Thistletown Baptist Church

Psalm 74:1 (ESV)
O God, why do you cast us off forever?
Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

Is it wrong to pray “God why have you cast us off forever?” when you know that He has not, but it is the way that you feel? Is it wrong to pray from the heart that one feels abandoned and hurt and left to one’s own resources?

It’s wrong to pray it if the attitude is one of knowing better than God, or if one is accusing God of making a mistake or of being less than faithful to His own promises. But it is not wrong if one asks about what God is doing from the viewpoint of wanting to know how the circumstances of life fit in with what we are told about God’s love and compassion for His children. It is not wrong to ask it if one is questioning the cause behind the hard providences of God. Perhaps the sense of desertion is because of sin. Perhaps it is because of one’s holiness and the sense of being a square peg in a round hole that will sometimes bring. Perhaps it is the faithfulness to Christ that we are promised will result in persecution. Perhaps it is simply a matter of a God sent trial to develop us to be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-4). Wouldn’t hurt to know would it?

Psalm 74 seems to be the cries of a man who sees the destruction of the temple and the country and does not understand how this fits in with the promises that God has made. It may be a prophetic vision of that terrible event or an eyewitness account. In any case, the author recognizes that God is at work in what the enemy is doing (verse 1) but he does not seem to know why God is doing it. This is real faith. Things are going very badly. He does not deny that God is the one in control of all that is going on, including the horrors that he is witnessing.

This is a far cry from the attempts of many believers today to seek to get God off the hook and say that He had nothing to do with the calamities that befall the world. God is God and He does not need me to vindicate Him. Of course God is at work in the horrors we see and hear about on a daily basis. If He is not, then the world truly is without any purpose at all and we should all just do whatever we desire, because a God who cannot stop a tornado or a war or an argument with a neighbour can hardly save a soul from death.

I do not like much that is going on in the world. I hate the cruelty and abuse and selfishness that breeds all kinds of atrocities. So does God. But He is in control of them and He uses them for the accomplishing of His eternal purposes which are beyond the ability of any human being to fully understand. So, I may cry, “Why are these things happening?” But I may not cry out that God is less than what the Word claims Him to be. We do not sit in judgement upon the Almighty. We trust or we rebel. In mercy He allows us to call out to Him in our perplexity. But He is not obligated to reply and He is not obligated to check with us to see how He should be acting.

Ephesians 1:7-10 (ESV)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,  [8] which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight  [9] making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ [10] as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

The purpose of all that God does in saving people; the purpose of all that God does in bringing the Gospel; the purpose of all that God does in establishing His church, saving people from all over the world, … is the uniting of all things in Christ, things in heaven and in earth. This is beyond stunning. This is unfathomable. It is simply incomprehensible. What does this say about what the fall accomplished?

Everything that is wrong in the world can be traced back to the fall. Everything that does not perform at optimum level, produce according to purpose, function according to plan … is because of the fall. Not only is it out of whack with its design, it is out of whack with its own plan in the grand scheme of things. Anything that does not act according to its design will therefore be acting out of sync with everything around it. The problem grows beyond our ability to understand when we see that there is nothing that performs according to its original intention and that the world therefore is comprised of a countless number of things that are not performing according to their original plan nor with each other. It becomes a miracle that anything can operate at all and a larger one that any degree of cooperation in the physical or interpersonal world gets done. Everything is tending to decay and it is only the sustaining grace and power of God that enables the world to keep on turning. That rogue cancer cell is acting on its own, different from what it was designed to do and not in concert with the other cells it is supposed to work in unity with. It will eventually kill the body that it is designed to sustain.

Disunity exists because of the fall. Adam and Eve wanted to act independently. Satan wanted to do his own thing and not God’s. The universe cannot survive forever in such a state of incongruency from its intended purpose. The text before us says that it is the Gospel that will bring everything back to being what they were intended to be. It is a plan to unite all things in Christ.

What does this say about the power of the cross? The purpose of each thing, in bringing praise to God, is to do so in unity with every other part that was also created for that same purpose. There is but one thing that can bring a universe, cascading toward annihilation, back to its original purpose – the death and resurrection of the eternal Creator, Son of God. This is just too great for words. Only God can fix what Satan has ruined. Only the Creator can return what he made, back to its original soundness. Only the one who made something knows how to restore it when it gets broken. All human efforts to make the world a better place cannot succeed. We are too small to make everything fit together properly. We are too ignorant to attempt a repair job so that there are no parts still left on the work table after we are done.  We can possibly enable a quarrelling couple to get along but we cannot make them love God and we cannot handle the fall out when their reconciliation means trouble at work because now the husband is not willing to sacrifice his wife to his work projects. That would take a whole company to reassess its purpose and that would require a wholesale change of culture. Something very drastic must be done and it will not be done without the cross. The cross is the focal point. Only at the cross can or will all things be united. And that is what God is doing. This planet, this universe, is going to be united again, with everything doing what it is created to do. And it will do so because Jesus died.

Here’s an article I found over at “Pooped Pastors“. Some stuff just needs to be reposted.Find it here or just read it below. Have a great day.

God’s Refrigerator Art

Reggie Kidd

He wanted more for me, so he pushed. The scary thing is that I can read my own life in similar terms – achieving a lot, but maybe not as much as if I’d just tried harder. And I have a niggling suspicion that I have communicated the same message to my own children: “Nice try, but you’ve got to try harder than that.” I remember with shame the day one of my kids at about age 4 proudly brought home from church a piece of Sunday School art. Before I put it on the refrigerator, I felt it necessary to correct a misspelled word. I wonder what I communicated to my child that day.

Imagine my shock to discover in that sternest of theologians, John Calvin, an entirely different take on the way our Heavenly Father looks at the efforts of his children:

God’s children are pleasing and lovable to him, since he sees in them the marks and features of his own countenance. For we have elsewhere taught that regeneration is a renewal of the divine image in us. Since, therefore, wherever God contemplates his own face, he both rightly loves it and holds it in honor, it is said with good reason that the lives of believers, framed to holiness and righteousness, are pleasing to him. (Institutes 3.17.5)

Therefore, as we ourselves, when we have been engrafted in Christ, are righteous in God’s sight because our iniquities are covered by Christ’s sinlessness, so our works are righteous and are thus regarded because whatever fault is otherwise in them is buried in Christ’s purity, and is not charged to our account. Accordingly, we can deservedly say that by faith alone not only we ourselves but our works as well are justified. (Institutes 3.17.10)

Here’s to the day when I can believe the good news is really that good.

Here’s to the day when I can believe he sees in me – and rightly loves and honors – the marks and features of his own countenance.

Here’s to the day I can dare to believe that I am pleasing and lovable to him, that whatever faults there are in my works are buried in Christ’s purity, and not charged to my account.

Here’s to the day when I can stand and say: “Thank God, by faith not only I myself but my works are justified.”

Here’s to the day when I can imagine my Heavenly Father proudly displaying my “Sunday School art” on his refrigerator and turning to his heavenly court, puffing out his chest and saying, “A son of my redemption did that, and I am so proud of him!”

These guys led the service at our church yesterday and they did a bang up job. Our guest preacher was Brett McBride, Executive Director of Urban Promise Toronto and he preached a message that exalted the Saviour through an explanation of the biblical Gospel. It is such a great blessing to hear the Gospel truly explained by someone who truly understands what grace is about.

Urban Promise has been working out of our facilities for eleven years and we are glad that they are with us. They are a crucial part of the ministries of our church. Some of our own youth work for them and several of our own children and youth are part of the program.Many good contacts into the community have been made because of their efforts.

This video is old. It is from the summer of 2011. Colin McCartney is no longer the director and some of the workers interviewed in this video no longer work for them. But it does give an idea about what Urban Promise does at our church.

Happy Mother’s Day. To help celebrate here is Proverbs 31. The most important thing to note about this set of instructions is that they come from a mother to a son. So often this text gets treated like some unreachable standard set down by men. It is neither unreachable nor set down by men. It is the God inspired instruction of a mother to her son. This is an “oracle that his mother taught him”.

The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

From time to time I go to the mall near our church to sit in the food court, watch people, walk around and get to know the merchants and greet people whom I already know. On the way to the mall I usually pray “Lord, put someone in my path today with whom I can talk about spiritual things and get to the Gospel. You know that I do not meet people easily and it is unlikely that I will push into a stranger’s day”. (It almost reminds me of the prayer “O Lord, make me right. You now I’m not going to change my mind”.) And He answers (the first prayer, not the second). He puts people in my path. I have given the Gospel to several people, counselled others, chatted up still more, talked to spiritual drifters about why they no longer come to church. I have met the security guards, people who practically live in the mall and people who recognize me and who think that I remember them. It is one of my favourite activities, which is a miracle in itself because I do not meet people easily, less so if there is no one to introduce me and even less if it is up to me to come up cold turkey to strangers. But God answers the prayer and I am very grateful.Part of what makes it so enjoyable is seeing people laughing together, enjoying one another’s company, playing with their children.

It is also one of the most heartbreaking activities I do. I see people arguing with their mates, parents berating their children, and tears. I see people sitting alone and I wonder if it is by choice or if they come to the mall just to be with others because there is no one at home anymore. Many of the conversations deal with someone else that the speaker has an issue with. The language coming out of some people’s mouths would peel paint.It does not take great insight to see pain and anger and frustration and hardship. I makes me wonder what Jesus, with His insights and understanding of people, must have felt when He watched and listened to people.

On the days that I do not actually get into conversations with people, I might read or better yet, take notes in my notebook about what I am observing.

Here are my notes from my last visit.
- There are Muslim prayer beads everywhere.
- There is a field trip in the mall today of people from a home for mentally disabled adults. What is their life like? What special considerations do they get at the judgement? They are getting precious little from their care giver. She is ignoring them and showing next to no care. They ask her questions and get no answer. They point to things but she shows no response. Not a care giver today. What is going on in her life to make her so snarly with these poor people? Did she start out working for them with genuine care and just grew weary? Does the constant need now not register with her? Has care for the needy turned into a job?
- A Rastafarian in an animated discussion two tables over regarding the sins of the established church. I want to eavesdrop but it is far too noisy in here. At least he raises his voice enough from time to time for me to hear a little bit. Should I go and insert myself into the conversation? He would probably welcome the opportunity to debate. I wouldn’t. Not today.
- A simply huge man in a motorized chair. He is not dressed well. He is eating. Need and loneliness ooze out of his pores. What has happened to him to cause him to eat himself into this condition? How do we get so big? Note to self: don’t ever be the reason for anyone to ask this question.
- The lottery booth is not overcrowded today. No draw tonight I guess. The business there is constant though. People going through their prayer beads as they approach the booth. What a fascinating juxtaposition of philosophies.
- A woman pushing a baby in a stroller and obliviously mining the contents out of her nose. O Lord, make me so unaffected by the eyes and opinions of others. O Lord never let me be that unaffected by the eyes and opinions of others.
- Coffee finished. Time to go.

FEBToronto Annual Rally
It’s Our Time
www.FEBToronto.com

Our churches are planted in Toronto. The joys and
challenges of serving in this great city require that we
come together to remind ourselves of our calling, to
rejoice together in what God is doing, and to draw
strength from God and each other as we meet the
challenges of ministry.

Join us as we come to worship, pray, and renew our
commitment to serve Him here.
Wednesday, May 9 – 7 pm to 9 pm
Willowdale Baptist Church
Guest Speaker:
Tom Haines, Church Planting Director

Our Vision
As an Association of Fellowship churches in Toronto, we believe
God is calling us to seek the peace and prosperity of our city
(Jeremiah 29:7).
In order to do this, we will, with God’s help:
1. Recruit and train workers for urban ministry
a) Invest in new leaders for urban ministry (internships,
scholarships, partnering with seminaries for urban
training)
b) Enhance existing leaders through leadership
development in urban ministry
c) Assist search committees in recruiting workers for an
urban setting
2. Renew existing churches
a) Share resources and pulpit supply
b) Provide pastoral accountability and encouragement
c) Develop a strategy for churches in decline
3. Reach our city
a) Develop a vision for church planting within Toronto
b) Establish new urban ministries
c) Partner as an Association in specific projects
4. Partner with the Fellowship
a) Participate in regional and national councils, and in the
Fellowship urban ministry initiative
b) Raise the importance of urban ministry within the Fellowship

The Toronto Association’s greatest desire is to pursue God’s
purpose for our Association for His glory and the good of Toronto.
This may in turn lead to structural change, especially where
greater resources and personnel will be needed in the future.
With God’s help, we look forward to the time when the Toronto
Association is comprised of churches that understand their calling
to Toronto and are serving their communities with faithful gospel
ministry, training workers for urban ministry, partnering with other
churches, sharing resources, and planting churches within
Toronto

Toronto. You love it or you hate it. We love it. We
believe that we have been called to this great city, a city
that God loves too.
It’s not easy serving in Toronto. It’s expensive. Parking
and buildings are hard to come by. Church attendance
is in decline. This is not the most fertile soil.
But it’s exciting to minister in Toronto. Its diversity, its
growth, and its needs call for courage and faith. We
cannot reach Toronto on our own. We need God’s help.
We need to band together. We need to pray that Jesus’
name would be renowned in this city like never before.
We hope that you will renew your passion for ministry in
Toronto tonight as we sing, pray, and hear from God’s
Word.

Please Pray
• Pray for a renewed commitment to this city.
• Pray for Barry Duguid, our new Association Director.
• Pray for our new pastors and churches.
• Pray for church planting in Toronto.
• Pray for the renewal and ministry of our existing
churches.
Thank You
Thank you to Willowdale Baptist for hosting us; for
Morningstar Fellowship for leading us in worship; and to
Tom Haines for speaking.
Offering
Please make out checks to FEBToronto.

Rally Order of Service

Call to Worship
Heart of Praise – “Speak Your Name” (Eb/F)!…Dave Hunt
Worship!…………………………………………………..Dave Hunt
Jesus’s Name (Medley)
I Stand in Awe (G)
Welcome!……………………………………………………Ka Wong
Welcome of New Churches and Pastors!….Barry Duguid
Update on Vision!…………………………………..Barry Duguid
Prayer of Commissioning!………………………..Arc Da Silva
Prayer and Offering
Heart of Praise – “Broken Hallelujah”!……………Dave Hunt
Worship
Sustaining Grace Medley
Scripture – Luke 19:11-27!…………………………..Todd Riley
Introduction of “Tom Haines”!…………………….Darryl Dash
Message “It’s Our Time”!…………………………..Tom Haines
Time of Prayer!…………………………………………..Ken Davis
Closing Song – Be unto Your Name (C/D)
Benediction