11.15.23 Updates
Plus, a collection of quotes that didn't make it into the newsletters
Hi friends,
For those on the mailing list, you will have most likely noticed a delay since our last issue. I am here to provide a short explanation, plus a promise to get back to writing soon.
In September, just after publishing Issue #20, we left our house in the Seattle area to quite honestly go out not knowing where we were going. Halfway expecting the Lord to show us the open door instantly, which has not happened, we have been growing in our appreciation for and understanding of His timing being better than ours.
I know many of you do pray for us, evidenced by the kind notes, texts, and phone calls we receive. And though we make no claim to deserve such kindness, we do continue to ask for it.
We are ready to go anywhere, and confident He has a specific somewhere in mind. And while we have some ideas of what we hope the answer looks like, nevertheless, “May the Lord do what is good in His sight.” (2 Sam. 10:12)
All that said, I hope to get the next newsletter out in the mail within the next week. In the meantime, I’ve been able to add new devotional entries, update our doctrines with additional Scripture references now that I’ve finished teaching through these with our family, and edit the PDF copies of the print newsletter to make them easier for you to print and mail or give out to others (I removed the address block and our mailing address).
Lastly, there are many notes in my journals that don’t ever make it into the newsletters, for a wide variety of reasons. Below, you’ll find a collection of them, alongside a few other quotes I have found impactful lately.
In love,
Derek
“It is out of date, almost a lost art, and the greatest benefactor this age could have is the man who will bring the preachers and the Church back to prayer.” - E.M. Bounds
We need prophetic voices who do not share new truth, but teach us how to apply the old truths. Who do not predict the future, but help us to interpret the day we are in. Thus shaping us into a people who see and act clearly, in wisdom and purity, right now.
We mistakenly thought it was about discipline when it's actually about delight.
True, we beat our bodies to bring them under control, no longer following whichever feeling or passion we like, but not from a place of, "I know I shouldn't do this, but I really want to," instead, "I delight in Him."
Living in a different economy — where it costs everything and lacks nothing.
Death comes from the inside out, not the outside in.
There will be a call to unify around a world religion, one that acts for the good of all, seeks peace, and finds commonality rather than division, but it will not be Christianity. Christianity is far too exclusive in its claims to be able to participate in such a religion.
Therefore, we need a renewal of the refusal to compromise and make unholy treaties. There will be no more accommodations made in the name of unity. “For the good of all,” is the cry of the world, while we will live always and only, “For the good of the One.” Regardless of perceived necessity (usually financial) or because of the potentially positive impact (usually scale or reach), we will not yield.
We will see the church move from the mindset of “What works?” to, “What does God require?”
You can know something is coming and still not be ready for it. How? Why? Because though you knew, you never prepared.
Any end times teaching that diminishes the immediacy of Christ’s return is not to be heeded. For while there are nuances, the overriding principle is clear, “And what I say to you, I say to all, ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:37) Let no one deceive you into sleeplessness.
There comes a point in our walk with Christ where nothing of our self will be allowed to remain. We may refer to this exclusivity as in Him, to Him, for Him, and from Him in all things.
There is no version of true Christianity that the world is longing for. The world will always be in stark contrast and stern opposition to God's truth revealed through Jesus Christ.
There is no way to make it palatable and relatable enough, and no convincing proof that will win over the unregenerated mind.
Those who implore us to follow a type of Christianity the world longs for will call us to a non-offensive collection of unifying attributes — love, humility, generosity, etc. "And if only the world could see these in us," they exclaim, "then they would want to give Christianity a try." These are the same who will end up aligning with other religions in the promotion of a general morality, all while holding on to the name of Jesus.
Their slide will eventually end with universalism in one of its forms, never denying the name of Jesus, of course, but beginning to believe the strong delusion that He's been known by many names and in many forms and it's far too exclusive to claim we know the only way. And He is love, after all, so He will find a way to save everyone. “Love wins!” they exclaim.
Jesus is the reward and heaven is a marriage.
Every choice requires a trade-off. Choosing one thing is to not choose another. Saying yes to something is to say no to another.
It is not always possible to have everything. Therefore, we must carefully consider our choices. What do we value most? Which will take a backseat if one must sacrifice for the other?
Are we really willing to sacrifice the temporary, fleeting, and passing pleasures for the eternal, incorruptible, and precious? Let us look at our trade-offs for clarity to that answer.
If we are not careful, we may find ourselves serving a God who grants but does not command. Who has the authority to forgive but not to require. Who bestows a robe of righteousness but does not demand holiness from those who wear it.
Instead, we say command what thou will and grant what thou commandest.
Forgive us our sins even as we forgive those who sin against us, for we know that, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
And make us holy, even as You are holy, for we know that without holiness no one will see the Lord. And how we long for that day to see You face to face.
There is feeling, and there is sight, and somewhere in between, but also quite above both of these is faith. Our prayers must have their origin and make their home here.
Is this a question Scripture asks? Is it a question Scripture answers? These two questions will keep us delving into the right depths and out of the secrets belonging exclusively to God.
Inner working — this is the energy of the new birth.
“The greatest thing is to be found at one’s post as a child of God, living each day as though it were our last, but planning as though our world might last a hundred years.” C.S. Lewis
Any summary of Scripture will, in some way, sell the Scriptures short. Whenever possible we must answer questions with Scripture, especially the tough ones. Though tempted to fill in the gaps, or put it into other words, let our first impulse be to resist. Otherwise, it is altogether possible we will find ourselves getting in the way of God.
Et teneo et teneor.
“I hold and am held.”
-the motto of the Pastor’s College
Even as I say, “I love You,” my heart testifies to the fact that this did not generate in me. I did not do this. It has been to and for me and on my behalf. Here is a simple witness to a sovereignty that supersedes my will, so that even as I desire without coercion to love Him, I am aware of the true Author of the transformation.
Wondered where your mail has been! Stay strong, learning that faithfulness rarely means having answers, but always means God is present.