2008 Summer Goals

As I finish up a few seminary classes, I was think about what I was going to do this summer.  There were a lot of thoughts floating around in my mind.  So I decided to pick three of those thoughts and make them my goals to accomplish over the next three or four months.  So here they are:

1.  Write Family Goals.  These are goals I want to see accomplished in my family, specifically how my wife and I are going to raise our son based on ths Scriptures.

2.  Review Hebrew.  I took Elementary Hebrew this past semster and I am taking Syntax and Exegesis next semster.  I want to be ready for that and not forget all I have learned.

3.  Read!  I want to read at least 20 pages a day.  With all of these books from Together for the Gospel, I haven’t read any yet.  It is amazing how many of these books I can get through this summer if I just read 20 pages a day. 

My third goal is why I really wrote this post.  This summer is going to be a summer of reviews on Heart of Ezra as I read through a bunch of books.  You can look forward to reviews on The Culture Shift; A Gospel Primer; Young, Restless and Reformed; The Reason for God; In My Place Condemned He Stood; Why We’re Not Emergent; Worship Matters and hopefully many others.  May your summer be profitable as well!

The Duty of Theologians

“Theologians are called to be the churches water engineers and sewage officers; it is their job to see that God’s pure truth flows abundantly where it is needed, and to filter out any intrusive pollution that might damage health. The sociological remoteness of theological colleges, seminaries, and university faculties of theology from the true life of the church makes it easy to forget this, and the track record of professional teachers in these units has in my time been distinctly spotty so far as concerns their responsibility to the church and to the world.” — J.I Packer from A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision for the Christian Life.

What do you think of when you hear the word “theologian?”  When I hear this word I picture a man in his sixties, with gray disheveled hair, thick black frame glasses, clothes that do not match, who sits in a windowless office all day reading large dusty books.  When they do emerge from their cravat, they are about 30 years behind the times and cannot relate to the world or the church around them.

I appreciate what Dr. Packer says in this quote because he gets at the heart of what a true theologian should do.  Theologians are those who are able to accurately divide the Word of truth and press it upon the churches heart.  This comes by giving the Living Truth of God’s Word and by warning of snares laid on the path of life.  Theologians deal with real Truth and put it into people’s real life.  There cannot be a disconnect between these two aspects.  When such a separation happens ineffectiveness, stagnation, and fruitlessness occur.

Those who have taken on the responsibility of training the next generation of theologians (i.e. seminaries, Bible colleges, etc.) must guard themselves from such “sociological remoteness.”  The study of theology is not complete without knowledge and experience of the true life of the church.  It must contain an appropriate application of the Truth to people’s real life.  How else are we seen to be set apart if not in the way we live?  The knowledge of theology is not what sets us apart.  The how to of ministry is not what sets us apart.  But rather, the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers is what shines forth so others may see the glory of Christ in us.

True theologians cannot shy away from the real problems people deal with in the church.  Unfortunately, the church is not immune to such problems as drunkenness, sexual immorality, abortion, people with suicidal thoughts, anorexia, rape, depression, etc.  There must be biblically based solutions theologians can give to people with these problems.  Solutions which will set these people apart from the rest of the world.  Solutions which will encourage people to come to Christ and become Christlike.  This is the duty of all true theologians.  May the Holy Spirit rise up such theologians who are ready to pour their lives into the Church and reach out to the world.

Academic Studying For Sanctification

Being a seminary student, I study a few hours every day.  Whether it is reading, writing a paper, or preparing for an exam there is always something to do during the semester.  It is a privilege to be able to gain this knowledge for use in ministry.  I have been thinking about something said by a few professors at the SBTS School of Theology Orientation luncheon.  They emphasized how students should not just be studying to gain knowledge but to grow spiritually as well.  Our acquiring of theological information and facts must not stop at our head.  It must penetrate our heart as well. I thought it might be helpful to think through some ways we can do this. 

1 Pray.

             A.  Pray before you read or study.

            Give the time you are about to spend learning about God, the gospel, the Bible, the church, etc. to God.  Pray that He would give you understanding and wisdom as you study.  Ask the Lord to teach you more about Himself as you studying.  Remember the time you spend investing in this time will have an impact on you and will most likely have an impact on those you minister to.  Ask the Lord that you would be a good steward with the time you spend studying and that you would remain focused and disciplined.  It seems like an obvious thing to do, but so often it is overlooked.   

             B.  Pray while you study. 

            When you come upon something which is difficult to grasp ask for the Lord’s assistance.  I have found many times that what I am learning makes me want to praise God.  Express praise to God in prayer.

             C.  Pray for ministries you participate in (current and future).

            We are learning for a reason.  This reason is bigger than just passing a class.  It is done for the glory of God and the furthering of the Kingdom.  Pray about how you can incorporate what you are learning into ministry.  Seek to find ways your gaining of knowledge can apply to your life and to others lives.  Then pray the Lord would accomplish this as you desire to obey the Word of God.     

 Prayer is just one aspect of how one can study with sanctification in view.  I am sure there is much more one could say about praying while you study.  I hope these brief thoughts spark your interest and you think about how you can incorporate prayer into your learning.  In future posts we will look at other ways to studying for our sanctification.

Focus on Evangelism!

I wanted to use this post to respond to the comment made on my last post.  I am grateful for the honest discussion R. Mansfield was willing to make on Grace Vs. Global Warming.  Hopefully, this will spur on continuing discussion in the future.

On the last post R. Mansfield commented:

That doesn’t mean that we should ignore environmental issues. God gave humans the mandate to care for his creation. Christians should be at the forefront of environmental concerns, but instead we quote 2 Peter 3, say “It’s all gonna burn anyway, so let just focus on evangelism.” Personally, I think that’s the wrong approach. God created this earth for us, and we should care for it, nurture it, protect it. Anything less is sin. And how great could our witness be if we were to show our concern for creation for right biblical reasons as opposed to the reasons that non-believers use to care for the earth.

Let me start by repeating what is said in my previous post.  I believe human beings have the responsibility and obligation to care for creation and to subdue it.  I am not saying we should not care about environmental concerns.  What I am advocating, however, is looking at environmental issues with a biblical worldview.  I believe this means that (more often than not) we are going to be interpreting what must happen with environment differently than non-believers.  So when non-believers say the globe is warming and that we should all “Go green,” drive hybrid cars, and do “our part” so that the tides don’t rise and we all drown, we as believers have to look at what God’s Word says and believe in His sovereignty over His creation.  Part of this is understanding the world as we know it will only exist for a limited amount of time.  The earth is temporal and we can “go green” all we want but when the Lord says times up he means it.

One the other hand, there are eternal souls living on this earth who need to hear the Gospel before God says times up.  He has given this charge to believers.  I think this priority of evangelism is seen explicitly in the life of Christ.  In the Gospel of Mark the first words we read Jesus saying are:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

We see Christ’s emphasis on the saving of souls so they might have eternal life.  In fact, there are many places we could go in the gospels which stress the necessity of evangelism (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 1:17; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 19:9; John 4:34-38; etc.).  In reading these accounts it is easy to see Jesus said, “Focus on evangelism!”  Why would He put urgency in evangelism if future judgment was not immanent?  Jesus even says what will happen to these “weeds” (sons of the evil one):

“The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers and throw them into the fiery furnace.  In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:41-42).

Realize that the earth will burn, but God will make a new heaven and a new earth.  On the other hand their will be people who will burn eternally in the fiery furnace (see above quote).  That seems like good motivation to focus on evangelism. 

 
I would propose this evangelism must be more than just being a witness by showing our concern for creation.  Non-believers will not understand our reasons for caring for creation unless their eyes are opened by the Creator to see they are sinners and deserve judgment.  It is plain in reading the Bible that in God’s economy the worth of a man’s soul is worth more than that of a stable earth environment.  Jesus Christ came to this earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross to save people from their sins and rose again on the third day.  Jesus Christ did not come to “Save the Dolphins.” He came because He loved the world (people) and He knew the God would be glorified in the eternal salvation of human souls.  I am not afraid to say then, “Focus on evangelism!”

Grace vs. Global Warming

Last night I sat down to watch 20/20 with my wife.  There were few stories which interested me, except one.  John Stossel, a reporter for 20/20, did a story on global warming called Give Me A Break.  Much to my surprise this story was unlike anything one usually hears from the media about global warming.  He even had four scientists on the show who were willing to publicly state that there is no evidence humans are responsible for global warming.  They went further to say they were not sure global warming was a bad thing. 

I was amazed this story aired the same week Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement in such agendas.  Al Gore often seems to be portrayed as the “Savior of the Environment.”  A title which I find fits well with, “Inventor of the Internet.”  How many people I wonder would go to Al Gore for technical troubleshooting, let alone scientific data on the environment?  Since his “documentary” entitled, “An Inconvenient Truth,” many have seen him as the spokesman for global warming.

Truthfully, I have always been highly skeptical of global warming.  This only seemed to increase with the amount of media attention given to it.  While I might be persuaded that the globe is warming (i.e. I trust a scientist can read a thermometer and keep an accurate record of the data), I am not as easily persuaded that it is due to the irresponsibility of mankind.  In fact this, is what the scientists on 20/20 said.  Global warming could be occurring much more by changes in the sun. 

While I do believe that as humans we have been given a responsibility to care for creation and subdue it, I also believe in God’s eternal sovereign plan for the course of all human history.  Scare tactics made by environmentalists do not compare to the sovereign judgment that will be delivered by God.  The rising of tides should be the least of our concerns as we face a holy and righteous God.  Read what Peter says about this judgment:

For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,  [6] and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.  [7] But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

    [8] But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  [9] The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  [10] But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

2 Peter 3:5-10

Each day given to us upon this earth is only by the grace of God.  In this way, God has extended grace even to the unbeliever that they might turn from their sins and put their trust in the Son of God.  It is only by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection that we can be brought into a relationship with God and now, by faith, receive His righteousness.  Global warming, global cooling, or pandemic does not change the fact that there is an Almighty, Infinite, Sovereign Creator who has planned the beginning of human history to the end of human history.  If our trust is in Him, what is there to fear?      

Tearing Your Heart

What is your heart glued to?  In reading, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Jeremiah Burroughs says there are only two options.  Either your heart is glued to the world and the creature comforts therein or it is glued to the glory of Jesus Christ.  To have a heart glued to the glory of God is to have a soul bound to eternal glory, joy, and ultimate satisfaction.  On the other hand, to have a heart glued to the world only brings discontent, despair, and ultimate sorrow.  Hear how Burroughs describes God’s calling our hearts from the world.

The disengagement of the heart from the creature is the calling of the soul from the world – ‘whom the Lord hath called he hath justified’ – what is the calling of the soul but this?  The soul which before was seeking for contentment in the world, and cleaving to the creature, is now called out of the world by the Lord, who says: ‘Oh Soul, your happiness is not here, your rest is not here, you happiness is elsewhere, and your heart must be loosened from all the things that are here below in the world.’

How do you know what your heart is adhered to?

Something which is glued to another cannot be taken off, but you must tear it; so it is a sign your heart is glued to the world, that when God would take you off, your heart tears.

Does your heart tear when God takes something from you which is of the world?  Or, is it easy to let go since your heart is not bound to such a thing?  In a materialistic age and culture, we are surrounded by people who find it easy to set their affections on things, but they come to ruin and despair when they lose those things.  How effortless it is to live by sight rather than by faith.  Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a heart set on him will gladly let all the material things of this world go for the glory and greatness they see in Him.  One’s heart can be seen in how they deal with affliction.

If God, by an affliction, should come to take anything in the world from you, and you can part from it with ease, without tearing, it is a sign then that your heart is not glued to the world.

What is your heart glued to? 

Reading For Relationships

I snapped the above picture to demonstrate what books you might find stacked together at our house.  When I first saw this grouping of books it seemed funny.  Here are all these kid books with one big thick theology book in the middle.  As I thought about it more it became clear this stack of books has a profound message.  The message was that I read for relationships.  Another way I might say it is: I read to enhance my relationships. 

One of my favorite things to do with my son is read to him.  From the time he was only a few days old I we have read together.  While he doesn’t sit as still as he did in those early days, it is enjoyable.  You can see some of the books we enjoy in this picture.  There’s Scrambled Eggs Super, The Sneetches, and Yertle the Turtle all authored by Dr. Seuss.  He also likes My Little Word Book and My Creation Bible, each with colorful pictures and drawings.  Why do I spend time reading these books to my son?  I read to him in order to build our relationship.  It is something we do together in our rocking chair which is fun and relaxing.  Reading is also a time of instruction, not from the books, but from me.  This closeness of reading together is something I cherished from my childhood and hope someday my son will cherish as well.  Now, he is bringing the books to me so we can read.

It might not be hard to understand why I read to my son.  But, how does reading The Doctrine of God: A Theology of Lordship by John Frame enhance relationships?  I think it builds relationships in two ways.

First, this kind of book builds my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is a book centered on Him and His Word.  It seeks to instruct me from the Bible so I have a better understanding of who God is.  My desire is to know God.  Any book which drives this understanding deeper and makes it more comprehensive builds my relationship with Christ.  As my knowledge of Him grows, my worship grows, my love for Him grows, and so my obedience is strengthened.  I am not just reading this book for Systematic Theology 1 with Dr. Wellum.  Although, I will be accountable to him for its reading, I will be more accountable to God for how I used my time on this earth.  Time spent  growing  my relationship with God through books teaching me the Word of God is time well spent.

Second, this kind of book builds relationships with other people.  The building of these relationships is not as direct as reading to my son, yet they are still important.  In training for the ministry, my thoughts are often drawn to those people who I will minister to.  A book like The Doctrine of God builds into my relationship with the Lord, but through me will (hopefully) build into other’s relationship with the Lord.  By giving me a greater understanding and love of the Savior, my prayer is that the Lord will use me as an example to others.  Being an example is more than just having people watch your life.  It is about pouring your life into other people.  It seems like the buzzword around the SBTS campus is “gospel-centered.”  Think of this then as a “Gospel-centered pouring” of your life.  Can all this happen from reading a theological book?  I think it can and it must.  Forgetting this can quickly lead to prideful knowledge, this is dangerous for any believer.

So read, read , read, and read for relationships. 

Christian Contentment Mathematics

From the time we are very young we learn simple math.  2+2=4.  5+5=10.  7-4=3.  We look at these problems now and say they are quite easy to solve.  In fact, we could probably give the answers in our sleep.  I wonder though, how else have we been taught to solve problems from a very young age?  Specifically, when talking about contentment, is the issue resolved by addition or subtraction? 

When someone is discontent addition is often thought to be the solution.  “If I just had such and such then I would be content.”  “My condition is so low that it needs addition to be content.”  My one-year-old son’s discontentment is often taken care of by addition.  He cries, we give him something, and he stops.  What if we learned that contentment is not gained so much by addition but by subtraction.

This is exactly what Jeremiah Burroughs states as he unfolds the mystery of contentment in his book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.

A Christian comes to contentment, not so much by way of addition, as by way of subtraction.

It makes sense to us that contentment would be received from addition.  How then can it be attained through subtraction?  Burroughs makes the statement that it is, “not by adding more to his condition; but rather by subtracting from his desires, so as to make his desires and his circumstances even and equal.”  These desires are worldly desires, not heavenly, God-honoring desires.   We need to associate these kinds of desires with greed, selfishness, and pride.  How often do we think we deserve more?  How often do we think we deserve better?  These thoughts only lead to discontentment in our lives.

The world is infinitely deceived in thinking that contentment lies in having more than we already have.  Here lies the bottom root of all contentment, when there is an evenness and proportion between our hearts and our circumstances.

Our prayer must be that our heart would be brought down to our circumstances.  Then there is contentment with little and with affliction.  Our desires must find their satisfaction in the Lord Jesus Christ.  What else do we think would bring us satisfaction in this world? 

Thus the gracious heart thinks in this way: “The Lord has been pleased to bring down my circumstances; now if the Lord brings down my heart and makes it equal to my circumstances, then I am well enough.” 

Check Out the Pages

Heart of Ezra Readers (all two of you),

 

Don’t forget to check out the pages at the top of the site.  I have tried (and am trying) to think of information you might find interesting, helpful, or insightful.  Obviously, as you can see, I have very little knowledge of any information, but still I have put that little amount here for you to peruse.

 

My pages include:

Currently Reading – Here are the books I am currently reading.  I will try to let you know how they turn out.  I also have put the books I just finished reading.  If you have any questions about them feel free to ask.

About – Here you can find out about me and why I have this blog.

 

Sultze Links — These are two links to my other websites.  One is to my family blog where you can see tons of pictures of my son.  The other is my podcast website. 

 

Suggested Reading — On this page I give a few titles of books I have read and a brief sentence about why I think you should read them.

 

Upcoming Titles — Here you will find books that have not yet been released, but ones I think you should check out once they do.

 

Suggested Sermons — This page has a list of sermons and links to sermons that have had an impact on my life.  You can’t go wrong with any of these. 

 

New Books — These are books I have not read, but books I would like to read.  Perhaps it will encourage you to pick one up sometime.

 

So what are you waiting for?  Stop by one of the pages . . . let me rephrase that . . . stop by all the pages today and enjoy the vast information at your finger tips. 

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

I recently purchased a book by Jeremiah Burroughs entitled The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.  I bought this book because I have seen lately my own need for contentment.  So far I have found this book a great encouragement, help, and rebuke.  Not only has the author challenged the way I think, he has also pressed the Word of God to my heart and shown me my sinfulness.  I believe this is what a “good” book must do.  Those books I have found most pleasant over the years are not the ones who simply state something I agree with.  Instead, they are the ones which skillfully use the Word of God to perform open-heart surgery on my soul.

I wanted here to give the definition Burroughs uses for contentment.  He gives the following description:

Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.

What is impressed upon me by this definition is the fact that it must be the habitual way of the Christian.  Perhaps I am able to live this definition out here and there, but to live it out all the time?  To live it out in every circumstance?  How am I going to be able to do this?  I will only be able to accomplish this by the grace of God working in my heart.  It is only a heart that “freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal.”  Not only is it a surrendered heart, it is a delighting heart.  Is a heart content when it is content merely out of duty?  The content heart does submit, but it also delights in how God works and why God works. 

Listen to what Burroughs says about the importance of habitual contentment:

A Christian who, in the constant tenor and temper of his heart, can carry himself quietly with constancy has learned the lesson of contentment. Otherwise his Christianity is worth nothing, for no one, however furious is his discontent, will not be quiet when he is in a good mood.

Read over that last sentence a couple times, and think about what your Christianity is worth as you contemplate your contentment.  I look forward to sharing more from this book in following blogs.  Until then meditate on these great words from God’s Word.

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  Philippians 4:11