Titus: Paul, how could you leave me here in Crete, to pastor this church all alone?
Paul’s response: no, Titus – there is to be no lonely leadership
“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—” (Titus 1:5 ESV)
Titus is to set things in order. Why? Because everything tends toward disorder, whether your garage, your closet, or your heart and life. But notice the difference. When you come to the back door, disorder in the mud room is obvious. What you don’t see is that the disorder in my soul, and your soul, is insidious. We can read the remainder of this little letter as Paul’s ordering instruction for a disorderly church.
Now I understand that, while there is great satisfaction to bringing order to segments of life – a desk, or a drawer – I understand that it is intimidating and threatening for someone else to say that they are going to restore order to something that touches your world. That seems invasive and intrusive.
But remember, we are talking about the ordering of a household of faith; our household; our community of believers. And some people are anxious for some order to take place. Others are saying, “what’s wrong with things the way they are?” But we must admit, that if the household is going to work properly, and help bring about the well-being of its members, then order is helpful; it’s healthy.
Paul wrote to Timothy in a similar vein in 1 Tim 3:15 – he talks of “how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and foundation of the truth.” So as the church is properly ordered, the truth is properly honored. And the truth works, so long as the truth is applied to our lives. It brings about change and growth in our spiritual lives, change and growth that we desperately need. But when there is lack of order, the truth lies unattended, out of place, and change and growth are lacking.
But you might argue that Baptist don’t do elders. Well, that’s an uncomfortable question. If the role of elders is Biblically mandated, why haven’t we done it? I think there are at least four reasons.
The first arises out of how we use our Bibles. We have favorite texts, and we ignore others. Everybody does. The Bible is a big book, and we can’t hold the whole thing in our heads all at once. And our key text for church leadership has been 1 Timothy 3, in which it talks about bishops, or overseers; and deacons. Not elders. Now in other texts, like Titus 1:5,7, the words “overseer” and “elder” are used interchangeably so that we conclude that they refer to the same office.
The other reason I think that Baptists have tended toward the pastor/deacon model is because of our historical emergence. Baptist churches proliferated in the U.S. in frontier and backwoods communities. There was rarely a ready pool of leadership from which to choose elders. In fact, not only would there be one leader, but a single, itinerant pastor might exercise a primary leadership role over several congregations.
But having had time to absorb the Biblical teaching, and to grow and mature beyond our historical roots, why have we still avoided this term “elder?” And I think the hard answer is “tradition.” Tradition trains our eyes and our minds so that we see what we are used to seeing, and we gloss over what does not fit. Tradition coaxes us to rationalize, saying that our deacons act like elders, or to compromise, saying that the specific offices do not matter. This leads to the fourth reason: sin – that is, an unwillingness to change in accordance with the Bible’s teaching.
So we aren’t taking a vote – we are trying to follow the Bible. And here is what Paul says: “Titus, I need you to restore order to this church, and you are to begin with the leadership. Appoint elders to the congregation.” Why? Because there is to be No Lonely Leadership.
The Old Testament gives a great foundation for this theme. In three passages: Exodus 18; Numbers 11; and Deuteronomy 1, we are given a backdrop for our thinking about elders.
Exodus 18:5-27
In Exodus 18:18, Jethro says to Moses in the face of his responsibilities with the people, “You are not able to do it alone.” It reminds us of what God says, recorded in Gen 2:18, “It is not good for man to be alone,” or of Elijah’s dejected words in 1 Kgs 18:22, “I alone am left.” And Jethro, a brand new believer, can clearly see that this is not a desirable situation.
What’s so bad about “lone leadership?” As Jethro said, “It’s bad for you, and it’s bad for the people.” No one person has the breadth of person and experience and resources to serve the needs of the people well.
So Exodus 18 teaches that capable men are to be chosen to come alongside Moses. In connection with what we will find in Numbers 11, these are men who are made capable by God’s Spirit. They are spiritual men. Their capability is not primarily in their reliance upon natural or physical resources, but in spiritual. They have specifically forsaken foolish “valiancies,” like “holding their liquor” (Is 5:22); or hitting home runs. Further, our understanding of this capability is enhanced by the next phrase: “men who fear God.” This could be a study on its own. But suffice it to say at this point that they are more intent on pleasing God than pleasing men.
Another couplet is used in Exodus 18 to describe the men who would be chosen as assisting elders: they are reliable men who hate unjust gain. They are “amen” men; men of whom you can say, “and it was so.” What you see is what you get. And these men have strong passions. They fear God. They hate unjust gain. I love these verses from Psalm 119: “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” (Psalms 119:36-37 ESV) They don’t seek to find their meaning for life – what makes life worth living – in stupid things.
Numbers 11:10-17, 24-30
In Numbers 11, the Spirit who has been given to Moses is given to seventy elders (vv. 25,29). It reminds us of Jesus sharing the Spirit with the disciples after the resurrection, by breathing on them (Jn 20:22). The point I want to make from this passage is in the prophecy of v.29: “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”
(Numbers 11:29 ESV). This prophecy was further detailed in Joel 2, where it says that both young and old, sons and daughters would prophecy. This has been fulfilled at Pentecost, and, in Christ, we are indeed all prophets, and priests, and kings.
That is why, when I see how the Bible talks about elder ministry in the church, I do not conclude that it is elder rule, or elder government. I still believe that there is a biblical basis for congregational involvement in the decision-making of the church. And one of the key reasons is that the Spirit of God is not possessed by the pastor alone, or by elders alone, but by all believers.
Deuteronomy 1:9-18
In Deuteronomy 1, the story is told once more. “Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’” (Deuteronomy 1:13 ESV). The wisdom mentioned should be that of a heavenly perspective on practical issues. Understanding means the ability to exercise discernment, to sort out difficult issues. Experienced means knowledgable, that is, knowledge gained from a life experience of walking with God. These terms are enhanced by another qualification: “no partiality.” Favoritism is not to be shown to insiders over outsiders, nor to the great over the small. “You shall not fear man” (v.17). I think Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in John 7 get at what is needed: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24 ESV)
We need to understand that the appointing of a council of elders is Biblical, even while we recognize that it is a bit counter-cultural. All around the country today, churches are being formed that are reflecting a very different trend. On the one hand, there is a great priority being placed on youthful leadership. The church seems convinced today that, in order to catch our culture, we have to be cool. And one thing is clear: old men are not cool.
Another pattern is that of staff leadership – not the men of the church, but a staff of men brought in to design and lead the pre-planned organization.
In all of this, there is still the constant pandering to the magnetic personality of the single leader – the one who, when he speaks, we will heed his words, and follow his lead. The Bible identifies that person as Jesus.
So in summary, what is the case for a multiple leadership of elders, properly qualified?
More sets of eyes to see beneath the surface of things, to avoid reactions based on deception and lies
A pool of wisdom, discernment and experience, since no one person can embody these in fullness, save Christ (and we are not claiming that even a group of elders measures up to Christ)
A representation of God’s Spirit – though neither the pastor alone, nor the elders together, have a monopoly on the Spirit. The Spirit has been given to all believers, and we remain thus firmly committed to congregational government, though with elder direction (group) as opposed to pastor (individual) direction.
These should be capable men who fear God; and reliable men who hate unjust gain – who serve together to avoid the perils of lonely leadership, so that the household of faith might prosper spiritually and grow.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Small, Hard Things
from the chapter “Small Hard Things,” in the book Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, by Alex and Brett Harris.
Once again, I am impressed by the practical value of the material assembled and written by these young writers.
Key Quote: “The truth is that your life (both now and later) will require you to invest a lot of time and energy in things that aren’t big and that don’t seem to make much of an impact” (p. 134)
Five Excuses for Failing to do Small Hard Things:
1. Procrastination
2. Inconsistency
3. Compromise
4. Begrudging
5. Cheating
One of the “smallest,” hardest things in my life is prayer. And I think I can apply each one of the points above.
1. Persistence - I many times put prayer off until a better time, but there rarely is.
2. Inconsistency - So some days, I fit in prayer, and some days I don’t.
3. Compromise - One area of compromise is praying on the run. Instead of getting into position to wrestle with God in prayer, I think that I can as effectively pray on the fly. But this kind of prayer lacks seriousness and reverence.
4. Begrudging – this shows up especially when it is time to pray with others. These times can be precious and powerful, but letting go of the time that I selfishly call “mine” is difficult.
5. Cheating – when I spend some time thinking about someone, and call it “prayer,” it is cheating. Thinking and a problem and praying for a person are not the same thing.
Here are some habits for doing Small, Hard Things:
1. work hard
2. maintain a postive attitude
3. live with self-discipline and integrity
4. serve others
Again, all these can be applied to prayer.
Once again, I am impressed by the practical value of the material assembled and written by these young writers.
Key Quote: “The truth is that your life (both now and later) will require you to invest a lot of time and energy in things that aren’t big and that don’t seem to make much of an impact” (p. 134)
Five Excuses for Failing to do Small Hard Things:
1. Procrastination
2. Inconsistency
3. Compromise
4. Begrudging
5. Cheating
One of the “smallest,” hardest things in my life is prayer. And I think I can apply each one of the points above.
1. Persistence - I many times put prayer off until a better time, but there rarely is.
2. Inconsistency - So some days, I fit in prayer, and some days I don’t.
3. Compromise - One area of compromise is praying on the run. Instead of getting into position to wrestle with God in prayer, I think that I can as effectively pray on the fly. But this kind of prayer lacks seriousness and reverence.
4. Begrudging – this shows up especially when it is time to pray with others. These times can be precious and powerful, but letting go of the time that I selfishly call “mine” is difficult.
5. Cheating – when I spend some time thinking about someone, and call it “prayer,” it is cheating. Thinking and a problem and praying for a person are not the same thing.
Here are some habits for doing Small, Hard Things:
1. work hard
2. maintain a postive attitude
3. live with self-discipline and integrity
4. serve others
Again, all these can be applied to prayer.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Hard Drudgery
"Hard Drudgery," from the chapter “Raising the Bar,” in the book Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, by Alex and Brett Harris.
The authors inroduce the phrase “hard drudgery” in an illustration about Teddy Roosevelt. He “did more than survive. In a way that few men have matched, he thrived” (p.104).
Teddy’s father introduced him to routines of “hard drudgery,” daily disciplines that pushed him and stretched him. I think that these exercises probably provided benefit in at least a couple of ways.
On the one hand, they helped him overcome some built-in weaknesses with which he was born. If I have a weakness, I need to work hard to overcome it. Also, the routines of “hard drudgery” accustomed Teddy to discomfort. It is my addiction to the comfortable that builds up a resistance toward stretching and strengthening.
The authors make this statement on p. 103: “A commitment to growth kills complacency.” So now we have two devastating “c” words: comfort and complacency.
When I perfect the practices of comfort and complacency, I show myself to be firmly committed to the status quo. I’m resistant to change, and I am setting myself against growth.
The authors introduce yet another pentrating thought early in the chapter – claiming that to “do your best” is usually an excuse. If we claim to have done our best, then we exempt ourselves from doing more. Steps that go above and beyond will be precluded. What, exactly, is “my best?”
The authors don’t press doctrine at this point, but I feel that I must. To think that Jesus did “his best” at every step and turn throughout his earthly life is absolutely astonishing. He lived perfectly. He never misused an opportunity. He never cut a corner. He always fulfilled the will of the Father on every level, whether externally in behavior, or internally in motivation. He did the little things, the acts of “hard drudgery.” He never opted for the comfortable or the complacent. He always did his best. I’m amazed.
The authors inroduce the phrase “hard drudgery” in an illustration about Teddy Roosevelt. He “did more than survive. In a way that few men have matched, he thrived” (p.104).
Teddy’s father introduced him to routines of “hard drudgery,” daily disciplines that pushed him and stretched him. I think that these exercises probably provided benefit in at least a couple of ways.
On the one hand, they helped him overcome some built-in weaknesses with which he was born. If I have a weakness, I need to work hard to overcome it. Also, the routines of “hard drudgery” accustomed Teddy to discomfort. It is my addiction to the comfortable that builds up a resistance toward stretching and strengthening.
The authors make this statement on p. 103: “A commitment to growth kills complacency.” So now we have two devastating “c” words: comfort and complacency.
When I perfect the practices of comfort and complacency, I show myself to be firmly committed to the status quo. I’m resistant to change, and I am setting myself against growth.
The authors introduce yet another pentrating thought early in the chapter – claiming that to “do your best” is usually an excuse. If we claim to have done our best, then we exempt ourselves from doing more. Steps that go above and beyond will be precluded. What, exactly, is “my best?”
The authors don’t press doctrine at this point, but I feel that I must. To think that Jesus did “his best” at every step and turn throughout his earthly life is absolutely astonishing. He lived perfectly. He never misused an opportunity. He never cut a corner. He always fulfilled the will of the Father on every level, whether externally in behavior, or internally in motivation. He did the little things, the acts of “hard drudgery.” He never opted for the comfortable or the complacent. He always did his best. I’m amazed.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Why Not Change Now?
from the chapter “A Better Way: Reclaiming the Teen Years as the Launching Pad of Life,” in the book Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, by Alex and Brett Harris.
This chapter, “A Better Way,” sets up the next section of the book with five challenges for doing hard things. We’ll be looking at those one at a time. So specifically, the question, “Why not change now?” is pointing toward that section.
But who understands exactly how we change? We all talk about it. Most of us desire it. But the most valuable change comes from the inside out. And this seems to surpass our capabilities. I am suspicious that our authors, young as they are, may think that deep life change is merely a matter of making up one’s mind to do so. For example, I’ve made up my mind many times to lose a few pounds. A few times, I’ve actually done it. But I can’t for the life of me tell the difference at the beginning of the process between the few successful diets and the many fairy tale diets.
Here’s just a couple of “change” verses in the Bible: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23 ESV) – it makes “deep” change sound pretty difficult. “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.” (Matthew 21:32 ESV) – what would it take for them to change?
But my skepticism aside, how about a better, more powerful word? Not just changed, but transformed. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2Corinthians 3:18 ESV)
And here, we have to confess that we do not change ourselves, but we are changed by Another, by the One who Comes Alongside, the One with whom we are to keep in step.
This chapter, “A Better Way,” sets up the next section of the book with five challenges for doing hard things. We’ll be looking at those one at a time. So specifically, the question, “Why not change now?” is pointing toward that section.
But who understands exactly how we change? We all talk about it. Most of us desire it. But the most valuable change comes from the inside out. And this seems to surpass our capabilities. I am suspicious that our authors, young as they are, may think that deep life change is merely a matter of making up one’s mind to do so. For example, I’ve made up my mind many times to lose a few pounds. A few times, I’ve actually done it. But I can’t for the life of me tell the difference at the beginning of the process between the few successful diets and the many fairy tale diets.
Here’s just a couple of “change” verses in the Bible: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23 ESV) – it makes “deep” change sound pretty difficult. “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.” (Matthew 21:32 ESV) – what would it take for them to change?
But my skepticism aside, how about a better, more powerful word? Not just changed, but transformed. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2Corinthians 3:18 ESV)
And here, we have to confess that we do not change ourselves, but we are changed by Another, by the One who Comes Alongside, the One with whom we are to keep in step.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
What is Dependent on God’s Word?
That is, if not for the truth and power of God’s Word, what would we be missing?
1. life change that is more than cosmetic
2. a certain future shaped by promise
3. confidence in the midst of confusion
Let’s look at the first paragraph of Titus again: “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began, and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;” (Titus 1:1-3 ESV)
We’ve covered (in previous messages and posts) faith-knowledge, and the fact that an eternal God who plans our eternal future chose people for faith in eternity past. Now we come to this subject of the truth. This idea is linked in this first paragraph to the character of God (He never lies), to the nature of much of His revelation (promise), and to ways that He has expressed Himself by Word and words, through His Son and messengers. I’ve also marked in my study Bible in the letter to Titus the many references to God’s Word, teaching and doctrine, so that we must conclude that when Titus was sent to “put things in order” (1:5), the use of God’s Word was absolutely critical.
1. God’s Word is absolutely necessary for life change.
If God’s Word in its truth and power is missing from my life, I will never change. Yes, of course I can change cosmetically. I can change the color of my hair. I can rearrange the furniture. I can change certain patterns and habits. I can re-invent myself in various ways, maybe even learn an accent. But I cannot change at the deepest level. I cannot change my heart. God does that through His Word.
And this is where I know, deep down, that I need to change. This is where the frustration and sadness really comes, when I see the kind of person that I really am, whether it has to do with self-centeredness, or lack of love, or twisted motives. I can paste a smile on. I can’t, by myself, change my heart.
So merely educating myself in the latest psychologies or motivating myself with some best-selling self-help is still only cosmetic. It is like adding volumes to a library that does not contain the answer. Dewey and his decimals do not hold the answers for the problem of a sinful heart.
Also, will-power, for all that it can do (cf. Tower of Babel) fails on two levels. It, also, does not change the heart. And it is guilty of producing unintended consequences. How many cancers are the result of a desperate will-power? How much mental dis-ease? How much nervous exhaustion, leading to an inability to rest or relax? When we saddle our own wills with the burden of responsibility for accomplishing things that only God can do, we will tend toward destruction and debilitation.
And so, if I truly desire heart change in my life, what will I do? I will bow my knees and devote my attention to God’s Word. I will read it prayerfully and ask that God’s Spirit would take its truth and imbed it in my heart, even as I purpose to submit and obey what I find there.
Further, if I fail to spend time with God’s Word, I must honestly admit that I really don’t want to change. I will, in that case, be telling God that I would rather do things my own way, and please leave my heart alone. If I neglect God’s Word, I am proclaiming my rebellion against being God’s person, whom He would reform and re-make into Christ’s likeness.
2. God’s Promise has the Power to Shape the Future
Secondly, God’s Word has the power to shape my future, since He so often speaks by way of promise. All other words, other than God’s Word, come across as so much propaganda. Much of it is wishful thinking, and all of it is subject to change.
But God’s promises are certain, so much so, that once He utters the promise, the outcome is as sure as though it had already happened. Think of Abraham, to whom God said, “I will make you a great nation.” That’s a promise, and it implies that there would be a son. Even though it would be 25 more years before a son was born, the certainty of there being such a son was absolute. Further, even though twice Abraham tried to give his wife away, God would not allow His promise to be sabotaged.
Another promise is repeated many times throughout Scripture: “I will be with you.” This promise was repeated to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and many times over, even to us, when Jesus ends his Great Commission with, “for lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This shapes our future, so that we know that we are never alone. And so we, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, make our decisions based on this certainty. These young men were faced with the test of bowing to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, or being thrown into the fiery furnace. But the promise of God so shaped their future, that they were willing to enter the furnace, whether or not they would be delivered, knowing that they would certainly not be alone. And Nebbie himself was forced to admit that there appeared a fourth figure in the furnace.
If I fail to lay hold of the promises of God, then I consign myself to a life of good (or, not-so-good) intentions and wishful thinking. I may prove to be “the captain of my soul,” but it will be a soul that never reaches port. Only God’s Word can safely lay a course for tomorrow. These promises deserve memorization and meditation.
3. God’s Word is the only Source of Confidence in a Confusing World
Finally, we can live confidently in a confusing world only if we commit ourselves to the touchstone which is God’s Word. We live in a world full of experts who do not know what they are talking about. Week by week, we are warned against, and then advised toward, eating eggs and apples. We cannot agree on the condition of the atmosphere above us or the fossil fuels beneath us. And now we see a bunch of women carrying around little ugly dogs, just because Paris Hilton did it. I need direction that I can trust, that keeps me from being “tossed to and fro by every wind.” Where can I find the help that I need?
In the truth, in which God has made promises, and now has made available to us. And God does not lie.
1. life change that is more than cosmetic
2. a certain future shaped by promise
3. confidence in the midst of confusion
Let’s look at the first paragraph of Titus again: “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began, and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;” (Titus 1:1-3 ESV)
We’ve covered (in previous messages and posts) faith-knowledge, and the fact that an eternal God who plans our eternal future chose people for faith in eternity past. Now we come to this subject of the truth. This idea is linked in this first paragraph to the character of God (He never lies), to the nature of much of His revelation (promise), and to ways that He has expressed Himself by Word and words, through His Son and messengers. I’ve also marked in my study Bible in the letter to Titus the many references to God’s Word, teaching and doctrine, so that we must conclude that when Titus was sent to “put things in order” (1:5), the use of God’s Word was absolutely critical.
1. God’s Word is absolutely necessary for life change.
If God’s Word in its truth and power is missing from my life, I will never change. Yes, of course I can change cosmetically. I can change the color of my hair. I can rearrange the furniture. I can change certain patterns and habits. I can re-invent myself in various ways, maybe even learn an accent. But I cannot change at the deepest level. I cannot change my heart. God does that through His Word.
And this is where I know, deep down, that I need to change. This is where the frustration and sadness really comes, when I see the kind of person that I really am, whether it has to do with self-centeredness, or lack of love, or twisted motives. I can paste a smile on. I can’t, by myself, change my heart.
So merely educating myself in the latest psychologies or motivating myself with some best-selling self-help is still only cosmetic. It is like adding volumes to a library that does not contain the answer. Dewey and his decimals do not hold the answers for the problem of a sinful heart.
Also, will-power, for all that it can do (cf. Tower of Babel) fails on two levels. It, also, does not change the heart. And it is guilty of producing unintended consequences. How many cancers are the result of a desperate will-power? How much mental dis-ease? How much nervous exhaustion, leading to an inability to rest or relax? When we saddle our own wills with the burden of responsibility for accomplishing things that only God can do, we will tend toward destruction and debilitation.
And so, if I truly desire heart change in my life, what will I do? I will bow my knees and devote my attention to God’s Word. I will read it prayerfully and ask that God’s Spirit would take its truth and imbed it in my heart, even as I purpose to submit and obey what I find there.
Further, if I fail to spend time with God’s Word, I must honestly admit that I really don’t want to change. I will, in that case, be telling God that I would rather do things my own way, and please leave my heart alone. If I neglect God’s Word, I am proclaiming my rebellion against being God’s person, whom He would reform and re-make into Christ’s likeness.
2. God’s Promise has the Power to Shape the Future
Secondly, God’s Word has the power to shape my future, since He so often speaks by way of promise. All other words, other than God’s Word, come across as so much propaganda. Much of it is wishful thinking, and all of it is subject to change.
But God’s promises are certain, so much so, that once He utters the promise, the outcome is as sure as though it had already happened. Think of Abraham, to whom God said, “I will make you a great nation.” That’s a promise, and it implies that there would be a son. Even though it would be 25 more years before a son was born, the certainty of there being such a son was absolute. Further, even though twice Abraham tried to give his wife away, God would not allow His promise to be sabotaged.
Another promise is repeated many times throughout Scripture: “I will be with you.” This promise was repeated to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and many times over, even to us, when Jesus ends his Great Commission with, “for lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This shapes our future, so that we know that we are never alone. And so we, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, make our decisions based on this certainty. These young men were faced with the test of bowing to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, or being thrown into the fiery furnace. But the promise of God so shaped their future, that they were willing to enter the furnace, whether or not they would be delivered, knowing that they would certainly not be alone. And Nebbie himself was forced to admit that there appeared a fourth figure in the furnace.
If I fail to lay hold of the promises of God, then I consign myself to a life of good (or, not-so-good) intentions and wishful thinking. I may prove to be “the captain of my soul,” but it will be a soul that never reaches port. Only God’s Word can safely lay a course for tomorrow. These promises deserve memorization and meditation.
3. God’s Word is the only Source of Confidence in a Confusing World
Finally, we can live confidently in a confusing world only if we commit ourselves to the touchstone which is God’s Word. We live in a world full of experts who do not know what they are talking about. Week by week, we are warned against, and then advised toward, eating eggs and apples. We cannot agree on the condition of the atmosphere above us or the fossil fuels beneath us. And now we see a bunch of women carrying around little ugly dogs, just because Paris Hilton did it. I need direction that I can trust, that keeps me from being “tossed to and fro by every wind.” Where can I find the help that I need?
In the truth, in which God has made promises, and now has made available to us. And God does not lie.
Monday, June 16, 2008
How Can Cretans be Christians? (2)
In the first article, we found that Titus 1:1 makes clear that it is faith-knowledge that can make Cretans to be Christians. But the next question is, “How does one get this faith-knowledge?” The answer is at least partly contained in the phrase, “the faith of God’s elect” (Titus 1:1).
We are in the midst of an election year. Candidates will promise all kinds of things, hoping to convince and compel fickle voters to pledge their electoral commitment. We will find that the candidates are willing to say and do almost anything to collect votes. Let’s be clear here: God is not running for office. He is not up for election. God is the One who elects.
People often counter: But don’t we have free will? Jonathan Edwards thought so (The Freedom of the Will), if I read him correctly. My illustration (gained from reading him, but for which he bears no responsibility) is as follows: My car has a free wheel
That’s right. It has a steering wheel. And that free wheel determines the direction the car goes. But the free wheel is also stupid. It is completely dependent upon the character of the person behind it. And if the Bible is clear about anything, it is clear that the hearts of men and women are sinful – so much so, that apart from the grace of God, not a single one of us would direct our free wills to turn to God. There would be not one single Christian if it was up to human free will as directed by sinful hearts.
Let’s think of a Bible illustration. God had promised to Abraham lasting life through the gift of a son. So was Isaac, born when Abe was 100, the product of Abraham and Sarah? According to Romans 4:19, not really. There was a time, 13 years before Isaac’s birth, when Abraham attempted to assist God in the fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose. The result was Ishmael, and Abraham could say, “Look what I did,” and God said, “No!” But by the time Isaac came around, the verdict on Abraham was “as good as dead,” and the description of Sarah’s fertility was “barrenness.” And guess what? A baby was born – a gift from God, wholly of God.
We sometimes think that in salvation God gives the grace, and we supply the faith. But just as God supplied both the seed and fertile egg for the life of Isaac, so also God supplies both the grace and the faith for spiritual life. When we are born again, our first response is that cry of faith in Christ, similar to a baby’s first cry, and yet no one thinks that the baby was the cause of his/her own existence, or contributed to his/her birth in any way other than showing up.
When Jesus spoke those phrases in John 6: “All that the Father gives me will come to me” (v.37); “No on can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him” (v.44); and “no one come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (v.65) – the people grumbled (v. 41), and the disciples grumbled (v.61). Why did they grumble? Perhaps for two reasons:
On the one hand, and more generally, people resist the idea of a God in charge. It is strange, because if God is not in charge, then can we really call him God at all? But on the other hand, people grumbled because Jesus was describing the radical nature of the relationship that one must have with him in order to be raised at the last day, that is, to have eternal life. We must get Christ into us somehow, almost like ingesting and digesting. We need to get him into us, almost to be us.
That is not the kind of relationship that most people want with Jesus. They want a mutual consent relationship. You give me bread, and I’ll give you a measure of loyalty. You make me happy, and I’ll attend church, or give away something, or give up something. You make me promises, and I’ll vote for you as Lord and Savior.
But remember, neither God nor Jesus are running for office. No, that is not Biblical Christianity. Paul talks to Titus about Cretans who are wonderfully changed by a radical relationship with Jesus Christ that they could never have come up with on their own. It must have been something that God did, because He chose them for salvation.
This subject brings up so many questions. I’ve already answered the “whosoever will” questions. The answer is, that the world is filled with “whosoever won’t” kind of people. But what about this response then: if God is going to do all the choosing, then why bother to pray or witness?
The answer is that God is pleased to use means to accomplish His ends. And if God is pleased to use my prayers or my witness to be a vehicle or instrument in causing a light to shine into a darkened heart, or in causing spiritual truth to be apprehended by an obstinate mind, so that for the first time a person sees Christ clearly, or understands the Gospel for the very first time, though they may have heard it many times before – then praise the Lord. And what a privilege to be involved in His eternal plan and purpose. I need not worry about who is elect and who is not. But I know that, were not God so good and gracious, all would be condemned.
We are in the midst of an election year. Candidates will promise all kinds of things, hoping to convince and compel fickle voters to pledge their electoral commitment. We will find that the candidates are willing to say and do almost anything to collect votes. Let’s be clear here: God is not running for office. He is not up for election. God is the One who elects.
People often counter: But don’t we have free will? Jonathan Edwards thought so (The Freedom of the Will), if I read him correctly. My illustration (gained from reading him, but for which he bears no responsibility) is as follows: My car has a free wheel
That’s right. It has a steering wheel. And that free wheel determines the direction the car goes. But the free wheel is also stupid. It is completely dependent upon the character of the person behind it. And if the Bible is clear about anything, it is clear that the hearts of men and women are sinful – so much so, that apart from the grace of God, not a single one of us would direct our free wills to turn to God. There would be not one single Christian if it was up to human free will as directed by sinful hearts.
Let’s think of a Bible illustration. God had promised to Abraham lasting life through the gift of a son. So was Isaac, born when Abe was 100, the product of Abraham and Sarah? According to Romans 4:19, not really. There was a time, 13 years before Isaac’s birth, when Abraham attempted to assist God in the fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose. The result was Ishmael, and Abraham could say, “Look what I did,” and God said, “No!” But by the time Isaac came around, the verdict on Abraham was “as good as dead,” and the description of Sarah’s fertility was “barrenness.” And guess what? A baby was born – a gift from God, wholly of God.
We sometimes think that in salvation God gives the grace, and we supply the faith. But just as God supplied both the seed and fertile egg for the life of Isaac, so also God supplies both the grace and the faith for spiritual life. When we are born again, our first response is that cry of faith in Christ, similar to a baby’s first cry, and yet no one thinks that the baby was the cause of his/her own existence, or contributed to his/her birth in any way other than showing up.
When Jesus spoke those phrases in John 6: “All that the Father gives me will come to me” (v.37); “No on can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him” (v.44); and “no one come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (v.65) – the people grumbled (v. 41), and the disciples grumbled (v.61). Why did they grumble? Perhaps for two reasons:
On the one hand, and more generally, people resist the idea of a God in charge. It is strange, because if God is not in charge, then can we really call him God at all? But on the other hand, people grumbled because Jesus was describing the radical nature of the relationship that one must have with him in order to be raised at the last day, that is, to have eternal life. We must get Christ into us somehow, almost like ingesting and digesting. We need to get him into us, almost to be us.
That is not the kind of relationship that most people want with Jesus. They want a mutual consent relationship. You give me bread, and I’ll give you a measure of loyalty. You make me happy, and I’ll attend church, or give away something, or give up something. You make me promises, and I’ll vote for you as Lord and Savior.
But remember, neither God nor Jesus are running for office. No, that is not Biblical Christianity. Paul talks to Titus about Cretans who are wonderfully changed by a radical relationship with Jesus Christ that they could never have come up with on their own. It must have been something that God did, because He chose them for salvation.
This subject brings up so many questions. I’ve already answered the “whosoever will” questions. The answer is, that the world is filled with “whosoever won’t” kind of people. But what about this response then: if God is going to do all the choosing, then why bother to pray or witness?
The answer is that God is pleased to use means to accomplish His ends. And if God is pleased to use my prayers or my witness to be a vehicle or instrument in causing a light to shine into a darkened heart, or in causing spiritual truth to be apprehended by an obstinate mind, so that for the first time a person sees Christ clearly, or understands the Gospel for the very first time, though they may have heard it many times before – then praise the Lord. And what a privilege to be involved in His eternal plan and purpose. I need not worry about who is elect and who is not. But I know that, were not God so good and gracious, all would be condemned.
How Can Cretans be Christians? (1)
I ask this, especially in light of Paul’s description to Titus of the society to which he was ministering, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” (Titus 1:12 ESV)
Cretans can become Christians because of the faith-knowledge that has taken hold of them (1:1). According to J.I. Packer, this is “a kind of knowledge of which God is both giver and content.” “It is a Spirit-given acquaintance with divine realities, given through acquaintance with God’s Word” (p. 57 of “What Did the Cross Achieve?” in In My Place Condemned He Stood, Packer and Dever, 2007.
It is the kind of faith that transformed Paul’s perspective in Galatians 2:20, where he says “the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” It is the kind of knowledge that Paul aspires to in Philippians 3:10, where he says “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection.”
People with this faith-knowledge, used together in Ephesians 4:13, will be marked by the priority of Christ in their lives, more so than by commitments to programs and personalities. They, in short, are enamored with Jesus. The two words are also used together in Philemon v.6, where it brings about counter-cultural behaviors that will surprise those who live around you, so much so that they will probably ask you the reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). In Titus 1:1, this faith-knowledge allows people to see and appreciate God who has an eternal plan and purpose.
Now, to avoid confusion, let’s try to define this faith-knowledge more finely:
What Faith-Knowledge Is Not:
1. it is not rationalism or unaided reason (divine realities are not merely higher thoughts that Cretans can sit down and figure out)
2. it is not experientialism or emotionalism (not just a hyped-up state, the result of a Cretan revival meeting)
3. it is not the exclusive property of either the intellectual elite; or the religious elite (this faith-knowledge did not belong merely to Paul, or Titus, or even just the appointed elders, but to the common, Cretan Christians)
What is Faith-Knowledge?
1. it is revealed insight, graciously unveiled by God
2. it is relational and covenantal, thus enduring and binding
3. it is spiritual and transformational, changing from the inside out
Based on the three points above (What is Faith-Knowledge?), here are corresponding practical implications:
Practical Implications:
1. do I demonstrate a practical dependence on God’s revealed truth? Do I read, study, discuss and apply God’s Word.
2. do I love God and His Word? Am I captivated by Christ?
3. am I a changed person? Am I a changing person? Am I committed to being shaped by God and His Word?
Cretans can become Christians because of the faith-knowledge that has taken hold of them (1:1). According to J.I. Packer, this is “a kind of knowledge of which God is both giver and content.” “It is a Spirit-given acquaintance with divine realities, given through acquaintance with God’s Word” (p. 57 of “What Did the Cross Achieve?” in In My Place Condemned He Stood, Packer and Dever, 2007.
It is the kind of faith that transformed Paul’s perspective in Galatians 2:20, where he says “the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” It is the kind of knowledge that Paul aspires to in Philippians 3:10, where he says “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection.”
People with this faith-knowledge, used together in Ephesians 4:13, will be marked by the priority of Christ in their lives, more so than by commitments to programs and personalities. They, in short, are enamored with Jesus. The two words are also used together in Philemon v.6, where it brings about counter-cultural behaviors that will surprise those who live around you, so much so that they will probably ask you the reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). In Titus 1:1, this faith-knowledge allows people to see and appreciate God who has an eternal plan and purpose.
Now, to avoid confusion, let’s try to define this faith-knowledge more finely:
What Faith-Knowledge Is Not:
1. it is not rationalism or unaided reason (divine realities are not merely higher thoughts that Cretans can sit down and figure out)
2. it is not experientialism or emotionalism (not just a hyped-up state, the result of a Cretan revival meeting)
3. it is not the exclusive property of either the intellectual elite; or the religious elite (this faith-knowledge did not belong merely to Paul, or Titus, or even just the appointed elders, but to the common, Cretan Christians)
What is Faith-Knowledge?
1. it is revealed insight, graciously unveiled by God
2. it is relational and covenantal, thus enduring and binding
3. it is spiritual and transformational, changing from the inside out
Based on the three points above (What is Faith-Knowledge?), here are corresponding practical implications:
Practical Implications:
1. do I demonstrate a practical dependence on God’s revealed truth? Do I read, study, discuss and apply God’s Word.
2. do I love God and His Word? Am I captivated by Christ?
3. am I a changed person? Am I a changing person? Am I committed to being shaped by God and His Word?
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Rebel
On page 5 of chapter 1 (see note below), the authors say that this book is about “a rebellion against low expectations.”
It is not unusual to see the word “rebel” associated with teens. A “rebellious teenager?” Some might ask if there is any other kind.
But the truth is, we are all to be rebels, against some things. And also, it is wrong to rebel against other things.
It is wrong to rebel against God; against His Word; against God-given authorities, like parents, elders, and government. There are exceptions in cases with the last three, but there is a principle of submission here, not rebellion.
So against what (or whom) should we rebel?
Against sin and Satan, and the kind of tyranny that they would exercise over my mind and my heart.
Against the world and its God-ignoring tendencies, treating Him as though He does not exist or does not matter.
Against the worship and coddling of self, whether in avoiding responsibility, or in seizing selfish ambition.
The list could be long, and our lists will be different. What is your list of things against which you should (must) rebel?
Note:
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, a recently released book (Multnomah) written by 19 yr old twin brothers, Alex and Brett Harris, is a challenge to do just what the title says.
As a dad, mentor, and pastor, I have shared this book with a little circle, and we will be discussing its contents with one another. Here are some short posts con of my initial thoughts as I read through.
It is not unusual to see the word “rebel” associated with teens. A “rebellious teenager?” Some might ask if there is any other kind.
But the truth is, we are all to be rebels, against some things. And also, it is wrong to rebel against other things.
It is wrong to rebel against God; against His Word; against God-given authorities, like parents, elders, and government. There are exceptions in cases with the last three, but there is a principle of submission here, not rebellion.
So against what (or whom) should we rebel?
Against sin and Satan, and the kind of tyranny that they would exercise over my mind and my heart.
Against the world and its God-ignoring tendencies, treating Him as though He does not exist or does not matter.
Against the worship and coddling of self, whether in avoiding responsibility, or in seizing selfish ambition.
The list could be long, and our lists will be different. What is your list of things against which you should (must) rebel?
Note:
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, a recently released book (Multnomah) written by 19 yr old twin brothers, Alex and Brett Harris, is a challenge to do just what the title says.
As a dad, mentor, and pastor, I have shared this book with a little circle, and we will be discussing its contents with one another. Here are some short posts con of my initial thoughts as I read through.
Do Hard Things
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, a recently released book (Multnomah) written by 19 yr old twin brothers, Alex and Brett Harris, is a challenge to do just what the title says.
As a dad, mentor, and pastor, I have shared this book with a small circle of people, and we will be discussing its contents with one another. Here are some short posts on of my initial thoughts as I read through.
The title reads: Do Hard Things. What are the hard things that God wants us to do? I think I know the hardest: to die. Not necessarily in the physical sense of the word, since we are all going to die eventually; but to die as a follower of Jesus. Since he died for us, we die with him, dying to self and our own little kingdoms. He becomes the central figure of my life; not me.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24 ESV)
As I read the title of the book, the endorsements and the introduction, I hope that the authors will challenge me and other readers to think through and take action to do
the hardest thing - dying, in order to do
the greatest thing – living a life that is truly alive.
As a dad, mentor, and pastor, I have shared this book with a small circle of people, and we will be discussing its contents with one another. Here are some short posts on of my initial thoughts as I read through.
The title reads: Do Hard Things. What are the hard things that God wants us to do? I think I know the hardest: to die. Not necessarily in the physical sense of the word, since we are all going to die eventually; but to die as a follower of Jesus. Since he died for us, we die with him, dying to self and our own little kingdoms. He becomes the central figure of my life; not me.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24 ESV)
As I read the title of the book, the endorsements and the introduction, I hope that the authors will challenge me and other readers to think through and take action to do
the hardest thing - dying, in order to do
the greatest thing – living a life that is truly alive.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Liars
Jonah’s life was marked by flagrant fouls; by grievous inconsistencies. He claimed that he “feared God” (Jonah 1:9), but he really didn’t. His actions spoke more clearly and accurately than his words.
Jonah was a non-praying prophet. Yes, it must be admitted that he prayed in the belly of the fish. “I called out to the LORD,” (Jonah 2:2 ESV). But he did not pray in chapter 1, even when urged to do so (1:6). He prayed only when he had to, only when he was compelled. This is like when a person confesses their sin .. once they are caught. You can never tell if the repentance is real or authentic. And you can not tell the authenticity of the submissive soul except when it prays willingly, and not merely out of desperation.
And so when Jonah prayed, he must have felt so good about himself. “What a relief to get this off my chest! I feel so good when I pray, kind of like making up after a fight. God and I are good again.” Is this true religion? A brief religious exercise that purges our conscience but changes little else? And don’t we do the same thing? Don’t we, in our occasional prayers, actually betray our own selves, indicted by all the times when we fail to pray, and that our prayerful pledges of love and dedication sit stranded in lives lived in autonomy from God’s help and direction in our lives? What about the songs that we sing? “Oh, how I love Jesus; Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me.” Certainly love for Jesus is fitting. But memorizing in our heads this little chorus is far different from having our hearts trained to fly to Jesus in love moment by moment throughout each day of the week. Or how about “I Surrender All?” “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust him, In His presence daily live. I surrender all. I surrender all. All to Jesus I surrender; I surrender all.” Really? Complete surrender? Has anyone ever surrendered absolutely everything to God outside of Jesus Himself? Yes, the category of song is that of Aspiration. Perhaps the song is not stating a fact, but a desire: I desire to surrender all. Really? Don’t you at times desire to rebel? To live independently from the will of God, fleeing from the doing of his will, like Jonah, the liar? “It is the Cry of My Heart to follow You.” Well, sometimes. But a lot of the time, the truth is that cry of your heart couldn’t even be voiced aloud due to the shame that it would bring to you and your family.
The truth that must be said of ourselves is not that we are excellent in our religious practices, but that we are sinners. And then, gratefully, it can also be said, truthfully, that God is gracious, and that He is able to drive His grace just as deeply into our hearts as our sin is rooted.
Secondly, Jonah is much too willing to blame God for his predicament.
“For you cast me into the deep,” (Jonah 2:3 ESV)
“Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight;” (Jonah 2:4 ESV)
Don’t we do the same thing? How could God let this happen? Imagine the setting, the stench, the slime, the revulsion.
But are we careful to trace how the consequences of our sin bear themselves out in our lives? And in our most reflective times, are we willing to sort through the events of our lives to see if it could be that a loving Father is using discipline in our lives that will correct his erring children, and purify us for His purposes and for our sake?
So we have these two lies from the lying lips of Jonah: the pretending of a Christian consistency; and the pretension of a Christian blamelessness. Once again, I find that I am more like Jonah than Jesus. By God’s grace, that will change.
Jonah was a non-praying prophet. Yes, it must be admitted that he prayed in the belly of the fish. “I called out to the LORD,” (Jonah 2:2 ESV). But he did not pray in chapter 1, even when urged to do so (1:6). He prayed only when he had to, only when he was compelled. This is like when a person confesses their sin .. once they are caught. You can never tell if the repentance is real or authentic. And you can not tell the authenticity of the submissive soul except when it prays willingly, and not merely out of desperation.
And so when Jonah prayed, he must have felt so good about himself. “What a relief to get this off my chest! I feel so good when I pray, kind of like making up after a fight. God and I are good again.” Is this true religion? A brief religious exercise that purges our conscience but changes little else? And don’t we do the same thing? Don’t we, in our occasional prayers, actually betray our own selves, indicted by all the times when we fail to pray, and that our prayerful pledges of love and dedication sit stranded in lives lived in autonomy from God’s help and direction in our lives? What about the songs that we sing? “Oh, how I love Jesus; Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me.” Certainly love for Jesus is fitting. But memorizing in our heads this little chorus is far different from having our hearts trained to fly to Jesus in love moment by moment throughout each day of the week. Or how about “I Surrender All?” “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust him, In His presence daily live. I surrender all. I surrender all. All to Jesus I surrender; I surrender all.” Really? Complete surrender? Has anyone ever surrendered absolutely everything to God outside of Jesus Himself? Yes, the category of song is that of Aspiration. Perhaps the song is not stating a fact, but a desire: I desire to surrender all. Really? Don’t you at times desire to rebel? To live independently from the will of God, fleeing from the doing of his will, like Jonah, the liar? “It is the Cry of My Heart to follow You.” Well, sometimes. But a lot of the time, the truth is that cry of your heart couldn’t even be voiced aloud due to the shame that it would bring to you and your family.
The truth that must be said of ourselves is not that we are excellent in our religious practices, but that we are sinners. And then, gratefully, it can also be said, truthfully, that God is gracious, and that He is able to drive His grace just as deeply into our hearts as our sin is rooted.
Secondly, Jonah is much too willing to blame God for his predicament.
“For you cast me into the deep,” (Jonah 2:3 ESV)
“Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight;” (Jonah 2:4 ESV)
Don’t we do the same thing? How could God let this happen? Imagine the setting, the stench, the slime, the revulsion.
But are we careful to trace how the consequences of our sin bear themselves out in our lives? And in our most reflective times, are we willing to sort through the events of our lives to see if it could be that a loving Father is using discipline in our lives that will correct his erring children, and purify us for His purposes and for our sake?
So we have these two lies from the lying lips of Jonah: the pretending of a Christian consistency; and the pretension of a Christian blamelessness. Once again, I find that I am more like Jonah than Jesus. By God’s grace, that will change.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Spiritual Sleep
There are at least two kinds of sleep: the one in which a person is exhausted by pouring himself out in ministry to others (Lk 8, see verse below); the other in which a person is dull and lazy, serving only selfish interests (Jonah 1, see verse below). In Jonah, we have an example of the latter, while in Jesus we have an example of the former.
Spiritual sleepiness lays one bare to any number of perils. An interesting cross-reference is that of Sisera, captain of Jabin’s troops, as he flees for his life (Judges 4, see verse below). A false sense of safety and security allows him to fall into a deep sleep, to his peril. There are lessons to apply for those of us who battle spiritual sleepiness.
How does one know if he/she is in the grip of spiritual sleepiness? Just compare yourself to Jonah.
1. Do you place high priority on feathering your own nest (or, find a nice, quiet, dry spot in the hold of the ship in the midst of a horrendous storm) with little thought of the predicament of others?
2. When challenged to pray, do you actually pray? Jonah was commanded by the Commander to arise and pray. He arose, but he didn’t pray, just as God had told him to arise and go to Nineveh. He arose, but he didn’t go to Nineveh.
3. Do you spout theological truth that is patently untrue when it comes to your life? Jonah said that he feared the Lord. But it is obvious that he did not fear the Lord. He got his description of God down real nice. But there was a gap between his doctrine and his practice.
4. Would you rather die than do God’s will? That sounds extreme, but that is where we find Jonah. He could have fallen on his face and repented, saying, “Turn the ship around. Let’s go home.” But he didn’t repent. “God hurled the storm at me. Pick me up and hurl me right back at God.”
Spiritual sleepiness a) lulls us into losing any sense of concern for the souls of men, whether of sinners or sailors. Spiritual sleepiness b) drowns out a sense of the reality and fearsomeness of God. Spiritual sleepiness c) seriously fogs the claim of God upon one’s life to serve Him according to His will, as He sees fit.
And spiritual sleepiness is not merely an OT problem. The church at Sardis is warned of their death-like sleepiness, and given pointed instructions:
“You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.” (Revelation 3:1-2 ESV)
I know that my works are not complete in the sight of my God. The works of our local church are not complete. Nor are the works of the Body of Christ throughout the world.
Verses from Above
(Luke 8:23-24 ESV) “and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!””
(Jonah 1:5-6 ESV) “But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god!”
(Judges 4:20-21 ESV) “But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.”
Spiritual sleepiness lays one bare to any number of perils. An interesting cross-reference is that of Sisera, captain of Jabin’s troops, as he flees for his life (Judges 4, see verse below). A false sense of safety and security allows him to fall into a deep sleep, to his peril. There are lessons to apply for those of us who battle spiritual sleepiness.
How does one know if he/she is in the grip of spiritual sleepiness? Just compare yourself to Jonah.
1. Do you place high priority on feathering your own nest (or, find a nice, quiet, dry spot in the hold of the ship in the midst of a horrendous storm) with little thought of the predicament of others?
2. When challenged to pray, do you actually pray? Jonah was commanded by the Commander to arise and pray. He arose, but he didn’t pray, just as God had told him to arise and go to Nineveh. He arose, but he didn’t go to Nineveh.
3. Do you spout theological truth that is patently untrue when it comes to your life? Jonah said that he feared the Lord. But it is obvious that he did not fear the Lord. He got his description of God down real nice. But there was a gap between his doctrine and his practice.
4. Would you rather die than do God’s will? That sounds extreme, but that is where we find Jonah. He could have fallen on his face and repented, saying, “Turn the ship around. Let’s go home.” But he didn’t repent. “God hurled the storm at me. Pick me up and hurl me right back at God.”
Spiritual sleepiness a) lulls us into losing any sense of concern for the souls of men, whether of sinners or sailors. Spiritual sleepiness b) drowns out a sense of the reality and fearsomeness of God. Spiritual sleepiness c) seriously fogs the claim of God upon one’s life to serve Him according to His will, as He sees fit.
And spiritual sleepiness is not merely an OT problem. The church at Sardis is warned of their death-like sleepiness, and given pointed instructions:
“You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.” (Revelation 3:1-2 ESV)
I know that my works are not complete in the sight of my God. The works of our local church are not complete. Nor are the works of the Body of Christ throughout the world.
Verses from Above
(Luke 8:23-24 ESV) “and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!””
(Jonah 1:5-6 ESV) “But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god!”
(Judges 4:20-21 ESV) “But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.”
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
God in the Concrete
“But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” “ (Jonah 1:4 ESV)
God acts concretely in the Jonah narrative. God hurls. God appoints, a fish; a plant; a worm; a strong east wind. He does these things, not in the abstract, but in the concrete.
If a meteorologist had studied the maps in the moments leading up to this storm, what would he have seen? Did God arrange for this storm using natural means, or was it a surprising, inexplicable occurrence? Or what about the fish (1:17)? Did it have a mommy fish, growing the way that fish grow? And did God move the boat to where the fish was, or the fish to where the boat was? Could God have created that fish right then and there, so that Jonah was its very first meal?
Whether or not God worked through means and processes, or whether He acted in more radical fashion, what we have are God’s acts in the concrete. But in our world today, we are often left with only abstract references to God and abstract expectations of God.
When someone says, “Well, I guess the good Lord was watching out for me today,” he probably is referring more to a god-idea or god-principle than he is to the Almighty God who breaks into history to accomplish His purposes. I am not arguing against the providence of God. Not by any means. I am arguing against the widespread notion of God that denies His fierce reality. When we say, “Watch out! God might strike you with lightning!” we don’t really believe that God might actually do that. We don’t really believe in that kind of God, who stops people in their tracks, or puts His finger on a prophet gone AWOL.
Not only is God really real, but so is the incarnation and resurrection of His Son. Jesus really rose from the dead, in the concrete, not just in abstraction. Some teach that Jesus rose “spiritually.” Somehow we are to be inspired with this sentiment. But Jesus’ resurrection actually involved the reversal of all the effects of death in a human body that had already begun. It is this physical, concrete resurrection which assures us that the concrete God will work again to make a New Creation that is rid of sin and evil. It’s more than just an idea or theory. It is a confident, concrete expectation.
And so, then, Christians should be more than abstract Christians. Am I a concrete follower of Christ? Do faith, hope and love have concrete expressions in my life, clinging to God’s Word over my own senses; living beyond current conveniences in the expectation for future glory; sacrificing self for the sake of others?
A merely abstract God is no God at all.
A merely abstract Jesus is no Savior at all.
A merely abstract Christian is no Christian at all.
A final word. No Christian perfectly expresses faith, hope and love. At times we despair in the almost-absence of these evidences. But God will fan into eternal flame the smallest sparks of His saving grace in our lives. We are not saved by our faith, hope and love. But we seek to encourage such concrete expressions, that the world might be convinced of God, so much so that they “ “falling on their faces, will worship God and declare that God is really among you.” “ (1Corinthians 14:25 ESV, edited)
God acts concretely in the Jonah narrative. God hurls. God appoints, a fish; a plant; a worm; a strong east wind. He does these things, not in the abstract, but in the concrete.
If a meteorologist had studied the maps in the moments leading up to this storm, what would he have seen? Did God arrange for this storm using natural means, or was it a surprising, inexplicable occurrence? Or what about the fish (1:17)? Did it have a mommy fish, growing the way that fish grow? And did God move the boat to where the fish was, or the fish to where the boat was? Could God have created that fish right then and there, so that Jonah was its very first meal?
Whether or not God worked through means and processes, or whether He acted in more radical fashion, what we have are God’s acts in the concrete. But in our world today, we are often left with only abstract references to God and abstract expectations of God.
When someone says, “Well, I guess the good Lord was watching out for me today,” he probably is referring more to a god-idea or god-principle than he is to the Almighty God who breaks into history to accomplish His purposes. I am not arguing against the providence of God. Not by any means. I am arguing against the widespread notion of God that denies His fierce reality. When we say, “Watch out! God might strike you with lightning!” we don’t really believe that God might actually do that. We don’t really believe in that kind of God, who stops people in their tracks, or puts His finger on a prophet gone AWOL.
Not only is God really real, but so is the incarnation and resurrection of His Son. Jesus really rose from the dead, in the concrete, not just in abstraction. Some teach that Jesus rose “spiritually.” Somehow we are to be inspired with this sentiment. But Jesus’ resurrection actually involved the reversal of all the effects of death in a human body that had already begun. It is this physical, concrete resurrection which assures us that the concrete God will work again to make a New Creation that is rid of sin and evil. It’s more than just an idea or theory. It is a confident, concrete expectation.
And so, then, Christians should be more than abstract Christians. Am I a concrete follower of Christ? Do faith, hope and love have concrete expressions in my life, clinging to God’s Word over my own senses; living beyond current conveniences in the expectation for future glory; sacrificing self for the sake of others?
A merely abstract God is no God at all.
A merely abstract Jesus is no Savior at all.
A merely abstract Christian is no Christian at all.
A final word. No Christian perfectly expresses faith, hope and love. At times we despair in the almost-absence of these evidences. But God will fan into eternal flame the smallest sparks of His saving grace in our lives. We are not saved by our faith, hope and love. But we seek to encourage such concrete expressions, that the world might be convinced of God, so much so that they “ “falling on their faces, will worship God and declare that God is really among you.” “ (1Corinthians 14:25 ESV, edited)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
In God’s Face
In God’s Face
In a world where people have a hard time grasping the concept of sin, we struggle even more with the truth that our sins are offensive to God. Isn’t it His job to forgive? Isn’t He big enough to get over it?
God says to Jonah, “their wickedness has come up before Me.” (Jonah 1:2 NAS95S) The phrase could be translated literally, “their wickedness has come right up in My face.”
We have a hard time facing up to our sins against God. Perhaps this illustration will help (in part, gleaned from Colin S. Smith, “The Ambassador's Job Description: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21” in Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns, D.A. Carson, general editor, 2000, p.185). If I dig a hole in the garden with a shovel and cut an earthworm in half, I’m not bothered at all. If I hit a squirrel with my car, I go, “eww,” but don’t lose any sleep. If I back over the neighbor’s child, the lives of several people, including my own are shattered. But when I sin against God - and all sin is against God - it affects my relationship with God eternally, unless that sin is dealt with in a satisfactory way. The gravity of an offense is measured by the value of the being that is offended. Cut a worm in half. Two worms. Hit a squirrel. Nuts. But human beings created in the image of God, devastating. And offending God. Damning.
So Nineveh’s sin is serious. So is your’s. So is mine.
When King David fornicated with Bathsheba, conceiving a child while her husband was on the battlefield fighting for David’s kingdom and David’s honor, David sinned. When Uriah refused to come home and sleep with his wife (so as to cover up David’s earlier sin) while his comrades were still fighting, and so David had him placed on the front lines in order to be killed, David sinned. And finally, when David confessed his sin, he said, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,” (Psalms 51:4 ESV). Strange. Seems to me David sinned against more people than just God. But David got something right. Because of the value of the Person offended, his sin was mostly, primarily against God.
When I sin, it has consequences for me and for those around me. But the magnitude of my sin is right up there “in God’s face.”
In a world where people have a hard time grasping the concept of sin, we struggle even more with the truth that our sins are offensive to God. Isn’t it His job to forgive? Isn’t He big enough to get over it?
God says to Jonah, “their wickedness has come up before Me.” (Jonah 1:2 NAS95S) The phrase could be translated literally, “their wickedness has come right up in My face.”
We have a hard time facing up to our sins against God. Perhaps this illustration will help (in part, gleaned from Colin S. Smith, “The Ambassador's Job Description: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21” in Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns, D.A. Carson, general editor, 2000, p.185). If I dig a hole in the garden with a shovel and cut an earthworm in half, I’m not bothered at all. If I hit a squirrel with my car, I go, “eww,” but don’t lose any sleep. If I back over the neighbor’s child, the lives of several people, including my own are shattered. But when I sin against God - and all sin is against God - it affects my relationship with God eternally, unless that sin is dealt with in a satisfactory way. The gravity of an offense is measured by the value of the being that is offended. Cut a worm in half. Two worms. Hit a squirrel. Nuts. But human beings created in the image of God, devastating. And offending God. Damning.
So Nineveh’s sin is serious. So is your’s. So is mine.
When King David fornicated with Bathsheba, conceiving a child while her husband was on the battlefield fighting for David’s kingdom and David’s honor, David sinned. When Uriah refused to come home and sleep with his wife (so as to cover up David’s earlier sin) while his comrades were still fighting, and so David had him placed on the front lines in order to be killed, David sinned. And finally, when David confessed his sin, he said, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,” (Psalms 51:4 ESV). Strange. Seems to me David sinned against more people than just God. But David got something right. Because of the value of the Person offended, his sin was mostly, primarily against God.
When I sin, it has consequences for me and for those around me. But the magnitude of my sin is right up there “in God’s face.”
About Face
The best way to know one’s mind is not only to hear his words, but to also see his face. And so God, in making known his holy mind to sinful men sends His Word delivered by prophets with human faces.
Jonah, and Jesus, are prophets. One was an Anti-Prophet. The other is the Ultimate Prophet. Once again, we must decide if we will follow Jonah, or Jesus. The (literal) use of the word “face” in the opening verses of Jonah provides the starter material for our discussion. “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” (Jonah 1:3 NAS95S) The phrase could be translated literally, “from the face of the Lord.”
Where is God’s presence? Isn’t it everywhere? “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?”
(Psalms 139:7 ESV) For this prophet, a fair interpretation would be to say that when Jonah ceased to be where God wanted him to be, and go where God wanted him to go, then he was no longer living in God’s presence, or before God’s face.
So Jonah forsook God’s face, rejecting the message, and he also fled from the mission field, rejecting the recipients, refusing to communicate with them face to face. There is a lesson here. Rejecting the faces of the recipients of God’s message coordinates with fleeing from God’s face. “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar;” (1John 4:20 ESV) We cannot love the Lord fully and not also love those to whom we have been called or sent.
As followers of Jesus and representatives of the Ultimate Prophet, we may wish that God’s mind could be communicated merely with propositions. Air drop some literature on Nineveh. Send a mass e-mail to all my associates. Let’s be done with it. But the message is not merely propositional. It is also personal. Jesus came and delivered God’s mind to us in person – He spoke the message (propositions), but even more, he incarnated the message. There is an application here. So we also must seek “face time” with those who would be recipients, in those places where God has called us to be, and those places where God sends us to go.
We live in an informational age overladen with technologies that permit and encourage minimal personal contact. But the very culture that maximizes such capabilities at the same time hardens people against the practice. People are resistant to mere propositions. They need to receive the Good News from someone they can respect; from someone they can know and trust; from someone who will take the time to sit with them face to face.
Jonah, and Jesus, are prophets. One was an Anti-Prophet. The other is the Ultimate Prophet. Once again, we must decide if we will follow Jonah, or Jesus. The (literal) use of the word “face” in the opening verses of Jonah provides the starter material for our discussion. “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” (Jonah 1:3 NAS95S) The phrase could be translated literally, “from the face of the Lord.”
Where is God’s presence? Isn’t it everywhere? “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?”
(Psalms 139:7 ESV) For this prophet, a fair interpretation would be to say that when Jonah ceased to be where God wanted him to be, and go where God wanted him to go, then he was no longer living in God’s presence, or before God’s face.
So Jonah forsook God’s face, rejecting the message, and he also fled from the mission field, rejecting the recipients, refusing to communicate with them face to face. There is a lesson here. Rejecting the faces of the recipients of God’s message coordinates with fleeing from God’s face. “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar;” (1John 4:20 ESV) We cannot love the Lord fully and not also love those to whom we have been called or sent.
As followers of Jesus and representatives of the Ultimate Prophet, we may wish that God’s mind could be communicated merely with propositions. Air drop some literature on Nineveh. Send a mass e-mail to all my associates. Let’s be done with it. But the message is not merely propositional. It is also personal. Jesus came and delivered God’s mind to us in person – He spoke the message (propositions), but even more, he incarnated the message. There is an application here. So we also must seek “face time” with those who would be recipients, in those places where God has called us to be, and those places where God sends us to go.
We live in an informational age overladen with technologies that permit and encourage minimal personal contact. But the very culture that maximizes such capabilities at the same time hardens people against the practice. People are resistant to mere propositions. They need to receive the Good News from someone they can respect; from someone they can know and trust; from someone who will take the time to sit with them face to face.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Jonah: The Recalcitrant Prophet
This past Sunday (1/13/08), in introducing Jonah, we looked at some of the historical and geographical background.
Regarding the historicity of Jonah and this story:
The truthfulness of the Jonah story is no more difficult to swallow than is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, just as our hope in a new heavens and new earth is no less justifiable than is our acceptance of the creation of this present earth as described by God in Genesis 1,2. Yes, our faith embraces that which is utterly fantastic, and we deal with a God who is wild and wonderful. And what is our problem with that?
Regarding the geography of Jonah:
The far, even unreasonable distance which Jonah was unwilling to travel east to Nineveh was more than matched by his willingness to travel even further west to Tarshish (perhaps on the SW coast of Spain). But then, the distance that Jonah was willing to traverse in order to avoid God, God is willing to solve in order to forgive and fellowship with His people:
“as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12 ESV)
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 8:11 ESV)
The low esteem which Jonah held toward the Ninevites could be contrasted by the high value he placed on his own self and independence from God. Jonah helps us to see more clearly, then, the humiliation of Jesus, who placed such high value on miserable sinners that he voluntarily humbled himself to serve us and save us.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 ESV)
And so we see Jonah, the Recalcitrant Prophet, that is, one who digs in his heels and resists his summons to testify. Perhaps we can see some parallel with this excerpt from a portion of our legal code, and maybe even a hint of what is in store for Jonah, the Anti-Prophet.
U.S. Code Collection: TITLE 28 PART V CHAPTER 119: § 1826. Recalcitrant Witness (a) Whenever a witness in any proceeding before or ancillary to any court or grand jury of the United States refuses without just cause shown to comply with an order of the court to testify or provide other information, ..the court, upon such refusal, ..may summarily order his confinement at a suitable place until such time as the witness is willing to give such testimony or provide such information.
Regarding the historicity of Jonah and this story:
The truthfulness of the Jonah story is no more difficult to swallow than is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, just as our hope in a new heavens and new earth is no less justifiable than is our acceptance of the creation of this present earth as described by God in Genesis 1,2. Yes, our faith embraces that which is utterly fantastic, and we deal with a God who is wild and wonderful. And what is our problem with that?
Regarding the geography of Jonah:
The far, even unreasonable distance which Jonah was unwilling to travel east to Nineveh was more than matched by his willingness to travel even further west to Tarshish (perhaps on the SW coast of Spain). But then, the distance that Jonah was willing to traverse in order to avoid God, God is willing to solve in order to forgive and fellowship with His people:
“as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12 ESV)
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 8:11 ESV)
The low esteem which Jonah held toward the Ninevites could be contrasted by the high value he placed on his own self and independence from God. Jonah helps us to see more clearly, then, the humiliation of Jesus, who placed such high value on miserable sinners that he voluntarily humbled himself to serve us and save us.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 ESV)
And so we see Jonah, the Recalcitrant Prophet, that is, one who digs in his heels and resists his summons to testify. Perhaps we can see some parallel with this excerpt from a portion of our legal code, and maybe even a hint of what is in store for Jonah, the Anti-Prophet.
U.S. Code Collection: TITLE 28 PART V CHAPTER 119: § 1826. Recalcitrant Witness (a) Whenever a witness in any proceeding before or ancillary to any court or grand jury of the United States refuses without just cause shown to comply with an order of the court to testify or provide other information, ..the court, upon such refusal, ..may summarily order his confinement at a suitable place until such time as the witness is willing to give such testimony or provide such information.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Faith Illustration
This illustration is designed to show that faith is not a work. It helps me to think about the relation of grace and faith, as in Eph 2:8,9.
Think of a milkshake. God graciously gives the milkshake. We didn't provide the resources, or make it. God did. But we are supposed to drink it.
Some people would say that our faith-response to God's gracious gift is the straw through which we suck up the milkshake. But I don't think so. God gives the straw as well.
So then faith must be our ability to suck the shake up the straw to ourselves. But I don't think that is right either. We can't even suck without God giving the ability, and even then, I don't think that is where faith comes in.
I think faith is more like God doing everything, providing the ingredients, making the shake, giving the straw, drawing the shake to our mouths, and the response of faith is merely savoring what God has done.
I think that is what faith is. It is realizing that without God, we can not be saved, and that we cannot contribute to the process. Faith is savoring, appreciating, and valuing what God has done in Christ. Faith is savoring Christ. Is it essential to salvation? Yes. But it does not place our actions at the center. God through Christ is at the center.
Think of a milkshake. God graciously gives the milkshake. We didn't provide the resources, or make it. God did. But we are supposed to drink it.
Some people would say that our faith-response to God's gracious gift is the straw through which we suck up the milkshake. But I don't think so. God gives the straw as well.
So then faith must be our ability to suck the shake up the straw to ourselves. But I don't think that is right either. We can't even suck without God giving the ability, and even then, I don't think that is where faith comes in.
I think faith is more like God doing everything, providing the ingredients, making the shake, giving the straw, drawing the shake to our mouths, and the response of faith is merely savoring what God has done.
I think that is what faith is. It is realizing that without God, we can not be saved, and that we cannot contribute to the process. Faith is savoring, appreciating, and valuing what God has done in Christ. Faith is savoring Christ. Is it essential to salvation? Yes. But it does not place our actions at the center. God through Christ is at the center.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The Church is Packing Heat
News stories frequently highlight the twists and turns of sin in a hundred variations, and, on occasion, shed light on how the evangelical community is seeking to operate with regard to sin’s influence.
On a recent Sunday (Dec 9, 07), there was another shooting by a crazed gunman, this time targetting Christians in Colorado, at the YWAM training center in Arvada, and then at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. This event, like the others, are tragic and troubling. There are so many issues upon which we as a society should reflect.
But the aspect of the story that caught my attention was the fact that the gunman was stopped by an armed security guard at a Sunday morning church gathering. I will be watching closely this coming Sunday to see if our ushers are packing heat.
Leaving aside the propriety of guns at worship gatherings, I would like to take the theme and run with it. The Church of Jesus Christ is indeed “packing heat,” though not the kind for which news reporters and paranoid pastors will be watching.
The Holy Spirit
When Christ ascended, He poured out His Spirit upon His Church, and we serve, pray and worship only in this Spirit. Every activity undertaken without the Spirit’s guidance and enablement is destined to be merely temporal, and actually detracts from the mission. We “pack heat” in that the Spirit of God is the One who provides the Church with power.
The Gospel
What message can change a life, and bring about the most dramatic reversal “from death to life?” What news is so good, that it drives all others stories, no matter how troubling or tragic, into the background? Only the Gospel. It is the “power of God for salvation to all who believe” (Rom 1:16).
Holiness
The holiness of God is so overwhelming, that sinful humanity cannot stand in its glory. And yet, redeemed sinners are declared holy, and progressively transformed into holiness by the sanctifying (holi-fying) work of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This is “packing heat” in the sense of bringing white-hot, out-of-this-world sunshine into human experience.
Love
What can melt the heart of stone? God’s love. And God has demonstrated His love in sending His Son, Jesus, as sacrifice for our sins (Romans 5:8). That is a very hot love. And now, followers of Jesus Christ are to be the carriers of that very same kind of love, by which other hearts may be melted so they can be changed toward holiness through the Gospel administered by the Holy Spirit.
I am thankful that more lives were not taken last weekend as the gunman was stopped in that confrontation by the security guard. But I desire a Church that packs the kind of heat specifically ordained by God to reach a very cold world.
On a recent Sunday (Dec 9, 07), there was another shooting by a crazed gunman, this time targetting Christians in Colorado, at the YWAM training center in Arvada, and then at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. This event, like the others, are tragic and troubling. There are so many issues upon which we as a society should reflect.
But the aspect of the story that caught my attention was the fact that the gunman was stopped by an armed security guard at a Sunday morning church gathering. I will be watching closely this coming Sunday to see if our ushers are packing heat.
Leaving aside the propriety of guns at worship gatherings, I would like to take the theme and run with it. The Church of Jesus Christ is indeed “packing heat,” though not the kind for which news reporters and paranoid pastors will be watching.
The Holy Spirit
When Christ ascended, He poured out His Spirit upon His Church, and we serve, pray and worship only in this Spirit. Every activity undertaken without the Spirit’s guidance and enablement is destined to be merely temporal, and actually detracts from the mission. We “pack heat” in that the Spirit of God is the One who provides the Church with power.
The Gospel
What message can change a life, and bring about the most dramatic reversal “from death to life?” What news is so good, that it drives all others stories, no matter how troubling or tragic, into the background? Only the Gospel. It is the “power of God for salvation to all who believe” (Rom 1:16).
Holiness
The holiness of God is so overwhelming, that sinful humanity cannot stand in its glory. And yet, redeemed sinners are declared holy, and progressively transformed into holiness by the sanctifying (holi-fying) work of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This is “packing heat” in the sense of bringing white-hot, out-of-this-world sunshine into human experience.
Love
What can melt the heart of stone? God’s love. And God has demonstrated His love in sending His Son, Jesus, as sacrifice for our sins (Romans 5:8). That is a very hot love. And now, followers of Jesus Christ are to be the carriers of that very same kind of love, by which other hearts may be melted so they can be changed toward holiness through the Gospel administered by the Holy Spirit.
I am thankful that more lives were not taken last weekend as the gunman was stopped in that confrontation by the security guard. But I desire a Church that packs the kind of heat specifically ordained by God to reach a very cold world.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sacred Scriptures
Sacred Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:15-17
1. There is a mystery to the mind of God; and a hiddenness to the heart of man.
There is a mystery to the mind of God, and a hiddenness to the heart of man. The chasm between these two seems insurmountable. Yet somehow, God reveals, and some men and women are regenerated. I would not say that there is a meeting of the minds, but there is the creation of children of God who share in the character and program, that is, the mind, of God.
2. God clearly desires that His Word finds its home in our hearts, that we might delight in Him; and love and glorify Him
God clearly desires that His Word finds its home in our hearts, that we might delight in Him; and love and glorify Him. And so He communicates. Somehow, the God who is spirit puts His truth into human thought-form and language. He speaks to Abraham, though how we do not know. He summons Moses from the burning bush. He pushes His poetry through the fingers of David using pen and paper. And then He sends His Son, Jesus, the incarnation of the character and purpose of God, so that we can hear, see and touch in human flesh what God is about. The manner and ministry of this Savior have been written down as well, so that today we hold in our hands and on our laps a written revelation of the mind of God in Old and New Testaments, which 2 Timothy 3:15,16 are holy writings able to make us wise to salvation and Scriptures that are able to qualify and equip us to do God’s bidding. We have a written Word that does not evaporate into the air, and that, though quickly forgotten, can be reviewed and relearned again and again.
3. God’s written Word is profitable and effective in bringing about life change.
When God’s Word hits not just our ears, but the hard surfaces of our hearts, we are changed. Nothing stays the same when penetrated by God’s Word. We become what we never could be – men and women of God. We do what we never even wanted to do – serve God. It is the inspired Word of God that is able to take a life and transform it into a tool for God’s use. And so we must clearly confess our need for exposure and acceptance of the Scriptures.
4. God’s holy Word is opposed by a multitude of profane communications.
But as we come to consider the context of 2 Timothy 3:15-17, we must recognize that there are many profane communications that stand in opposition to God’s holy Word. The contrasts are found readily in the surrounding text:
a. the profitable Word (3:16) opposed by deceivers and deceptions (3:13)
3:16 says God’s Word is profitable to improve a life, but 3:13 says that “evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Now it’s easy to say, “Don’t be deceived.” But how do you know? By tracing the words of Scripture with your crooked finger, lest crooked hearts lead you away into lies!
b. a commitment to a pattern (3:10) opposed by cycles without change (3:7)
3:10 says that Timothy followed or tracked Paul’s “teaching, conduct, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions and sufferings.” The apostolic testimony, and the life that was in accordance with that testimony, served as a roadmap for Timothy’s life. But there were others (3:7) who were “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” They are not becoming more like Christ because they are not committed to “the standard of sound teaching” (1:13,14).
c. the word of truth (4:2,4) opposed by myths (4:4)
4:2 commands Timothy to “preach the Word.” This Word is called “the truth” in 4:4, from which some have turned aside. The verb “turn aside” is used elsewhere in the Pastorals with reference to fruitless discussion (1 Tim 1:6); Satan’s lies (1 Tim 5:15); and worldly and empty chatter and opposing arguments (ESV, irreverant babble and contradictions) (1 Tim 6:20). In this passage, we find that we are tempted to turn aside from the truth of Scripture to myths.
I will suggest some contemporary myths based on these previous three paragraphs.
1. The Myth in the Message - those whose message is not tied to the written Word and who espouse human-centered or humanistic messages (e.g., public school psychology; and leading popular public personalities, both secular and religious)
2. The Myth in the Messenger - those whose lives are not conformed to the pattern of sound teaching. Their lives are marked by areas of disobedienc, which either disqualifies from serving as a messenger, or at least should warn off those tempted to follow their teaching. If they are not even able to teach themselves, then why should we listen to them (e.g., non-suffering servants who live like kings; women preachers, including husband-wife pastoral teams; those who play to the camera)
3. The Myth in the Masses - those whose desires dictate what they hear (e.g., shopping for a message; searching for an experience)
1. There is a mystery to the mind of God; and a hiddenness to the heart of man.
There is a mystery to the mind of God, and a hiddenness to the heart of man. The chasm between these two seems insurmountable. Yet somehow, God reveals, and some men and women are regenerated. I would not say that there is a meeting of the minds, but there is the creation of children of God who share in the character and program, that is, the mind, of God.
2. God clearly desires that His Word finds its home in our hearts, that we might delight in Him; and love and glorify Him
God clearly desires that His Word finds its home in our hearts, that we might delight in Him; and love and glorify Him. And so He communicates. Somehow, the God who is spirit puts His truth into human thought-form and language. He speaks to Abraham, though how we do not know. He summons Moses from the burning bush. He pushes His poetry through the fingers of David using pen and paper. And then He sends His Son, Jesus, the incarnation of the character and purpose of God, so that we can hear, see and touch in human flesh what God is about. The manner and ministry of this Savior have been written down as well, so that today we hold in our hands and on our laps a written revelation of the mind of God in Old and New Testaments, which 2 Timothy 3:15,16 are holy writings able to make us wise to salvation and Scriptures that are able to qualify and equip us to do God’s bidding. We have a written Word that does not evaporate into the air, and that, though quickly forgotten, can be reviewed and relearned again and again.
3. God’s written Word is profitable and effective in bringing about life change.
When God’s Word hits not just our ears, but the hard surfaces of our hearts, we are changed. Nothing stays the same when penetrated by God’s Word. We become what we never could be – men and women of God. We do what we never even wanted to do – serve God. It is the inspired Word of God that is able to take a life and transform it into a tool for God’s use. And so we must clearly confess our need for exposure and acceptance of the Scriptures.
4. God’s holy Word is opposed by a multitude of profane communications.
But as we come to consider the context of 2 Timothy 3:15-17, we must recognize that there are many profane communications that stand in opposition to God’s holy Word. The contrasts are found readily in the surrounding text:
a. the profitable Word (3:16) opposed by deceivers and deceptions (3:13)
3:16 says God’s Word is profitable to improve a life, but 3:13 says that “evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Now it’s easy to say, “Don’t be deceived.” But how do you know? By tracing the words of Scripture with your crooked finger, lest crooked hearts lead you away into lies!
b. a commitment to a pattern (3:10) opposed by cycles without change (3:7)
3:10 says that Timothy followed or tracked Paul’s “teaching, conduct, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions and sufferings.” The apostolic testimony, and the life that was in accordance with that testimony, served as a roadmap for Timothy’s life. But there were others (3:7) who were “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” They are not becoming more like Christ because they are not committed to “the standard of sound teaching” (1:13,14).
c. the word of truth (4:2,4) opposed by myths (4:4)
4:2 commands Timothy to “preach the Word.” This Word is called “the truth” in 4:4, from which some have turned aside. The verb “turn aside” is used elsewhere in the Pastorals with reference to fruitless discussion (1 Tim 1:6); Satan’s lies (1 Tim 5:15); and worldly and empty chatter and opposing arguments (ESV, irreverant babble and contradictions) (1 Tim 6:20). In this passage, we find that we are tempted to turn aside from the truth of Scripture to myths.
I will suggest some contemporary myths based on these previous three paragraphs.
1. The Myth in the Message - those whose message is not tied to the written Word and who espouse human-centered or humanistic messages (e.g., public school psychology; and leading popular public personalities, both secular and religious)
2. The Myth in the Messenger - those whose lives are not conformed to the pattern of sound teaching. Their lives are marked by areas of disobedienc, which either disqualifies from serving as a messenger, or at least should warn off those tempted to follow their teaching. If they are not even able to teach themselves, then why should we listen to them (e.g., non-suffering servants who live like kings; women preachers, including husband-wife pastoral teams; those who play to the camera)
3. The Myth in the Masses - those whose desires dictate what they hear (e.g., shopping for a message; searching for an experience)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Enlivening Spirit
The second chapter creation account in Genesis reveals provocative insights into the nature of man: “then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2:7 ESV). Man in his material constitution has a correspondence or affinity to the ground (Psalm 103:14), adam to adamah (Hebrew). From dust we were taken, and to dust we return (Genesis 3:19). But this is not all that man is. God breathed into Adam the breath of life. Adam became a living soul. We rely not on the dust for our life, but upon God, and upon His breath, or spirit.
In both the Old Testament (Hebrew) and New (Greek), “spirit” is a word that can also be translated “breath” or “wind.” When God breathed into Adam the breath or spirit of life, He “in-spirited” him. Apart from this breath or spirit, man was yet dead. (You might also re-read John 3, and think about Jesus’ illustration of “wind” and “Spirit.”)
Ezekiel 37 and the valley of dry bones also powerfully communicates this theme. What a place of waste and death! Nothing good can happen here. Life is long gone. But Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy, the wind (spirit) blows, and life returns.
Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you? How about the Spirit? I’m not saying that we ever completely lose the Spirit, but are you ever de-vitalized, dis-spirited? We pray for the enlivening Spirit to properly inflate our souls and the souls of those to whom we minister, as only God can do. No false inflations – only the real thing will do.
And when will the Spirit act? We do not know. But we do know that He acts in conjunction with the Word (of which Ezekiel was the mouthpiece), and we speak the Word to ourselves, and to others, with the expectant hope that the Spirit will soon revitalize and revive. No place of ministry or sin-stained life is too far gone. God can raise the dead, give life to dry bones, cause the desert to bloom, bring stubborn souls to repentance and revive lifeless churches.
In a deflated world, what a difference a “filled” Christian can make! That would be spiritual power.
Reading Assignment: Psalm 51
In both the Old Testament (Hebrew) and New (Greek), “spirit” is a word that can also be translated “breath” or “wind.” When God breathed into Adam the breath or spirit of life, He “in-spirited” him. Apart from this breath or spirit, man was yet dead. (You might also re-read John 3, and think about Jesus’ illustration of “wind” and “Spirit.”)
Ezekiel 37 and the valley of dry bones also powerfully communicates this theme. What a place of waste and death! Nothing good can happen here. Life is long gone. But Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy, the wind (spirit) blows, and life returns.
Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you? How about the Spirit? I’m not saying that we ever completely lose the Spirit, but are you ever de-vitalized, dis-spirited? We pray for the enlivening Spirit to properly inflate our souls and the souls of those to whom we minister, as only God can do. No false inflations – only the real thing will do.
And when will the Spirit act? We do not know. But we do know that He acts in conjunction with the Word (of which Ezekiel was the mouthpiece), and we speak the Word to ourselves, and to others, with the expectant hope that the Spirit will soon revitalize and revive. No place of ministry or sin-stained life is too far gone. God can raise the dead, give life to dry bones, cause the desert to bloom, bring stubborn souls to repentance and revive lifeless churches.
In a deflated world, what a difference a “filled” Christian can make! That would be spiritual power.
Reading Assignment: Psalm 51
The Ordering Spirit
Scripture continues immediately after her opening line with a non-picture of the un-created: “ “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2 ESV)
We as a group of fellow-ministers are meeting to encourage one another, and to think about spiritual power. We desire to see God at work, and yet realize that there is a lack of spiritual power in our spheres of ministry, including in our own lives. This is not a new problem: Paul describes people in the last days as “ “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (2Timothy 3:5 ESV) And so we are reflecting on how the Spirit of God is pleased to operate in order to bring about God’s good work.
If it is true that the Spirit was operative in creation in bringing order out of disorder, then may we entertain the thought that the same Spirit may also work in our lives and ministries to bring order out of chaos? It seems that this is at least similar to His activity described in Galatians 5:17: “ “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” My flesh is not re-formed or restrained of itself, but only as the forceful Spirit is engaged in the battle.
As to the Spirit’s “ “hovering, ” I am thankful for the Spirit’s attentive presence. Peter puts it like this: “ “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1Peter 4:14 ESV) That hovering Spirit is creating order in a world that pursues disorder.
So can we pray together that the Spirit of God would continue his activity of bringing order into our disordered world? I cannot order my own soul aright. I need spiritual assistance if I ever am to know spiritual power.
Reading Assignment: Ezekiel 37
We as a group of fellow-ministers are meeting to encourage one another, and to think about spiritual power. We desire to see God at work, and yet realize that there is a lack of spiritual power in our spheres of ministry, including in our own lives. This is not a new problem: Paul describes people in the last days as “ “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (2Timothy 3:5 ESV) And so we are reflecting on how the Spirit of God is pleased to operate in order to bring about God’s good work.
If it is true that the Spirit was operative in creation in bringing order out of disorder, then may we entertain the thought that the same Spirit may also work in our lives and ministries to bring order out of chaos? It seems that this is at least similar to His activity described in Galatians 5:17: “ “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” My flesh is not re-formed or restrained of itself, but only as the forceful Spirit is engaged in the battle.
As to the Spirit’s “ “hovering, ” I am thankful for the Spirit’s attentive presence. Peter puts it like this: “ “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1Peter 4:14 ESV) That hovering Spirit is creating order in a world that pursues disorder.
So can we pray together that the Spirit of God would continue his activity of bringing order into our disordered world? I cannot order my own soul aright. I need spiritual assistance if I ever am to know spiritual power.
Reading Assignment: Ezekiel 37
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Preach the Word!
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23:16 ESV)
These same prophets are described earlier in Jeremiah as offering up “false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds” (14:14). This assures a future in which people will have nothing solid on which to stand (16:19); nothing of substance on which to build their faith.
The chief motivation of these false prophets must be the desire to give the people what they want. They desire the acclaim of the crowds, and the illusion of success that this brings. This may bring to the prophets the benefits of personal peace, power and prosperity. But the Bible so clearly warns against such behavior, both in the Old Testament (so often in Jeremiah) and in the New Testament (e.g., “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,” (2Timothy 4:3 ESV).
Is it true that every preacher with a big crowd is a false prophet? No, thank the Lord, we cannot and will not make that claim. But should we be careful to examine why there is such public appeal – is it because he is giving people a taste of the crystal-clear water of the Word of God? Perhaps. But both Scripture and experience teach us that the crowds prefer the syrupy-sweet as opposed to the crystal-clear.
So what are we to do? In the general context of Jeremiah, there is an interesting phrase that gives the singular, suffering prophet some advice: “if you extract the precious from the worthless” (Jer 15:19). Preach the truth. Agree that there are shards of truth contained in the drivel of popular preaching. But let the truth shine in its proper context. Remove the sugar-coating.
Preach not to the response of crowds, but rather to the repentance of souls.
These same prophets are described earlier in Jeremiah as offering up “false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds” (14:14). This assures a future in which people will have nothing solid on which to stand (16:19); nothing of substance on which to build their faith.
The chief motivation of these false prophets must be the desire to give the people what they want. They desire the acclaim of the crowds, and the illusion of success that this brings. This may bring to the prophets the benefits of personal peace, power and prosperity. But the Bible so clearly warns against such behavior, both in the Old Testament (so often in Jeremiah) and in the New Testament (e.g., “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,” (2Timothy 4:3 ESV).
Is it true that every preacher with a big crowd is a false prophet? No, thank the Lord, we cannot and will not make that claim. But should we be careful to examine why there is such public appeal – is it because he is giving people a taste of the crystal-clear water of the Word of God? Perhaps. But both Scripture and experience teach us that the crowds prefer the syrupy-sweet as opposed to the crystal-clear.
So what are we to do? In the general context of Jeremiah, there is an interesting phrase that gives the singular, suffering prophet some advice: “if you extract the precious from the worthless” (Jer 15:19). Preach the truth. Agree that there are shards of truth contained in the drivel of popular preaching. But let the truth shine in its proper context. Remove the sugar-coating.
Preach not to the response of crowds, but rather to the repentance of souls.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Judas and Jesus in Amos
As I read through the Bible, I try and keep my eyes open for connections with other parts of Scripture. Though written by many different human authors separated by centuries, the Bible really is a single book with a single message. Therefore, catching rays of light from different angles in our reading can enrich the spectrum of our understanding.
I’ve been reading and re-reading through the Minor Prophets, and have been stuck on Amos for a while. In a couple of different places, Amos made me think about Judas, and Jesus.
Amos 2:7 (NAS) occurs within the eight-fold address to the nations, and then to Judah and Israel concerning their offenses and punishments. Concerning Israel, God says “I will not revoke its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for money, And the needy for a pair of sandals.” The phrase, “the righteous” can refer to “the company of the righteous,” or, “all those identified as being righteous.” But it is singular. And so it could be translated and read as “the Righteous One.” “They sell the Righteous One for money.”
Matthew 26:14-15 (NAS): “Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighted out thirty pieces of silver to him.”
It seems that Judas, rather than entering into covenant with Jesus, entered into covenant with the unbelieving Jewish leaders. The Book of Ruth (4:7-8) shows the use of a sandal in enacting a legal decision, and Amos follows his reference of selling the righteous with selling “the needy for a pair of sandals.”
The other Amos reference is in 5:12: “For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous (the Righteous One) and accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate.” This distress is recorded in the John 13:18, which quotes from Psalm 41:9: account, as shown in Psalm 41:9 “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”
Judas did nothing new. His fathers had practiced the behaviors of betrayal for lifetimes, readying Judas to do the unthinkable, joining forces with the devil as opposed to submitting to the Lordship of Christ. We break free from this heritage and pattern only through the in breaking of God’s grace, who turns us toward Jesus.
I’ve been reading and re-reading through the Minor Prophets, and have been stuck on Amos for a while. In a couple of different places, Amos made me think about Judas, and Jesus.
Amos 2:7 (NAS) occurs within the eight-fold address to the nations, and then to Judah and Israel concerning their offenses and punishments. Concerning Israel, God says “I will not revoke its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for money, And the needy for a pair of sandals.” The phrase, “the righteous” can refer to “the company of the righteous,” or, “all those identified as being righteous.” But it is singular. And so it could be translated and read as “the Righteous One.” “They sell the Righteous One for money.”
Matthew 26:14-15 (NAS): “Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighted out thirty pieces of silver to him.”
It seems that Judas, rather than entering into covenant with Jesus, entered into covenant with the unbelieving Jewish leaders. The Book of Ruth (4:7-8) shows the use of a sandal in enacting a legal decision, and Amos follows his reference of selling the righteous with selling “the needy for a pair of sandals.”
The other Amos reference is in 5:12: “For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous (the Righteous One) and accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate.” This distress is recorded in the John 13:18, which quotes from Psalm 41:9: account, as shown in Psalm 41:9 “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”
Judas did nothing new. His fathers had practiced the behaviors of betrayal for lifetimes, readying Judas to do the unthinkable, joining forces with the devil as opposed to submitting to the Lordship of Christ. We break free from this heritage and pattern only through the in breaking of God’s grace, who turns us toward Jesus.
Willow Creek Repents
I’ve been trying to absorb the impact of the “Out of Ur” article entitled “Willow Creek Repents.” (http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2007/10/
willow_creek_re.html)
Yes, it is commendable that Willow Creek performed the evaluation and considered its findings carefully. And it is also commendable that the admission was made public. But the scope of this mistake is huge. It applies not merely to one man’s ministry, or to just one local church’s operation. The mistake has been perpetuated throughout a whole network of imitators, many of whom have been trained and resourced by Willow Creek ministries. This is no personal and private mistake. It has been confidently exported using the most efficient means possible.
And why is it so damaging? I think for at least two reasons. One is because of the spiritual effect on people. Many were drawn through the power of programs to participate in religious activity. Many people got a taste of religion, of church, even of the gospel. But when the program did not produce the kind of life change offered in the pure gospel, they are then inoculated against the truth of the gospel. They can never hear it for the first time again. Their hearing has been tainted by an approach that was “a mistake.” Just as taking a poor, unsuitable antibiotic that is not fit to fight the disease can actually build resistance against the proper medicine, should it be administered in the future, so I fear that a mistaken approach to introduciing people to Christ may have a similar effect.
Secondly, I don’t believe that the Bible is being taken seriously. “We made a mistake” is an admission that was made, not because they saw that their actions were not in keeping with Scripture, but because they found that they were not producing the desired results. And so they are now concocting an approach that they are sure will produce better results. And I am sure that they are confident that their new methods will accomplish what they desire, though they were formerly quite confident in the old methods.
Ironically, the very Scripture to which they are paying insufficient attention describes what seems to be going on. Jeremiah 5:31 (NAS) seems to me to apply (rather prophetically): a) “The prophets prophesy falsely, b) And the priests rule on their own authority; c) And My people love it so! d) But what will you do at the end of it?” A) They make confident assertions. B) They design their own model for doing church. C) They are affirmed by the responses of many people. D) And they are surprised that it doesn’t work out the way they projected.
I began this article with a couple of positive statements, and let me end with a couple more. I believe that these people desire to serve God in the best way possible. They have found ways to minister to more people in a week then I may in a lifetime. But, following 1 Corinthians 3, we must be very carefully to build with gold, silver, and precious stones as opposed to wood, hay, and stubble.
willow_creek_re.html)
Yes, it is commendable that Willow Creek performed the evaluation and considered its findings carefully. And it is also commendable that the admission was made public. But the scope of this mistake is huge. It applies not merely to one man’s ministry, or to just one local church’s operation. The mistake has been perpetuated throughout a whole network of imitators, many of whom have been trained and resourced by Willow Creek ministries. This is no personal and private mistake. It has been confidently exported using the most efficient means possible.
And why is it so damaging? I think for at least two reasons. One is because of the spiritual effect on people. Many were drawn through the power of programs to participate in religious activity. Many people got a taste of religion, of church, even of the gospel. But when the program did not produce the kind of life change offered in the pure gospel, they are then inoculated against the truth of the gospel. They can never hear it for the first time again. Their hearing has been tainted by an approach that was “a mistake.” Just as taking a poor, unsuitable antibiotic that is not fit to fight the disease can actually build resistance against the proper medicine, should it be administered in the future, so I fear that a mistaken approach to introduciing people to Christ may have a similar effect.
Secondly, I don’t believe that the Bible is being taken seriously. “We made a mistake” is an admission that was made, not because they saw that their actions were not in keeping with Scripture, but because they found that they were not producing the desired results. And so they are now concocting an approach that they are sure will produce better results. And I am sure that they are confident that their new methods will accomplish what they desire, though they were formerly quite confident in the old methods.
Ironically, the very Scripture to which they are paying insufficient attention describes what seems to be going on. Jeremiah 5:31 (NAS) seems to me to apply (rather prophetically): a) “The prophets prophesy falsely, b) And the priests rule on their own authority; c) And My people love it so! d) But what will you do at the end of it?” A) They make confident assertions. B) They design their own model for doing church. C) They are affirmed by the responses of many people. D) And they are surprised that it doesn’t work out the way they projected.
I began this article with a couple of positive statements, and let me end with a couple more. I believe that these people desire to serve God in the best way possible. They have found ways to minister to more people in a week then I may in a lifetime. But, following 1 Corinthians 3, we must be very carefully to build with gold, silver, and precious stones as opposed to wood, hay, and stubble.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
What the Gospel Is: A Brief Statement
Book Report: The Gospel and Personal Evangelism. Mark Dever. Crossway, 2007
"Here’s what I understand the good news to be:"
"The good news is that the one and only God, who is holy, made us in his image to know him. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him. In his great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in him. He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted. He now calls us to repent of our sins and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God." (p.43)
"Here’s what I understand the good news to be:"
"The good news is that the one and only God, who is holy, made us in his image to know him. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him. In his great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in him. He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted. He now calls us to repent of our sins and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God." (p.43)
What the Gospel Is Not
Book Report: The Gospel and Personal Evangelism. Mark Dever. Crossway, 2007
from the chapter, "What Is the Gospel"
“That which passes for the gospel too often becomes a very thin veneer spread lightly over our culture’s values, becoming shaped and formed to its contours rather thant to the truth about God.” (p.32)
The Good News is not simply that we are OK. (Romans 6:23; James 2:10-11) The Bible presents God not simply as our creator but as our jealous love. He wants us – every part of us. For us to think that we can disregard him sometimes, to set aside his ways when it suits us, is to show that we haven’t understood the nature of the relationship at all.
The Good News is not simply that God is love. (1 John 4:8; Hebrews 12:14) God reveals himself as the God who requires holiness of all who would be in loving relationship with him.
The Good News is not simply that Jesus wants to be our friend. (Mark 10:45; Revelation 5:5-9) Christ isn’t just our friend… He is our friend, but he is so much more! By his death on the cross Christ has become the lamb that was slain for us, our redeemer, the one who has made peace between us and God, who has taken our guilt on himself, who has conquered our most deadly enemies and has assuaged the personal, just wrath of God.
The Good News is not that we should live rightly. (Acts 20:21; Mark 1:15) The gospel, you see, is not simply an additive that comes to make our already good lives better. No! The gospel is a message of wonderful good news that comes to those who realize their just desperation before God.
from the chapter, "What Is the Gospel"
“That which passes for the gospel too often becomes a very thin veneer spread lightly over our culture’s values, becoming shaped and formed to its contours rather thant to the truth about God.” (p.32)
The Good News is not simply that we are OK. (Romans 6:23; James 2:10-11) The Bible presents God not simply as our creator but as our jealous love. He wants us – every part of us. For us to think that we can disregard him sometimes, to set aside his ways when it suits us, is to show that we haven’t understood the nature of the relationship at all.
The Good News is not simply that God is love. (1 John 4:8; Hebrews 12:14) God reveals himself as the God who requires holiness of all who would be in loving relationship with him.
The Good News is not simply that Jesus wants to be our friend. (Mark 10:45; Revelation 5:5-9) Christ isn’t just our friend… He is our friend, but he is so much more! By his death on the cross Christ has become the lamb that was slain for us, our redeemer, the one who has made peace between us and God, who has taken our guilt on himself, who has conquered our most deadly enemies and has assuaged the personal, just wrath of God.
The Good News is not that we should live rightly. (Acts 20:21; Mark 1:15) The gospel, you see, is not simply an additive that comes to make our already good lives better. No! The gospel is a message of wonderful good news that comes to those who realize their just desperation before God.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Now and Forever: 1 Peter 4:7-11
As I have studied Peter’s first letter, I have been thinking a lot about where we live, as strangers – people who have a different sence of place. But this paragraph and the next are reminding me that Christians also have a very different sense of time.
Life is not merely cyclical. God has a plan, and He is bringing His plan towards a conclusion. So when Peter says in 4:7, “The end of all things is at hand;” people who subscribe to the “on and on” view of life must think his words very strange. Do we really stand on the precipice of change, in which a new world will dawn whose look and operation will differ significantly from the world in which we now life? Are we living our lives with that kind of hope and expectation?
If this is true, then how should we live? Several options are possible: 1) run and hide; 2) eat, drink and be merry; or, 3) make the most of the time that we have. The third option is the one that Peter advocates. He admonishes these mis-placed, yet God-placed believers to spend themselves completely, and joyfully, for others in the remaining, difficult days.
Why? For God’s glory. And when we serve for God’s glory, we are not investing in a dying world or in an uncertain future. We are banking on the one thing that is more sure than anything else, that God is real, and that He is glorious.
At one time there was such a thing as the “gold standard” – that every dollar was backed up by gold. Peter is advocating a “glory standard” – that every act of every pilgrim life is to be done for God’s glory. That’s a good investment, both now and forever.
Life is not merely cyclical. God has a plan, and He is bringing His plan towards a conclusion. So when Peter says in 4:7, “The end of all things is at hand;” people who subscribe to the “on and on” view of life must think his words very strange. Do we really stand on the precipice of change, in which a new world will dawn whose look and operation will differ significantly from the world in which we now life? Are we living our lives with that kind of hope and expectation?
If this is true, then how should we live? Several options are possible: 1) run and hide; 2) eat, drink and be merry; or, 3) make the most of the time that we have. The third option is the one that Peter advocates. He admonishes these mis-placed, yet God-placed believers to spend themselves completely, and joyfully, for others in the remaining, difficult days.
Why? For God’s glory. And when we serve for God’s glory, we are not investing in a dying world or in an uncertain future. We are banking on the one thing that is more sure than anything else, that God is real, and that He is glorious.
At one time there was such a thing as the “gold standard” – that every dollar was backed up by gold. Peter is advocating a “glory standard” – that every act of every pilgrim life is to be done for God’s glory. That’s a good investment, both now and forever.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Partnership in the Local Church
Our Union with Christ is part of a Cosmic Communion. It includes believers from past and present; from far and near. Our Union with Christ is expressed by our participation and partnership with a local body of believers, a local church. The local church keeps in mind and serves the interests of this Invisible Church.
In the Bible, the term “Invisible Church” is never used. The Bible uses the word “church” both when speaking of that communion that surpasses location and date, and when speaking of the local church, which has a specific location and time.
This dual sense of “church” renders other terms a bit confusing. We often use the word “member” with regard to the local church. But the Bible, so far as I can tell, never does. It speaks of individuals being members, or parts, of the larger Body of Christ. Also, it is now common to hear of the local church being a “covenant community.” But the New Covenant is that which centers in Christ’s shed blood, for all believers in all places. Just as there are not numerous Bodies of Christ, so there are not a multiple of covenants with Christ. And so, when we use the words “membership” or “covenant” in relation to the local church, we are actually stealing, or borrowing, terms that the Bible reserves for a grander relationship.
This is not to reduce the importance of the local church or one’s participation and partnership in the local church. We just struggle to state that connection properly, in a way that does not make the local church an end in itself, or an entity that overshadows the fellowship for which we await. To be fair, the local church is to take seriously Body membership and Covenant inclusion. We say as much when we baptize with water, with reference to the Spirit’s baptism into the Body of Christ; and when we extend invitation to the Lord’s Table, enacting a kind of covenant renewal. There can be an analogy between one’s immersion into the Body of Christ, and one’s participation in a local church; in one’s renewal of covenant enjoyment and commitment to Christ, and one’s partnership with a local church. But these are analogous. They are not identical. And I fear that often, the visible overshadows the invisible; the local outstrips the cosmic.
And so I am working with the terms “participation” and “partnership.” And these are not without difficulty. Some participate in aspects of the local church without showing many characteristics of partnership. And the definition of partnership is changing, some for the better. We have to ask questions about the degree to which one should participate without partnering. And we have to ask what expressions of partnership are necessary to be considered a partner in the local church.
I suggest that there are three areas where we ought to expect agreement if we are to be in partnership together at a local church level:
1. Conversion and baptism –
2. Doctrine and life –
3. Prayer and service -
1. We hold to a believers’ church. Therefore, you must have begun in the Christian life. You must be born again. We rely on your profession of faith, as expressed in believers’ baptism.
2. Also, we need to stand in large (but not complete) agreement on the teachings of Scripture. Local churches take particular doctrinal stances as they seek to understand the Scriptures. The Bible is not ambiguous. It gives clear, though not complete, knowledge. This doctrine assumes an application that shapes one’s life in a godly or Christlike way. We partner as we live lives that behave according to our beliefs.
3. And third, we partner as we pray and serve together. We are not partners together merely to have names on a list. We are not partners together merely to exist. We are here to serve God’s interests, which depends upon the Spirit’s leading in our midst. This means that, alongside Scripture, we must pray, and then serve. If you are not praying and serving, then you are not partnering.
There are several Biblical words that underlie a concept of partnership in the local church. I hope to develop these further in another paper or post. They include ideas of fellowship, or, koinonia; and being of one mind. These include ideas of relationship, and of agreement. And such issues are never finished projects. We work together, by God’s grace, serving the high calling of Christ’s Church and God’s Kingdom.
Friday, August 31, 2007
The Church’s View of Discipleship
In the 1st century church, a few disciples were known as Christians. But there were no Christians who were not also disciples. In the 21st century church, there are a few Christians who are known as disciples. But discipleship is not the norm.
Acts 11:26 – not all disciples were known as Christians, but all Christians were disciples
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
Nominal Christianity (Christianity in name only) is dead. This is true in at least three senses:
1. Christians in name only are really not Christians at all, and so are spiritually dead
2. Our culture has lost patience and respect with this kind of “casual” Christianity, which is betrayed by the shallowness of its beliefs and commitments, and by the absence of life change.
3. It is dead in that it has no spiritual power associated with it. It has institutions and patterns which have created a kind of Christian sub-culture, but it is dead and dying, and such churches are drying up and closing down. This is supported both by the text of 2 Timothy 3, and by the statistics related to dying churches, found in a variety of sources, such as Harry Reeder’s book, From Embers to Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church, P&R, 2004.
Discipleship Christianity is alive and well
1. These Christians are related primarily to Christ, and secondarily to a local church.
a. It is Christianity; not church-ianity
b. Their Christianity is personal, a real relationship with a living person.
2. These followers of Jesus are consistently seeking how to live Jesus’ life in every arena of their lives.
a. It is not Sabbath or Sunday Christianity; it is everyday
b. Their Christianity is universal, pervasive
3. These disciples accept responsibility for representing Jesus to their families, friends and associates; and they accept the consequences
a. They do not rely on pastors, missionaries, or churches to take care of their Christ-representation
b. Their Christianity is missional, persecutional
The Shape of New Covenant Discipleship
New Covenant discipleship is not an effort to behave better, but to follow Jesus as fully as possible, to have his character stamped on our hearts, so that we resemble him. NC discipleship is not primarily performance-oriented, and it certainly is not a superficial conformity to a set of rules for appeance’ sake. It is transformational, as the Spirit of promise establishes ownership and control in our lives, including our minds, our affections, and our will.
New Covenant discipleship is representative. As I am fully and completely represented before God by Christ, I in turn seek to fully and completely represent Christ in the world.
New Covenant disciples have:
• A new Captain under a gracious administration
• A new identity and a blood-bought fellowship
• A new mission that cannot be measured in dollars, or numbers, or status
• A new worldview that drastically changes the definitions
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The Church’s Leadership
A Note on Biblical Terms:
Elders in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, are a fact of life. In some cases they are there because people grow old enough to be elders. In other cases, they are present because certain ones have been appointed to leadership. The term seems to have significant overlap with the position of pastor/shepherd and that of overseers. It seems that all pastors are elders. It would also seem that all elders have pastoring/shepherding and oversight functions. But not all elders are teachers, though pastors must teach. The purpose of this study is not to re-construct leadership polity, but rather to notice what Scripture teaches about the functioning of church leaders, known as elders, overseers and pastors.
I will add a note after each selected text reference, with the verse following on the next line.
Acts 14:23 – emphasis on carefulness of selection
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church (acc. to church), with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Acts 20:17 – multiple elders, though it is possible there are also multiple congregations
Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
1Tim. 4:14 – carefulness in setting apart young leadership
Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
1Tim. 5:17 – not all elders preach and teach; also, the translation “rule” is unfortunate. A better translation would be “lead.” Elders are not kings; they are leaders.
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
Titus 1:5 -
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town (acc. to town) as I directed you—
The main point of this lesson is to emphasize the need for church leadership, and for a kind of church leadership that is pointedly involved in the lives of people. Church leaders must lead by example, but example alone is not leadership. Therefore, I have zeroed in on the use of “rebuke, reprove” as one of the functions of church leadership (Titus especially helps us here). Certainly there are a whole array of pastoral functions when dealing with people. Rebuking is only one of the them. But it is certainly one of them.
Selected verses using “rebuke”
Matt. 18:15
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
Luke 3:19
But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,
John 3:20
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
John 16:8 – we rebuke now, to save from rebuke on the Day of Judgment
And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
Eph. 5:11
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
Eph. 5:13
But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,
1Tim. 5:20
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.
2Tim. 4:2
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Titus 1:9
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Titus 1:13
This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,
Titus 2:15
Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
Noun form
2Tim. 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Summary Notes:
1. We will not meet the leadership challenge without meeting the prayer challenge. (Cf the previous post on the church's direction and enablement.)
2. We live in a world that tends toward disorder, especially spirit and soul disorder. Christian maturity will not happen on its own. Leadership is needed.
3. Faithful and willing men who meet the qualifications for church leadership are increasingly rare.
4. Honest confrontation is not inconsistent with a loving and caring Christianity.
5. One should notice what things are not included in the Bible’s description of the roles of elders/overseers/pastors.
Monday, August 27, 2007
The Church’s Direction and Enablement
Key Verse: Eph. 4:14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, (the rolling of the dice; experimentation), by craftiness in deceitful schemes (rationalizations)
Too many churches and too many times, we (and people like us) have resorted to experimentation (or imitation of the experiments of others) that is a pragmatic attempt to find what works as opposed to a determination to follow the Spirit’s leading. We also can hide behind an approach that elevates human reason. This may be an excuse to retreat into a dead but comfortable traditionalism, which also is not responsive to the Spirit’s leading. The following verses include warnings and determinations which apply to this subject. I have underlined phrases that should prompt reflection.
2Cor. 11:3
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
2Cor. 4:2
But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
1Cor. 3:19
For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”
Paul’s selection of images in Ephesians offer further food for thought. As a local assembly, we must seek proper alignment with the Cornerstone (Eph 2:20-22). Only the Spirit can create the environment where this proper alignment is achieved. Also, the Body is to live and move in coordination with the Head (Eph 4:15-16). Again, only the Spirit can coordinate proper expression.
The Church’s Direction and Enablement are ultimately from Christ, through the Spirit. Our seeking of Christ’s direction and enablement through the Spirit are pursued, not through the imitation of the church-down-the-street’s latest experimentations, and not by an independent reliance on our own good sense, - but through careful attention to Scripture (Job 23:8-14), and through the practice of prayer (cf prayer in Acts).
The texts mentioned above are highly instructive. Job is poetic, and powerful. You can read it yourself. I provided a sheet with all the references to prayer in the Book of Acts. It is a very easy search to do – but a more difficult practice to follow.
If we are to commit to a) Scripture-attentiveness and b) prayer-practice, then we must set aside significant and quality times for these activities. They need not be whole-congregational, but small-groupish, in order that they can be conversational. The emphasis in these gatherings is to seek the Spirit’s direction and enablement.
The need for these kinds of activities is not an argument for a rejection of preaching and teaching. We actually need more teaching and better preaching. But the activities mentioned above allow the congregation in smaller units to respond to preaching and teaching, in conjunction with reflection and listening.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Your Grace is Showing
“For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.” (1Peter 2:19 ESV)
And there’s the rub – Christians who are not “mindful of God.” Having been saved by grace, we resort to living by our wits, trying to figure out how not to get beat by the system. We’ve got our ticket to heaven. Now we must find our way in the world.
But there is such a thing as a Christian calling, and that is to be a Christ-follower. When Jesus submitted to suffering, he introduced to the world a scent from heaven – grace, that must be dispersed again and again by scattered people.
So here you are, caught in a system that you did not create, a slave to a master you did not choose. So long as it works well for you, it is tolerable. But when it pinches, then we are trained (by the world, not God) to cry and complain. “This is not right. It is not fair. I don’t deserve this.”
That’s what Jesus did, right? When he was reviled, he whined. When he suffered, he protested. When he was nailed to the cross, he vowed to retaliate. No, he submitted, in order that the grace of God could do it’s powerful work in a sinful world, in sinful people who in no way deserve God’s grace.
I think of Naaman’s servant in 1 Kings, an Israelite captured in a Syrian raid and now working in a foreign captain’s home. When he contracted leprosy, she could have wished that he would rot in hell. Have you ever wished that on a boss? But what showed was not her resentment, but her grace. “There is a prophet in Israel. He can help.” Why stick out her neck? Why bother? Because grace was a powerful force in her life, and she was “mindful” not merely of her self and her own situation, but “of God.”
Don’t Fear What They Fear: Fear Christ
There is more than meets the eye in Peter’s famous evangelism text: “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” (1Peter 3:15 ESV). The verse begins with the tail end of a quotation from Isaiah 8:12,13 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy.” “The last part of the verse (underlined) has been recast by Peter as “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.”
If we begin to circle out from this quotation, we find materials to form a chiasm, a literary structure that may have been in Peter’s mind, and not just in my own imagination. Even so, I find it helpful in relating ideas to one another. Here is my outline.
A. Evildoers are Active (13)
B. Good Cause (13)
C. Zealous (13)
D. Suffer for righteousness sake (14)
E. Blessed (14)
Don’t fear what they fear: Fear Christ! (14,15)
E’ Prepared (15)
D’ Speak concerning hope (15)
C’ Gentleness and Respect (15)
B’ Good Conscience and Conduct (16)
A’ Evildoers are Ashamed (16)
Let me give you just a few thoughts on the matching points:
Concerning “A. and A’”, sure, evildoers are active. But in the end, they will be reduced to humiliation. See many of the Psalms with regard to this theme.
Concerning “C. and C’”, I think you can find the materials for “How to be a Zealot, but not a Terrorist,” or, “How to Share the Gospel Graciously.”
Concerning “E. and E’”, the Greek words actually match up better (visually) than the English (and also, word order in Greek supports this outline better than the English word order). To be “blessed” means that we don’t have to worry about securing our place in the world, or getting the “stuff” of the world. But the other word, “prepared, ready,” shows that we are not to be at ease, apathetic. We are filled with sense of urgency and expectation, even as we are marked by a sense of blessed security.
I wouldn’t die for this outline. But I am thankful for the cross-germination of thoughts that it fosters.
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