I know that I can easily be accused of being negative about "the church" (universal) from time to time. Sometimes this comes from a selfish, fleshly desire that I see replicated in leaders around me to be the "next big thing" in the ministry revolution. But a great deal of my frustration has been centered in the reality that SO MANY who spend their lives in our churches will, quite possibly, spend an eternity in hell because their religion will NEVER be enough to save them.
And before any of us pick up the pitchforks and megaphones: If you were raised in below the mason-dixon line in an evangelical church, I'm talking about you (and about me). While I do believe that I have understood and embraced justification by faith alone, I find myself in a daily struggle to justify myself with my works. It's hogwash, and it's heretical. Most of all... it's scary.
It's terrifying to me that so many are blinded by their southern religion.
My intent with this post is not to write another long treatise but rather to encourage you to watch a presentation by a man I've recently begun following named Matt Chandler. He gave this message at the Southeastern 20/20 conference (via recording). I believe Matt to be a godly man who is completely immersed in the Bible.
PLEASE take time to watch this. It could seriously change you and your church's life.
I think it's about 27 minutes long.
http://apps.sebts.edu/multimedia/?p=585
In Christ,
Andy
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Personal Holiness
No one can criticize my generation for lack of passion. So many of us see the glory of God as the greatest thing to be exalted, and we write a plethora of songs that would fill many new hymnbooks. We see the challenge of over 6000 unreached people groups left in our world, and we think "this is possible in my lifetime. We CAN reach the rest of the unreached." Many of us stand upon God's Word as the ONLY source of absolute truth and do not waver in our convictions about its commands. Many of us proclaim the gospel with integrity and do not apologize for its "foolishness" nor for it being a "stumbling block" (see 1 Cor 1-2).
These things are also my passion. They are also my motivation and my aim. But, we seem to lack in one issue of great importance. I've noticed this throughout my life, but it's always been hard to identify. This has been difficult primarily because many of my heroes, most of the people that I (even still) consider godly men have shown some inconsistency in this area. I, myself, seem to fluctuate violently at times with this as well.
The issue is that of personal holiness.
This blog is not written to identify specific sins that I see as common among God's people these days. The sins are obvious, not only to ourselves, but also to everyone around us.
My main goal in writing this entry is to simply encourage those who identify with what I am saying to allow yourself to be pressed and challenged by the Holy Spirit more each day to truly look like Christ.
Romans 8 says that is the will of God that we be conformed to Christ's image, yay, it is even a predestined reality for those of us who are His. But it seems that we have come to view this only as an eternal reality, as if it were something we could not grasp even now if we so desired.
Let us put away the selfish and foolish things of this world to obtain a higher calling.
The reason many of us have rejected practical, personal holiness is because we despise the "pharisaism" that so many in our faith have exhibited in recent and past days. Many of these so-called "holy men" seem only to have hurt the witness of the the church and the cause of the gospel. And so, in historical Christian fashion, we throw the baby out with the bath water. We try to live as close to the world as possible, thinking that this will help our effectiveness.
I do not come from the camp that says, "Don't dress like the world (within reason of course) or listen to secular music or watch movies or ____________ (fill in your vice)." These things have little to do with holiness in and of themselves. Holiness is truly an attitude of the heart. It is a kin to humility.
On a practical level: There are days when I truly can not listen to anything secular on the radio. This usually happens when I haven't spent necessary time with God OR when He is teaching me something so profound that my heart needs silence. In this case, music as a whole is absent.
Please don't hear me wrong, but I believe that holiness is one of the most exact and disciplined areas of the Christian life (at the "between-you-and-God" level) and one of the most relative elements of our Christian life (at the practical/application level). To judge another believer's level of personal holiness is almost always a grave error, but it seems that we can not judge our own enough.
"Be Holy as I am Holy" (Mt. 7).
In Christ,
Andy
These things are also my passion. They are also my motivation and my aim. But, we seem to lack in one issue of great importance. I've noticed this throughout my life, but it's always been hard to identify. This has been difficult primarily because many of my heroes, most of the people that I (even still) consider godly men have shown some inconsistency in this area. I, myself, seem to fluctuate violently at times with this as well.
The issue is that of personal holiness.
This blog is not written to identify specific sins that I see as common among God's people these days. The sins are obvious, not only to ourselves, but also to everyone around us.
My main goal in writing this entry is to simply encourage those who identify with what I am saying to allow yourself to be pressed and challenged by the Holy Spirit more each day to truly look like Christ.
Romans 8 says that is the will of God that we be conformed to Christ's image, yay, it is even a predestined reality for those of us who are His. But it seems that we have come to view this only as an eternal reality, as if it were something we could not grasp even now if we so desired.
Let us put away the selfish and foolish things of this world to obtain a higher calling.
The reason many of us have rejected practical, personal holiness is because we despise the "pharisaism" that so many in our faith have exhibited in recent and past days. Many of these so-called "holy men" seem only to have hurt the witness of the the church and the cause of the gospel. And so, in historical Christian fashion, we throw the baby out with the bath water. We try to live as close to the world as possible, thinking that this will help our effectiveness.
I do not come from the camp that says, "Don't dress like the world (within reason of course) or listen to secular music or watch movies or ____________ (fill in your vice)." These things have little to do with holiness in and of themselves. Holiness is truly an attitude of the heart. It is a kin to humility.
On a practical level: There are days when I truly can not listen to anything secular on the radio. This usually happens when I haven't spent necessary time with God OR when He is teaching me something so profound that my heart needs silence. In this case, music as a whole is absent.
Please don't hear me wrong, but I believe that holiness is one of the most exact and disciplined areas of the Christian life (at the "between-you-and-God" level) and one of the most relative elements of our Christian life (at the practical/application level). To judge another believer's level of personal holiness is almost always a grave error, but it seems that we can not judge our own enough.
"Be Holy as I am Holy" (Mt. 7).
In Christ,
Andy
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Value in Theological Determinism
Before I hit the bed, I think I should at least update everyone on my thoughts and what I'm learning this week.
It is an HONEST struggle of mine that many of my heroes of the faith (both current and historical) fall into a theological camp or system that I can't seem to align myself with. I understand many of the arguments of this position and even hold to many of it's basic tenents, but I simply can not buy into all of it's nuances.
I want to avoid using the terminology that so many in the past have used to (really) "box in" view points in a radical, absolutists sort of way. So, instead of saying Calvinism vs. Arminianism or Reformed vs. Everything else, I'd like to use the term Theological Determinism.
"Determinism" (for our purposes) is the view that everything is predestined or for-ordained, and "Theological" simply defines who determined it... namely God.
I know that there may be those who make distinctions between Calvinism, Reformed Theology, and Theological Determinism, but just step back for a second and accept, in the grand scheme of things, that I am using these terms as VIRTUALLY Synonymous.
I choose to use "Theological Determinism" because the terms "Calvinism" and "Reformed" have so much baggage for the common church-member (whether good or bad).
And so... to the issue at hand.
My struggle, as of late, with this fact that so many of those that I look to for spiritual direction and guidance seem to think so differently on certain theological viewpoints has lead me explore WHY certain doctrinal nuances are so important to them.
I want to do my best to explain WHY those who differ (whether a lot or a little) from the Theological Determinst should at least respect their view, for in their view are nuggets of particularly life-changing truth that can be freeing and empowering for the Christian Life (and Christian Thought Life).
I will intentionally overstate some points so as to drive home (what I believe is) the good that can be gained from their particular viewpoint. This does not mean that I prescribe to THE WAY that they end up formulating their system of beliefs.
1. Man is completely and utterly dead without Christ. Not mostly dead (think Princess Bride :), but completely dead. It would do us all some good contemplate and meditate on just how lost lostness really is.
2. We've somehow gotten up the idea that because God created us "knowing" that we would sin, He somehow OWES US salvation in order to be fair. God does not owe us anything. Perhaps everyone else has just always believed this, but it has been revolutionary to me to think that there was somehow, potentially a way that we would NOT be saved. We would die apart from grace and suffer punishment for all eternity. And... most importantly... this is how it SHOULD have gone. God would have been most justified in allowing this "natural" chain of events to occur. But it is in His love and grace that He chose to save us.
3. It is not by ANYTHING we have done that God chose to save us. Though I do hold to the view that God saves those whom He knows will ultimtely choose Him (the idea of foreknowledge-based predestination)... I do not believe that this says anything about US and it says everything about Him. His foreknowledge of those who would choose Him did not FORCE Him to bring salvation to them. He still chose to bring it. He still chose to draw those whom He would. Their acceptance of grace is and was still subject to the drawing of the Holy Spirit.
4. God's will WILL win out the day. We are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28). I, at this juncture, personally believe in the predestination of circumstances, not souls... though, in a sense, that's an argument in symantics.
I ABSOLUTELY believe in the free will, free choice of man when it comes to salvation and every other thing in life which CAN be chosen (ie... place of birth, parents, etc. CAN'T be chosen by you). Who knows exactly how this works, but it seems to me that the spirit of man is quickened to the point of being able to make a FREE WILL choice to accept or reject the work of Christ.
5. I reject, in it's entirety, the doctrine of Limited Atonement. The main reason I reject this is because it is a logical or phylisophical argument and not a Biblical one. To say that God has a chosen people and therefore Jesus only died for those people is logical but misunderstands the idea of Atonement in the Scriptures. This point does not follow suit with my overall purpose in this entry, but I thought it necessary to continue with the line of typical thought among theological determinists.
6. It is comforting to know that while I do have a choice in the matter of my salvation, it's inception, growth, and completion are entirely in the hands of God. Be careful. Personal holiness is most certainly the duty of man, but even this must be empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to be acccomplished. Without God the Holy Spirit, personal holiness is simply self-righteousness.
All of this is to say that I am beginning to appreciate why many theological determinists say things the way they say them. I am not yet ready, nor do I think I'll ever be ready, to jump head-long into becoming a ___________ (fill in the blank with your label), but I KNOW there is something to be learned from these great men and women of faith and their theological positions.
In Christ,
Andy
It is an HONEST struggle of mine that many of my heroes of the faith (both current and historical) fall into a theological camp or system that I can't seem to align myself with. I understand many of the arguments of this position and even hold to many of it's basic tenents, but I simply can not buy into all of it's nuances.
I want to avoid using the terminology that so many in the past have used to (really) "box in" view points in a radical, absolutists sort of way. So, instead of saying Calvinism vs. Arminianism or Reformed vs. Everything else, I'd like to use the term Theological Determinism.
"Determinism" (for our purposes) is the view that everything is predestined or for-ordained, and "Theological" simply defines who determined it... namely God.
I know that there may be those who make distinctions between Calvinism, Reformed Theology, and Theological Determinism, but just step back for a second and accept, in the grand scheme of things, that I am using these terms as VIRTUALLY Synonymous.
I choose to use "Theological Determinism" because the terms "Calvinism" and "Reformed" have so much baggage for the common church-member (whether good or bad).
And so... to the issue at hand.
My struggle, as of late, with this fact that so many of those that I look to for spiritual direction and guidance seem to think so differently on certain theological viewpoints has lead me explore WHY certain doctrinal nuances are so important to them.
I want to do my best to explain WHY those who differ (whether a lot or a little) from the Theological Determinst should at least respect their view, for in their view are nuggets of particularly life-changing truth that can be freeing and empowering for the Christian Life (and Christian Thought Life).
I will intentionally overstate some points so as to drive home (what I believe is) the good that can be gained from their particular viewpoint. This does not mean that I prescribe to THE WAY that they end up formulating their system of beliefs.
1. Man is completely and utterly dead without Christ. Not mostly dead (think Princess Bride :), but completely dead. It would do us all some good contemplate and meditate on just how lost lostness really is.
2. We've somehow gotten up the idea that because God created us "knowing" that we would sin, He somehow OWES US salvation in order to be fair. God does not owe us anything. Perhaps everyone else has just always believed this, but it has been revolutionary to me to think that there was somehow, potentially a way that we would NOT be saved. We would die apart from grace and suffer punishment for all eternity. And... most importantly... this is how it SHOULD have gone. God would have been most justified in allowing this "natural" chain of events to occur. But it is in His love and grace that He chose to save us.
3. It is not by ANYTHING we have done that God chose to save us. Though I do hold to the view that God saves those whom He knows will ultimtely choose Him (the idea of foreknowledge-based predestination)... I do not believe that this says anything about US and it says everything about Him. His foreknowledge of those who would choose Him did not FORCE Him to bring salvation to them. He still chose to bring it. He still chose to draw those whom He would. Their acceptance of grace is and was still subject to the drawing of the Holy Spirit.
4. God's will WILL win out the day. We are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28). I, at this juncture, personally believe in the predestination of circumstances, not souls... though, in a sense, that's an argument in symantics.
I ABSOLUTELY believe in the free will, free choice of man when it comes to salvation and every other thing in life which CAN be chosen (ie... place of birth, parents, etc. CAN'T be chosen by you). Who knows exactly how this works, but it seems to me that the spirit of man is quickened to the point of being able to make a FREE WILL choice to accept or reject the work of Christ.
5. I reject, in it's entirety, the doctrine of Limited Atonement. The main reason I reject this is because it is a logical or phylisophical argument and not a Biblical one. To say that God has a chosen people and therefore Jesus only died for those people is logical but misunderstands the idea of Atonement in the Scriptures. This point does not follow suit with my overall purpose in this entry, but I thought it necessary to continue with the line of typical thought among theological determinists.
6. It is comforting to know that while I do have a choice in the matter of my salvation, it's inception, growth, and completion are entirely in the hands of God. Be careful. Personal holiness is most certainly the duty of man, but even this must be empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to be acccomplished. Without God the Holy Spirit, personal holiness is simply self-righteousness.
All of this is to say that I am beginning to appreciate why many theological determinists say things the way they say them. I am not yet ready, nor do I think I'll ever be ready, to jump head-long into becoming a ___________ (fill in the blank with your label), but I KNOW there is something to be learned from these great men and women of faith and their theological positions.
In Christ,
Andy
Monday, February 15, 2010
Is the Law abolished? (please respond)
Are Matthew 5:17 and Ephesians 2:15 in contradiction with each other?
Note: you'll need to read Matthew 5:17-20 and Ephesians chapter 2 (at a minimum) to get an understanding of what's going on.
What do you think?
Note: you'll need to read Matthew 5:17-20 and Ephesians chapter 2 (at a minimum) to get an understanding of what's going on.
What do you think?
Works or Grace? (please respond)
Are Romans 4:4-5/Ephesians 2:8-9 and James 2:18, 26 in contradiction with each other?
Note: Again, it is important to read the context (surrounding verses and/or chapters) to get a fuller understanding of what each writer is saying.
What do you think?
Note: Again, it is important to read the context (surrounding verses and/or chapters) to get a fuller understanding of what each writer is saying.
What do you think?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
“He must increase, I must decrease.”
This week my thoughts have turned toward the idea of greatness. What is greatness? How do we attain it? How are its degrees measured? So, it was encouraging today to attend chapel and hear a sermon entitled “Living a Great Life.” I will include some of the preacher’s thoughts and add some of my own for this entry.
I think it would be pertinent for us to all be honest and admit that much of what “greatness” means today in the church is simply a baptized version of the world’s definition. We talk about submission to the Lordship of Jesus, about humility, about His kingdom being “upside-down” (a common term at my previous ministry), but do we actually live in such a way as to exalt Christ and belittle (in one sense of the word) ourselves.
There is no shortage of passages that teach us this truth, but perhaps the most pointed is in Matthew chapter 20. Verse 25 starts with:
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so with you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (ESV).
The paradox of the upside-down kingdom is a common thread throughout the entire New Testament (and arguably the Old as well). But what does this look like for us, and why is it so difficult for us to follow?
It seems that the trend today, among pastors, speakers, and the like, is to desire to become the next Mark Driscoll, Andy Stanley, Billy Graham, or pick your celebrity. I see this among my fellow brothers in Christ (especially here at seminary), and I see it myself almost daily.
Imitation of mature leaders is a biblical concept. Paul affirms this in 1 Thess. 1:6 as well as other places. And while many of the men that we aspire to imitate are worthy of it, it seems that our desire is less to follow their example in discipline, humility, and Christ-like attitude and actions, and more to follow in their fame and success.
This is simply sinful. Many of the great men of God in the past and present have sought no glory from men but have received such as a result of the influence God has given them. I often hear many of my modern-day heroes say, “I hate this notoriety because it only feeds my flesh.” It reminds me of Paul’s battle with the thorn in his flesh in 2 Cor. 12. Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations he had received, God allowed this thorn (whatever it was) to remain ever before Paul as a device causing humility.
I find it interesting that Paul’s humility was caused not by an act of the Spirit but by the flesh. God allowed a physical or emotional (possibly psychological) weakness to be daily present in the apostle’s life so as to keep him returning to God in brokenness.
And while I do not believe that this passage gives us excuse to allow sin to remain in our life (in fact the thorn in the flesh was not even associated with sin specifically), I do think it is telling that one of the greatest of apostles was not allowed to overcome some weakness in order to teach him to fully embrace the grace of God and to return all glory to the Father through the Son.
From a practical standpoint, I think we ministers of the gospel (which is all of us to one degree or another), must actually SEEK the positions of servitude. Some might argue that Acts 6 says otherwise, but I would remind them that all of the apostles died martyrs deaths except for John. There were no book tours or 5-star suites awaiting the apostles at any part of their journey.
Somehow we must figure out a way to ACTUALLY live for the glory of God. I hear speakers say this all the time, but every external thing they do seems to remind people of them. I know that there are so many greatly gifted men and women out there that NEED to be writing books, teaching classes, preaching to the masses, and singing songs for the glory of God, but we as a church have got to learn how to exalt their message (the gospel) and the source of their message (God) above the servant messenger.
To my fellow ministers who are truly nowhere on the map in terms of “greatness” as defined by the world, REJOICE. Find joy in the one or two students to whom you are a hero, and POINT THEM to the one who will never leave them or disappoint them (because I promise you, you will, eventually). Do not search for “the next big thing” or the next “career move” in ministry as if we had our own corporate church ladders to climb. And don’t justify yourself in these meaningless pursuits.
If God is to exalt you, let Him. But do not seek to exalt yourself. Daily, remember to humble yourself in the sight of the Lord” (James 4:10). Seek the lowly positions. Seek to hide your own glory, and seek to reflect His. Be genuine. Do this as an act of the heart and not simply in false, outward humility.
This is all a painful challenge and reminder to myself. A verse/statement that is continually upon my heart lately is in John 3, when John the Baptist is asked about his relationship to Jesus. He simply states in verses 29 and 30: “Therefore this joy of mine is complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John found complete joy in becoming small (even though he was the Billy Graham of his day at that time) as Jesus, the one to whom all glory is due, came on the scene.
Let us actively seek to decrease, that Christ may increase, together.
In Christ,
Andy
I think it would be pertinent for us to all be honest and admit that much of what “greatness” means today in the church is simply a baptized version of the world’s definition. We talk about submission to the Lordship of Jesus, about humility, about His kingdom being “upside-down” (a common term at my previous ministry), but do we actually live in such a way as to exalt Christ and belittle (in one sense of the word) ourselves.
There is no shortage of passages that teach us this truth, but perhaps the most pointed is in Matthew chapter 20. Verse 25 starts with:
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so with you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (ESV).
The paradox of the upside-down kingdom is a common thread throughout the entire New Testament (and arguably the Old as well). But what does this look like for us, and why is it so difficult for us to follow?
It seems that the trend today, among pastors, speakers, and the like, is to desire to become the next Mark Driscoll, Andy Stanley, Billy Graham, or pick your celebrity. I see this among my fellow brothers in Christ (especially here at seminary), and I see it myself almost daily.
Imitation of mature leaders is a biblical concept. Paul affirms this in 1 Thess. 1:6 as well as other places. And while many of the men that we aspire to imitate are worthy of it, it seems that our desire is less to follow their example in discipline, humility, and Christ-like attitude and actions, and more to follow in their fame and success.
This is simply sinful. Many of the great men of God in the past and present have sought no glory from men but have received such as a result of the influence God has given them. I often hear many of my modern-day heroes say, “I hate this notoriety because it only feeds my flesh.” It reminds me of Paul’s battle with the thorn in his flesh in 2 Cor. 12. Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations he had received, God allowed this thorn (whatever it was) to remain ever before Paul as a device causing humility.
I find it interesting that Paul’s humility was caused not by an act of the Spirit but by the flesh. God allowed a physical or emotional (possibly psychological) weakness to be daily present in the apostle’s life so as to keep him returning to God in brokenness.
And while I do not believe that this passage gives us excuse to allow sin to remain in our life (in fact the thorn in the flesh was not even associated with sin specifically), I do think it is telling that one of the greatest of apostles was not allowed to overcome some weakness in order to teach him to fully embrace the grace of God and to return all glory to the Father through the Son.
From a practical standpoint, I think we ministers of the gospel (which is all of us to one degree or another), must actually SEEK the positions of servitude. Some might argue that Acts 6 says otherwise, but I would remind them that all of the apostles died martyrs deaths except for John. There were no book tours or 5-star suites awaiting the apostles at any part of their journey.
Somehow we must figure out a way to ACTUALLY live for the glory of God. I hear speakers say this all the time, but every external thing they do seems to remind people of them. I know that there are so many greatly gifted men and women out there that NEED to be writing books, teaching classes, preaching to the masses, and singing songs for the glory of God, but we as a church have got to learn how to exalt their message (the gospel) and the source of their message (God) above the servant messenger.
To my fellow ministers who are truly nowhere on the map in terms of “greatness” as defined by the world, REJOICE. Find joy in the one or two students to whom you are a hero, and POINT THEM to the one who will never leave them or disappoint them (because I promise you, you will, eventually). Do not search for “the next big thing” or the next “career move” in ministry as if we had our own corporate church ladders to climb. And don’t justify yourself in these meaningless pursuits.
If God is to exalt you, let Him. But do not seek to exalt yourself. Daily, remember to humble yourself in the sight of the Lord” (James 4:10). Seek the lowly positions. Seek to hide your own glory, and seek to reflect His. Be genuine. Do this as an act of the heart and not simply in false, outward humility.
This is all a painful challenge and reminder to myself. A verse/statement that is continually upon my heart lately is in John 3, when John the Baptist is asked about his relationship to Jesus. He simply states in verses 29 and 30: “Therefore this joy of mine is complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John found complete joy in becoming small (even though he was the Billy Graham of his day at that time) as Jesus, the one to whom all glory is due, came on the scene.
Let us actively seek to decrease, that Christ may increase, together.
In Christ,
Andy
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Repentance in Evangelism
If I had to pack my stuff back up (God forbid!) and leave school right now, the things that God has taught me in the past 7 days have already made such a profound impact that my life and ministry would and MUST look so very different.
One of the beautiful things about the redemption of God is that those who are learning from you and with you can sometimes get as much out of your errors as they can your successes. This is not to say that we should intentionally shirk responsibility in hopes that this might happen, but redeeming our mess ups is a beautiful safety net by which God is always glorifying himself and spreading the gospel around the world.
I mention all of that as a preface to repentance. Over the past 7 days that Lord has reminded me time and time again of how I have neglected a primary responsibility as a disciple of Jesus over my years of ministry. I have not made it a priority to personally be sharing the gospel with lost people on a regular basis. The key word is "personally." Who am I praying for? Who am I having intentional conversations with? Who am I leading to (or at least toward) Jesus RIGHT NOW?
The most convicting reality of all is that the sheep look like the shepherd. And I know this is true, especially in the ministry that I have recently left. I have a wonderful group of students who KNOW what the gospel is. They know the Bigger Story of redemption that is centered on Jesus Christ. They know the disciplines of the Christian life, and they know some practical ways to navigate life in a Christ-like manner. But, because I have not set the example obedience to personally evangelize those around me, they have followed suit for the most part.
But, be sure of one thing. This will change in me. And If hope that if these statements are true of you, it will change in you as well. This will change... not because I have some new strategy or passion. It's not because I've uncovered some new truth. It is because I am thoroughly convinced that the Holy Spirit of God will no longer allow me to preach to the masses without preaching to individuals. He will make my heart a mess of unrest if this lack of integrity continues any longer.
And so, I pray for you that you will FIND LOST PEOPLE and live the gospel and share the gospel. And I ask you to pray for me that I will find such opportunities as well.
In the past, I've always seen it like this: It's my job to be faithful in the disciplines of the Christian life, and God will bring people along my way that I can share the gospel with. Almost like Augustine's old adage... "Preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words." No offense, but this is ridiculous. The gospel can only be preached with words. As I heard it said today in a sermon: "Asking someone to share the gospel without words is like asking someone to share their phone number without digits." Proof of the gospel is conveyed in a person's life, but the gospel itself is given with words.
And we need to share it!
In Christ,
Andy
One of the beautiful things about the redemption of God is that those who are learning from you and with you can sometimes get as much out of your errors as they can your successes. This is not to say that we should intentionally shirk responsibility in hopes that this might happen, but redeeming our mess ups is a beautiful safety net by which God is always glorifying himself and spreading the gospel around the world.
I mention all of that as a preface to repentance. Over the past 7 days that Lord has reminded me time and time again of how I have neglected a primary responsibility as a disciple of Jesus over my years of ministry. I have not made it a priority to personally be sharing the gospel with lost people on a regular basis. The key word is "personally." Who am I praying for? Who am I having intentional conversations with? Who am I leading to (or at least toward) Jesus RIGHT NOW?
The most convicting reality of all is that the sheep look like the shepherd. And I know this is true, especially in the ministry that I have recently left. I have a wonderful group of students who KNOW what the gospel is. They know the Bigger Story of redemption that is centered on Jesus Christ. They know the disciplines of the Christian life, and they know some practical ways to navigate life in a Christ-like manner. But, because I have not set the example obedience to personally evangelize those around me, they have followed suit for the most part.
But, be sure of one thing. This will change in me. And If hope that if these statements are true of you, it will change in you as well. This will change... not because I have some new strategy or passion. It's not because I've uncovered some new truth. It is because I am thoroughly convinced that the Holy Spirit of God will no longer allow me to preach to the masses without preaching to individuals. He will make my heart a mess of unrest if this lack of integrity continues any longer.
And so, I pray for you that you will FIND LOST PEOPLE and live the gospel and share the gospel. And I ask you to pray for me that I will find such opportunities as well.
In the past, I've always seen it like this: It's my job to be faithful in the disciplines of the Christian life, and God will bring people along my way that I can share the gospel with. Almost like Augustine's old adage... "Preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words." No offense, but this is ridiculous. The gospel can only be preached with words. As I heard it said today in a sermon: "Asking someone to share the gospel without words is like asking someone to share their phone number without digits." Proof of the gospel is conveyed in a person's life, but the gospel itself is given with words.
And we need to share it!
In Christ,
Andy
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Live NOW
Introduction:
There was so much that I wanted to write in my last entry that I simply could not at the time. I wanted to tell you all of the amazing work that God was doing in my heart and in my life. I wanted to share with you the joy of experiencing movement toward the God-centered next thing in my life, and I wanted to share with you the pain of leaving the God-centered previous thing in my life.
During the transition process of the past two weeks I've had many come to me and say, "You're moving on to BIGGER and BETTER things." And while, from a human perspective there may be some truth to this, from a God-centered perspective this movement is only into DIFFERENT things, not bigger or better.
There is nothing BIGGER than the local church, and there is nothing BETTER than that church living out the gospel week in and week out. It is MY LOSS to leave Northlake Baptist Church after almost 4 years of service to you and the Kingdom. I hope you have learned from me, and I know that I have learned from you.
Live NOW:
Tonight I wanted to share a thought that I have often shared with my students at NSM.
It is so easy for us to view movement in this life in terms of "bigger" and "better." It is so easy to get lost in the excitement of moments like these. One week ago I was spending my final hours as the Student Pastor at NBC. One week before that I was weeping with kids that have become a real part of who I am. One week before that I officially resigned my position, and two days before that God began the two sleepless nights that would (lovingly) FORCE me to finally obey His call for me to move on.
I've always struggled with defining success in what's happening NEXT. In middle school I looked to High school. In ninth grade I looked to getting a driver's license. At sixteen I looked to graduation. At graduation I looked to college. In college I looked to marriage. In marriage I looked to having children. And so on and so forth.
And while God has certainly ordained some of this excitement and anticipation as part of our motivation to grow and learn and be changed by Him, we must be careful to not forget to Live NOW. I've often told my students that "God will not take you to a new lesson or level until you've learned the one He has for you now."
For me, there were some very specific lessons that I had to learn before moving to this next stage. Most of them are/were very personal, but one that I can share is in relation to my discipline in study.
Almost 4 months before God ultimately called me to "pack up your things and go to the place I will tell you," He began to impress upon my heart that I had gotten LAZY in my studies. I have almost always stayed disciplined in my study of the Bible itself, but I have used this as an excuse to exclude the study of other disciplines or material. I always justified it by saying, "The Bible is sufficient for all that I need to know." And while this may sound good on paper, it's a cop-out for a true leader and student. God has graciously given insight to many individuals... insight that I could not attain on my own. These precious "nuggets" are being shared with us through the medium of writers and preachers and apologists, and we should listen and soak it all in.
And so, as God has challenged me to step up my studies over the past 4 months, He was, in ways that only He can do, preparing me for the SYLLABUS SHOCK that I have gotten the past week at Southeastern.
Now I am excited by the challenge. I am motivated to be the BEST that I can be at what I do because that's what the Kingdom needs. God needs/wants us at our best. Knowing our best. Thinking our best. And DOING our best.
So, I encourage us all to Live NOW the best that you can for the glory of God and the gospel to the world. It's great to dream of the future, but make sure that you are not doing so at the expense of neglecting the present obedience that He has called you to.
As always, in Christ,
Andy
There was so much that I wanted to write in my last entry that I simply could not at the time. I wanted to tell you all of the amazing work that God was doing in my heart and in my life. I wanted to share with you the joy of experiencing movement toward the God-centered next thing in my life, and I wanted to share with you the pain of leaving the God-centered previous thing in my life.
During the transition process of the past two weeks I've had many come to me and say, "You're moving on to BIGGER and BETTER things." And while, from a human perspective there may be some truth to this, from a God-centered perspective this movement is only into DIFFERENT things, not bigger or better.
There is nothing BIGGER than the local church, and there is nothing BETTER than that church living out the gospel week in and week out. It is MY LOSS to leave Northlake Baptist Church after almost 4 years of service to you and the Kingdom. I hope you have learned from me, and I know that I have learned from you.
Live NOW:
Tonight I wanted to share a thought that I have often shared with my students at NSM.
It is so easy for us to view movement in this life in terms of "bigger" and "better." It is so easy to get lost in the excitement of moments like these. One week ago I was spending my final hours as the Student Pastor at NBC. One week before that I was weeping with kids that have become a real part of who I am. One week before that I officially resigned my position, and two days before that God began the two sleepless nights that would (lovingly) FORCE me to finally obey His call for me to move on.
I've always struggled with defining success in what's happening NEXT. In middle school I looked to High school. In ninth grade I looked to getting a driver's license. At sixteen I looked to graduation. At graduation I looked to college. In college I looked to marriage. In marriage I looked to having children. And so on and so forth.
And while God has certainly ordained some of this excitement and anticipation as part of our motivation to grow and learn and be changed by Him, we must be careful to not forget to Live NOW. I've often told my students that "God will not take you to a new lesson or level until you've learned the one He has for you now."
For me, there were some very specific lessons that I had to learn before moving to this next stage. Most of them are/were very personal, but one that I can share is in relation to my discipline in study.
Almost 4 months before God ultimately called me to "pack up your things and go to the place I will tell you," He began to impress upon my heart that I had gotten LAZY in my studies. I have almost always stayed disciplined in my study of the Bible itself, but I have used this as an excuse to exclude the study of other disciplines or material. I always justified it by saying, "The Bible is sufficient for all that I need to know." And while this may sound good on paper, it's a cop-out for a true leader and student. God has graciously given insight to many individuals... insight that I could not attain on my own. These precious "nuggets" are being shared with us through the medium of writers and preachers and apologists, and we should listen and soak it all in.
And so, as God has challenged me to step up my studies over the past 4 months, He was, in ways that only He can do, preparing me for the SYLLABUS SHOCK that I have gotten the past week at Southeastern.
Now I am excited by the challenge. I am motivated to be the BEST that I can be at what I do because that's what the Kingdom needs. God needs/wants us at our best. Knowing our best. Thinking our best. And DOING our best.
So, I encourage us all to Live NOW the best that you can for the glory of God and the gospel to the world. It's great to dream of the future, but make sure that you are not doing so at the expense of neglecting the present obedience that He has called you to.
As always, in Christ,
Andy
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