What has been a dream is now a reality! We made the short journey from Philadelphia to Gaithersburg MD and just this week we began class at the Sovereign Grace Pastor's College.
And this is a reality because so many of you have given up your resources to bless us in this endeavor. You have been a direct means of helping us understand and even experience the gospel. You have made significant sacrifices for me and my family but ultimately we know that your sacrifices are an affirming declaration that Jesus is worthy!
Jodi and I have been so humbled by God's goodness to us during the last three or fourth months. And now that classes have begun and I have had the chance to meet classmates and teachers I am beginning to see the value of your investment. We are one family of twenty-three. As we have met each one of these families we are amazed that God would give us the privilege to learn and grow with them. They are exceptional people! Our time together as families will inevitably have a shaping influence. I am sure that much repentance and faith will result from the time we will have together as students and families. And that is simply what we believe will happen outside of the classroom. Within the classroom we have already received a glimpse of the pastoral care that adorns the academic excellence. Jeff Pursewell and Gary Ricucci lead us with grateful and humble hearts. They are men who have quickly earned our respect because they ooze with Christ-likeness.And I must mention the larger Sovereign Grace staff. They are remarkable individuals typified by joyful service.
We are so thrilled to be a part of this and we recognize that you have made it possible. So we want to give thanks to God for his mercy to undeserving sinners and we want to give thanks for the role you have played in making much of Christ.
Please continue to pray for us that we might wisely serve and encourage the other families and teachers that we are doing life with here at the PC. And continue to pray for God's provision. We have seen God provide significantly but we will continue raising the final amount of support as we enter the school year.
In Him and for Him,
Dan and Jodi Birkholz
Gospel Opportunities and Islam
In the coffee shop I have had the opportunity to get to know a particular family from the neighborhood. In getting to know them I have come to appreciate the common grace that exudes from their home. They value the family structure. They exercise modesty. They have a desire for the renewal of the neighborhood. They care for the neighborhood kids. They have taken in individuals whose lives have been shattered. This is a family whom I have grown to love and respect. Each morning in which I have an opportunity to pour them a cup coffee is an opportunity to thank God for his common grace in our lives!
What makes this an interesting relationship is that this particular family is Muslim. More recently I have had the opportunity to explore their beliefs regarding Christ, the Trinity, the justice of God and the inspiration of Scripture. This has been a joy to constructively dialogue through these doctrines in order to gain clarity on Islam but also to raise the banner of Christ and him crucified.
Please pray that God will give the wisdom to lovingly interact with this family. It is easy to function out of theological pride which leads to jousting for theological dominance. What I say is as important as how I say. I can share the gospel of Christ and yet contradict it in the same breath by how I say it. So pray for a gracious and winsome apologetic.
And pray with us as we pray for a God-sized work. We are praying that he would regenerate this family and use them to lead a revival amidst the Muslim people in our neighborhood.
What makes this an interesting relationship is that this particular family is Muslim. More recently I have had the opportunity to explore their beliefs regarding Christ, the Trinity, the justice of God and the inspiration of Scripture. This has been a joy to constructively dialogue through these doctrines in order to gain clarity on Islam but also to raise the banner of Christ and him crucified.
Please pray that God will give the wisdom to lovingly interact with this family. It is easy to function out of theological pride which leads to jousting for theological dominance. What I say is as important as how I say. I can share the gospel of Christ and yet contradict it in the same breath by how I say it. So pray for a gracious and winsome apologetic.
And pray with us as we pray for a God-sized work. We are praying that he would regenerate this family and use them to lead a revival amidst the Muslim people in our neighborhood.
Gospel Opportunities with Gospel Believers
While working at the coffee shop I have had the privilege of getting to know some individuals from the local community. This has given way to numerous gospel-conversations with unbelievers as well as believers.
Take for instance Jill. Jill is a Philly native who endured significant trials as young woman growing up in the city. Later in life she came to know Christ through the evangelism of a missionary couple. For the last five years she has lived in this particular neighborhood and she has faithfully proclaimed the name of Christ to this neighborhood. In fact, I first met Jill as she was going door to door inviting the local women out to a bible study and I often run into her as she is passing out tracks to those she meets on the streets.
Recently while talking with Jill she shared the struggles and the rejection she has endured as a result of proclaiming Christ in this neighborhood but when I spoke to her of a potential church plant she was excited and eager to pray for us.
This past week I ran into Jill again as she was handing out tracks. She had mentioned that she was struggling with some physical problems and she was attempting to cling to God in the midst of it. She humbly asked for prayer and as brother and sister we had the opportunity to go before the throne of grace for help in time of need.
Gospel Opportunities and PhillyINK
Recently while working at Great Awakenings I met a young man who lives a couple doors down from the coffee shop and who attends the local high school.
This seventeen year old came into the shop one night wearing a sleeveless t-shirt. This provided a good view of the ink he has tatted up and down his arms. What particularly caught my eye was a portrait of Jesus on his shoulder. I told him that I liked his tattoo and he went on to explain his complete collage. One arm showed the figures of Jesus, a cross, the name 'saint', and as he turned, the other arm showed fire, skulls, an upside down cross and the name 'sinner'. He mentioned that he feels like he is inwardly living a war between good and evil.
He mentioned that he is a believer in Christ but he feels like the flesh is always at work. For instance he mentioned that the group of guys he hangs out with isn't the best influence but he enjoys occasionally smoking pot with them.
I deeply appreciated his honesty and I assumed if he was honest about smoking pot, then he would probably be honest about answering a question. I asked him, "How could a new church meet the needs of this community?". He quickly responded, "Well, I don't think anyone would come... NO ONE will come.". I asked, "Why not?" and he quickly noted the hard realities of the neighborhood and in the turn of a sentence he had redirected the conversation right back to his tattoos. He said that the religious in the community talk down on him by saying that he is ruining the temple of God by tattooing his arms. Suddenly I began to understand what he was really saying. He wasn't saying that people wouldn't come to church because they are opposed to it. What he was saying is that the church is opposed to having them as a part of it. Therefore church is not for them.
My heart broke for this young man. I tried my best to show him that God is interested fundamentally with one's heart (Mark 7). The basis of our goodness is not dependent upon an ink free body. The basis of our goodness comes freely by faith from the bruised and broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ who embraced the penalty of our sin and claimed victory over its sting in his glorious resurrection.
I assured this young man that I appreciated the outward expression of his inward struggle. Then I joked with him about how Christ will come back some day with a tattoo of his own. Revelations 19:16 "On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. "
Pray for this young man. My prayer is that he will come to know the grace of Jesus in fuller measure and that his identity in Christ might be lived out and matured in a local gathering of believers... and perhaps that God would have him become a part of a potential church plant in the near future.
This seventeen year old came into the shop one night wearing a sleeveless t-shirt. This provided a good view of the ink he has tatted up and down his arms. What particularly caught my eye was a portrait of Jesus on his shoulder. I told him that I liked his tattoo and he went on to explain his complete collage. One arm showed the figures of Jesus, a cross, the name 'saint', and as he turned, the other arm showed fire, skulls, an upside down cross and the name 'sinner'. He mentioned that he feels like he is inwardly living a war between good and evil.
He mentioned that he is a believer in Christ but he feels like the flesh is always at work. For instance he mentioned that the group of guys he hangs out with isn't the best influence but he enjoys occasionally smoking pot with them.
I deeply appreciated his honesty and I assumed if he was honest about smoking pot, then he would probably be honest about answering a question. I asked him, "How could a new church meet the needs of this community?". He quickly responded, "Well, I don't think anyone would come... NO ONE will come.". I asked, "Why not?" and he quickly noted the hard realities of the neighborhood and in the turn of a sentence he had redirected the conversation right back to his tattoos. He said that the religious in the community talk down on him by saying that he is ruining the temple of God by tattooing his arms. Suddenly I began to understand what he was really saying. He wasn't saying that people wouldn't come to church because they are opposed to it. What he was saying is that the church is opposed to having them as a part of it. Therefore church is not for them.
My heart broke for this young man. I tried my best to show him that God is interested fundamentally with one's heart (Mark 7). The basis of our goodness is not dependent upon an ink free body. The basis of our goodness comes freely by faith from the bruised and broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ who embraced the penalty of our sin and claimed victory over its sting in his glorious resurrection.
I assured this young man that I appreciated the outward expression of his inward struggle. Then I joked with him about how Christ will come back some day with a tattoo of his own. Revelations 19:16 "On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. "
Pray for this young man. My prayer is that he will come to know the grace of Jesus in fuller measure and that his identity in Christ might be lived out and matured in a local gathering of believers... and perhaps that God would have him become a part of a potential church plant in the near future.
Gospel Opportunities
While living in Philadelphia I have had the opportunity to work for a couple who are dear friends from church. They own a coffee shop called Great Awakenings Cafe. It is located in the Frankford/Northwood section of Northeast Philadelphia. My time in the shop has been quite strategic because this is the area where we hope to plant a church upon our return from Sovereign Grace's Pastor's College.
The coffee shop has become a place where conversations quickly turn into friendships. Again and again there has been opportunity to befriend those from the neighborhood and learn of their stories. It doesn't take much small talk before you are listening to the vingettes that have defining significance upon their lives.
The small talk usually invovles particular interests or disinterests. There is an ajoining list of reasons for their given tasts and plenty of dogmatism to go with it. This is where you come to realize that people are meaning-makers. They search and search for answers and finally entrench themselves in some particular theory. They are attempting to make sense of this world in which they find themselves. They are searching for an anchor for their souls.
The small talk eventually progresses into more personal details. You eventually get an idea of their upbringing and of the situations that most define how they view themselves and their world. Most of these conversations lose their volume when others enter the shop. These are the vulnerable moments of one's story; broken homes, broken marriages, absent parents, sexual and physical abuse, drug addiction, prostitution etc. As a listener it doesn't take long to feel what Christ felt in Matthew 9:36-37. "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"
What a privelege - to graphically see ourselves and this world for what it is - broken! And then to ponder our suffering Servant who came to us and took upon himself our stains and our brokenness. In perfect obedience he fully absorbed our just wrath. And now by grace through faith we become apart of his story. His accomplishment becomes our defining significance. We no longer remain in our guilt and shame for he has come near and made us new creatures in Christ Jesus whereby we now have full access to the Father and peace in the Spirit. We have an anchor for our souls!
These coffee-shop-moments are amazing gospel opportunities. What a glorious message to proclaim to the souls that are captive, blind and oppressed (Luke 4:18). Jesus Christ has come to set them free and his Spirit is powerful to do so for he has done it for us!
In the next posts, I hope to give you some stories of individuals whom I have been so blessed to meet at the shop. I will ask that you would pray for God to bring new life to the lost and potentially a new local church to this community.
The coffee shop has become a place where conversations quickly turn into friendships. Again and again there has been opportunity to befriend those from the neighborhood and learn of their stories. It doesn't take much small talk before you are listening to the vingettes that have defining significance upon their lives.
The small talk usually invovles particular interests or disinterests. There is an ajoining list of reasons for their given tasts and plenty of dogmatism to go with it. This is where you come to realize that people are meaning-makers. They search and search for answers and finally entrench themselves in some particular theory. They are attempting to make sense of this world in which they find themselves. They are searching for an anchor for their souls.
The small talk eventually progresses into more personal details. You eventually get an idea of their upbringing and of the situations that most define how they view themselves and their world. Most of these conversations lose their volume when others enter the shop. These are the vulnerable moments of one's story; broken homes, broken marriages, absent parents, sexual and physical abuse, drug addiction, prostitution etc. As a listener it doesn't take long to feel what Christ felt in Matthew 9:36-37. "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"
What a privelege - to graphically see ourselves and this world for what it is - broken! And then to ponder our suffering Servant who came to us and took upon himself our stains and our brokenness. In perfect obedience he fully absorbed our just wrath. And now by grace through faith we become apart of his story. His accomplishment becomes our defining significance. We no longer remain in our guilt and shame for he has come near and made us new creatures in Christ Jesus whereby we now have full access to the Father and peace in the Spirit. We have an anchor for our souls!
These coffee-shop-moments are amazing gospel opportunities. What a glorious message to proclaim to the souls that are captive, blind and oppressed (Luke 4:18). Jesus Christ has come to set them free and his Spirit is powerful to do so for he has done it for us!
In the next posts, I hope to give you some stories of individuals whom I have been so blessed to meet at the shop. I will ask that you would pray for God to bring new life to the lost and potentially a new local church to this community.
We Need Your Help!
Recently my wife and I were accepted to the Sovereign Grace Pastors College! This means that we will be moving this August to Gaithersburg, Maryland where we will undergo ten months of academic training, mentorship and assessment for church leadership. During this time we will be attending the college full-time and we will not be employed. This means that we must raise about $50,000 for the school year. This amount covers all the expenses (both schooling and living expenses).
Obviously we are in need of help. We are asking for individuals to prayerfully consider donating in order to help us through this next school year. We are encouraging individuals to consider one-time donations or monthly donations throughout the ten months of schooling. Even small donations are greatly appreciated! In order to see our support letter click on http://groupredemption.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/final-dj-support.pdf
If you believe that God would have you play a part in supporting us you can use the paypal button on the right column of trinitarianjoy.blogspot.com. And if you are interested in further information please email us at grace4addictions@gmail.com.
Seeking the Face of God by Gary Thomas pg 67
What is holiness...
When we talk of holiness, we must be very explicit about what we mean, for as Pascal warns, "experience shows us an enormouse difference between piety and goodness." Perhaps you've noticed this difference in your interaction with other Christians. We feel God's redeeming love and grace when we get together with some believers. Their holiness is a warm hearth, a shelter that invites us to come in from the cold. Even though we sense an underlying strength that tells us sin and manipulation are not acceptable in their presence - and this can be somewhat fearful - we still find ourselves drawn to them.
There are others whose holiness seems to be a prison. It is forced, uncomfortable,and ragged at the edges. The biting edge of accusation and judgment pushes us away from them. When they talk about sin, their voices seem marked by fear, not understanding and wisdom.
The spiritual fathers taught that true holiness has at its root an overwhelming passion for the one true and holy God, not for rules, principles, or standards. This holiness is relational. Fenelon wrote, "It is not by fussiness that we become faithful and exact in the smallest things. It is by a feeling of love, which is free from the reflections and fears of the anxious and scrupulous. We are as though carried away by the love of God. We only want to do what we are doing, and we do not want to do anything at all which we are not doing. At the same time that God, jealous, urges the soul, presses it relentlessly in the least details, and seems to withdraw all liberty from it, it finds itself free, and it enjoys a profound peace in him."
When we talk of holiness, we must be very explicit about what we mean, for as Pascal warns, "experience shows us an enormouse difference between piety and goodness." Perhaps you've noticed this difference in your interaction with other Christians. We feel God's redeeming love and grace when we get together with some believers. Their holiness is a warm hearth, a shelter that invites us to come in from the cold. Even though we sense an underlying strength that tells us sin and manipulation are not acceptable in their presence - and this can be somewhat fearful - we still find ourselves drawn to them.
There are others whose holiness seems to be a prison. It is forced, uncomfortable,and ragged at the edges. The biting edge of accusation and judgment pushes us away from them. When they talk about sin, their voices seem marked by fear, not understanding and wisdom.
The spiritual fathers taught that true holiness has at its root an overwhelming passion for the one true and holy God, not for rules, principles, or standards. This holiness is relational. Fenelon wrote, "It is not by fussiness that we become faithful and exact in the smallest things. It is by a feeling of love, which is free from the reflections and fears of the anxious and scrupulous. We are as though carried away by the love of God. We only want to do what we are doing, and we do not want to do anything at all which we are not doing. At the same time that God, jealous, urges the soul, presses it relentlessly in the least details, and seems to withdraw all liberty from it, it finds itself free, and it enjoys a profound peace in him."
"Most of us are tempted to think that change has taken place before it actually has. We confuse growth in knowledge and insight with genuine life change. But insight is not change and knowledge should not be confused with practical, active, biblical wisdom... In short, we must not confuse insight and change. Insight is a beginning, a part of the whole, but it is not the whole. We do want people to see, know, and understand, but we also want them to apply that insight to their daly life. God opens our eyes so that, in seeing him, we would follow him more closely. This means that personal ministry should not end too soon.If holiness is God's goal, we must be willing to help others through the process of change."
-Paul Tripp Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands p. 243
-Paul Tripp Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands p. 243
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