What is Your Current Spiritual State?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical1 Comment

Lately, I have been reading the Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter. It is a great book, and one I highly recommend. In his section on the Oversight of the Flock, Baxter challenges pastors to both be acquainted with and to know the spiritual state of their people. He believes that pastors need to know the temperament or disease of the flock, in order to be a good physician.

Benefit for Everyone

I believe Baxter’s advice is great, but it is not just for pastors. I believe everyone can benefit from his advice. We all need to understand our own spiritual state, so we know where we need the most accountability, and what we need to consistently watch out for and pray to God to help us with.

Self Evaluation

In order to help evaluate ourselves, I have provided a modified version of a list Baxter gives to his readers to assist us in testing our own spiritual state.

The list is as follows:

(1) What are your natural inclinations? What are your tendencies? In other words, what actions, attitudes, or beliefs are you disposed toward? To what sins are you naturally drawn?

(2) Who are the people you keep regular company with? Do they serve to build you up in Christ, or do they tear you down?

(3) What sins are you most in danger of committing? Are there circumstances in your life that allow you to easily sin in a particular area?

(4) What duties (prayer, Bible study, Scripture memory, evangelism, accountability, family devotions, etc.) are you most apt to neglect?

(5) To what temptations are you most likely to succumb?

If we honestly answer all these questions, we will have a proper understanding of our current spiritual state, which should help us to guard ourselves on a daily basis. As well as know in what areas we need to seek accountability from others.

Interestingness

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn InterestingnessLeave a comment

Time for more interesting articles and audio from around the web.

Spurgeon – Terrible Convictions and Gentle Drawings (Psalm 32)

In preparation for a sermon I am preaching this coming weekend, I listened to a sermon by Spurgeon. This sermon was preached from a copy of Spurgeon’s manuscript. Spurgeon is a wordsmith. Just listening to the way he turns phrases is truly amazing. Truly he is the Prince of Preachers. You can hear the sermon by clicking here.

Twitter – What is it Doing to Our Communication Skills?

Bill Keller over at the New York Times put out an article recently, which looks into how Twitter and other social networking sites are hindering our personal communication skills. You can read his take on it by clicking here.

Twitter and Slander

While we are on the topic of Twitter, I want to approach it from another angle, slander. Emir Caner’s comment about Acts 29 was out of place. In light of Caner’s comment, Justin Taylor  provides us with a lesson on slander. You can read his article by clicking here.

Gospel Coalition Plenary Sessions and Workshops are Available

The guys over at the  Gospel Coalition are working hard to make this years conference media available. They have finished editing all the Plenaries and most of the Workshops, which they have made available to anyone who would like to listen. You can download to your hearts content by clicking here. May I suggest you download Mohler’s, Keller’s, Bullmore’s, and Carson’s Plenaries, along with Mahaney’s and Newman’s workshops. I attended all of these and they were excellent.

Technology and the Brain

Al Mohler put out an article this week discussing the affects of the computer screen on our brain. You can read it by clicking here.

E Ink Concepts

I have been interested in E Ink lately, since it is the main supplier of e ink ereader screens. I don’t technically own an ereader, but I am very interested in the technology. Here are some concepts they have come up with lately. You can view them by clicking here.

FLYP – Life Underground

FLYP is an interesting magazine that only puts out digital editions. I found one article they did on the men who work underground. I thought it was interesting and wanted to share it with you. You can check it out by clicking here.

X-Ray Questions: What do you think you need?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, X-Ray QuestionsLeave a comment

This week we continue our X-Ray Questions series, as we look at what you think you need. You can read the other posts in this series by clicking here.

X-Ray Question:

(7) What do you think you need? What are your felt needs?

Questions 2 and 3 exposed your aims in terms of activity and pursuit. This question exposes your aims in terms of what you hope to receive, get, and keep. Felt needs are frequently taken as self-evident necessities to be acquired, not as deceptive slave-masters. Our culture of need reinforces the flesh’s instincts and habits. In most cases, a person’s felt needs are slang for idolatrous demands for love, understanding, a sense of being in control, affirmation, and achievement.

Understand

First, understand that your needs are already known by (Matt. 6:8-15) and taken care of by the Lord (Matt. 6:24-32).

Second, understand that our culture drives/reinforces these felt needs through both electronic (t.v., internet, and radio) and print (magazines, books, and photography) media.

Third, by reflecting on the things we think we need, we can gain a good understanding of the ways we are seeking love and affirmation from others. It also shows us what we think we need to control and/or achieve, in order to gain affirmation.

For instance, we may believe we need a new car, new clothing, a certain degree, job, apartment, etc, so we will be accepted and loved by others. Instead of finding our acceptance and love in our relationship with Christ, we are seeking acceptance and love from others through certain possessions that tell the world we are successful.

When we truly reflect on the reasons we desire the things mentioned above, we learn what we hope to, receive, get, and keep from buying a new car, new clothing, acquiring a certain degree, job, or apartment.

On the one hand, we may be seeking these things as a status symbol. On the other hand, we may be seeking these things for our own comfort and protection. When we seek these things for comfort or protection, we are seeking to control the universe, rather than subjecting ourselves to God’s rule. We forget God is in control that He alone is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe.

Repent

We should repent by realizing we do not need to manufacture a certain status that gains us acceptance, love, or affirmation from the world. As Christians, our status before God should be enough because through it we gain genuine and everlasting acceptance, love, and affirmation from God.

Through our belief in Christ, we are made sons of God. Our relationship with God is repaired, and we enjoy the love, mercy, grace, and acceptance of God through Christ. As a result, we should not desire, nor do we need, the acceptance of the world.

Scripture

Here are a few passages from God’s word to meditate on this week, as you consider your felt needs: Matt. 6:8-15; 6:25-32; 1 Kings 3:5-14; all the prayers in the Bible express reoriented felt needs.

All X-Ray questions taken from David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes.

Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Is Sitting Killing You?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

I found this info graphic interesting, and I hope you do too. I wanted to share it since most of us sit the majority of the day reading and writing.
Sitting is Killing You

Interestingness

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn InterestingnessLeave a comment

Here are some interesting articles and blog posts I read over the last week, along with a video.

The Kindle Tablet?

Jeff Bezos talks about a potential Kindle tablet, as well as the future of color e-ink and library lending. Check out the interview by Paul Reynolds from Consumer Reports by clicking here.

Google I/O Recap

Engadget provided a blog post today highlighting all that took place at Google’s event this week. You can check out all the cool stuff Google is doing by clicking here.

Preaching Christ in the OT

Erik Raymond offers an interesting article challenging pastors to preach the context of the passage instead of making a bee line for Christ in the introduction. He offers five reasons we need to preach the context of the passage, as well as expound Christ from the particular text. You can check out his article by clicking here.

Killing off Marriage and the Presbyterian Churches Ordination Decision

This week Albert Mohler wrote two interesting articles. One on the institution of marriage, which you can check out by clicking here. His second article I want to highlight is on the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s decision to accept openly homosexual ministers, which you can read by clicking here.

Are You Behaving Like a Barbarian

Tim Challies highlights ways we behave like a Barbarian when it comes to our use of electronic media. Check out his interesting post by clicking here.

Video from the NFB of Canada

This video highlights the sad predicament our society is currently in; especially, the plight of our teens. Without Christ there is no hope. You can click here to watch it.

X-Ray Questions: What do you feel like doing?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, X-Ray QuestionsLeave a comment

This week we continue our X-Ray Questions series, as we look at what do you feel like doing. You can read the other posts in this series by clicking here.

X-Ray Question:

(5) What do you feel like doing? 

This is slang for question 2, what do you desire? To be “feeling-oriented” means to make your wants your guide: “I feel like cursing you. I don’t feel like doing my chores.”

Understand

When we do what we feel like doing, we are allowing our wants to be our guide, rather than Scripture. We must recognize when we are allowing our desires to override what Scripture commands we do. We can check ourselves by asking: Do my actions or thoughts align with Scripture? Is this something I feel like doing, or is it something God would have me do?

When we are leading ourselves, God is not leading us. Which is opposed to the examples put forth in Scripture. Consistently the Psalmist calls God his refuge and his protection, the One who leads and guides him with His wise counsel (Pss.13:23-28). God’s wisdom far outweighs our wisdom, His counsel is better than the wisest man. As a result, we need to seek God and His leading, rather than allow our feelings to lead us.

If we are Christians, when we are led by our feelings, we are allowing our unregenerate nature to lead us. The same nature that is contrary to the Lord. As a result, when we allow our feelings to lead us, we will almost always seek to gratify the desires of the flesh and glorify ourselves, rather than God.

Repent

Repent by realizing that by allowing our feelings to lead us, we are reverting back to the leading of our sinful nature, and we are not being guided and led by the wisdom of God.

When we put our faith in Christ, trusting that His sacrifice on the cross paid the price for our sins, our relationship with God is restored, and we are released from the bondage of sin, making us free to follow and serve Him.

Scripture

Here are a few passages from God’s word to meditate on this week, as you consider what is leading you: Pss. 17:14-15; 73:23-28; Prov. 10:3; 10:28; 11:6-7; Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 2:3; 4:22; 2 Tim. 2:22; Titus 3:3; 1 Peter 1:14; 2:11; 4:2; 2 Peter 1:4; 2:10; James 1:14-15; 4:1-3.

All X-Ray questions taken from David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes.