How the Gospel Changes our Relationships

I'm leading a Breakout Session at a Student Conference this evening and wanted to make the outline available here:

How the Gospel Changes Relationships - Handout

1. Relationships
1. What is a relationship?

2. What influences do we allow to shape/inform/instruct how we handle relationships?

3. So, what does the Gospel do to our relationships?
3. What is the Gospel

3. How/Why does the Gospel change anything?

4. What does the Gospel change about our relationships?
1. Other people are always more important than you are
1. Philippians 2:3-4
2. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
2. Church Relationships become a Priority
1. Hebrews 10:24-25, Galatians 6:10 (Eph 2:19, 1 Tim. 3:15),
2. 1 Corinthians 13
3. Neighbor Redefined
1. Luke 10:25-37
4. With whom do you pursue friendship?
1. Luke 14:12-14
5. Submission to Authority
1. Pastors: Hebrews 13:17, Parents: Eph. 6:1, School and Work: Colossians 3:22-24
6. Genuine Happiness for the Joy of Others
1. Romans 12:15
7. Position of Forgiveness
1. Ephesians 4:32
2. Matthew 18:21-22
8. Position of Service
1. Mark 10:43-45
9. Pursue Purity and Devotion in Relationships
1. 1 Peter 4:1-5
2. 1 Corinthians 7:7-8; 32-35

How Far Is the East From the West?

Psalm 103:12, “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” This is a glorious statement of God’s grace toward us; beautifully summarizing the gospel. God placed our sins on Christ so that, in our place, he could bear the wrath we deserved. Psalm 103:12 paints a word picture to help us understand what that means. But, what exactly is Psalm 103 saying? What’s the word picture being painted? Pastors explain this imagery most often by contrasting east/west to north/south. The north/south distance limits the distance sin could be from us. If you travel far enough north, you will eventually end up going south when you make the turn at the north pole and start heading back down the other side of the globe. We can measure that. On the other hand, if you travel west then you just keep going to the west and you’ll never start traveling east. Eastward travel and Westward travel continue without end. So, they make their point: there is an infinite distance between east and west. God chose east/west instead of north/south, they say, to show that he put the greatest distance possible between you and your sin. Of course, technically speaking, if you go far enough east you actually end up where you started. Which could also mean our sins eventually come back to bite us. In other words, if we’re going to make our point based on the spherical shape of the earth giving an advantage to east/west over north/south for the distance of our sins - then we also have to accept the “what goes around, comes around” reality as well. Therefore, the fact that moving around the globe eastward is an infinite distance compared to moving north, probably isn't the point of the text. So, then why east/west and not north/south? What is the point? The Old Testament, and the Pentateuch in particular, often uses movement eastward to symbolize movement away from God’s presence and/or people. When Adam and Eve sin in the Garden, God sends them eastward (Gen. 3). After Cain kills Abel he “went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden” (Genesis 4:16). When the people decide to rebel against God and make a tower to show how great they are, they migrated to the east (Genesis 11:2). When Lot separates from Abraham, the blessed one, he chooses the land of the east - away from God’s chosen man (Gen. 13:11). Finally, when Abraham sends the sons of his concubines away from his promised son, Isaac, he sends them to the east country (Gen. 25:6). So, if movement east represents movement away from God and separation from his people, then perhaps that’s the imagery of Psalm 103:12. Maybe the point is not the infinite distance between them, but the biblical imagery of being removed from God’s people and the land of promise. He removes our sin from us, just as he removed sinners from his promised land, to purify us. The illustration is not as convenient and takes a little more work, but it uses biblical imagery that seems more fitting.
 

On Baptizing Aliens

Earlier this week Pope Francis argued the church should display grace and be more open to baptizing all who come seeking after it, regardless of their parents' practices, for example.  While I disagree with the way the Catholic church practices baptism (and a lot of other things!), I would certainly applaud the driving point the Pope is making - the church should be open to receiving all who come desiring to place their faith in Christ.

But, I would certainly want to limit what I mean by all to all . . . humans.  To illustrate his openness, the Pope said he would reach beyond humanity and extend baptism to green martians, "green men, with a long nose and big ears, like children draw,"  and "If tomorrow, for example, an expedition of Martians arrives and some of them come to us ... and if one of them says: 'Me, I want to be baptised!', what would happen? . . . Who are we to close doors?”

I understand the Pope was simply illustrating his point and not laying down church doctrine for ET.  I can only imagine a Green Lantern or Jedi style meeting of cardinals from a plethora of human-like species.  After all, Yoda would look ridiculous in a mitre.

An illustration though it may have been, it misses the whole point of what God did when he sent Jesus to become a man and take on human flesh. Hebrews 2:14-18 makes clear that he "had to be made like his brothers in every respect."  Jesus didn't take on humanoid flesh - which could potentially include anything with two legs, two arms, opposable thumbs, and the ability to fly a spacecraft.  No, he took on human flesh.  The same humanity that Genesis 1:27 tells us was created in the image of God.

So, to answer the Pope's question, "Who are we to close the doors?"  We're Christians, who have been given the truth of God's Word and have an obligation to order our practices by it.  We don't get to make it up as we go long so that we sound more compassionate.

So, just to be clear, aliens can visit our church anytime.  They can come to potluck and we'll fellowship with them if they want to hang out.  But, the Bible doesn't allow us to offer them salvation through the person and work of Jesus Christ.  And, therefore, we can't baptize them either.  Plus, remember what happened when they spilled water on Gizmo - I mean, you never know!

Praise God that Jesus took on human flesh that we might have life.  That's more precious than you or I can ever imagine!

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:13-17 ESV)

Apology from Beeke About Rap Panel

I really had no intention of continuing to post about this issue, but because I have, I thought it appropriate to include the recent apology from one of the panelists:

http://www.challies.com/articles/joel-beeke-christian-rap-and-public-apologies

Great Roundup of the Recent Reformed Rap Debate

Thabiti Anyabwile provides a great roundup of many of the responses to the recent panel discussion on Christian Rap.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/

You can see the video of the panel discussion that started all this here: (http://hiswordistruth.blogspot.com/2013/12/can-christian-rap-honor-god.html)

Al Mohler Reflects on the Question of Reformed Rap

Yesterday I posted some thoughts on the recent panel discussion concerning reformed rap.

Al Mohler provides his excellent insights here.  The last paragraph is golden:

Bach’s English Suite No. 3 in G Minor is playing as I write this. It makes me happy to hear it. But knowing that the Gospel is being taken to the ears and hearts of new generation by a cadre of gifted young Gospel rappers makes me far happier.

Can Christian Rap Honor God?

And we wonder why our churches are as segregated as they are on Sundays . . . This video literally made me feel like I had been punched in the gut.  It made me angry (and I don't even listen to Reformed Rap).


The Worship of God Q&A: Holy Hip-Hop from NCFIC on Vimeo.

This reminds me of the missions movement when they thought making a tribe "christian" meant making them dress like Europeans.  The reasoning of this panel basically sounds like this to me, "We don't like Christian reformed rap because everyone who raps is egotistical, we can't understand the words, and it doesn't sound like our Christian tradition."

Though I know it is a serious charge, these men sound a lot like the Pharisees to me; holding up their tradition as the only way to approach God.  While I'm certain these men genuinely want God to be glorified in the church, I have to wonder what they would do on the mission field.  How would they handle music among brand new believers in a previously unreached tribe.  Would they force Western styles on that tribe, or would they find ways for that tribe to express praise to God in their own ancient musical styles?  I'm not sure how they would answer that question, but my guess is that they would glory in that tribe's particular cultural expression and not force another style on them.  So, why treat this particular American cultural expression any differently?

I'm struggling to find an answer to that question? The only answer I can come up with is that they are guilty of some form of American cultural elitism where they believe their expression is the only legitimate American Christian expression.  Now, I don't think they wear that reasoning on their sleeves, but it must be hidden somewhere in their heart for these arguments to find such expression.

The church will remain a place of segregation until we agree that God loves and embraces cultural diversity and, therefore, diversity of musical expression also.



Justin Taylor has a great round up of some other responses on his blog.

"I can see that you do not understand what I am saying to you. What I am saying to you is that you do not live life as Martin Luther lived life. You do not wake up in the morning as he did, nor do you go to bed at night as he did. You need to understand something about changed conditions of belief.  Do you not understand that in the time of Martin Luther, almost every single human being in European civilization woke up afraid that he would die before nightfall?  Eternal destiny was a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute thought.  Every night, as the late Medieval or early Reformation human being closed his eyes, he feared that he would wake up either in heaven or in hell.  You do not live with that fear.  And that means that your understanding of these things is very different from Martin Luther's.  That's why he threw ink pots at the Devil, and you close your notebook and sleep well at night."

- from "Atheism Remix" by Dr. Al Mohler quoting Dr. Heiko Obermann

He Gives What He Commands

"You give them something to eat" was Jesus' command to his disciples after they asked him to send the 5,000 men and their families to get provisions.  Can you imagine being in their position?  It would have been laughable.  With a straight face, Jesus was commanding these 12 guys, with essentially nothing, to feed 5,000 men and their families. He knew they couldn't do what he was asking.

But, Jesus never intended them to obey in their own strength or with their own provisions.

He took the five loaves and the two fish, said a blessing, "then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd" (Luke 9:16).  He gave what he commanded.  He handed them what they needed to do what he asked.

Church History Resources

It's been a joy to walk through Church History with Christ Community Church on Wednesday nights!

I've come across a few helpful resources for the group and am listing them on our church website.  The timeline is a great resource to have in hand as we move through the first 6 centuries of the church.  Also, the series on the NT Canon was really helpful.

He Disarmed the Rulers and Authorities (FF Bruce on Colossians 2:15)

"The very instrument of disgrace and death by which the hostile forces thought they had him in their grasp and had conquered him forever was turned by him into the instrument of their defeat and disablement.  As he was suspended there, bound hand and foot to the wood in apparent weakness, they imagined they had him at their mercy, and flung themselves on him with hostile intent.  But, far from suffering their attack without resistance, he grappled with them and mastered them, stripping them of the armor in which they trusted, and held them aloft in his outstretched hands, displaying to the universe their helplessness and his own unvanquished strength.  Such seems to be the picture painted in these words."   - F.F. Bruce

Well-known Scientists Admit Validity of Intelligent Design

We're all familiar with the debate.  The mainstream world of science says that Intelligent Design is inadmissible in the realm of real science.  It can't be tested, therefore it can't be proven.

But, what if I told you that there is an entire scientific organization funded by:

NASA Ames Research Center
NASA Headquarters
National Science Foundation
Department of Energy
US Geological Survey
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
International Astronomical Union
Universities Space Research Association (USRA)
Pacific Science Center
Foundation for Microbiology
Sun Microsystems
Hewlett Packard Company
(right hand column on this page)

 . . . and the entire organization is based on looking for Intelligent Design.  It would be hard to believe, wouldn't it?  But, it exists.  SETI, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, is a well-respected, well funded organization who believes that Intelligent Design is an extremely important scientific concept.

I heard one of their scientists on NPR just the other day.  He was  asked, "How will you know if what you're observing is from aliens?"  To which he responded, "It will have evidence of intelligent design."  I almost ran my car off the road, blown away by the hypocrisy.  So, intelligent design can be observed in the universe as long as it's designed by aliens and not by God.

Almost too hard to believe.  But, in case there's any question, here it is in the FAQ section of their site.  They say they are looking for transmissions that are "purposely built," which is a synonym for intelligently designed.

Anybody else see the double standard here?

Ashton Kutcher Admits to Taking the Creator for Granted

A few days ago on Jay Leno, Ashton Kutcher admitted that when he learned of the creator's death he realized that he had been taking him for granted.  Kutcher told Leno, "I realized all the relationships I have in my life are held together by glue that he laid down."  Kutcher look around at all the things in his life that were made by him and realized that all this time he had not appreciated him like he should have.  Here's the full transcript:

It was actually the day that he died... for me, I hear people talk about they knew where they were the day Kennedy died. And for me, I'll never forget the moment I heard that he died. And I pulled my car to the side of the road, and kind of took a moment. I got home and I realized, I sat down on my computer and started doing some work and I realized all the relationships I have in my life are held together by glue that he laid down.

And all the work that I do, in whatever capacity that I do it, and all the entertainment I consume.. here I have my Apple computer and my iPhone... all these things, and I realized that I had taken him for granted, and taken for granted the contributions he actually gave to society.  (transcript and video here)

So, no, it's not the Creator you're thinking of, but that's just the point.  We should learn from Kutcher here, but take it all the way back to God, the creator of all things.  Kutcher realized he had taken Steve Jobs for granted.  We need to realize we take the creator of Steve Jobs for granted.  All the work we do, in whatever capacity that we to it and all the relationships we have are from Him.

And, the only way we'll ever see it is if he graciously opens our sin riddled eyes.  Otherwise, we remain blind to the glaring light of his glory all around us:

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." Romans 1:19-23

It's Somebody Else's Problem

In Isaiah 39 we find Hezekiah showing off all his riches to the visiting envoy of the Babylonian empire. When Isaiah finds out what Hezekiah has done he tells him that God will one day remove all these treasures and even his sons will be exiled to Babylon. Hezekiah's response is shockingly cold and detached, "'The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.' For he thought, 'There will be peace and security in my days'" (Is. 39:8).

Hezekiah's response, however, shouldn't surprise us all that much. It's always easier to put off our problems on a future generation. They're nothing more than unnamed faces; let them make the sacrifices.

My fear is that this mentality has crept into our zeal for the Great Commission to be finished and the gospel be proclaimed to every tribe, tongue, and nation.  We believe that it will happen - after all Jesus made clear that it would, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). I just don't think we really believe that it could happen in our generation. And, as a result, we begin to pass the responsibility to the next generation.

Of course, we should be preparing the next generation for this great work. But, let's work, pray, and give with the goal that there's not going to be any work left for them to do. Let's not wash our hands of the hard work and think our job is just to get the next generation ready. If all we're every doing is preparing the next generation the job will never get done.

To learn more about the spread of the gospel visit http://www.joshuaproject.net/

Endangered Languages

While I can certainly understand the cultural and historical tragedy of losing a language, perhaps it will open doors for the gospel. A people who have had no access to Scripture in their language could become overtaken by a language that has already been translated. This is not unlike the domination of the Greek language when the gospel exploded on the scene. Who knows what God may be doing . . .

From Enduring Voices Project, Endangered Languages, Map, Facts, Photos, Videos -- National Geographic

"Throughout human history, the languages of powerful groups have spread while the languages of smaller cultures have become extinct. This occurs through official language policies or through the allure that the high prestige of speaking an imperial language can bring. These trends explain, for instance, why more language diversity exists in Bolivia than on the entire European continent, which has a long history of large states and imperial powers."

Planet could be 'unrecognizable' by 2050, experts say - Yahoo! News

The first justification for abortion was a woman's right to choose, the next will be the impact on our planet and over-population. (APF news)

Population experts, meanwhile, called for more funding for family planning programs to help control the growth in the number of humans, especially in developing nations.

"For 20 years, there's been very little investment in family planning, but there's a return of interest now, partly because of the environmental factors like global warming and food prices," said Bongaarts.

"We want to minimize population growth, and the only viable way to do that is through more effective family planning," said Casterline.

Planet could be 'unrecognizable' by 2050, experts say - Yahoo! News

Treasuring Christ

Thanks to a faithful sermon from Justin Childers this morning I was reminded of the central place Christ should have in our hearts, which prompted me to ask,

Do we think, teach, and preach about Christ in such a way that we are left realizing that to be without Him would be unthinkably horrific?

Interesting Article on Tebow's Ad

Justin Taylor linked to a thoughtful article from a feminist on Tebow's upcoming Super Bowl ad.  It seems to me if we were able to have honest conversations like this one with people who disagree with us we might get somewhere on the major ethical and philosophical issues of the day.  This is just as true for conservative, evangelical Christians as "the other side."  So, let's learn a lesson from this journalist and not create caricatures and straw mean, but actually engage those who disagree with us.

Jesus and the Old Testament

"For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him" -Acts 13:27

This verse helps us understand how we should interpret the Old Testament. I think we often mistakenly think that the Old Testament is unclear in it's object and it is our task to help it along in what it's trying to accomplish. We think it's our task to make the Messiah clear where it's not quite so obvious. Paul would disagree.

Here Paul says that the people of Israel should have recognized Jesus based on the scriptures themselves. He "looked" like the Messiah they should have been waiting for had they correctly understood the prophets. So, the fault lies not with the Old Testament, but with those who fail to meditate on it day and night.

John Sailhamer's analogy is helpful here. We often think of the New Testament as a spotlight shining back on the OT. In reality, it may be better to think of the OT as a spotlight shining on the NT giving it a context that makes sense. It provides the evidence of a Messiah that Jesus fulfills.

Acts 10:42-43 points us in the same direction: "And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Words From '81 I Needed To Hear Today

This is such a great quote I hesitate to set apart any of it with italics or bold; it must be taken as a whole - a challenge to pastors and to the expectations of his people.

"The Word will not abide within us if we are in a hurry. We pastors deceive ourselves when we are so busy doing good things that we snatch a text and a prayer on the run and think that we will be mighty men of God and bear spiritual fruit. To be very specific, Glenn, so that you will remember it, almost no minister of the gospel will be a spiritually fruitful person if he is spending less that two hours a day in prayer and meditation in addition to his sermon preparation. Holy, powerful, life-changing spiritual men of God are not made on the run. There are so few people who believe that, Glen, that the expectations laid on you in the service will probably be a constant threat to your spiritual power and fruitfulness. But Christ has appointed you to go and bear fruit. So resist those expectations with boldness."

-John Piper, I Chose You to Bear Fruit (John 15), Ordination of Glen Bloomstrom, 1981.

The Perpetual Love of God

"But a question is put, How did Christ die for friends since we 'were his enemies, before he reconciled us', (Romans 5:10) for, by expiating our sins through the sacrifice of his death, he destroyed the enmity that was between God and us? The answer to this question will be found under the third chapter [of John], where we said that, in reference to us, there is a state of variance between us and God, till our sins are blotted out by the death of Christ; but that the cause of this grace, which has been manifested in Christ, was the perpetual love of God, with which he loved even those who were his enemies."

- John Calvin, Commentary on John 15:13

God and Donkeys: Expanding Our View of God’s Providence in 2009

The man wiped his brow, weary from the journey of looking for his family’s lost donkeys. Both he and his servant were tired of looking and ready to return to their home. Surely they were both quite annoyed at this point and would rather have been doing something else. Perhaps they were mumbling under their breath about these donkeys that had wondered away. After all, they had other things they needed to be doing. This had been quite the interruption to their normal schedule.

These lost donkeys, however, were no accident. Their wanderings were not undirected. We find Saul the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, in 1 Samuel 9 being sent by his father to find their family’s donkeys. And, in verse 16 of that same chapter God tells Samuel, “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel.” The Benjaminite to whom the Lord is referring is Saul. And, what Saul thinks is a search for randomly wandering donkeys is in fact God’s providential leading of Saul to Samuel. It’s all a matter of perspective; what was wandering to Saul was being sent to Samuel.

God is a God of means. In this situation he chose to cause Kish’s donkeys to walk away. How often have we grumbled and complained when God is using means in our lives to accomplish his purposes? Of course, the difficult part of trusting God with the interruptions to our lives is that we don’t know the outcome. When we read 1 Samuel we have the advantage of knowing how the story ends. In our lives we may never know why things happen to us. And, it would often be a mistake to speculate. But, the one thing we must do is trust that God has his good purposes for all things that happen in our lives, even what we would call annoying interruptions (Rom. 8:28).

When our plans change by circumstances out of our control, God would call us to trust that they are perfectly in his control. The long line at the checkout, the fender bender on the way home, the lost keys that make you late for your appointment are all for the good. It could be that the house your car broke down in front of has been waiting for the gospel to reach their ears. It becomes difficult to think on such things if we’re kicking our tires and screaming on the telephone.

Instead, let us resolve to trust God’s providence in our lives in 2009. Let us trust that “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” God’s goodness to us was bought on the cross. Let us look to the gospel in 2009.
God intends to teach us this and much more about himself as we look into 1 Samuel in Adult Bible Study on Sunday mornings. I am excited about what God will do in our lives together in 2009 through the teaching of his Word.

Forgiveness and Marriage (Newsletter Article)

Here is an expanded version of an earlier post I did on the application of Luke 17:4 to marriage for our church's newsletter:

“Familiarity breeds contempt.” We hear this phrase often. While I don’t believe familiarity in general breeds contempt, it certainly can in the context of relationships. We find it much easier to forgive people for whom we can make excuses, or from whom we can remove ourselves. If someone you seldom interact with, like a co-worker in a different department or the guy at the grocery store, does something to offend you, then you can simply move on. You’re not likely to see them again, you say to yourself. Or, you think better of them and assume they’re just be having a bad day. You’re willing to forgive them. It’s not really an issue. That kind of forgiveness is easy.

Marriages, and other close relationships, don’t have that luxury. It is much more difficult to forgive your spouse because you see the worst of them; and, you see it every day. As a result, justification of their actions becomes a lot harder to come by. We get tired of our spouses doing the same thing. So, we get angry a lot easier the next time the same thing happens. We find it more difficult to move on. We find it more difficult to forgive. This is why marriages need Luke 17:4, “If he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you seven times, saying, "I repent," you must forgive him.”

Luke 17:4 quiets the mouth of excuse. There is never a reason not to forgive. There is never a reason in your marriage to harbor bitterness and anger. Jesus said, “we must forgive.” So, if we apply Luke 17:4 to our marriages I think we should start a new phrase, “Familiarity breeds gospel proclamation.” When you are left without the opportunity to escape a conflict or make excuses for a person, reconciliation only comes through true forgiveness. There are not other options.

So, we have a choice to make in our marriages. Will they be arenas of bitterness, bringing up the past, brooding, and revenge; or, will they be a glorious arena of forgiveness. How we treat our spouses when they offend us says something about what we believe about the gospel. Do we believe that through the cross Jesus forgives our sin, even the same one seventy times seven? Are we willing to forgive as we have been forgiven? Do we see our spouses as forgiven saints through the cross of Jesus Christ?

This creates harmony in relationships in two ways. First, the offended party is eager to forgive. Second, when the one who offended knows he/she will find forgiveness, repentance comes much quicker. Oh, what comfort and love would exists in a marriage where a spouse knows that they will be forgiven.

Let the gospel of Jesus Christ reign in your marriages and other close relationships. While familiarity has great potential to cause contempt, it also provides a canvas on which we can paint the glories of the gospel to a watching world.

Sinner Envy is Sin

“Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day” –Proverbs 23:17

Advertising agencies hate this verse. OK, not really. Most probably don’t know this verse exists. But, the reality is that their entire purpose in life, their business model, is to get you to envy sinners. They want you to covet what someone else has that you don’t. They use celebrities because they know that you want to be like them.
Now, I want to be careful here. I don’t mean to single out celebrities as sinners and pretend that I am not included in that universal group, save one, called sinners. There is, however, a lifestyle of waste and luxury that doesn’t bode well with sacrificing for the Kingdom of God. Of course, I am sure that I live more laviously than I ought and there are many more sacrifices that I need to make. Perhaps it’s because I’m too busy envying sinners instead of fearing God.

Forgiveness and Marriage

"If he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you seven times, saying, "I repent," you must forgive him" (Luke 17:4)

Marriages need Luke 17:4. I need this verse in my marriage. I need my wife to be able to forgive me because I am a dreadfully sinful person; and, my wife needs to know that if she comes to me with repentance that I will be quick to forgive. I need both the humility to repent and the humility to forgive. Often pride prevents both.

If a husband and wife knew that each fully accepted that their sins as forgiven on the cross both repentance and forgiveness would come quickly. Let us put this verse into practice with our spouses. Forgiveness in marriage will breed repentance and paint a beautiful picture of the gospel.

Be Careful What We Exalt

"For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15b).

What a powerful truth to meditate. Those things which we, in our sin, see as worthy of exaltation are hated by God. We must examine our hearts and ensure that we are not sharing in the exaltation of what is an abomination. We must ask ourselves if what we are participating in holds in high regard what God despises. Are we holding up with our finances those things that God would destroy?

Christ Baptist Podcast

Great God Who Saves

I was given Laura Story's new cd Great God Who Saves this past Sunday and have really been enjoying listening to it. It's been good to be reminded that my God is mighty to save.

Forever Hating

Let me begin this post by saying that I pray all will repent and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. That being said, I often come upon the misconception that those who are condemned to Hell will wish they had repented and trusted in Jesus. The reality is that they will hate Jesus more than ever and continue to rebel against him.

In Revelation 16 we see this concept repeated three times. As the angels pour out their bowls of wrath on non-believing sinners, demonstrating the power and wrath of God, "they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory" (16:9). This is repeated in verse 11 and verse 21. They curse God for the infliction he brings upon them. They don't wish they had trusted in Him, they hate Him.

Apart from the gracious work of Christ on the cross and the awakening power of the Holy Spirit that opens blind eyes, we would forever be enemies of God. Forever.

Hell will not be full of screams of regret, but of hatred. Their eternal punishment will be just.

Do Not Labor for the Food That Perishes

"Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” -John 6:27

We are guilty of this on a daily basis. We are consumed with our temporal satisfaction and we work hard to get it. We schedule our days around our meals. We leave work in the middle of the day. We just stop what we are doing because of the hunger pangs of our stomach. We can’t stand the ache of not having food. Jesus says to us, “Love me like that.” You have a road trip planned and you know you have to get up early to get to where you’re going. It’s no struggle because your heart is full of the excitement of the day that awaits you. Jesus says to us, “Love me like that.” Maybe it’s Thursday night and your favorite TV show is coming on. You ensure that everything gets taken care of so you can sit down and watch the show. And, even if you don’t get the work done it can wait until later. Jesus is saying to us, “Love me like that.”

Scholars Question the Resurrection

Okay, I know there's nothing shocking about that title. This has been the case for 2000 years now, but today's New York Times brings it to the table once again. The story calls the resurrection into question because a tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew on it seems to indicate that there was a tradition that the Jewish Messiah would die and be raised from the dead in three days. So, some are concluding that this in fact proves the resurrection of Jesus to be fabricated because Jesus and his followers were just trying to "fit the mold" of what the Messiah was to be.

The problem, of course, is that this reasoning negates the resurrection regardless of whether there was such tradition or not. If the resurrection occurred and there was no written tradition for such in Judaism, then he cannot be the Jewish Messiah. Instead, they claim this concept was developed later and written back in by the disciples. Now, they say, it can be proven that the tradition pre-dated the cross, but that simply means Jesus was trying to be something he wasn't. Instead of modifying their conclusions, they keep them, because they are already convinced such a resurrection is not possible.

There are few clearer examples of forcing the evidence to justify one's conclusions. A natural conclusion would be that this concept came from the OT Scriptures, though possibly misguided at times and misdirected (ie the Messiah being someone named Simon as the article indicates). Jesus himself said that Jonah's three days in the whale was a sign. So, there is OT precedent for a concept of three days.

I pray God will open their blinded eyes.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus: Why It Just Doesn't Add Up

Some of you have asked me to return to the blogosphere. This latest documentary from James Cameron and the Discovery Channel have provided the necessary motivation. For those of you who haven't heard about this yet, this documentary claims that the tomb of Jesus has been discovered along with the ossuary that would have held his remains, hence an attempt to refute the bodily resurrection. This is the evidence they provide:

1. In this particular tomb there are 6 names: Jesus, the son of Joseph; Mary, Mary, James, Matthew, and Judah.

2. It is claimed that Matthew is a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus, that the other Mary is Mary Magdalene, that James is a brother of Jesus, and that Judah is the son of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

3. They claim that this cluster of names in one tomb would have been very unlikely to be any thing other than the tomb of Jesus himself.

4. Also, DNA tests were done to "prove" that Mary and Jesus were married. (DNA samples were taken from these two tombs and they didn't show maternal relationship. Therefore, they concluded, that since they are buried together and their DNA doesn't match that they were married.)

Here are my reasons why this is shoddy science at best:

1. If this Mary was not a blood relative of the Jesus they found in this tomb, then neither is she the relative of any other male in the tomb. So, by their own reasoning she could be married to any of the males in that tomb. Simply showing that 2 sets of DNA do not match does not a marriage make.

2. If they wanted to prove their point then they would need to demonstrate that the brother of Jesus had matching DNA to Mary (the mother); or, they could simply see if Judah matched both Jesus and Mary (Magdalene) to prove that it was their son. Now, that would be closer to definitive proof that the Jesus in this tomb had a child with one of the Mary's in this tomb. The point is that there were plenty of other DNA tests that could have been done to bolster their position, but they claimed to have only found DNA in these two ossuaries (Jesus and Mary).

3. Isn't it convenient that the ONLY DNA they found was in the ossuaries supposedly of the two people that were in the DaVinci Code as a married couple. This reeks of capitalizing on what was already made recently popular by the best-selling book. The timing of the release in conjunction with Easter also reeks of monetary motivation, not scientific motivation.

4. I would love to know how they can scientifically prove that the DNA residue they found wasn't from a guy who smashed his finger when he was placing the bones in the ossuary. (they are not getting it from the bones, but from "residue").

5. I cannot find anywhere if the ossuary of this Jesus and this Mary were even found next to each other. They may have been, I just haven't heard anyone use this as further evidence. It will be interesting if they mention the location of the ossuaries in the tomb in the documentary.

6. Jesus was probably from a relatively poor family from Nazareth. So, it is strange that his family tomb would be a middle class one in Jerusalem. They claim that Jesus' followers certainly would have been able to afford such a tomb (as quoted by the archaeologist on Larry King). Here's the problem:

a. Jesus' followers claimed that he was alive, raised from the dead. Don't you think they would go to a little effort to not make his tomb quite so obvious if they were responsible for his burial?

b. Why would Jesus' faithful disciples bury him in a tomb like any other tomb with 9 other people? Wouldn't they either make an effort to hide the burial of his bones, or otherwise have a highly decorated memorial tomb for their fallen and heroic hero? Instead, this documentary has to claim that they didn't bother to hide his body, nor did they bother to distinguish his burial. They simply lackadaisically buried him in a ordinary middle class family tomb.

Well, this is drawing long, but the point is that this is not science at all, but just yet another attempt to avoid accountability before the living God. Jesus is the risen Savior. I pray that God would open the blinded eyes of the men who prepared this documentary that they may see the glories of the risen Savior.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus: Why It Just Doesn't Add Up

Some of you have asked me to return to the blogosphere. This latest documentary from James Cameron and the Discovery Channel have provided the necessary motivation. For those of you who haven't heard about this yet, this documentary claims that the tomb of Jesus has been discovered along with the ossuary that would have held his remains, hence an attempt to refute the bodily resurrection. This is the evidence they provide:

1. In this particular tomb there are 6 names: Jesus, the son of Joseph; Mary, Mary, James, Matthew, and Judah.
2. It is claimed that Matthew is a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus, that the other Mary is Mary Magdalene, that James is a brother of Jesus, and that Judah is the son of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
3. They claim that this cluster of names in one tomb would have been very unlikely to be any thing other than the tomb of Jesus himself.
4. Also, DNA tests were done to "prove" that Mary and Jesus were married. (DNA samples were taken from these two tombs and they didn't show maternal relationship. Therefore, they concluded, that since they are buried together and their DNA doesn't match that they were married.)

Here are my reasons why this is shoddy science at best:

1. If this Mary was not a blood relative of the Jesus they found in this tomb, then neither is she the relative of any other male in the tomb. So, by their own reasoning she could be married to any of the males in that tomb. Simply showing that 2 sets of DNA do not match does not a marriage make.

2. If they wanted to prove their point then they would need to demonstrate that the brother of Jesus had matching DNA to Mary (the mother); or, they could simply see if Judah matched both Jesus and Mary (Magdalene) to prove that it was their son. Now, that would be closer to definitive proof that the Jesus in this tomb had a child with one of the Mary's in this tomb. The point is that there were plenty of other DNA tests that could have been done to bolster their position, but they claimed to have only found DNA in these two ossuaries (Jesus and Mary).

3. Isn't it convenient that the ONLY DNA they found was in the ossuaries supposedly of the two people that were in the DaVinci Code as a married couple. This reeks of capitalizing on what was already made recently popular by the best-selling book. The timing of the release in conjunction with Easter also reeks of monetary motivation, not scientific motivation.

4. I would love to know how they can scientifically prove that the DNA residue they found wasn't from a guy who smashed his finger when he was placing the bones in the ossuary. (they are not getting it from the bones, but from "residue").

5. I cannot find anywhere if the ossuary of this Jesus and this Mary were even found next to each other. They may have been, I just haven't heard anyone use this as further evidence. It will be interesting if they mention the location of the ossuaries in the tomb in the documentary.

6. Jesus was probably from a relatively poor family from Nazareth. So, it is strange that his family tomb would be a middle class one in Jerusalem. They claim that Jesus' followers certainly would have been able to afford such a tomb (as quoted by the archaeologist on Larry King). Here's the problem:

a. Jesus' followers claimed that he was alive, raised from the dead. Don't you think they would go to a little effort to not make his tomb quite so obvious if they were responsible for his burial?
b. Why would Jesus' faithful disciples bury him in a tomb like any other tomb with 9 other people? Wouldn't they either make an effort to hide the burial of his bones, or otherwise have a highly decorated memorial tomb for their fallen and heroic hero? Instead, this documentary has to claim that they didn't bother to hide his body, nor did they bother to distinguish his burial. They simply lackadaisically buried him in a ordinary middle class family tomb.

Well, this is drawing long, but the point is that this is not science at all, but just yet another attempt to avoid accountability before the living God. Jesus is the risen Savior. I pray that God would open the blinded eyes of the men who prepared this documentary that they may see the glories of the risen Savior.

New Website

I just finished revamping my church website. Check it out here.

Can We Judge Faithfulness by Results?

The modern test for the success of anything is results. The stock market goes up or down based on the profit results for a company in a given quarter. Promotions and raises in the workplace are based on whether or not the employee produces results. Schools are given a certain level of federal and state funding based on results. I could go on and on. Everywhere we turn in the modern world the usefulness and value of something is based on results.

That may not be a bad thing in dealing with the things of the world, but we must be vigilant not to allow it to spill over into how we evaluate the work of the church. We must constantly remind ourselves that the church is not to work according to the ways of the world. A church should long to be faithful, and faithfulness cannot necessarily be measured by results.

There are two biblical examples that show this kind of worldly thinking cannot apply to the things of the Lord; Jereboam, king of Israel, and Jeremiah. 2 Kings 14:27 says that the Lord “saved them by the hand of Jereboam the son of Joash.” In today’s world, one may read this and think that Jereboam therefore must have been a faithful person, but that is not the case. Verse 24 says, “and he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” In other words, the Lord used Jereboam to produce results, but by no means was Jereboam a faithful servant.

Then there was Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 7:27 the Lord tells Jeremiah, “So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you.” So, here one may argue that Jeremiah was not faithful because he did not produce results in the lives of those to whom he prophesied. The reality is, however, that Jeremiah was faithful. He faithfully communicated God’s message whether people were listening or not. Of course, the Lord did bless Jeremiah with results long after his time. Many now read the book of Jeremiah and are changed by it. But, those results were not seen in his day.

So, let us be sure to measure faithfulness by whether or not a person, or a church, is faithful, not by the results they may produce.

Two Different Worlds

The contrast pointed out in this post at Slice of Laodecia gets to the heart of the problems with much of American Christianity.

Scripture Does Not Exaggerate

When reading Scripture, on this we must be clear on: it does not exaggerate. It uses poetry, analogy, metaphor, and many other literary devices, but it does not use them to cast an inaccurate picture. Why do I say this? 1 Peter 2:1-3 tells us that we are to long for the pure milk of the Word like a newborn infant. A newborn infant screams and cries and will not be satisfied with anything else until it has its satisfaction in milk. Peter says in the same way we are to long for the Word.

Now, it would be easy to dismiss this as an exaggeration and excuse away what, by these standards, would be a callous indifference to the Word. Now, it doesn't mean that we have to cry and scream if we don't read our Bible. But, it does mean that we should be satisfied by nothing else. It means that our deepest and most immediate craving should be for God's Word. May we be satisfied by nothing less!

Rick Warren: A Reformation Without Theology?

"Inclusive Christianity means that we don't argue over the minor parts; for instance, Catholics and Protestants . . . I believe that we need a second Reformation in the church and the second Reformation is not about Theology, I think we know what we believe . . . now, we're never going to agree on all the minor doctrines . . . but we do agree on purpose." - Rick Warren

These are Rick Warren's exact words from his recent interview with Charlie Rose. Let me begin by saying that I have no desire to attack Rick Warren as a person. I truly appreciate the attention he is bringing to the AIDS crisis in Africa, though I profoundly disagree with some of the means he is employing in that effort.

That being said, to pretend as if the differences between Catholics and Protestants are minor reveals one of two things. He is either historically and theologically ignorant or he is willing to compromise for the sake of efficiency and expediency. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that the latter is the case, especially since he indicates that "purpose" is what should bring us together. Catholics do not believe that we are saved by faith alone through grace alone on the basis of Christ's work alone. This is not "minor." Heaven and Hell hang in the balance.

Furthermore, to call for a reformation absent theology also reveals an unfortunate misunderstanding of what theology is. Theology is not just academic study consisting of musings over the nature of God. Theology is the basis for everything we do as Christians, including reaching out to alleviate the AIDS crisis. That sort of love is based on the loving character of Christ and the common grace of the Father, which are both part of theology (Christology and Theology proper). Additionally, the questions Warren is asking concerning the responsibility of the church is included in the study of theology as well. It even has its own name, Ecclesiology.

Doctrine will always matter in every area of our faith, including our practice.

I pray that the Lord will grant Warren repentance for his indifference to the Word of God and the theology that it teaches on every page.

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Conviction of the Word

"Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you." Matthew 5:42

As I read through the Sermon on the Mount last week I stopped to reflect on this verse. We often have people coming to the church asking for money for all kinds of different things. I even had a gentlemen come in, ask for $3,000, and request that we take up a love offering to cover it. (This man has refused to get a job of any sort because he says they don't pay enough.) Needless to say, not every request is a valid one.

What I found, however, upon reading this verse is that my heart had become jaded by those who abuse the generosity of the church. There are many among those who come who genuinely need help. The Lord blessed me immensely by allowing me to act on the conviction of the Holy Spirit the very next day. Eddie, a man whom I have talked to before, came by and needed money for gas so that he could get his prescription filled. Though I was rather skeptical at first, I found myself rehearsing Matthew 5:42. God's Word, through the Holy Spirit, won out over my unnecessary and sinful skepticism. "Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."

As a result of that opportunity I was able to take Eddie to lunch today and share the gospel over a McDonald's cheeseburger and fries. So, why do I share this? Am I boasting in my good works? I pray that I am not. Instead, I want to praise God for using His Word to make a sinful, stubborn, selfish man give to one who was in need. I pray that the Lord would continue to mold me through His Word.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." -Hebrews 4:12

Sound Systems Convert the Lost?!?!?

I was doing some research to purchase a portable sound system for my church and I came across this article from an old issue of Christianity Today (May/June 2002, Vol. 48, No. 3). Apparently if you want to see people come to Christ you just need the right kind of speakers (not the human ones!):

"The dockable systems are powerful enough to accurately portray rolling thunder across the room and the "voice" of God as he declares victory over sin. The effect is so convincing as to be partially responsible for numerous conversions over the course of the play's yearly run. The church's lead technician says it best: 'We pull them out of the children's meeting rooms, plug them up for the Passion play, watch people come to the Lord, then roll them back the following week to pump out VeggieTales again.'"

It is unfortunate that people think a certain sound effect can produce conversions. This is simply yet another symptom of the emphasis on personal experience instead of the Word of God.

"7The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
10They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. " - Psalm 19:7-10

Psalm 127:3

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,The fruit of the womb is a reward."

Al Mohler discusses new neighborhoods where children under 18 are not allowed to live. In some they are not even allowed to visit. Can you imagine a group of 20, 30, and 40 something's building a neighborhood where no one over 65 was allowed to live. This would be agism of the worst sort. Yet, it apparently doesn't count for children. Once again children in our society are seen as an annoyance and not a blessing from the Lord.

See the full articles here.

The Word of the Lord

"The spoken word of God does not simply describe reality, it creates reality."

Quote of the Day: Making Disciples

"Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ." - Colossians 2:28 (ESV)

"Clearly for Paul and his colleagues evangelistic and missionary outreach was not effected by some superficial presentation of the saving message about Christ to the world, but rather was prosecuted through warning and intensive teaching in pastoral situations."

O'Brien, Peter T., Word Biblical Commentary on Colossians (pgs. 87-88)

Sermon on the Mount and Prayer of Confession

On Sunday mornings I lead our church in a prayer of confession. This past Sunday we started working our way through the Sermon on the Mount as a guide for our corporate confession. We only did Matthew 5:3-6 and these are the sins we confessed:

We confess that:

We have demonstrated arrogance by thinking that we are rich in spirit and that we have goodness within ourselves. (v. 3)

We have not mourned with those who are hurting. Instead we have been caught up in our own lives and have not taken the time to weep with those who are weeping. (vs. 4)

We have been harsh and stinging in our conversations with others and in our demeanor. Instead of demonstrating the gentleness of Christ, we have demonstrated the bite of selfishness. (vs. 5)

We have hungered and thirst, but it has been for unrighteousness. We have longed for those things which You despise. (vs. 6)

Father, we thank you for the cross on which these, and the multitude of our other sins, have been forgiven. May Jesus Christ be exalted as our righteousness.

An Unfortunate Trend

Our church receives Home Life magazine every month for members to pick up, take home, and read. Lifeway publishes this magazine and is the resource arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. So, I thought I would look through the August issue of this magazine, which says that in its pages you will find "biblical ideas for family living." Here are the "statistical" numbers I discovered (Unfortunately, I was not surprised by my findings):

68 - Number of pages in the magazine

14 - Number of Scripture references found in the entirety of the magazine

24 - Number of articles or informational pieces in the magazine

7 - Number of articles in which those 14 references appear. (that's only about 30% of their articles)

8 - Number of references that are used simply as proof text. In other words, these are simply quoted at the end of the article with no explanation as to their meaning.

It is hard to understand how a magazine can give "biblical ideas for family living" with these numbers. Admittedly, maybe they were having an off month, so I will track this in the coming months as well. It will be interesting.

Quote of the Day

"[Paul's] apostolic work did not rest with the conversion of his hearers. That was a beginning; the end would not be reached until the day of Christ, and the quality of his ministry would then be tested by the quality and maturity of those whom he could present as his spiritual children. What joy would be his if they were genuine and worthy believers; what shame if they were not!"

- F.F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians, (p. 88).

Book Review: The Tipping Point

I know full well that I am a latecomer to this book. It was first published in 2000, the momenteous millenium that is now 6 years in the past. So, this review is not so much to tell about a new book on the market as it is to discover what we as Christians can learn from the information found in this book.

The Tipping Point was written by Malcom Gladwell, also the author of the more recent Blink. In Tipping Point he seeks to discover exactly what it is that turns an everyday event into an epidemic. In other words, how do trends move in our culture from a small, relatively insiginificant group to the larger population in a short amount of time. He is seeking to discover the "tipping point" at which something becomes a trend of epidemic proportions.

His point is not to study epidemics of the disease variety, but he does pull from that field to make illustrative points about how epidemics and tipping points operate in general. His main concern, however, is with human interaction and why some things "catch on" and others don't.

He argues that there are three main types of people that are key figures in an epidemic. Connectors, Mavens, and Salesman. (You'll have to read the book to understand who these people are. It is quite interesting.) He then goes on to argue that these figures also have to operate within a given context. But, when you put the right combination of these together you have an epidemic on your hands.

Perhaps the most interesting parts of the book are the asides where Gladwell probes into the reasons why people make decisions. He cites experiment after experiment that have been conducted which reveal rather odd influences on human decision making. Anything from simple head movements, facial expressions, to grafitti on the wall of a subway. The human mind is influenced to action in ways you and I perhaps have never considered.

I think this is where we can find value from this book as believers. We need to be aware of the ways in which sin can infiltrate our actions. The disturbing truth of the matter is that many times that influence in unknown to us. We are clueless that there are so many subtle inuendos that have dramatic affects on our decisions and actions. Therefore, we must be vigilant and strive to be aware of every possible influence that can lead down a path of unrighteousness.

So, while Gladwell obviously did not intend this to be the point of the book; he is simply describing his understanding of reality, we can learn from it nonetheless. May we study our hearts and minds well and flee from those things that lead us from communion with our Savior.

Quote of the Day

"The stream of historic orthodox that once watered the evangelical soul is now dammed by a worldliness that many fail to recognize as worldliness because of the cultural innocence with which it presents itself."

- David Wells, No Place For Truth (pg. 11)

Without Blemish

I am teaching through 1 Peter on Wednesday nights and Colossians on Sunday mornings. In the providence of God I covered 1 Peter 1:17-19 and Colossians 1:21-23 the same week. These two passages came together to remind me of God's incomprehensible grace.

1 Peter 1:19 describes Christ as a lamb "unblemished," of course in reference to his perfect and sinless life. Then in Colossians 1:22 it says, "yet he has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach."

What jumped out at me as I studied and prepared these two passages was that the word that is used to describe Christ, "unblemished," is the exact same word, in the Greek, that is used to describe how Christ will present us. We will be holy, unblemished, by the grace of God. He will take that which He cannot look upon and, through Christ, make us that which He loves to look upon.

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." - 2 Corinthians 5:21

Who defines leadership in the church?

Willow Creek is having their annual Leadership Summit . It is troubling to know where the church is looking for advice on leadership. While I have known for some time that this sort of thing exists, it is disconcerting to actually see it in print . . . read for yourself!

Read more at www.sliceoflaodicea.com...

HT: Slice of Laodecia

Are We Facing the End Times?

I thought that title would get your attention! In the recent week and a half I have heard this question more than a few times in light of the current conflict in the Middle East. So, let me go ahead and answer it as best I can: I have no idea. Sorry to let you down. I am not able to answer such questions. And, if anyone else were being honest, they would have to say the same thing.

Now, I suppose there is nothing wrong with speculating. It makes for interesting conversation and intrigue. But, I fear often that is exactly what the conversation is all about: intrigue. I think that there are deeper questions we need to be asking ourselves. There are two in particular that come to my mind: Do I long for the return of Christ? Am I living in preparation for His return?

These two questions get to the heart of the issue. Revelation 22:20 makes the plea “Come, Lord Jesus.” How many of you make that plea on a regular basis? I fear that many, if they were being honest, would say that they would prefer He wait just a little longer until they were able to accomplish a certain something, get something, or see something. Whatever those “somethings” may be in your life are idols. Your desire for them has trumped your desire for your all-satisfying savior. Trust me, no, trust God’s Word, He is more glorious than whatever that “something” may be (Col. 1:15-20).

Of course the second question is related to the first. If you are not longing for his return, then you are probably not preparing for it either. In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus, through a parable, makes it clear that we are to be sure that we are prepared for His return. It is our joyous obligation. It should be our joy and privilege to order our lives in such a way that when Christ returns we are ready. You don’t want to be frantically getting your house in order and picked up while Jesus is figuratively waiting at the door. He will not wait. His patience will have been expended at that point. Those who are His will be ready. Those who are not will be left saying, “Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:11).

So, instead of speculating, start examining your life. The truth of the matter is that the culmination of history could be upon us at any moment. The real question is: Will we be ready?

Come, Lord Jesus we long to see your face!

A Helpful Resource

The World eBook Fair is offering free access to their collection of 300,000 e-books. From July 4th to August 4th you can view and download the books for free. They have a section of Christian classics in their collection here.
I just downloaded a collection of the poems of William Cowper, its 394 pages long! I don't think I'll print that one off!

God's Sovereignty, Man's Responsibility

The issue of God's sovereignty man's responsibility is a conundrum that has caused many to stumble for centuries. People run to the extremes, only to find that they have fallen headlong into nonsense. Those who ignore man's responsibility refuse to pray or evangelize because they believe that if God's does it then they don't need to. Others, ignoring God's sovereignty, act as if they control the fate of the nations depending on whether or not they "release" God to work.
As I was reading through 2 Samuel I came across a verse that puts both into a healthy perspective, 2 Samuel 10:12, "

"Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what is good in His sight."

These words find themselves on the lips of Joab as the Israelites are preparing to enter the battlefield. He makes it clear that they are to put forward their best effort, yet in the end he acknowledges that the results will be God's.
May this be the battle cry of our lives as well. Let us show ourselves courageous in the work of the gospel, but in the end leave the results to God and give Him the glory, not ourselves.

For the Children Too

I have never noticed this before, but it was in front of my face the entire time. In Ephesians 6:1 Paul says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Did you catch that? This verse assumes that the children were among the rest of the congregation when the letter was being read. Not only does it assume that they were present, but that they were listening. This is astounding in our culture where most don't expect children to be able to sit down and listen for more than 5 minutes. Yet, apparently, Paul fully expected that the children would be listening to the entire letter; so, he addresses them also. He isn't talking about children, he is talking to children. (this also occurs in Colossians 3:20)

Remember, Ephesians (and neither is Colossians) is not a lightweight book and I doubt they used puppets to read it to the children. Nor did they take a break from reading the epistle, call the children down front, and do an object lesson. It is sad how far our church culture has strayed from the historic church and its expectations for children. They were expected to know by heart lengthy catechisms and, in the early church, to listen to the entirety of Paul's letters. It is time the American church raises the bar in its expectations for children and their knowledge of the Word of God.

Your Sandal Has Not Worn Out

I was recently watching The Making of the Ten Commandments. In that show the director stated that they wanted the clothing to be as accurate as possible. They even had the native artisans in Morocco, where the movie was filmed, make by hand many of the costumes. They also handmade the sandals that the cast wore, including the 800 extras (who were supposed to represent over 1,000,000 Israelites).

The costume director recounted how they destroyed over 1,000 shoes for the 800 extras. When I heard that I immediately thought of what Moses said in Deuteronomy 29:5:

"And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot."

I don't know how long it took them to shoot this movie, but it was nowhere in the neighborhood of 40 years! Imagine, after all, having the same pair of shoes for forty years and never having to replace them. This should cause us to praise our powerful God. Even in something as mundane as sandals He shows Himself to be majestic.

Intentional Parenting

I wanted to share with you all a post by C.J. Mahaney on how he encourages godliness with his son concerning sports. What a great example Mahaney is to us all concerning our need to put God at the center of everything and not just pretend like we do!

Here's an excerpt:

"Playing sports holds great potential for growth in godliness for our sons, but only if we as fathers lead our sons theologically and strategically. I fear that all too often our sons devote significant time to playing sports with little growth in godliness. Here is where the example and leadership of a father can make all the difference. It is our responsibility as fathers to teach and prepare our sons with biblical priorities prior to a game (or practice) and not to assume that we have fulfilled our fatherly responsibility simply by attending the game."

Trust me, you will want to read the rest of this here

Why Pray? Reflections on the Search for Isaac's Wife

As a pastor I am often asked the question, “Why pray if God is in control anyway?” There are many ways to answer that question, but as I read in Genesis 24 the other day I saw the answer right there in the account of the search for Isaac’s wife. You are probably familiar with the story. Abraham sends one of his servants to search for a wife for his son from among his relatives. So, the servant goes to the land of Abraham’s relatives and prays that God would make it clear to him who Isaac’s future wife is to be, “now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink’ and who answers, ‘Drink. And I will water your camels also’; may she be the one whom thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac” (Gen. 24:14). As you know, this prayer is answered in the positive and Rebekah fulfills this criterion exactly.

The intriguing part of this narrative, however, comes in Genesis 24:15 which says, “And it came about before he [the servant] had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah . . . came out with her jar on her shoulder.” So, you see what is so amazing about this. Before the prayer had even come off the lips of Abraham’s servant God was already answering it. Furthermore, it was an answer to a prayer that was prepared before the prayer was ever uttered. After all, Rebekah would have had to leave her house a long time before the servant ever got to the spring. Also, Rebekah could have gone anywhere that day, but she went to the spring. Yet, the narrative account makes it clear that Rebekah coming to the spring was an answer to prayer. I think it is quite clear that God was already answering before the prayer began. So, God can ordain the answer before the prayer is spoken, ordain the prayer itself, and respond to the prayer. It all works out in His good providence!

In the Eye of the Storm

I suppose the eye of a hurricane is one of the most fascinating aspects of the storm. It is amazing that such a powerful storm would have a place of relative stillness at its center. We probably take for granted that we have the ability to track these storms and know when they are coming and that the eye is not the end of the storm. I imagine throughout history there have many people killed because they ventured out thinking the storm was over. There are those, however, even in the modern world who choose to ignore the warnings and think of the eye as a time to play in the streets.
As I think on this it draws my mind to a theological truth found in 1 Thess. 5:2-5,

2For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;

In some respects we too are sitting in the eye of God’s wrath. That is not to say that God is not currently demonstrating His wrath, but that it could be called relative stillness when compared to what is to come. So, we must not live as if the storm of God’s wrath is over and seclude it to the Old Testament. Christ will return and He will come with a vengeance for His glory unlike anything we have ever imagined. So, let us prepare ourselves now and not be caught playing in the street!

Wilma Update

Hurricane Wilma gave South Florida a pretty good pounding, so I have been swamped with relief efforts and taking care of issues with damage to the buildings here at the church. This is far from the kind of entries I normally enter, but I wanted you all to know why I have not posted in a while. I should get back to more frequent regular postings now that things are calming down.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us as we have sought to recover from the storm. Please continue to pray, however, there is still much to be done. At the most recent meeting we were informed that there are 170 people living at a shelter that has a capacity of 120 because they literally have no homes to which they can return. There were over a hundred homes in the Clewiston area deemed unlivable (which is the politically correct term for "condemned") Also, there are still areas on the outskirts of Clewiston without power 2 1/2 weeks after the storm. So, there is still much coordination to be done with city officials and the churches to be sure these people are taken care of. In light of all this, however, we can praise God for His grace and mercy. No one in our county was killed by the storm, even though there were people in trailers that were literally falling apart around them during the storm. Again, thank you for your prayers!