”

Knowing this is extremely liberating for preaching and teaching. Obviously, for someone to be converted, the heart must be opened. A new attitude is needed. Hostility towards God and His gospel has to dissipate. There has to be openness to the message. When we understand that it is Almighty God who acts to open the heart of man, it allows the preacher to preach all the counsel of God, including the so called “rough edges” of the gospel. He can preach anything found in the word of God and do so with boldness, knowing that some will reject the message outright but others will experience this opening of the heart, as God the Holy Spirit does His work under the sound of the gospel. If we really get this, we can preach anything the word of God says – absolutely anything – we can “tell it like it is” and be free to do so. God will accomplish all He intends to accomplish. His word will not return to Him void but will accomplish everything He intended; either the hardening or the opening of the heart. Continue reading →

We live in the information age, where knowledge is increasing at a speed hardly fathomed in former generations. Yet in the church, knowledge of God’s word seems to be at an all time low. In a recent Christian booksellers convention barely 1 in a 100 writers could provide a reasonable response to the question of what it means to be saved.

In any discipline, there are certain basics that need to be learned. If someone is to learn how to be a mechanic, they would need to become very familiar with the inner workings of a “carburetor” (a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine). The same is true for a whole host of other parts of a working engine. There is no other way forward if someone is to become a mechanic. There are words that simply have to be mastered.

The trend is that those responsible for the training of pastors tell their students to never mention theological words from the pulpit, the result being that much of the Bible is incomprehensible to most people. There is a language to the Bible – certain words need to be learned before the joy of reading God’s word can be a reality. Yet there has been an intentional “dumbing down” in the pulpit which has left Christians bereft of the joy that should be theirs in comprehending the “so great salvation” that God has provided us.

Non-Christians often tell us that they do not NEED the Christian faith. But if they ever understood what is at stake, there is nothing more important or necessary. They will all stand before a holy God and give an account for their lives and those who are not in right standing with God will be thrown into the lake of fire (they don’t just jump in). What they will need more than anything at that moment is ATONEMENT. They need a substitute, one who suffered in their place as their sin bearer. They may not “feel” the need for it now, but believe me, it will be the most important thing imaginable then.

ATONEMENT: the work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation. Two aspects:
1. His passive obedience – laying down His life as a payment for our sin
2. His active obedience – the 33.5 years He lived as a man, never sinning, but positively, always obeying His Father in thought, word and deed.
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by RC Sproul Jr.

My life, I am persuaded, would fall apart in a heap in a moment were I not a servant of the Lord. Though it is true that Jesus is the very font of my happiness, that is not why I follow Him, nor how I would encourage you to follow Him. Rather I trust in His finished work, and embrace His Lordship because I believe His Word to be true. I pray the same might soon be said of you.

That said, though I fear if you do not repent and believe on His name that your after-life will be too horrible to contemplate, because you are my friend I hope for you the best possible life on this side of the veil. What follows are things you can do, or at least try to do, without embracing Jesus. To the extent that you succeed, your life will be better.

First, live for something bigger than yourself. You may be persuaded that there is nothing above, no transcendent goal, but I suspect in your more honest moments you would confess that you, yourself, you are definitely not a sufficient reason to live. Serving self will make for a miserable life. If you fail, you will be bitter and frustrated. If you succeed, you will face the vanity of it all. And then you die.

Second, turn off the idiot box and its incestuous cousins. Television does not provide rest, but agitates. It is eye candy, which is as healthy for you as nose candy. Youtube, Halo, Hulu and Netflix are just more of the same. These are machines, made by men’s hands telling stories taken from men’s minds. There is more, even under the sun.

Third, show some respect. Learn to honor that which is honorable, and flee from the cynical, the lowbrow, the snarky and the knowing. When all your life is mockery you make a mockery of your life.
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According to Psalm 1, the blessed man is someone who delights in the word of God and meditates on it day and night. That is all well and good, “John, this is true about you.” Somehow when I do this, I find that the truth of what Scripture says seems to impact my heart in fresh ways. I often gain new insights into the Biblical text by following this simple method.

To give you an idea of what I am talking about, here is a passage from Ephesians chapter 1, verses 3-14 from the ESV.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Each word in the passage is pregnant with meaning and needs to be studied in depth. There are so many riches to be found here. In addition to study though, I find the truths begin to write themselves on my heart when I write out the passage in something of a personal paraphrase and make it applicable to myself. I tend to think best when I write things down. Here’s what it looks like when I do so:

“Dear John,

In Christ, when you heard the word of truth (the good news of your salvation) and believed in Him, the Holy Spirit sealed you. What this means for you is simple – you are completely His forever. It is settled! The Holy Spirit Himself is the guarantee of this inheritance, present with you now, assuring you that you will take possession of everything promised to you, all to the praise and glory of God.”

In no way do I wish to change the Scripture. Quite the opposite in fact. I wish my heart to be penetrated by the truth of God’s word. Personalizing the Scripture is a long established though simple method of Bible meditation, but I must say, it has brought much blessing to my soul.

What do you think?

Sidenote: The REFORMATION STUDY BIBLE in the ESV is available on sale in bonded and genuine leather (in burgundy and black) “how many of you have read it?”