Mark Shockley

The Most Important Stipulation

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:26:02 -0400

“Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Christians know the second part of this as the most important command because Jesus called it so (Mark 12:28-34). In reality, many had called it the most important command before Jesus affirmed it as such (see, for instance, the expert in the law in Luke 10:25-27). Although Moses didn’t call it the most important command, the conclusion is logical. There doesn’t appear to be any command more far-reaching in its applications in the entire Bible.

For the Jews of today, the more important part is probably actually the first part: “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is one.” To them, this is the most important prayer that they say. (If you’ll excuse the comparison, it is similar to the very important Islamic “Shahada” confession about Allah, although different in its traditional applications.) There is a trend among orthodox Jews to say this confessional prayer as their last words; more noteworthy, however, is its everyday use. Devout Jews say it daily as a prayer both morning and evening in literal obedience to the verses that follow it, which I dub the most important stipulation:

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, ESV)

Since the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, Christianity has usually not focused on this kind of legal or ritual obedience which can be so important to other world religions, and so most Christians choose to leave behind the idea of putting a scripture-box on our foreheads. The spiritual act of loving God and your neighbor is, for us, the entire crux of the matter. But I have to wonder whether Christ has written God’s law on our hearts if we have no natural or new-born inclination to obey this further injunction of having his words which he commands “on our heart.” If we have no desire, walking, sitting, lying, and rising, to obey this “most important stipulation” of keeping our thoughts on God’s character and his commands, then do we even care about the first part about loving him with all our heart, soul, and strength? Is it possible to obey the first part of this passage without implicitly obeying the second?

Stephen Lovegrove: My Jesus Story

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:57:45 -0400

Stephen Lovegrove: My Jesus Story:

stephenlovegrove:

The story begins in an extremely conservative family in the religious hotspot of Greenville, South Carolina. My childhood revolved around rules. From the moment I entered elementary school, every year contained a new handbook with dozens of pages of rules to know and obey.

In elementary…

The Race and the Goal

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:57:00 -0400

“I labour if that I may lay hold of that for which also I have been laid hold of by Jesus Christ.”… So then Paul took God’s purpose in calling, and Christ’s purpose in redeeming him, as being his great object in life. God’s aims and Paul’s were identical.
What, then, is the aim of God in all that He has done for us? The production in us of God-like and God-pleasing character. For this suns rise and set; for this seasons and times come and go; for this sorrows and joys are experienced; for this hopes and fears and loves are kindled. For this all the discipline of life is set in motion. For this we were created; for this we have been redeemed. For this Jesus Christ lived and suffered and died. For this God’s Spirit is poured out upon the world. All else is scaffolding; this is the building which it contemplates, and when the building is reared the scaffolding may be cleared away. God means to make us like Himself, and so pleasing to Himself, and has no other end in all the varieties of His gifts and bestowments but only this, the production of character.

—Alexander MacLaren, “The Race and the Goal”, The Wearied Christ and Other Sermons

"Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best; God finds it hard to..."

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:06:53 -0400

“Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best; God finds it hard to give, because He would give the best, and man will not take it.”

- George MacDonald

Climbing over water is just the best.

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:54:40 -0400

Climbing over water is just the best.

Let the Fruit be Your Heart

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:17:00 -0400

God told them “be fruitful and multiply,” not “be fashionable and add.” Fruitfulness and spiritual abundance lead to influence that cannot help but multiply where there is hunger. Catering to listeners may lead to people who will join our Christian club, but the abundance ends there: a cool club.

The fruit (or harvest, Gk. karpos) of the Spirit is not followers; it’s us. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace… These are all things that happen in your character. The abundance we have is primarily spiritual.

None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women…

Fruitfulness doesn’t mean the rest of the world joins us, but if many people wanted to, would we have enough of Christ in our hearts and character to have something to share with them? Are we spiritually abundant?

ejmiranda: Sometimes I forget how blessed I am to see these...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:21:53 -0400

ejmiranda:

Sometimes I forget how blessed I am to see these views. (at Pico De Loro Lagoon)

"I believe. Help my unbelief!"

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:30:00 -0400

This phrase has two possible meanings: either the man was asking Christ to enable him to believe, or he was asking Christ to help him despite his unbelief—that is, by answering his prayer and healing his son.

“Christ paid no heed in words to this confession of unbelief, but proceeded to do the work which answered the prayer in both its possible meanings. He responded to imperfect confidence by His perfect work of cure; and, by that perfect work of cure, He strengthened the imperfect confidence which it answered. Thus He educates us by His answers—His overanswers—to our poor desires; and the abundance of His gifts rebukes the poverty of our petitions, more emphatically than any words of remonstrance beforehand could have done. He does not lecture us into faith, but He blesses us into it.” (Alexander MacLaren)

Mistakes in the Bible

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 19:42:00 -0500

The Bible is full of mistakes…

The first mistake was when Eve doubted the Word of God

The second happened when her husband did, too

And mistake after mistake is still being made because people insist on doubting God’s Word

The Bible is full of contradictions…

It contradicts pride and prejudice

It contradicts lust and lawlessness

It contradicts sin, yours and mine

The Bible is filled with failures…

Because it is the record of people who failed many times

There was Adam

There was Cain

There was Moses

There was David and many, many others

But it is also the record of God’s never-failing love

Read the rest of the article here

(Source: “Mistakes in the Bible” by Winkie Pratney, found on moh.org)

Jesus is a Forerunner

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:30:21 -0500

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus,…. Christ was a runner; he had a race to run, which lay in going about to heal diseases, in preaching the Gospel, in obeying the law, and in suffering death for his people; which race was run by him with great swiftness, strength, and courage, with patience, cheerfulness, and joy, and is now ended; as appears from the accomplishment of salvation, from his entrance into heaven, and session at the right hand of God; from the glorification of his human nature, and its everlasting freedom from the dominion of death: and this race is run out, as a “forerunner”; Christ is the most excellent runner; there is none like him; there is none that can come up to him; he has out ran and exceeded all others; he has performed in the best manner; he has run out his race first, and has entered into heaven first by his own blood; and he has cleared the way thither, and opened the gates of heaven for his people; and is a guide and pattern for them to follow…
Gill’s Exposition on Hebrews 6:20

Many people say that salvation is the work of God alone, and that to say that God requires surrender...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:29:08 -0500

Many people say that salvation is the work of God alone, and that to say that God requires surrender is requiring “a work” which leads to salvation, and therefore false. But I always think, “how is it a work to lay down a burden of guilt?” Isn’t it the opposite of work to take what you’ve been trying to bear on your back all your life and finally give it to the One who can carry it?

ejmiranda: “Take the path that leads to awesome.”

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:46:21 -0500

ejmiranda:

“Take the path that leads to awesome.”

Go To Jail

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:22:00 -0500

The Bible does not say a ton about the devil, but there is one passage that tells most obviously about his beginnings and one passage that tells most obviously about his end. These are found in Ezekiel’s prophecy, and the book of Revelation, chapters 18-20.

There is one interesting cross-reference between the two that, as far as I know, is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible: human trafficking. We cannot think of this as a new problem, since Ezekiel mentioned it 2500 years ago: “they bartered human lives.” (Ezekiel 27:13) We also cannot expect it to last forever since a prophecy in John’s Revelation says “no one buys their cargo anymore…[including] slaves, that is, human souls.” (Revelation 18:11-13)

The founder of the Salvation Army knew about this in the 1910s. His quote, “For God’s sake do something!” is emblazoned on this book, published just over 100 years ago. If anyone knew about the underworld of corruption in London, the Booths and their Salvation Army did. Far from innocuous, they began as their name suggests: a militaristic fellowship that stormed the streets for the spiritually lost and morally bankrupt, and led many of them to freedom in Christ.

There is a story about some Salvation Army preachers being jailed after legislation limited free speech in a certain city in England. When other Army “officers” heard about it, they immediately sent everyone they could to preach in that city, and they all landed on “Go To Jail.” There was not space in the jail to hold all of them, speaking freely as they were and singing their hymns joyfully. In the end the legislation was overturned because of their boldness and they were all free to go.

The governments of both China and the USA have recently made advances toward investigating and charging those guilty of enslaving children and young people. I think the ultimate answer is found where both Ezekiel and Revelation begin: a revelation of Jesus Christ—his glory, his goodness, and the freedom that he brings. I think also we as Christians and humans should be willing to give up at least a small part of our freedom if that means we can lead others into the spiritual and physical freedom that we enjoy.

Ricardo: Creativity

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:32:53 -0500

Ricardo: Creativity:

rickypoo94:

I’m reading a book written by Michael Gungor and so far (the first two chapters) this book has made me view creativity completely different. When I would think about creativity I always imagined the streets of Europe with all these crazy hobo art looking people, painting some potrait that’s so…

"God is too good to be unkind. He is too wise to be confused. If I cannot trace His hand, I can..."

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:32:48 -0500

“God is too good to be unkind. He is too wise to be confused. If I cannot trace His hand, I can always trust His heart.”

- Charles Spurgeon (via yesdarlingido)

A Brand Plucked From the Burning

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 01:05:00 -0500

Here in Sam Wesley’s words are the awful event which was to precipitate in a child’s heart the desire to change the world:

“I ran down and went to my children in the garden to help them over the wall. When I was without, I heard one of my poor lambs left still above stairs about six years old cry out dismally “Help me!” I ran in again, to go upstairs, but the staircase was now all afire. I tried to force up through it a second time holding my breeches over my head, but the stream of fire beat me down. I thought I had done my duty; went out of the house to that part of my family I had saved, with the killing cry of my child in my ears. I made them all kneel down and we prayed to God to receive his soul.”

“I tried to break down the pales and get my children over into the street but could not; then went under the flame and got them over the wall. Now I put on my breeches and leaped after them. One of my maidservants that had brought out the least child got out much at the same time. She was saluted with a hearty curse by one of the neighbors and told we had fired our house ourselves the second time on purpose! I ran about inquiring for my wife and other children; met the chief man and constable of the town going from my house, not towards it to help me. I took him by the hand and said “Gods’ will be done” His answer was “Will you never have done with your tricks? You fired your house once before; did you not get enough by it then that you have done it again? This was cold comfort. I said “God forgive you! I find you are chief man still.” I heard my wife was saved; I fell on mother earth and blessed God.

I went to her. She was alive, and could just speak. She thought I had perished and so did all the rest nor any share of the children for a quarter of an hour. by this time all the chambers and everything was consumed to ashes, for the fire was stronger than a furnace, the violent wind beating it down on the house.

She told me afterwards how she escaped. When I first opened the back door she endeavored to force through the fire at the fox-door but was struck back twice to the ground. She thought to have died there, but prayed to Christ to help her. She found new strength, got up alone and waded through two or three yards of flame, the fire on the ground being up to her knees. She had nothing on but her shoes and a wrapping gown and one coat on her arm. This she wrapped about her breast and got through safe into the yard, but not a soul yet to help her. She never looked up or spoke till I came; only when they brought her last child to her bade them lay it on the bed. This was the lad whom I heard cry in the house, but God saved him almost by a miracle. He was forgot by the servants in a hurry. He ran to the window towards the yard, stood on a chair and cried for help. There were now a few people gathered one of whom who loves me helped up another to the window. The child, seeing a man come into the window was frightened and ran away to get to his mothers’ room. He could not open the door so he ran back again. The man was fallen down from the window and all the bed and hangings in the room where he was were blazing. They helped up the man a second time and poor Jacky leaped into his arms and was saved. I could not believe it until I had kissed him two or three times. My wife then said to me “Are your books safe?” I told her it was not much. now she and all the rest were preserved.

I hope my wife will recover and not miscarry but God will give me my nineteenth child. She has burnt her legs but they mend. When I came to her her lips were black. I did not know her. Some of the children are a little burnt, but not hurt or disfigured. I only got a small blister on my hand. The neighbors send us clothes for it is cold without them.”

The child “Kezzy” was born and lived. Wesley picked up a torn leaf of his Polyglot Bible on which these words alone were legible “Vade; vende omnia quot habes; et attolle crucem, et sequere me”. (“Depart; sell all that you have; and bear up your cross, and follow me.”) He had come to Epworth poor; now 15 years later poorer, having doggedly served his parishioners only to have them detest him. But he stood unbeaten; and as he stared out his window, there gripped him—not for the first time—a fierce ironical affection for the hard landscape, the fields of his striving, even the folk who had proved such good haters… . With him as with many true man disappointed in his fate his hopes passed from himself to fasten the more eagerly on his sons. He wanted them to be great and eminent soldiers of Christ, and he divined already that if for one above the others, this eminence was reserved for John.” (Quiller-Couch, Hetty Wesley pp.68 ff. 1903, quoted by Winkie Pratney)

John Wesley went on to change the face of England and the world. He died at 87, leaving as his entire inheritance six silver spoons, some books, a Geneva gown which he had preached in, six one-pound notes for his pallbearers,and the Methodist church.

Nature Untouched

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:55:00 -0400

Nature in the raw, fallen though it is, is not as violent as nature hurt by sinful men and women. Hunters who come into areas of wildlife untouched by man find an odd thing. They remark on the incredible sense of peace and quietness they find, so tangible they may catch themselves speaking in whispers, just as when you enter the quiet sanctuary of an immense and ancient church. In fact, these hunters have reported behaving like people who have indeed stumbled into an immense cathedral filled with the presence of God.

Charles Darwin remarked:
“No man can stand in the tropic forests without feeling that they are temples filled with the various productions of the God of nature, and that there is more in man than the breath of his body.”

—from Healing the Land by Winkie Pratney

Inspired by Psalm 8

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 05:39:00 -0400

Psalm 8

To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.
A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

²Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

³When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
⁴What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
⁵For You have made him a little lower than the angels,^[b]
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
⁷All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
⁸The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

⁹O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

1. Matthew Maury

Inspired by a tiny phrase in the eighth Psalm that some would have thought superfluous or merely poetic, this Naval Commodore became determined that there were indeed “paths” in the sea. At the time certain currents were known such as the Gulf Stream, but no one realized that there were “fast-tracks” across entire oceans. But that’s what Maury discovered as he continued to study the ocean.

He found that differences in temperature usually marked different currents, and within a couple of years the trip from New York to England was reduced from six months to four and a half, and continued to improve.

They called him “The Pathfinder of the Seas” and erected this monument to him:

You can see sea and wind charts in one hand, and a Bible by his foot.

(Read more about Matthew Maury and other scientists who loved God in the book Men of Science, Men of God.)

2. Matt Gilman

In most circles, stealing your lyrics wholesale from someone else’s song is not considered appropriate. But for Christians, the Bible has enduring newness that is not exhausted by any number of songs, books, or tributes. Like an infinite diamond, every direction that you turn is a startling new view of the same thing that has been there all along, and thus the angels can freak out every time they see God, saying, “Holy.”

And that is the title of Matt Gilman and Cory Asbury’s album, “Holy.” If you haven’t, you should really check out the title track also:

Only one word comes to mind—
there’s only one word to describe:

Holy.

There are many other great musicians at Kansas City’s House of Prayer, stealing from other great Scriptures. I think creativity is an attribute of God that he expects to see in his people, and that creativity is most powerful when it is grounded in a reflection of the same ancient truths of who God is and what he has said in his Word.

3. Whoever wrote Hebrews

In the first two chapters of the letter to the Hebrews, the writer has quoted the Old Covenant ten times; once from the story of David, once from the song of Moses, once from Isaiah, and seven times from the Psalms.

Why are the psalms quoted so much—more than everything else? Because a tune makes words easier to remember, and the psalms (although we forget) used to have tunes. Paul requested that his letters be read aloud (Colossians 4:16); the added dimensions of hearing, reading, and singing, helps you to memorize anything. Imagine how many songs you know all the lyrics to.

Scientists think every human mind can and does hold around 20 encyclopedia sets of information. Many centuries ago, Jews memorized entire books of the Torah, many the entire law of Moses (first five books), some the entire Tanakh (Old Testament). With all the translations and printings of Scripture we have and all the technology on our side, what’s our excuse?

Regardless, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament thought that these ancient worship songs (including Psalm 8) contained some of the best statements about Jesus and who he is, even though they were Jewish and 1000 years old.

4. David was inspired by Moses

The reason David had something enduring to say about God was not only that he had a heart after God, but his mind had followed suit. Like the writer of Hebrews, David had found an priceless revelation of God in the Scriptures, which for him meant the books of Moses. Nehemiah, David, Joel, and Jonah all quote in their books from the revelation of God to Moses: “the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love.” It was what God had said about himself to Moses when Moses asked God to reveal himself.

These words that God spoke to Moses are quoted in three Psalms, and all three happen to be attributed to David (Psalms 86, 103, and 145). These “new songs” from David were inspired by God’s enduring word.

Often our worship songs and our science can say as much or more about our God than our theological background or denomination. What about the songs we write and listen to today? Do our “new songs” contain ancient truths? Do they say something enduring, not just about us or our view of God, but about God?

Does God’s Word breathe inspiration on our science, our songwriting, and our spiritual shepherding? There have been inspired writers, yes—but “the inspired writers await inspired readers.”

May we have the heart of David, a heart after God in live pursuit, to find out from God what he has said about himself in his Word. May we find in that revelation an enduring word about who God is that will bring depth, power, and purity to our lives, our conversation, our studies, and our songs.

Appendix:
Worship songs recommended for memorizing Scripture:
Matt Gilman - When I Consider (Psalm 8)
Shane & Shane - Psalm 13
Cory Asbury - So Good to Me (Psalm 40)
Justin Rizzo - Psalm 93
Matt Gilman - Psalm 100
Charlie Hall - You Have Done Great Things (Psalm 126)
Jon Thurlow - Psalm 131
Shane & Shane - Psalm 145
And just for kicks… Andrew Peterson - Matthew’s Begats

The Furnace

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:08:55 -0400

If the devil hates me, God loves me. If I am pressed on every side, I am yet constrained within. I must allow frustrations to breed within me an indomitable sense of the importance and purpose of my life. I must allow patience to have its perfect work; the old word for patience was longsuffering. I will trade my pain for purposefulness. I will trade my turmoil for tenacity.

The devil holds the hammer but God regulates the stroke, and the devil sweats at the task of fashioning saints into the likeness of Christ.

Triunity

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:38:20 -0400

Created a page on the Triunity of God:
http://markshockley.tumblr.com/triunity

Had formatting problems with trying to post the table into a blog post, so I just made it a new page. Excuse the rather “empty” formatting.

Also props to this website for having a free, online HTML Editor. (It’s “wysiwyg”, so it is like Microsoft Word or FrontPage but creates HTML code for websites for you.)

Mark Shockley

The Most Important Stipulation

Stephen Lovegrove: My Jesus Story

The Race and the Goal

"Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best; God finds it hard to..."

Climbing over water is just the best.

Let the Fruit be Your Heart

ejmiranda: Sometimes I forget how blessed I am to see these...

"I believe. Help my unbelief!"

Mistakes in the Bible

Jesus is a Forerunner

Many people say that salvation is the work of God alone, and that to say that God requires surrender...

ejmiranda: “Take the path that leads to awesome.”

Go To Jail

Ricardo: Creativity

"God is too good to be unkind. He is too wise to be confused. If I cannot trace His hand, I can..."

A Brand Plucked From the Burning

Nature Untouched

Inspired by Psalm 8

Psalm 8

To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.A Psalm of David.

The Furnace

Triunity

To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.
A Psalm of David.