A new birth

Posted on by kevinjandt

Last December our beautiful daughter Lydia was brought into the world.  It was a wonderful experience; almost too wonderful.  Jen labored at home for as long as possible and we cut it a little too close.  I wish someone had recorded us trying to get from our vehicle into the emergency room.  I think Jen stopped at least twice to get down on all fours in the parking lot to fight off contractions and I looked like a circus clown running back and forth trying to help her, carry in luggage, grab a wheel chair and whatever else I thought was helpful, thank the Lord, Brenda arrived just in time to help as she hollered across the parking lot “I’ve got it Kevin, get her inside”.

Jen was literally holding Lydia in as she sat in the emergency room entrance with the two young nurses who were in a panic hoping they wouldn’t have to try and deliver a baby.  It seemed like time was standing still as we waited for the nurse.

Once upstairs to the delivery room the doctor was scrambling to get ready as Jen literally jumped into the gown and onto the delivery table; simultaneously if memory serves me correctly.  Okay that’s an exaggeration but it was quick.  The doctor took one look and said “PUSH”.  30 seconds later out popped my third beautiful daughter.  What a rush…  All parents can relate to that amazing feeling and sense of relief and joy when a new life enters the world.  It’s so incredible to see God’s creation and the miracle of a brand new life.

Last Sunday I was able to experience a new birth that had the birth of all three of my girls pale in comparison.  We were able to see the amazing gift of the second birth and this happened to be my first daughter Grace.  Grace was received into membership at Grace Fellowship Church, made a public profession of the saving grace of God and was baptized as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 3:5-8 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Over the past couple months Jen and I have seen some remarkable changes in our oldest daughter.  Grace has always been a very compliant child.  Not outwardly rebellious, in most cases, very much a rule follower.  But things were different.  She was different.  The day we really saw her experience God’s grace was a couple Sunday’s earlier as our pastor preached on the crucifixion.  In her testimony Grace explained how the weight of her sin became real to her as God poured out His Spirit.  She knew her sin caused the Lord to suffer.  Her sin was real, even though she’s just a young girl.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.  When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

Why did it please Yahweh to bruise Him?  The NIV says to crush Him.  Verse 11 tells us.

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.  By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.

He loved us and calls us children.  This is the hope we can have that Christ suffered the wrath of the Father to reconcile His children.  What an amazing gift, what an amazing God.

1 John 3:1-2 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!  Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God: and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

So now Grace must live as a child of the King.  Her life from here until her death will either prove her conversion is real or false.  She will not live a perfect life.  She will sin but affirmation will come in how she handles sin.  Will she have a Psalm 51 experience over her sin, or will it be no big deal.  She must desire to live a life of obedience to God’s word.  She must be in the world but not of the world.

Grace’s life will produce fruit to the glory of God.  I’ve already experienced how she desires to live differently.  She has a desire to pour truth into her sister’s life and to be the kind of a friend and a daughter the Lord wants her to be.

I don’t understand how God’s Sovereign election works.  But I believe it because the scripture tell us plainly that its Gods plan.  I also believe that as I’ve poured biblical truth into the lives of my children God has been merciful and has blessed my effort and that of the pastor and elders.

I must be faithful to my call as a father.  I must diligently teach as Deuteronomy 6 says and in that I can trust in the Lord’s wisdom and grace.

Exodus 20:5-6 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them, For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 

Kevin

What happened to Biblical Manhood?

Posted on by kevinjandt

I recently had a conversation with a man that is of a younger generation than I am.  He’s a nice guy and I know his wife and mother.  He and his wife just recently had a baby.  I asked him a couple questions about the baby and how it was going; he told me that he and his wife just recently went back to work.  They are school teachers.

He told me the baby is going to day care and my heart began to break as I considered how completely normal this is today.  I asked him if he had ever considered having his wife stay home with the baby?  He told me he didn’t think they could afford that.  Then he said; “well I know people used to be able to live on one income.”  Yes I said “it’s often a matter of your priorities.”

Then he transitioned into telling me that if they would ever go to one income he would probably be the one that would stay home.

Long pause by me…

“Well she just loves her job and I just couldn’t see her doing anything else”.  Soooooo…  I’m not sure I have time to handle that one I thought.  Hmmm…  “Yeah I know people do that these days.”  My brain was frozen, I just couldn’t think of anything else to say.

I’ve reflected on this conversation over the last week and I woke up the other night thinking about it.  What in the world has happened to manhood?  When did the wife working and the man taking care of the children become the new normal, and why?  Take a look around and see what society is doing to manliness.  The traditional roles have gone by the wayside for most, and if you dare start talking about patriarchy people think you’re a knuckle dragger.

As a father and a man that desires to live according to God’s word I must do my best to instill biblical truth into my household.  My 13 year old daughter Grace and I have been going through a book called WHAT HE MUST BE  …if he wants to marry my daughter by Voddie Baucham Jr.  We’ve spent a great deal of time pouring through the words and discussing the importance of what this means for her and her future husband.

Pastor Baucham beautifully leads us through the qualifications of being a man of God and Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.  I’ve printed “Dads Copy” on mine as I believe I will go through this multiple times with all my daughters.  Here are just a couple excerpts from the book.

I believe God has spoken rather decisively in his Word about what our daughters should look for, Moreover, I believe there are some non-negotiables that our daughters must be looking for.  There are some things a man simply must be before he is qualified to assume the role of a Christian husband.  For instance, he must be a Christian (2 Corinthians 6:14); he must be committed to biblical headship (Ephesians 5:23ff.); he must welcome children (Psalm 127:3-5); he must be a suitable priest (Joshua 24:15), prophet (Ephesians 6:4), protector (Nehemiah 4:13-14), and provider (1 Timothy 5:8; Titus 2:5).  A man who does not possess – or at least show strong signs of – these and other basic characteristics does not meet the basic job description laid down for husbands in the Bible. 

Moreover, as a father, it is my responsibility to teach my daughter what these requirements are, encourage her not to settle for less, and walk with her through the process of evaluating potential suitors.  Of course these ideas may come as a shock to many in contemporary Christian circles (not to mention society at large) Page 16-17

Does this sound like most young men that you know these days?  I honestly can’t think of any outside of my church that would even consider thinking like this, although I know there are some.  I can’t tell you what a blessing it is to have Godly men that desire to teach younger men how to be men.  Not a man that is willing to have his wife go to work for him, but a man that takes responsibility to labor and toil to provide for his family.

However, little thought is given to preparing our sons to be husbands.  Thus, they meander through life without the skills or mind-set necessary to play this most important role….

That was me.

As a result, we have families led by men who haven’t the foggiest idea what their role is or how to carry it out.  We have wives who were created with a God-given need to be led by godly men, a curse from the days in the garden that puts them at odds with this arrangement, and a cultural mandate to fight against male headship.  Top this off with children who long for the security that can only be found in clear roles and boundaries in the home, and the result is a frustrated family mired in dysfunction.  Sound familiar? Page 43

It’s no wonder that most people want to turn their kids over to a daycare.  They have no idea how to raise them.  Everybody that gets married seems to want kids but as married couples they don’t understand how to relate to each other and they certainly don’t know how to relate to the kids.  I say this from experience.  I was that guy.

Believers and non-believers alike stumble through parenting doing their best but that won’t change a generation back to God’s plan for the family.  What do we do to change this?  I can only give my personal testimony of the peace and joy that we have experienced since we’ve begun embracing the biblical model of family.  Not to perfection by any means but as we draw near to God He draws near to us.

Here are a couple suggestions.

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.

Be a mentor.  Older men you should mentor younger men and boys.  You should always be mentoring someone and be mentored by someone.

Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.

Be Biblical.  We must use God’s word to change hearts and minds.  God is very clear in how to instruct the next generation.

James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Learn from others.  Find someone that can teach you.  If not in your church challenge the pastor and elders to lead in this area.  Voddie Baucham and Paul Washer are two excellent resources on biblical manhood and womanhood and are readily available through a Google search.

1 Timothy 1:18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.

Dedicate yourself to this endeavor.  Don’t read these words and forget about them after you close this web page.  If you have children Deuteronomy 6 applies to you.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

I hope I have an opportunity to talk with this man again someday.  I hope I can tell him there is a better way.  I hope Gods church can shine light in a dark place, there’s a lot more at stake than meets the eye.

Kevin

Is your church growing?

Posted on by kevinjandt

A quick note:  Part 2 of Proud to be an American is coming later this week.  You didn’t miss it.

This seems to be a common question in the church world.  I always remember my parents speaking about pastors that would go to conferences and the big question for pastors seems to be “how big is your church?”  The joke was pastors would exaggerate.  The term was “evangelically speaking” we have X amount of people on Sunday morning.

Recently I walked into Starbuck’s and ran into a man that I used to go to church with.  He’s a guy I don’t mind seeing but I probably wouldn’t put much effort into attempting to see him.  The first question out of his mouth was “Where are you going to church?”  I knew this was a loaded question but I told him I’m still going to Grace Fellowship.  “Oh great how’s it going down there?”  Wonderful I told him.

Here it comes….

“Is it growing?”  “I’ve heard a lot of people have left their” Yes it is growing I told him.  “Oh great because I know that the “So and So” family left and a lot of others…. whose still there from the original launch?”  “Well it was nice to see you”

Yes it was God Bless.

So this really had me thinking about what’s the big deal about church growth?  Is it important for pastors to exaggerate how many members or “attendees” they have each week.  If this is the benchmark for success I’d say Joel Osteen is the clear winner.  He’s going to have more crowns than anyone could imagine.  How do we really measure growth?  Mankind cannot read hearts so the only way they can measure success is by numbers.  It kind of makes me think of how the Pharisees and early Jews measured success.  If you had health, wealth and prosperity God had certainly given you His favor.

This all sounded great until that Jesus guy came along.  Seems He turned everything upside down.  His measure of success was the exact opposite of everything they thought.

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.  Matthew 19:30

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 5:3

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it…  Luke 9:24

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you… Matthew 5:11

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you… Matthew 5:44

This guy is radical.  Maybe He was having an off day; perhaps He’s better at building a big church.  We know he had a lot of followers.  The crowds were enormous.  There were mobs, “multitudes” the scripture tells us.  More people than could possibly be counted.  He certainly had something great to offer.  After all He was healing them all.  Anyone that came to Him was healed.  Can you imagine how cool that must have been if you were sick.  Incredible!

Then He does something so unusual that the modern day church builders must really scratch their heads and say why?  In John chapter 6 the Lord is giving a sermon for the ages.  Can you even begin to comprehend what it must have been like to hear God Himself proclaim the gospel?  I can’t imagine how incredible that must have been.  But this sermon was different, it rocked their world and it upset the status quo….  “This Guy is out there, He’s just plain wacky.”  “Eat My flesh?”  What?  “Drink My blood?”  “This guy is nuts….”

John 6:66-68 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”  But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

There it is church growth 101….  Well okay not exactly.   So how do you measure the success in a church?

2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and forever.  Amen.

1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Ephesians 4:14-15 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ

Ephesians 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

I don’t believe a big church is sinful.  I’ve attended Grace Community Church in California where John MacArthur is the pastor and I know God has numerically blessed that ministry as His word is faithfully taught.  I also don’t believe that a small church that is not growing numerically is a bad thing.

What one must really consider is how are the saints being edified and trained for ministry?  Are you growing in holiness and sanctification?   Are people being saved and lives being changed?  Are you being challenged from the pulpit?  Are you accountable to the leadership and submissive to them?  Do they proclaim the gospel message and does a call to repentance go out consistently?

These are all signs that God is growing His church.

Kevin

When God has other plans…

Posted on by kevinjandt

Last Wednesday evening I was approached by one of the women at our church and asked if we would be willing to share the story of Jen’s miscarriage with a friend of hers.  It seems like such a long time ago that we lost the baby and I hadn’t thought about it in quite a while.  Not because I didn’t care or had gone cold, but since baby Lydia was born last December we’ve been occupied and life continues to move forward.  The baby that we never knew had faded in my memory.

As I thought about this it seemed only too obvious to share this experience.  God is glorified in our lives and for us He receives much more glory in the difficult times.  I say this to our shame because we should be praising Him all day and everyday but we have a much deeper sense of our need for Him when things are tough.  When we don’t have the answers, these are the times the Lord draws us to Himself in a much more intimate way.

Psalm 25:16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am alone and afflicted.

Today I have the privilege to introduce you to my beautiful wife of over 21 years.  I trust you will be blessed by what she wrote.

I spent some time going through my journal today.  I have not opened it for awhile, let alone written in it.   It was edifying to see the Truths in scripture and the constant grace He has poured out to our family. Reading what I had written and seeing the many blank pages following my last entry has prompted me to start writing in it again.  Anyway, I DID write about the miscarriage.  It isn’t very long or poignant but I’ll share it with you.

Feb. 5, 2011
Psalm 9:1-2 ”I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart:  I will tell of all Your marvelous works.  I will be glad and rejoice in You:  I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High”.

I’m not the same person I was two months ago.  Again, through God’s grace I am growing, learning to Trust in Him with everything.
What a gift, if only for a moment.  I’ll never forget the excitement and twinkle in my husband’s face when he found out I was pregnant.  It was a Thursday.  It also was a Thursday, about 7 weeks later, when I found out this precious gift would stay with Jesus.  How could I be sad, if only for selfish reasons?  It’s God’s will and He is my perfect Father.  Grace and Madeline were so excited for the news of a brother or sister–that is after the initial shock wore off  🙂  They would have loved this child so beautifully but God’s love for this child is perfect, so, I will keep Him as my focus and praise Him for His purposes.

Kevin had been on “cloud nine” all month!  I am grateful He trusts in You also.  Lord, may we find contentment in Your will for our lives no matter what we may want for ourselves.  Thank you for Your many blessings.  You know my heart-I couldn’t possibly name them all!  You know what I am asking today even if I can’t put it into words.  Please provide comfort, understanding and clarity to our family, if it is Your will. Love, Jen

that’s all I wrote.

I do remember the spring in Kevin’s step, the air about him, the smile you couldn’t wipe from his face, the excitement in his voice as he called people to tell them about the pregnancy.  I remember us holding each other in the early morning as I got back into bed, after a night of bleeding and I had to tell him I was losing the baby.  I remember us being sad and surprised about the unexpected loss but so grateful at the same time for God’s presence in our lives. His embrace was very tender and I was so grateful to have him as my husband.   1 John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” and Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

As I did my daily Bible reading, the following scripture verses and the previous sprang forth and I could share them with my children, as Madeline and Grace were very sad in the following days.  It was amazing to read to them, directly from the Bible, His Truths. It was a blessing to share God’s Word with them, talk about them.  They could see I trusted the Words I read.  They took comfort in my faith and their hearts were calmed.

Isaiah 55:8  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways.  And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 43:18-19 English Standard Version (ESV)

 “Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
 Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.

Phil 4:8-9 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

In closing, I found this quote in my journal from Oswald Chambers,”FAITH IS DELIBERATE confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”  I praise God that we could have deliberate faith during that time.  I almost put “during that time of loss” Today I can ask, Was it loss? How much did we lose?  He gave us so much!  He gives us so much!

Love, Jen

How do you know if you are saved?

Posted on by kevinjandt

This is a meaningful question for professing believers to be able to answer for themselves.  Can we really know if we are saved?

I recently had a great conversation with a friend that claimed you can never know if you are the elect of God until you stand before God in judgment.  I disagree with him and did my best to present a biblical case for him to examine.

Since my salvation I’ve never doubted this and I wondered why he was struggling with this and I did not.  I spent time going through some scripture, that I believe, points to an obvious conclusion.

“You begin at the wrong end if you first dispute about your election. Prove your conversion, and then never doubt your election”.  Joseph Alleine

1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.

Paul certainly seems confident in his statement and I believe we can also be confident in our assurance.  I’ve come up with some items that I believe are crucial to understanding salvation and if we understand true salvation we can have full assurance of our election.

Testimony – do you have a testimony?  Can you articulate who you were before God saved you and who you are now?  Do you remember clearly when that happened and under what circumstances.  Is your life radically different and if it’s not why not? 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.

Scripture – Did God’s word have anything to do with your salvation story?  God’s word reveals our sin and the need for a savior.  It is the means by which most are saved.  Do you have a life verse that is meaningful in your testimony? Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Broken – Were you broken over your sin?  Not sorrowful over getting caught or upset over the consequences of your sin but on your face broken that your sin has offended the one true God; knowing that your sin had you headed to hell and eternal separation from God.  2 Corinthians 7:9-10 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance.  For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.  For godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Hunger & Thirst – Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? (Matthew 5:6)  If God has redeemed your soul do you now seek after Him more than anything else? (Matthew 6:33)  Does He occupy much of your thought life? (Psalm 1:2) Do you desire to read His word and learn more about Him? Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

Obedience – Does the sin you once enjoyed now repulse you?  Do you only desire to please God and do His will?  (Psalm 119:2) John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”

Denial – Do you deny yourself? (Luke 9:23)  Do you deny yourself from the movies that cause you to think violently or lustfully?  Do you linger too long on a web image that scrolls across that news screen or the girl serving you coffee at Starbuck’s?  Do you continue in your same old patterns or do you actually hate your old life?  John 12:25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Fellowship – Do you love the fellowship of other believers; do you spend time with them and minister to them?  (Hebrews 6:10)  Are you committed to a local assembly and are you a member of that assembly?  Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Authority – Are you under church authority and the guidance of a pastor and elders?  Hebrews 13:17 Obey those who ruler over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.  Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Preach the word –Do you preach the word and share the gospel of salvation with other people; if not why not?  I would argue your either ignorant of God’s word, a self preservationist or not saved.  See my article called Ashamed of the Gospel from August 31.  It comes down to that ugly self denial again.  Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

I’ve only scratched the surface of scripture that I believe supports my statement and I’ve not included all I could say about a true believer.  We know the warnings in scripture are clear.  We know many think they are right with God and they are not.  The Lord himself teaches us this horrible truth in Matthew 7:21-23.

So how do you know for sure?  If you don’t know for sure I ask you today to examine yourself and see if you are in the faith?  Seek counsel from a faithful bible believing pastor or elder.  Don’t be put off by challenges to your faith but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Only then will you prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)  I certainly hope my friend will stay in the struggle.

Lastly here are some verses that give assurance of salvation.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Ephesians 1:13-16, 1 John 2:3, 1 John 4:13

I also strongly recommend “A Sure Guide to Heaven” by Joseph Alleine.  It’s a free download and worth your time.  http://www.redemptivehistory.org/sureguide.pdf

Kevin