Chamber Singers

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Christ: Living Water for the Thirsty Soul

What is Living Water? The question proposed is quite broad yet very crucial. Understanding 'Living Water' is most contingent for our life-sustaining and eternal joy in God through Jesus Christ!

Since it is so broad, perhaps we can understand it through the lens of biblical theology.
Probably the most designated place in Scripture that ascribes God to be the all-satisfying source of divine delight in the Old Testament is in Jeremiah 2:13, when God was disgusted with Judah's apostasy in forsaking the all-satisfying God for broken cisterns that can hold no water.

The heart of this verse is when God refers Himself to be "the Fountain of living waters". Their sin was sacrilege and spiritually suicidal (End for which God Created the World) because when live-giving, all-satisfying, all-sustaining Living Water was at their disposal by the Fount, broken cisterns instead were their allurment. It is almost as if God is saying, "Don't you know who I am? I am the all-sustaining, all-surpassing, all-satisfying Fountain--the Living Water of your thristy souls! Drink! Drink from ME!

The fulness and reality of this Fount in Jeremiah 2:13 is realized necessarily and completely in Jesus Christ who is the thirst-quencher for the soul in John 4:9, 10. John (and Jesus) say it better than I do: "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." In God alone there is an inexhaustible bounty of rich water for the soul that is fully realized in the Son, the Fount of Living Water.

Not only does John seek to propose Christ to be man's greatest need as water is a necessity for the replenishing and reviving of the body, but I think John adorns Christ to be the all-satisfying and all-sufficient Source of desire and bliss--Living Water for the soul. God doesn't merely give water--He in His Son is Living Water.

Let us ever drink from the Fountain! And now a hymn:

Let him who thirsts for heavenly joys,
Come unto Me, the Savior cries,
And drink at my spring-head;
Leave all your boasting self behind
For from the Saviour you shall find a glorious life indeed.

I come, O Lord, and thirst for thee
Some living water give to me,
Or I shall faint and die;
All other means my heart has tried,
All other streams are vain beside,
What flows from Calvary.

I long to taste the purple flood,
And feel the virtue of thy blood,
And gaze and tarry here;
So shall I sweetly sing and pray,
And serve thee kindly every day,
Without a guilty fear.

John Berridge (1716-1793)

Thursday, December 28, 2006

We Are On the New Blogger

I have switched our blog over to the new blog. Those of you who haven't done so yet may switch your accounts over very quickly following Josh's directions below. You will need to do this in order to post to the blog.

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Sunday, December 24, 2006

New Blogger

This post is for everyone, but Haeck in particular. Blogger has gone out of Beta, which was a testing stage, and they are having everyone switch to the upgraded version. Haeck, since you are the creator, you need to switch the whole blog to the new Blogger. Everyone else just needs to switch their account, which you can do by clicking the "New Blogger" link at the sign-in. For those of you who already use Google Mail (Gmail), your Blogger account will now be integrated with your email account, which is nice. Anyway, that's enough closet-nerd-talk.

Josh

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Young Reformers Conference 2008

Now, I know what your thinking, there is no such thing as a young reformers conference. That's why I am writing this little note. As I searched for a conference to send some of the leadership in our youth to, I found the well pretty dry. There wasn't anything out there with the depth of teaching that I desired or the passion for the classic, Christocentric, reformed view of the Scripture. So the idea hit me, why not do one yourself. I am throwing the idea out there and looking for feedback from my respected network of Chambers friends. Would any of you be interested in taking the leaders in your youth and college ministries to a young reformers conference?

Here's what I have so far:
Location- Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
Speakers- Paul Alexander, Mark Dever, Josh Harris, C.J. Mahaney, etc (I'll see if my pastor can pull a few strings)

This would be a week long conference that would focus on equipping students in High School and College for ministry. Biblical interpretation, classic reformed theology, and a high view of the solas would be the pillars of the teaching and workshops. Wheaton would provide housing.

That's the idea so far. Of course, I have to confirm a lot of things, but the first step is to see if you agree with me that there is a need for this kind of a conference and then if you would be interested in participating. Let me know what you think and have a Merry Christmas (and a Happy Hanukkah).

-Josh Huff

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

One Semester Down. . .

Hey! This is a quick note to wish everyone a wonderful Christmastime. I haven't even left BBC yet and I miss you already!!! I know, it's pathetic.

Also, thank you Michael for the previous posts, and I will hopefully post some comments when I get home and get a chance to settle down. In case anyone is wondering, some of us are studying John 4 in preparation for the missions conference and planning the music for it. I know I've been really curious about this chapter recently, so I'm excited to look into it some more.

Monday, December 18, 2006

What is Living Water?






Is it salvation?
does it connect with the metaphor Christ gives in saying, ".. my food is to do the will of Him who sent me..."
You will never be thirsty.
Does it connect to David's use of panting after God.
Does it connect to Christ saying,"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness..."

Sunday, December 17, 2006

John 4 Questions


What is the difference between the John's baptism, Christ's baptism, Jewish baptism, and those who get baptized into the body of Christ, and those who are baptized or emersed in water?

Is there signifcance in Christ leaving Judea to go to Galilee but stopping in Samaria, does this connect with Matt 28:16-20?

Why are we told about Jacob's field given to Joseph?

Is Christ the Greater Jacob?

What is living water?

Why did Christ discuss her hubsands and how is that related to his previous dialogue with the woman?

What is "in spirit and in truth"?

Is there a connection between the metaphors of living water and food from God the Father?

Why does this dialogue culminate where Christ is talking about reaping the harvest?

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Long time no blog


if you write a hymn don't forget there's a hymnology blog, or if you want to know about hymnology in many ways you can spend plenty of time reading.
Here's a funny pic during a chambers pic

Monday, December 11, 2006

So, it's been a long time since the last time someone had posted, and I feel like i need to tell you all of the awesome experience i had to share the gospel.

Well, it all started at a karaoke bar. Yes, that's what I said. I don't usually go to those.... in fact, this was the first time I have ever been to one. But yeah, I was there with my roomate and a couple of her friends from work, and her friend, Dwayne, came over and started asking all of these interesting questions about our college, our belief, and all of that. He and I got into very good conversation, and I think I had a chance to show him love and i was also able to explain the Gospel and who Christ is more than once, and very clearly. I take no credit for this at all, it was all the Holy Spirit working through me. If I were left to just me, I probably would have started this heated debate, and the conversation would have died real fast. But thanks be to God, for His working through us and in us to make His Glory known! it was one of the best witnessing opportunities that I have had in a very long time, and I hope that Dwayne seriously thinks about some of the things I said. He didn't always listen to what I had to share, but all I can do is hope that somehting inside of him heard truth, and he will come back and think about it later.
Pray for him. And pray that he keeps asking questions, and that God will bring people into his life to help him.

well, that's it for now. bye!!

Oh. And Merry Christmas everyone!!