After observing the presence of idolatry throughout human history, John Calvin commented:

From this we may gather that man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols… Man’s mind, full as it is of pride and boldness, dares to imagine a god according to its own capacity; as it sluggishly plods, indeed is overwhelmed with the crassest ignorance, it conceives an unreality and an empty appearance as God (Institutes, I.XI.8).

That’s not exactly a flattering portrayal of human spirituality – what a  mess!

And yet, the Lord extends His hand to all who “turn away from your idols” (14:6). Anticipating the full redemption He would accomplish in Christ, how He would give His people “one heart” (Ezek 11:19), and make us “alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:5) – our God mercifully receives those who turn from idols to Him in faith. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Jas 4:8).

One day, the transforming work of God in Christ will be complete. There will be no more idols and no more divided loyalties in our hearts. Until that day, we pray continually with David, “Unite my heart to fear Your name” (Ps 86:11).

Yours for the Master,

Pastor Steve

Surprisingly, he listed at 24 something that is quite irreplaceable: “Face-to-Face Conversation.” Qualman writes, “Sad, but true. We have less interpersonal communication than in years past.” It is indeed sad for all humanity, but it would be even more tragic to the faith of Church.

Meeting face-to-face has been integral to the faithfulness of every generation of God’s people. As we saw in Malachi 3:16-18 on the Lord’s Day evening, we are assured that when God’s people gather they are both helped by one other in a world of unbelief (see vv. 13-16), as well as heard by the Lord who will adopt them for all eternity (see v. 18).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer poignantly captured this in his classic, Life Together:

The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer… The believer therefore lauds the Creator, the Redeemer, God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for the bodily presence of a brother… God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of a man. Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him… The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain; his brother’s is sure.

Our God is an omnipresent Spirit, but He created us to be finite bodies, mere dust and breath. We need the physical presence and audible words of our brothers and sisters. If joined with biblical discernment, every technology may be harnessed for God’s glory. But no technology – however “smart” – can ever replace meeting together to exalt the Lord and to exhort, encourage, and even embrace one another. May our high view of spiritual things accordingly give us a high view of our physical meetings.

Until We Meet Again,

Pastor Steve

   “(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (6) In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, (7) so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (8) and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, (9) obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

It teaches us that anything that interests us is not without interest to Christ. Anything that is big enough to occupy our thoughts and our efforts is large enough to be taken into His. All our ignoble toils, and all our petty anxieties, touch a chord that vibrates in that deep and tender heart. Though other sympathy may be unable to come down to the minutenesses of our little lives, and to wind itself into the narrow room in which our histories are prisoned, Christ’s sympathy can steal into the narrowest cranny. The risen Lord is interested in our poor fishing and our disappointments.

And not only that, here is a promise for us, a prophecy for us, of certain guidance and direction, if only we will come to Him and acknowledge our dependence upon Him. The question that was put to them, ‘Lads, have ye any meat?’ was meant to evoke the answer, ‘No!’ The consciousness of my failure is the pre-requisite to my appeal to Him to prosper my work. And just as before He would, on the other margin of that same shore, multiply the loaves and the fishes, He put to them the question, ‘How many have ye?’ that they might know clearly the inadequacy of their own resources for the hungry crowd, so here, in order to prepare their hearts for the reception of His guidance and His blessing, He provides that they be brought to catalogue and confess their failures. So He does with us all, beats the self-confidence out of us, blessed be His name! and makes us know ourselves to be empty in order that He may pour Himself into us, and flood us with the joy of His presence.

Learning to trust Him and follow Him with you!

“Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”  (Ps. 51:7)

Paraphrasing and commenting on the above statement from Ps. 51, which is King David’s great prayer of confession following his great sins of dereliction of duty, adultery, murder, and deception, C.H. Spurgeon makes these observations:

“’None but thyself can whiten me, but thou canst in grace outdo nature itself in its purest state. Snow soon gathers smoke and dust, it melts and disappears; thou canst give me an enduring purity. Though snow is white below as well as on the outer surface, thou canst work the like inward purity in me, and make me so clean that only an hyperbole can set forth my immaculate condition. Lord, do this; my faith believes thou wilt, and well she knows thou canst.’ Scarcely does Holy Scripture contain a verse more full of faith than this. Considering the nature of the sin, and the deep sense the psalmist had of it, it is a glorious faith to be able to see in the blood sufficient, nay, all sufficient merit entirely to purge it away. Considering also the deep natural inbred corruption which David saw and experienced within, it is a miracle of faith that he could rejoice in the hope of perfect purity in his inward parts. Yet, be it added, the faith is no more than the word warrants, than the blood of atonement encourages, than the promise of God deserves. O that some reader may take heart, even now while smarting under sin, to do the Lord the honour to rely thus confidently on the finished sacrifice of Calvary and the infinite mercy there revealed.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1, pg. 404).

Yes, a “White Christmas” would be special, but a heart that is whiter than snow, through the precious blood of the One who came to save helpless sinners, is of infinitely greater worth!

Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV)

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  ⁷Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.   

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; ¹³ but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. ¹⁴ If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; ¹⁶ but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? ¹⁹ Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

Pastor C.H. Spurgeon, preaching in the late 1800’s, concludes his sermon on Jn. 20:30,31 with these encouraging words:

“I come back to my beginning and there I close—the one thing, the main thing, the only thing is that we hold on to Jesus Christ through thick and thin, through foul and fair, up hill and down dale, in the night and in the day, in life and in death, in time and in eternity—that we steadfastly believe that Jesus of Nazareth, who died upon the Cross, is the Messiah of God, yes, the Son of God, sent to cleanse away iniquity and bring in perfect righteousness! Whether we see Him on His Cross or on His Throne, all our hope, all our trust must be fixed in Him and so we shall live when time shall be no more!  Stay there, O true Believers, and let none entice you from your steadfastness!”

Amen!

• This is a part-time position, and Willie is currently going to be working on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  The office will be open on those days from 9AM – 4PM.
• While being the Church Secretary is a ministry role, please note that we want Willie to be “off-duty” from her secretary responsibilities on the Lord’s Day.  Please respect this by avoiding the temptation to interact with Willie about clerical needs during our Lord’s Day gatherings.  Instead, please simply email (rcgoffice@sbcglobal.net) or call (916-972-1106) the church office during the week.

Thanks for your attention to these details, and for your prayers.  May the Lord continue to direct and supply for every part of the corporate life of RCG – including our clerical/administrative needs – to the end that He would be glorified in the ongoing “…growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”  (Eph. 4:16)

With Kay’s resignation, Willie Phan has been hired to step into the Church Secretary role.  I’m grateful for the Lord’s provision in this way, and want to encourage you to keep Willie in your prayers as she gets oriented and acclimated to things.

In all these matters, and for a million other reasons, I’m thankful to the Lord for His abundant mercies!