Come Ye Sinner

Have you ever felt like not getting out of the bed on Sunday morning? I have. In fact, this past Sunday was one of those days. It had been a long and exhausting weekend. I had been going non stop day and night since Thursday and the restful moments were few during that time. When Sunday morning had finally rolled around I was exhausted. And as I looked at the clock and knew it was time to get up, I prayed, "Lord, give me one reason why I should get out of this bed and go to church this morning." As I lay there waiting on an answer, the words to this song came to my head, "Come ye sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded sick and sore." As those words began to rang in my head, when I reached the chorus I heard myself say, "I will rise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in his arms." There and then the Spirit of God confirmed in me that to the company of the believers and to the Table of the Lord was where I need to go.

One of the rich benefits of having the Lord's Supper every week is that you don't have to wait any longer than a week for the experience of being nourished by His presence in administering the sacraments. And so, as I rose I knew that I would meet Jesus and not only would he embrace me in his arms, but he would nourish my soul through the bread and the cup. And I could not wait!

When we arrived at church, I asked the worship leader for a favor. I asked if we could sing Come Ye Sinners as our opening hymn. He looked at me curiously, yet agreed because he knew I must have a good reason for such a request. Indeed I did. I wish I could play for you the sound of the saints singing this hymn on this past Sunday. It was a wonderful preparation for our Communion time.

While I don't have us singing it on yesterday, here is the late Elder DJ Ward leading the singing of it at the Sovereign Grace Conference last year. While it probably won't minister to you like it did me yesterday, it surely will remind you that Jesus is still inviting us to come and find rest and strength in Him (Matt. 11:28-30).

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power.

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

View Him prostrate in the garden;
On the ground your Maker lies.
On the bloody tree behold Him;
Sinner, will this not suffice?

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

A Great Cowper Quote

One of my favorite pastimes is listening to books. I do understand that some folks don't have the constitution for such things, but I thoroughly enjoy it and my children have picked up on my habit and find it a most enjoyable exercise as well. I think I may enjoy them enjoying it as much as I enjoy it myself.

The book I am currently listening to is John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aiken. Newton is one of my heroes. His insight and experience with the grace of God is well known and encapsulated in his immortal words "Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound." One of Newton's dearest friends was William Cowper. Cowper was even more the poet than Newton. From Cowper we have received the timeless treasure "God Moves in a Mysterious Way - His Wonders to Perform..."

During the Abolition of the Slave Trade movement in late 18th century England, Newton published Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade, a first hand account of the wickedness and cruelty that was the detestable occupation. William Cowper was also asked to join in the fight against slavery by composing a poem that would prick the consciences of the people against the trade. I love Cowper's response. He said: "I can not contemplate the subject without a degree of abhorrence that affects my spirits and sinks them below the pitch requisite for success in verse."

I feel ya bro.

Experiencing the Presence of God

We are currently in a series on Worship by the Book at our church here in Atlanta. Along this theme, here is an excerpt from the chapter on Biblical Worship from Experiencing the Truth:

It is amazing to me that so many churches have implemented two distinct worship services. In this approach, the church hopes to appeal to the often conflicting worship styles of the parishioners. For those of an older generation or taste, they offer what is known as the traditional worship. The other service is geared toward those of the present generation or who have a more contemporary taste. This is referred to as the contemporary worship service. More and more churches are implementing this two service approach in the hopes of attracting, or better yet, keeping more people. While this is not a particularly prevalent occurrence among predominantly Black churches, we should be weary of this modern trend and seek to head it off before it reaches our doors.

How deprived we are if all of our songs and forms are contemporary and new. And yet how shallow and inadequate is our worship if all we have are contemporary music and lyrics. We must remember that Christianity is a “forward remembering” faith. In other words, while we are always looking forward to what God has promised us in the grand consummation, we are always remembering what He did for us at the cross. While we are always proclaiming the glories of the returning King, we are also remembering the glories of the resurrected King. Therefore, let us not jettison the past in favor of the present, and let us not neglect the present in favor of the past. Rather let us embrace them together, even in our worship. How enhanced our worship would be if we made sure that we included such songs as Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee sung to the magnificent arrangement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, as well as Fred Hammond’s Bread of Life, with its irrepressible urban beats. How glorious and worthy of our God and reflective of heavenly realities would our worship be if we were more diligent in making sure we have something old, something new, yet always careful to maintain all things true.
Admittedly, this is no where near an exhaustive treatment of the subject of worship. The Bible has a lot more to say about the who, what, why, and how of worship than most of us realize. Nevertheless, I do hope you have been able to get a glimpse into how Reformed theology could and should impact a worship service within the predominantly African-American context. I remain convinced that Reformed theology and the African-American Christian experience are not irreconcilable or antithetical. When properly understood and applied together they can form a vision of Christianity, even Christian worship, that would call the angels down to investigate these God-exalting, soul-stirring, hands-lifting, mind-renewing, life-empowering, grace-enabling, sin-overcoming, mercy-receiving, humility-mongering, servant-leading, righteousness-hungering, Bible-believing, Christ-worshipping, eternity-anticipating Christians, who happen also to be Black (p. 104-105)

Another Reformed Blogger

I am always thrilled to learn of brothers and sisters in the blogosphere holding down Reformed convictions. Today I was blessed to learn of another. I'm Speaking Truth... is from a brother who was in the Word Faith movement for 12 years (and you said you did not believe in purgatory). Thankfully, God has graciously led him out and into the more profitable and God-honoring way of historic, biblical, Christianity. And to top it off, he is a fellow Atlantan. God knows we need all the help we can get in this cauldron of false and foolish teachers.

So go over and encourage this brother to keep speaking truth with love as a good Calvinist should :-).

A Dream Deferred

Langston Hughes once asked the question,

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

Sadly we are seeing it as the children of Martin Luther King, Jr take to the courts to settle their squabbles over money. In the house of Dr. King it would seem that the dream is drying up like a raisin in the sun.

The Decline Continues...

If you need anymore proof as to the legitimacy of Thabiti's thesis in The Decline of African-American Theology or further justification for our writing Experiencing the Truth, here it is:



Without a doubt the lines between the sacred and the secular, the holy and the profane have been so blurred as to not even exist in most religious African-American context. This saddens me because I am a son of the predominantly African-American Baptist Church and continue to believe there is hope, though there is so much to the contrary.

Now some will defend this brother and claim that he is being relevant and contextual. I would beg to differ and say that he is being common and vulgar (in the classical sense of the word). You see, it takes no great effort or spiritual insight to appeal to the fleshly desires and tendencies of people. Appealing to them at their base level will always garner a positive and enthusiastic response. Yet, the call for us as Christians is to realize that our hearts and minds are not to be set on things below, but on things above (Col. 3:1-2).

Most people have a hard enough problem trying to deal with indwelling sin and resist the tempting allurements of the world day-to-day, not to have the same tempting allurements presented to them on Sunday morning as worship.

Friends, according to Scripture our minds are to be renewed (Rom. 12:1-2), not just rearranged.
(HT: PureChurch)

CJ and the "Bruthas"

CJ Mahaney is making some good reading recommendations these days. Perhaps he is compelled because Thabiti welcomed him into the "bruthahood" at the Together for the Gospel Conference. Or perhaps, and more likely, he is finding these books worth his and everyone's time. You decide.

Voting for Obama? Why?

Why are Christians (of various ethnicities) going to vote for Barack Obama for President? The reasons are many. Why should Christians not vote for Barack Obama? The reasons are equally compelling. Eric Redmond has offered some helpful insights into why many Bible believing Christians (as if there was another kind) will cast their ballot for the Senator from Illinois. He writes:

While it might seem a contradiction for Christian African Americans to vote for Senator Obama, each of us votes with many contradictions in both the righteous and selfish hopes of having the best possible earthly government and society. (Read more...)

Truth in Signs and Shirts!

On vacation I came across some very telling signs and shirts:

Apparently terrorist threats in America is not a new thing.


I thought this was a fitting description of the Reformed blogosphere.

New Gospel Coalition Website

I have the privilege of being a council member of The Gospel Coalition. The Coalition has launched a new website that seeks to be the one stop shop for all things members of the Coalition. I like it because one can find a wealth of sermons and articles from many of the coalition members at one place. Now I can listen to many of my favorite preachers by simply logging into one website. What a wonderful resource. Ben Peays and the other faithful laborers at the Coalition have done us all a wonderful service. So bookmark this page. It will surely prove to be a resource well worth your time.

Drive-In to Jesus

I could be wrong and just a bit obtuse, but something just does not seem right about any of these pictures. What do you think?

Back from Vacation!

As you have probably noticed, I have been away for quite some time. Well, thankfully, my wife and I (and some dear, close friends) just returned from a week long vacation to northern Michigan at the Garland Resort. The time with my wife and friends was a most roborant experience. Here are a few of the memories we will long enjoy:

New Life from Antigua

This past weekend was the annual New Life Bible Conference sponsored by New Life Fellowship Church. I know we are given to hyperbole when it comes to these things, but I must say that this year was the most encouraging. The preached word was effectual and my heart was warmed with every message. The subject was of the utmost importance - What Difference Does the Gospel Make - and the brothers handled it with clarity, passion, and reverence. It would have been enough just to sit for those three days and hear the word of God expounded and applied. But those of us who were able to stay over for the Lord's Day Worship on Sunday at New Life were even more blessed to hear the fiery and faithful preaching Dr. Hensworth Jonas from Central Baptist Church in Antigua.

If you are not familiar with Dr. Jonas and the good work they are doing at Central Baptist Church, I want to strongly encourage you to become familiar with him. He is truly a renaissance man and has an unashamed heart for all things gospel. His church and ministry are reaching many throughout Antigua and Barbuda. You can hear his sermons, watch some of their television broadcast and latest video, and read all about the work of East Caribbean Baptist Mission.

Dr. Jonas is a refreshing reminder that God's glorious work of reformation is not unique to the United States. But Christians of African descent are preaching and experiencing these truths all over the world. Thank God for men like Hensworth Jonas.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Traces of the Trade

There is a new documentary set to run on PBS this week titled "Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North." In it, a woman reveals that her New England family's wealth and prestige was in the trafficking of human beings (you can view the trailer here).

According to the official synopsis:

In the feature documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, filmmaker Katrina Browne discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She and nine cousins retrace the Triangle Trade and gain a powerful new perspective on the black/white divide... From 1769 to 1820, DeWolf fathers, sons and grandsons trafficked in human beings. They sailed their ships from Bristol, Rhode Island to West Africa with rum to trade for African men, women and children. Captives were taken to plantations that the DeWolfs owned in Cuba or were sold at auction in such ports as Havana and Charleston. Sugar and molasses were then brought from Cuba to the family-owned rum distilleries in Bristol. Over the generations, the family owned 47 ships that transported thousands of Africans across the Middle Passage into slavery. They amassed an enormous fortune. By the end of his life, James DeWolf had been a U.S. Senator and was reportedly the second richest man in the United States. (Read more).

This looks to be interesting. Check your local PBS listing for air times.

WTSBooks' New Category

Westminster Books has a new category. It is books dealing with the African-American Church. Check it out.

More Blessed to Give...

Apparently someone believes in it being Christmas all year long. Our brother Lance is giving away copies of some good books. To find out how you can get them, go here.

New Life Opened Last Night!

The 2008 New Life Bible Conference finally began last evening and man, are we glad. Every year we highly anticipate the coming of June and the start of the conference and every year we are not disappointed. This year was no exception. We began our probe through the Epistle to the Galatians by examining "What Difference Does the Gospel Make." Louis Love opened with an introductory message giving an overview and the background to Galatians and delivering introductory remarks about the chosen theme. I had the pleasure and privilege of examining chapter 1 and encouraging the people with the Gospel-centered beginnings of Paul's letter. Tonight we will hear Galatians 2 with Stephen Love, and Galatians 3 with Thabiti Anyabwile.

If you have never been to a New Life Bible Conference, all I can say is that you must come and see. I don't just say that because I am a yearly participant. Rather I confidently say it based upon the testimonies of others who have come. Consider the testimony of Steven Renkema.

Steve came to the conference for the first time last year. He came as a representative of Reformation Heritage Books, who was gracious in providing a book table for the conference. Steve came to the conference as the primary book vendor. He left as a friend and a gratefully encouraged and challenged attendee. This year he is back and has expressed the same anticipation that I did in the beginning of this post. At the Reformation Heritage Book Blog, Steve wrote:

But of all the conferences that I attended last year my favorite, by far, was the “Godly Life” conference hosted by New Life Fellowship Church just north of Chicago.

You must read the entire post by Steve. You can do so here.

We are thankful for Steve coming to the conference again. We are thankful for the wonderful
resources Reformation Heritage Books sends. Most of all we are thankful for the friendship and mutual encouragement we have been blessed to develop. We invite you to come and be encouraged as well.

"Experiencing the Truth" is Available

Experiencing the Truth: Bringing the Reformation to the African-American Church is available from Crossway Books. Take a look at some of the content and place your order here.
For those of you who are attending the New Life Bible Conference, this week there will be some copies available.

In case you're interested, here are some of the initial comments from some friends.

“Experiencing the Truth gives great acclamation to black (African-American) church worship, black preaching, and the black Christian experience, rightly showing the strength of Reformed theology for each of these traditions. It also provides a rapier diagnosis of a churchgoing people whose tryst with liberation theology has birthed a practice of Christianity that is too badly deformed to produce a kingdom of God-like presence in the African-American community. The authors offer a careful narrative of orthodox Christianity with a faithful and proper emphasis on the Reformed confessions, creeds, and solas so that African-American believers can find themselves tied to a pre-Middle Passage Christianity without sacrificing their own identities to the heroic personalities of the Reformation. I am excited about a book that would dare to suggest the “irrepressible urban beats” of Fred Hammons’s Bread of Life and van Dyke’s Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee sung to an arrangement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony could be used together to enhance our corporate worship experience! Carter, Jones, and Leach have wed the African-American Christian experience with the Reformation so graciously that that those proud to be the ethnic and religious descendants of Dubois, Douglas, and King can relish equally in their spiritual heritage from Calvin, Luther, and Edwards. The analysis, synthesis, and directives of this collaborative treatise may represent one of the most important works since the now classical observations of Frazier, Lincoln, and Mamiya, for in this work the authors call us to be a church where our need for God can be fulfilled rather than a religious organization that meets people’s self-serving desires. I hope Experiencing the Truth will be an impetus to move the African-American church from the self-deprecating darkness of theological liberalism into the divinely nourishing the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." —Rev. Eric C. Redmond, author of Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men’s Questions about the Church.

“In the midst of so many socially driven critiques of the African-American church, finally we have a book that is theologically robust, historically engaging, and at the same time remarkably easy to read. The authors show no fear as they tackle the tough issues (i.e. preaching, singing, worship, to name a few) facing the African-American in particular and the evangelical church in general. Carter, Leach, and Jones demonstrate their in-depth knowledge of the African-American church and their doctrinal prowess by offering not only sobering critiques but substantial biblical solutions rooted in the historic doctrines of the church. It is not very often a book of this nature is published. I say get it, read it, and discuss it. Any serious conversation about the church of Jesus Christ will include many references to Experiencing Truth: Bringing the Reformation to the African-American Church.” —Louis C. Love Jr, Pastor of New Life Fellowship Church, Vernon Hills, Illinois

“A long line of people offer advice about the church—her ills, her hopes, her needs, and her prospects. But most diagnoses and prescriptions rely on the pundit’s own store of knowledge. In Experiencing the Truth, Carter, Leach, and Jones provide a biblical diagnosis and a biblical prescription for what ails the African-American church and much of the larger church world as well. From theology to preaching to worship and Christian spirituality, these veterans of the church and pulpit apply the scalpel of truth to every major area of church life. They helpful remove the diseased tissue and bandage the strong muscle of the church. Anyone who cares about seeing the cause of Christ advanced in the local church will delight in this volume and be helped in that cause.” —Thabiti Anyabwile, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman

Glory Road: Ken Jones

Ken Jones is the pastor of Greater Union Baptist Church. He also co-host of The White Horse Inn.

He gave the following answers:

1. What was the first book you read that introduced you to Reformed Theology? Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin

2. List the five most influential books in your Reformed theological journey. The Institutes of Christian Religion, John Calvin; Death of the Death in the Death of Christ, John Owen; Knowing God, J.I. Packer; On the Existence and Attributes of God, Stephen Charnock; Chosen By God, R.C. Sproul

3. List three preachers and/or teachers who were most influential in you journey.
Michael Horton
Rod Rosenbladt
Kim Riddlebarger
James Montgomery Boice
R.C. Sproul

4. If you could give one book to someone interested in Reformed theology, what book would you give? The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, John Owen

5. What doctrine distinquishes Reformed Theology? The Sovereignty of God

Fiction is Dead

In 1951 no one thought the New York Giants could ever catch, much less beat the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Giants won an unbelievable 37 of their last 44 games. They had to do this in order to force a three game playoff with the mighty Dodgers for the National League pennant. They split the first two games, with the Dodgers winning game two by the score of 10 - 0. The third came saw more of the Dodger domination. Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers held a 4 - 1 lead. Then the history of baseball changed for ever, as Bobby Thompson hit what some have called the greatest and most improbable homerun in Major League history. In the bottom of the ninth with one out and two men on base, Bobby Thompson hit what is known as "the shot heard 'round the world." A three run homerun and as legendary announcer Russ Hodges said, "THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!!! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!!!"

Afterward, the sportswriter Red Smith wrote in description of the event, "Now it is done. Now the story ends. And there is no way to tell it. The art of fiction is dead. Reality has strangled invention. Only the utterly impossible, the inexpressibly fantastic, can ever be plausible again."

Last night, as I watched Barack Obama win the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States, I could hear Russ Hodges say, "Obama wins the Nomination! Obama wins the Nomination!" I also could not help but think that for the first time in my life we can say the art of fiction is dead. An African-American has a serious chance at winning the White House. What we thought was impossible and fantastic has become reality. This morning as I read Thabiti's blog (a must read today), I was also reminded that we have come a long ways in this country. And though you may not agree with the politics of Obama, you should at least smile that our country is learning to live out its creed.