Ruth and I just returned last evening from Niagara Falls where we had been representing Toronto Baptist Seminary at the Fellowship Baptist National Convention.  Here’s a quick picture of our table.   We changed it around featuring different aspects of the ministry each day.

I am grateful to those who pray for us as God has been directing our steps.   Although this conference was only attended by 126 out of 500 churches, God gave us some wonderful contacts.    It was great to renew acquaintance with alumni such as Eugene Ciria (from a past generation of students) and Justin Galotti (who recently graduated and has entered into pastoral ministry at West Toronto Baptist Church.    Pastoral friends like Ken Davis and Jim Clemens were also there and provided some stimulating conversation.

What I am most thrilled about is the door God opened to congregations with whom we have had no previous contact.   Our commitment to God’s word, the local church and a Biblical model of training leaders attracted these newer leaders to our booth.   Please pray for follow-up to these contacts.

Tuesday I fly to British Columbia where again God is opening doors.   My vision, by God’s grace, is to see a network of supporting churches who are convinced in “Theological Education that Transforms” and that believe sound doctrine is not optional.   We are trusting that God will direct in the establishment of regional training centres where godly pastors can provide solid teaching and training for eager students who will serve Christ in local churches.    Some of those, we trust, will complete a 1 year diploma at a local level, and then consider vocational service as God sets them apart for ministry.

The harvest in Canada is plentiful, the workers are few.     Let’s keep praying to the Lord of the harvest that He will send out more workers.     TBS exists to train workers that God is calling into harvest ministry!

Recent days have  involved conversations with burdened leaders, burdened with the responsibility, burdened with the challenges of helping people deal with tough life situations, burdened with the ongoing consequences of sin.   I’ve listened and at times wept when these “shepherds” of souls have unburdened their hearts which are at the point of breaking.

Praise be to the LORD, the God if Israel, who daily bears our burdens.   Thank God we have a burden-bearing God.    Scriven wrote so well, “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”   God is the great lifter of burdens as we spread it all out before Him.   Isaiah notes that even young men can fall under the burden upon their shoulders, but “those who hope in the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

But even in carrying our burdens to God in prayer, we are grateful that God supplies us with help through others who help to carry the burden.   Never say “I’ll pray for you,” if you really don’t mean this.  Why not pause, right there, right then, and commit this brother of sister to the LORD.

O may our great Burden bearer sustain my burdened brothers and sisters in Christ.    This is my prayer!

I regularly travel from Oshawa to Toronto following Highway #401 to Kingston Road and then follow it to Dundas Street in “the big smoke” on my way to work.   As I travel down Kingston Road I pass a number of motels that have been in existence for several years.   Their advertisements show that they are “locked in time.”   What modern hotel would advertise “radios, colour TV, and phones” and features.   Why not MP3 players, plasma or HD TVs and wi-fi?

These motels, at least in their advertising, are locked in time.   In an earlier era the general public would have been delighted, impressed, even drawn to motels providing radios, colour TV and phones, but that era has passed.

Seeing these old motels has made me wonder about the strategy of churches.    Is it not tempting for churches to be “locked in time?”  Perhaps you’ve heard the oft-quoted 7 last words of the church – “We’ve never done it that way before!”  But is change evil?   Are we so convinced our “way of doing church” is perfected so that we have nothing new to learn?

I would like to see honest exposition of the text – “Sing to the LORD a NEW song…..”   How NEW is new?   Just composed, composed in the last year, composed in the last decade, composed in the last century, composed in the last millenium?

May the LORD enable us to leave UNCHANGED what must not change (cf. Paul’s challenge in Galatians 1 on the subject of tampering with the gospel) and be willing to CHANGE what is simply a method.   Churches that remain locked in time will soon find themselves as museums of the past rather than auditoriums for the truth in the present.

The psalmist urges us to “Declare His glory among all nations, His wonderful deeds to all people.”   How amazing that we can have a part in honoring God and notifying the nations that God reigns.

We just came through a spectacular Global Ministries conference at Calvary Baptist Church in Oshawa.  Our guest was Rev. Ashok Andrews of Partners International, an Indian pastor-evangelist, who was used by God amongst us and is being used by God in his home country.

Following our plenary sessions we were given the opportunity to hear of God’s work in Oshawa, Togo, India, Trinidad and Tobago, Germany to name most of the countries where this year’s guests serve God.   Church planting, leadership training, homeless youth rescue, evangelism and edification are the core ministries to which our partners are committed.

Though tired after a busy weekend, I marveled last evening at God’s direction through the planning and presentation of this conference.  To Him be the glory.    Check out last Sunday morning’s challenge here.

Where’s the “Amazing Grace” in this ministry?

I had the rich privilege today of conducting a funeral for Mrs. Betty Hollywood whom I met in 1982 at High Park Baptist Church.   Betty (a pet form for Elizabeth) is a Hebrew name meaning “God’s promise” or “God is my oath.”  According to one website ‘Elizabeth’ has 152 variant forms.

After a brief introduction of Scripture reading and prayer, we sang “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven!”   What a profound message is in this hymn.   It was as if we were laying the tribute of a godly life at the feet of the King of Heaven.

Sharon Norris and Mark Hollywood then shared anecdotes of their mother and as Proverbs 31:28 indicates “rise up to call her blessed.”   Such honesty, such love, what grace in the life of Betty who had been adopted into a family at an early age.   58 years of marriage to Syd brought some disagreements yet love won out and our brother will miss this wonderful help-mate!

My meditation was simple

“A Hope, A Saviour, A Destiny!” – I Thessalonians 4:13-18

1.   She has a hope v.13

God doesn’t want us to be ignorant or uninformed of what lies ahead for ourselves or our loved ones.   When death comes, do we sorrow?  YES – we will miss her as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a relative, a friend, a fellow believer.    Acts 8:3 reminds us “Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply.”  Sometimes believers minimize the depth of grief which “rolls over us at times like sea billows.”

Comparing Ephesians 2:12; Titus 1:2 “we have the hope”; Titus 2:13 “the blessed hope,” I noted the wonderful hope that believers have within them.   Concluding this point I cited 3 hymns “My hope is in the LORD,” “My hope blessed Jesus is anchored in Thee,” and “My hope is built on nothing less….”

2.  She has a Saviour v.14

Paul cites a creedal statement in I Thessalonians 4:14 “We believe that Jesus died and rose again.”  Paul uses this creed to give us hope and then affirms that if we believe this, then we also have assurance of Christ’s return and His bringing His saints with him.

How certain are we that Jesus Christ died and rose again?   Check out the 1) evidence of eyewitnesses; and 2) the power of changed lives.  Praise God for such a Saviour!

3.  She has a destiny v.15-17

“so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Psalm 23:6 reminds us that those who know Christ as their Shepherd will “dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”     I challenged the congregation with the question, “Where will you spend eternity?   Do you know?”

If you don’t know – you can know with certainty today!  Whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.

If you do know the Lord – take the truth and comfort one another “with these words.”

As we closed in prayer I rejoiced greatly at the joy that lies ahead for those who have trusted in God and served Him well.   Praise God for a life well-lived – for God’s glory and for the good of a multitude of people.

Here’s the text of her obituary from Turner & Porter funeral home.

Elizabeth Hollywood (nee Hewlett)

Twenty-six years ago today Ruth Anne Cosman declared her love to me and I to her in the sight of God and the presence of many witnesses.   Many of those witnesses have since died yet there is still a huge group who heard us promise “For better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish and to be faithful to you alone…” in the beautifully decorated High Park Baptist Church.

What were we promising?  What did we really know about making a vow?   Praise God for His grace and His keeping power.    As Don Francisco sings, “I could never promise you on just my strength alone, that all my life I’d care for you and love you as my own….”

You see my strength is finite….very finite and now that I am on the home stretch towards 50 I find how finite I really am.

Today I redeclare my love to my wife – God’s gracious gift to me.    She has been a great wife and has taught me much through her walk with God.  She has been a great mom to our 2 daughters, Carolyn and Jane and has welcomed Becky Pope(when she was only 6 or 7) as a foster child and now under a kinship family agreement.

She is an incredible hostess.   She can make limited quantities stretch and present them on our dining room table with elegance.    She is always trying new recipes and gaining great ideas from her roster of magazines and “decorating shows.”

She is an incredible teacher.   Few Junior Departments have such a rigorous instructor who passionately wants her students and teachers to grow in grace.   Women’s bible studies, individuals and different groups have benefited from her Spirit-given gift of teaching.

She is a woman of prayer.    With God, she knows and has proven all things are possible.   God’s touch and help is sought for even the smallest details of catering, of teaching, of dealing with specific situations.

I am phenomenally blessed.    Who can find a virtuous woman?   A sinner like me who has been treated abundantly much more graciously than I will ever deserve by an amazing God.

Happy Anniversary, Ruth!  I love YOU more……

Last night I had the joy of preaching/teaching at Bayfair Baptist Church in Pickering.  I have spoken there on several occasions in the past and it was a joy to renew fellowship.  The pre-service prayer times have always been a blessing to me and I have left those “in faith” truly expecting God to bless.

Following a great time of singing God’s praise, I was invited to speak.   My assigned topic – “God’s Grace in Sanctification!”  Due to a scheduling conflict I had to combine 2 sermons into one.   We began with a comparison/contrast between LAW and GRACE in relationship to Salvation.   To achieve righteousness following the Law, one must score 100%, 100% of the time.  The LAW keeps crying after us “Do this, Do this, Don’t do that, Don’t do that!”  Should we fail in one point (as James writes) we are guilty of the entire law?   Is there hope?

Yes, God in His grace has provided another plan.   While the LAW says “DO”, Grace says “DONE.”  Jesus Christ is and was the only person who could say “I always do those things which please the Father.”  I contrasted Abraham, the friend of God, Moses, the mediator of the covenant, and David the man after God’s own heart!   They didn’t please the Almighty God 100% of the time, yet God declared them righteous.   Abraham BELIEVED God and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).

Having laid this foundation I then wrestled with the congregation through the work of Sanctification.

#1  The Christian Life begins and ends with grace.

Note Paul’s structure even of his letters to the churches and individuals he wrote.   Romans 1:7, 16:20; I Corinthians 1:3; 16:23; 2 Corinthians 1:2; 13:14; Galatians 1:3; 6:18; Ephesians 1:2, 6:24; Philippians 1:2, 4:23; Colossians 1:2, 4:18; 1 Thess. 1:1, 5:28; 2 Thess. 1:2, 3:18  all show the great need of grace.   Before Paul instructs or corrects, before he encourages or exhorts, he implores God to pour out his grace upon the recipients.   Having concluded his letter he commends them to God’s grace.

God’s children need God’s grace not only in SALVATION but to grow in SANCTIFICATION.  The God who began a good work in us will complete that work.   But will we work OUT what HE works IN?

#2 Grace alone can restrain the sinful nature.

No man-made rules (illustrated in Colossians 2:20-23) can restrain evil.   Commandments incite rebellion (e.g. Romans 7).   When I know what God wants me to do, do I do it?  I need the grace of God through the word of God by the Spirit of God to deal with this sin-loving, sin-producing evil nature.   I cited an old hymn – (one of my favourites) “I need Thee, O I NEED THEE, EVERY HOUR I need Thee, O bless me now my Saviour, I come to Thee!”

#3 Believers need to grow in grace

There is no exhaustive list of the means of grace.   God ministers His grace to us through a variety of means.   If there is a lack of grace in our lives, it is because we have not availed ourselves of God’s provision.

In conclusion I cited 2 quotes from John Piper.    I conclude today’s blog with one of them

“There is a kind of paradox here:  ON the one hand I say, I need you.  God has appointed you as a means of grace to help me endure to the end.  But on the other hand, I must say that the only way you can really help me is by saying something or doing something that will cause me to depend on God and not you.”  (John Piper)

The joy of preaching on God’s grace was matched with the grace God provided me to do so and the joy of sensing God’s grace in worship, fellowship and prayer with others who are moving forward with Him.   To all who read these scattered thoughts, “Grace to you and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Honored by a special congregation

My mom would have been 90 years old today.   August 2005 she entered into heaven having trusted in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour when she was a teenager.

Who can find a virtuous woman?    Her price is far above rubies.    My dad found a virtuous woman by God’s grace.    They met through special meetings with the Gospel Hall and carried on a long-distance writing relationship for several years before marrying on June 17, 1942.

It is amazing that my mom married!  Her home growing up was filled with tension, in fact her parents separated – something that must have been quite shocking to the community and a great burden to bear for my mom.

God directed my mom’s steps through employment to a genuine, caring Christian couple.   Mom saw that there was a different way for husbands to treat wives and vice versa.

What a hard worker Mom was.  Someone has said, “The devil finds work for idle hands…”   He would have had to pass my mother’s hands because she was always (or almost always) crocheting, knitting, sewing, quilting, planting or harvesting vegetables, canning, making jam, cooking dinner, cleaning up, washing, ironing….shall I continue?

Mom was not a complainer.   In the 1970s my brother Gord and I were “fighting” over our responsibilities in haying on a beautiful August day.  Mom came out to see why our voices were being raised and returned to her kitchen to find her double-boiler (filled with wax in the upper pot) on fire.  She attempted to carry the pot out into the driveway but the breeze from the door spread the flames and burned her body.   The pain must have been intense but Mom never complained.  She never blamed us though we had been the true source of the problem.   She spent time in hospital and God remarkably healed her.   Her one and only mildly-expressed complaint was due to the abudance of egg-nogs she consumed that summer under doctor’s orders to bring about the restoration of all of her burned skin.

I close with the mystery of my own birth.  In 1960 when I was born (July 9th), the doctors announced to her that she was fortunate that I was fine since her blood type and my dad’s were incompatible.    Blood-types weren’t tested in 1942 when they married and despite the “incompatibility” all 7 of us have enjoyed great health.    God is truly sovereign!

Honor your father and MOTHER, God instructs me.   This surely is an easier command when I reflect on the amazing grace of God shown through my mom’s life.

I found a card sent to my father the Christmas after his mother had died.   Written by his uncle (my great uncle) it reminded me of the impact one life can make.

Jack Taylor wrote

“Dear Chester

We think very frequently of you and the loneliness you must feel sometimes.  But all that was best in your mother’s life lives on in you and your children.  Ever since your Dad let me read her letter, I have felt that her life was an investment that has borne rich dividends of loyalty and love.  Others may have wealth and fame but you had the devotion of a noble mother.  Her gentleness and fairness make me feel very humble.   Sincerely yours, Jack Taylor”

I used my paternal grandmother, Sadie Edwards, as an illustration this past Saturday night as I spoke to a group at a marriage seminar.   My grandmother faced huge challenges when my grandfather headed off to serve the country in World War I in Europe.  My dad, aunt and uncle all told me of nightly kneeling by their bedside and having their mom (my grandmother) guide them in praying for their dad.  He returned safely from World War I, deeply impacted and altered as a result of his experience of front-line conflict.

While Granddad was overseas, the beautiful home he had built for his bride and their young family burned to the ground.  No lives were lost but what sad news to have to convey to the front lines through military postal service.

My grandmother was a woman of prayer – she prayed not only for her children but their children and the future generation.  Remarkably, by God’s grace, almost all of us are Christ-followers!

Although she did not cope well with declining health and dementia, her prayers are still bearing fruit today.   I thank God for her, although we never met.   Certainly she illustrated the text, “Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised!”  Today’s blog is in praise of this god-fearing woman, my grandmother. God used her life as an investment and today she, being dead, still speaks.