Saturday, December 20, 2014
New Blog Site
I've decided to migrate my blog to WordPress. You can now follow me at http://insearchofnewcreation.wordpress.com/ . Thanks to everyone who offers comments, continually encouraging and challenging me in my thinking!
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Boring Testimonies
I pray that my kids (and the kids in my youth group) will have a "boring" testimony.
The way this often plays itself out in the church is in the use of the phrase: "He has such a great testimony!"
What we mean by this is: "He has such an exciting testimony!"
It's the stuff of good novels or movies.
It's the stuff of good novels or movies.
But maybe we shouldn't consider "good" and "exciting" to be absolute synonyms in this case. I say this not because the salvation and transformation of a drug addict is not good, but because every single salvation and transformation of a human soul is good... and exciting!
Unfortunately the story of a child who was raised in the church, discipled by their parents, reborn at an early age, and faithful in their walk with God (as much as any believer ever is) does not register with our fleshly minds as exciting. It's mundane. It's every day.
But it's not! It's beautiful... and wonderful... and miraculous!
It is a gift that God would be gracious in preventing such a person from suffering the long-term consequences of foolishness and at the same time immediately plunge them into the depths of the front line fight for the affections of their heart, a battle every believer faces daily.
A "boring" testimony is no cause for boasting on the part of the believer, for all are hopeless apart from Christ, but it does seem wholly appropriate to see such Christians as examples to follow. Young Timothy seems to have had just such a testimony and been such an example (see 2 Tim. 1:5ff).
So I pray regularly that my children are drawn to salvation at an early age. This means that I pray that God would reveal to them the depths of their depravity and their desperate need for Jesus Christ. I also pray that God would help my wife and me to be faithful to disciple our children in the ways of Jesus. Finally, I pray that our children would walk faithfully with Christ, confronting their heart sins with the gospel and daily repenting and believing.
I pray that they will have "boring" testimonies.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
The Sticky Subject of Regeneration
This post has been brewing in my mind for a while now, so in honor of our youth group's recent "Regenerate" youth weekend, I decided that now was as good a time as any to write it.
One of the foundations of evangelical Christian faith is the idea of regeneration (i.e. "being born again," "getting saved," "being changed," "becoming a new creation," and a host of other terms that we use). Regeneration is the belief that, for Christians, there is a moment in time when a person who is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1) is drawn by the Holy Spirit of God (Jn. 6:44) and spiritually resurrected (Eph 2:5), becoming spiritually alive while still having a physical body and mind which are affected by fleshly desires. There are different ways of articulating this, but this is how I've come to understand it.
Over the years I've run into many folks who have very strong convictions about the doctrine of regeneration. For various reasons, some loath the idea that Christians might somehow be capable of walking in righteousness in ways that are impossible for non-believers. On the other side of the issue, some Christians are arrogant about their supposed "moral superiority." Both of these groups forget that it is Christ's righteousness - both positionally and practically - which is the source of Christian obedience.
The stickiness of the doctrine of regeneration (as in many Christian doctrines) is found in the "already-not-yet" aspect of it. Jesus says in John 3:3 that a person must be regenerated in order to "see the kingdom of God." Paul says, as noted above, that Christians have already been raised up with Christ (Eph. 2:5), and in 2 Cor. 5:17 he famously says that we are, at the present time, "new creations." That's the already. First Cor. 15:2 states that we are in the process of being saved by the gospel, an (depending on how you take Romans 7) the apostle also envisions a great struggle between the flesh and the resurrected spirit. That's the not-yet.
One of the most central passages to the doctrine of regeneration is Ezekiel 36-37, wherein the prophet says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove your heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."
Most theologians that I've read agree that at least the majority of this passage is fulfilled at the moment of a Christian's conversion, yet the last phrase presents a practical challenge: Is God currently causing all Christians at all times to walk in His ways? We know this can't be the case, because we all still struggle with sin (see e.g. 1 Jn. 1:8-10)
There are a couple of ways we could approach answering this question. We could say that the intent of the prophecy was not to say that believers would walk perfectly in His ways but that they simply now do actually walk in His ways to some extent, whereas before regeneration this was an impossibility.
I believe, though, that since Ezekiel 36 is eschatological, and since it is written from the perspective of an OT prophet (looking forward to Christ), it is probably better to see this prophecy as being fulfilled "already-but-not-yet," beginning with the first coming of Christ and being completed with His second coming.
What does all this mean? It means that there are aspects of regeneration that occur in time and space at the moment of conversion. I think most would agree with this. Yet there are also aspects of regeneration that will not occur until we receive our resurrected bodies (i.e. walking in his ways perfectly).
So the question I am wrestling with right now is whether or not (what we call) "sanctification" is a the process by which God takes a Christian from the initial effects of regeneration to its final effects. In other words, is there any sense in which a believer can say, "I've been regenerated (at conversion). I'm being regenerated (through sanctification), and I will be regenerated (through resurrection)?"
I hope I'm not nose-diving into some heresy I've not seen before.
What do you think? Help me out here.
One of the foundations of evangelical Christian faith is the idea of regeneration (i.e. "being born again," "getting saved," "being changed," "becoming a new creation," and a host of other terms that we use). Regeneration is the belief that, for Christians, there is a moment in time when a person who is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1) is drawn by the Holy Spirit of God (Jn. 6:44) and spiritually resurrected (Eph 2:5), becoming spiritually alive while still having a physical body and mind which are affected by fleshly desires. There are different ways of articulating this, but this is how I've come to understand it.
Over the years I've run into many folks who have very strong convictions about the doctrine of regeneration. For various reasons, some loath the idea that Christians might somehow be capable of walking in righteousness in ways that are impossible for non-believers. On the other side of the issue, some Christians are arrogant about their supposed "moral superiority." Both of these groups forget that it is Christ's righteousness - both positionally and practically - which is the source of Christian obedience.
The stickiness of the doctrine of regeneration (as in many Christian doctrines) is found in the "already-not-yet" aspect of it. Jesus says in John 3:3 that a person must be regenerated in order to "see the kingdom of God." Paul says, as noted above, that Christians have already been raised up with Christ (Eph. 2:5), and in 2 Cor. 5:17 he famously says that we are, at the present time, "new creations." That's the already. First Cor. 15:2 states that we are in the process of being saved by the gospel, an (depending on how you take Romans 7) the apostle also envisions a great struggle between the flesh and the resurrected spirit. That's the not-yet.
One of the most central passages to the doctrine of regeneration is Ezekiel 36-37, wherein the prophet says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove your heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."
Most theologians that I've read agree that at least the majority of this passage is fulfilled at the moment of a Christian's conversion, yet the last phrase presents a practical challenge: Is God currently causing all Christians at all times to walk in His ways? We know this can't be the case, because we all still struggle with sin (see e.g. 1 Jn. 1:8-10)
There are a couple of ways we could approach answering this question. We could say that the intent of the prophecy was not to say that believers would walk perfectly in His ways but that they simply now do actually walk in His ways to some extent, whereas before regeneration this was an impossibility.
I believe, though, that since Ezekiel 36 is eschatological, and since it is written from the perspective of an OT prophet (looking forward to Christ), it is probably better to see this prophecy as being fulfilled "already-but-not-yet," beginning with the first coming of Christ and being completed with His second coming.
What does all this mean? It means that there are aspects of regeneration that occur in time and space at the moment of conversion. I think most would agree with this. Yet there are also aspects of regeneration that will not occur until we receive our resurrected bodies (i.e. walking in his ways perfectly).
So the question I am wrestling with right now is whether or not (what we call) "sanctification" is a the process by which God takes a Christian from the initial effects of regeneration to its final effects. In other words, is there any sense in which a believer can say, "I've been regenerated (at conversion). I'm being regenerated (through sanctification), and I will be regenerated (through resurrection)?"
I hope I'm not nose-diving into some heresy I've not seen before.
What do you think? Help me out here.
Creation, De-creation, Re-creation
The subject of creation has been coming up a lot in my world lately, and I've sort of begun thinking about new (for me) way of telling the story of God: Creation, De-creation, and Re-creation
We learn in Genesis 1, John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1 that all three persons of the Trinity worked together to create the heavens and the earth. We learn that the Father created by means of the Son (Col. 1:16), and we read also that the Spirit was present (Gen. 1:2).
It is also obvious that from the the beginning it was the intent of Satan to dismantle the created order of God. Yahweh established the rule that "in the day that you eat of [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17 ESV), yet Satan stated in Gen. 3:4: "You will not surely die." Satan then questioned the authority and motives of God. Whereas the very heart of creation is life, the work of Satan has always been one of death (Eph. 2:1) - i.e. de-creation.
But the good news of the gospel is that, according to Ephesians 1, the Trinity stepped back in to make a new creation, a re-creation. As in the first creation, the Son (Jesus) is the means by which the Father adopts His "reborn" children (Eph. 1:4-5), and the Holy Spirit seals our redemption (Eph. 1:13-14). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17). "'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God'" (Jn. 3:3).
At this point in salvation history, re-creation is focused primarily on the spiritual realm. Men and women who come to faith in Christ are being "born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pt. 1:3). Though our physical bodies are "wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day," (2 Cor. 4:16).
But this isn't the end game. The purpose of God is that humans be resurrected spiritually first, and then physically resurrected (see e.g. 1 Cor. 15 and Rev. 19-20). We will not go off to live as disembodied souls forever in heaven, floating on a cloud in some ethereal land. We are human, and to be fully human as God originally intended, we must be fully redeemed, both spiritually and physically.
Therefore, at this moment, we find ourselves caught in between the times:
God's creative order is still plainly seen (Rom. 1:19-20);
Satan's de-creative efforts are also obvious (1 Pt. 5:8);
And God's re-creative work is happening all around us as people place their faith in Christ.
"Why should this all matter to me?" you might ask. It should matter because looking at things this way helps reveal so much of the intent behind the attacks of Satan today. If you want to identify his work in our world, look for de-creation. Look for philosophies and worldviews and political agendas which seek to undermine the creative order of God; and, in particular, look for mindsets which seek to downplay the necessity and primacy of His re-creative order - i.e. that salvation is found in no other name but Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
May believers stand firm these days (with grace and truth) on the creative order of God, and may we boldly proclaim His re-creative work in the gospel!
We learn in Genesis 1, John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1 that all three persons of the Trinity worked together to create the heavens and the earth. We learn that the Father created by means of the Son (Col. 1:16), and we read also that the Spirit was present (Gen. 1:2).
It is also obvious that from the the beginning it was the intent of Satan to dismantle the created order of God. Yahweh established the rule that "in the day that you eat of [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17 ESV), yet Satan stated in Gen. 3:4: "You will not surely die." Satan then questioned the authority and motives of God. Whereas the very heart of creation is life, the work of Satan has always been one of death (Eph. 2:1) - i.e. de-creation.
But the good news of the gospel is that, according to Ephesians 1, the Trinity stepped back in to make a new creation, a re-creation. As in the first creation, the Son (Jesus) is the means by which the Father adopts His "reborn" children (Eph. 1:4-5), and the Holy Spirit seals our redemption (Eph. 1:13-14). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17). "'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God'" (Jn. 3:3).
At this point in salvation history, re-creation is focused primarily on the spiritual realm. Men and women who come to faith in Christ are being "born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pt. 1:3). Though our physical bodies are "wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day," (2 Cor. 4:16).
But this isn't the end game. The purpose of God is that humans be resurrected spiritually first, and then physically resurrected (see e.g. 1 Cor. 15 and Rev. 19-20). We will not go off to live as disembodied souls forever in heaven, floating on a cloud in some ethereal land. We are human, and to be fully human as God originally intended, we must be fully redeemed, both spiritually and physically.
Therefore, at this moment, we find ourselves caught in between the times:
God's creative order is still plainly seen (Rom. 1:19-20);
Satan's de-creative efforts are also obvious (1 Pt. 5:8);
And God's re-creative work is happening all around us as people place their faith in Christ.
"Why should this all matter to me?" you might ask. It should matter because looking at things this way helps reveal so much of the intent behind the attacks of Satan today. If you want to identify his work in our world, look for de-creation. Look for philosophies and worldviews and political agendas which seek to undermine the creative order of God; and, in particular, look for mindsets which seek to downplay the necessity and primacy of His re-creative order - i.e. that salvation is found in no other name but Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
May believers stand firm these days (with grace and truth) on the creative order of God, and may we boldly proclaim His re-creative work in the gospel!
The Mark (part 2)
This is a follow-up to a post from July 5th of last year. You can see that post here. In that post I compared the "sign" of Deuteronomy 6 with the "mark" of Revelation 13. Over the past year, I've continued to reflect on this idea, and today I thought I might offer an update.
What was Israel to bind on their hands and have as frontlets between their eyes?
The Great Shema, or, as Jesus referred to it, the Greatest Commandment.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Dt. 6:4-5).
One thing that I failed to notice and therefore mention in my original post is that this statement is not only at the center of Jewish and Christian piety, but it is also the very heart of monotheism - particularly, the belief that the One and Only True God is Yahweh.
In other words, the Shema, the "sign" that was to mark Israel, was a worldview that centered on worshiping the One and Only True God.
And that sets us up nicely to contrast this sign with the mark in Revelation. Chapter 13, verses 16-18 describe this infamous mark, and this passage states that the mark "is the number of man, and his number is 666."
I'm not into numerology, and I also don't want to speculate about the significance of the hand and the forehead either for Israel or in the case of the Mark of the Beast, but one thing does seem clear to me:
Where as the sign of Dt. 6 is a worldview centered on worshiping the One and Only True God, the worldview of those who accept the Mark of the Beast is centered on worshiping the Beast, and the number corresponding to this Beast is "man's number."
To the point. Could it be that the Mark of the Beast is the secular humanistic (man-centered) mindset that exalt's man's reasoning, man's ability to understand the created order, man's power, and man's "morality" over and against the reasoning, explanations, power, and morality attested to by the One True God in Scripture?
What do you think?
What was Israel to bind on their hands and have as frontlets between their eyes?
The Great Shema, or, as Jesus referred to it, the Greatest Commandment.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Dt. 6:4-5).
One thing that I failed to notice and therefore mention in my original post is that this statement is not only at the center of Jewish and Christian piety, but it is also the very heart of monotheism - particularly, the belief that the One and Only True God is Yahweh.
In other words, the Shema, the "sign" that was to mark Israel, was a worldview that centered on worshiping the One and Only True God.
And that sets us up nicely to contrast this sign with the mark in Revelation. Chapter 13, verses 16-18 describe this infamous mark, and this passage states that the mark "is the number of man, and his number is 666."
I'm not into numerology, and I also don't want to speculate about the significance of the hand and the forehead either for Israel or in the case of the Mark of the Beast, but one thing does seem clear to me:
Where as the sign of Dt. 6 is a worldview centered on worshiping the One and Only True God, the worldview of those who accept the Mark of the Beast is centered on worshiping the Beast, and the number corresponding to this Beast is "man's number."
To the point. Could it be that the Mark of the Beast is the secular humanistic (man-centered) mindset that exalt's man's reasoning, man's ability to understand the created order, man's power, and man's "morality" over and against the reasoning, explanations, power, and morality attested to by the One True God in Scripture?
What do you think?
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
In a Mirror Dimly
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Cor. 13:12 ESV
It's really quite astonishing how much of the information that's on the internet is just plain false. It reminds me of the old telephone game (where information gets distorted with each new person it's passed to) amplified a billion times over. Last night Robin Williams passed away. When I first read the news, I didn't believe it because I'm so used to seeing fake celebrity death announcements on my news feed. Social media has made me into a skeptic, and I suspect I'm not the only one.
Yet the skepticism it goes deeper than social media.
We've become skeptical of history because it has been so often revised. We've become skeptical of certain foods because, after years of eating them, we find out what's actually in them. We've become skeptical of government because of the empty promises of generations of politicians. We've become skeptical of church ministers because so many have been found to lack integrity.
The West has bred a culture of skepticism. Our motto has become: "Trust no one; trust nothing."
Now even Christians find themselves questioning whether or not they can really trust the Book (and in turn the God) on which their faith is based.
It's not my purpose today to present an apologetic for the reliability of the Bible. There are others much more equipped for that task than me; rather, I simply desire to remind Christians of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13:12: "we see as in a mirror dimly... we know in part."
When a philosopher has his moment of greatest clarity, he is still an almost deaf man hearing mere mumbles and groans of what truly is. When an astronomer discovers a new nebula, she is still a near blind woman trying to make sense of colors and shapes. And when a human being tries to systematize and measure out the infinite God, there seems to be two resulting options: frustration or religion.
I think that we all instinctively know this.
The religious man creates rules and rituals, he puts on self-defined piety along with his robe and hat. And whether it's the religion of ancient pagans or of institutionalized Christianity... or of the academy - they all still put on their self-defined piety, their robe, and their hat. There's just something inside us that seeks to justify ourselves - to claim moral and intellectual superiority.
While the religious man goes his own way, the frustrated man embraces skepticism as a way of life.
Maybe it's possible that some people try to live both religiously and skeptically at the same time... Maybe I struggle daily against becoming one of those people.
The bottom line is that Paul's words here in 1 Cor. 13 should be self-evident to anyone who's gone on the search for truth. We are looking at reality through a mirror which reflects and refracts, which disorients and distracts; and the only two responses which make any sense to us are (1) to give up searching for truth by embracing skepticism or (2) to whittle down truth to a manageable size by embracing religion.
But I think Paul is offering us a better way.
He continues in verse 13, "So now faith, hope, and love abide."
We can wallow in uncertainty, or we can have faith in the One who is sovereign.
We can give up on the future, or we can hope in the One who holds past, present, and future.
We can hold everyone and everything at arms length so as to avoid being misunderstood or belittled or hurt, or we we can love.
We can be humble enough to say that we don't have all the answers... or even many of the answers, while at the same time trusting that God's Word and Spirit has given us and will give us those answer which are necessary. We can admit when we are wrong, while holding to the truth that there is such a thing as right and wrong and that God has told us exactly what the difference is in His Word. We blind and deaf men can hold the hand of the Creator and Sustainer of our lives and trust Him to lead us in the right direction.
We all know that we are looking at reality through a fogged-up lenses.
The question we have to ask is: Will we give up on the idea that there is such a thing as clarity, or will we shrink reality down to size through human religion, or will we let go of our delusion of control and trust in the One True God?
It's really quite astonishing how much of the information that's on the internet is just plain false. It reminds me of the old telephone game (where information gets distorted with each new person it's passed to) amplified a billion times over. Last night Robin Williams passed away. When I first read the news, I didn't believe it because I'm so used to seeing fake celebrity death announcements on my news feed. Social media has made me into a skeptic, and I suspect I'm not the only one.
Yet the skepticism it goes deeper than social media.
We've become skeptical of history because it has been so often revised. We've become skeptical of certain foods because, after years of eating them, we find out what's actually in them. We've become skeptical of government because of the empty promises of generations of politicians. We've become skeptical of church ministers because so many have been found to lack integrity.
The West has bred a culture of skepticism. Our motto has become: "Trust no one; trust nothing."
Now even Christians find themselves questioning whether or not they can really trust the Book (and in turn the God) on which their faith is based.
It's not my purpose today to present an apologetic for the reliability of the Bible. There are others much more equipped for that task than me; rather, I simply desire to remind Christians of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13:12: "we see as in a mirror dimly... we know in part."
I think that we all instinctively know this.
The religious man creates rules and rituals, he puts on self-defined piety along with his robe and hat. And whether it's the religion of ancient pagans or of institutionalized Christianity... or of the academy - they all still put on their self-defined piety, their robe, and their hat. There's just something inside us that seeks to justify ourselves - to claim moral and intellectual superiority.
While the religious man goes his own way, the frustrated man embraces skepticism as a way of life.
Maybe it's possible that some people try to live both religiously and skeptically at the same time... Maybe I struggle daily against becoming one of those people.
The bottom line is that Paul's words here in 1 Cor. 13 should be self-evident to anyone who's gone on the search for truth. We are looking at reality through a mirror which reflects and refracts, which disorients and distracts; and the only two responses which make any sense to us are (1) to give up searching for truth by embracing skepticism or (2) to whittle down truth to a manageable size by embracing religion.
But I think Paul is offering us a better way.
He continues in verse 13, "So now faith, hope, and love abide."
We can wallow in uncertainty, or we can have faith in the One who is sovereign.
We can give up on the future, or we can hope in the One who holds past, present, and future.
We can hold everyone and everything at arms length so as to avoid being misunderstood or belittled or hurt, or we we can love.
We can be humble enough to say that we don't have all the answers... or even many of the answers, while at the same time trusting that God's Word and Spirit has given us and will give us those answer which are necessary. We can admit when we are wrong, while holding to the truth that there is such a thing as right and wrong and that God has told us exactly what the difference is in His Word. We blind and deaf men can hold the hand of the Creator and Sustainer of our lives and trust Him to lead us in the right direction.
We all know that we are looking at reality through a fogged-up lenses.
The question we have to ask is: Will we give up on the idea that there is such a thing as clarity, or will we shrink reality down to size through human religion, or will we let go of our delusion of control and trust in the One True God?
Friday, July 25, 2014
Miracles and Doubt
"And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief." -Mk. 6:5 ESV
I'm excited to soon begin reading Craig Keener's Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Account. I was compelled to read it after watching these overview videos about the book.
I do believe that supernatural occurrences are happening in our world today, not least because I've experienced a few myself and have also seen others second-hand. I've seen cancer disappear, unexplainable provision in time of need, and the providential arrangement of events and conversations. I even got to rejoice last year with a dear friend whose son's eyes and heart were healed from birth defect.
I have no doubt that most (if not all) of the "miracles" we see touted on TV are fake. I also have little doubt that real supernatural occurrences are extremely rare. That's why we call them "super" natural. They don't happen in the typical pattern of things. Some people may very well go their entire lives and never witness a miracle.
But I do believe they happen, and I do believe that in this passage Mark may be giving us a hint as to why we don't see them as often in the West.
With the dawn of the "Age of Reason" (or Enlightenment) in the 17th century, philosophers and scientists jettisoned the assumptions of thousands of years of human thinking for a purely naturalistic view of the universe. Everything, they said, can eventually be explained through experimentation and human logic. This has become the foundational assumption of many (if not most) in Europe and the U.S; and as human reason has become god, the result has not been all-out atheism in most cases but, rather, skepticism and agnosticism.
Non-committal, all-things-at-arms-length... DOUBT... has become a virtue.
But according to Mark, doubt was the problem in Jesus' hometown. In the words of the Scripture, He could not do supernatural works in Nazareth because of the doubt of the people.
Now we know that God can do anything that can be done and that does not contradict His character. He certainly performed many supernatural acts in Exodus and Numbers in spite of rampant doubt.
Yet for some reason, God providentially ordered the ministry of Jesus in such a way that a faith-response from human beings was key; and we are meant to see that the lack of such faith, at least in this instance, can short-circuit the process of a supernatual work of God.
This is not an apologetic for name-it-claim-it theology... but it is a clear and direct challenge to our culture of skepticism.
I would never deny the miracles of modern medicine that God has graciously given, but at times I wonder if we've exchanged the gift for the Giver (Rom. 1:18ff) and deified our doctors. Are we placing all of our trust in chemistry and biology yet neglecting to cry out to our Maker and Sustainer? Why are we then surprised when He says to us, "Thy will be done?"
"(Jesus) marveled at their unbelief."
I wonder at times if He marvels at mine?
I'm excited to soon begin reading Craig Keener's Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Account. I was compelled to read it after watching these overview videos about the book.
I do believe that supernatural occurrences are happening in our world today, not least because I've experienced a few myself and have also seen others second-hand. I've seen cancer disappear, unexplainable provision in time of need, and the providential arrangement of events and conversations. I even got to rejoice last year with a dear friend whose son's eyes and heart were healed from birth defect.
I have no doubt that most (if not all) of the "miracles" we see touted on TV are fake. I also have little doubt that real supernatural occurrences are extremely rare. That's why we call them "super" natural. They don't happen in the typical pattern of things. Some people may very well go their entire lives and never witness a miracle.
But I do believe they happen, and I do believe that in this passage Mark may be giving us a hint as to why we don't see them as often in the West.
With the dawn of the "Age of Reason" (or Enlightenment) in the 17th century, philosophers and scientists jettisoned the assumptions of thousands of years of human thinking for a purely naturalistic view of the universe. Everything, they said, can eventually be explained through experimentation and human logic. This has become the foundational assumption of many (if not most) in Europe and the U.S; and as human reason has become god, the result has not been all-out atheism in most cases but, rather, skepticism and agnosticism.
Non-committal, all-things-at-arms-length... DOUBT... has become a virtue.
But according to Mark, doubt was the problem in Jesus' hometown. In the words of the Scripture, He could not do supernatural works in Nazareth because of the doubt of the people.
Now we know that God can do anything that can be done and that does not contradict His character. He certainly performed many supernatural acts in Exodus and Numbers in spite of rampant doubt.
Yet for some reason, God providentially ordered the ministry of Jesus in such a way that a faith-response from human beings was key; and we are meant to see that the lack of such faith, at least in this instance, can short-circuit the process of a supernatual work of God.
This is not an apologetic for name-it-claim-it theology... but it is a clear and direct challenge to our culture of skepticism.
I would never deny the miracles of modern medicine that God has graciously given, but at times I wonder if we've exchanged the gift for the Giver (Rom. 1:18ff) and deified our doctors. Are we placing all of our trust in chemistry and biology yet neglecting to cry out to our Maker and Sustainer? Why are we then surprised when He says to us, "Thy will be done?"
"(Jesus) marveled at their unbelief."
I wonder at times if He marvels at mine?
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Happiness: Fill in the Blank
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." -James 1:2-4
Fill in the blank.
"If I could just be like ___________________, I would be happy."
Maybe you think of an actor or actress, a musician, a businessperson, a doctor, a writer, a humanitarian, a great leader, or (if you're a nerd like me) a pastor/theologian like Luther, Bonhoeffer, or Keller.
When we consider the people we admire, it's usually through the lens of pop media or a history book, and neither of these could ever tell the whole story. I don't know about you, but there is always some comfort found when I finally realize that one of my heroes is just as flawed and human as me. It's not that I get pleasure from others weaknesses, but this "real" picture of them gives me hope that I might have a chance at making a similar impact on the world for the Kingdom of God.
The reality is that no matter whose name I fill in the blank, the above statement will simply not... be... true. Becoming like one of my heroes (or envies) will not make me happy, and the same holds true for you.
James, the brother of Jesus, alludes to why this is the case.
He says that God allows or causes trials to come into our lives that we may learn perseverance. But perseverance is not the end game. God's ultimate goal in growing our "faith muscles" (see "Count Trials as Joy" post) is that we may reach PERFECTION.
What?! Perfection?! James couldn't possibly mean what he said.
Well... he does, and he means even more. The word for perfection here means completeness, wholeness, or fulfilling the purpose which you've been given. For James, perfection is all about pressing on to become that which God is making you in Christ Jesus (think Phil. 3:12-14).
And that's why there's only one name that can be filled in the blank above to make the statement true: Jesus.
"If I could just be like Jesus, I would be happy."
If I could be like Jesus, I would be complete, whole, and happy. And this truth is the reason that God is faithful to allow all of our idols and all of our heroes to fall short. It is one of the reasons he allows us to suffer in this broken world: that our affections may turn to another place, a redeemed New Creation wherein we are fully made into the image of Christ.
This is both God's predestined plan (Rom. 8:29) and perfect will (1 Thes. 4:3) for the believer's life.
And this is another great reason to rejoice in trials. God is promising to use them to make us more like Jesus, which is the best thing that could ever happen to us!
Also, it only makes sense that He would use the method of suffering, since our Messiah also completed/fulfilled/made perfect His work through suffering.
Let's rejoice in trials today, knowing that as we persevere in faith, God is forming us into the image of Christ... for our ultimate happiness.
Fill in the blank.
"If I could just be like ___________________, I would be happy."
Maybe you think of an actor or actress, a musician, a businessperson, a doctor, a writer, a humanitarian, a great leader, or (if you're a nerd like me) a pastor/theologian like Luther, Bonhoeffer, or Keller.
When we consider the people we admire, it's usually through the lens of pop media or a history book, and neither of these could ever tell the whole story. I don't know about you, but there is always some comfort found when I finally realize that one of my heroes is just as flawed and human as me. It's not that I get pleasure from others weaknesses, but this "real" picture of them gives me hope that I might have a chance at making a similar impact on the world for the Kingdom of God.
The reality is that no matter whose name I fill in the blank, the above statement will simply not... be... true. Becoming like one of my heroes (or envies) will not make me happy, and the same holds true for you.
James, the brother of Jesus, alludes to why this is the case.
He says that God allows or causes trials to come into our lives that we may learn perseverance. But perseverance is not the end game. God's ultimate goal in growing our "faith muscles" (see "Count Trials as Joy" post) is that we may reach PERFECTION.
What?! Perfection?! James couldn't possibly mean what he said.
Well... he does, and he means even more. The word for perfection here means completeness, wholeness, or fulfilling the purpose which you've been given. For James, perfection is all about pressing on to become that which God is making you in Christ Jesus (think Phil. 3:12-14).
And that's why there's only one name that can be filled in the blank above to make the statement true: Jesus.
"If I could just be like Jesus, I would be happy."
If I could be like Jesus, I would be complete, whole, and happy. And this truth is the reason that God is faithful to allow all of our idols and all of our heroes to fall short. It is one of the reasons he allows us to suffer in this broken world: that our affections may turn to another place, a redeemed New Creation wherein we are fully made into the image of Christ.
This is both God's predestined plan (Rom. 8:29) and perfect will (1 Thes. 4:3) for the believer's life.
And this is another great reason to rejoice in trials. God is promising to use them to make us more like Jesus, which is the best thing that could ever happen to us!
Also, it only makes sense that He would use the method of suffering, since our Messiah also completed/fulfilled/made perfect His work through suffering.
Let's rejoice in trials today, knowing that as we persevere in faith, God is forming us into the image of Christ... for our ultimate happiness.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Ask for Wisdom
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." -James 1:5-8, ESV
Promises from God are a powerful and encouraging thing. When the Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us, we cling to that promise as to life itself. When Romans 5:1 promises the believer that she now has peace with God, she rests in the confidence that the hostility between her and her Maker has now ended.
So when James tell us in James 1:5-8 that if we ask (in faith) for wisdom we will receive it, we should immediately feel both a compulsion and a boldness to make this request often. I would say that the prayer, "God, give me wisdom," is one of the most consistent prayers I pray (second only to "God, please help me!") because of the great promise found in these verses.
Proverbs 9:10 tells us that wisdom begins with a holy fear of God. In the Bible true believers are marked by this fear. Therefore wisdom and faith are closely connected. First Corinthians 1:30 affirms the same when it tells us that Christ Himself is our wisdom. Christ's example, teaching, and gospel are the embodiment of wisdom, and insomuch as we abide in Christ (Jn. 15) by faith, we too will walk in wisdom.
Proverbs 9:11 explains that wisdom preserves life, and Proverbs 4:5 says, "'Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget,...Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you."
Therefore when God promises wisdom to those who ask, He is promising life. He also revealing His desire for us to live and prosper (in the biblical, not materialist, sense of that word). God wants us to be wise, to live, and to flourish!
One reason we so often neglect to ask for wisdom is because of our distorted view of our Heavenly Father. We may have allowed broken circumstances to taint our view of Him. We may have allowed dysfunctional relationships to do the same; but we must understand that the most true and clear picture of who God is comes not from our experiences but from His Word about Himself. So if He tells us in James 1 that He wants us to have wisdom along with all the benefits that it brings, to shy away from this because of our apprehensions is both disobedience and a lack of faith.
As N.T. Wright states in commenting on this passage: "How easy it is for us to imagine that God is stingy and mean. We project on to the maker of all things the fearful, petty or even spiteful character we meet so often in real life, sometimes even when we look in the mirror…Learning who God really is and what he’s truly like – and reminding ourselves of it regularly – is the key to it all.”
Our God is good, just, and loving, and He wants us to ask for wisdom.
Promises from God are a powerful and encouraging thing. When the Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us, we cling to that promise as to life itself. When Romans 5:1 promises the believer that she now has peace with God, she rests in the confidence that the hostility between her and her Maker has now ended.
So when James tell us in James 1:5-8 that if we ask (in faith) for wisdom we will receive it, we should immediately feel both a compulsion and a boldness to make this request often. I would say that the prayer, "God, give me wisdom," is one of the most consistent prayers I pray (second only to "God, please help me!") because of the great promise found in these verses.
Proverbs 9:10 tells us that wisdom begins with a holy fear of God. In the Bible true believers are marked by this fear. Therefore wisdom and faith are closely connected. First Corinthians 1:30 affirms the same when it tells us that Christ Himself is our wisdom. Christ's example, teaching, and gospel are the embodiment of wisdom, and insomuch as we abide in Christ (Jn. 15) by faith, we too will walk in wisdom.
Proverbs 9:11 explains that wisdom preserves life, and Proverbs 4:5 says, "'Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget,...Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you."
Therefore when God promises wisdom to those who ask, He is promising life. He also revealing His desire for us to live and prosper (in the biblical, not materialist, sense of that word). God wants us to be wise, to live, and to flourish!
One reason we so often neglect to ask for wisdom is because of our distorted view of our Heavenly Father. We may have allowed broken circumstances to taint our view of Him. We may have allowed dysfunctional relationships to do the same; but we must understand that the most true and clear picture of who God is comes not from our experiences but from His Word about Himself. So if He tells us in James 1 that He wants us to have wisdom along with all the benefits that it brings, to shy away from this because of our apprehensions is both disobedience and a lack of faith.
As N.T. Wright states in commenting on this passage: "How easy it is for us to imagine that God is stingy and mean. We project on to the maker of all things the fearful, petty or even spiteful character we meet so often in real life, sometimes even when we look in the mirror…Learning who God really is and what he’s truly like – and reminding ourselves of it regularly – is the key to it all.”
Our God is good, just, and loving, and He wants us to ask for wisdom.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Count Your Trials as Joy
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." -James 1:2-4 (ESV)
When we encounter any kind of difficulty that is naturally part of the fallenness and brokenness of this world, James tells us that the emotion and mind-set which should well up inside of us is JOY.
How is this possible? How can difficulty and pain bring joy?
For certain James is not a sadist. His point is not that the struggle itself is a source of joy. Rather, he explains that the believer can rejoice in the midst of trial because he understands that something bigger is going on.
God is allowing his faith to be tested.
Why?
According to James, this testing produces something in the believer that would have not otherwise been.
One look at my physique and you realize that I'm no body-builder, but I do enjoy starting my day with a good workout. When I look around the gym and see guys with arms bigger than my head, I can't help but wonder how many hours they've spent to build those muscles. Day in and day out, they had to be faithful to get up early, drive to the gym, warm up their muscles properly, eat and drink the right things, push their muscles to the point of pain and then push them some more.
It is only at the point of great resistance that tiny tears occur in the muscles and they are ultimately built up. The pain of doing one more push up, one more bench press, one more squat, is the very pain that builds new muscle.
I think this is what James is trying to get at. It's not that Christians seek out suffering or enjoy it, it's that we understand that our God allows it for His glory and our good.
The Apostle Paul says it this way in the famous Romans 8:28: "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."
This is not simply a trite, warm, and fuzzy statement to put on a Hallmark card. This is the unshakable truth of the sovereignty of our God.
Our fleshly man needs to suffer. We need to be let down by the promises of this world and disappointed by the desires of our flesh. God is gracious enough to allow this in our lives. He's gracious enough to dash our hopes in this temporal life and in its fleeting pleasures.
I've come to believe that there is, in fact, very little that God teaches the believer apart from suffering, for it is only in taking up our cross and following Him daily that we are able to be conformed to His image (Lk. 9:23). It is only in giving up our lives that we are able to find them (Mt. 10:39).
God is taking the fallenness and brokenness of this world and redeeming it by working all of our circumstances and suffering together for His glory and our good. This grows our "faith muscles." It causes us to lean on Him and trust in Him more. Then He proves Himself faithful in the midst of the trail, and we can't help but rejoice!
When we encounter any kind of difficulty that is naturally part of the fallenness and brokenness of this world, James tells us that the emotion and mind-set which should well up inside of us is JOY.
How is this possible? How can difficulty and pain bring joy?
For certain James is not a sadist. His point is not that the struggle itself is a source of joy. Rather, he explains that the believer can rejoice in the midst of trial because he understands that something bigger is going on.
God is allowing his faith to be tested.
Why?
According to James, this testing produces something in the believer that would have not otherwise been.
One look at my physique and you realize that I'm no body-builder, but I do enjoy starting my day with a good workout. When I look around the gym and see guys with arms bigger than my head, I can't help but wonder how many hours they've spent to build those muscles. Day in and day out, they had to be faithful to get up early, drive to the gym, warm up their muscles properly, eat and drink the right things, push their muscles to the point of pain and then push them some more.
It is only at the point of great resistance that tiny tears occur in the muscles and they are ultimately built up. The pain of doing one more push up, one more bench press, one more squat, is the very pain that builds new muscle.
I think this is what James is trying to get at. It's not that Christians seek out suffering or enjoy it, it's that we understand that our God allows it for His glory and our good.
The Apostle Paul says it this way in the famous Romans 8:28: "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."
This is not simply a trite, warm, and fuzzy statement to put on a Hallmark card. This is the unshakable truth of the sovereignty of our God.
Our fleshly man needs to suffer. We need to be let down by the promises of this world and disappointed by the desires of our flesh. God is gracious enough to allow this in our lives. He's gracious enough to dash our hopes in this temporal life and in its fleeting pleasures.
I've come to believe that there is, in fact, very little that God teaches the believer apart from suffering, for it is only in taking up our cross and following Him daily that we are able to be conformed to His image (Lk. 9:23). It is only in giving up our lives that we are able to find them (Mt. 10:39).
God is taking the fallenness and brokenness of this world and redeeming it by working all of our circumstances and suffering together for His glory and our good. This grows our "faith muscles." It causes us to lean on Him and trust in Him more. Then He proves Himself faithful in the midst of the trail, and we can't help but rejoice!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
the change in James
It's high time I started writing again. Invert Student Ministries has just completed a school-year-long series through the book of James, so I'd like to share some of the highlights from our year. Enjoy!
"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ..." -Js. 1:1
How did James go from not believing in Jesus (Jn. 7:5) to calling him Lord in this verse, to becoming an authoritative voice at the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), to (according to church history) dying for the name of his half-brother?
In the words of Tim Keller, "How hard would it be for me to convince you that your brother had been raised from the dead and was God" (paraphrase)? The truth is that James was either part of a movement of mass hysteria and delusion involving hundreds of people, or... he had actually seen his brother die and rise from the dead.
James' encounter with the risen Christ brought him new birth (see Jn. 3), and this new birth set him on the path to becoming the bold witness and leader we see in Scripture.
The truth is that unless we have the same new birth as James, we will not be able to read and understand and obey the words of his letter. James gives many challenging and encouraging thoughts in his book, but to attempt to follow them without the internal change that he experienced will only leave a person frustrated because of failure or self-righteous because of some level of external conformity.
So if you've not experience this internal change, the change that makes it possible for you to live obediently to Christ, I encourage you to seek it out! A great place to start is by reading through the Gospel of John. Ephesians 2:1-10 is also a good, short explanation of the gospel.
The gospel is the truth that God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, lived a sinless life, died on the cross on our behalf to take away our sin, and rose from the dead to bring us new life. If you want to talk more about this, let me know. I'd be glad to answer any questions that you may have!
"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ..." -Js. 1:1
How did James go from not believing in Jesus (Jn. 7:5) to calling him Lord in this verse, to becoming an authoritative voice at the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), to (according to church history) dying for the name of his half-brother?
In the words of Tim Keller, "How hard would it be for me to convince you that your brother had been raised from the dead and was God" (paraphrase)? The truth is that James was either part of a movement of mass hysteria and delusion involving hundreds of people, or... he had actually seen his brother die and rise from the dead.
James' encounter with the risen Christ brought him new birth (see Jn. 3), and this new birth set him on the path to becoming the bold witness and leader we see in Scripture.
The truth is that unless we have the same new birth as James, we will not be able to read and understand and obey the words of his letter. James gives many challenging and encouraging thoughts in his book, but to attempt to follow them without the internal change that he experienced will only leave a person frustrated because of failure or self-righteous because of some level of external conformity.
So if you've not experience this internal change, the change that makes it possible for you to live obediently to Christ, I encourage you to seek it out! A great place to start is by reading through the Gospel of John. Ephesians 2:1-10 is also a good, short explanation of the gospel.
The gospel is the truth that God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, lived a sinless life, died on the cross on our behalf to take away our sin, and rose from the dead to bring us new life. If you want to talk more about this, let me know. I'd be glad to answer any questions that you may have!
Monday, June 9, 2014
The Gospel and Gender Roles in Leadership
I hope our next President of the United States is a woman. Plain and simple, I think it's about time that we crossed that milestone as a nation. Of course, more than that, I hope we elect the most well-qualified and wisest candidate. I just hope it's a lady.
So I need to start out by saying that I have no bias against women in leadership.
But what should a Christian do with the fact that the Bible teaches that men are to be the heads of their households and the local church?
I've wrestled with this question for years. I've tried to balance the cultural aspects of passages like 1 Timothy 3, Ephesians 5, and 1 Corinthians 14 with my belief in biblical inerrancy, but I've never been able to shake the fact that I believe Paul really does want men to be the leaders in both the home and the church.
Is this because men are always the most qualified? I don't think so.
Is it because they are more naturally gifted leaders? Probably wrong again.
Was Paul's teaching given simply to accommodate the male-dominated societies of first century Palestine and Rome? I believe there is good reason to reject this notion as well.
There is in fact something unique about Christian marriage and about the church that require these particular (even if peculiar in our culture) gender roles. The gospel. Christian marriage is a picture of the spiritual union between Christ and His Bride, the church, and in turn a picture of the gospel.
No biblically faithful Christian would ever argue that anyone other than Christ Himself is the Head of the church. There is no egalitarianism in the Christ-church union. The church submits to Christ as her head without ever thinking to herself, "I only wish I had a more important role." Christ died for her! What else could He do to prove her great worth?!
Not only that, but Christ gave His life as an act of selfless, sacrificial love, the same love that a husband is to have for his wife. There was no thought of insisting on His own way as Jesus was accused falsely, beaten brutally, and mocked bitterly. The witness of the gospel is that the Head of the church consistently suffered loss for the sake of what was eternally best for His Bride. There was not a single shred of oppressive dominance in His love.
Now we could argue for gender-based roles in marriage and the church from other angles, but I believe that this angle helps explain things the most clearly.
In this respect, the roles of husband and wife in Christian marriage and the structure of leadership in the church act very much like baptism and the Lord's Supper. These are all visual pictures of the truths of the gospel.
So if the most qualified candidate for president in 2016 is a lady, I'll be the first in line to vote for her; but in marriage and in the leadership of the church, I still believe wholeheartedly in the model laid out for us in the New Testament.
What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Spend Time with Sinners, Show Them Mercy
"And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." -1 Cor. 6:11 ESV
On more than one occasion in my life, I've held to assumptions about certain "types" of people; and then, after actually spending time with them, my assumptions were radically altered, and my view toward their "type" was necessarily changed. As an inerrantist, conservative, evangelical Christian, I believe that the Bible never changes, but after studying church history a bit, it is obvious that some Christians' "application" of the Bible has been found wanting. Just before the verse I quoted above, the Apostle Paul has given one of his lists of those whose sinful ways will condemn them at the final Judgment, and then he takes the time to remind the Corinthians that some of them too were once in this state. But Christ and His gospel washed them!
Perhaps it is, at the moment, too much for me to ask some of my fellow believers to spend time with those of this world who are enslaved to self-destructive patterns - to take the light into the dark places and be the agent by which such men an women are washed, justified, and sanctified. I understand and honestly struggle with this at times as well. Yet I would humbly and strongly urge you to at least spend time with those whom you call "brother" or "sister," those whom you would claim are washed, but who still struggle with the painful and addictive effects of sin.
For me, it has only taken sitting with a Christian still struggling with alcoholism once. For me, it has only taken one time of talking to a drug addict just after they've fallen again. For me, it has only taken listening to a 40+ year old man talk about the fact that he's only ever been attracted to those of his same sex - listening to his choice to be lonely but chaste because he has been washed, while understanding that God may not free him from this struggle until he is free from his flesh and this world.
Some say we should redefine the Bible's definition of sin. Others say we should condemn all those who struggle in ways that are foreign to us. Neither are helpful or loving.
Why? Because sin is not just a choice, it is not only rebellion. It is also not just brokenness, not only a cause for pity. Those who would embrace only the former will become hypocrites, and those who cling to the latter will never really help anyone - their pity is powerless because it ignores God's holy standard. But if we understand that sin as both rebellion against God and an innate brokenness, we will be presented with an opportunity to be used by God to bring comfort and heart-change.
In all of this, I'm simply asking believers to not only mimic the message of Jesus and the apostles, but also emulate their methods. Sit down with the woman at the well, and since you don't have inexhaustible knowledge about her (as Jesus did)... just listen. Go into the house of Zacchaeus and Mary Magdalene, or, if you are not willing or able at the moment, at least reserve judgment until you do. This is not only prudent but essential, for James give us another warning that Christians dare not ignore: "So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment" (Js. 2:12-13 NASB). We show mercy because we have been shown mercy in the gospel, and we show mercy because we are continually being shown mercy as we are both broken and rebellious each day.
Yes, God forbid that we redefine His holy standard, and God forbid that we be found on Judgment Day lacking in mercy after the Son of God left Heaven to suffer crucifixion that we may be washed, justified, sanctified, and (Praise His Name!) shown mercy.
In Christ,
Andy
On more than one occasion in my life, I've held to assumptions about certain "types" of people; and then, after actually spending time with them, my assumptions were radically altered, and my view toward their "type" was necessarily changed. As an inerrantist, conservative, evangelical Christian, I believe that the Bible never changes, but after studying church history a bit, it is obvious that some Christians' "application" of the Bible has been found wanting. Just before the verse I quoted above, the Apostle Paul has given one of his lists of those whose sinful ways will condemn them at the final Judgment, and then he takes the time to remind the Corinthians that some of them too were once in this state. But Christ and His gospel washed them!
Perhaps it is, at the moment, too much for me to ask some of my fellow believers to spend time with those of this world who are enslaved to self-destructive patterns - to take the light into the dark places and be the agent by which such men an women are washed, justified, and sanctified. I understand and honestly struggle with this at times as well. Yet I would humbly and strongly urge you to at least spend time with those whom you call "brother" or "sister," those whom you would claim are washed, but who still struggle with the painful and addictive effects of sin.
For me, it has only taken sitting with a Christian still struggling with alcoholism once. For me, it has only taken one time of talking to a drug addict just after they've fallen again. For me, it has only taken listening to a 40+ year old man talk about the fact that he's only ever been attracted to those of his same sex - listening to his choice to be lonely but chaste because he has been washed, while understanding that God may not free him from this struggle until he is free from his flesh and this world.
Some say we should redefine the Bible's definition of sin. Others say we should condemn all those who struggle in ways that are foreign to us. Neither are helpful or loving.
Why? Because sin is not just a choice, it is not only rebellion. It is also not just brokenness, not only a cause for pity. Those who would embrace only the former will become hypocrites, and those who cling to the latter will never really help anyone - their pity is powerless because it ignores God's holy standard. But if we understand that sin as both rebellion against God and an innate brokenness, we will be presented with an opportunity to be used by God to bring comfort and heart-change.
In all of this, I'm simply asking believers to not only mimic the message of Jesus and the apostles, but also emulate their methods. Sit down with the woman at the well, and since you don't have inexhaustible knowledge about her (as Jesus did)... just listen. Go into the house of Zacchaeus and Mary Magdalene, or, if you are not willing or able at the moment, at least reserve judgment until you do. This is not only prudent but essential, for James give us another warning that Christians dare not ignore: "So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment" (Js. 2:12-13 NASB). We show mercy because we have been shown mercy in the gospel, and we show mercy because we are continually being shown mercy as we are both broken and rebellious each day.
Yes, God forbid that we redefine His holy standard, and God forbid that we be found on Judgment Day lacking in mercy after the Son of God left Heaven to suffer crucifixion that we may be washed, justified, sanctified, and (Praise His Name!) shown mercy.
In Christ,
Andy
Friday, December 13, 2013
Wonder in Music and Theology
The past seven days I've been thinking a good bit about music and theology, which is no surprise to anyone who knows me. These are two of my greatest passions. Last Sunday our choir performed one of the most beautiful arrangements of Christmas music I've ever heard. For most of the performance I was able to simply sit back and enjoy worshiping God through listening. One particular piece, sung in Latin, was especially meaningful.
I know that choir music is, for the most part, no longer in vogue in popular church culture, but I'm so grateful that our church preserves this amazing picture of the unity of the body of Christ through music. When I heard that Latin piece, I could not help but think to myself, "There is another place... a better place... than this busted old world," and through music I really believe we got to glimpse into that new creation which is coming.
As the concert ended and the week moved on, my thoughts kept going back there; and I think it was yesterday that I realized how music and theology share some very important characteristics.
First of all, as I mentioned above, music offers an opportunity to gaze into the beauty and majesty of God. Theology, at its best, does the very same thing, for theology is simply the study of God and His ways.
The coolest thing to me though is that you do not have to have a trained ear to stand in awe of beautifully performed music that is glorifying to God. In fact, at times those with "naked" ears may be at an advantage because they are so easily caught up into its beauty. The same holds true for theology. When an untrained eye looks into the heavens or into a microscope and marvels and gives glory to God for His creation, good theology happens.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who devote their entire lives to the study of the intricate details of music and theology. Sadly, though, many in both fields lose their sense of wonder as they dig deeper and deeper into the minutia.
Speaking from the vantage point of one who loves theology... we must hold in delicate balance our quest to "figure out" God and His ways and the amazement that a starry night should always cause in us. If ever my examination of details hinders my worship of His Great Mystery, I pray that His Spirit will correct me.
The world needs articulate theologians, and the world needs excellent musicians. As these explorers discover new and exciting terrain, it should lead the whole church to worship and stand in awe. This is the goal after all - that our hearts would be lifted to that new and better place where the Holy One abides.
"How we fail to understand when we think that the task of theology is to solve the mystery of God, to drag it down to the flat, ordinary wisdom of human experience and reason! Its sole office is to preserve the miracle as miracle, to comprehend, defend, and glorify God's mystery precisely as mystery." -Bonhoeffer
I know that choir music is, for the most part, no longer in vogue in popular church culture, but I'm so grateful that our church preserves this amazing picture of the unity of the body of Christ through music. When I heard that Latin piece, I could not help but think to myself, "There is another place... a better place... than this busted old world," and through music I really believe we got to glimpse into that new creation which is coming.
As the concert ended and the week moved on, my thoughts kept going back there; and I think it was yesterday that I realized how music and theology share some very important characteristics.
First of all, as I mentioned above, music offers an opportunity to gaze into the beauty and majesty of God. Theology, at its best, does the very same thing, for theology is simply the study of God and His ways.
The coolest thing to me though is that you do not have to have a trained ear to stand in awe of beautifully performed music that is glorifying to God. In fact, at times those with "naked" ears may be at an advantage because they are so easily caught up into its beauty. The same holds true for theology. When an untrained eye looks into the heavens or into a microscope and marvels and gives glory to God for His creation, good theology happens.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who devote their entire lives to the study of the intricate details of music and theology. Sadly, though, many in both fields lose their sense of wonder as they dig deeper and deeper into the minutia.
Speaking from the vantage point of one who loves theology... we must hold in delicate balance our quest to "figure out" God and His ways and the amazement that a starry night should always cause in us. If ever my examination of details hinders my worship of His Great Mystery, I pray that His Spirit will correct me.
The world needs articulate theologians, and the world needs excellent musicians. As these explorers discover new and exciting terrain, it should lead the whole church to worship and stand in awe. This is the goal after all - that our hearts would be lifted to that new and better place where the Holy One abides.
"How we fail to understand when we think that the task of theology is to solve the mystery of God, to drag it down to the flat, ordinary wisdom of human experience and reason! Its sole office is to preserve the miracle as miracle, to comprehend, defend, and glorify God's mystery precisely as mystery." -Bonhoeffer
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Eternal Perspective in a Used Book Store
Yesterday I walked into a used book store where three very long and tall shelves were devoted to the Christian religion. These shelves were covered with Bibles, topical studies, theology, biblical languages, church history, and more. Some of these books were old...very old.
As I glanced at one particular multi-volume set of books, each book in the set containing at least five hundred pages, I thought to myself, "That's a man's life's work."
Obviously a person's value or contribution to the greater good cannot be boiled down to a set of books, but it's also sobering to think that so much of what this man had worked for now sat neglected on the bottom shelf in a used book store. Chances are... these books may never be read again. It was kinda sad to think about, but it was also sobering.
Having immersed myself for almost four years now in seminary studies while at the same time preparing weekly messages for our youth group, there has, in recent days, been a pull in my heart toward understanding more of the great theologians of church history and producing the kind of writing they are known for. Neither of these ambitions are, in-and-of themselves, absolutely right or wrong, because both carry with them a mixture of both fleshly and spiritual motivation. This is like most anything in life.
But as I looked at that expansive work on the bottom shelf, I wondered if my life's work, whatever it may be, might one day be confined to the bottom of shelf...or perhaps even the backyard bonfire. I stepped back from the shelf and said out loud, "This is ALL going to burn." From Calvin to Swindoll, it's all temporary. The greatest literary accomplishments of man will not last.
Embarrassed, I looked around to see if anyone heard my instinctive outburst. Luckily, I was alone, but as I left the shop, a profound (for me anyway) truth still rattled around in my head. It's a question I ask myself almost everyday, though it takes different forms: "What are you spending your life on?"
The wisest man (except for Jesus) who ever lived said, "My son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body" (Eccl. 12:12 NASB). Seminary students offer a hearty, "Amen!"
Do books have their place? Absolutely! Even the Apostle Paul desired to have his books by his side in prison (2 Tim. 4:13). Does writing have its place? Of course! We learn to clarify our thinking and grow in wisdom and are in turn able to share that wisdom most effectively with others through writing. No one would argue otherwise.
The point is... we should do all of these things with an eternal perspective. The number of books you have read is not equal to your value as a human being (You laugh, but I've met many who think this way, and, sadly, have at times struggled with it myself.). If I read, it should be to understand God or life better or to enjoy God or life in richer ways. It should press me toward sanctification and a fuller existence as a redeemed human being. If I write, I should do so to clarify my own thoughts about God and life or as a means to more fully enjoy God and the life He has given me. Reading and writing should be worship!
I'm thankful for the lesson those massive shelves of books taught me. I hope I don't soon forget it.
In Christ,
Andy
As I glanced at one particular multi-volume set of books, each book in the set containing at least five hundred pages, I thought to myself, "That's a man's life's work."
Obviously a person's value or contribution to the greater good cannot be boiled down to a set of books, but it's also sobering to think that so much of what this man had worked for now sat neglected on the bottom shelf in a used book store. Chances are... these books may never be read again. It was kinda sad to think about, but it was also sobering.
Having immersed myself for almost four years now in seminary studies while at the same time preparing weekly messages for our youth group, there has, in recent days, been a pull in my heart toward understanding more of the great theologians of church history and producing the kind of writing they are known for. Neither of these ambitions are, in-and-of themselves, absolutely right or wrong, because both carry with them a mixture of both fleshly and spiritual motivation. This is like most anything in life.
But as I looked at that expansive work on the bottom shelf, I wondered if my life's work, whatever it may be, might one day be confined to the bottom of shelf...or perhaps even the backyard bonfire. I stepped back from the shelf and said out loud, "This is ALL going to burn." From Calvin to Swindoll, it's all temporary. The greatest literary accomplishments of man will not last.
Embarrassed, I looked around to see if anyone heard my instinctive outburst. Luckily, I was alone, but as I left the shop, a profound (for me anyway) truth still rattled around in my head. It's a question I ask myself almost everyday, though it takes different forms: "What are you spending your life on?"
The wisest man (except for Jesus) who ever lived said, "My son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body" (Eccl. 12:12 NASB). Seminary students offer a hearty, "Amen!"
Do books have their place? Absolutely! Even the Apostle Paul desired to have his books by his side in prison (2 Tim. 4:13). Does writing have its place? Of course! We learn to clarify our thinking and grow in wisdom and are in turn able to share that wisdom most effectively with others through writing. No one would argue otherwise.
The point is... we should do all of these things with an eternal perspective. The number of books you have read is not equal to your value as a human being (You laugh, but I've met many who think this way, and, sadly, have at times struggled with it myself.). If I read, it should be to understand God or life better or to enjoy God or life in richer ways. It should press me toward sanctification and a fuller existence as a redeemed human being. If I write, I should do so to clarify my own thoughts about God and life or as a means to more fully enjoy God and the life He has given me. Reading and writing should be worship!
I'm thankful for the lesson those massive shelves of books taught me. I hope I don't soon forget it.
In Christ,
Andy
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Forgetting Sermons (And Why That's Okay)
Do you remember riding home from church as a kid on Sunday afternoon ready to gnaw on your arm because you slept until the last possible moment that morning, skipped breakfast, and now sat famished? Do you remember the regret of realizing that mom (or grand mom) still had to finish preparing lunch, and, for some reason, at that moment one of your parents decided that it was the perfect time to ask a question:
"So... what did you learn in church today?"
Uh.......... (Brain tries to compensate by re-routing energy to memory....... fail........ Time to fake it.)
"Uh... God loves us! Jesus died on the cross for our sins!" Or insert your own default, though nonetheless true and doctrinally sound, Sunday School answers.
Not a few years later, it's sad to say that I still struggle to remember the specifics of even the best of sermons. I even regularly forget the main points of some of my own messages after a few days pass. This used to bother me, but then I began to think about what biblical or spiritual learning should really be about.
We tend to think of spiritual learning with the same categories as any other type of learning, and no doubt there is significant overlap. Learning = knowledge accumulation, application, and regurgitation. We could liken this building up of knowledge to adding books to the shelf of our mind. "I've got the basic gist of the gospel down. Check. Add that book to my shelf." "I've got the basic story line of the Bible down. Check. Add another book to the shelf."
This way of thinking about biblical learning isn't necessarily bad; it's simply incomplete. The reason it is incomplete is because spiritual learning is about both growth in knowledge and formation of character, and it's impossible to separate the two here. Spiritual growth is not only like adding books to a shelf, it's also like placing a rough-edged stone into a river.
When I hear my pastor preach I want to listen intently for new knowledge, and I want to affirm the knowledge that I already recognize as true. Going even deeper though, I want to allow his convicting, challenging, and edifying words from God's Word to wash over my soul. This is why spiritual formation is so much richer than many other learning endeavors, and it's also why remembering the main points of every sermon may not only be impractical but unnecessary.
I don't believe we'll be Bible quizzing on the Day of Judgment. God's word does say however that Jesus will reward each according to what he has done (Mt. 16:27). We understand that only those works done "in God" (Jn. 3:21), while abiding in Christ (Jn. 15) and walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5) will be worthy of reward.
So as I listen to a sermon, I want to ask the Holy Spirit to smooth this rough-edge rock. I want to ask Christ to think and feel and live through me. I want to ask God to do faithful and obedient works through this weak vessel.
Therefore, if we forget the three points of Sunday's message, but were eternally changed by a holy moment in the midst of it, I do believe we can mark that up as a win!
For example, my pastor made, what seemed to me, a passing comment this past Sunday. It wasn't one of his main points, but it struck me... like a brief but powerful torrent over a particularly rough edge of my soul. He said (paraphrasing), "We forgive...Not because the other person has asked for it or even deserves it, but because Jesus forgave us when we neither asked for it nor deserved it."
To close the loop on the point of this post - six months from now, I will not be able to articulate what my pastor said this past Sunday nearly as well as I just did. But I can promise you that his statement changed me, and the heart of it will stick with me, not merely as another book to put on my shelf, but as a life-changing truth that imprinted on my soul.
In Christ,
Andy
PS: I hope that this post doesn't encourage any sort of laziness in regards to listening well to sermons. As I affirmed above, we should all be listening well. I think this involves good note taking and returning to the text and notes the following week. My point in this post is that we should not think it sufficient to simply accumulate knowledge when it is the changing of our hearts that our God is after!
"So... what did you learn in church today?"
Uh.......... (Brain tries to compensate by re-routing energy to memory....... fail........ Time to fake it.)
"Uh... God loves us! Jesus died on the cross for our sins!" Or insert your own default, though nonetheless true and doctrinally sound, Sunday School answers.
Not a few years later, it's sad to say that I still struggle to remember the specifics of even the best of sermons. I even regularly forget the main points of some of my own messages after a few days pass. This used to bother me, but then I began to think about what biblical or spiritual learning should really be about.
We tend to think of spiritual learning with the same categories as any other type of learning, and no doubt there is significant overlap. Learning = knowledge accumulation, application, and regurgitation. We could liken this building up of knowledge to adding books to the shelf of our mind. "I've got the basic gist of the gospel down. Check. Add that book to my shelf." "I've got the basic story line of the Bible down. Check. Add another book to the shelf."
This way of thinking about biblical learning isn't necessarily bad; it's simply incomplete. The reason it is incomplete is because spiritual learning is about both growth in knowledge and formation of character, and it's impossible to separate the two here. Spiritual growth is not only like adding books to a shelf, it's also like placing a rough-edged stone into a river.
I don't believe we'll be Bible quizzing on the Day of Judgment. God's word does say however that Jesus will reward each according to what he has done (Mt. 16:27). We understand that only those works done "in God" (Jn. 3:21), while abiding in Christ (Jn. 15) and walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5) will be worthy of reward.
So as I listen to a sermon, I want to ask the Holy Spirit to smooth this rough-edge rock. I want to ask Christ to think and feel and live through me. I want to ask God to do faithful and obedient works through this weak vessel.
Therefore, if we forget the three points of Sunday's message, but were eternally changed by a holy moment in the midst of it, I do believe we can mark that up as a win!
For example, my pastor made, what seemed to me, a passing comment this past Sunday. It wasn't one of his main points, but it struck me... like a brief but powerful torrent over a particularly rough edge of my soul. He said (paraphrasing), "We forgive...Not because the other person has asked for it or even deserves it, but because Jesus forgave us when we neither asked for it nor deserved it."
To close the loop on the point of this post - six months from now, I will not be able to articulate what my pastor said this past Sunday nearly as well as I just did. But I can promise you that his statement changed me, and the heart of it will stick with me, not merely as another book to put on my shelf, but as a life-changing truth that imprinted on my soul.
In Christ,
Andy
PS: I hope that this post doesn't encourage any sort of laziness in regards to listening well to sermons. As I affirmed above, we should all be listening well. I think this involves good note taking and returning to the text and notes the following week. My point in this post is that we should not think it sufficient to simply accumulate knowledge when it is the changing of our hearts that our God is after!
Music in New Covenant Worship
Over fifteen years ago, at the height of the worship wars in my part of the country, I began to think... to think a lot about music in the context of worship. Most of you know me well enough to know my preferences, so I hope you'll place that aside as you read this post.
It's long been my conviction that since Christ is our example, our duty and joy in meeting together with the body of Christ should be to lay aside our preferences in music for the sake of others. Much like in marriage, church should be a group of people resolutely determined to lay aside their own interests for the sake of others (Phil. 2:4). I'm so certain of this governing principle that I fear the judgment of Christ on our churches in the last Day will see much shame over the selfishness spilled out in worship wars over the past two decades in America (and beyond).
While I've held to these convictions for quite some time, I'm not sure that I could truly articulate the practical implications of my thinking until recently.
First of all, worship is not only for God, though we would all affirm that this is its primary aim.
Paul says in Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:19, and 1 Cor. 14:4, 12, 26 that our worship should be for the education and edification of other believers. So the next time you’re at church proclaiming the truths of the gospel or the trinity or some other great mystery of our God, look around. Look around, and then sing. Sing not only to God but to your brothers and sisters. Proclaim the gospel in song to them. They need to hear it from the preacher, and they need to hear it from you!
Second, to expand this idea of education and edification to a global scale by means of the New Covenant is where things really get fun! I'll explain.
Why do we have worship wars? That's easy. We have worship wars (particularly in America) because we have culture wars. If I were to take you to the heart of Africa or China or South America, and we were to experience the vast array of culturally specific worship styles in these contexts, it would nevercross your mind to try and force your church's style of worship into that context. Or it shouldn't.
Why? Because at the advent of the New Covenant, the Kingdom of God burst forth into all nations in a way that had never been seen before; and as this Kingdom advanced forcefully throughout the world, God's intent was not to mold every culture's expression of worship of Him into the Jewish/Middle Eastern forms. Rather, within the constraints of Scripture's commands for orderliness and doctrinal orthodoxy, each culture has the freedom to express worship to God in beautifully unique ways.
Enter the United States... the melting pot of the world. Is it any wonder that at the meeting point of hundreds of cultures and nations we find it difficult to settle into one prescribed musical expression? We war amongst ourselves because we are each absolutely convinced of the spiritual superiority of our own form of musical worship.
It seems that there are only a few possible solutions to this genuinely difficult situation in which we’ve found ourselves. One: we wait for the tide of "modern" music to overtake a church as the older generation dies out and the newer gains control. This may be pragmatic for some, but seems to me altogether unChristlike. Two: we choose to separate ourselves into different local churches based upon cultural preferences. I'm less opposed to this solution these days for the same reason I wouldn't ask an indigenous Chinese church to embrace an African form of worship. Perhaps we are just simply too diverse in our country to expect one form of “blended” worship to appeal to the heart of every single person. Three: everyone in the church could intentionally choose to “suffer” through various forms of worship that are not appealing to them for the sake of others. Of course, when I say "suffer," I'm being intentionally silly. It should be our joy to give up our preferences for the sake of others. I honestly believe that in some contexts option 2 is best. I also believe that in other contexts option 3 is favorable. Each church must discern God’s will for their particular setting.
The point of this post was not to try and fix the problem of conflicts over worship that we experience in this country. My hope is, rather, that we properly understand these conflicts in a biblical way. I pray that we’ll stop venerating musical styles and cultural expressions. I pray that we will love each other sacrificially, and I pray, most of all, that we’ll faithfully proclaim the gospel to ourselves and others through worship, preaching, and mission.
It's long been my conviction that since Christ is our example, our duty and joy in meeting together with the body of Christ should be to lay aside our preferences in music for the sake of others. Much like in marriage, church should be a group of people resolutely determined to lay aside their own interests for the sake of others (Phil. 2:4). I'm so certain of this governing principle that I fear the judgment of Christ on our churches in the last Day will see much shame over the selfishness spilled out in worship wars over the past two decades in America (and beyond).
While I've held to these convictions for quite some time, I'm not sure that I could truly articulate the practical implications of my thinking until recently.
First of all, worship is not only for God, though we would all affirm that this is its primary aim.
Paul says in Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:19, and 1 Cor. 14:4, 12, 26 that our worship should be for the education and edification of other believers. So the next time you’re at church proclaiming the truths of the gospel or the trinity or some other great mystery of our God, look around. Look around, and then sing. Sing not only to God but to your brothers and sisters. Proclaim the gospel in song to them. They need to hear it from the preacher, and they need to hear it from you!
Second, to expand this idea of education and edification to a global scale by means of the New Covenant is where things really get fun! I'll explain.
Why do we have worship wars? That's easy. We have worship wars (particularly in America) because we have culture wars. If I were to take you to the heart of Africa or China or South America, and we were to experience the vast array of culturally specific worship styles in these contexts, it would nevercross your mind to try and force your church's style of worship into that context. Or it shouldn't.
Why? Because at the advent of the New Covenant, the Kingdom of God burst forth into all nations in a way that had never been seen before; and as this Kingdom advanced forcefully throughout the world, God's intent was not to mold every culture's expression of worship of Him into the Jewish/Middle Eastern forms. Rather, within the constraints of Scripture's commands for orderliness and doctrinal orthodoxy, each culture has the freedom to express worship to God in beautifully unique ways.
Enter the United States... the melting pot of the world. Is it any wonder that at the meeting point of hundreds of cultures and nations we find it difficult to settle into one prescribed musical expression? We war amongst ourselves because we are each absolutely convinced of the spiritual superiority of our own form of musical worship.
It seems that there are only a few possible solutions to this genuinely difficult situation in which we’ve found ourselves. One: we wait for the tide of "modern" music to overtake a church as the older generation dies out and the newer gains control. This may be pragmatic for some, but seems to me altogether unChristlike. Two: we choose to separate ourselves into different local churches based upon cultural preferences. I'm less opposed to this solution these days for the same reason I wouldn't ask an indigenous Chinese church to embrace an African form of worship. Perhaps we are just simply too diverse in our country to expect one form of “blended” worship to appeal to the heart of every single person. Three: everyone in the church could intentionally choose to “suffer” through various forms of worship that are not appealing to them for the sake of others. Of course, when I say "suffer," I'm being intentionally silly. It should be our joy to give up our preferences for the sake of others. I honestly believe that in some contexts option 2 is best. I also believe that in other contexts option 3 is favorable. Each church must discern God’s will for their particular setting.
The point of this post was not to try and fix the problem of conflicts over worship that we experience in this country. My hope is, rather, that we properly understand these conflicts in a biblical way. I pray that we’ll stop venerating musical styles and cultural expressions. I pray that we will love each other sacrificially, and I pray, most of all, that we’ll faithfully proclaim the gospel to ourselves and others through worship, preaching, and mission.
In Christ,
AndyMonday, July 29, 2013
Regeneration
"Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." -Eph. 5:14 (NASB)
I really only had one request of God as I boarded an airplane for Moldova almost two weeks ago. I prayed that He would show me regeneration. This was, no doubt, a selfish request, but I asked nonetheless. Essentially I wanted to see more than decisions for Christ (as much as I wanted to see those too!). My desire was to see radical repentance and faith.
As in previous years, it was very hard to tell in the first few days of camp if we were really making any kind of difference at all. Maybe the Lord does things this way on purpose, so that we'll know that it is not ultimately us doing the work.
We gave an invitation on Thursday night and many stayed at the chapel after the service to talk about following Jesus. This was super encouraging! Perhaps some were coming forward because it was a cool thing to do at the moment, but anyone could tell that most of the students who made a decision had been touched by the Holy Spirit.
I took four guys aside and asked them to describe what was going on their hearts. One said, "I know I am a sinner." Through tears another said that he was so thankful for what Jesus had done for Him! It was obvious that God was moving.
The next morning I asked my Bible study group to give testimony to what God had done the night before. Honestly I was wanting to test things a bit and see the results after all of the emotion had died down. Student after student explained with powerful articulation how God had worked in a unique way in their heart. Then one student, making a motion with her hand, said, "It was like someone grabbed my heart and said, 'Wake up!'"
Needless to say, I was overwhelmed and thankful that God had been gracious enough to answer my selfish prayer. In that moment he showed us all regeneration.
I really only had one request of God as I boarded an airplane for Moldova almost two weeks ago. I prayed that He would show me regeneration. This was, no doubt, a selfish request, but I asked nonetheless. Essentially I wanted to see more than decisions for Christ (as much as I wanted to see those too!). My desire was to see radical repentance and faith.
As in previous years, it was very hard to tell in the first few days of camp if we were really making any kind of difference at all. Maybe the Lord does things this way on purpose, so that we'll know that it is not ultimately us doing the work.
We gave an invitation on Thursday night and many stayed at the chapel after the service to talk about following Jesus. This was super encouraging! Perhaps some were coming forward because it was a cool thing to do at the moment, but anyone could tell that most of the students who made a decision had been touched by the Holy Spirit.
I took four guys aside and asked them to describe what was going on their hearts. One said, "I know I am a sinner." Through tears another said that he was so thankful for what Jesus had done for Him! It was obvious that God was moving.
The next morning I asked my Bible study group to give testimony to what God had done the night before. Honestly I was wanting to test things a bit and see the results after all of the emotion had died down. Student after student explained with powerful articulation how God had worked in a unique way in their heart. Then one student, making a motion with her hand, said, "It was like someone grabbed my heart and said, 'Wake up!'"
Needless to say, I was overwhelmed and thankful that God had been gracious enough to answer my selfish prayer. In that moment he showed us all regeneration.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Praise Him Through the Darkness
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Last year (2012) in Moldova I felt the Lord lead me to share some specifics from my personal testimony that are less then easy for me to recount. After doing this I felt foolish, questioning God’s leading and even questioning God. The next day I was a little encouraged to hear that my testimony had impacted a particular student at camp. I’ll call this student Joe. I came to find out that this student’s father had taken his own life just one week prior to camp, and what I shared apparently helped him in this time of grief. So I left Moldova still discouraged but hoping somehow that God might use the ministry I had done there in spite of my weaknesses.
After arriving at
camp this year, I was pleased to find that Joe had been placed on my team! Joe
follows Jesus, he is an older student, and he was a huge help to me throughout
the week. However, on Wednesday morning I noticed that Joe was not himself. During
the entire Bible study he had his head buried in his Bible, specifically the
Psalms. So after our team Bible study was over, I pulled him aside and asked
him what was wrong. It had been one year since his father’s death, and he was
broken. Many in the camp grieved with him that day. We held our brother, and we
cried together. We prayed, and we asked for comfort from the Lord. His grace
was abundant, and Joe returned to his normal energetic self the next day.
The rest of the
week was amazing. We saw the Holy Spirit draw many to salvation. God moved
mightily among his people. Friday night came, and with it our last worship
service. All week long we had been singing a song written by Martin Smith entitled,
“God’s Great Dance Floor.” It’s a party song, and we were in a party kind of
mood! Everyone was dancing and clapping and singing at the top of their lungs.
It was a special moment that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.
But then Linda
(on the American team) cried out, “Something’s wrong with Joe!” Several of us
rushed over to check on him. His eyes were open, and he was sitting up, but he
could barely communicate with us. Someone said that he had a heart problem, and
we began to worry. Then he passed out.
I don’t know that
I've felt the full weight of a mostly grown man who was seemingly lifeless
before, but I do know that I never want to again. We laid him on the ground, and
Linda checked for a pulse. Initially none was found, but we quickly realized
that his heart was still beating and he was still breathing. But he was not
conscious. One of the Moldovan leaders splashed some water on his face and
tried to wake him. Another leader pulled his car up to the site, and six people
picked Joe up and placed him in the vehicle. An ambulance had been called and
would meet the car half way. Joe started regaining consciousness after being
placed in the car, but as they drove off, we all worried about his condition.
The whole camp was shocked. Many wept. How could this joyful night and life-changing
week end in the darkness of such uncertainty?
And then, God’s
people began to pray. We prayed through tears. We asked for healing. We exclaimed
our trust in the only One who holds our lives in His hands. What else could we
do? Then we began to think that perhaps the Enemy may have a part in this
trouble. Who are we to know if he was or wasn’t the source, but a unified
thought began to enter our minds. We must
return to praising God. After weeping for a moment, praying for a while,
and placing our trust in our Father, we were compelled to return to the same
praise that we had been offering Him less than a half hour earlier. Only this
time the mood was obviously quite different. Instead of dancing with our feet,
we raised our hands as a child longing to picked up. “How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God.” Instead
of shouts of praise, there was, at first, a humble yet focused determination in
our voices. “Blessed be Your Name, on the
road marked with suffering, though there’s pain in the offering, blessed be
Your Name.” We got word that the ambulance had met the car Joe was in and
that he seemed to be doing better. He was awake and talking but would still be
taken to the hospital for testing. “Lord
I need you, every hour I need you. My one defense, my righteousness, oh God,
how I need You.” At this point the Moldovan worship team came up and did a
couple of songs. The mood was changing. What was moments ago an intentional yet
difficult decision to praise God in spite of our circumstances gradually returned
to a free and joyful expression. Even the clapping started up again. Voices
became louder and louder. And though the language was Romanian, there was a
heart-felt adoration that transcended human dialect.
Then they asked
me to sing another song in English:
You’re rich in love, and You’re slow
to anger.
Your name is great, and Your hear is
kind.
For all Your goodness I will keep on
singing.
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to
find.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my
soul.
Worship His Holy Name.
Sing like never before, O my soul.
I’ll worship Your Holy Name.
One more Romanian song was sung, and we dismissed. As I walked
back to my cabin, I had the overwhelming thought that perhaps I had just been a part of the most significant worship service
I would ever experience this side of Heaven. Whether or not this is true or
even if such a comparison is possible doesn't really matter. Heaven had touched
earth in the midst of suffering. God’s Spirit had led God’s people to praise
Him in the middle of a storm that could have very easily diminished the impact
of a week beautifully orchestrated by God. Darkness had fallen. But the light of
Christ shone in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it. The enemy
had struck his blow, but Christ had won.
The next morning the
students and leaders loaded into buses and headed into town. Camp was over, and
it was time to return home. As the buses pulled up to the church, there was Joe,
standing outside waiting for everyone to arrive. The hospital could find
nothing wrong with him, and so they released him. He had stayed the night at
church, and now he was reunited with his spiritual family, the ones who had
worried about him and the ones who had prayed diligently for him.
I wish I could
have been there to see that scene. I wish I could have hugged Joe one more time
and thanked God together with him for the happy ending to this story, but I was
on another bus headed toward home. As I
peered out the window that morning and looked across the rolling hills of
Moldova, I realized that my faith had grown. Without even knowing it, God had
carefully painted another sanctifying stroke on the canvas of my life. Our
verses for the week were Ephesians 2:8-10. Verse 10 reads:“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,” and oh how
masterful an artist He is!
Friday, July 5, 2013
The Mark
I've always heard that the "Mark of the Beast" described in Revelation 13 will most likely be a microchip that is placed in the forehead or hand of anyone who wants to buy or sell at the end of days. I realized a long time ago that trying to guess at what Revelation means when it describes future events (or even past events) is well beyond my pay-grade, and so for me to say that the Mark is not a chip is not my purpose here. Chip or no chip, I hope my point stands.
Over the past couple of years, I've been shown a new (new for me) way of reading the Bible. This view rejects a disjointed, piece-meal, application-centered, me-centered, handbook-for-life attitude and embraces the intentional arrangement of Scripture which shows us the plan of God for His creation and His redemption by grace, through faith, for a purpose (Eph. 2:8-10). With this perspective, Revelation can be seen as a theological retelling of the whole of Scripture. In other words, when you read something in Revelation, you've probably seen it before in the Bible.
Revelation 13:16 says, "Also (the beast) causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666."
And the most central and important passage in all of Scripture for the Jews is Deuteronomy 6:4-9: "Here, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command to you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 11:18 repeats this idea.
Could it be then that what believers are to be warned of at the end of days is not merely a physical mark - though we certainly wouldn't rule that out as part of the plan? Are we to reflect back on Dt. 6 (the Greatest Commandment, according to Jesus in Mt. 22) and recognize a particular, man-centered worldview that has or will saturate the globe? Just as Israel was to love the LORD with heart, soul, and might, could the "mark" of the Beast's system be identified through man's own fierce devotion to himself? Is man loving himself with all of his heart, soul, and might the mark that is bound on his hand and forehead?
Once again, Revelation, for the most part, feels well beyond my reach of understanding; but when I noticed these two marks in the Bible, I thought I should at least share them so that you can think and draw your own conclusions.
In Christ,
Andy
Over the past couple of years, I've been shown a new (new for me) way of reading the Bible. This view rejects a disjointed, piece-meal, application-centered, me-centered, handbook-for-life attitude and embraces the intentional arrangement of Scripture which shows us the plan of God for His creation and His redemption by grace, through faith, for a purpose (Eph. 2:8-10). With this perspective, Revelation can be seen as a theological retelling of the whole of Scripture. In other words, when you read something in Revelation, you've probably seen it before in the Bible.
Revelation 13:16 says, "Also (the beast) causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666."
And the most central and important passage in all of Scripture for the Jews is Deuteronomy 6:4-9: "Here, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command to you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 11:18 repeats this idea.
Could it be then that what believers are to be warned of at the end of days is not merely a physical mark - though we certainly wouldn't rule that out as part of the plan? Are we to reflect back on Dt. 6 (the Greatest Commandment, according to Jesus in Mt. 22) and recognize a particular, man-centered worldview that has or will saturate the globe? Just as Israel was to love the LORD with heart, soul, and might, could the "mark" of the Beast's system be identified through man's own fierce devotion to himself? Is man loving himself with all of his heart, soul, and might the mark that is bound on his hand and forehead?
Once again, Revelation, for the most part, feels well beyond my reach of understanding; but when I noticed these two marks in the Bible, I thought I should at least share them so that you can think and draw your own conclusions.
In Christ,
Andy
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