The Dark Before the Dawn

“The Dark Before the Dawn”

In dark Gethsemane that agonizing night
Darkness prevailed, suppressing the light
His closest companions, to safety they fled
As in their stead, the Savior was led

To the anguish of the cross, as a Lamb
Stumbled the innocent Son of Man
Fear gripped mortal men’s hearts
As Satan threw his fiery darts

The spiritual war remained fierce
As the King—His hands and feet—were pierced
“Father, forgive them” the Sufferer cried
Releasing men from bondage, He died

Man’s deceit, rebellion, and injustice reigned
The Righteous One was crushed, His Life was claimed
Broken hearts, grief, sorrow, and pain
His promises, His words, forgotten once again

In the heavenlies, the battle raged
As men on earth, took and laid
The Healer’s body, broken and bruised
The Master of earth, by sons of men, abused

His followers weary and wounded
The ache of sin and death was not unfounded
Three nights He was cursed for hopeless men
Their hearts, like the torn veil, were ripped. Again.

The sting of death hung over the Almighty’s grave
His enemies rejoiced…yes, the ones He forgave
The Branch of Jesse, now a broken reed
Hope was shattered, the darkness oppressive indeed

The faithful women still wounded and weary
Made their way to the tomb that held Satan’s fury
Their hearts aching, broken, and sore
Still wounded from the pain of the nights before

But at that grave at the break of dawn
They found the stone and the Savior’s body gone
“Remember His words. He is risen indeed!
There is healing and atonement for your deepest need.”

There was hope and there was healing
For the pain and thick darkness they were feeling
The suffering Savior lives to intercede
The Throne of grace is where we, and He, kneel to plead

The broken-hearted will be healed
For the Sun of Righteousness is now revealed
The weary and hurting now rise
And on eagles’ wings the fainthearted fly

Though the spiritual battle still rages
In the Word of God, it’s written on its pages
That victory, justice, and hope will prevail
For the Sovereign One’s glory shall not fail

And through the darkness, the light we see
The banner of truth and love that provides victory
Christ Jesus conquered death and has made us His own
His hope and joy through pain—“I will never leave you alone”

So to the truth of the cross and the grave we must cling
For the High Priest intimately knows our suffering
Sin, pain, and affliction in this transient life is certain
But our Comforter’s open arms meet us behind the temple curtain

So, my fellow soldiers, though the injustice and pain we fight
Victory is ours already—from darkness comes the morning bright
Stand fast in the truth. Hold on to your Lord
The inheritance of the faithful saints is your reward

The battle for justice was not given to the strong
For in our strength, it’s impossible to right the wrong
Yet our weakness is where Sufficient Grace begins
And in the Healer’s strength, the wounded warriors win

-Kaleigh Stroink (age 21)

The City on the Hill: Does the Light Still Shine?

This article was first written for the ICBF blog in April 2015. I hope the reposting of it here today reminds us of important truths and encourages us to forbear willingly with one another.

Did you hear of the city on the hill?
Said one old man to the other
It once shined bright and it would be shining still
But they all started turning on each other
You see, the poets thought the dancers were shallow
And the soldiers thought the poets were weak
And the elders saw the young ones as foolish
And the rich man never heard the poor man speak

And one by one, they ran away
With their made-up minds to leave it all behind
And the light began to fade in the city on the hill
The city on the hill


Each one thought that they knew better
But they were different by design
Instead of standing strong together
They let their differences divide

And one by one, they ran away
With their made-up minds to leave it all behind
And the light began to fade in the city on the hill
The city on the hill
(“The City on the Hill” by Casting Crowns)

I heard these lyrics awhile back, and I was struck by the message they portrayed. This song addresses the subject that divides friends, families, and churches at a terrifying rate. You see, we forget that God created different individuals with different personalities and gave them different gifts and impressed on them different personal convictions. And in our pride, we sometimes see our way as the only right way, not realizing that the very gifts God gave us were exactly as different as necessary to make the body of Christ complete. We can easily point out a person’s weaknesses once we’ve known them long enough, and when we’ve known them even longer, their weaknesses seem to overpower their strengths.

I’m going to take an educated guess and suppose that these song lyrics were based off of Matthew 5:14-16 because it’s almost a direct implication to Christ’s words in this passage. And if that’s not where the lyrics come from, the passage still fits.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. (ESV)

This is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He calls His followers the light of the world. And the city on a hill cannot hide its light. It stands at a higher elevation and shines to those down below. One doesn’t light a lamp and hide it. A light is no use when covered and hidden away, but instead it is placed on a stand, higher up to spread its rays around to those who need it.

This city on a hill in Matthew was referring to the disciples first, and then, through the disciples, churches, families, and individuals carry on the light of the Gospel to those who live in darkness. One way believers accomplish that today is by using their gifts and by living in unity with fellow believers.

The lyrics of “City On the Hill” begin with one man sharing with another the story of a city: a city full of light and goodness. But it was quickly destroyed when the citizens turned on one another. Despising each person’s differences, the once peaceful people caused the city to crumble inward. Their united front was broken, and, in division, they tore into each other, shattering the harmony. They saw, not each other’s strengths, but the weaknesses that mirrored some of their own ways of life.

Not knowing that unity created strength, the people ran from the brokenness, from their differences, thus quenching the light which had for so long shone on the hill. They would not be dissuaded. Fear had bound its chains tightly, and pride had kept them there. So they ran down the hill, instead of facing the pain and humility that healing could bring. And because they were set on a hill, the change was noticed by many. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.

Each thought they knew better than the other. The poets thought the dancers were shallow./The soldiers thought the poets were weak./The elders saw the young ones as foolish./And the rich man never heard the poor man speak. They let their differences divide them, oblivious to the knowledge that they were different by Divine design.

The body of believers today is that city set on a hill. We have the true light, and when we hold a united front, the glory of God shines out to those around. We aren’t perfect, but the pure light of Christ shines through the weakness of our flesh and portrays a redeemed brokenness, rather than an unresolved brokenness that divides relationships.

We’re called to be one body by the grace and strength of God. We cannot do without one another. If we run away in pride or fear, the light will diminish. Therefore, we are called to stand by faith and live in unity with other members of Christ’s body. But we’re all created differently, and while walking in the liberty of grace, we’re called to live in unity to display the Lordship of Christ—for He is our Head.

Perhaps one of the best descriptions of spiritual gifts comes from Romans 12. Paul lists seven gifts, warning the church not to let pride take control, but to use discernment in exercising their strengths. Jesus’ followers are nothing in and of themselves, and the knowledge of this keeps pride and fear at bay, knowing that only our Head enables us to live out our strengths for His glory. We are to be as one body, functioning together as one whole unit. Each individual carries different strengths, specifically assigned to him by the grace of God, but we all have the same function as the body of Christ: reflecting our Head in all we say and do.

Listed here are the spiritual gifts given to believers in this age. (I currently believe that some spiritual gifts given to believers at the time of the apostles have ceased. Therefore, I’m listing them as they would apply to us today.) I believe there are a few more throughout Scripture, but I’m detailing some of the main ones.

The preacher gifting is one that often desires to see a person make things right with God. Their passion is to see people’s lives align rightly with Scripture, and if that means confronting sin, then they aren’t afraid to do so. They want to see people released from sin’s chains. They might not be preachers in the sense of leading a congregation, but they love to declare the truth of God’s Word, and their joy comes from seeing people walking in that truth.

The servant is one who loves to meet the practical needs of those around them. Their strength lies in doing good for other people and being concerned with a person’s well-being. The servant would give what they don’t have if it would only fill a gap in someone else’s life. They enable others to use their strength more fully, by taking on practical tasks. They like to use their time, resources, and money to fulfill needs, and they receive joy knowing that God worked through them to help another person.

Those who are gifted in teaching desire to explain God’s truths. They go down deep, pulling up the treasures from God’s Word. They study and find the little details and explain things to people. The teacher pours his time into studying just to see the light in people’s eyes when they suddenly understand a truth. They have the heavy responsibility of declaring truth and making Christ known to themselves and others. They passionately pursue studying Scripture, and their joy comes from presenting knowledge in and understandable way to those around them.

The exhorter is an encourager. They give hope to the discouraged, and strength to the wavering. They love to tell people that God is greater than any difficulty. Encouragers exude love and compassion, and they take the time to help people see the good in a bad situation. They want a person to pick up their life and press forward in the strength of the Lord. They find joy in lifting spirits and giving people hope.

The gift of giving is one that often manifests itself in financial means. These kinds of people love to invest their money in the work of God. They can never give too much, and they desire people to find material needs fulfilled by their giving. The giver will give you the shirt off his back just to relieve a physical need because they love sharing what God has blessed them with. They find joy knowing that God uses their abilities to diminish someone’s empty resources.

The ruler is an organizer. They run around with the to-do lists. They put chaos into order and take charge in emergencies. They administrate and oversee things so the to-do lists end up with a nice row of checkmarks. The ruler’s strength lies in directing people to schedule and organize things, so everything is done on time and in the right way. The rulers have their sights set to the goal, and they take joy in seeing God’s work completed in a precise and accurate manner.

The mercy-givers empathize with others. They are emotionally empathetic with people. They cry with those who are crying, and they genuinely rejoice with those who are rejoicing. They can feel the internal emotions of a person even if they’ve never been in the situation. They are the ones who are often willing to walk with a person through the healing process. Mercy-givers take joy in bearing others’ burdens.

These are all huge strengths, and everyone has some of them as their main strengths. They are good things, God-given things. Each carries the weight of a specific mission with it. Each one includes a passion that weighs on a person’s heart until they fulfill it. Each one is different. And when you put them all together in a group, the body of Christ is supposed to work as a physical body would—in harmony with one another, and all with the goal of bring benefit and glory to the Head.

The problem comes when people turn inward and start attacking their own members. The mercy-giver says the preacher has no compassion. The ruler says the giver has no organization or restraint. The exhorter says the teacher wears people out with details. And the preacher wonders how crying with someone could ever possibly teach them truth. The person who serves tells the giver that handing out money doesn’t fix the unmet practical needs. The teacher complains that the encourager has no sense of reality. The giver is confused as to how preaching at someone shows love to them. And when a person’s gifting helps an individual, the other members are jealous that their gift wasn’t needed. They started turning on each other. Each one thought that they knew better/But they were different by design/Instead of standing strong together/They let their differences divide.
The body of Christ requires every gift and every individual in the church of Christ to work together with its strengths and weaknesses. They need each other, for without the balance, each gift would swing to an unbiblical extreme. The preacher needs the balance of the mercy-giver. The strength of serving must be balanced with the responsibility of the ruler. The teacher needs the encourager. The Exhorter needs the reality of the preacher and teacher. The giver needs to balance out with serving. The ruler needs the compassion of the mercy-giver. And the strength of mercy needs to balance with the truth of the preacher. The weakness of one is the strength for the other. To run and hide from the weaknesses is to put out the light of city on the hill. To run is to live in pride instead of accepting that others might have something you lack. To run is to ignore the gifts the Sovereign God gave and reject the command to shine the light.

We can’t do without each other. If we could, that would mean we were fully capable of meeting all needs with our gift alone. And that’s impossible. There are all different characters, personalities, struggles, and strengths; it’s the body of believers who need to demonstrate unity through diversity. Strengths were given to benefit believers and glorify Christ. Weaknesses were given to curb pride and show us the sufficiency of Christ.

The world is searching still. It is rooted deep in people to know they need others, and even unbelievers want companionship. Let’s show the brotherhood of Christ to the unbelievers by standing strong instead of running, showing the diversity of unity when we meet the weakness of another with our strength, and accepting the strength of another when we cannot do it all. Tearing into one another, despising the gifts of one another, and fearing the unknown isn’t compatible with a God who created differences. Differences were never meant to divide, but to bring broken people together. We’re all broken in some way, and sometimes it’s the gift of another that provides the strength we need.

The body is to resemble the Head. It’s to be small likeness of the future Kingdom which will live in complete harmony under the King of Kings. But the light of brotherly unity is fading quickly all over the world. Doctrinal issues, personal convictions, deep struggles, and differing interests divide people sooner than they build them up. Is our city going to shine? Have we made up our minds to stay? Or are people going to see a darkening city with the citizens running in fear and pride? Are we going to face the unknown and work through it or disappear into the darkness? Does the light still shine in the city on the hill? The city is our God-given home, and if that light goes out, there may not be another to light it immediately. The light from one city creates the strength for the next city to keep on shining. One person’s strength gives strength to another. It’s up to all the believers across the world to carry the light. United we stand and divided we fall.

And the world is searching still
But it was the rhythm of the dancers
That gave the poets life
It was the spirit of the poets
That gave the soldiers strength to fight
It was the fire of the young ones
It was the wisdom of the old
It was the story of the poor man
That needed to be told
­(“The City on the Hill” by Casting Crowns)

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

(Psalm 133:1)

We are to grow up in every way

Into him who is the head, into Christ,

from whom the whole body, joined and held together

by every join with which it is equipped,

when each part is working properly,

makes the body grow so that it 

builds itself up in love.

(Ephesians 4:15-16)

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, 

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,

and his glory will be seen upon you.

And nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your rising.

(Isaiah 60:1-3)

Guest Post: Schuyler McConkey

Joining me today on Facing the Waves is another special friend of mine, Schuyler. Sharing the joys and trials of life for about 3 years now, as well as studying Scripture in the same online Bible study group has grown our friendship. Hope you are blessed by what she shares today!

Thank you, Schuyler. :)

I remember that chilly November night, walking into a church gym with a crockpot of soup in both hands, and a Bible study lesson balanced on top. I had heard things for years about Bible Study Fellowship. Friends sang its praises, wanting me to come with them to share in the experience. I wasn’t sure I wanted to devote a whole night every week to another Bible study. I already attended an online Bible study and taught one for teen girls. It didn’t seem like one more was really necessary.

Then something in my heart changed.

It was ultimately my mom that made the final suggestion to clinch my interest. “I think you should try it out. It would give you a chance to be spiritually fed yourself and get some face-to-face encouragement on a weekly basis.”

Community.

Something hungry in me reached out to the idea. I wanted community. So I cleared my schedule and gave it a try.

I don’t remember what I thought the first night. Comforted. Convicted. Nervous about fitting into a small group, eager to join the discussion once I did. By the first month I walked up to one of the group leaders to tell her that her message had met me in just the right place, and she spoke words of blessing that warmed my heart. By the end of the year, our small group was meshed so well together, and we had amazing, eye-opening discussions about God and his people as we worked through the books about Moses. By the last month, I started dreading the time when BSF would end for the season. Mostly because the fellowship I had known for six months was almost over, and it would be a whole summer before it started up again.

I had no idea that in finding community with believers, my fellowship with God would be turned upside-down; that in finding this group of loving Christians, I would finally come to grips with the fellowship a loving God desires with me.

There are few events in my life that have profoundly changed me so much as my time in Bible Study Fellowship. These lessons, simple, yet so necessary for a perfection-bound introvert, are ones I hope to carry with me all my life long. Some are small. Some are large. All are vital to a healthy spiritual life.

1. God wants me to be whole, because He wants me to be like Him.
The first month of BSF was an emotionally hard one. When you’ve fallen into years of tight-bound perfectionism, it’s hard to uncover some of those places where you’ve lied to yourself, and go back and confront sin. Hearing the Word of God in a fresh way each week, and then hearing how it should be walked out, hit me in blind spots and rough areas. But over and over again, in between the commands to walk in God’s ways, was the refrain “God wants you to be whole. That’s what holiness is. He loves your obedience, and He loves you so much He wants you to be consumed with Himself.” Holiness quit being so scary, so burdensome, so unreachable—it became a walk of patient trust, knowing that God is doing the work step by step. He will help me keep growing. And He very intentionally allows it to take time, so I can walk alongside Him.

2. It’s OK to share your broken places with others.
BSF is designed to be a place where you share the struggles. The personal prayer requests. The ways God is growing you, or challenging you, or things you didn’t understand. It was a place where I could walk up to someone and get a hug and cry a little bit if I needed to. Many times I felt the love of God wash over me through the healing, comforting touch of one of His children. After the first time sharing my heart with someone, something just came alive in me, and a perfect reputation didn’t matter anymore. Are there hard times after sharing? Oh, yes. Sometimes the memory of being vulnerable is painful. But the love I always received weighed so much more than the need to look like I had it all together. God’s love doesn’t hide things. It gives mercy and healing through honest confession of our sin and our need. It reminded me of the verse in James where God says “confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

3. Outside accountability gives you freedom and motivation.
One night I sat next to one of my small group friends after lecture and she asked how she could pray for me. “I need to ask forgiveness from someone,” I said, “and I want to talk to them by the time I come to BSF next Monday.” The knowledge that she would ask me about it later gave me the push I needed to get some things cleared up. When you reach out to others for their input and accountability, you don’t need the mental trash of “I messed up again. I’m sinful. I’m too scared to make this right.” Instead of being YOU focused, it changes you to being GOD focused. “God wants me to be whole, and to honor Him, I need to take care of this wrong. Will you join me in prayer that I could overcome?”

4. Sometimes you accept God’s truth best when it’s spoken by someone else.
Everyone, no matter how idyllic their life, has some amount of personal baggage. When I first attended, I had several wrapped-up hurts, old ghosts, and more than likely a hidden dose of bitterness. Some of it was so ingrained, I wasn’t aware it existed. I didn’t even come expecting to have those things addressed. And then as our group leaders taught, the Holy Spirit used their lectures one by one to expose lies I had been believing. To help me forgive past wrongs. To release the power of old hurts, both self-inflicted and others-inflicted. Every week, I was confronted with a deeper picture of Jesus’ love and grace and truth that I could extend to myself and others. It brought freedom.

5. God’s Word meets you in every single circumstance you are facing.
If you want to know God’s Word is powerful, try studying Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Not much in all those Old Testament laws to apply to modern day, is there? Actually, there is. The themes of Be Free. Be Holy. Be Equipped. Be Ready. Christians in all ages are called to holiness. Christians in all ages struggle with bondage to idols and character flaws. Christians in all ages need to be equipped to fulfill God’s calling. God’s Holy Spirit moved powerfully in our group of over 100 young adults through these books. Lives and hearts were changed, weekly. I had never experienced that before—connecting with God’s Word on a weekly basis. I’d always read it every day, for years—but connecting on a heart level, not just with occasional wow moments, but with weekly God-is-amazing moments, was a new time of wonder. We wanted the hard work that comes with holiness, simply because, how could we choose any other life in the face of a God like that?

6. Fellowship with God is sweeter than anything else I have ever experienced.
If I walked away with one last empty spot, it was the fear that my fellowship with God would be different during the summer, when I was out of BSF. I should have known better. God did a healing, changing work in my life, and He didn’t need weekly meetings to keep it up. I’m just as blessed by this next year of BSF. It’s just as needed. But I walked through a beautiful summer with God equally as good while BSF was out of session. It showed me that ultimately it wasn’t just about the group, which was merely a tool in His hands. It was all about praising Him for what He was doing. This God of the Bible is so powerful. So beautiful. So willing and available to have community with His people. So relentless about calling us to pursue holiness. He’s truthful with the way He uses His Word to wound us, and then gentle with the way He uses that same Word to bind up our wounds. I don’t know how to explain it, other than I met Him in a way I had never met Him before, because I saw Him through His Body. And now, not only is He my holy Savior, but we are simply best of friends. It’s incredibly joyful to wake up every day and face the day, whatever it holds, talking to Him through most of it.

I love BSF for being the hands and words and love of Jesus. It was something I never expected—that in the grace of this particular Christian community, I would find a beyond-imagination communion with the God I had loved since a young age. I always knew He loved me. But He used this group to help me know in a much more secure, heartfelt way.

I am His, and He is mine.

And no matter what happens, that is always enough.

Schuyler McConkey is a novelist and Bright Lights ministry leader living with her parents and two siblings. She authors a blog, My Lady Bibliophile, where she writes book reviews and articles evaluating classic literature. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to Irish love songs, learning Gaelic, and reading too many Dickens novels.

You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Twitter.

**You can find out more about Bible Study Fellowship HERE.

Guest Post: Collin McConkey

Today we have the first of a few upcoming guest posts on Facing the Waves! I blogged in April on my Bible study group's blog, but today Collin McConkey, our ICBF leader, joins us here to share the importance of reading good books. An avid reader and student of the Scriptures, Collin continues to blog twice weekly and post the study notes from his weekly Bible studies on the International Christian Bible Fellowship blog. If you're interested in joining our Bible study, details and contact information can be found on the ICBF blog; we'd love to have you! 

Leave a comment on this post and share with us what type of books you enjoy reading. 

Thank you for writing and sharing with us today, Collin. :)

"Bring the Books"--The Importance of Reading in the Life of a Christian

“When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.” (2 Timothy 4:13)

Writing to Timothy, his spiritual son in the faith, the apostle Paul is languishing in a Roman dungeon awaiting his certain execution. While the emperor Nero has for many years reigned supreme over the Roman Empire, the political climate has turned utterly hostile to the Christian faith, and now Paul faces execution as an enemy of the Caesar simply because Paul served a greater Lord. And having only Luke with him, doubtless to attend to his health while he was in harsh prison conditions, Paul wants to be reunited with Timothy once before he dies. He wants to have his cloak brought to him in order to keep warm, and he also wants “the books” and “the parchments”. And in commentating on this passage, Spurgeon exclaimed the following.

“He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He has had wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books! He had been caught up in the third heaven, and had heard things unlawful for a man to utter, yet he wants books! He has written a major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books! The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every Christian, 'Give thyself to reading.' The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains proves he has no brains of his own.”

Throughout the centuries of the Christian church, particularly after Christianity was no longer viewed as a hostile religion to the Roman Empire, the importance of books became a vital part of the Christian life. The most important surviving books are the great codices of the early church wherein the Bible was written in Greek, such as Codex Alexandrinus and Codex Vaticanus. And throughout the church, particularly as the printing press was developed, literature was able to pour once more into the homes of Christians. Bibles such as the Geneva Bible from the 16th century still exist today, and magnificent libraries such as the library in Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland stand as testaments to the importance of reading throughout history.

Therefore, the following five principles prove helpful in integrating reading as a vital part of the Christian life. They are principles that help me leverage reading in order to benefit my soul and grow my own mind, and may they be helpful to the readers as well.

1. Read to Renew Your MindIn Romans 12, the apostle Paul begins a new section in this letter written to the Roman church. In Romans 1-8, the apostle Paul lays out a detailed argument for what the Gospel is, what it means, and why it is necessary. Then after three chapters dealing specifically with how the Gospel relates to his own Jewish countrymen, Paul now develops the practical applications of his theology in the remainder of this book. And so beginning in chapter 12, he instructs us to renew our minds in order to present our bodies as spiritual sacrifices in our worship to God.

Therefore, when we read, we need first of all to read in order to renew our minds and put on the mind of Christ. Reading Scripture is of course a prerequisite; however, interested readers may read this article I wrote, as this particular post does not deal with that subject here. When we read, we need to read books about God, about Scripture, about Christ, and about His church. We need to grow in our knowledge of God in order so that we may know Him more fully. We need to read about Scripture in order to understand its history and theology and background. We need to read about the glories of Christ, so that we may worship Him for who He really is and that we may follow in His footsteps. And we need to read about the church for which He died, in order that we might know how to exist in and serve the body of Christ in its various functions and capacities.

2. Read to Grow in Knowledge
Proverbs is replete with calls for us to gain knowledge and understanding, and reading proves a very valuable way that we can heed these calls. Reading opens windows into new worlds, allowing us to gaze on vistas we previously did not know existed. For example, growing up I would read about the history of medieval warfare and found the development of human weapons and military tactics to be fascinating. The earliest books I read on my own were books from the library on astronomy, and as a young 7 year-old I was immediately confronted with evolutionary cosmology, spurring me to collect and read many books over the years about creation vs. evolution. I would read about the Cambrian explosion, for example, or the Big Bang theory.

But not only can we read about science, as that is only one example, we can read about a great many fields. We can read to learn about the historical and modern sociological factors of cultures and nations. We can read about the academic disciplines, such as mathematics, science, philosophy, literature, and the arts. We can read about politics and economics. We can read about significant individuals in history in the form of biographies—or even better, autobiographies. Reading the autobiography of Davy Crockett, for example, is not only entertaining but demonstrates that the level of biblical literacy of this famed outdoor hunter is greater than the average level of biblical literacy of mainstream evangelicals, reflecting the changes in culture from that day to our own.

3. Read to Connect with History
“’Classic' - a book which people praise and don't read.” So said Mark Twain, and his wry comment demonstrates that all too often we praise books from history or about history without actually reading them. In the Old Testament, the Lord repeatedly impressed upon the Israelites that they greatly needed to know their own history: how the Lord had redeemed them out of Egypt, how He had given promises to the patriarchs, and how He had established them in the Promised Land. Those who do not read their history are doomed to repeat it. For example, a common argument from the homosexual left today is that the ancients had no understanding of “sexual orientation.” But is that true? No, for reading the ancient Greek writers reveals that they very much espoused the darkened thinking of marred sexuality that has been resurrected by modern writers today. It is reading history that affirms to us that there truly is nothing new under the sun.

Therefore, what type of history should we be reading? In my own library, the books about history I own primarily deal with early church history and the history of the United States. Growing up, I read much historical fiction (and some nonfiction) about the Civil War and World War 2, as those eras of American history have always fascinated me. As Christians, we need very much to know how Christ has built His church throughout the ages, and so we must read the history of the church from the time of the apostles all the way until now. How exactly did Christianity spread under intense persecution? What brought about the Council of Ephesus, for example? These questions and more are vital to ask, and can be answered by the pages of history.

Not only should we read church history, however, but also the history of western civilization. How did the Roman Empire thrive and flourish? What social factors created “the powder keg of Europe” in the Balkans? How did World War 1 massively rearrange empires and nations? How did the U.S.S.R. develop, and how did it pose such a threat to the free world? Also, included in this history should be the history of missionary endeavors. Who was the first missionary to China? How did the Gospel spread across South America? Connecting with the great examples of heroic missionary service encourages us to better follow the Great Commission today.

4. Read to Interpret Texts
Lastly, the more we read, the better equipped we will be in analyzing and interpreting literary texts. Why should this be important? If we know not how to follow an argument in literature, we will not be able to trace Paul’s argument from Romans 1 to the end of Romans 8. The more we read, the better we will be with our tools of literary analysis. Grammatical and syntactical analysis become more ingrained. We can see the importance of modifiers and prepositions and clauses—and this need not be wearisome, as in studying grammatical textbooks, but becomes more greatly intuitive the more we develop our minds to analyze written texts.

Honing our ability to interpret literature enables us to understand the significance, for example, of the storm in Matthew 8:23-27. This was no ordinary storm—it was a “great” storm, for the adjective sets apart this storm from any other. And using literary contrast, Matthew then describes the result of Jesus’ rebuke to nature as a “great” calm. What was a great storm turned into a great calm, and this contrast is intentional on the part of the author. A man who can turn a great storm into a “great calm” demands an answer to the question: who is this man that even wind and waves obey Him? Being able to understand how authors use literary devices helps us understand how the authors of Scripture use them and enables us to come to the conclusions they wish us to make.

Reading in the 21st Century
In conclusion, having covered a few points as to the nature and necessity of reading, how should 21st century readers approach this wonderful discipline? First, while I greatly prefer the printed page over the digital page, Kindle books are much more cost effective than purchasing them in softcover or hardcover. You can store a few thousand books on an iPad, while it would take a room to store them in printed form. Digital books can be carried anywhere, while printed books take up much space. You can highlight them, add notes, look up definitions to words, and navigate cross-references very easily with digital books, in contrast to printed books.

However, for reading comprehension, being able to physically hold a book in your hands and read right-to-left, top-to-bottom, page-to-page is better for remembering what is read. I can remember some extracts from books simply because I can remember the page and where on the page it was. A digital book on a Kindle does not offer these same benefits for memory comprehension. And admittedly, having a bookshelf full of books warms the reader’s soul more than scrolling through a list of e-books in an app. Also, the constraints of screen sizes sometimes makes printed books more practical. For example, one of the tools in my library is Throckmorton’s Gospel Parallels, a volume that measures 11 inches high and 8 ¾ inches wide. The large size of this book enables him to lay out the synoptic gospel accounts side by side for easy comparison with each other. Doing so on a smaller digital screen, however, would be impractical.

Therefore, having given reasons for reading and considerations for the modern reader, let us—like Paul—continue to say, “Bring the books.”

April Quotes

Today I'm blogging for my online Bible study group. You can head over to our blog and check it out HERE. :) God bless.

God never denies us our hearts desire except to give us something better.

-E. Elliot

Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend. 

-Charles H. Spurgeon

Thou hast created us for Thyself, 

and our heart is not quiet until it rests in thee. 

-Augustine of Hippo

He who calls us must also equip, 

and extraordinary commissions require extraordinary endowments, 

which the Lord alone can impart.

-A.W. Pink

The great Lover of his children gives indefinitely, 

though he will not take from man his suffering 

until strength is perfected in weakness.

-George McDonald

Remember that thought is speech before God.

-Charles Spurgeon

Be careful how you spend your time: Spend your time in nothing which you know must be repented of; in nothing on which you might not pray for the blessing of God; in nothing which you could not review with a quiet conscience on your dying bed; in nothing which you might not safely and properly be found doing if death should surprise you in the act. 

-Richard Baxter

It was an easy thing to hold with Christ while the Prince and the world held with Him; but now the world hateth Him, it is the true trial who be His. Wherefore, in the name and in the virtue, strength, and power of His holy Spirit, prepare yourselves in any case to adversity and constancy. Let us not run away when it is most time to fight. 

-John Hooper

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. 

-George Mueller

All of life is a calling, a vocation from the Lord. 

-Brian Borgman

We find comfort among those who agree with us—growth among those who don’t. 

-Frank A. Clark

You can’t stay mad at someone who makes you laugh. 

(That last one doesn't really have anything to do with Scriptural principles, but it's true, you know. ;)

"You shall have no other gods before Me"

This past week I read through the book of 2 Chronicles. It starts out with Solomon's building of the temple--a Holy Place and the Holy of Holies where the priests and people would worship God and offer the necessary sacrifices for their sin. But after Solomon's death, his kingdom is divided, and then comes the long list of kings and rulers who attempt to control the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

Many of the kings were wicked in God's sight, and didn't do much, if anything, to bring the nation back to God. Some were righteous, though. But the one thing that particularly stood out to me was the use of the high places of false worship, which were often built by the kings who turned their hearts from the one true God. The wicked kings blatantly built and used these areas of false worship. Yet sometimes when a righteous king reigned, the places were destroyed and the people turned back to God. However, there were a few kings who followed the Lord, but not fully, and many times this was because they did not destroy the places of false worship.

Jotham was one of these. "And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord...except he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people still followed corrupt practices." (2 Chronicles 27:2) Manassah was another, for while the people served the God, they used the high places of false worship to sacrifice to the Lord. Both these men allowed the influence of pagan people and nations to corrupt their worship towards God, and because they permitted some sin in their lives, the Israelites did not follow God wholeheartedly. Their intended to follow God (though Manassah didn't until later in his reign), but this sin distracted them and their people from restoring complete fellowship with God.

It's was also interesting to see that after many wicked or weak rulers, there came a godly king who completely destroyed all the false places of sacrifices and worship, called the people to repentance, and celebrated the Passover. After Jotham, Ahaz led the people into further wickedness, building more high places and leading the people in false worship. But after Ahaz, came Hezekiah. Amon reigned after Manassah, and he, too, served false gods, and refused to humble himself before God. But after Amon, came Josiah.

Hezekiah and Josiah were the two kings who sought after God. They weren't perfect, but they turned Judah's heart to repent and seek God. They purged the land of false images and places of worship. They both restored and ordered the holy Temple, and they both celebrated the Passover once again. They refused to allow the pagan influence to corrupt the land, and by doing so they preserved the nation--the line from which Christ would come--for yet a little longer.

Perhaps this can be a lesson to us, too. When we allow sinful influences, thoughts, and action to creep into our lives, it slowly draws us away from God. Sometimes it isn't noticeable at first, but it takes conscious action to destroy the false strongholds of our hearts and to restore our relationship with God. If we're going to allow just that "one little thing" to plant seeds in our mind that turn us from God, then it's going to weaken our appetite for spiritual things. We need to guard the purity of our hearts and minds if we desire to follow after Christ. Single-hearted devotion to Christ and unity with fellow believers requires that we lay aside sin and live in obedience--for that brings blessing.

And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statues, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 34:31-33

Guest Post: Fruit of Grace

Photo Credit

Today I have the privilege to share a post with you written by another very special friend of mine. Carrie-Grace M. is a fourteen-year-old homeschooler, and she gladly accepted the invitation to write for Facing the Waves. Her older brother leads ICBF--our Bible study group--and our families have known each other for about three years now. Thank you, Carrie-Grace, for your enthusiasm in writing this post!

*****

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” ~Philippians 1:6

God’s sovereignty in our sanctification is a rather knotty issue among Christian circles. After all, God is the One Who sanctifies us, but once we are saved there is still a working out of our salvation that we have to undertake. Faith is not based on works, yet Christians are commanded to bear fruit for God’s glory. No more can we live to the passions of our flesh, and we are held accountable when we do.

Romans 6 says this: “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

In this post, I wanted to look at the beautiful meshing of God’s sovereign grace and our obligations as Christian men and women. How do work and grace weave together to make one whole?

The answer to this starts in our restored relationship with God.

1. We are children of God
We were once alienated from God, strangers to Him without hope. But now, He calls us His friends. We are His brothers, adopted into His family through blood-ties. Through his death and resurrection, we have died to sin and now live to righteousness. The old is gone, the new has come. Our souls have been ushered into the throne-room of grace to have eternal fellowship with God. We work out our salvation as a gracious privilege, given to us from above. This privilege is not meant to hurt us or hold us back, but to free us to do the works that God has prepared for us. True, it holds us back from sinning, but it frees us from the death-grip of sin.

2. We are slaves of the King
In Philippians 2:7, Paul says that Jesus “took the form of a servant.” The Greek word for servant here literally means, “a bondservant, a slave, one devoted to another to the disregard of one’s personal interests.” Christ disregarded Himself when He came to earth. Instead of imposing on others, He served them with a selfless love. And He commands us to do the same. At the Last Supper, He washed the feet of the disciples to set the example for all believers. “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 3:16-17). We are to use our freedom to serve one another, not as an opportunity for the flesh (Gal. 5:13). Christ paid the ultimate price with His blood to buy us back to Himself.

I was doing an English report for school recently, on a few of the “I AM” statements of Jesus. One of the ones I looked up was “I am the vine, you are the branches (John 15:4).” In John 15:1, Jesus refers to God the Father as the vinedresser. I found an interesting point from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia that said that the vines required the constant care of the vine-dresser in order for the fruit to remain healthy. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). God alone is the One Who makes us fruitful and preserves that fruitfulness. Jesus tells us to abide in Him in order to bear this fruit, for through Him, and only through Him, can we thrive spiritually.

If Christ is the source of our work, then what is the work? Galatians 5:25 says this: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” In the next chapter, it goes into detail about how we are to live according to the Spirit: forgiving one another, bearing one another’s burdens, sowing to the Spirit, etc. John 15:10, 12 say, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love…This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus declares that our work is to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We do this by putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and obeying the commands in Scripture. This leads to the working out of our salvation.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).

This is our calling. This is our mission. The grace of God works in us to this end.

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

His grace toward us is not in vain. On the contrary, we work hard to bear fruit to His glory.

".... it is certain that the Christian does grow in grace.

And though his conflict may be as severe in the last day of his life as in the first moment of conversion, yet he does advance in grace--and all his imperfections and his conflicts within cannot prove that he has not made progress."

~ Charles Spurgeon

***** 

Carrie-Grace M. is a Scripture-memorizing cat-lover living in the Mitten of the USA. During the summer, she participates in the National Bible Bee, and enjoys spending time in Scripture there. She likes drawing, reading, and corresponding with friends in between school studies.  

ICBF blog and Life

I'm having a challenging time finding something relevant to write about at the moment, so I'll just update you on some of my weekly activities. :)

I wanted to let you know about the other blog that I'm co-authoring, though. This blog was recently launched in order to keep record of our Bible study group's notes. Several students got together about a year ago to study Scripture, and though there have been many changes over the past year our group has, in some ways, expanded and is still a time and place for friendship and study. You can find the International Christian Bible Fellowship blog HERE and you are more than welcome to follow it. We still meet on a Google+ hangout each week, and they are something I always look forward to--especially in the middle of a busy (and sometimes tiring) week. :)

After passing Western Civilizations 1, Introduction to Computing, and English Literature in October to increase my credit count to 18, I began studying College Math and Biology in November. They are both going well. I'm thankful for the good background in math and science that the BJU curriculum gave me through high school. People often have asked me how different studying college at home is from attending a traditional campus. It is not much different from the 12+ years of homeschooling that I recently completed. However, I do most, if not all, my studying on a computer. CP is very flexible, although I do schedule out my study plans. Sometimes, I get stuck studying and forget to "just live" (as Pollyanna would say), but I am grateful that I am still at home with my family, church, and friends. I will have my Degree Consultation on Wednesday, Lord willing, and my current plan is to earn a bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies.

I still babysit with Hannah (my sister) about 6-8 hours a week. Kids often don't "connect" to me as quickly as they will with Hannah, but I still love taking care of them. Being in charge of children is a great responsibility, but it is something that I am used to now. I have watched children of all ages, and have been blessed with valuable experience in that area.

I have a few more weeks of harp lessons left for this semester. I am currently preparing for the harp festival in February, as well as for a duet audition in January (possibly). Playing with my group as well as just on my own is something I have always enjoyed. On Thursday, I will be playing background music for a seniors' home. There is something more rewarding playing as background music than there is just performing, in my opinion. People can still socialize and enjoy the music without having to "pay attention". Of course, there is less pressure on the performer, too. ;)

Other than day-to-day activities, there have been other events over the past month. Some good, some bad. Yet, in all God has been faithful, as He always has and always will be. One of my life verses has stuck with me through it all: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Seeking Him,
Kaleigh