The Role of the Pastor's Wife

"The first thing to say on this topic is that the Bible does not establish an office for 'elder/pastor wife.' It doesn't offer her a job description. This in turn means an elder's wife should not feel forced into some mold or set of expectations. Rather, an elder's wife should feel free to simply be a happy, healthy, growing Christian who seeks to fulfill the 'one another' commands in the context of her church just like every other member should." ~ Jonathan Leeman

What is the role of a pastor's wife? As I am about to graduate from RTS and applying to churches, this question comes to my mind a lot. I am sure it is something Erika thinks about as well. I have even answered this question on a few applications. I have generally answered it in the same way as Leeman, though not nearly as eloquently and without as much experience to back up my answer. Below is a little more of Leeman's article:

What role should a pastor's wife or elder's wife play in the church? What are her responsibilities? How can she serve as a helpmate to her husband in the ministry?  

THERE IS NO "PASTOR'S WIFE" OFFICE 

The first thing to say on this topic is that the Bible does not establish an office for "elder/pastor wife." It doesn't offer her a job description. This in turn means an elder's wife should not feel forced into some mold or set of expectations. Rather, an elder's wife should feel free to simply be a happy, healthy, growing Christian who seeks to fulfill the "one another" commands in the context of her church just like every other member should.  

Shouldn't the pastor/elder's wife seek to love and serve the church as occasion permits and as gifts allow? Yes, but only because she is a Christian, not because she is an elder's wife.
Some pastors' wives will want to play the piano, run VBS, and lead the women's retreat. Great! Others will find themselves more fully occupied in the home as well as in the work of private hospitality or neighborhood evangelism. Great! 

An elder or pastor's wife, like every Christian, should engage in private ministry. But there is nothing in the Bible which says that she must engage in public ministry.  

UNHELPFUL EXPECTATIONS FROM THE CHURCH...

I recommend reading the whole thing. You can find it in 9 Mark's website.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Loneliness, A Prayer

"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." ~ Matthew 28:20b

In some previous posts I have mentioned that I am taking a class on worship and our professor, Dr. Derek Thomas, has encouraged us to write out prayers on various subjects so that we can think about how we would lead a congregation in prayer before a sermon. This is not so that we would memorize prayers but so that we would engage in the practice of "studied prayers" and be prepared to pray well before a congregation.

Below is one I wrote about loneliness. I hope you find it helpful, perhaps something you can pray through, and perhaps a blessing to your soul.

Triune God, we have praised You this morning for Your mighty deeds. Father, You planned redemption from the beginning and You have sent Jesus to die, be raised, and be glorified for our justification, adoption, sanctification, and glorification. Jesus, after You accomplished redemption for us, You poured out Your Spirit on us so that we might be united to You and receive all the benefits of redemption that You won for us. Spirit, You live in us, convict us of sin, remind us of the gospel, and remake us into the image of Jesus more and more every day. Triune God, we cannot help but praise You for this. However, some here probably find it hard to praise You right now. In this sinful world, it is difficult not to feel alone sometimes.

There are times, Sovereign Lord, when we know the truth of Your salvation to us, yet, at the same time, feel so alone. Sometimes we feel abandoned by those around us and even You feel further than the moon. We feel like the psalmist who wrote, "I, O LORD, cry to You; in the morning my prayers come before You. O LORD, why do You cast my soul away? Why do You hide Your face from me?" We feel, like the psalmist, that You and our companions have become darkness to us. We ask, like David, "Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?" Show us that You are not far from us. Father, remind us of Your love. Jesus, remind us of Your promise to be with us always. Spirit, life up our souls and comfort our hearts in the joy of our salvation.

Forgive us, Father, for our unbelief and help our unbelief. Remind us of Your love, Your promises, and that if our friends leave us, even if our fathers and mothers forsake us, You will receive us. Jesus, remind us that You are our great High Priest who knows our weakness. You know what it is like to be forsaken and alone. Remind us that in the Garden of Gethsemane, Your disciples could not even stay awake to pray for You. Remind us that Peter betrayed You and all others felt in Your hour of need, save for John. Help us to hear those words You cried on the cross, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me," so that we can remember that because You were forsaken, we will never be. Spirit, comfort our souls with the knowledge that You have united us to Christ and sealed us for all eternity. Help us, Spirit, to never doubt in the dark these things we have known to be true while in the light.

O, Sovereign Lord, bring community around us to help us battle the loneliness. We need Your Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we have isolated our selves, break down our pride and drive us to lean our brethren. Bring us a loving friend to listen and give us the strength to open our hearts to them. You have given us this great community of believers, help us to make use of it. If there are any here who feel that no one cares, raise up support for them from our community.

Finally, Lord, give us the strength to always praise You, even when the loneliness closes in. Even when we complain to You in prayer, lead us always back to praise. As You did with David, help us to still say, "But, I have trusted in Your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me." Bring us back to that praise always, Lord, as You heal our hearts.

It is in the name of Jesus, the one who was forsaken for us so we do not have to be, that we pray. Amen.

By His Grace,
Taylor 

Temptation, A Prayer

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." ~ 1 Co. 10:13

In some previous posts I have mentioned that I am taking a class on worship and our professor, Dr. Derek Thomas, has encouraged us to write out prayers on various subjects so that we can think about how we would lead a congregation in prayer before a sermon. This is not so that we would memorize prayers but so that we would engage in the practice of "studied prayers" and be prepared to pray well before a congregation.

Below is one I wrote about temptation. I hope you find it helpful, perhaps something you can pray through, and perhaps a blessing to your soul. By the way, the image above is of the cover of volume six of John Owen's works. This is one of the best works on the subject and it is available for free online. It is long but worth it.

Heavenly Father, in this life we are often faced with temptation. Some of it comes from the world, some of it comes from the devil, and some of it is born out of our own sinfulness. Father, You know our weakness. You know how we are prone to wander and leave You—the God we love. Father, we praise You because You have promised us that if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We praise You because You sent Jesus to secure forgiveness of sins for us, so that those of us who are in Christ might never fear condemnation because of them. Thank You have You have given us Your Word, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper to remind of Your salvation and seal it to us. Your steadfast love and forgiveness are always worthy of our praise, and Father we want to show our thankfulness in our lives. Because Christ has redeemed us and renews us by the Spirit after His own image, we want to show our thankfulness by our whole conduct for this great blessing of redemption. We want to testify to the world by our actions that You are our God, so that You might be praised and glorified. We want to be further conformed to the likeness of Jesus and resist temptation, for Your glory and our good.

Jesus taught us to praying, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Because of this, Father, we pray, that in Your sovereignty You would so overrule the world and all temptations in it, subdue our sinful flesh, and restrain the devil that we may be kept by Your providence from being tempted to sin. We pray that in Your sovereignty You would order all things, give us access to and the blessings of all Your means of grace, and make us watchful, intentional children by them that we may be kept by Your providence from being tempted to sin. Father, You also promise that even when we are tempted, no temptation has overtaken us that is not common to man. You promised us that You are faithful, and You will not let us be tempted beyond our ability, but with the temptation You will also provide the way of escape, that we may be able to endure it. We pray that by Your Spirit we may be powerfully supported and enabled to stand firm when we are tempted. We pray that You would use the temptation, our repentance, and even whatever discipline You might give us because of Your love to perfect our sanctification, for Your glory and our good.

Father, we thank You that when You sent Jesus to accomplish redemption in history, You ordered His mission in order that He might understand our frailty and what it is like to be tempted, so that He can help us in our time of need. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. And, because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help us when we are being tempted. The devil assaulted Jesus with temptations in the wilderness and throughout the rest of His life. In fact, because He was not overcome by the temptations, He has experienced levels of temptation and attacks of which we could never dream. Father, help us to remember this great truth and be comforted it by it in our time of need. Help us to turn to our Savior, who knows what we are going through, for help when we feel like we cannot resist the temptations that have come upon us. Help us to look to our union with Him for comfort and strength. And, when we do not remember, remind us by Your Spirit, who lives in us and strengthens us, that we have this great High Priest who knows what we are going through, for Your glory and for our good.

Finally, Father, keep us close to You. Help us to meditate on Your Word and the grace You show us therein, so that it might be a weapon for us in our time of temptation. Thousands of years ago the psalmist said, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” In His temptation in the wilderness, Jesus showed us how to use Your Word to combat the lies of the devil. Father, help us to hide Your Word in our hearts. Help us to know it so well that we can combat temptation with it, so that we might not sin against You, for Your glory and our good.

Father, we pray all these things in the name of Jesus who has secured our forgiveness, secured our sanctification, freed us from the power of sin, and is able to help us when we are tempted. Amen.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Suffering, A Prayer

Thou art great, and we are small.
  Thou art sovereign, and we are weak.
Thou art infinite, and we are finite.
  Thou art eternal, and we tarry but just a little while.

But with all Thy greatness and with all Thy power,
  Thou dost bend down low,
And listen to the sound of our tears
  As they strike the ground. ~ An old rabbis' prayer

In some previous posts I have mentioned that I am taking a class on worship and our professor, Dr. Derek Thomas, has encouraged us to write out prayers on various subjects so that we can think about how we would lead a congregation in prayer before a sermon. This is not so that we would memorize prayers but so that we would engage in the practice of "studied prayers" and be prepared to pray well before a congregation.

Below is one I wrote about suffering. I hope you find it helpful, perhaps something you can pray through, and perhaps a blessing to your soul.

Father, there are some of us here today that have a hard time singing many of the words in these songs of praise. Some of us here are hurting and have a hard time praising You. Instead of thoughts of joy, our hearts cry out like David did, "O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest." Suffering seems to be our lot in life right now. Tears have been our food both day and night, and, while we know You are there, You feel further than the moon. It feels like steadfast love has ceased. Remind us, Father, of what You did for us in Jesus. Remind our hearts that You brought us out of bondage from sin by sacrificing Your only son. Remind us that You have given us the down payment of glory in the person of the Holy Spirit. Remind us that through the cross You turn suffering into glory. Remind us of Your everlasting, intense, electing love so that we can endure the pain. Remind us that in all Your greatness and in all Your power, You bend down low and listen to the sound of our tears as they strike the ground. 

Father, we confess, it is difficult to praise You during this time. We confess, it is difficult to trust You during this time. We confess that we want to be in control. We confess that we are happy to praise You when we feel like we are in control and everything is going fine, but when we lose control—when the wind blows, when the storm is about to sink the ship, when the darkness is closing in, and when the giants are looming over us—it is difficult to bring our hearts to praise and say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." It is difficult to trust You. We want to trust Your heart, Father, especially when we cannot trace Your hand. Remind us, Father, of what You did for us in Jesus. Remind our hearts that You brought us out of bondage from sin by sacrificing Your only son. Remind us that You have given us the down payment of glory in the person of the Holy Spirit. Remind us that through the cross You turn suffering into glory. Remind us of Your everlasting, intense, electing love so that we can endure the pain. Remind us that in all Your greatness and in all Your power, You bend down low and listen to the sound of our tears as they strike the ground. 

Father, our minds fail us during times like these. We know that You are sovereign over everything in this world and we know how much You love us, yet we cannot understand how this suffering can be worked out for our good. How is it that hope can come from suffering? How is it that sharing in Christ’s suffering means also sharing in His comfort? When we try to wrap our mind around why this is happening, we simply cannot understand. Where shall wisdom be found? And, where is the place of understanding? We feel like Peter and the other apostles in John 6 who were temped leave but had to admit, "To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Even though our minds fail us, Father, we know we have nowhere else to go. Remind us, Father, of what You did for us in Jesus. Remind our hearts that You brought us out of bondage from sin by sacrificing Your only son. Remind us that You have given us the down payment of glory in the person of the Holy Spirit. Remind us that through the cross You turn suffering into glory. Remind us of Your everlasting, intense, electing love so that we can endure the pain.

The darkness feels like it is closing in, Father, but help us not to doubt in the dark what we have known to be true about You in the light. Help us to remember Your deeds, Father, to remember Your wonders of old. Help us to ponder all Your work and meditate on Your mighty deeds. Help us to say to our souls what the psalmist once said thousands of years ago, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and what are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God." Help us to remember that even when You seem further than the moon, You are not far off. In fact, You are closer than our skin.

Father, I pray those of us who are not suffering right now can be a comfort to those who are. Help us, Father, to not trivialize or "spiritualize" their grief. Help us to suffer with them, to grieve with them. Help us to be present with them in their suffering, even if we do not know how to help. Help us to be able to listen as they struggle and support them with prayer and love. Father, we want to help them mourn but not as those who have no hope. Help us to be able to mourn with them as those who have hope—hope in Jesus, in heaven, in the new heavens and earth, in Your steadfast love, in Your promises to work out all things for our good, in everlasting glory.

Father, we pray all these things in the name of Your Son, whom You put forward as a sacrifice so that we can have hope—Jesus. Amen. 

By His Grace,

Taylor

What a Glorious Day!

Today we celebrate Jesus' victory over sin and death, a victory that His Church shares because of our union with Him. We can celebrate what Hosea prophesied, "[Christ] will ransom them from the power of the grave; [Christ] will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?" Hosea 13:14

In The Valley of Vision (a collection of Puritan prayers) there are a few prayers that I would like to share that express well what we celebrate on this day.

Love lustres at Calvary (pg. 76)
My Father,
   Enlarge my heart, warm my affections,
   open my lips,
   supply words that proclaim ‘Love lustres
      at Calvary.’
There grace removes my burdens and heaps them
      on thy Son,
   made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;
There the sword of Thy justice smote the man,
      Thy fellow;
There Thy infinite attributes were magnified,
   and infinite atonement was made;
There infinite punishment was due,
   and infinite punishment was endured.
Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,
   cast off that I might be brought in,
   trodden down as an enemy
      that I might be welcomed as a friend,
   surrendered to hell’s worst
      that I might attain heaven’s best,
   stripped that I might be clothed,
   wounded that I might be healed,
   athirst that I might drink,
   tormented that I might be comforted,
   made a shame that I might inherit glory,
   entered darkness that I might have eternal light.
My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped
      from my eyes,
   groaned that I might have endless song,
   endured all pain that I might have unfading health,
   bore a thorny crown that I might have
      a glory-diadem,
   bowed His head that I might uplift mine,
   experienced reproach that I might receive
      welcome,
   closed His eyes in death that I might gaze
      on unclouded brightness,
   expired that I might for ever live.
O Father, who spared not Thine only Son that Thou
      mightest spare me,
All this transfer Thy love designed and
      accomplished;
Help me to adore Thee by lips and life.
O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,
   my every step buoyant with delight, as I see my
      enemies crushed,
   satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,
   sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,
   hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open.
Go forth, O conquering God, and show me
   the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort and save.

Resurrection (pg. 86)
Great was the joy of Israel's sons,
   when Egypt died upon the shore,
   Far greater joy
   when the Redeemer's foe lay crushed
   in the dust.
Jesus strides forth as the Victor,
   conqueror of death, hell, and all opposing
      might;
He bursts the bands of death,
   tramples the powers of darkness down,
   and lives for ever.
He, my gracious surety,
   apprehended for payment of my debt,
   comes forth from the prison house of the grave
   free, and triumphant over sin, satan, and death.
Show me herein the proof that His vicarious offering is accepted,
   that the claims of justice are satisfied,
   that the devil's scepter is shivered,
   that his wrongful throne is leveled.
Give me the assurance that in Christ I died,
   in Him I rose,
   in His life I live, in His victory I triumph,
   in His ascension I shall be glorified.
Adorable Redeemer,
   Thou who wast lifted up upon a cross
   art ascended to the highest heaven.
Thou, who as Man of sorrows
   wast crowned with thorns,
   art now as Lord of life wreathed with glory.
Once, no shame more deep than Thing,
   no agony more bitter,
   no death more cruel.
Now, no exaltation more high,
   no life more glorious,
   no advocate more effective.
Thou art in the triumph car leading the captive
   Thine enemies behind Thee.
What more could be done than Thou has done!
   Thy death is my life,
   Thy resurrection my peace,
   Thy ascension my hope,
   Thy prayers my comfort.

May these words from saints of old bless your heart on this glorious day. May we all remember that His death is our life and His resurrection our peace.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Book Review: "Preaching Christ from the Old Testament"

"[W]e can define 'preaching Christ' as preaching sermons which authentically integrate the message of the text with the climax of God's revelation in the person, work, and/or teaching of Jesus Christ as revealed in the New Testament." ~ Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament

 In 2 Ti. 4:2, Paul tells Timothy to preach the Word, in season and out. Of course, right before this verse in 3:16-17, almost in the same breath, Paul has told Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” So, we know that the Word Timothy is to preach is Scripture. Many years earlier, recorded in Lk. 24:27, we see Christ Himself showing His disciples how “all the Scriptures” witness to Him. What conclusion are we to draw? That we must preach the Word and to preach the Word, whether Old or New Testament, means to preach Christ. The question is, then, how do we preach Christ from Scripture? This question is much more acute when it comes to preaching Christ from the Old Testament (OT), where Christ is not mentioned by name. Some have simply rejected the idea of preaching Christ from the OT, but that cannot be valid since Jesus Himself showed that the OT is about Him. How do we properly, faithfully preach Christ from the OT? That is the question that Sidney Greidanus has set out to answer in his book, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament. In it, Greidanus examines the necessity of preaching Christ, the history of preaching Christ, and the method for preaching Christ from the OT.

I have written a review of this work. I highly recommend this book for pastors or seminary students, so hopefully the review will inspire you to read the book.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Friday

It’s Friday
   Jesus is praying
   Peter’s a sleeping
   Judas is betraying
   But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
   Pilate’s struggling
   The council is conspiring
   The crowd is vilifying
   They don’t even know
   That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
   The disciples are running
   Like sheep without a shepherd
   Mary’s crying
   Peter is denying
   But they don’t know
   That Sunday’s a comin’

It’s Friday
   The Romans beat my Jesus
   They robe Him in scarlet
   They crown Him with thorns
   But they don’t know
   That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
   See Jesus walking to Calvary
   His blood dripping
   His body stumbling
   And His spirit’s burdened
   But you see, it’s only Friday
   Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
   The world’s winning
   People are sinning
   And evil’s grinning

It’s Friday
   The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
   To the cross
   They nail my Savior’s feet
   To the cross
   And then they raise Him up
   Next to criminals
   It’s Friday
   But let me tell you something
   Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
   The disciples are questioning
   What has happened to their King
   And the Pharisees are celebrating
   That their scheming
   Has been achieved
   But they don’t know
   It’s only Friday
   Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
   He’s hanging on the cross
   Feeling forsaken by His Father
   Left alone and dying
   Can nobody save Him?
   Ooooh
   It’s Friday
   But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
   The earth trembles
   The sky grows dark
   My King yields His spirit

It’s Friday
   Hope is lost
   Death has won
   Sin has conquered
   and satan’s just a laughin’

It’s Friday
   Jesus is buried
   A soldier stands guard
   And a rock is rolled into place

But it’s Friday
   It is only Friday
   Sunday is a comin’!
~ S.M. Lockridge's famous sermon, from John L Jefferson, pastor of Del Aire Baptist Church, in Hawthrone CA.

I do not have anything deep to say to go along with this. I just wanted to post this short sermon because it gives me chills every time I hear it. I like to listen to it on Good Friday because it reminds me that Sunday is coming...

By His Grace,
Taylor