Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Holy Spirit - Miricles - Providence

"Now, it ought to be observed that God sometimes assists his people in such a manner as to make use of ordinary methods; but when he sees that this hinders men from beholding his hand, which may be said to be concealed, he sometimes works alone, and by evident miracles, that nothing may prevent or obscure the manifestation of his power."

John Calvin

Monday, November 23, 2009

Worship Defined

"Worship consists of acknowledging that someone or something else is greater – worth more – and by consequence, to

be obeyed, feared, and adored…Worship is the sign that in giving myself completely to someone or something, I want

to be mastered by it. (Harold Best, Music Through the Eyes of Faith, pg. 143)


Worship is the activity of the new life of a believer in which, recognizing the fullness of the Godhead as it is revealed in

the person of Jesus Christ and His mighty redemptive acts, he seeks by the power of the Holy spirit to render to the

living God the glory, honor, and submission which are His due. (Robert Rayburn, O Come, Let Us Worship, pg. 20)


“Worship is the work of acknowledging the greatness of our covenant Lord…. In worship we adore God’s covenental

control; bow before His absolute, ultimate authority; and experience God’s presence” (John Frame, Worship in Spirit

and Truth)


Worship is the human response to the self-revelation of the triune God, which involves: (1) divine initiation in which God

graciously reveals himself, his purposes, and will; (2) a spiritual and personal relationship with God through Jesus

Christ enabled by the ministry of the Holy Spirit; and (3) a response by the worshiper of joyful adoration, reverence,

humility, submission and obedience. (David Nelson, Authentic Worship, Herbert W. Bateman, ed., p. 149)


Worship is the believer’s response of all that they are – mind, emotions, will, body – to what God is and says and does.

(Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship, p. 26)


Worship is the term we use to cover all the acts of the heart and mind and body that intentionally express the infinite

worth of God. (John Piper)


Worship of the living and true God is essentially an engagement with him on the terms that he proposes and in the way

that he alone makes possible. (David Peterson, Engaging with God, pg. 20)


True worship involves reverential human acts of submission and homage before the divine Sovereign, in response to

his gracious revelation of himself, and in accordance with his will. (Daniel Block, For the Glory of God, SBTS Course, p.

30)




Friday, November 20, 2009

Miracles

"Now, it ought to be observed that God sometimes assists his people in such a manner as to make use of ordinary methods; but when he sees that this hinders men from beholding his hand, which may be said to be concealed, he sometimes works alone, and by evident miracles, that nothing may prevent or obscure the manifestation of his power."

- John Calvin

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Revival

Those who stand wondering at this strange work, not knowing what to make of it, and refusing to receive it- and ready ... to speak contemptibly of it, as was the case of the Jews of old- would do well to ... tremble at St. Paul's word ... "Beware therefore lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets, Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you." ... Let all to whom this work is a cloud and darkness - as the pillar of cloud and fire was to the Egyptians - take heed that it be not their destruction, while it gives light to God's Israel.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 240

Anointings / Empowerings

Perhaps it cannot entirely be resolved. But the real issue seems to be that anointings, empowerings, "comings upon" and the like differ from and must not be confused with that ongoing indwelling that begins with the new birth. They may coincide with the new birth (see Acts 11:15), or they may follow it. They may occur once or many times, or perhaps not at all.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 233

Holy Spirit

In many instances the "coming upon" is entirely at the Holy Spirit's initiative, and not in response to a request by the person on whom he falls. It is , as Lloyd-Jones puts it, "something that happens to you." Certainly this was true in Saul's case. However, the person is usually obeying God when the incident occurs, and in any case we are encouraged to ask for this gift of God. It would be unwise to press the differences too far, but whereas the indwelling never changes, the effects of the anointing, or empowering seem often to fade.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 232-233

Spirit

Unlike the indwelling of the Spirit, which automatically follows repentance and true faith in Christ, empowerings and infillings may occur once or many times, at conversion or subsequent to conversion.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 232

Spirit

The Spirit comes upon men and women to enable them to do all the work of the kingdom. Isaiah predicted the day when God would "pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground" and would pour out his Spirit "on your offspring ... " (Is 44:3) The Spirit was to be upon the anointed Servant , to enable him to accomplish the many tasks of the kingdom, "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news, ... bind up ... proclaim ... " and more (Is 61:1-2).

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 232

Holy Spirit

In general the Bible uses the preposition on or upon to describe the way in which he gives us this power. And the references to this exceed in number even those that have to do with his indwelling.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 231

Holy Spirit

Indeed the two little words in and on generally relate to two distinct aspects of what the Holy Spirit does for God's people. He is in all of us all the time. He comes on us for specific purposes at certain times. When he comes on us he is sometimes said to fill us. And though it may seem confusing to us that he could come on or upon someone he already lives inside, the confusion has to do with our inability to think in anything but spacial terms. Prepositions are helpful, and the Scripture uses them, but we must try to use the terms just as the Scripture does, without letting spatial concepts confuse us too much.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 230

Faith

"... faith is the ear by which I hear what is promised, the eye by which I see."

Andrew Murray, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 227-228

Demon Possessed

If we are to understand what demonized means we must surly look at New Testament descriptions of demonized men and women. As we examine them, I think you will agree that most would better be described as men and women afflicted by demons rather than owned and totally controlled by them. Afflicted in and through their bodies to be sure. Hence the need for the demons to be driven out. But the demons do not own the bodies of Christians.
In many cases there is no clear description, but in several instances there is. The Gadarene demoniac alone might come under the category of someone owned and totally controlled by demons. And yet even in his case the description is not necessarily true. Self-control and demon-controlled seem t alternate in the man. Under his own control he runs to Jesus and falls at his feet. The act looks like an act of worship. But the demon within him then cried, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" (MK 5:6-7).
But take the case of the epileptic boy at the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration. He was afflicted with periodic fits of epilepsy. When Jesus cast the demon out the boy was healed (Mt. 17:18). You can be healed of an affliction, not of a possession. The account of the same incident in Mark is yet more graphic. Here the spirit is described as one of deaf mutism - certainly an affliction from which any of us would wish to be healed (MK 9:14-27).
Again, the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus on behalf of her demonized daughter said that her daughter was "suffering terribly" from her demonization (Mt 15:22). The expression suggests affliction, pain, torment. Moreover when Jesus grants her request we are told that her daughter, like the epileptic boy, was healed. The word healed is used of a bodily affliction, and is comparable more with a sickness a demon causes than with an ownership to which the spirit has no right, even in the unconverted.
Conrad was, I believe, afflicted by a demon. The demonic affliction took the form of an addiction to drugs. It may well have attached itself to Conrad's body at some point during his abuse of drugs, and in this sense Conrad deserved what he got. Unfortunately, though deliverance from many sins follows confession and faith, the matter is less simple when a demonic presence is involved. The abuse had provided an opportunity for demonic attachment of some kind. Not until Ken Blue, under the authority of the kingdom of God and in the power of the Spirit, served notice to the demon was the matter resolved.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 210-211

Demon In A Professing Christian

... it became clear in the course of prayer that many Christians become both indignant and alarmed. Such a state of affairs is surely impossible. How can someone indwelt by the Holy Spirit be afflicted by demons? (Though for that matter, how can someone indwelt with the Holy Spirit entertain sin in the body he occupies? ...)

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 209

Deliverance

We may criticize the victims, blame their lack of faith, their lack of yieldedness, or their insincerity or weakness. But we must also admit a sense of the church's powerlessness in delivering many men and women from these besetting sins, and a sense both of delight and of bewilderment on learning of deliverances like Conrad's. We are delighted to know that God still does things like this but bewildered that he does not always do it. We cannot understand why so much of our teaching and so many of our prayers do not produce the same dramatic results.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 207

Worship Involes My Intellect

Worship involves my intellect and my spirit, in that both are necessary if I am in any sense to comprehend the incomprehensible.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 188

Glory

At its highest it is both objective (the glories of God are real, and rightly compel my adoration) and subjective. God's glory is meant also to be subjectively appreciated and entered into.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 188

Worship Involes My Will

Worship involves my will. I choose to worship. Yet ideally it involves my emotions, and may become fervent and passionate in the degree that it does so.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 188

Worship Involes The Whole Person

I believe worship involves the whole person, body, soul and spirit. It involves the body not only in the sense that I express worship, in my culturally learned body language (often without realizing I do so) but in the sense that I should perform every single task in life as an act of worship. I should even clean my teeth for the glory of my Redeemer.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 187-188

Worship

Sometimes repetition is the only way one can relieve oneself of the yearning to express that which is too deep to express easily.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 187

Worship

... people worship at Vineyard conferences. The worship leader, usually backed by a small group of instrumentalists, is not leading singing, but worship. The group conceives its own function as one of worshiping.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 186

Prophetic Manifestation

...a prophetic manifestation of impressive accuracy and sometimes of impressive detail, describing either physical conditions or the emotional disturbances and thoughts of individual people present that could not possibly have been known to the person who had the word of knowledge.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 185

Prophecy

I am reminded of Underhill's description, "Their character [ of certain communications from God] is less that of messages than of 'invasions' from beyond the threshold; transcending succession and conveying 'all at once' ... truth or certitude."

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 185

Prophecy

Prophecy may predict future events, but its purpose is to admonish, instruct and encourage God's people. Prophetic utterances must always be subservient to Scripture and under the authority of the church's leaders.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 184

Revival

1) First, converted and unconverted men, women and children, stunned by a vision both of God's holiness and his mercy, are awakened in large numbers to repentance, faith and worship.
2) Second, God's power is manifest in human lives in ways no psychological or sociological laws can explain adequately.
3) Third, the community as a whole becomes aware of what is happening, many perceiving the movement as a threat to existing institutions.
4) Fourth, some men and women exhibit unusual physical and emotional manifestations. These create controversy.
5) Fifth, some revival Christians behave in an immature and impulsive way, while others fall into sin. In this was the revival appears to be a strange blend of godly and ungodly influences, of displays of divine power and of human weakness.
6) Sixth, wherever the revival is extensive enough to have national impact, sociopolitical reform follows over the succeeding century. In this way injustice.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 173-174

Criticism

Even though Matthew Arnold was primarily speaking of literary criticism, I still like the way he defined criticism, "... a disinterested endeavour to learn and propagate the best that is known and is certainly my desire to be nonpartisan, to no exalt one Christian movement over another but to see God's people one in spirit, bound together harmoniously in Christ.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 173

Criticism

"Of all the cants that are canted in this canting world - though the cant of hypocrites may be the worse - the cant of criticism is the most tormenting."

Laurence Sterine

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

If your doctrine of the Holy Spirit does not include this idea of the Holy Spirit falling on people, it is seriously, grievously defective. This, it seems to me, has been the trouble especially during this present century, indeed almost for a hundred years. The whole notion of the Holy Spirit falling on people has been discountenanced and discouraged, and if you read many of the books on the Holy Spirit you will find it is not even mentioned at all, a fact which is surely one of the prime explanations of the present state of the Christian church ... Suddenly we all became so respectable and so learned and people said, "Ah, that old type of preaching is no longer good enough, the people are now receiving education" ... Then followed that most devastating thing that has affected the life of the church - Victorianism. It entered into the churches, particularly the Free Churches ... and the great word became "dignity." Dignity! Formality! Learning! Culture!

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 170

Charismath

John Wimber's introduction to unusual manifestations was unsought, abrupt and unpleasant. It took place on Mother's Day 1978, in a school gymnasium, the meeting place in those days of the church of which he is still the pastor.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 158

Spirit's Power

Let us all seek to walk in the Spirit's power. But let us never envy those who walk in greater power than we ourselves do, for these are pressures associated with power. Those who walk in power walk also along perilous paths.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 156

Power

Power is never a badge of merit. It is no proof of sanctity, no proof of maturity, no proof of Christian experience or of wisdom. It is seen when a God of grace chooses the weak and foolish to confound the mighty.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 156

Grace

"All expressions of grace can be grouped under one of two headings:

privilege and power."

Jerry Bridges

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Grace and Blessing

“Blessings at times come to us through our labors, and at times without our labors, but never because of our labors, for God always gives them because of his undeserved [grace] mercy." - Martin Luther

The Profanity of Merit

“It is sheer profanity to speak of the merit of works, especially in the presence of God."


- Lefevre d’ Etaples

The Gospel and Obedience

“Believers obey Christ as the one by whom our obedience is accepted by God. Believers know all their duties are weak, imperfect and unable to abide in God’s presence. Therefore they look to Christ as the one who bears the iniquity of their holy things [acts], who adds incense to their prayers, gather out all the weeds from their duties and makes them acceptable to God.”


- John Owen

Feeling our Sinfulness

The man whose soul is “growing” feels his own sinfulness and unworthiness more every year.

The nearer he draws to God and the more he sees of God’s holiness and perfection, the more thoroughly is he sensible of his own countless imperfections.

The brighter and clearer is his light, the more he sees of the shortcomings and infirmities of his own heart. When first converted, he would tell you he saw but little of them compared to what he sees now.


- J. C Ryle, Holiness, p. 88.

Holiness and Sin

All my labors are marred by sin and imperfection. As I think of every act I have ever done for God, I can only cry out, “Oh God, forgive the iniquity of my holy things.”


- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, as quoted in Ian Murray's Spurgeon and Hyper-Calvinism, p. 20.

Hindrances to Santification

Hindrances to growth in grace:
  1. A defect in our belief in the freeness of divine grace
  2. A lack of obedience to Christ in every area of life
  3. A lack of intentionality and specificity about spiritual growth. We make general resolutions but never carry them out.
  4. A lack of specific application of Scripture in dealing with sin in our lives
  5. A lack of growing in the practical knowledge of Scripture
- Archibald Alexander, Thoughts on Religious Experience, 165-167.

Best Preparation for the Study of the Gospel

“The best preparation for the study of [the gospel] is – neither great intellectual ability nor much scholastic learning-but a conscience impressed with a sense of our actual condition as sinners in the sight of God. A deep conviction of sin is the one thing needful in such an inquiry, - a conviction of the fact of sin, as an awful reality in our own personal experience – of the power of sin as an inveterate evil cleaving to us continually, and having its roots deep in the inner most recesses of our hearts, - and of the guilt of sin, which once committed, can never cease to be true of us and which [in itself] deserves his wrath and righteous condemnation.” (James Buchanan, The Doctrine of Justification pg 236-37)

Holiness and Sin

“As God is holy, all holy, altogether holy, and always holy, so sin is sinful, all sinful, only sinful, altogether sinful, and always sinful.” (Ralph Venning, The Sinfulness of Sin, pg. 31)

Monday, November 16, 2009

Hysterical Behavior

In themselves they are not particularly important. But let there be no mistake about why I focus on them. They indicate more a phase of the battle than of the spiritual state of those to whom they occur. To want to tremble or to be slain in the spirit is a mistake, indeed it can be dangerous. But if they are truly (in some cases at least) manifestations of the Spirit of God that occur during many revivals, then their appearance now may have a much greater significance.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 153

Religion / Morality

"Religion is growing in importance among Americans but morality is losing ground... There is very little difference in the behavior of the churched and the unchurched on a wide range of items including lying, cheating, and pilferage."

George Gallup, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 152

Work Of The Holy Spirit?

1. Giving more honor to the historic Jesus, the Son of God and the Savior of the world;
2. Opposing Satan's kingdom by discouraging sin, lust and the world (the lust of the flesh, of the eyes, plus the pride of life);
3. Holding Scripture in his esteem;
4. Increasingly realizing that life is short, that there is another world, that they have immortal souls and must give an account of themselves to God, that they are sinful by nature and practice, and that they are helpless to overcome this without Christ; and
5. Expressing love for Christ and for others, especially toward fellow Christians which should not be characterized by hostility.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 150

Dreams & Visions

... to say that the Scripture renders dreams and visions obsolete is not true. As the Sandfords put it, "That would be the same as saying to a general in battle, 'We need not respond to your couriers; we have the original battle plans, drawn up before the was began!' "

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 146

Supernatural Power

She states that the supernatural power of which she was conscious was "the same sort of supernatural power as I was accustomed to in our spiritist meetings." Precisely. As power, it had the same source. Polluted water is still water. It may look like, behave like, and feel like pure water. The two may seem indistinguishable at times. However, polluted water can in may cases be detected by its taste. Polluted spiritual power always can - by those who have learned to "taste" in the spirit.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 142

Supernatural Power

"The moment I entered your chapel and sat down on a seat amongst the people, I was conscious of a supernatural power. I was conscious of the same sort of supernatural power as I was accustomed to in our spiritist meetings, but there was one big difference; I had a feeling that the power in your chapel was a clean power.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 142

Power

Not to have experienced the power of God is to be spiritually naive and an easier target for demonic deception. We need to know both, the one by the grace of God, the other in its malignant opposition to us.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 139

Fellowship With God

When the Israelites defeated Jericho, they were given strict instructions to set aside all gold, silver, bronze and iron for the Lord's treasury (Josh 6:18-19). Individuals were not to take these spoils for their personal possessions. But one man did, Achan. The results? When Israel next did battle with the city of Ai, Israel was defeated. Joshua then cried to the Lord and discovered the defeat was due to sin among the people. Once Joshua and the people punished Achan, Israel then conquered Ai (Josh 7-8).
The point is not merely that disobedience leads to defeat, and certainly not that holiness leads to power. Rather it is that holiness is necessary if we want ongoing fellowship with God. God wanted fellowship with his people. On that occasion he allowed them to suffer defeat because he had been trying to impress on them his longing to have them walk in fellowship with him. That is why God uses any painful means to get at us - because he wants our fellowship.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 134

Miraculous Power

I am convinced that God still delegates miraculous power and that it can still be abused. Some Twentieth-century healers are like an empowered Samson, but a Samson wrongly using power. Some churches are guilty of exaggerated reports, loose morals and a use of divine power for self-promotion and aggrandizement.
But the power is divine power. The work represents neither friend nor a display of demonic influence. The healers are abusing their gifts and calling. If they are deceived, and some of them seem to be, the deception is not one in which demons fool them into thinking they are using divine power when in fact the source is demonic.
Rather, God gives them power, just as he did to Samson. But fascinated with a very exciting game, they allow themselves to be deceived by believing they are still pleasing God and enjoying fellowship with him simply because they are surrounded by enthusiasm and results. Results prove only that the power is real. The lies in the fact that untold numbers of lives are redeemed through their ministry. God fulfills his own purposes. His loving heart is satisfied.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 133

Power

Power is not a reward for holiness - a kind of spiritual merit badge. Samson's power seemed to depend not on his lifestyle but on his haircuts - or rather the absence of them. You say, "Yes, but that was obedience, wasn't it?" Of course, it was. But long hair did not make Samson holy, except in a symbolic sense. It marked him as one set apart. After all, every Christian is a "set apart" person. But that is just my point. Like Samson, Christians fail to live holy lives sometimes exercise divine power. Or so it appears from the godly fruit they produce.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 132

Miraculous Power

...miraculous power is never a reward for sanctity. God has been gracious enough all along to entrust it to sinful men and women who take him seriously but whose sanctity and doctrinal understanding is often less than ideal.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 125

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Divine Power

Jesus plainly teaches us that it is possible to do godly things with divine power but not have fellowship with God. "Many will say to me on that day. 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then will I tell them plainly, 'I never know you. Away from me, you evil doers!' " (Mt 7:22-23).

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 124

Divine Power is Holy Power

Divine power is holy power. People entrusted with it carry a heavy burden of responsibility. Those who reverence its source and realize the responsibility that comes with it, respect it. Others have did so. Did Moses eventually take spiritual power for granted? Why did he strike the rock in Kadesh? Was he merely being petulant? Or had familiarity with power bred contempt for holiness and for the word of the Lord? Moses certainly seemed to be upset, but the sentence pronounced against him was not for his petulance. God made the nature of Moses' offense clear. "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy ... you will not bring this community into the land I give them" (Num 20:12).

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 123

Spiritual Power is Dangerously Heady Stuff

Like sex, spiritual power is dangerously heady stuff. I remember praying with my wife for a two-year-old child in Malaysia. Her body was almost completly covered with raw, weeping eczematous areas. She ran around the room restlesslly so that her parents had to catch her to bring her struggling to us. We began to pray and extended our hands to lay them on her. The instant our hands touched her she fell into profound and relaxed slumber in her parents' arms. But ther was more to follow. I shall never forget our sense of exhilaration and excitement as the weeping areas began to dry up, their borders shrinking visibly before our eyes like the shores of lakes in time of drought. That was power!
A person who has never experienced the impact of such a sight has no idea of its effect on one's emotions. People have been known to laugh and cry helplessly for hours after observing miraculous power, especially if the miracle is a major one touching someone close to them.
If you ever exercise spiritual power of that order, if you should ever see a congregation of hundreds weeping in broken repentance as you preach, the experience may make sexual love seem as banal as eating ice cream. Small wonder that Jesus needed to warn the seventy when they returned full of excitement after their successful mission. To be sure, he had seen Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, indeed, he gave them even more authority and power. "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Lk 10:20).
There is danger in power. Sexual power can make some men rapists and some women nymphomaniacs. Spiritual power can be equally destructive. There is therefore danger in every revival. We must be careful to hold to Christ's own scale of values.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 122-123

Impact of Spiritual Power

People who have never experienced the raw impact of spiritual power find it hard to understand that it could be dangerous. An experience of the impact of spiritual power can be compared with the experience of sexuality. People are never quite the same following their first sexual experience. A change has taken place in the way they see and will henceforth experience themselves, their world and other people. Nor is the change necessarily for the better. In fact it has equal potential for good and evil. All we can say is that a change has occurred. So it is with the experience of divine power.

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 121

Spiritual Power

"Power always can be wrongly used. Spiritual power is no exception to the rule"

John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power, p. 121

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

A Clarification on the Gospel

"God does not love us because we are good, he makes us good because he loves us."

- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Drift in Marriage

“Most marriages develop their characteristic pattern, not by design, but by drift. Courses of least

resistance, following one’s own desires in time develop into patterns, but you will never drift into God’s

pattern. It will come only by repentance, by prayerful understanding and by a conscious decision to follow it.

That decision must be backed by a continued daily awareness of what you are doing and a repetitive effort

to realize God’s design in all you do. You must choose between drift and decision. Decide now to reshape

your marriage according to God’s great plan set forth in the pattern of Christ and His church. If you do, your

marriage will be blessed more and more as it grows, not drifts in the shape designed by God.” – Jay Adams