Semper Reformanda

To Whom Much Is Given

2010-11-26T18:00:00.003-06:00

Why are we so materially blessed that today, most of us are either shopping like it's a sport (or a war), or staying home to indulge ourselves with yesterday's leftovers? This is not a normal society. Here is an exceptionally helpful reflection by Michael Oh on God's grace & the Christian's response. What are your thoughts?

Jesus of the Scars

2010-11-25T19:11:00.002-06:00

I'm currently watching The Reason For God: Conversations on Faith and Life. It's a series of discussions between Tim Keller and a group of six non-Christians, which center around some of the most common and most challenging objections to Christianity. The DVD is based on Mr. Keller's best-selling book, The Reason For God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.

In the fourth discussion, "Why Does God Allow Suffering? Why Is There So Much Evil in the World?" Mr. Keller shares the last stanza of the poem below. The Christian claim of a Suffering God is unique among all religions. And while it doesn't answer every question we might like answered in this life, it does address the problem of evil and suffering in ways no other religion, philosophy, or worldview can. I'd be interested to discuss this further with anyone who's interested, [hint: the comment function on this blog works. ;) ] but for now I'd just like to share Shillito's poem, "Jesus of the Scars." The last stanza is particularly glorious to me.

If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow;
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars we claim Thy grace.

If when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know today what wounds are; have no fear;
Show us Thy Scars; we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong, but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.

-Edward Shillito (1872-1948)

Just In Case

2010-11-10T21:32:00.003-06:00

Quick disclaimer: my google account was hacked today, and a doubtlessly nefarious email was sent out to a few of my contacts before gmail security ousted the Turkish invader and raised the drawbridge. (The Turkish part isn't a metaphor for anything; the IP address was actually from Turkey.) I don't know of anything fishy that was done with my blogger account, but since it uses the same google account to log in, I figured an official statement was in order. Here goes. "If any links or messages were sent to you or posted on your blog from this account today, it wasn't me. It was a nefarious Turkish guy. Or girl. Or robot. I am neither Turkish, nor a girl, nor a robot, and only slightly nefarious. Please disregard any and all non-Davish activity produced by this account while it was temporarily under siege. Thank you."

To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

2010-10-10T22:39:00.006-05:00

"What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. (19) For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, (20) according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. (21) For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (22) But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. (23) For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (24) Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. (25) And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, (26) that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. - Philippians 1:18-26

"How can I stand before Christ unashamed of the way I lived and died?" This is the first of the seven main questions I sought to answer from the text in this sermon, preached this evening at New Life Baptist Church in Harvest, Alabama. I pray God would use the preaching of His Word to glorify Christ in the lives and deaths of His saints.

Throwing Gas On the Fire

2010-10-07T21:06:00.007-05:00

In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven. -Matthew 6:9-10
For the established Christian church to be always reforming, it must be always cultivating a passion for the Name of Jesus Christ to be great among the nations. The church exists for Christ. The world exists for Christ. Every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Greek ethne - that is, ethnicity or people group,) exists for Christ, and He is relentlessly pursuing His own from among them. For us to sincerely pray the way Jesus taught us, we must gladly surrender all that we are to Him, to be used by Him in any way He sees fit for the furthering of that kingdom.

The saving of some out of every ethne for the glory of God is Christ's passion, and those who have the Spirit of Christ will share that passion. Dare I say it? You cannot be truly passionate about Jesus without being truly passionate about world missions.* How empty is theological precision and methodological integrity without missiological zeal! Theology matters! Methods matter! But we deceive ourselves if we think they truly matter to us, if the unreached peoples of the world don't.

Toward that end of cultivating a passion for Christ's glory to be spread to the ends of the earth, I submit for your consideration, Reckless Abandon: the blog of To Every Tribe Ministries. I commend both to you for your joy in Christ and your increased zeal for the lost. While you're at it, check out their Center for Pioneer Church Planting. As I've looked at these in recent weeks, I feel like God is throwing gas on a fire in my soul. I pray it's a divine fire, as unstoppable as its Maker. I pray you'll join me in seeking the spread of that holy flame. Let's pray, let's send, and let's go as God leads - to the ends of the earth, for the glory of God.
Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. -Hebrews 13:13-14
From the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations," Says the LORD of hosts.
-Malachi 1:11
*I'm not saying that only fire-breathing missionaries love Jesus. I'm saying that being passionate for Christ and Christ-likeness will mean, at least in some measure and increasingly, being passionate about His passions. We cannot be near Christ without being made more like Him. Whether you're called to live and die for the glory of God in the city in which you were born, or whether you're called to take that glory to those who've always lived in darkness, partaking in the divine nature will cause you to ache for God's glory to be seen and treasured in every pocket of humanity. More than just aching to see it happen, true Christianity joins Jesus in joyfully embracing sacrifice, suffering, and if needed, death, to see it happen, in whatever way God leads.

How Deep The Father's Love For Us

2010-09-26T20:43:00.006-05:00

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

They sealed His body in the grave
The tomb of Calv'ry's Victor
But now the stone is rolled away
Where Christ no more shall enter
He shows His hands, His feet, His side
The scars of mercy's justice
Where Life was slain now death has died
And enemies find Sonship

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no pow'r, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

© 1995 Kingsway's Thankyou Music
3rd verse lyrics by Dave Baker

Don't Be Sensual, Feel!

2010-09-14T22:29:00.006-05:00

[NOTE: This is a really really short version of "Overcoming Sin By a Superior Satisfaction."]
"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, (18) having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; (19) who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

(20) But you have not so learned Christ, (21) if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: (22) that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, (23) and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (24) and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." -Ephesians 4:17-24
Ephesians 4:19 says that those who don’t know God give themselves over “to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness”… because they’re “past feeling!” This is huge. Paul starts v. 17 by saying, “don’t be like them.” They plunge themselves into sensuality, not because that’s a fuller experience of real pleasure, but because they can’t feel, and they’re trying everything under the sun to make them feel. They want to be happy, but apart from God, they’re beyond real feeling, so they indulge in booze and sex and drugs and money and pride – desperately trying to fill the void.

So Paul’s command in 17-19 says (among many other things) that the way to “no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles,” is not to deprive yourself of pleasure, but to cultivate pleasure, to cultivate real feeling – in God. That’s what I think 20-24 is about: “this is consistent with the way you learned Christ. This is how He taught you in salvation: to put off [repent of] the old dead, decaying self that corresponds to deceitful desires, (deceitful because they promise satisfaction but can’t deliver, so they leave you wanting more,) and to put on by faith the new man, who instead of decaying by lusts, is continually renewed by knowledge of God in righteousness.” This is a call to satisfaction, real pleasure, real life! Godliness is the denial of smaller pleasures for the enjoyment of an infinitely greater One!

It takes faith to believe that the unseen God satisfies more than tangible booze and overeating and sensuality. So, trusting that God is more satisfying than everything else is “living by faith,” the life that pleases God. Faith is responding to the Gospel of Christ by trusting that God is everything He says He is for you, and embracing Him as the supreme delight of your soul. To be sanctified, prefer Him over sin! To those who seek Him wholeheartedly, He promises to give the desire of their heart: Himself.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." -Hebrews 11:6

Overcoming Sin By a Superior Satisfaction

2010-09-14T19:52:00.011-05:00

[NOTE: This is the full version of "Don't Be Sensual, Feel!"]

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, (18) having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; (19) who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

(20) But you have not so learned Christ, (21) if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: (22) that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, (23) and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (24) and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." -Ephesians 4:17-24

When the Bible tells Christians to do something good or to not do something bad, it's really easy to misunderstand those commands as nothing more than calls to moral decision-making. ["Wait, did he just say, 'biblical commands to do good and avoid evil aren't commands to make moral decisions?'"] Yes, I did. Well, kind of. They are commands to make moral decisions, but they are not fundamentally commands to make moral decisions. And this is massively important. As in, life-and-death important. Let me explain.

When we read commands we very often assume a certain train of thought:

"This passage says to not to bad stuff, but to do good stuff."
"I choose to do bad stuff or good stuff by an act of my will."
"Therefore, this passage is essentially an appeal to my will."

I believe that this is over-simplified, flawed logic. Yet, this is usually our subconscious mental framework when reading commands. Read the passage at the top again. When you boil it down to its essence, does it sound like, "Don't do bad things like the bad people (17-19), do good things like a good Christian (20-24)," or said another way, "make good moral choices"? I think that misses the point. Even adding, "make good moral choices, because God deserves obedience," or "because you owe it to God for forgiving you" is deeply missing the point.

In fact, the difference between hearing commands that way and hearing commands biblically is the difference between the Old "of the letter" Covenant and the New "of the Spirit" Covenant. (2 Cor. 3:6) I didn't say it's as drastic a difference as the difference between the Covenants, I said it is the difference between them. If that's true, then according to 2 Cor. 3:6, to present the Bible's commands the first way is to kill, while to present them rightly is to give life. Many genuine Christians wonder why so much of the preaching they hear sounds like death. I think this issue is near the heart of the answer.

The Old Covenant was external, (written on tablets of stone outside the listener,) and was addressed primarily to the will, ("Obey these rules!") While it had divine authority to command men's hearts to be different, (Deut. 6:5-6) it was powerless to make them different (Rom. 8:3-4). The New Covenant is internal, (written by God on the hearts of His children,) and is addressed primarily to the affections, ("love is the fulfillment of the law!" Rom. 13:10) It not only commands us to live heavenly lives from new hearts, it gives heavenly life by giving new hearts (Ezek. 36:26-27).

Rightly understood, biblical commands are to stir the heart - our love and joy and satisfaction in Christ - before they are to direct the will - our obligation to live a certain way. The the will is essential, and it is commanded to behave a certain way. But the New Testament commands the will to choose in ways consistent with the new heart's new affections! It flows from the internal Spirit, not from the external letter. The following is just one example of how this works from just one thread of our opening passage.

Ephesians 4:19 says that those who don’t know God give themselves over “to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness”… because they’re “past feeling!” This is huge. Paul starts v. 17 by saying, “don’t be like them.” They plunge themselves into sensuality, not because that’s a fuller experience of real pleasure, but because they can’t feel, and they’re trying everything under the sun to make them feel. They want to be happy, but apart from God, they’re beyond real feeling, so they indulge in booze and sex and drugs and money and pride – desperately trying to fill the void.

So Paul’s command in 17-19 says (among many other things) that the way to “no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles,” is not to deprive yourself of pleasure, but to cultivate pleasure, to cultivate real feeling – in God. That’s what I think 20-24 is about: “this [cultivation of sensitivity and satisfaction in God] is consistent with the way you learned Christ. This is how He taught you in salvation: to put off [repent of] the old dead, decaying self that corresponds to deceitful desires, (deceitful because they promise satisfaction but can’t deliver, so they leave you wanting more,) and to put on by faith the new man, who instead of decaying by lusts, is continually renewed by knowledge of God in righteousness.” This is a call to satisfaction, real pleasure, real life! It addresses the Spirit-given affections, to create a Spirit-directed will. Godliness is the denial of smaller pleasures for the enjoyment of an infinitely greater One!

This is New Covenant life. This is the life of faith. It takes faith to believe that the unseen God satisfies more than tangible booze and overeating and sensuality, (even more than self-righteous, external law-keeping). So, trusting that God is more satisfying than everything else is “living by faith,” the life that pleases God. Faith is responding to the Gospel of Christ by trusting that God is everything He says He is for you, and embracing Him as the supreme delight of your soul. To be sanctified, prefer Him over sin! To those who seek Him wholeheartedly, He promises to give the desire of their heart: Himself.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." -Hebrews 11:6

Taking Time to Know God

2010-09-08T22:36:00.007-05:00

"In my creature impatience I am often caused to wish that there were some way to bring modern Christians into a deeper spiritual life painlessly by short easy lessons; but such wishes are vain. No short cut exists. God has not bowed to our nervous haste nor embraced the methods of our machine age.

"It is well that we accept the hard truth now: the man who would know God must give time to Him. He must count no time wasted that is spent in the cultivation of His acquaintance. He must give himself to meditation and prayer hours on end.

"So did the saints of old, the glorious company of the apostles, the goodly fellowship of the prophets and the believing members of the holy Church in all generations. And so must we if we would follow in their train."

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of Man, emphasis added

God's Glory In Unsearchable Strangeness

2010-09-08T21:31:00.006-05:00

“How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" -Romans 11:33

Please read this wonderful little blog post, from 2005 at the DG Blog. It caught me with its title. It intrigued me with its story. And it made me laugh out loud - a lot - with this short paragraph toward the end:

"What encourages me about this is to realize that God’s ways are strange... (Romans 11:33) And in this strangeness, sinful and sick and broken people fit into God’s designs. He has purposes for the mentally ill and for the emotionally unstable and for the socially maladjusted. And he has purposes for you."

Thanks for the reminder, Pastor John. Well said, and point well taken.

Worthy of Joyfully Reckless Abandon

2010-09-08T20:28:00.008-05:00

"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." -Acts 20:24

In 1839 - over 1800 years after Christ gave the Great Commission to His disciples - John Williams and James Harris landed on the shores of Erromanga, as the first two Christian missionaries to the islands of the New Hebrides. Within mere minutes, they were killed and eaten by the savage natives they had come to win with the love of Jesus.

Nineteen years later, aflame with love for Christ and for the murderers of Williams and Harris, John Paton prepared to follow in their footsteps. A friend and well-respected elder, Mr. Dickson, begged Paton not to leave his exceedingly fruitful city ministry in order to almost certainly throw his life away needlessly. He pleaded with Paton, "The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!"

To this Paton calmly replied, "Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer."

Paton suffered horrible losses and endured constant dangers during his first four years in the New Hebrides. He was finally forced to flee, only to return to another island and continue his divinely appointed mission. Through it all, Christ was with Him - meeting with Him, strengthening Him, and ultimately, saving the entire population of the New Hebrides by the incomparable power of His Gospel.

Williams and Harris died horribly. Several others died with Paton. But through their lives and their deaths, thousands of savages were born again by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Genuine revival flooded Paton's home of Scotland. An unprecedented missionary movement was kindled. The world was changed, and is still being changed. God's glory is seen, loved, and given to still others.

Consider it carefully: What will your abandon to Christ cost you?

On the other hand, What will your self-preservation cost you? What will it cost the world?

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."
-John 12:24-26

The Priceless, Costly Call

2010-09-07T20:22:00.002-05:00

“Obedience to the call of Christ nearly always costs everything to two people – the one who is called, and the one who loves that one.”
-Oswald Chambers, Quoted in HeartCry Missionary Society's 2010 Prayer Calendar, September

"It's Just a Book?"

2010-09-01T17:36:00.006-05:00

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." -Philippians 4:8

Does your entertainment facilitate the holy joy of fellowship with Jesus? What does the Holy One of Israel think about your entertainment? Is Christ honored by it? Are you made more like Him through it? "Whatever is not from faith is sin." (Rom. 14:23) If you can't read/watch/listen to it as unto the Lord, the Bible says it's sin, and Jesus gave His life to free you from it. Let us love Him fully and lay aside every weight, however entertaining to the flesh, that would hinder us from fully enjoying His holy presence.

*Mark Driscoll is a fallen, flawed, often foolish man - and so am I. I by no means endorse everything he has ever said - nor does he. He has come a long way in the past decade or two, and still has a long way to go - as do I. You will not have to search the internet long to find things he has said, or delivery methods he has used, that I would strongly oppose. I encourage you to be humble and gracious toward a doctrinally sound brother in Christ who is growing in grace, and has not yet arrived, remembering that in many ways we are not that much different than him. I pray God would make me more discerning of my own sins, and only focused on those of others to the extent that is biblically edifying to all.

Blessedness In Barrenness

2010-08-20T22:12:00.000-05:00

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. -Romans 8:28-29

My workplace is filled with the modern unbiblical mindset that children are an inconvenience, even a burden, rather than a blessing. Several times I've been part of a group conversation in which one person mentions that "so-and-so is pregnant... again... like, with her third! or fourth!!!" This prompts wide eyes and slow head shakes from most. "What is she thinking?" is a common reply.

They probably try not to have those conversations around me any more. I have a habit of interrupting the collective mourning by saying, "Good for her! Children are a blessing from the Lord!" The more children, the more blessings! (See Psalm 127:3-5; Voddie Baucham has a great sermon about children, the Christian family, and how modern church structures usually work against God's will for the biblical home. It's seriously worth a listen. Or twenty.)

Then, the other week one of my coworkers asked me for some advice. She'd heard me honor children as blessings from God, and asked me, "what about the people God doesn't bless with children?" Her cousin and her cousin's husband have been trying to have children for years, and for years their hearts have been breaking. God has chosen to withhold the blessing of children from them. They're both professing Christians, but the wife in particular doesn't understand why God wouldn't want her to be a mother. She feels like something is deeply wrong with her, maybe that she's grossly out of God's will, and that if she could just find her way back into His will somehow, He would probably bless her with a baby. She's very near the end of normal child-bearing years. Despair seems inevitable. Her husband wants to adopt, but her heart's just not there yet.

I told my coworker that I would first bookend my encouragement to her cousin with multiple expressions of genuine sympathy - Christians are people who "weep with those who weep," (Rom. 12:15). The desire for children is legitimate, good, and designed by God. She is not wrong for wanting a baby. Second, I would try to slowly and gently show her from Romans 8:28-39 the best possible news she could hear, which she might least want to hear: God orchestrates all things - even childlessness - to bring about Christ-likeness in His children, as a beautiful and essential part of their fullest and most satisfying good, the everlasting experience of Himself.

Therefore, though we would have changed a million things about our lives and the world around us, God has made this reality, this world, to be the best of all possible worlds for His people. His ways and His thoughts are immeasurably higher, and better, than ours.

When God blesses a Christian with a baby, He does so ultimately for His own glory through the incomparable blessing of His child's conformity to the image of Christ. When God withholds children from a Christian, He does so for exactly the same reason. Becoming increasingly like Jesus now, and being most fully like Him in heaven - seeing the face of your loving Father, sharing in His glory, and shining it back to Him - is an immeasurably better gift than anything else we could dream to ask of Him! But joy in Christ comes through suffering with Christ. God designs our pain to produce His glory - and ours.

Christian, God loves you with such a lavish, beautiful, infinite love, that He has chosen to lead you through sufferings you would do anything to avoid, unless you could see as He sees. The worst experience of your life - every experience of your life - is the precious gift of an all-powerful God who loves you with all His might! I urge you to praise Him for the pain you've been feeling. Praise Him for the horrible things that have happened to you. Trust Him, that He really is as good and as wise and as sovereign as He says He is. Treasure Him and His will vastly more than all the smaller joys you might have had in this life. Always look beyond this momentary life to that everlasting One. Draw near to Him in that faith, and you will find that even now He is transforming your temporary pain into an eternal weight of glory.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. -2 Cor. 4:17-18

The Perils of Passivity

2010-08-11T19:27:00.003-05:00

I know I've posted links to a lot of sermons. But this one from Bro. Don Currin should be toward the top of your playlist. Bro. Currin delivers a sobering set of warnings from the downfall of the prophet Eli. I urge you to listen prayerfully.

Sweet!

2010-08-11T18:31:00.007-05:00

I would really love to go to this conference! I mean, not only does it promise to be ten pounds of awesome in a five pound bag, but they even named the conference after my blog! Thanks guys!

Ok, fine. So "Semper Reformanda" is still public domain. But I'm honored to [somewhat coincidentally] share the label with two of the most riveting and biblical preachers of our day.

I actually stumbled upon this conference while putting a parenthetical link to a Voddie Baucham sermon in a new blog post, coming soon.

That's right. I'm still blogging. And linking to Voddie Baucham. You've been warned.

The Glory of the Cross

2010-08-06T22:36:00.004-05:00

"(1) Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, (2) fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (3) Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (4) Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (5) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, (6) who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (7) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (9) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
-Philippians 2:1-11

[This is a long-overdue follow-up to my previous post, The Shame of the Cross. While I still believe that post to be biblical in its content, I hope this one may be more biblical in its balance.]

The cross of Jesus Christ stands forever as the ultimate indictment of sinful humanity. The indescribable wrath of God, poured out there upon His Son, was deserved not by His Son, but by everyone else. From the garden of Eden to the Valley of Armageddon, from the most base to the most refined, all have committed high treason against the King of the universe. We have reigned as gods in our own hearts, longing to receive worship from others, rather than rejoicing to worship the Most High. We have withheld full love, honor, and obedience from Him to whom they are most rightfully due. We are traitors. We are idolaters. We have mocked God. For this we deserve eternal torture.

Every single sin, since it is against an infinitely worthy God, is an infinite transgression, and therefore deserves infinite punishment. Hell is eternal, not because God is cruel, but because He is good. No finite amount of judgment can balance out the infinite vileness of one sin. Hell goes on forever because a finite being can never finish experiencing the infinite wrath of God which he deserves. If after ten billion years a man was released from hell, or ceased to exist, all creation would cry out at the travesty of justice, that God's honor should be so profaned. To respond to infinite wickedness with less than infinite wrath would be unjust. It would be ungodly.

God is not ungodly.

The holiness of God makes the love of God staggering beyond all words. Against the backdrop of our deserved eternal torment, consider afresh this mystery:

"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:6-8

What glory! What love! What unfathomable grace, that the God of heaven should so love infinitely damnable sinners, that He would give His own Son to redeem them! And consider the price He paid! Not only did the eternal Son of God humble Himself to be man, and to serve sinners, and to die, and to die horribly as the worst of criminals, but He died horribly as the worst of criminals as a curse under the wrath of God that was due our sins! On the cross, He endured the infinite torment that you or I, apart from Him, would never be able to finish experiencing! The justification of any one sinner is proof that Jesus Christ must be fully God, for in mere hours He drank to the dregs the full cup of God's wrath on the sinner's behalf, while a finite being could never drink it all himself. Only an infinite reservoir can swallow an infinite flood so that there is not so much as a drop left over.

The glory of the cross is seen in God purposefully dying on behalf of beloved rebels, to satisfy the demands of His own perfect justice for them. And this Paul sets forth in Philippians 2 as the great motive of the Christian's humility and love for one another. "[Have] the same love, [be] of one accord, of one mind." What mind is that, one may ask. "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Then comes the soaring, shocking, glorious chord: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

Do you see it? This is the glory of the cross! This is the mystery which has gripped my heart in recent weeks. I would think it utterly blasphemous to say, had God not first said it is true. In the Gospel, Jesus Christ considered me better than Himself. Not that He thought me more worthy of worship than Him, or that He thought I was in any way truly better than Him, but that the Lord of glory considered the well-being of my soul more important than His own! In love He said, "I don't want you to bear My wrath, though you deserve every drop! I will bear it for you, though I deserve none of it!" This is the glory of Christ: the Infinitely High stooping infinitely low, to love, serve, suffer for, and die for the infinitely unworthy, as though they were His betters!

The union of this greatness and meekness--of this height of perfection and lowliness of mind--is of the essence of Christ's glory. The manifold beauties of Christ are so perfectly displayed at the cross, that His work there will be the centerpiece of heaven's praise: "And they sang a new song, saying: 'You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God..." (Rev. 5:9-10a)

O Christian, marvel at the love of God for you! Let your soul be stirred by the glory of the cross, and sing praises to Him who sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb! And, lest we miss the full point of Phil. 2:5, let His humility and love move you to humility and love--not only toward God, but also toward your brothers. If Christ so loves your brothers, and if His Spirit is in you, should you not likewise love, serve, and gladly die for them? O may the world see in us undeniable proof of a glorious cross and of a Risen King!

God, Make Us Desperate!

2010-08-01T20:42:00.005-05:00

I hope to be able to actually write soon, sharing some light the Lord has given me from Paul's letter to the Philippians. Prayerfully, these posts may complement and bring biblical balance to some of my earliest posts.

In the meantime, I pray you will be deeply enriched by the words below. On July 29 John Bloom posted the following on the Desiring God blog, and to it I say a sober, longing, "amen." Here is the original post, but I have reposted it in its entirety below.

A few days ago I listened to a sermon by a man who is preparing to lead a missionary team that will plant itself into one of the least reached nations in the world.

The most optimistic estimates of the number of indigenous Christians in this nation is less than the number of people who attend Bethlehem Baptist Church on a Sunday morning. A lot less.

Listening to him was like listening to the writer of Hebrews. This man knows what he’s getting into. He’s planted a church in this nation already. The cost to follow Jesus in this nation is high. A good week is when no one in the church has been beaten.

These brothers and sisters are experiencing a “hard struggle with sufferings” (Hebrews 10:32). There are beatings, property plundering, heresies, divisions, and immorality. Most church troubles we read about in the Epistles, they have it.

Listening to this missionary left most of us American Christians wondering if we’d be able to hack it. And that’s unnerving.

The New Testament teaches us that whether or not our treasure is really in heaven is most clearly seen when it costs us our earthly treasures in order to obtain it. But American Christians live in the most prosperous nation in world history and the one in which it costs the least to be a Christian.

This environment can be deadly to faith. It allows false faith to masquerade as real very easily. And its power to dissipate zeal and energy and mission-focus and willingness to risk is extraordinary because it doesn’t come to us with a whip and a threat. It comes to us with a pillow and a promise of comfort for us and our children. The former makes us desperate for God. The latter robs our sense of desperation.

And it’s the lack of a sense of desperation for God that is so deadly. If we don’t feel desperate for God, we don’t tend to cry out to him. Love for this present world sets in subtly, like a spiritual leprosy, damaging spiritual nerve endings so that we don’t feel the erosion and decay happening until it’s too late.

So we must fast and pray for and support the suffering church in the diseases that can set in from harsh adversity. But we must also fast and pray for God to deliver us from the diseases that set in from prosperity. We need him. We can discipline ourselves in various ways. But we cannot manufacture our own desperation. Only God can make us desperate for him.

So God, whatever it takes, increase our awareness of our dependence on you in everything! Keep us desperate for you so that the deceitfulness of sin does not harden our hearts (Hebrews 3:13). In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reunion, Resurrection, and Revival

2010-02-24T20:37:00.005-06:00

"Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!" - Psalm 80:18b-19

Abundant Life Baptist Church was recently reunited with pastor Joey Paul, who had been on a much needed sabbatical for the past few months. This past Sunday he preached his first post-sabbatical sermon, dealing with the urgent need of personal and corporate revival. The Holy Spirit was noticeably working as he preached. I later told him, "you preached like a man alive from the dead." Let me know if you agree.

I Might've Split the Church

2010-01-25T19:35:00.006-06:00

"So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy." -Romans 9:16

If you don't know me, you can't fully appreciate the irony of the situation. Not only did I previously disagree with the "Calvinist" (for lack of a better term) view of biblical election/predestination, but for several years, I hated it. I thought it was disgusting, terrible, and utterly beneath the dignity of the biblical God.

Seven and a half years later, I finally waved the white flag of surrender before an army of indomitable passages of Scripture. My philosophical arguments had held their ground longer than those of most people I knew. But as verse after verse relentlessly stormed the beach of my small but fortified view of God, I was eventually undone. God was fully sovereign over the salvation of men's souls. And this He says is His right, His glory, and the sturdiest foundation of my rejoicing in Him.

It was really weird.

Fast forward two years, and I'm actually in a pulpit, open Bible in hand, preaching a sermon entitled Rejoicing in Election: the third sermon in a series through 1 Thessalonians. One of the best and most difficult things about expository (verse-by-verse) preaching is that it forces you to deal with texts that are really hard and really controversial. So I preached the text.

And the next week (yesterday,) not surprisingly, about half as many people showed up. Of course, it's a smaller church, one family was traveling, and it was raining pretty hard that morning. So I'm not jumping to any conclusions yet. God's Word will not return to Him void. But sometimes that means God's Word dwindles the crowd from 5,000 to 11, as in John 6. We'll see what happens here.

***Update*** I did not, in fact, split the church. It was quite humbling, though, to stand before a congregation half the size of the previous week's, when I had preached on election. They came back. :)

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

2010-01-22T14:43:00.003-06:00

Wow, I didn't know blogs could collect cobwebs...

So I'm still around. I recently purchased a laptop, and have been making use of wi-fi hotspots where I can find them. I keep meaning to blog, but time has been scarce lately. This one will be short, as I'm just getting my feet wet again in the blogosphere, (and since my laptop battery has about 25% power remaining).

Through unexpected providence I've found myself supply preaching on a weekly basis at Abundant Life Baptist Church for the past few months. It's been really awesome getting to know the people there and growing with them through the Word. Here are a couple of recent sermons:

Good For Nothing Christians
The Light of the World for the Glory of God

We've just started a series through the book of 1 Thessalonians entitled, "Appointed to Salvation and Affliction." I'm getting that title directly from two passages in that letter: "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ..." (5:9) and "...no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this." (3:3) Does it seem counter-intuitive to anyone else that God would set his people apart for persecution and suffering? More to come on this.

I pray the sermons are helpful in directing our hearts toward the truth and beauty of Christ. To Him alone be the glory.

Hiatus

2009-08-06T15:27:00.003-05:00

Well, my limited access to the internet has proven to be more... limiting... than I expected. While I now have internet access on my phone, its functionality is still (you guessed it,) limited, so blogging remains a challenge. I appreciate the Christ-like patience my throngs of faithful readers are exhibiting by not flooding ye olde blog with comments begging for more posts. [I'm sure you're out there... You're just all so much more meek and content than most throngs of faithful readers. That's just one more reason why you're the best throngs of faithful readers a guy can ask for.] So persevere in your patience. If the Lord wills, it will be rewarded in due time.

Blessing & Cursing At The Cross of Christ

2009-07-07T10:15:00.004-05:00

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." -Galatians 6:14

As promised, here is a tremendously soul-stirring sermon by Bro. Paul Washer on the cross of Jesus Christ, delivered at New Life Baptist Church on May 17, 2009. Oh the glories of the cross! May we all be broken and healed by a biblical vision of the cross of Christ! Christ our crucified Lord is risen, and in Him, we His people are alive to God!

No time to elaborate now. More soon, if the Lord wills. Enjoy this sermon!!!

Are We Making Jesus Sick?

2009-06-29T08:31:00.004-05:00

"So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked... As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." -Revelation 3:16-17, 19

Ok, so I know I've posted a lot of sermons lately, and I promise to actually write something as soon as I can, but I can't pass up sharing this one, delivered yesterday by Eric Swinney, an elder of New Life Baptist Church. Also, here's an old blog entry on the same text.

More actual blogging coming soon, if the Lord wills.

Knowing & Loving God; & Be Biblically Emotional!

2009-06-24T13:56:00.009-05:00

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." -John 17:3

"We love Him because He first loved us." -1 John 4:19

I thought I had already posted a link here to a sermon that God allowed me to preach this past January. I was going to re-post it, (something which I don't think I've ever done,) because I need to hear it again. Maybe that was a prompting of the Holy Spirit, because when I went back to find the blog post, I found that I never posted it. I pray it may be used by God to compel us toward a deeper personal knowledge and love of Him, and to hunger for the fiercely intense emotions which God commands of us in the Bible.

[The first bit of audio was cut off from this recording. All that is missed is the reading of John 17:3 (above) as the initial text of several in this topical sermon, and a very brief introduction.]

Staggering Joy

2009-06-24T11:42:00.004-05:00

This morning I listened to a sermon by Sam Storms preached at the 2003 Desiring God Conference... I've been absolutely stunned. I think I may listen to it weekly, or as close to weekly as possible, at least for a time. It's called, "Joy's Eternal Increase: Edwards on the Beauty of Heaven." I cannot recommend it highly enough. Though much of it emphasizes truth which I've already believed, it's also brought several aspects of heavenly reality to my attention which I have never before considered, and which I believe will increase my capacity for joy in God and for progress in Christ-likeness both in this life and the next. May God be pleased to revolutionize your life along with mine through this powerful message.

Slow Going

2009-06-22T11:52:00.003-05:00

I regret that I haven't been updating ye olde blog very frequently. But that's mostly because, for primarily financial reasons, I've opted not to have internet at my house. Consequently, opportunities to really sit and blog have naturally become sparse. I'm also still settling in at my new house-sitting gig, so most of my spare time is being spent there.

But I'm not giving up. With the relocation comes a new set of responsibilities and thus a necessary restructuring of my schedule. When that gets established, I have a couple of ideas about how to work around the no-internet thing, (unless some charitable reader feels compelled to donate the money for that! Hahaha... Ok fine, I'm just kidding. ...Unless you want to.) :-D

More soon. Don't touch that dial.

Sex and the Supremacy of Christ

2009-06-11T10:46:00.003-05:00

These are the opening and closing sermons delivered by John Piper at the 2004 Desiring God Conference, Sex and the Supremacy of Christ. Both are absolutely tremendous. The second one contains the most glorious, passionate, soul-stirring exaltation of the infinite supremacy of Jesus Christ that I have ever heard. Why did God bother to create us as sexual beings? What does the Bible say about sexuality beyond the obvious behavioral prohibitions? How does personal knowledge of Jesus affect God-given sexuality, and visa versa? I encourage you to listen and reflect prayerfully.

Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, part 1
Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, part 2

A wealth of resources from the 2004 conference is available online here.

I Need You

2009-06-09T11:30:00.004-05:00

Coming soon: a multi-part blog that will prove very emotionally challenging, both to write and to read. Until then, here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs: "I Need You" by The Swift. May your heart be stirred to cry out to God, whether today it be in joy, sorrow, longing for God, or all of these.

"My heart is restless in me
My wings are all worn out
I'm walking in the wilderness
And I cannot get out
I need You, Oh, I need You
Blessed Savior come
I need You, Oh, I need You
Fill the every longing of my soul

Oh, how I need You, Lord
I need Your perfect Word
With tearful eyes to see
The sin that I afford
I need to weep and pray
For all the thousand ways
That I have failed You just today

My bed is soaked with sadness
My sadness has no end
A downward spiral of despair
That I keep falling in
I need You, Oh, I need You
To You my soul shall fly
I need You, Oh, I need You
Yaweh, how I love You more than life

Oh, how I need You, Lord
I need Your perfect Word
With tearful eyes to see
The sin that I afford
I need to weep and pray
For all the thousand ways
That I have failed You just today

Your silence is like death to me
So won't You hear my desperate plea

Today my soul is soaring
Way over mountains high
Though I can see the valleys
They're all just passing by
It's not that I am stronger
Look at my feeble wings
But I've been lifted higher
Yaweh's lifted me in His own strength

Oh, how I love You, Lord
I love Your perfect Word
With tearful eyes to see
The God who always will endure
Now I will celebrate
For all the thousand ways
That You have shown me grace
And made my heart in grace to stay
You've made my heart in grace to stay
Lord, make my heart in grace to stay

I need You, Oh, I need You"

Preaching Sabbatical

2009-06-01T18:12:00.005-05:00

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15

So I'm taking a break from preaching through Colossians on Wednesday nights, possibly for the duration of the summer. I've preached through Colossians before at another church, and was ready to do so again in much the same way, but I've hit a snag. As I recently read Charles Leiter's new book, Justification and Regeneration, (foreword by Paul Washer,) my understanding of some key themes relating to regeneration and sanctification were challenged.

It's hard to summarize my new questions in a brief blog post, but they have to do with the Christian's "death to sin" (Rom. 6:11) and "freedom from sin" (Rom. 6:18, 22); the "old man" and "new man" (Col. 3:9-10; Eph. 4:20-24); the "basic principles [or "elements"] of the world" to which the Christian has died (Gal. 4:3, 9; Col. 2:8, 20); the nature of the famous "wretched man that I am!" passage (Rom. 7:14-25); and "sin that dwells in me." (Rom. 7:17, 20)

I already had what I considered to be a biblically consistent, though basic understading of these things. Yet Leiter argues a different perspective which is by no means new or unorthodox within conservative evangelicalism, and which, if accurate, would reshape my thinking of the nature of sanctification--not dramatically, but enough to make me pause.

So I'm pausing. I dare not stand before the assembly of God's saints with open Bible in hand and declare "thus says the Lord," without first diligently studying His Word and seeking the guidance of His Spirit until I am convinced that He has indeed "spoken thus." God created all things by His Word. He preserves the heavens and the earth by His Word. (2 Peter 3:7) At His return, Jesus will slaughter His enemies by the Word of His mouth. (Rev. 19:21) "The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword." (Heb. 4:12) I'm terrified of misrepresenting that Word.

In addition to studying the passages listed above and others, I've already begun reading Indwelling Sin by John Owen, (the third but most foundational of his three classic works on Overcoming Sin and Temptation) and Finally Alive by John Piper. I hope to read all of Owen's trilogy and maybe re-read The Complete Green Letters by Miles Stanford. Let me know if you'd recommend other good books on regeneration, sanctification, and the Christian's union with Christ.

Please pray for me as I seek to grow in the knowledge of God and to faithfully exhort God's people toward biblical sanctification. Soli Deo Gloria.

Radical Christianity Q&A

2009-05-29T11:08:00.009-05:00

Last week I posted eight sermons by David Platt which I dared you to listen to. Yesterday when I finished listening to them myself, I begged you to listen. I'm still begging, daring, urging professing Christians in affluent America to listen and seriously consider Jesus's teachings about money, urgency, the lost, and the poor. These sermons raise a lot of questions about practical daily living, which Bro. David was sensitive to address in two open-mic Q&A sessions.

How do these commands relate to legalism and Christian liberty?
What should a young person do when their parents forbid them to pursue the potentially dangerous call of God to international missions?
How does a middle school, high school, or college student live out the urgent call of radical abandonment to God?
How do we think biblically about college in light of these things?
How do we understand our responsibility to our young children alongside our responsibility to the nations?
Isn't this teaching a works-based salvation? Is that the same thing as "Lordship salvation"?

Much more is addressed, and you may not agree with every answer given (as I don't), but I trust these Q&A sessions will help you deal seriously and practically with the radical demands of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on your life. Please listen to the sermons first!!! It's critical that we don't bypass the biblical principles and skip straight to the practical applications, though that is the tendency we all have. We don't need an upgraded list of do's and dont's to legalistically obey! We need radically changed hearts toward God and toward all people, from which will freely flow actively obedient love.

So if you've already listened to the sermons, I submit for your further edification, these Q&A sessions from the Church of Brook Hills website.

Q&A Session 1, October 15, 2008: Audio
Q&A Session 1, October 15, 2008: Video

Q&A Session 2, October 26, 2008: Audio
Q&A Session 2, October 26, 2008: Video

I Can't Urge You Strongly Enough...

2009-05-28T15:45:00.003-05:00

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. - James 1:27

Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard. - Proverbs 21:13

Last Friday I dared you, my readers, to listen to these sermons by David Platt. I posted links to all eight sermons, though at the time I'd only heard the first two and part of the third. Yesterday I finished listening to all of them, and I've changed my mind. I'm no longer daring you to listen to them.

Now I'm begging you.

I've never heard a sermon series like this before in my life. And though Bro. David entitled the series "Radical," (because their message truly is radical to our society,) yet in a greater sense, they're not radical... they're simply biblical.

Please. I'm really begging you. I don't remember the last time I've begged anyone for anything but to repent and believe the Gospel. (And in a way, that's what I'm begging for now.) Please please please. We need to hear this. The Church should never be afraid of hearing what God's Word actually says, because we know that by obeying God we draw closer to Him in fellowship, are more conformed to the image of His Son, and store up greater treasures in heaven. Christian sacrifice is not sacrifice at all. It's all gain. You have nothing to lose.

I've been encouraging everyone I talk to listen to this. When you've listened to some or all of it (though I encourage you to listen to each sermon, because questions and/or objections you may raise in response to some of the earlier sermons are answered in later ones,) I'd love to hear from you. Your comments are most welcome. May God be glorified in ways we never imagined.

In The Way He Should Go

2009-05-26T07:57:00.010-05:00

"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." - Deuteronomy 6:6-7

This weekend I went out of town to visit some friends, including my dear brother in Christ, Zach Snow. Zach and his wife Jessica have three children: a four-year-old boy, a two-year-old girl, and a baby girl. As part of their regular family worship times around the reading of the Word of God, they're also teaching their two oldest children the "Catechism for Young Children: An Introduction to the Shorter Catechism." Yes, that one. Yes, it's 145 questions long. And yes, they plan to follow it up by teaching them The Westminster Shorter Catechism.

And lest you think that's an unrealistic goal of young, idealistic parents, their four-year-old son gladly and correctly answered each of the first fifty-six or so questions I asked him. Fifty. Six. Questions. Answered rightly by a four-year-old boy. And these are not the typical modern-day Sunday School questions and answers. For example:

Q. 33. What befell our first parents when they had sinned?
A. Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable.

Q. 34. Did Adam act for himself alone in the covenant of works?
A. No; he represented all his posterity.

Q. 35. What effect had the sin of Adam on all mankind?
A. All mankind are born in a state of sin and misery.

Q. 45. What did Christ undertake in the covenant of grace?
A. To keep the whole law for his people, and to suffer the punishment due to their sins.

Q. 48. What is meant by the Atonement?
A. Christ's satisfying divine justice, by his sufferings and death, in the place of sinners.

Oh, and their two-year-old daughter can answer the first 20 or so questions. Yeah.

Zach has planned ahead and changed questions 129 and 130 as follows:

Q. 129. Who are to be baptized?
A. Believers. [not "Believers and their children"]

Q. 130. Should infants be baptized? [not "why should infants be baptized?"]
A. No, because they have not repented of their sins. [Rather than, "Because they have a sinful nature and need a Savior."]

These corrections actually make the catechism more consistent with itself (and Scripture!), as question 127 asks, "What does this [water baptism] signify?" and answers, "That we are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ."

Do the children understand the words they're reciting? Not yet. And mere recitation of facts is not evidence of biblical conversion, though you wouldn't learn that from most modern pulpits. Yet these faithful parents are carefully laying a massively solid foundation of truth in the young minds of their children, that God may, in His time and by His sovereign grace, move through that biblical truth and regenerate their souls. I praise God for their faithful refusal to lead their children through an empty "sinner's prayer," but are teaching them to desire and seek biblical salvation, marked by true repentance of sin and faith in Christ through the cross.

To paraphrase my brother Zach, "Why are we [Christians] John Piper to the world and Joel Osteen to our children?" Your children are capable of much more than you may think. Are you being diligent to teach them?

The Radical Demands of the Gospel

2009-05-22T10:34:00.007-05:00

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple... So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." -Luke 14:25-27, 33

I DARE you to listen to this sermon by David Platt, pastor of the Church of Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. I don't say that to be cute or catchy. I dare you to listen because I know how easy it is to not click on a link and listen to a sermon, especially when you see a passage like the one quoted above associated with it. I dare you because I know that our sinful flesh recoils at the thought of self-denial, earthly sacrifice, dangerous risk, and complete abandonment to God. I dare you because the absolutely necessary prerequisites of salvation which Jesus commands are all but totally ignored in American Christendom, yet YOUR ETERNAL SOUL will experience either eternal joy in God's presence or eternal torment under God's wrath, depending on whether or not you accept Jesus on His terms!

Jesus is worthy of reckless abandonment to Him! God is supremely satisfying to those who have left all for the treasure of Him! We dare not settle for risk-less, heartless, safe, empty Christianity! If we do, we will miss out on Jesus!

If you can stomach the first sermon, What the Gospel Demands, here's the rest of the series. (I'm listening to the third sermon now.)
2: The Gospel Demands Radical Sacrifice
3: The Gospel Demands Radical Compassion
4: The Gospel Demands Radical Urgency
5: The Gospel Demands Radical Giving
6: The Gospel Demands Radical Abandonment (Part 1)
7: The Gospel Demands Radical Abandonment (Part 2)
8: The Gospel Demands Radical Abandonment (Part 3)

Update: Follow-up blog post here.
Update 2: Another follow-up post here.

You can also download the videos, audios, sermon notes, and small group study guides of these sermons here.

A Prayer Request

2009-05-18T08:14:00.001-05:00

This weekend I had the distinct privilege of hanging out with the staff of Heartcry Missionary Society, including Bro. Paul Washer who also preached at my church, (rather, the Lord's church, of which I am a member - New Life Baptist in Harvest, Alabama.) This was a great time of fellowship and encouragement for me, just discussing missions, preaching, the Word of God, and what God is doing in our lives. It's my understanding that the staff is travelling today to a location which may become the home of their new church plant and the new Heartcry base of operations. I invite any Christian brothers and sisters who will to pray with me that God would give them clear direction, abundant provision, and wide open doors for ministry.

Also, Bro. Paul's message Sunday morning on the cross of Christ was absolutely tremendous. I plan to post it here as soon as it's available.

Cling to Christ for Sanctification

2009-05-15T10:14:00.000-05:00

"...In [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge... For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him..." -Colossians 2:3, 9-10

As I stepped down from the pulpit this past Wednesday after preaching the sixth sermon of a series through the book of Colossians entitled "Christ Our Sanctification," I was met by a dear sister in Christ who wanted to speak to me. Her eyes filled with tears as she shared with me that the teaching she'd received about sanctification for most of her Christian life has been works-based, man-centered externalism. She was not taught to rest by faith in Christ unto sanctification, although that is how she was taught to receive Him for salvation.

"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." -Colossians 2:6-7

She was deeply moved with both sorrow and joy as we talked about abiding in Christ to bear spiritual fruit (John 15:5) and how God produces sanctification in us through faith in the Gospel of His Son. She sorrowed that she hadn't seen the Gospel as full provision for her sanctification sooner. She rejoiced because God was setting her free to truly find continued rest in Christ.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." -Matthew 11:28-30

I pray that this biblical truth will prove liberating for many more Christians, as it certainly has for me.

"No, Mr. President" - Piper to Obama on Abortion

2009-05-14T13:40:00.000-05:00

Suffering and Gospel Sanctification

2009-05-14T08:32:00.000-05:00

"I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church..." - Colossians 1:24 (see also 2:1-3)

In this fifth sermon* in the ongoing series through Colossians, "Christ Our Sanctification," we see something about the role of joyful Christian suffering for the Gospel that is both obvious and yet almost shocking. The Holy Spirit through Paul says that the joyful suffering of one Christian for the Gospel is a catalyst both for the salvation of the lost and for the sanctification of other Christians. Are you making use of this great benefit which God has given you in the sufferings of His saints from the first century until now? Have you considered how God would have you glorify Him in your sufferings, both to bring in the lost and to edify the saints?

God certainly uses our sufferings for our own spiritual benefit, so to avoid suffering for the Gospel is to cause one's self spiritual harm. But if God also uses our sufferings for the Gospel for the spiritual benefit of others, then to avoid that suffering is unloving.

"I'm trading comfort for human life, and that's not just murder, it's suicide." - Derek Webb

*I'm deeply indebted to Pastor John Piper, whose clear exposition of Colossians 1:24 in his book "Desiring God" has proven invaluable to me. Much of the content of this sermon I learned from him in that book.

Worshipping or Parroting?

2009-05-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." -John 4:23

Just a quick thought for the day, a quote from last week's sermon: "God is seeking worshipers in spirit and in truth, not parrots of sound theology in word and in hypocrisy."

Sound doctrine is essential to worship, but you can be orthodox without truly worshipping God. Are you enamored with the beauty of Christ today? Are you rejoicing in the glory of your Creator and Redeemer? Are you truly worshipping Him, or are you content merely to believe true things about Him?

Faith, Hope, Love, and Martyrdom

2009-05-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13:13

"And they overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." -Revelation 12:11

A few weeks ago I was thinking about faith, hope, and love. All three are mentioned in Colossians 1:4-5, which got me thinking about 1 Cor. 13:13 and why it is that Paul says that love is greater than faith and hope. We as Christians are saved by faith and we live by faith; we'll be saved if we're not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which we heard (Col. 1:23); and we glorify God and fulfill the whole Law by loving God and loving our neighbor as our self. How can you rank these three things, Paul?

Then it occurred to me that One Day our faith will become sight and our hope will become experience, but love will only increase for eternity. (I can't imagine that our love for God will remain static while we spend an eternity learning more of His breathtaking beauty and seeing more of the glories of the Gospel of Jesus by which we were saved.) That was a few weeks ago. Fast forward to last night.

Actually, rewind to 1557 in Colchester, England. That's the setting of one short account of Christian martyrdom among several I read last night in Foxe's Book of Martyrs. I love these people. So many of them died singing hymns of praise to Jesus, or preaching the Gospel to the crowd who gathered to watch the "heretic" burn, or praying joyfully to God while lifting fiery hands toward heaven, asking Him to save their murderers. Many kissed the stake at which they would soon burn, and were overwhelmed with joy, speaking of their impending deaths as their "marriage" to Christ.

Enter Elizabeth Folkes, one of six Protestant "heretics" who that day demonstrated the earth-shattering power of the Gospel of the infinitely satisfying Christ--by fire. This is how He glorified Himself in her joyful, horrible, beautiful death:

"But the wicked there attending would not suffer her to give [her petticoat to her mother, who had come and kissed her at the stake, and exhorted her to be strong in the Lord]. Therefore, taking the said petticoat in her hand, she threw it away from her, saying 'Farewell, all the world! farewell Faith! farewell Hope!' and so taking the stake in her arms, said, 'Welcome love!'

"...When all the six were also nailed likewise at their stakes, and the fire about them, they clapped their hands for joy in the fire, that the standers-by, which were, by estimation, thousands, cried 'The Lord strengthen them; the Lord comfort them; the Lord pour His mercies upon them;' with such words, as was wonderful to hear."

Unshakable Faith in the crucified and risen Messiah. Unquenchable Hope in the glories to come. Unashamed Love for Jesus that defies any earthly explanation. This is the power of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"...In nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." -Philippians 1:20-21

The Ministry of the Mystery of God

2009-05-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

I've been preaching a series of sermons through Colossians entitled, "Christ Our Sanctification." The fourth sermon, "The Ministry of the Mystery of God," is now online (Col. 1:24-29). Are you seeking daily to express your love for Christ by ministering His Gospel to both the lost and the saved where He has you?

The Gospel is for Sanctification

2009-04-30T11:21:00.000-05:00

"...that in all things [Christ] may have the preeminence."
-Colossians 1:18

I currently have the privilege of preaching weekly at my church through the book of Colossians, the theme of which, in my opinion, is "Christ Our Sanctification" (see 1 Cor. 1:30). In the third sermon, preached April 22, I sought to answer the question, "How does the Gospel produce sanctification?" (The audio starts a minute or so into the introduction, but nothing critical is lost.) Thus far in the series I've gotten the most positive feedback from this sermon, and from the one peached yesterday, which I'll post here when it's uploaded. But if you'd like the first two for context, I pray they would also be helpful in stirring your heart to love the God of the Gospel of Christ:

The first sermon was introductory (v.1-8), dealing primarily with the hope of the Gospel. Do you think enough attention is given in pulpits today to the Christian hope and its role in Christian living?

In the second sermon I sought to cover a lot of ground (v. 9-20), to get an overview of the connections Paul makes between the Gospel, the Person of Christ, and Christian sanctification. This is the foundation for the third sermon, (v. 9-14, 21-23).

More to come soon, if the Lord wills. May God bless the preaching of His Word, unto the sanctification of His Church, for the glory of His Name.

Here is the Cross

2009-04-29T15:00:00.000-05:00

These lyrics are from an old song by Keith Green, "O Pilgrim Come." I wish more contemporary "Christian" music had solid, doctrinally rich lyrics like these. O, may we see the glory of God in the cross of Christ!

O pilgrim come, here is the cross
Your pardon and your peace
Collapse upon the grace of God
Whose mercy is complete
O pilgrim come, here is the cross

O pilgrim come, here is the cross
Cast all your pride away
And earthly treasures count as loss
In light of all you gain
O pilgrim come, here is the cross

Here is mercy
Come be crucified with Christ
Here is mercy
Come be raised with Him to life

O pilgrim come, here is the cross
God's judgment on your sin
Drink deep the shame that leads to life
And broken enter in
O pilgrim come, here is the cross

O pilgrim come, here is the cross
And here your boast should be
What I could never do myself
My God has done for me
O pilgrim come, here is the cross

O pilgrim come, here is the cross
No other path attend
O here begin your journeying
And here your journey end
O pilgrim come, here is the cross

Breaking the Silence

2009-04-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

So I haven't blogged in a year and a half, and this is a bad thing. I've recently been encouraged, (through another blog) to develop the discipline of blogging consistently, even if some or most entries aren't sermonic in nature. I think this will be a beneficial exercise, if only for me. : ) So hold on tight, don't look down, and keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times. Here we go...

I recently listened to what is probably my favorite Piper sermon ever. Ev-Er. That's a HUGE deal. Maybe it's because it's the most recent Piper sermon I've listened to, and because I haven't listened to Piper in a while-- but I doubt it. That link should take you to a page on the Gospel Coalition website where you can choose the audio or video file. I don't know why, but I prefer to listen to Piper, rather than watch Piper. Maybe it's because I listened to him for so long and had no clue what he looked like, so when I saw him preach the first time, he looks nothing to me like the way he sounds. (There's probably something significant in that about the nature of media, the human imagination, or the power of the message preached as superior to the appearance of the one through whom it is preached. If you want to take a stab at analyzing that, feel free to comment.)

More soon... You've been warned.

Remembering What To Forget

2007-12-09T22:39:00.000-06:00

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 2:13b-14, ESV)

I've heard many preachers use this passage to teach that Christians need to forget about their past sins, (which they usually politely call "mistakes" or "failures") in order to develop a "healthier, more victorious" self-esteem. "Just forget about it," they say. "You're not that person anymore. You're better than that!" Instead of lifting up the sufficiency of Christ's sinless life, atoning death, victorious resurrection and exalted intercession for us, these preachers lift up the supposed inherent goodness of the believer for themselves.

Now, I agree that we shouldn't be morbidly consumed by guilt, since Christ has freely and thoroughly forgiven us. However, I find several problems with the positive-self-image movement that disregards and suppresses the memory of past sin.

First, this interpretation is inconsistent with Paul's own practice as recorded in Scripture. Paul saw himself honestly and humbly in light of his past sins, of which he did not hesitate to remind his readers:

"For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. " (1 Cor. 15:9)

Note how this sober memory of the past, coupled with a deep knowledge of the continued presence of his sinful nature, led Paul to describe himself --in words inspired by the Holy Spirit:

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." (1 Tim. 1:15)

"To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given..." (Eph. 3:8)

"...though I am nothing." (2 Cor. 12:11)

"Wretched man that I am!" (Romans 7:24)

It's more than a bit of a stretch to say that the author of these texts wrote Philippians 2:13-14 in order that Christians would deny the reality and seriousness of their past sins.

Further, this interpretation fosters self-reliance and self-righteousness instead of biblical humility and dependance upon Christ. Rather than cry out "God be merciful to me, a sinner," the new attitude of prayer becomes "God, I thank you that I am not like other men." (Luke 18:9-14) Instead of esteeming others more highly than ourselves, we insist that others esteem us as highly as we do! Having no need to pray for spiritual strength, we fill our small prayers with presumptuous requests for more physical blessings, because we think we deserve them! God is undoubtedly displeased with such un-Christlike character.

Finally, this is clearly not what the passage teaches in context. Paul has just listed his greatest personal assets, the reasons that he could be most exalted in his own eyes and in the eyes of others. But because these things draw attention to himself and promote self-righteousness, and are therefore hindrances to him knowing Christ fully, he considers them as the foulest of garbage! His greatest personal assets are now his greatest liabilities! "You want me to brag about my old, external law-keeping? Never! I have absolutely no righteousness but Christ, who is gloriously perfect for me! You think I was zealous? My fleshly zeal may have put others to shame, but now it shames me most! By my zeal I sought the death of the saints, but by Christ's zealous love He sought to make me a saint by His own death!"

So in our text, Paul wasn't choosing to forget an old, negative self-image; He was choosing to forget about himself in order to pursue Christ! Rather than a "think better of yourself" message, he's preaching a "think less of yourself and more of Christ" message. To forget about who we naturally are and what we are still capable of is foolish and idolatrously arrogant, and it belittles God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is glorious not because it makes us feel good about ourselves in ourselves, but precisely because we look our wretchedness square in the face, call it what it is, and then see that the Lord of glory lovingly took on flesh, weakness, torture, death, and the very wrath of God, to make us as perfectly acceptable to the Father as He is.

If we keep looking to the risen Lord revealed in Scripture, the more deeply we feel the despicableness of our sin, the more fully we will rejoice in the glorious liberty of Christ! Our imaginary greatness stands in opposition to the true greatness of Christ for us. We cannot cling to both. (Matt. 16:25)

Meditations From the Valley

2007-11-10T21:54:00.002-06:00

[This will probably make little to no sense for those who haven't yet lived it.]

I know of nothing more troubling for a Christian than to experience an extended season of spiritual apathy. Many of the great saints of old referred to this proverbial valley as "the long, dark night of the soul"-- a dark and dry season through which every true saint will probably journey. In light of Scripture's strong warnings for those who falsely think themselves saved and yet bear bad fruit, it's truly frightening to realize that, perhaps for some time, you've become more comfortable with sin, less attracted to the Word, and generally less interested in knowing and obeying God. During this time, God and spiritual realities feel quite distant; while you agree intellectually with Scripture, it stirs you up very little, if at all. Paradoxically, the most frightening thing is how little you're frightened by this condition. What's most troubling is how little you're troubled.

This apathy is certainly good cause to "make your calling and election sure," (2 Peter 1:10), because it is characteristic of many false converts who previously responded dramatically to the gospel, (Mark 4:16-19). Yet what seasoned Christian has never known unprecedented times of spiritual drought? Luther did. Bunyan did. The Puritans wrote extensively about such times in what has famously become, "The Valley of Vision: a Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions," (highly recommended by... well, pretty much anybody worth listening to.) It seems that God providentially ordains that most or all of His children will face the Long, Dark Night.

But can a loving Father really allow his children such pain, or even depression? He can, and He does. Foundational to surviving in and growing through the Valley is a firm confidence in the character and promise of God revealed in Scripture. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:28-29) Before the earth was formed, God ordained that all things should happen to produce the highest good for His elect people: Christ-likeness for Christ's glory. Despite our feelings, the darkest valley in a believer's life is the merciful blessing of a gracious God. Because God is sovereign, good, and faithful, we can have peace in the valley while we wait on the Lord to lead us through it.

Among the innumerable blessings God brings through the valley is a deepened assurance of salvation, once the believer has been driven to test himself to see if he is in the faith, (but that's a whole other blog.) Eventually, God grants the believer a diminished reliance upon self, a greater dissatisfaction with the present world, and ultimately a fresh vision of the glory of Christ and the power of His cross. Due to the weakness of our flesh and the pervasiveness of indwelling sin, we would never learn these truths so fully were we not lovingly led into the valley. But though the cross which leads to life is invariably painful, thereby is God's strength made perfect through weakness, and God's glory made to shine in the darkness.

"He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,thick clouds dark with water... For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness." -Psalm 18:11-28

Matters of Life and Death

2007-06-10T17:59:00.000-05:00

Why are we content to pour our very lives into those things which will perish along with this world? If all that is eternal is the biblical God, His Word, and the souls of men, I dare not live and die for anything else. While that may be easy to say, I am forced to remember that this short life is made up of individual moments, which are squandered far more easily than not. Even today, what moments of your day had any eternal value? Have you spent any time seeking to know, love, worship, and serve God? Have you spent any time reading, studying, meditating upon, memorizing, and obeying God's Holy Word? Have you personally sought to be used by God to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost, or to encourage, rebuke, exhort, or comfort the saved? Even if you made someone's day, made someone feel happy, or showed someone you cared, have you in any way pointed them to the resurrected Christ as the only Way of salvation from sin and the holy wrath of the Most High God? The Gospel of Jesus is indeed Good News, but "how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" Have you wasted all your spare moments on yourself, or have you set yourself aside at all for the glory of God and the benefit of others?

Tozer on Pastoral Hypocrisy

2007-03-01T20:34:00.000-06:00

My thanks to Christian Research Network for their posting of this short but invaluable quote from A. W. Tozer.

what fools we've been

2007-02-20T21:38:00.000-06:00

"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." -Romans 8:29

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent." -Revelation 2:5

So often our minds seek to be occupied, but not to be occupied with God.
So often our senses yearn for beauty, but not the beauty of God.
So often our lips pursue expression, but not to express God.
So often our ideals extol virtues, but not the virtues of God.
So often our hearts long to love, but not to love God.
So often our souls desire joy, peace, and wonder as autonomous, godless trifles!

What wretched blasphemy, that the infinitely glorious God of eternity should be overlooked and scorned by His own creatures! What damnable idolatry, that we should prefer to thanklessly revel in God's providence, rather than to love the Lord our God with all our heats, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength! What repugnant hypocrisy, that man should write poem, novel, and song to praise life, love, heroism, justice, mercy, and sacrifice, while disdaining the One who is Himself the source and substance of all virtue!

But oh, what unthinkable grace, that the righteous Judge of all men should sacrifice His beloved Son, to redeem His bitter enemies, and make them heavenly sons, gloriously fit to adore, enjoy, and worship as Lord their resurrected older Brother! Oh, what fools we've been!

The Power of God

2007-02-18T11:51:00.000-06:00

"The only power God recognizes in His church is the power of His Spirit, whereas the only power actually recognized today by the majority of evangelicals is the power of man. God does His work by the operation of the Spirit, while Christian leaders attempt to do theirs by the power of trained and devoted intellect. Bright personality has taken the place of the divine afflatus [a divine imparting of knowledge or power]." -A. W. Tozer

How much truer these words are today than decades ago when they were first penned! Oh that God would rend the heavens and come down, bringing true brokenness, repentance, and revival, turning the hearts of His people away from their own worthless ingenuity and back to His own glorious Spirit!

Discernment: Part 3

2007-02-12T22:01:00.000-06:00

Reasonable, Essential Discernment

It is not unreasonable that public acts should merit a public response. When I write something on the internet, I am making my statements public property—I am going on public record as saying, “this is who I am and this is what I want to say.” Therefore it is fitting, if I am teaching what is false, for someone to publicly denounce my teachings. If it is fitting for someone to publicly agree with me when I publicly say what is right, the opposite must also be true. This applies not only to blogs and emails, but also to books, sermons, speeches, and all other public forums. God’s commands regarding church discipline are reasonable and good. By forsaking His commands for discernment and mutual accountability, we have abandoned the Church to the oversight of a condemned World.

While discussing the worldliness of modern Christianity, a friend recently asked me, "So where does the church need to go from here?" I replied, "Repentance, Revival, and Reformation. Above all else, we need to pray unceasingly that God would give us hearts to return fully to Him and to His Word. We must count as absolute poison to the Church every man-made, man-centered innovation by which the majority of American churches are built today." Semper Reformanda! (The Church should be "Always Reforming!")

O, Lord, let us delight in Your holy Truth and abhor that which is evil and false, especially when it is found in ourselves! Rebuke us and revive us, for the sake of Your great Name!

Discernment: Part 2

2007-02-12T21:51:00.000-06:00

The Absurdity of Denouncing Discernment

Almost every time I have seen a discerning Christian draw public attention to the (publicly) unbiblical message or methods of a minister or ministry, he or she is quickly met with multiple negative responses. Usually some will protest, saying, “You shouldn’t say that, because Christians shouldn’t publicly judge or criticize other Christians,” seemingly unaware that in so doing, they themselves are publicly criticizing other Christians. Those who criticize Christians for criticizing other Christians would have a hard time justifying their inconsistency. Such criticism reveals that we all truly believe in a supreme standard by which ministries should be measured, and then either publicly praised or rebuked, so that others may be commended to the true and cautioned of the false. The real question is not whether we ought to warn others of false ministries, but by what standard we must do so.

Those who take offense to a public call to biblical discernment often cite Matthew 18:15-20 as grounds for their objections. This passage teaches that you are to go to your brother privately, “if your brother sins against you,” that is, personally. Personal sin between two Christians should be resolved between those two Christians. If the one in sin remains rebellious, other believers must become involved, because the sin has already affected the whole church, whether the other believers were aware of it or not. This is the only place in Scripture where a believer is commanded to go to a sinning brother privately, because the sin was committed privately. In every other passage dealing with church discipline, (including 1 Cor. 5; Romans 16:17-18; 2 Thess. 3:6-15) the command is “deal with the sin.” Public sin demands a public response, because watching Christians must understand the seriousness of sin, and a watching world must know that the Church takes seriously obedience to God’s holy Word. God’s reputation among the lost is at stake in our dealing with public sin, (such as unbiblical evangelism). Jesus called out false teachers publicly. So did Paul. So did John the Baptist. All the heresies of the early church were warded off by faithful Christians who stood for the truth and publicly decried those that promoted error. The chief reason that fleece-robed wolves and ignorant idolators run rampant in the "church" today, is that most orthodox Christians are too afraid to speak out against them. Spineless orthodoxy is a catalyst for bold heresy.

Discernment: Part 1

2007-02-12T21:48:00.000-06:00

The Death of Discernment is the Death of the Church

Many Christian leaders today often adopt unbiblical (that is, anti-biblical) “ministry” methods in the name of “diversity” or “creativity.” These creative ministers often neglect to emphasize vital Gospel truths as Scripture emphasizes them; thereby presenting a warped “gospel” that is easier to accept. Once the Christian’s message is subtly compromised, his methods invariably follow suit, becoming worldly and man-centered. Many (and I mean many) prominent ministries today exist to inoffensively entice worldly men to receive a worldly “gospel” that is devoid of saving, keeping, and sanctifying power. Unquestionably, God is not pleased by our attempts to improve upon His ordained method of “the foolishness of the message preached.” The pride that esteems man’s creativity more highly than God’s Word was condemned long ago at Calvary, along with all other sins.

Tragically, many onlookers don’t recognize the fault in man-centered ministries, either because they are unaware of Scripture’s command for Christian holiness, or because they are unaware of just how drastically opposed holiness and worldliness are. Most such onlookers have grown up in other “creative” ministries and therefore assume them to be normal and biblical. (I sympathize with them because I was once among them!) As a result of our lack of biblical discernment, we usually measure a ministry’s value not by how much it is in line with Scripture (and therefore how much it glorifies God), but how much it produces visible “results.” In so doing, we promote superficial “unity” and worldly Results at the expense of doctrinal integrity. But unity that is not grounded in truth is not biblical unity, and Results gained by unbiblical methods are a blasphemous offense to God. When we seek to honor God by human means, we profess to be wise, yet become fools (Romans 1:22), and have an appearance of godliness, but deny its power (1 Timothy 3:5).

How to Kill Your Church

2006-10-10T00:16:00.000-05:00

I know I know I know I know I know... it's been an unforgivably long amount of time since I've posted. Ah well. Consider it an exercise in forgiveness.

Here's a little sermon preached a few weeks ago. I hope to add posts of actual substance in the comparatively near future.

Seeing Jesus

2006-05-13T21:41:00.000-05:00

"Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2

I do not claim to understand how the glorification will work or what all it will encompass. But Scripture shows that there is something about the future fullness of the revelation of Jesus which will radically change our entire beings to conform our bodies and spirits to be like His. When finally there remains no longer this veil of ambiguity between Him and us; when we fully see Him not as a set of facts but as an absolutely real Person; when the unspeakable glory of the spiritual essence of this divine Man is communicated to us in its infinite totality, we will instantly be purged of the presence of sin into which we were born, as darkness is instantly dispelled by light. And thus our transformation into godliness will be complete. Think of it! From that moment on, everything you think, say, and do will always fully please and glorify God!

The clear implication then is one that John expects us to see, and one which he next teaches (v. 3-10). If the full revelation of the Person of Jesus will effect the whole of our ultimate transformation in the future, then it is the duty, the glory, and the joy of all God's children to see as much of the fullness of Jesus as is possible now, that in so doing we may be changed more into His likeness even this very hour.

This is sanctification-- not the rigorous pursuit of an ever-elusive standard of human morality, not a list of do's and don'ts to which we seek to adhere, though sanctification always results in holy living-- rather, the source of sanctification is the rest in and communion with the divine Man, who by His radiant presence alone makes us holy. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

Oh Christian, pursue Christ! Look unto Him and see there God's unfathomable provision for your holiness, already poured out for you and in you!

"Therefore let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." Hebrews 12:1-2

"Sir, we wish to see Jesus." John 12:21

It's the Little Things

2006-03-11T13:17:00.000-06:00

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34

Before I begin, I should note that some readers may consider this entire concept to be unnecessary at best, and a "useless wrangling" at worst. (1 Timothy 6:5) Be assured that my intent is to cause neither division nor confusion, but rather an honest and Biblical introspection that will prayerfully lead us to choose our words and thoughts about God wisely. Now that my disclaimer is out of the way, we shall see how much confusion I can actually avoid. This post will be very different than most, so please bear with me; there is a point.

More than once I've been accused of being overly analytical. This may well be. Nevertheless, I really question whether some of our church-y catch phrases are as Biblical as we think. On the surface, many of the things we say or hear regularly seem harmless. But I am convinced that just as wrong thinking produces wrong speaking, so also wrong speaking reinforces wrong thinking, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Behind nearly every statement lie several presuppositions, or things we take for granted as true. For example, by simply declaring something to be true one must presuppose that: 1) truth exists, 2) truth can be known, 3) language has meaning, and 4) language can accurately express truth. Certainly no one gives any thought to these assumptions in their conversations, unless you happen to be debating metaphysics and ontology with a postmodern thinker, (which, by the way, is not fun.) We don't give these ideas any conscious thought because they're simple, they're foundational; in a sense they are behind what we are trying to express. Thus, if we can see at least four presuppositions in such a basic statement as, "such and such is true," we must recognize that we are expressing countless others in our daily conversations; and yes, even in our worship.

Yet it is precisely here that many problems arise. We can assume too much, not enough, or the wrong thing(s). Due to this post's lengthy introduction, I will here discuss only two examples commonly used in the local church. (There are many more, I'm sure. Feel free to post one or more as a comment.)

"You are welcome in this place." When addressing God, it is often considered spiritual and humble to "welcome" Him in prayer or song. I understand the sentiment expressed here: we want to experience God in a special way and to make ourselves available to Him as He may work and teach. Yet think about the words we use and what they imply. Guests do not welcome their host; Hosts welcome their guests. The one who welcomes is the one who is, in a sense, in control, for he courteously invites others into his presence. The host's welcome is his to extend or to keep. I am not implying that the church building is the "house of God" and that God is the host--no, the Christian is the temple of God, and thus God is present in Him always, not just at special meetings. What I am saying is that we have such a man-centered view of life and worship that we put ourselves in the driver's seat, thinking we are doing something noble by inviting God to show up. Biblically, we are the ones who have been invited near to God through the Lord Jesus. (Ephesians 2:13) We would be both more humble and more confident in worship if we would maintain this mindset: He is the Lord, One who could have justly denied me access, but in Christ I am always seated at His right hand in the heavenlies. (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1-3)

"He said, where two or three are gathered, there He is in the midst of them. Well, we've gathered, so He must be here." There are many variations of this error. The faulty presupposition here stems from a poor interpretation of Scripture. The verse in question is Matthew 18:20. It is the last verse in a long passage wherein Christ teaches about dealing with sin in yourself and others. (18:6-20) The last section of this passage deals with sin as it relates to the church body. (18:15-20) In verse 20 Jesus is referring to the "two or three witnesses" mentioned in verse 16: a quote from Deuteronomy 19:15 which deals with accusations and justice. All of this in Matthew 18:15-20, then, is a treatment of church discipline, not corporate worship. In effect, this teaches that Christ's authoritative stamp of approval rests on the decisions made by the local fellowship regarding the discipline of its members, if this is done according to His Word. To suggest that Jesus "shows up" only when at least two believers are praying together is to again diminish the doctrine of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and to further drive a wedge between what we perceive as the "sacred" and "secular" parts of our lives. Such a separation is most damaging; all aspects of life should be lived unto the Lord. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

The list goes on: "Be with us now as we leave," "We're going to give you an opportunity to receive Christ," etc. But I will spare you. Let us only resolve to be Biblical thinkers, that by God's grace in Christ Jesus we may truly worship the Lord both in Spirit and in truth.

to Will and to Do

2006-02-01T21:48:00.000-06:00

"...Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:3-4)

Volumes upon volumes have been written about these two verses. I have no illusions of pioneering new theological territory here, but I would like to share a few thoughts.

It is obvious that the credit for having righteous motives cannot rightly be attributed to the Christian. The believer's desire for righteousness is a gift from God. It is He who works in us "to will." But is His working in us "to will" separate from his working in us "to do?" Judging by our feeble experience, it may appear so. But our experiences do not always reflect reality. Let me explain.

Many believers are discouraged and defeated because they know God's working in them to Will, but are unable to consistently act in accordance with that will. "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do...For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find." (Romans 7:15, 18) The frustration occurs because when we discern God's working in us to Will, we respond by attempting to Do by our natural human means. We do not yet see that God's will for us can only be accomplished by God's power in us.

God graciously responds by letting us fall repeatedly, while maintaining His working to Will in us. This leads to increased dissatisfaction, frustration, and intensified longing for victory over sin and self. Then, only when we have exhausted all of our natural resources, we come back in broken, helpless desperation to the Lord our righteousness. (Jeremiah 33:16; 1 Corinthians 1:30) And there, pleading for Christ to do the work for us, we not only find that He does so, but He long ago has worked in us to Will and to Do. If only we would have been untrusting of ourselves and rested in faith toward God, we would have seen His deliverance from the beginning.

But as desperately sinful creatures, this is impossible. Though Christ's victory over sin was complete at the cross and fully communicated to us when we were reborn, as temporal beings we only learn to appropriate His overcoming life over time. The more deeply we undertand our utter sinfulness, the more freely and joyously will we rejoice in His righteousness for us. "Come unto Me... and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Therein is Christ exalted and true rest experienced. The life of the believer is to be the life of the resurrected Messiah (Galatians 2:20)--but there is no resurrection that does not come out of death. There is no revival that does not come out of brokenness. There is no peace that does not come out of struggle, defeat, and surrender.

My point is this. If you're trying to live the Christian life, stop it. You can't. The only person that can live the Christian life is Jesus. But He did, and He has imparted that triumphant life to His children in the indwelling Holy Spirit. Too many believers have accepted the lie that a life of righteousness is impossible. If we would learn to believe what God has said to be true of us, we would find that His divine power has indeed "given us all things that pertain to life and godliness..." because we have been made "partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:3-4)

"But as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"
(1 Peter 1:15-16)
"He who says he abides in [Christ] ought himself also to walk just as He walked."
(1 John 2:6)
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
(John 15:4-5)

The R-Word (Part II)

2005-12-29T01:15:00.002-06:00

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord... --Acts 3:19

A man once told me that my emphasis on repentance was "theological hair-splitting," because some Scripture passages that deal with salvation stress faith, but don't mention repentance. For example, the famous Ephesians 2:8-9 says we are saved "by grace... through faith," with no explicit reference to repentance. For crying out loud, even John 3:16 says "whoever believes in Him... will have everlasting life." Thus, according to his logic, repentance is not always a necessary part of the Gospel presentation. Judging by my limited experience in the evangelical church, it seems a depressing amount of "believers" (if not "repenters") not only agree with his opinion, but assume it uncritically. So nobody bats an eye when hell-bound enemies of God are told to simply "believe that Jesus died for your sins" and "accept God's free gift of salvation."

So why am I whining about this? What's the big deal? Apparantly biblical faith doesn't have to include repentance, right? So says today's popular easy-believism, but not Scripture. "But what about John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9, etc., etc?" Great question. This is what I'm getting at: Biblical faith includes Biblical repentance. Biblical faith is, in a sense, synonymous with biblical repentance. You cannot look to Christ in saving faith without thereby looking away from yourself in repentance. That's why, again, John the Baptist and Jesus both began their ministries by preaching repentance. When Scripture refers to the entire package of conversion as "faith," it does so to those who understand that repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. (In John 3:16, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, a man familiar with His ministry to that point--see verse 2-- and a Pharisee, presumably an expert in the Old Testament. In Ephesians 2, Paul was writing to born-again believers. He didn't have to tell them that they repented of their sins; they already knew that. His point was that salvation is God's gift. It is not earned, even by repentance.)

But most of us, as evangelists, haven't had a John the Baptist to be our forerunner and prepare people's hearts for the message. Our listeners aren't in the same place as Nicodemus or the Ephesian church. In our culture, most people, including way too many church-goers, think religion just determines what you might do on Sundays, and in what kind of building you might get married. Telling a 21st-century American to "believe in Jesus" without thoroughly explaining the meaning and necessity of repentance is like telling a kid to write a story without teaching him the alphabet. When we say "believe" or "have faith," they're usually hearing "accept as factually true." Now untold multitudes of religious people have intellectually accepted a (quasi-)gospel presentation as fact, and have even decided to identify themselves with those facts.

Sadly, that's not salvation. We've led them to walk an aisle, shake a hand, say a prayer, sign a card, take a swim, warm a pew, and start writing checks-- but few have really grasped the reality of such commands as, "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord." (2 Cor. 6:17) If they hear no call for repentance, they will shed no tear, admit no helplessness, seek no Messiah, abandon no sin, surrender no control, desire no holiness, and thus experience no sanctification.

I don't think I'm exaggerating. Compare the spiritual vitality of the average life-long church member to the standard set forth in Scripture, and consider whether maybe we've dropped the ball on this whole repentance concept.

"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God... And this we will do if God permits." --Hebrews 6:1, 3

The R-Word (Part I)

2005-12-28T23:13:00.001-06:00

For the leaders of this people cause them to err... --Isaiah 9:16

Christmas morning I visited a random church in my hometown. I flipped open my Bible and was surprised to read the above verse, which I thought the bulletin said would be that morning's sermon text. I thought it said verse 16; it actually said verse 6, "For unto us a Child is born... and His name will be called... Prince of peace." This, of course, made much more sense. However, as the service concluded, I understood that verse 16 may have been just as appropriate.

Focusing on Christ as the Prince of peace, the sermon's three main points were: "The Promise of Peace" (a promise made by God to all who respond), "The Provision of Peace" (this peace is made possible by Christ), and "The Protection of Peace" (Christians do certain things to maintain the peace of God, such as loving God, loving others, etc). Though this "gospel" presentation was devoid of any mention of the wrath of God against sin or the purpose of salvation, (personal holiness and the glory of God,) what struck me the most was the way the pastor called- or didn't call- the congregation to respond. I was listening quite intently for a single word, a word which is most necessary to the Gospel, a word that never came: "repent."

Neither repentance nor confession were mentioned, but peace was promised and all were invited to walk down the aisle to receive it. No one did, and I can't say I wish they had. Countless others have been sweet-talked into "making a decision for Jesus," without any idea that what they were told is but a fraction of the truth, and the whole truth is much harder to swallow. If our churches dared to preach the Gospel that the Word teaches, our numbers would be less impressive, but I believe what remains would be much more gold and less wood, hay, and stubble. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) But even though no one came forward that morning, the largest church crowd of the year still saw a representative of the Almighty stand and offer peace without pain, contentment without contrition, and salvation without sacrifice.

Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord God. “My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies... Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace." --Ezekiel 13:8-10 (c.f. Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11)

Have we forgotten that the message of John the Baptist, who was to prepare the hearts of the people to receive their Messiah, was "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand?" (Matthew 3:1-2) He even had the audacity to command that his converts "bear fruits worthy of repentance." (Matthew 3:8) Jesus Himself opened His public ministry with the same harsh, unpopular cry: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 4:17) The apostle Paul likewise said that he called people to "repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:21)

We must remember, and we must join Christ in His passionate plea that sinners would turn to Him from their sin. What does it even mean to call someone to "accept Christ" if they don't know that they are to turn from bonslavery to sin to bondslavery to Christ and His holiness?

To be continued...

no wonder they called him a "prophet"

2005-12-23T16:13:00.000-06:00

"Unannounced and mostly undetected there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental...

The old cross slew men; the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it. The old cross brought tears and blood; the new cross brings laughter. The flesh, smiling and confident, preaches and sings about the cross; before that cross it bows and toward that cross it points with carefully staged histrionics--but upon that cross it will not die, and the reproach of that cross it stubbornly refuses to bear.

I well know how many smooth arguments can be marshalled in support of the new cross. Does not the new cross win converts and make many followers and so carry the advantage of numerical success? Should we not adjust ourselves to the changing times? Have we not heard the slogan, "New days, new ways"? And who but someone very old and very conservative would insist upon death as the appointed way to life? And who today is interested in a gloomy mysticism that would sentence its flesh to a cross and recommend self-effacing humility as a virtue actually to be practiced by modern Christians? These are the arguments, along with many more flippant still, which are brought forward to give an appearance of wisdom to the hollow and meaningless cross of popular Christianity."

--A.W. Tozer, from The Old Cross and the New, and The Pursuit of Man, p. 53-54

Loving God, Part I

2005-12-03T16:15:00.000-06:00

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment." Mark 12:30

It is no secret that the commandment which Jesus called the first and the greatest is not considered to be very important today. It has been downplayed in our churches for some time. You may hear it mentioned by a preacher or teacher, but it hardly receives the emphasis given to it by Jesus Himself. Interestingly, it has therefore ceased to be meaningful to us because it has become both very familiar and very vague...

Ask any professing Christian to quote the first and greatest commandment, and with rare exceptions, he can do so. But then ask the same person if he is currently being obedient to that commandment, and the reply may come less quickly. He may look confused-- maybe surprised at the suggestion that such obedience is not automatic, or unsure of how to know whether He truly loves God. He may become uneasy-- knowing that his life does not reflect a love of God. Or he may even get outright defensive-- genuinely believing that such undivided love of God is impossible in this life, and deeply offended that you would be so judgmental to suggest that he's not doing "the best he can," or that his spiritual life is not what it should be, (when in fact, you may not have been implying anything of the sort.) Far too commonly however, the reaction seems to be one of complete disinterest-- unconcerned that he doesn't love God as He deserves and commands, and not considering it to be "that big a deal."

We don't like to admit that this isn't "the first and greatest suggestion," or the "first and greatest aspiration." It is a command! Our love-lessness toward God isn't a "shortcoming"; it is rebellion, disobedience, and sin! We ignore what God has commanded first of all: the giving of our entire beings- heart, soul, mind, and strength- to Him as a love offering. And yet we expect Him to be pleased with our church attendance, our tithing, our "good deeds," our evangelism, and so on. Beyond all our explicitly "religious" actions, we expect God to be satisfied with all our work, our socializing, and our recreation, though we may never so much as think of Him for days on end.

May we be deeply convicted by God's Spirit of our self-centered, self-driven, self-gratifying lives, moral and respectable though we may be.

"These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
Matthew 15:8-9

"Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Church Pragmatism

2005-11-29T15:39:00.000-06:00

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth..." 1 Timothy 4: 3-4

Hey, if it works...

This video is funny because it seems over-the-top, but sadly, it's very accurate. Untold scores of people are sacrificing biblical, exegetical preaching and Christ-centered services for feel-good, self-help drivel and mindless entertainment. If you computer has sound, turn it on when watching this video.

Diluted, Disgusting, Deceived, and Defiled

2005-11-28T20:50:00.000-06:00

"These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'-- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked..." Revelation 3:14-17

As I think of the unspeakable revulsion of our Lord to the complacency, the compromise, and the carnality of many so-called churches, an unsettling, yet surprisingly logical thought arises. Is it possible that, when faced with the man-worship and business machinery that passes for respectable Christianity, the most godly response a saint of God can have is to be made physically ill? If Jesus Himself, our Example, will "spew" or "vomit" such arrogant self-satisfaction out of His mouth, should we not be similarly disgusted?

This is not to negate our Lord's sincere, longsuffering call: "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see." (v 18) Christ Himself is pure riches, but only those that realize their bankruptcy will cry out for Him, ("Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3). Christ Himself is our righteousness, the pure garment to hide our shame, (Zechariah 3:1-5; 1 Corinthians 1:30) but the proud see nothing shameful in their current state. Christ Himself is sight for the blind, (John 9:11) but it takes humility to admit helplessness (Matthew 9:27-31). Sadly, we no longer see ourselves as a needy people.

I suspect that the majority of those reading this are thinking either, "I'm glad that's not me," or "I know just the person he's talking about! They should be reading this!" I too, even now, face the temptation to first look outward with accusing and lofty stares. Self-righteousness runs deep, grows subtly, and blinds us. It also leaves us wretched, miserable, poor, and naked.

I fear that smug, self-sufficient, lifeless religion is epidemic in our congregations. And it makes God sick.

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." (Revelation 3:19)

The Backwards Church

2005-11-27T11:21:00.000-06:00

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ..." (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Somebody show me the "seeker-sensitive church" passage in Scripture. Please. Problem #1 with this man-centered, unbiblical nonsense, is that Scripture clearly teaches that "there is none who seeks after God!" (Romans 3:11) We now have hundreds, if not thousands, of churches whose very existence revolve around catering to a demographic that does not exist! (Dare I name names? Try Big Rick and his Purpose-Driven pupils, just to get started. Don't believe me? Read the material. For extra fun, bring two highlighters: one for the parts that are Biblical--and there are some--and the other for those that are not. You might want to bring extra of the second color.)

"What? You mean that every little thing the church does shouldn't be carefully crafted to make the lost... I'm sorry, "unchurched"... person feel comfortable and unthreatened? How can we be light to them if they don't enjoy being there? Where would they go to hear the Gospel if not at church?" Many a sincere Christian have asked such questions. Sadly, many a sincere Christian are Biblically illiterate. We've been trained (either explicitly or implicitly) to think that the church member's main job (after tithing, of course) is to invite lost friends to church, and it's the pastor's job to preach the Gospel to them. Again I ask... Scripture, anyone? Eph. 4:11-12 says that the job of the God-given leaders of the church (and no, not all of today's church leaders are God-given... commence gasping and fainting) is first to "equip the saints for the work of ministry." What does that mean?

It means that the real "ministers" of the church are the saints-- the Christians. Just like in an army, the officers don't do all the fighting, though they do their part. Every soldier fights. In football, the coach doesn't take on the other team by himself and explain to his bench-warming babies how he does what he does. No, he equips the team to do their job. The commanding officers equip the soldiers to do their job. In our culture, people who love Jesus so much that all they want to do is worship Him and obey Him, leave all that they have behind and go wherever He leads, and preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth... we call those people missionaries. The Bible calls those people Christians. Seriously-- read the Book of Acts... it's amazing. Our modern distinction between the "ministry" and the "laity" is completely unscriptural. There are ministers who equip the ministers and oversee the ministry of the church, and ministers who do the majority of the ministering, both inside and outside the church (more on that in a later post).

So it's EVERY CHRISTIAN'S job to evangelize, not just your pastor's. And the evangelism that he does shouldn't be primarily in the local church. The Biblical church assembly is NOT a "hospital for sinners," but a military training ground for saints! Having worshipped the King and having been rebuked, corrected, and instructed in righteousness by the doctrine of His Word (1 Timothy 3:16-17)--not man's word-- the church then goes out of the assembly to worship the Lord through obedience in holiness, and yes, even evangelism.

When's the last time you warned a sinner of the wrath to come, pointed Him to the grace that flows from the cross, and told him of the life that rises from an empty tomb? Pastors, are you babying your church members and robbing them of their ministry by always preaching a "how-to-get-saved" message without ever diving into the meat of the Word? Christ has so much more to offer His bride. Are we too complacent to desire it?

Holy Spirit, speak to us.

(See "The Gospel According to Warren" in the links to the right)

Pleasing Men, or God?

2005-11-26T18:47:00.000-06:00

Ok, I recognize I can be kind of a downer. But my aim isn't to depress people and leave them there. (see 2 Corinthians 7: 8-12) The thing is, only the broken can receive salvation, or revival; (Isaiah 57:15) a brokenness which, by the way, I know I cannot produce--only the Holy Spirit can. Yet the Spirit of God always uses the Word of God to do the work of God through a man of God. Hence, I am forced to emphasize the not-so-feel-goody part of the Word, since the majority of modern "evangelical" preaching tends to leave out.. oh, I don't know... the entire Old Testament and at least HALF of the Gospel of the New Testament!

Sorry. I'm ok. But seriously, Jesus drove out the money changers from the temple, saying they had turned the House of Prayer into a den of thieves. If He were to come into most of our casual, irreverent, mechanical "worship" services, would He not likely drive many a leader from the pulpit, saying they had turned the assembly of the saints into a den of pride, greed, lethargy, carnality, and self-seeking? Not only are these traits found in too many a church leader, but half-biblical (a.k.a. UNbiblical) teaching and preaching have cultivated this worldliness in the church members as well.

Jesus called men hypocrites, vipers, and whitewashed tombs to their faces. I trust you'll excuse my zeal if my emphasis on the neglected aspects of Scripture are not to your taste. Trust me, they're not to mine, either. It would be much more flesh-pleasing if church was really supposed to be all about us. But then, we would miss Jesus in the process.... oh wait... many already have.

(Side note: I do put Scripture references in here for a reason. I strongly encourage you to keep a Bible handy-- my ramblings are worthless. The Word of God stands forever.)

The Shame of the Cross

2005-11-26T15:42:00.000-06:00

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know-- Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it." (Acts 2:22-24)

I have often heard modern preachers use the message of the cross to actually exalt men rather than God! A few months ago I heard one of the most renowned preachers of our day on the radio. He said (and I paraphrase), "You are special. If you ever question your worth, if you ever question how special you are, look to the cross. There you see Jesus stretched out and dying, all for you. There you see how special God thinks you are. You are worth the life of the Son of God!" Etc, ad nauseum.

The cross has been made to lift up the worth of fallen man, but the Biblical testimony is much different. The first time the message of the cross was preached by someone in the church to those outside it, the cross was preached to the shame of men and to the glory of God! Peter says, "You have murdered the Messiah! The Father, knowing you would betray your King, gave Him to you anyway. Jesus, knowing He would be illegally delivered to die like a criminal, chose to allow the objects of His love to treat Him like scum. This you have done, and done thoroughly." Anybody feel good hearing that? Peter sure could've learned a lot from today's positive, upbeat, seeker-sensitive movement.

If you haven't guessed it by now, I differ with the aforementioned modern preacher on this point: ladies and gentlemen, you are NOT worth the life of Jesus. Jesus died for you, and you don't deserve it. All we deserve, as enemies against a holy God, is death, hell, wrath, judgment, torment, you get the idea. (Well, actually, none of us can imagine the depths of the punishment we rightly deserve.) But in spite of our idolatry, (blaspheming the King of the universe and choosing to act as lords of our own lives) God chose to have mercy. And THAT, my friends, is amazing grace.

Look to the cross, and if the sight has never broken you before, I pray it utterly shames you even now. I hope you weep and mourn that your sin led the Lord of glory to die among the wicked--naked, bleeding, and forsaken. There is no room for self-worth here. But see here the King of kings high and lifted up, pouring His infinite love upon infinitely unworthy vermin. His love is unimaginable. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).

"God be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

(Note: this is not an exhaustive presentation of the Gospel, as my previous post makes clear. I just want to point out that any "cross" that makes men feel good about themselves is not the cross of Christ. (Luke 20:17-18) His is a cross of shame, disgrace, and pain-- the same cross which we are called to bear with Him.)

Bored with the Lord: The Death of Hope

2005-11-25T13:35:00.000-06:00

I don't know how it is anywhere else, but where I live, the Gospel has been over-simplified and dumbed down to the point that is no longer the real Gospel. Without even considering how man's responsibility to respond to the Gospel has been butchered in recent years, (i.e. "invite Jesus into your heart," "commit your life to God," or "just believe and accept God's free gift") I dare say that we have even twisted the message of the Gospel itself. We have all heard it said, "Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive us of our sins," and this is presented as the whole evangelistic message. Whatever one must do to respond rightly to the message, the goal in sight is forgiveness of sins now, and thus, deliverance from hell later. This may sound like heresy to some, but friends, that is not the Gospel.

Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that forgiveness through the blood of Christ isn't part of the Gospel. Certainly it is, and praise God for it! But in a sense, forgiveness is the starting point, the necessary means to God's chosen end. But if simply being forgiven isn't the be-all end-all of Christianity, what is? In Paul's letter to the church in Colosse we read, "And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight" (1:21-22, NKJV). A gospel that preaches that the far off can be brought near and God's enemies can be made God's sons, without preaching that the sinners can be made holy, is NOT the Gospel of Scripture! This is like inheriting enough money to buy a car, without knowing that the purpose of the car is to be driven, and ultimately, to bring you to an appointed destination. Justification, forgiveness of sin, is (if you'll pardon the crude analogy) the purchase of the car. But ownership of the car is not enough! It is pointless in itself. There is still a journey to be made--sanctification--and a destination to be reached--holiness.

Again in Colossians 1, Paul speaks of his role as a preacher of the Gospel: "Him (Christ) we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom," to what end? "that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus" (v. 28). Many, many passages clearly present this truth, but I will here list only a few: "...Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctifiy and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25-27). "For this is the will of God, your sanctification..." (1 Thessalonians 4:3) "He who has begun a good work in you [by justification] will complete it [through sanctification] until the day of Jesus Christ [the culmination of God's redemptive plan: glorification]" (Philippians 1:6).

One huge, glaring red flag that the Gospel has been distorted in this way, is the fact that we often hear the death of Christ preached without any reference to His resurrection. It is through His substitutionary death that we can be forgiven of sin, because on the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the wrath of God that we deserved. The Innocent has taken the place of the guilty, the price has been paid, so the guilty can justly go free. Hence the aforementioned quick-and-easy "gospel": "Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of our sins." It seems that to most believers the resurrection is nothing more than a happy afterthought. But the New Testament puts a tremendous emphasis on the resurrection of Christ. "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty... And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!" (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17) Jesus closely connected His resurrection and ascension with the giving of the Holy Spirit, through whom we experience salvation and every spiritual blessing: "I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7). Without the resurrection, we have a dead, bloody Messiah, slain for us, and we have no way to receive the purchased forgiveness. But because Jesus is resurrected and ascended to the Father, the Father has poured out His Holy Spirit into the spirits of believers, thereby uniting us with Christ, so that now His death is our death, and His life is our life. Through Christ's death we die to sin, and through His resurrection we receive life unto God (rebirth, the indwelling Holy Spirit of God: Romans 6:5-11). In the new "gospel," eternal life merely refers to heaven, or more accurately, deliverance from hell. In Scripture, it is the supernatural, uncreated life of Jesus Christ Himself abiding in the Christian, enabling him to have intimate fellowship with the Father, and empowering him to be transformed into His likeness.

So here I am. My old nature has been crucified with Christ. Christ's holy nature is given to me in the Holy Spirit. And yet, even as I desire God's intended goal of holiness, I am focused on today. Here. Now. I recognize that, to a certain extent, I must live in the here and now. But Biblically, is that to be my main focus? This brings me to the Biblical concept to which all of this has been leading, another one that is ominously missing from the pulpits of our day: hope. Of course, Biblical hope is different from the modern concept of "I hope this or that happens." Biblical hope is unwavering certainty of a future fact revealed in the Word of God. Hope is a longing to see the promise fulfilled, but it is as sure of the future as it is of the past. There is no "what if," but only "when."

But what role does hope play in the Gospel and Christian living? Back in Colossians, Paul writes, "We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel" (1:3-5). So future, heavenly hope is to be preached as part of the Gospel. In a passage from the beginning of this post, we see that hope is closely connected with sanctification, the process of growing in holiness: "And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in His sight--if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you heard" (1:21-23). In a beautiful, powerful passage in Romans, Paul says, "we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance" (Romans 8:23-25). And Peter agrees, commanding us to "rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13; Peter continues in vv 14-16 by connecting this future hope with present holiness).

We see then that the certain hope of the Christian is what theologians call glorification: the complete deliverance of believers from the old Adamic sin nature, the transformation of our bodies to be like the glorified, resurrected body of Christ. The three key aspects of salvation, then, are:

Freedom from the penalty of sin - Justification
Freedom from the power of sin, the progressive experience of which is Sanctification
Freedom from the presence of sin - Glorification

Scripture has declared that this hope--this fixed attention and firm certainty in our ultimate deliverance from sin--is both essential to the Gospel, as well as to Christian living. It is essential to the Gospel because the potential convert must realize that his conversion is but the beginning, while perfect holiness is the end. It is essential to Christian living, because when a believer ceases to focus on his repeated sin and rests his hope firmly on the established fact that God will accomplish His work in him, faith is renewed, joy springs from sorrow, and worship flows freely to the Holy One who makes "holy ones" (translated "saints" in the New Testament, a term for all believers). The absence of hope in the church is a key factor in understanding our weakness, worldliness, and complacency, both corporately and individually. Since we do not think on our destination of glorification, we have very little interest in our sanctification. So we are content with forgiveness, the nice, shiny car. We're too satisfied with where we are to sacrifice our comfort for the journey, too bored with the Lord to follow where He leads.

We've lost our hope, so we've lost our direction, our distinction, our power, and our identity.

Precious few seem to notice. Fewer still seem to care.