Pastor Eric's Pen and Scroll

Reading the Bible Devotionally - An Example from Matthew 1

2011-06-23T15:24:00.004-04:00

This morning I read through Matthew, Chapter 1 in the New Testament. I was reading this “devotionally,” which means that I was looking for more than facts and content, but was reading it such a way that I was open to what the Holy Spirit had to teach me through it. I prayed before I read the passage, asking God to open my eyes and heart to the underlying message and principles that He intends for me to see in this so that I may faithfully apply these things to my life. So for the point of exercise, I want you to first read Matthew 1, and then here is a list of nine things that jumped out at me that drew me into a deeper sense of worship of God. My goal was to read theologically with an aim toward application.

1. The focus of what God is doing in the world centers around the person of Jesus Christ.

The genealogy that is listed in the first 17 verses of this chapter has a trajectory that finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. One of its goals is to point to the incarnation of Christ as the climactic moment of human history. I have to ask myself then, is the point of my life to finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus and to display to others that He is the point of it all?

2. God has a plan that often perfectly unfolds over time.

Here in the text we see that God chose not to fully execute his plan of redemption immediately following Adam’s and Eve’s sin in the book of Genesis. His plan was to unfold and reveal His will over time (many generations). Sometimes I demand God to reveal His will to me “right now!” But this is not always how God works. I must be patient and wait on Him.

3. God loves to reveal His plan.

God reveals his plan in history, and He reveals it via supernatural means. In this case God chose to reveal His plan back then supernaturally through an angel (elsewhere identified as “Gabriel”) to a man (identified as Joseph) via a dream. I am therefore reminded that God is still revealing Himself and His will to us today but now it is via a supernatural book (the “Bible”). He does not wish to leave us in the dark. He wants us to know and live in God’s will.

4. God’s plan involves the use of sinful people who are limited, human, and frail.

The genealogy list is full of rebellious sinners like you and I who had moments of great godliness and success and moments of profound sinfulness and failure. It is a wonder of God’s mercy and grace that He chooses to use us as part of His plan. I ask myself, why does He choose to use me? I am grateful, and praise Him in worship. Furthermore, I tell myself that I should not be surprised if God uses someone whom I would not expect Him to use in ways that may profoundly humble our human pride.

5. Man makes up human plans, but the Lord’s purpose prevails (Prov. 19:21)

Joseph was confused by the fact that Mary was pregnant, and he understandably assumed that Mary had been unfaithful to him. He therefore made plans to formally end the betrothal (engagement), but God interrupted Joseph’s plans and with new information about her pregnancy which directed Joseph differently. This reminds me that there have been many times where I was convinced I knew what was best in a given situation, but God often breaks in with new information (via facts or wise counsel) that surprises me. This reminds me that I don’t always see the bigger picture and must trust His plan when he speaks even if it doesn’t seem to make sense at first. I may make plans, but the Lord’s sovereign purpose prevails.

6. The Holy Spirit is mysteriously and intimately involved in God’s plan.

Mary’s pregnancy was done through the power of the Holy Spirit who was at work in this situation in a profoundly mysterious way. Indeed His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Joseph didn’t see it at first, but God was at work. I need to remember that God is always at work, even in ways that I don’t think are humanly possible. I must trust Him, even when I do not see or understand what He’s up to.

7. God keeps His promises.

The conception of Jesus Christ in the womb of a virgin was the long awaited fulfillment of prophecy given hundreds of years before this time. It was a prophecy that was literally fulfilled in time in a specific way. It was not a spiritual fulfillment but a literal fulfillment with spiritual significance. This reminded me that God fulfills His promises. It further reminds me that God and His Word are trustworthy, and that I should imitate His character by being faithful and trustworthy in the things that I do and say or in promises that I make to others.

8. God’s plan always involves the ultimate eternal goal of Him being with us and us being with Him.

There are many names for this Savior that was to be born. And the angel names two of them. The first name was to be his personal name, “Jesus,” which when translated means, “the LORD saves.” The second name given to describe this child was that he was also to be regarded with the name “Immanuel,” which when translated means, “God with us.” When I think about this, I ponder the fact that what I do for God is not nearly as important than who I am with God. He designed me to bring glory to Him and to be with Him for all eternity.

9. Our job is to be obedient to God’s revealed plan.

Joseph responded to the angel’s instructions. He obeyed God’s revealed will for His life. In spite of his early inclinations, Joseph changed course and took Mary home to be his wife, and he chose not to have any marital relations with her until after she gave birth to Jesus (therefore assuring that indeed this was a virgin birth). As I reflect on this, I have to search my heart to see if indeed there is anything that I am doing that may be in conflict with God’s revealed will for my life. In other words, what does the Bible say? Am I following it? Am I being obedient to it? Joseph serves as an example to me of how I should obey God’s revealed will.

So as I wrap up this little exercise, I am thankful to God for the way the Spirit continues to speak through His Word today. And my prayer is that this can serve as a small sample of what it means to read the Bible devotionally, theologically, and practically. The Bible is the Word of Life to us, and every bit of it is inspired by God, useful for teaching, equipping, encouraging, and training us in righteousness. As you can see, the Bible is more than just a set of facts. Even the genealogies serve a purpose. Now to be fair, there are many more things we could say about Matthew 1 and much more application that can be made, but these were some that immediately stood out to me.

So my advice to you is to take this approach when reading and studying Scripture, letting other Scriptures help you in interpretation. Knowing the background, setting, and discovering the author’s original intent is essential to understanding, and then as you properly understand it, with the Spirit’s help, you can also properly apply it. And these moments with God and His word will become rich indeed.

Proclaiming a Message that is Consistent with Bold Engagement

2011-03-23T15:09:00.010-04:00

Today it has become apparent that Christians are “scared” and are retreating from anything that offends society. Recently in Libertyville, Illinois (Gina and I used to live there) a science teacher backed away from teaching “creationism” as a viable option after a few outspoken atheists and parents called for his firing. To their credit, the school board opted not to fire the teacher but unfortunately called it “remedial behavior,” and the teacher agreed to remove all references to creationism in his curriculum.

Furthermore, as you look at what churches are using to “market” themselves to our culture at large, we are using techniques and slogans that seek to warm people up to the idea of church rather instead of unapologetically proclaiming a Gospel that will naturally offend (1 Cor. 1:18). The question isn’t “what do we win them with?” but “what do we win them to?”

What gives? Why are Christians tiptoeing around, afraid of speaking a message about the cross and standing up for truth in a way that makes the truth distinguishable? Why are we afraid to be bold about matters of eternal life and death? Maybe we are afraid to suffer, ashamed of being labeled as unloving and extreme.

A great book was written years ago by a man named Bob Briner called “Roaring Lambs,” and his basic premise is that rather than retreating from our culture of depravity and sitting back only to speak prophetically against it, Christians should be seeking to engage our culture with the strong Gospel message that will inevitably invite a measure of suffering to our lives. He calls on Christians to seek after professions in media, entertainment, education, etc. so that the church does not abdicate its role as salt and light in a dark world.

So what would happen if Christians spoke and lived boldly without being afraid of what culture and society says about us? Perhaps God would use us much more than we might think. We can’t be afraid to speak the truth in love, for if we retreat, back away, or water it down, how truly loving is it? When the early church prayed in the book of Acts, they prayed, “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.” (Acts 4:29, ESV). They knew and expected opposition, but instead of operating out of fear they desired to be bolder about what they knew to be true. I’m not sure they were worried about political correctness, either.

Is it important for Christians to speak to and connect with our culture in a way that is relevant? I believe so. Paul sought to engage the Athenians in Acts 17 by building a bridge with their culture. But having done that, he refused to compromise his message and called his listeners to “repent” in light of the coming judgment (Acts 17:30-31). I can’t imagine him saying to them, “Hey, we have a comfortable place for you, our services only run this long, we serve great coffee, and we usually avoid subjects that bother people – things like hell, judgment, or the exclusiveness of the Gospel. Why don’t you Athenians come over and check us out?”

The modern church growth approaches to evangelism and outreach are seeking to win people to an American religious subculture that is based on comfort, convenience, and social acceptability. But that’s not the Gospel. Now is not the time to “shrink back” (Heb. 10:39). Now is the time to proclaim the Gospel clearly and fearlessly, as we should (Eph. 6:20; Col. 4:4).

How Do You Know that the Bible is True?

2010-12-21T16:52:00.005-05:00

Have you ever had anyone ask you: how do you know that the Bible is true? I mean what makes this book so special – what makes it stand out from all the rest? In an age where there are all of these competing religions that claim to have their own versions of what they call the scriptures, what makes the Christian Bible so different? What sets it apart?

Well if you’ve ever been asked that question I can’t help but wonder if you’ve ever gotten that sinking feeling in your stomach – maybe your face has turned a little red, because you’re not quite sure how to answer that one – but you feel like you should be able to.

After all, The Apostle Peter told the church that every Christian must be prepared to give a reason for the hope they have within them, right? So we must always be prepared to explain and defend why we believe what we believe.

And in a society today that increasingly believes that “all roads and all religions” lead to the same God, it seems even more important for us to be equipped and ready to explain why we believe that Christianity is the only religion of truth – why Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life – and why the Bible is the only inspired Scripture on the face of the earth.

Here we have a Bible that claims to be the Word of God – divine revelation – a book inspired by the Holy Spirit of God who used over 30 human authors over a period of 1,500 years, containing well over 30,000 verses. And there are many different reasons why we can trust and believe that this and this book alone is the only one that is fully true in everything it affirms.

So without going into a big dissertation, let me give you just a few quick reasons to consider.

1) This Bible has proven itself to be a life changing book in the lives of millions of people who have believed its message throughout the centuries. One sure sign of being authenticate is its ability to transform lives – to change minds, to change hearts.

People have been converted, hearts have been convicted and changed, people have experienced healing, hate has turned to love, and so this book has power. And for believers, the Holy Spirit has a way of affirming this in the very depths of their hearts and its power is revealed by our lives.

2) Secondly, there is an amazing sense of unity to this book. Like I said, there are over 30 different authors who have written over a period of 1500 years, and not a once is there a contradiction. Its message in each book is consistent and is uniquely tied together – that man is a sinner and that God alone has the answer.

Several languages are used and hundreds of topics are discussed, and yet there is this amazing unity to it all – and from Genesis to Revelation the idea that man needs a Savior runs through all its pages.

3) Thirdly, the Bible has had an amazing track record of proving that it’s historically true, and much of this has been affirmed in significant ways through modern archaeology. It has proved itself to be factually accurate, in both the Old and the New Testaments.

The ancient city of Jericho has been dug up in recent times, and the Bible story claimed that the walls fell in and the city was burned by Joshua and the Israelites when they took over the land. And sure enough, archaeologists have dug down and discovered collapsed walls and a 3-foot thick layer of ash at the site of this ancient city.

And ironically, there is no other ancient account of this happening other than what is found in the Bible, and so the Bible proves itself to be historically true over and over again.

4) Fourth, the Bible is truly unique from all other books in that it alone thoroughly contains a rather long list of predicted prophecies that have been literally fulfilled. The prophets predicted the existence of certain kings, kingdoms, famines, and wars, all of which have been verified to be true.

* Yet having said all of this, in the end, it is God alone who ultimately convinces us of the truth of God’s Word as the Holy Spirit convicts and confirms the inspired nature of Scripture in our hearts as we read it. In order for this to happen, one must be spiritually reborn by the Holy Spirit who illuminates the Word and leads and guides us into truth. God’s power inherently reveals itself as you thumb through this book, and many of us know exactly what that means as we’ve seen this book change our lives over time. Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!

Powerful, Expectant Prayer - A Lost Art

2010-10-26T16:15:00.004-04:00

Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is also listening to God.

It is often the most neglected of privileges that a Christian has in his or her arsenal. But, when used properly, it is a mighty weapon. The God who listens is a God that can move mountains, a God who can change hearts, a God that can rearrange circumstances and overthrow tremendous obstacles. He is the God of the impossible, and many times our vision of who God is and what He can do is often way too small, and this is reflected in the amount of time we may spend in prayer.

It is true that God is sometimes less concerned with changing our circumstances and is more concerned with changing the heart and mind and perspective of the person praying. As someone has said, “Prayer doesn’t change God, prayer changes me.”

And if that is true then it is also true that the person who is most resistant to change and is satisfied in being self-sufficient and self made is probably a person who isn’t praying at all. When we become content with who we are, then prayer will seem irrelevant.

So when we bow our heads to pray then, we acknowledge several things. First we acknowledge our willingness to change. We also acknowledge a proper assessment of ourselves and our need for God.

But perhaps more importantly, when we bow to pray we acknowledge the Supremacy and Sovereignty of the Almighty God who grants us every breath and who holds our life utterly and completely in the palm of His hands. Prayer is a statement that says that God’s glory and His plans are far more important and necessary to know that anything else. And prayer is often the way we come to know those things.

When you pray, be bold. Be specific. Don’t be afraid or intimidated by silence, and let the Holy Spirit bring to mind the things that need to be lifted up. Pray according to the truths that are revealed in Scripture. Pray with your heart and with your mind. Be willing to put your opinions before God so that He might change them or perhaps refine them. Pray with expectancy and pray with faith.

If you pray this way, then it is more likely that you will learn to pray more in keeping with God’s will. As someone has said, no one out on a boat in the water throws a rope onto a dock and expects the dock to be pulled out to him. Instead, the goal is to pull the boat to the dock. And in the same way, when we pray to God, we shouldn’t expect that God would be pulled more towards our will, but rather that our will is pulled over toward God’s.

So pray with joy, knowing that God is good, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

The Need for Wise Counsel from Godly People

2010-06-30T16:01:00.005-04:00

I am always intrigued by new discoveries that are made as I read through everyday narratives of Scripture in my times alone with God. This morning I was reading through some of the Chronicles of the Old Testament Kings and was struck by the faithfulness of an obscure priest that hardly anyone today would recognize or remember.

His name was Jehoiada. Now there are a couple of men by this name in the Old Testament, but this man was a high priest in the kingdom of Judah – a godly man who was faithful to God in the midst of a dark time.

Some background:

The Nation of Israel had been divided into two – the Northern Kingdom known as Israel was being led by the ungodly King Ahab, and the Southern Kingdom known as Judah was being ruled by King Ahaziah (whose corrupt mother named Athaliah was as much an influence as the King himself). King Ahaziah of Judah assumed his reign as King when he was 22 years old and it lasted only one year. He made the mistake of listening to the counsel of his wicked mother along with a select number of ungodly men, and as the ESV so aptly points out, this was “to his undoing.” (2 Chron. 22:4).

Not but a short time after ascending to the throne, King Ahaziah suffered a downfall that was “ordained by God,” (22:7) and it ended up that he was murdered by a group of thugs that God had raised up to execute judgment on Israel. Following his death, the King’s mother Athaliah decided to murder some of the remaining descendants of the godly line of David in what surely was a Satanically-inspired attempt to destroy the line of blood that was prophesied to one day produce a Messiah. But miraculously, Athaliah’s stepdaughter hid away one of the remaining heirs to the throne in order to prevent Athaliah from wiping out the entire royal bloodline. (Isn’t it interesting to see how God has a way of making sure his promises will come true as he preserved the line of David?)

Time passes, and Athtaliah, who was the mother of the dead King, has made herself Queen of Judah (the only female queen to occupy the throne of Judah). But six years later, in steps the godly priest known as Jehoiada, and he knows about the one remaining son (named Joash) who has been hidden for six years. He courageously rallies some of the faithful, believing commanders in Judah’s army and they go around and collect a group of Levite priests spread throughout the Kingdom. They find Joash (now 7 years old) and take him to the temple in Jerusalem and anoint him as King. It is a big deal with lots of noise, and when the wicked Queen Athaliah hears the noise, she comes running to see what all the hubbub is about.

When she entered the temple, she finds the people rejoicing and blowing trumpets as they celebrate the newly anointed King, and she is furious as you can imagine. She tears her clothes (a sign of angst) and shouts “Treason! Treason!” Just then Jehoiada the faithful priest orders that the Queen be removed from the house of God and put to death, and the wicked Queen meets her demise in public. Literally, the wickedness is removed from the kingdom of Judah.

And then we read this:

“And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they should be the LORD's people. “ (2 Chronicles 23:16)

They subsequently removed all the sinful idols from the land, tore down the altars to Baal, and began worshipping the LORD again. The young King Joash grew, and Jehoiada the high priest became his advisor. And during this time, there was abundant favor and blessing that came upon the King and the land, as the Kingdom of Judah began to worship the One True God once again. Even the house of God was repaired and restored. For it had fallen in disrepair due to years of neglect. And text tells us that,

…they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD regularly all the days of Jehoiada. (2 Chronicles 24:14)

What a powerful story which gives us a brief glimpse at a godly man. This high priest, Jehoiada, was bold and courageous. He was willing to take a stand against evil and he successfully lead God’s people into a season of repentance from sin while calling them to an obedient life that honored and worshipped God. He lived a rich and long life, dying at the age of 130. And in honor of his life, the people of Judah buried him in Jerusalem alongside previous kings (an almost unheard of privilege since only Kings were allowed to be buried there.)

Oh how encouraged I was to see what a godly “pastor” Jehoiada was to the people of Judah. He had no fear, and he believed that God’s favor was uniquely linked to obedience to God’s Word – both for the King and for all of God’s people. He further poured himself into those who were leaders, and God brought about reformation and revival as they worshipped God together.

For pastors who wish to see God’s blessing on their congregations, they would do well to follow in the footsteps of godly shepherds like Jehoiada. Point people to Christ, give them the Word of God and godly counsel, and pour yourself into fellow leaders who along with you will help shepherd God’s flock under your care. And your life will be honored by both God and man.

Yet, in a frightening twist to our story, as soon as Jehoiada died, some of the ungodly princes of Judah who had not repented and turned back to God resurfaced again, and they came and flattered the king by paying homage to him. The young King Joash listened to their advice, and fell away from God. Yes, it seems that when one listens to bad counsel, it is only a matter of time before corruption sets in. Whether it was the wicked Athaliah’s counsel to her son the King before his untimely death, or Joash the new boy King who was ambushed with bad advice after the death of the Jehoiada, the godly high priest. Who one listens to is important.

Who do you listen to? Where do you seek counsel? Where do you turn for advice? Are they godly people? Are their views shaped by biblical convictions? Do their lives model faithfulness to God and His ways? These are all things that we have to question as we choose who we befriend and seek counsel from. For as Paul warned, “bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor. 15:33).

I have been fortunate to have had several different “Jehoiada’s” in my life, men who are full of the Spirit who have given me wise counsel. And by God’s grace, I hope to become one myself.

Meeting a True Shepherd

2010-05-19T09:08:00.003-04:00

I am up north this week enjoying Pastors Conference at Moody Bible Institute. I love Moody’s conference because they do such a good job of ministering to the pastor’s soul, whereas many other conferences I’ve been to in recent years have been all about ideological battles that have been seeking to engage the mind. To be fair, those issues are critical and important but sometimes you just need to take a break from that and let your soul just sing and soak in God’s presence. That’s how I feel at Moody.

I met a man yesterday who was sitting alone in the chapel at Moody in between sessions who was in his mid-60’s and has been a pastor for some 39 years. He was now close to retirement. He was a delightful, winsome man with a genuine spirit that you knew had been seasoned and prayed up for quite some time. His pleasant tone was surely that of a shepherd. And I thought to myself…this is what I want to look like in 25 years.

He had stories to tell of God’s goodness and grace, as well as human struggles that are naturally a part of serving in ministry. He’d seen God move in his life and ministry in so many ways. He’d seen bouts of great victory and depths of deep sin in the church over his some 40 years of ministry. No doubt his heart was a little tired but was once again getting renewed. His elders had given him a sabbatical to enjoy some peace and rest, and Moody conference was a part of that gift.

I found myself in deep admiration of this man, and before our hour long conversation ended, I told him that guys like him were heroes to 40 year old pastors like me. To see his perseverance in ministry and his heart for the church was inspiring at so many levels. And though I did not really know him I thanked him. I thanked him for running the race with faithfulness to the Gospel and to the Lord’s people. And as I thanked him, I saw tears well up in his eyes. His soft heart was wide open before me, and it was a beautiful sight. A true shepherd. A real soldier. A faithful minister. A humble man. A man of greatness, courage, and strength. I am glad I met him. I hope someday to be just like him.

Baptism in the New Testament

2010-03-31T14:09:00.015-04:00

The Bible mentions the word baptism numerous times in the New Testament, and depending upon context, it can have a variety of meanings. Therefore, it is important for the believer to understand what we mean by the term baptism. Usually, when we speak of baptism today in the church, we refer mainly to “water baptism” that takes place after someone has made a profession of faith in Christ (see picture at right). However, it is important to note that in other places in Scripture there may be something else being referred to other than what we normally understand. Let’s start this blog series by looking at three understandings of baptism that we don’t normally think of.

1) John’s Baptism [John the Baptist] – Matthew 3:1-11; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-18; John 1:19-28.

John’s ministry was primarily two-fold. First, his role in redemption history is that of a messenger, where he prophetically announced to all Israel the arrival of their long awaited Messiah (see especially, John 1:31). Second, John’s ministry also included what was known as a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mk. 1:4). This baptism was provided so that Israel might prepare themselves spiritually for the new work of God that was to be seen in the ministry of Jesus. The baptism was performed after repentance and confession, and the baptism served as a symbolic proclamation of spiritual cleansing and setting oneself apart (consecration) for God. (cf. Ex. 19:10-11) It was a call to holiness, righteousness, and repentance, whereby many responded.

Further, the baptism that John performed was a one-time event in Israel’s history in preparation for the Messiah. However, the message and principle of repentance is still an essential element of saving faith and should be an ongoing expression of the Christian life where one seeks to set oneself apart from sin. For even today as Christians, though we are forgiven and are ongoing recipients of God’s grace, we still struggle with the flesh, and God’s call for us to embrace holiness ought to be a daily pursuit. Dr. Wayne Grudem helps us understand the nature of repentance in his helpful definition: “Repentance is a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.” Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 713.

2) The Baptism of Jesus – The announcement from both heaven and earth of the Messianic mission and an example for us to follow. – Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34.

Jesus’ baptism was not a baptism of repentance but was rather to be seen as an official announcement or affirmation of several things. For example, Jesus’ baptism served as…

A) an affirmation of the ministry of John the Baptist, his message of repentance, and the standard of righteousness he was calling Israel to embrace.

B) an opportunity for Jesus to express his commitment to live a life of perfect obedience to the will of God and to the godly standard of righteousness that John was calling other people to.

C) a way to express his willingness to identify with sinners and to submit to things that were meant for sinners only. Ultimately this would foreshadow and find its greatest expression in Jesus’ death on the cross, where a sinless man willingly took on the just punishment for human sin.

D) an example for us, as we likewise express our desire before the entire believing community to be set apart for God and follow his will.

E) the divine announcement of Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy as the Messiah (see Isaiah 42:1-4; Psalm 2:7) and coronation of the King of Kings for His anointed and powerful ministry on the earth. [Note: Jesus was filled with the Spirit before this moment, and so the visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s descent upon Jesus served as an expression of God’s special anointing].

Jesus’ baptism also gives us some practical things to consider. First, it communicates the importance of making a commitment to obey God and to seek and live out His will for our lives. Second, it calls us to recognize Jesus for who He really is (the King, our Savior, and Lord) and to give him the rightful reign in our hearts as we share in the blessings of His kingdom. And then finally, the text communicates the value of affirmation (in this text – Jesus’ affirmation of John the Baptist and God the Father’s affirmation of the Incarnated Son of God) and provides us with an example of how we ought to proactively affirm the ones we love, especially as we see them following the will of God.

3) The Baptism With/In the Holy Spirit – The mark of the beginning of the Christian life. – Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John: 1:33; 1 Cor. 12:12-13.

In the Gospels we learn that Jesus would be the one who would perform what is known as a baptism in/with the Holy Spirit on all those who are true believers and who have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. This baptism is not a literal water baptism, but is an unseen "spiritual baptism" given at the beginning of the Christian life at our conversion whereby we are spiritually washed, spiritually made alive or born again with the Spirit (Titus 3:5), adopted into the family of God, justified, and incorporated into the body of Christ (“the Church,” 1 Cor. 12:13). One example of the power of the baptism with the Holy Spirit is found in our ability to make a break with the sinful life that we were once enslaved to, thanks to the indwelling Holy Spirit that is now at work within us. Indeed, the Holy Spirit was active at times in the Old Testament, even empowering, enabling, and filling a select few leaders in Israelite history. However, we do not see Him baptizing and indwelling all who believe like we see in the New Testament, and so we are a blessed people to be living by faith in this age.

Though we see the baptism with the Holy Spirit happening at Pentecost where 120 believers were speaking in foreign tongues, we understand this to be a transitional time in biblical history where the Spirit of God was first poured out in fullness at the dawning of the New Covenant or Church age (Acts 1:5). The purpose of speaking in tongues was that it was to be a sign for non-believing Jews (cf. 1 Cor. 14:22) that the kingdom of God was breaking into the world in great power and that Jesus was indeed their promised Messiah. Since this was a one-time transitional event in biblical history, we should not expect this to be the pattern for us today. In addition, Paul argues that we experience our baptism in the Holy Spirit at conversion (1 Cor. 12:13).

However, there does seem to be times today when the Holy Spirit will cause a Christian to go through a big moment or time of spiritual growth, where someone may experience a powerful movement of God in their hearts and go through a fresh time of renewal, cleansing, and empowerment for ministry. Yet this should not be understood as an additional baptism in the Holy Spirit since this would contradict Paul’s teaching in 1 Cor. 12:13, where all of us receive the baptism at conversion and are incorporated into the body of Christ. Hypothetically speaking, if some would receive an additional baptism with the Holy Spirit later in their Christian life, then this could set up the potential to have two different classes or categories of Christians -- those that have this additional baptism and those that don’t, and this could lead to a divided church, the very point Paul was arguing against in 1 Cor. 12.

Paul did say to be filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18, but this is simply a command to give the Holy Spirit (whom we have received in fullness at our conversion) more and more control of our lives, daily surrendering to His influence as He causes us to grow and helps us become more like Christ. In other words, to be filled with the Spirit is to increasingly surrender our lives to God’s control.

What a blessing it is to know that we receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit (a gift given to us by Jesus himself) at our moment of conversion, and that we are brought into the kingdom of God, incorporated into the body of Christ, indwelt by the Spirit, justified, cleansed, made spiritually alive (reborn), and begin the process of sanctification (a term used to describe spiritual growth as we become more like Christ in our knowledge, character and lifestyle). Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! NEXT: We will look at the New Testament teaching on believer's baptism by immersion.

New Book Reaches Publication

2010-02-15T15:55:00.007-05:00

I am thankful for a long project that has come to completion with the publication of Love That Rescues: God's Fatherly Love in the Practice of Church Discipline. This work is now available online via Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as the publisher's website, http://www.wipfandstock.com/. You will find it under the tab "new books" and can click on the book to take you to its main page. Below you will find a description of the book as provided by the back cover and some endorsements. It is humbling to see God at work in this, and it is for His glory that this book was written. May it be an aid to the church, and specifically to professors, seminarians, pastors, teachers, and lay leaders who desire to be faithful in presenting the Gospel and living out its implications for all of life.

Book Description:

In an age where "church discipline" has fallen out of favor in the context of many churches, Eric Bargerhuff calls the church to a deeper understanding of its nature and purpose as an expression of God's "fatherly love" towards his people. As a biblically mandated activity instituted by Christ himself in Matthew 18, church discipline is an essential practice of any faithful church that is committed to sharing the Gospel and making disciples.

Tackling some of the false notions and assumptions surrounding church discipline, Bargerhuff sets forth a historical, biblical, theological, and practical position that centers its identity and purpose on a proper understanding of the cross of Christ. Since the punitive wrath of God was poured out for sin on the cross of Jesus Christ (a penal substitutionary atonement), it is therefore necessary to reject the notion that church discipline is "punishment," but rather it should be seen as God's hand of forgiveness and grace extended for the purpose of restoring, reconciling, and rescuing one of his own, a "sheep that has gone astray." It is to be regarded as God's love in the actions of a forgiven and forgiving community.

Endorsements:

"Here is a biblically rooted, theologically formed, and long overdue case for conceiving church discipline as a loving practice of the church. Bargerhuff flies against the prevailing cultural winds that lead most of us, when we hear mention of 'discipline,' to complete the phrase with the other part of Foucault's title: '. . . and punish.' The evangelical church—and not only the evangelical!—desperately needs to recover this neglected church practice as an important means of edification, if not of grace itself."

—Kevin J. Vanhoozer
Blanchard Professor of Theology
Wheaton College Graduate School

"This is a wise, insightful, practical, and theologically rich study of the teaching of the entire Bible about God's loving discipline of his children. It will challenge every church to exercise discipline according to Scripture, lest the church itself fall under God's discipline through unfaithfulness."

—Wayne Grudem
Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies
Phoenix Seminary, Phoenix, Arizona

"Viewing [church discipline] as an incarnate expression of God's fatherly discipline, Bargerhuff helps us understand church discipline as a necessary part of being a forgiven and forgiving community. I recommend this book very highly to all who long to see the church flesh out God's dual commitment to ethical and doctrinal purity and to his forgiving, restoring, rescuing love."

—Steven C. Roy
Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Why Did Jesus Weep?

2010-01-28T16:14:00.011-05:00

So the shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35. We memorized this little bit of trivia when we were kids for all the Bible games and such that we played in "church circles." It reads "Jesus wept," and when you are thinking of the perfect Son of God crying, it surely catches your attention.

So what is this all about?

The Story of Lazarus

Jesus performed a lot of miracles during his ministry. Healed the sick, walked on water, turned water into wine; calmed the storm. But a few of the more dramatic miracles he performed was when he raised people from the dead.

One of those he raised was actually a friend of Jesus, named Lazarus. You see, word had come to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, and would soon die. But instead of running to his bedside quickly to prevent his death, Jesus waited for several more days. Nobody understood why, but Jesus knew.

He wanted to show them the extent of His power. His power over death.

So when he finally did leave to go to Lazarus’ house, Lazarus had already died and was buried. And His sisters were devastated. And this is where the story picks up in the Gospel of John.

^{17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. ²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
²¹ "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
²³ Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
²⁴ Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
²⁵ Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶ and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
²⁷ "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
^{32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴ "Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
³⁵ Jesus wept.}}

That last verse is what puzzles me the most. Jesus wept. Now think about this for a minute. Jesus knew good and well that he was about ready to perform a miracle; that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead in front of the eyes of everyone.

In fact, that’s why he waited – because he knew Lazarus would die and then he would come later and display his power by raising Him from the dead. So… why is he crying? Why is Jesus crying when in a matter of moments the situation would be different, and everybody would be rejoicing? Why does He weep?

You see I believe that Jesus understands the pain and grief that comes with the loss of someone you love, and He was identifying with that pain. He knows what it’s like. He knows the fear. The sting. The empty feeling. The shock. The grief.

So He’s a God we can take comfort in. He’s a God who can relate to us. But more than that, He’s a God who holds power over death. This is the great hope we have as Christians – that

Jesus was willing to identity with us. And the most profound way He did this while on earth was to take our place by being crucified on the cross for our sins, only to once again display power over death by being raised from the dead as well.

Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” And these are the truths that Scripture teaches us. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. If you think about it then, this guy had to die twice! Not cool. But Lazarus was not afraid to die -- for he knew who had the power over death. And so do we -- those who believe.

The Joy of True Friendships

2009-12-17T16:58:00.005-05:00

Over the last two blogs, we have highlighted some of the difficult things that can happen in life concerning friendships. First, it is a reality of life that some friends will walk away from their professed faith for a number of reasons. Secondly, we touched on the fact that Satan seeks to attack and separate true friends, and that we should be overly sensitive to the impact sin can have and protective of our friendships in the body of Christ.

But rather than running the risk of sounding too negative, we will end this three part series on a much more positive note – the value of godly friendship.

There are very few things in life that are more valuable than true godly friendship. The Ancient Proverbs says that “a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Prov. 17:17). It is true that the most meaningful friends are the ones that last through the hardships and triumphs of life, friendships that are based on mutual respect, forgiveness, companionship, trust, and love. A friend is one who can see you for who you really are, ugly warts, sin, and all – and still love you and stick with you no matter what.

These are rare jewels. Rare finds. But the truest friendships are nothing short of miraculous blessings from God. They are relationships that span distances and time. For example, I have some friends in far away places that I haven’t seen in years, but in picking up the phone, we can have a profoundly direct and weighty conversation and can achieve a level of depth almost instantly whereby there is immediate connection, empathy, and mutual understanding. You can be yourself and share your true feelings without being judged or misunderstood. And the encouragement, affirmation, accountability, and affection shared has a way of nourishing the soul instantly.

Your true friends are the ones that are quick to forgive and are not simply in the relationship for what they can get out of it. They aren’t simply sponges, but are those who are committed to giving generously with the primary motive of love. In this way, it is definitely true that the richest and purest friendships on earth are those that are shared between Christians. For the foundation of such friendships is the love of God, the One who has truly defined love for us.

There is an openness and honesty within a great friendship. I recently had a friend tell me that when he talks to me he doesn’t feel like he has to be “on his game” but can actually let his guard down and just be himself, relaxed and transparent. That was such a compliment to me. And the feeling is mutual. I can laugh and make mistakes in front of this friend and he will love me just the same – a true brother. I praise God for him.

It is true that each one of us will at some point be required to give an account of himself to God (Rom. 14:12). And one of the ways that God prepares us for that is by giving us friends here and now to which we can give an account. Like iron sharpening iron, an accountability partner or friend is a must for anyone who wants to live a godly life that pleases God. In this way, the wisdom of Ecclesiastes is put into practice. For Solomon wrote,

^{ECC 4:10} If one falls down,his friend can help him up.But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! ¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? ¹² Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Indeed, Christians must have accountability relationships and friendships. But in order to have such a friend, you must first begin by having a willingness to be such a friend. You have to be willing to open your life and heart to someone else. You must learn the value of and practice unconditional love, selfless giving, and humility yourself. If you do this, you will find that you will acquire a great many friends, ones that will last a lifetime. And you will be best prepared to be the kind of friend that people want.

Speaking metaphorically, Aristotle said that a friend is like “a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” I like that picture, for it shows how yoked together two friends really are. “Soul mates” as we would say.

Commit yourself to being the kind of friend that somebody would want to have. Loyal, true, open, honest, with a true servant's heart -- full of love. As you walk with the Spirit, you will overflow with God’s love and this will enrich your relationships. In fact, you will see the quality of your friendships increase, and the numbers thereof as well. Therefore, the depth of your relationship with God will directly impact the quality of the friendship that someone may find in you.

God truly blesses Christian friendships. May you find this to be true in your life as you walk with the Lord this Christmas season. Hold on to your friends. Love them unconditionally, and in doing so you, yourself will be blessed.

When Satan Attacks Friendships - Friends that Fall Away from Each Other

2009-12-16T17:15:00.004-05:00

In keeping with the similar theme of my last blog, it is another human reality (and a tragic one at that) to have friendships that become strained and even come to an end during the course of one's life. Even good Christian friendships slip in this regard, such that all Christians should be on their guard against it. I recently heard a sermon by one of my favorite preachers, Dr. James MacDonald, and in his message he said he has been absolutely stunned by how even Christians “burn bridges” with one another. (See his message series entitled “Balcony People Build Bridges” available on his podcast).

In true Christian circles, the theme should be “once a friend, always a friend.” But personal agendas, fear, pride, critical spirits, inappropriate judging, jealousy, selfishness, hypocrisy, misunderstandings, poor communication, control battles, private sins, and unmet expectations are often the majority of reasons for much of the relationship tensions, withdrawals, and severances that happen today among Christian friends. (I'm sure there are other things that I didn't mention that could be added.)

Now I never thought I would borrow the overused song lyric from the 80’s coined by Michael W. Smith, but it is true that friends should be friends forever “if the Lord’s the Lord of them.” Instead of “bridge burners,” Christians should be filled with such grace that they should be continual “bridge builders.” MacDonald talked about the fact that many times he’s had friends who have distanced themselves and broken off the friendship even though he never did, stating “there’s some people that I wish would be friends with me but they won’t anymore, though I’m still willing.”

Now people change. Let’s be real here. And when that happens, relationships are bound to change. No one is saying that the level of reciprocating affection in a relationship will always remain constant or increasing. I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation. People move away. Interests change. Shared experiences don’t always happen every day. Differences in opinion and preferences occur. But at the baseline level, there should always be an ongoing cordiality, spiritual and relational connection, and a genuine friendly interest in someone else’s life within the circle of all Christians. If we are truly committed to forgiveness like we say we are, then friendships should always stay in tact to some degree. We are family -- brothers and sisters for eternity, equally saved by grace.

It is when “roots of bitterness” take hold, based on any number of reasons, that relationships can crash like the stock market. The writer of Hebrews said, “see to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:15) Any of the sins I mentioned above in paragraph two could lead to bitterness that causes relational trouble and defilement. But it’s interesting to note that the Scriptures here give indication that relationships that fail not only affect the immediate parties, but they can affect the whole community of faith. One friendship that tanks can bring many others down with it.

Therefore we must be overly protective and supportive of each other and careful with our friendships in the body of Christ, lest we give the devil a foothold. These are people with whom we will spend eternity, and so we better seek to maintain them here on earth. Thus the emphasis on reconciliation among believers by Jesus (Matt. 5:23-24; Matt. 18:15-17) and even among the Apostles (e.g. Eph. 4:25-32; Col. 3:12-14; 1 Pet. 4:8-9) was meant to preserve what God has chosen to build, namely, his church. Surely there are people in the church that we will like more and relate better to than others – BUT we must be on guard against “cliques,” preferential prejudices, judgmental sarcasm, and stereotyping within the body of Christ. God has meant for all of us to embrace each other as brothers and sisters, being patient and forgiving and friendly to one another. At the heart of such success in relationships is the virtue of humility, the kind of humility modeled by Jesus who stooped down as a servant to wash the feet of his disciples. In fact, I would argue that humility as at the root of thriving relationships among Christians.

Perhaps this is why Jesus is now willing to call each of us his friends (John 15:14-15), because he was willing to abandon status and privilege and embrace a humble life, and in doing so made many eternal “friendships” that are based on the principles of reconciliation and forgiveness, a reconciliation and forgiveness that he himself provided for in his death on the cross.

So guard your friendships. They are precious. Be a person of grace. Seek forgiveness and reconciliation if needed. Protect the reputation and unity of the body of Christ. Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought. Embrace an attitude of humility. Seek mutual understanding. Give someone the benefit of the doubt. Be the mature one who is never willing to withdraw unless it is clear you have to for biblical reasons (1 Cor. 5:11). And above all, put on love, which always binds believers together for all eternity. These friendships we have in Christian circles have been forged by God, and what God has joined together, let no one or no thing separate.

When Friends Fall Away or Walk Away From the Faith

2009-12-07T17:22:00.004-05:00

Many seasoned Christians will tell you that if you live long enough, you are bound to have friends that fall away from the faith. Friends who, for no apparent reason, walk away from what they have professed to believe for years, or who fall into a certain line of teaching that is clearly unbiblical. Others fall prey to temptation and shipwreck their faith and witness. It is a sad sight to see, a grievous reality, but not uncommon.

What are we to make of this? How are we to respond?

First, we would do well to be reminded that this is not something new. The Apostle Paul often mourned the loss of friends and partners in ministry, as there were some who embraced false teaching, some who fell prey to the love of money, some who simply were caught up in worldliness, the list could go on. Among them are names like Demas (2 Tim. 4:9) and Phygelus and Hermogenes (2 Tim. 1:15). Especially painful for Paul was the desertion of many who were unwilling to support him when times got tough. Yet even then Paul was willing to forgive – his love for them held fast saying, “may it not be held against them.” (2 Tim. 4:16)

The Apostle John, one of the inner three disciples of Christ who perhaps lived the longest and saw the longest portion of the church’s early history, reported that some people who refused to remain in the faith actually proved that they had never truly been converted and incorporated into the church. He wrote:

“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” ~1 John 2:19

Others who have not been trained, lack discernment gifts, or grounding in sound theology can also be easily swayed by experiences or cultural trends that they are unable to sort out through a biblical lens or put in proper perspective. When this happens the impact of such dramatic experiences may cause them to question their underlying assumptions of what they’ve traditionally been taught or it may cause them to find a way to reinterpret the Scriptures to support their experience. In either case they may leave the church.

Surely everything that we’ve taught should be tested – but if it’s truth it should pass the test. The true danger lies in having “an experience” with God and rather than using the Word of God as a filter to interpret it, the person finds a way to discover a proof text and twist the Scripture out of its proper context in order to legitimize what they “already believe and are convinced of.”

It has been my experience that cultural, societal, and political trends have had a huge impact on the church’s reading of Scripture and the implementation of church practice. Surely this is true of every age to some degree, but I think it has been much worse on the evangelical church in America today.

But to our main point, this is why some friends have wandered off into bad teaching or poor church practice or have left the church altogether due to experiences that they have been ill-equipped to handle, sort out, or interpret.

Further, though the church should always be prayerfully seeking reform, it is true that there are some discontented Christians who are so fed up with the church for one reason or another that their cynical spirits and bitter attitudes have driven them into areas of belief and church practice that are clearly out of bounds in a biblical sense. Unfortunately, they may lack the grace and maturity to patiently reason with one another, and as a result they would rather distance themselves and go their own way. A sad but common reality, and relationships can be severed.

And then finally, some have not rejected the faith so much as they have rejected the church because of a horrible experience or a lack of grace that they may have encountered from immature believers who did not know how to handle someone else’s sin, failures, or differences in perspective. Some of these people take years to recover from something like this – and it is not always their fault. But it still results in a rejection of the “community of faith.”

So the three reasons we’ve covered are this (and they are not meant to be exhaustive): Some fall away relationships or the church because they never really believed in the first place. Some fall away because they are ill prepared or equipped to handle winds of bad teaching or experiences that they do not know how to interpret biblically. And then finally, some have walked away simply because they’re angry and impatient or have legitimately been hurt. They don’t have the energy to persevere or desire to forgive.

So what is our response? Love. Sympathy. Grace. Humility. Patience. While at the same time, we should be committed to prayer for them, always willing to engage and embrace, and prepared to defend the faith. Perhaps in some cases we should even be apologetic if the friend was genuinely hurt for unjustifiable reasons. Live long enough, and this will undoubtedly happen to you. But we must remember, that the kind of Christ-like love we are called to is the kind of radical love that imitates our Savior, the One who loved us even while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8). If our loving God was willing to leave the comforts and privileges of heaven to come here and sacrificially give his life towards those who were hostile to him, how much more should we seek to love those who have turned, walked away from, or rejected us, the church, or the faith for one reason or another?

Don’t give up on them. No matter what. Keep preaching, speaking, and living the Gospel. Pray, and love unconditionally. Be prepared to give an answer for the hope you have, and season everything with grace. You may “win your brother or sister over.”

"The Already Not Yet" Aspect of the Christian Life

2009-11-25T16:07:00.005-05:00

The Christian’s dilemma could be best characterized by the “already not yet” reality of the Christian life. As those who have trusted in Christ for our salvation, we stand before God in a positional state of “grace” (Romans 5:1-2). What this means is that we are no longer condemned, exonerated from wrath, covered by the blood of Jesus, promised an inheritance, and so forth. That’s the “already” aspect of being saved.

But then there is the “not yet.” Here in this life, we still struggle with the flesh, a battle with sin that reminds us that we are not yet perfect, nor ever will be in this life. We must rely on God’s ongoing forgiveness and grace and the empowerment of the Spirit to have any measure of victory over our sin. So as Paul said, we “press on,” we labor and strive to be holy and set apart for God. In Philippians 2, Paul says we should “continue to work out” our salvation. Not work for, but work out. We don’t earn our salvation, rather we are to demonstrate that we’ve received it by faith and that this Spirit-led faith compels us to change and grow spiritually. In other words, we seek to become like Jesus in character and conduct, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, seek to win souls and conform our lives to God’s will.

In sum, we are saved by grace, we stand in grace, and we grow spiritually by God’s grace which we need everyday in our lives. In one sense we are perfect in our standing before God, but still in the practical sense, not yet freed from our ongoing battle with sin. This is why we still need “daily grace” to forgive and cover our sin. Thanks be to God who gives us that abundantly.

Heart and Hands - What I Want to Copy and Paste from Jesus

2009-11-14T19:59:00.004-05:00

I have found that after several years of ministry that there is no replacing personal time with God and a personal touch with people. As for the former, there is much to discover within the recesses of God's heart that cannot be discovered by mere experience but only in private consultation. I see his character within the pages of His revelation, but until I have stopped to ponder it over and again in my mind, I no nothing of it in any real tangible sense. It's just knowledge until it sinks deeper into my soul and takes root and shows itself in my consciousness, motives, and intentional activities. Perhaps this is what is meant by "participating in the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4). Not merely an awareness of God but a partnership and fellowship within the secret activities of the heart. Perhaps I am never more like God than when I am simply with him, enjoying the sweetness of joy that comes from a conversation that saturates the dry parts of my soul. This is where he reveals to me his heart in such a way that it changes mine. Truly this is what Brother Lawrence meant when he wrote "Practicing the Presence of God." I've noticed that even the Savior himself went up to the mountainside to pray. There's nothing like recharging with the Father. I want to know his heart.

As for the latter, God has been reminding me of what really matters in ministry. Nothing replaces quality time, purposeful interest, active listening, genuine encouragement, and timely follow-up. These are the things that touch the hearts of people. It expresses care and love, and it cannot be substituted in any way. It is the heart of a shepherd that people crave. For whether we pastors know it or not, we represent in some mysterious way the Chief Shepherd in a surrogate sense. We are "under shepherds," entrusted with the flock of God to whom we will give an account. And people can see right through us. They can sniff out a fake. But for the one who is the real deal, they will be quick to entrust their lives to you because they know you care.

How have I represented him? Have I shown others his heart? Do I reflect His compassion and come alongside others with an empathy and sympathy that would communicate His presence? These are the questions I must ponder. They are gripping. And I'm afraid that there are times when I fall way short of His holy calling. Paul said, "who is equal to such a task?" I know what he meant. And I know what Jesus meant when he said, "apart from me you can do nothing."

The temptation to do ministry "in the flesh" is there daily. Pride is a constant battle as I'm sure it is for most people. One must intentionally humble oneself to be used rightly. It's not that one should just pray for humility, but rather one must knowingly seek to place oneself in a humble state, looking for a way to lower oneself. God intentionally came to earth not as a man but as a baby. It was a purposeful choice. He pondered his path and took the low road. That's what we all must do. That, in some slight way, may be what Paul meant when he said that Jesus "emptied himself" (Phil. 2) -- he did not consider his equality with God something to use to his advantage, but became like one of us (except for sin). He went into the trenches with people, touched the untouchable, consoled the unconsolable, listened to those overlooked, gave grace and attention to those who called out for help, and did it all with dirty feet and unwashed hair. He also gave his life away...

That's what a shepherd does, and that's how he should minister to his flock. Lord make me like that. Make me like you in prayer, and make me like you with people.

A Powerful Definition of Christian Counseling

2009-11-04T11:26:00.003-05:00

I ran across this definition of what it means to receive counseling in the church by John Piper, and I felt it was instructive, insightful, and encouraging to share with you. May you be the "church in action" today on this weekday -- encouraging each other daily as the Day approaches.

"What is counseling? The God-centered, Bible-saturated, emotionally in-touch use of language to help people become God-besotted, Christ-exalting, joyfully self-forgetting lovers of people. Biblical counsel does not direct people to esteem themselves – it directs them to esteem God, and doing this means waging war. A Sunday sermon isn’t enough; neither is a weekly small group. To persevere in this fight, we are to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). Hebrews teaches us that perseverance is essential in salvation, and that it is a community project. Satisfy your soul in the ultimate Treasure so you move away from comfort and toward need; fight for the salvation of your brothers and sisters in Christ; hold fast to the faith; encourage one another." ~ John Piper

Speaking with Passion on What's Most Important

2009-11-03T11:38:00.005-05:00

Recently I preached a series of messages on the Christian’s relationship to the governing authorities. It is not a subject that I am deeply endeared to but felt compelled to preach on as a result of encountering Jesus’ statement, “render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” in Mark 12. In this statement Jesus legitimized human government, and in Romans 13 Paul expanded on it to teach us that government is something that God has sovereignly established on earth for the purpose of governing society, rewarding the good and punishing the bad, while providing a sense of restraint to evil and order to a sinful world.

His was not a statement of endorsement of all that an earthly government does, but merely an affirmation that God is the One who has established it for his sovereign purposes. Surely though, government exists for our good in the general sense even when it is not operated by godly people or is advocating biblical perspectives and policies.

It seems that on every street corner in this country the subject of politics, postmodern cultural warfare, economic and foreign policy, and health care are on the lips and minds of all who are alive and breathing. Opinions are as varied and strong as ever. The past two elections have seen more participation than in much of recent American history, and the intensity of the conversations and emotional weight that is thrown into them seems to be at all time high. I am a bit jealous of the intensity, to be honest, wishing that all Christians were mimicking it in our righteous living and in our conversations to all about how the cross saves believing sinners.

In a time like this, I believe that Christians have reached some fertile soil for sharing their faith. The firm foundation of absolute truth is a needed ointment to the disease of cultural relativism. People are longing for something stable, something true, something to believe in that is a much needed fix to the brokenness they are experiencing in the world, and they are fast coming to the conclusion that no political entity or process is going to be their salvation any time soon, no matter who is in charge.

We know the real truth however, that there is no salvation to be found in any earthly institution or authority, but rather true salvation is found only in the name of Jesus Christ. We don't need political salvation, but spiritual salvation. And this is where the blindness of Satan has captured many. For they think that if the economy is right, war is eradicated, and their political preferences all line up and are in place, that their lives are going to be profoundly fulfilled. They forget that spiritual matters are more important than anything else. And they don’t see that the personal sin issue is the biggest one of all.

All of what we see in the world comes right back to this. The spiritual nature of these earthly battles cannot be overlooked. There is a spiritual war going on here. The economic, cultural, social, and literal wars we are going through are merely symptoms of that greater spiritual warfare that hovers over them all. And without the right spiritual resolution, these things will only get worse. It could very well be that the common grace that God has used to restrain sin is being lifted a bit so that our world system is all the more in line with that which is described to come at the end.

I am no predictive prophet, but the feeling I have is that the time is short. The ground is fertile, and Christians need to be speaking God’s truth with a little more courage, purposefulness, and intensity than before. Come on Christian! Stand up. Proclaim the truth – speak the Gospel daily. Talk about the cross. Talk about forgiveness. Show unbridled love, a contagious joy, and an excitement about Christ.

Don’t despair. Don’t lose hope, and don’t place that hope in earthly temporal processes and institutions. Should we be voting and talking to our leaders about matters of right and wrong? Absolutely. We should do this as God has given us the miraculous freedom to do so. We should use the resources given to us to speak about matters of truth in areas such as abortion, medical ethics, marriage, and so on. Since these effect areas where we live, we must be engaged. Not consumed, but engaged. God’s truth is timeless and eternal, and is the standard by which all will be judged. So we better be speaking it with regard to all the practical areas of life. And to do this effectively we must also know our Bibles and know what God’s truth is (a plug for more biblical study).

There are some who spend all their days on the computer forwarding emails about political issues that bash this or that leader while their Bible sits on a shelf and their neighbors suffer in silence because no one is relationally loving and reaching out to them. My brethren, these things should not be. Merely making the world moral through political policies is not our ultimate goal – saving souls who are hell-bound without the Gospel of God’s grace is. This does not dismiss us or silence us from engaging on moral issues, it just rearranges our priorities so that the spiritual comes first in our minds before the earthly and temporal. And don't you think it might be important that before we speak one word about political issues in the coffee shop or the workplace, we must have already spoken ten words about Christ to our family members – our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandchildren, and anyone else in our close quarters.

Remember this, God is in control of history. And He may be setting this world system up for His return. He is not responsible for evil, man is – but God orchestrates everything for His ordained ends. And He has commanded us to “hold on loosely” to this world and to go preach the Word! Go Christian – get up, get out there, and live and love radically for Christ. Fear not! The Lord is with you. He is mighty to save! (Zeph. 3:17)

An Often Overlooked but Critical Moment

2009-09-29T16:08:00.005-04:00

The Reality of the Resurrection
It’s Meaning for the True Believer

1. It means that God is not dead, or that He’s some impersonal force, or simply an idol or inanimate object that I bow to.

Instead, the Christian God is alive, personal, real, knowable, and we are able to relate to Him through repentance and faith.

2. It means that God is true to His promises.

The Bottom Line: I can trust God.

3. It reminds me that I should never fear death.

Someday in the future, I will rise from the dead.

4. God’s power that He used to raise Jesus from the dead is the same power that He is using to change me, giving me new spiritual life in through faith in Him.

5. Since God accepted Christ’s perfect life and perfect sacrifice and put His stamp of approval on it by raising Him from the dead, so I can trust that God has made me acceptable in His sight through faith in Him.

6. The reality of Easter Sunday means my life should be filled with joy, with thanksgiving, with worship and praise. It means that I can live victoriously even now over sin.

7. It means that God’s plan of redemption for this world is being brought to intended Goal, and for those who believe this will become a reality that they too will participate in.

Evangelical Christianity, Premarital Sex, and Early Marriage

2009-08-10T15:58:00.011-04:00

Through my experiences as a pastor, I have become increasingly concerned about the situation our younger generation of Christians are facing when it comes to marriage, premarital sex, schooling, careers, etc. They are growing up in a culture where the struggle of relationships, and specifically premarital sex is itself a daily battle. But first, let’s get a few operating assumptions and facts out of the way.

1) The Bible says that any sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage is not honoring to God – ok, let’s call it what it is – its sin. Why? Because that part of life was meant to find expression in a lifelong commitment to a spouse. It is a natural and healthy part of a growing, monogamous, marriage relationship. Sex is not evil, it is God-ordained and healthy, but like a fire in the fireplace it must be kept in its context or else it can be destructive. Thus we believe in abstinence before marriage.

2) Secondly, we live in a way too sexually explicit culture. Need I say more? It is a battle every day for young people. From every angle, they are pressured and taught lies about sex, and the casual nature of it that is portrayed in the media outlets of television, movies, and the internet has led many down the wrong path. It is sooo tough for so many young people today.

3) Third, couples are waiting much longer to get married than ever before. A recent survey said that the average median age for first marriages in the United States is now age 26 for women and age 28 for men.

Now having said all this – I have a few thoughts to consider. Doesn’t all of the above facts make for the “perfect storm” when it comes to the battle that our younger generation of Christians go through when it comes to sexual temptation and premarital sex?

The pressures are so intense. The hormones are so intense. The battle with what one can do and what one can’t do in a dating relationship and be “technically” honoring to God is so intense. But to be honest, I think there is a greater issue at stake here in all of this. And I think it has to do with our views on marriage in general -- and this is the main intent of this blog.

So the question for consideration is this. Why is it that we insist that they need to be “done with school, financially secure, and on a career path” before they consider the idea of marriage? Can that be defended biblically?

Side note -- this is not to say that people who are in their late 20’s or early 30’s who are single are in any way wrong for being in that spot – it may not be God’s will for them to marry just yet, or at all. But they will be the first to tell you that it’s not easy and that they need God’s grace every day to be patient and focused on God.

In the Bible young people were married much earlier than they are now. The “Virgin Mary” was most likely in her early to mid teens when betrothed to Joseph. (It had much to do with the Jewish view of procreation, blessing, and the ability to have children). I’m not suggesting that this should be the Christian norm today, for certainly we live in a different culture and different time. We don’t need to arrange marriages at age 14. But is there some merit to avoiding all the battles we sometimes face by getting married a little earlier than we currently do?

I think so. I was 25 and my wife was 19 when we got married. My parents were 21 and 19. Now someone may say – “19?!!! Wow, that’s a little young – don’t you think they should grow up a little more and finish school first?”

My answer is this – not necesarily. I think it's possible that we've simply put a strong cultural prerequisite on them. It is true that in some cases it may be wise to wait, but we cannot make that a blanket expectation that is true for every young couple who thinks that God is leading them to marriage. Long engagements are hard, for it is natural for couples to come together emotionally, spiritually, socially, and physically all at the same time. And when we tell them that they have to wait on this one part while the wedding is two or three years away – boy that’s tough!

Though there are challenges and some cons to the argument for early marriage, I believe that there are some definite pros that we are overlooking.

1) Sometimes being dirt poor is a good thing. And young couples who get married early are not usually rolling in the dough. They are forced to make sacrifices. They are forced to cling tight to one another, make important decisions together, battle their tendencies to be materialistic, etc. And all of that is a good thing. You may have to live off of borrowed furniture for a while, eat off paper plates, drive an old Honda. This just might be the situation God wants for them in order to develop in that young couple a deeper conviction about God, money, and trusting in Him for what they need rather than what they want all the time?

2) I think when we get older we get more stuck in our ways, and perhaps even more selfish. Getting married early can help with that problem, for it forces us to grow up together. We learn to compromise, making sacrifices for each other. There is no doubt that maturing socially, spiritually, and relationally together brings a bond to the relationship that sets it up for surviving the long haul. Many older couples who married early can attest to this benefit. Growing together spiritually at an early age has tremendous benefits. Biblical convictions can be cultivated together and most young students in their early 20's can catch on fire for God as they are in the midst of considering their life calling.

There is something to be said about a young couple getting married in school, working and paying for their education, growing together, being dirt poor for the first couple years, growing together, learning to live within their means, growing together…oh, did I mention growing together? Yes, that's what they do.

Don’t misinterpret this. No one should rush into marriage. Some who do, regret it later. One must be fully convinced of discerning God’s will before doing so. And like I said before, those who are single in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s can surely be blessed by God. Not all need to or should marry. Each one must consider their own giftedness and unique calling or place in life. And Paul did in fact commend singleness, saying that it can be a gift. So I’m not saying the early marriage or marriage in general is the ideal for everybody.

But what I am saying is that we should be very careful about the cultural prerequisites that we put on young Christian couples when a relationship gets serious and seems to be heading towards marriage, being especially mindful of the sexual temptation our young people face today. Sometimes early marriage is a better option, even if it means life is tough for a while. They may not be as tempted and they may grow up faster because of it.

No, we should not get married just so we can have sex. That’s crazy. But when we get married much later in life, get ready for an emotional and physical battle until that day comes. To be sure, with God’s grace it can be done, but perhaps much of the struggle can be left behind if we are willing to consider the alternative and leave our biases behind.

Another topic for consideration -- Where are the men? We have lots of godly young women who are looking for godly young men? But where are they? I think in some sense the church has utterly failed in this. To be sure, men themselves have failed in this. I have intense compassion for the women in our church who are bright, spiritually strong, single, who wish to get married but who look around and find nothing. But that’s another topic for another blog.

If one some point you think differently than I do on these things, then please see Philippians 3:15b. I’m not being contentious, but I see the battle every day in the lives of our younger Christians. Let’s pray for them, shall we?

--------------------------------------------------

While writing this blog, I discovered a recent article about this, and it argues my point much more thoroughly and better than I do. Might I encourage you to read Mark Regnerus’ recent article in Christianity Today magazine (August 2009) entitled, “The Case for Young Marriage.” It, in my opinion, is a powerful read. You can read the article here:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/august/16.22.html

In reading it, I feel affirmed in what I was thinking. And for further critique and comment on Regnerus’ article and early marriage, see also Al Mohler’s commentary at…

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=4161

What Faith IS and What it is NOT

2009-07-30T16:56:00.003-04:00

How much do we really live by faith? Do we live the kinds of lives that really require us to exercise a certain amount of faith or do we base our goals and lifestyles on goals that are very achievable on the human level, within our own power? And further, can faith be merely equivocated with risk taking?

The most important aspect of faith is its object. If God is the object of faith, then it is faith. Why? Because God is fact. God is certain. God is absolute. If an educated guess or risky living is the definition of living by faith, then we are operating under an unbiblical definition, because the Bible says,

HEB 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

So under that definition, ideas like "confidence, assurance, and certainty" are necessary components to faith. This is only possible if God is the sole object. So that is why we can “live by faith” and not by sight, because we know that God is the author of life, the sustainer of life, is sovereign over all of life, and is the goal of life. So in the end, to live by faith is to trust God with all of life.

Therefore, “taking chances,” “risky investments,” and "counting the odds" are not what it means to take “a leap of faith.” Because in those things, there is no assurance and certainty of anything. Maybe it will work and maybe it won’t. But that’s not faith. Faith involves certainty. We would be much better to call those things “educated guesses.” Nothing wrong with educated guesses – just don’t call it faith.

So practically speaking, to live by faith then is to be certain that God will provide everything I need that He has promised. Not everything I want, but everything I need. We can be certain of that.

MT 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

What We Are All About at Clearwater Community Church

2009-07-29T11:15:00.006-04:00

“Building a Christ-Centered Community to Reach a Community”
Acts 2:42-47

Spreading the Gospel -- Making Disciples (Proclaim and Teach the Word, Prayer) -- Fellowship -- Worship -- Service

We seek to passionately proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and desire to be obedient followers who are deeply committed to worshipping God by growing spiritually into Christ’s likeness and character, fully experiencing the joy and satisfaction of knowing Him.

We strive to be a community of believers that are committed to sharing life with God together, expressing our love and service to others, while living out our faith in a way that runs counter to the present culture.

With the Word of God as our primary authority, our commitment is to pursue lives that are lived under the influence and renewing power of the Holy Spirit, so that in all things God will receive the glory.

Purpose of the Statements

The purpose of the above statements is to restate and reaffirm the historic theological convictions of Clearwater Community Church as it pertains to the ministry of the gospel and the mission of this church body. The statement’s intent is to capture the heart and implications of our message, our ministries, and our focus.

It reflects our convictions about God, Scripture, the purpose of the church, and the nature of the Christian life. It is not meant to serve as a catchy phrase or tag line or to give a comprehensive view of all the means of grace given to the church by God, nor is it meant to be a “how to” statement.

Implications of the Statement for the Present Ministries of Clearwater Community Church

In light of the above affirmations, we resolve:

a) To make the themes of glorifying God, proclaiming and living out the Gospel, the need to pursue spiritual growth while living in the power of the Spirit as primary points of emphasis in all that we do so and say so that we will further develop a culture of sound teaching, discipleship and service here at CCC.

This means that in our teaching and ministry activities we will be committed to using creative language/analogies, using clearly understandable life applications, as well as making regular, consistent appeals that press on our conscience so that we make these themes a priority in how we live our daily lives. This further assumes that we will actively be communicating what we mean by these themes (i.e. this is what it means to glorify God and this is what it looks like to be growing spiritually without becoming legalistic).

b) To communicate and emphasize the importance of small groups as a primary ministry focus of CCC in order to further develop disciples who are growing spiritually, mutually accountable, serving, reaching out, and caring for one another in Christian love.

c) To challenge all existing and future ministries and ministry leaders to evaluate and possibly restructure their major points of emphasis so that it aligns with these priorities and themes.

d) To spend more time talking about the value of making a mutual commitment to these priorities and themes in the context of what it means to be an active member of CCC. Our emphasis must be on a “corporate identity” of people who together are committed to genuine Christian growth (sharing our life with God together through biblical study, prayer, and fellowship), while emphasizing our historic targets of youth, missions, outreach, and evangelism.

Living Theologically in the Church

2009-07-27T16:52:00.010-04:00

One of the primary criticisms that is directed toward the arena of academia is that it often produces material that converses with the theological elite while leaving behind the common layperson who seeks to understand and encounter God throughout their daily lives, and weekly in a place of worship. An unhealthy division of the Christian faith is seemingly promoted between theory and practice. On the flip side, the evangelical Church of today is often guilty of perpetuating this gap when it focuses primarily on attainting an “experience” with God, devoid of any profound theological reflection, dialogue, or foundation

Reflection upon the doctrine of God, his attributes, names, and nature, as well as the ways in which we acquire that knowledge, may be studied in seminaries and Bible colleges, but at times is often thought to be irrelevant by the Christian on the street. However, on the other hand, John Armstrong asserts that the church for too long has been preoccupied “with everything from revivalism to church growth” and “has almost sterilized our schools and churches to serious doctrinal reflection, especially in written form.”[1]

Today, however, there seems to be a desire from both the academy and the church to come together, to increase dialogue, and to share the glorious reality of connecting the mind, the heart, and the daily walk in a more holistic approach to life and theology within the community of faith.

As Paul wrote to Timothy, God has given divine revelation for many purposes, including ones that necessitate doing theology, but the ultimate reason for giving divine revelation and for theologians doing theology is that the people of God may be fitted for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)[2]

Recent theological discussion has taken special notice of how theology, and the doctrine of God in particular, should be understood as more than a mere assent to cognitive truth claims. At its heart, the truth about God must be seen in the lives of each individual Christian and the practical, corporate life of the Church, especially in its worship and concrete, biblical practices.

This is one of the primary arguments and basic assumptions that serve as the foundation for a recent series of essays edited by James J. Buckley and David S. Yeago, found in Knowing the Triune God: The Work of the Spirit in the Practices of the Church. In these essays the authors aim to bring theology and practice together, arguing that biblically speaking there is no such thing as head knowledge of the truth that is divorced from the “faith, worship, and godly life of all who are incorporated into Christ as members of His body.”[3]

Therefore one of the primary goals of theology should not only be to help build and articulate a deeper understanding of the doctrine of God, but to help incorporate such an understanding and its relevance into the life and ministry of the church. In this way, our theology, daily walk, and church life should inform, interact, and shape one another.[4]

Bernard Ramm has pointed out the significance of theology for the Christian life when he writes,

. . .to the evangelical, theology is a matter of life and death, vindication or judgment, to be in the love of God or under the wrath of God. Theology must then be built on the most absolute foundation possible–the revelation of God in Scripture. And that revelation can only be known by the evangelical's becoming an expert in the exegesis of Scripture and a master of its contents.[5]

So the Biblical text and the theology it conveys serve as the absolute foundation and cornerstone of the Christian life and the practices of the church. As Ramm has stated, it's a matter of "life and death." Similarly, Millard Erickson, in speaking of the critical nature of one's theology, emphatically states that "our theological beliefs affect the nature of our relationship with the Lord,” and so theological reflection cannot be separated from encountering or experiencing God and his purposes for us in our daily lives.[6]

Indeed, we are to think biblically and theologically so that we, by God’s grace, may live faithfully and obediently as the children of God in a foreign world. You can’t have one without the other. Why would anyone want to? If you refuse to believe or reflect on the fact that God is sovereign then you will always question whether he has the power to have control over anything that happens in your life. If you think that Scripture may contain historical or scientific errors in it than this may inevitably cause you to question the trustworthiness of God himself, who was said to inspire every word of it. (2 Tim. 3:16) Do you see how important this is? But as we gain knowledge, the knowledge that changes us, let us also live it out with simplicity and fidelity, so that head and heart can go hand in hand. Let us master the basics and dive deeply into the waters of the Word all at the same time as the Spirit will guide us in both. Then we will be living out a healthy spiritual life.

[1]John H. Armstrong, “The Trinity: What and Why?” Reformation and Revival Journal 10, no. 3 (2001): 9.

[2]John S. Feinberg, No One Like Him: The Doctrine of God (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2001), xxiii.

[3]Thomas F. Torrance, The Trinitarian Faith: The Evangelical Theology of the Ancient Catholic Church (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1988), 33; quoted in James J. Buckley and David S. Yeago, eds., Knowing the Triune God: The Work of the Spirit in the Practices of the Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 9.

[4]Our standard for practice should proceed from a biblical theology, derived from a sound literal, grammatical, historical exegesis of the text.

[5]Bernard Ramm, The Evangelical Heritage: A Study in Historical Theology (Waco, Tex.: Word, 1973; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000), 154, emphasis mine.

[6]Millard J. Erickson, Where Is Theology Going? (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 12, emphasis mine.

A Memorial Tribute to a Dear Brother -- Dave Hahn

2009-07-02T15:10:00.003-04:00

At approximately 7:45 AM this morning, our dear friend and brother Dave Hahn stepped into what I like to call, “phase 2 of eternal life.” Our heavenly glory - that future glory that awaits all believers who have trusted in Christ alone for their salvation. It is as real a place as anything ever known – a place where we are more alive than we are today – spiritually alive, spiritually complete, morally perfect and fully aware of being in the Lord’s presence. For Paul said that to be “absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

Dave had an extensive battle with cancer, much more extensive than we would have liked. The way he died has had an effect on all of us, in more ways than one. First, no one would ever pick to have something that is slow and drawn out. But even though Dave passed this way, it truly gave him a platform to speak to so many people about the love of God in Christ. There is a mountain of people who came across this man who are now changed for life because of his love and testimony. We have no idea how many people have been touched for eternity simply by seeing this man stare at the face of death with confidence and assurance of his eternal destiny because of his Christian faith.

Perhaps one of the most healthy and most powerful expressions of faith amidst the dying process came when Dave spoke in our church several months ago, sitting comfortably in a lounge chair on the stage, telling us what it was like to “get one’s house in order” while trusting in God who heals or carries us to heaven, whichever it may be. Dave’s counsel, advice, experience, and blunt honesty had a huge impact on so many. He talked of things that we don’t normally speak of, things that are often “uncomfortable” for us. He said what we all thought and wondered about, and when the time was done, he played his favorite song over the loudspeakers and sat there with his hands in the air in a spirit of worship. There was not a dry eye in the house.

Truth be known – Dave was a fighter. He was a self-avowed “analytical warrior” when it came to the medical side of his cancer fight. Just the other day, in some of final moments of lucid conversation, he told me that the dying process has been fascinating for him – calling it “Dave Hahn’s Great Scientific Experiment.” He had a real sense of humor and was refreshingly transparent. He always wanted to remain conscious for as long as he could so that he could track what was happening to his body. It wasn’t until the very last weeks that he finally agreed to some pain medication.

Always the picture of health, Dave enjoyed the study of nutrition. This is why his passing is so puzzling for us – Dave wasn’t careless with his health. He wasn’t overweight. He didn’t smoke. He exercised and took care of his body. And yet cancer invaded him anyway. Humanly speaking, we have many questions with little answers. But cancer is no respecter of persons. Our response is to put our trust in God, who numbers our days and holds our lives in His sovereign hands. We consider it a blessing from God that He gave us 49 years with Dave Hahn.

Dave’s life and death has brought us together. It has put things in perspective. We have seen a church family come together to rally around a family in need. We have been drawn into prayer as God’s people. We have seen many use their spiritual gifts to minister to his family. The love that has been expressed in so many ways is a true reflection of Christ’s love spilling out of this wonderful church. What do people do without a church family? I have no idea. This is what it’s all about. God has raised up many who have stepped forward to care for Dave. His small group, his many friends and family, you name it. Oh, how we’ve loved one another.

On Tuesday Dave and I talked about what the final moments would be like. We speculated on the fact that perhaps there will be angels that may come to usher him to glory. What would he see? How would he feel? All these were things we pondered, considering all the Scripture says and more. A glorious thought – seeing the face of Jesus. Joining the “great cloud of witnesses,” to the place where “the souls of righteous men have been made perfect” (Heb. 12:23). It’s a heavenly Jerusalem. It’s not our final place. For there will be a day when the Lord returns to earth with his angels and those like Dave who have gone before us, and there will be a resurrection body granted to Dave that will be immortal. And then glorification will be complete in the fullest sense.

Oh Lord, haste the day! It won’t be long beloved. Mind you, there are “birth pangs” to this world right now, and soon our Lord will come.

I will miss Dave. We all will. It is still for us to care for his beautiful wife and daughter, a privilege we will take seriously, I know. Faith allows us to grieve, but we do not grieve like those who have no hope. Jesus rose from the dead, victorious over death. Therefore, it is a sad day and a day of victory all wrapped into one. Finally, one more story.

The story is told of a young man by the name of William Dyke, who at the age of 10 went blind. Yet even though he was blind, William went on to be a very intelligent, witty, and handsome man. He attended graduate school in England, and he met the daughter of an English Admiral, and he fell in love.

The two were engaged. He had never seen his future wife’s face, but he loved her very much. Right before they were to be married, a new treatment was developed that could possibly reverse William’s blindness.

In a rather unusual request, William decided that he did not want the gauze from the treatment removed from his eyes until the wedding ceremony was in full swing. If the treatment worked, the first thing he wanted to see was his new bride’s face.

As the bride came down the aisle, William’s father began to unwind the gauze from his head and eyes – still not knowing whether the operation was a success. When the last piece of gauze was removed from his eyes, William blinked several times and then looked into the face of his new bride for the first time.

And his first words were, “You are more beautiful than I ever imagined.”

I can imagine that this is what Dave felt the very moment he stepped into his heavenly dwelling and saw the face of his Savior for the very first time. And I can hear him humming his favorite song, “some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away. To a home on God’s celestial shore…I’ll fly away.”

Dave, yes indeed, that “glad morning” was this very morning. We’ll see you soon brother. We love you.

PS 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

The Need for Daily Spiritual Sensitivity

2009-05-14T10:17:00.002-04:00

Looking back on your life, where have you seen the Holy Spirit at work? Whether it’s over the years or even in the last few months, where have you seen God at work in an obvious way? Can you easily identify God’s hand? In Ephesians 1, Paul prayed this for the church:

“18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19a)

Paul wanted the church to see life through a fresh set of eyes. He wanted them to experience an enlightened heart, to see and experience spiritual realities in a way that changed their whole perspective on life and life’s situations. I have found it a little a little easier to look back in 20/20 hindsight and trace God’s finger or hand on my life from past experiences. But it is quite another thing to cultivate the kind of spiritual sensitivity that is able to trace his guiding hand on a daily moment by moment basis.

When you step foot in a foreign country, you might be stepping foot in a place that is rather unfamiliar to you. The sites will look different, the people will look different. The language will sound different. You have stepped into a new world. You will notice things you’ve never seen before. You will have a heightened sense of awareness. Things will stand out to you. You are much more sensitive to your surroundings.

In the same way, there is also a heightened sense of spiritual awareness and sensitivity that God wants to cultivate in you, even now right where you are. You would do well to ask yourself, where do I see God at work here? Where is there a need that I can help meet? Where is there a situation that is calling me to address it through prayer? Where is the Holy Spirit at work and how and how can I join in on that work so that God might use me as well? What is God doing in my heart and how is he speaking into my life through all of this?

Try not to let unconfessed sin cloud your spiritual vision. Let us be mindful of the potential for spiritual laziness that may make us blind to what’s happening. Let us be careful not to be so focused on our own daily agenda that we miss out on what God wants to show us or do with us. Pray for God to wake you up with a new set of glasses on. May you have eyes to see, because God has much to show you, and He wants to cultivate that kind of sensitivity in you every single day of your life.

Pastor Eric

A Church Celebrating 40 Years

2009-04-20T17:02:00.003-04:00

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Clearwater Community Church. It is a church with a rich history centered on the Gospel, the preaching of the Word, and the Great Commission. Throughout our history (see below) God's faithfulness has truly been evident, and it's to His praise and glory that we celebrate this milestone.

A Brief History of Clearwater Community Church

God began His work in what is now known as Clearwater Community Church when five families gathered together to worship and pray in February 1969. Their hearts were committed to the idea of glorifying God through worship, discipleship, and evangelism.

The church soon rented the teaching auditorium at St. Petersburg Junior College (Clearwater campus) and began to hold services there. The needs of the children were met with the purchase of a large empty house trailer, which served as a portable nursery. About 100 worshippers attended the first service where Dr. Haddon Robinson, a former professor of Dallas Theological Seminary, provided the sermon. Guest speakers continued to lead the congregation until Pastor Jim Rose was called to serve as their first full-time pastor/teacher.

By 1980, God continued to bless the church and in the latter part of that year, the congregation moved into its own building on Landmark Drive in the Countryside area of Clearwater. It was during this time that God blessed CCC with remarkable growth and eventually there was a great need for expansion. Then in 1992, after much fervent prayer, the church voted to sell the existing building to a nearby Methodist Church, and services were temporarily held at the Kent Jewish Community Center while the church began the process of building its present facility on Belcher Road.

A spirit of unity and excitement filled the hearts of the congregation as they moved into the new facilities on Belcher Road in November 1994. Now today, as God continues to build His church, the hearts of those who make up Clearwater Community Church are committed to glorifying God by making disciples who will use their gifts to meet the needs of the greater Clearwater community. There is much excitement about what lies ahead, and as the church remains faithful to its original calling, we will, by God’s grace, bear much fruit for the Kingdom of Christ. It is indeed His church, and we are His people, the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3).

Forgiveness...The Nature of the Cross

2009-04-07T12:49:00.004-04:00

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Crucifixion was one of the worst ways a man could die. The Romans often killed people this way, and here in Jerusalem their sight of crucifixion was a place called the Skull – an appropriate title since this place came to represent death. The process of dying was drawn out over a period of time. It began with what was called scourging – where a prisoner was bent over, tied to a post, and whipped on his bare back with a lash or a whip that had either pieces of bone or metal tied to the end of it.

It was a cruel punishment. And the punishment continued as the criminal was to carry the cross on his bloody back all the way up the hill, where the even more graphic details of death were to be carried out.

But why this man? Was he a wicked criminal deserving of death? No, in fact, we know him as a man without sin who raised people from the dead, who caused the deaf and the dumb to hear and speak again, who gave sight to the blind, who told the lame to get up and walk, whose gentle touch and words of love could restore hope and joy, and heal the body and soul.

But now, here he was. Jesus, the man who healed, was now himself bruised and battered, spit upon and falsely accused. And he said, “Father forgive them?”

The teachers of the law had claimed that he was a blasphemer, and even said that, “he was of the devil.” Over and over insults and spit were hurled at him, as if beating him wasn’t enough. The soldiers had placed a crown of sharp, skin piercing thorns upon his head. In order to make the pain more treacherous, they jammed the crown down further and further as they struck him on the head with a staff. Some people were ruthless; their blood was burning with hate and filled with anger. But there were also those who were laughing. Some thought it was funny. Scripture tell us that the soldiers would sarcastically fall to their knees and pay homage to him, shouting “Hail, king of the Jews.” And he said, “Father, forgive them?”

Christ was condemned to death like a common criminal -- as if he was nothing more than a thug or a thief! And everywhere there was more shouting, more words were tossed at him. But the words that Jesus returned were very different.

Out of all this injustice, all these lies and all of this pain, when nails were being driven in his feet and hands, Jesus had every right to bring down words of instant judgment upon them. He could have called a legion of angels to strike down each soldier, or to silence each laugh, in order to make right this wrong he was suffering, to end this misery that he was facing.

But he didn’t do that. Instead of words of hate and retaliation or revenge and justice or firing out words of death, he spoke words of life. Words that would have a sudden impact on a Roman centurion and a few who surrounded him. In fact the centurion said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Jesus’ words were words filled with compassion for these people who did not realize what was actually happening at that very moment –when the enormous weight of sin was placed upon his shoulders. No, they weren’t words of judgment, but words of grace and life, and some of them sounded like this: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” It is the substance of these words that today remind us of one of the most undeserved blessings that God showers on those who believe, and that is the blessing of forgiveness. Forgiveness, resulting in eternal life.

A Different Perspective on the Recession

2009-03-09T16:03:00.001-04:00

How do we understand what we are going through? In these times when all of the worldly securities are seemingly so insecure (like jobs, houses, retirement funds, etc.), how are we as believers to understand what God may be doing in the bigger picture? For there is war, genocide, poverty, terrorism, financial chaos, the destruction of families, along with many other areas of crisis that have caused many to panic, fear, and fall into despair.

But for Christians who trust in the sovereignty of God, and who have placed their lives and trust in God alone for their salvation, identity, purpose, and security, this recession serves as a means for our faith to be strengthened and a longing for our true home to be on the forefront of our minds. It also provides us with an opportunity for our values to be tested, our eyes to be opened, and growth in areas we may never have thought about before.

In a recent sermon entitled, “What is the Recession For?,” Dr. John Piper, Pastor/Teacher at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sets forth five purposes that God may have for us during this time of recession. I think they are rather insightful and present a well thought out biblical worldview on the issues of suffering, trials, and money. Piper says that some of God’s purposes might be that:

1) He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
2) He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
3) He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
4) He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
5) He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.

Surely these are not exhaustive or comprehensive in nature, which Piper admits, but they are very “right on the money” if you will pardon the pun. There are two sides to every trial – there is the natural, worldly side where which is how we are often tempted to view it most, and then there is the other spiritual side where seeing things from God’s bird’s eye view gives us a whole new perspective. If we view this as a time when God is further sanctifying us while giving us a hunger for heaven, then our souls will find rest even when the world crumbles down around us. Remember, God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12, (NIV)

An Expected but Horrifying Reversal on Stem Cell Research

2009-03-06T21:16:00.007-05:00

This coming Monday, Barak Obama, the President of the United States of America, is set to reverse a previous Executive Order issued by former President George W. Bush that prevented federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. This research involves the harvesting of human stem cells obtained from the destruction of live, viable human embryos. In other words, it allows the medical research community to receive funds (i.e. taxpayer money) from the Federal Government for the purpose of doing research on already conceived children whose lives will be terminated for the purpose of “scientific advancement.”

It is thought that embryonic stem cells hold great potential for developing replacement tissues that can potentially cure diseases and heal neurological disorders. And even though other forms of stem cells, mainly adult stem cells, have shown to have just as much promise as that of embryonic stem cells, researchers are calling the embryonic stems cells the “most flexible” of all cells. It is what they want most.

Yet they already have them. It has never been illegal to do this kind of “research” with private funds, and now we are taking it to the next level, using taxpayer money to fund it. So if you think about this a minute, what is happening is this. We are required by law to pay taxes, and the taxes we pay are being used to provide funding for the destruction of unborn children, all in the name of “science.” Scientists can now start applying for research grants from the National Institute of Health at any time after this.

Obama declared that he would “ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight." But for those of us who come from a biblical worldview, where we believe that life begins at conception, any research of this type that destroys viable embryos has already crossed the line of moral and ethical responsibility. It results in death, death of children who have received a soul from God the moment the sperm and the egg merged and conceived a human life. This is most grievous.

One has to imagine how long the Lord will put up with the blatant immorality that we have fallen into. I still believe that we live in the greatest country in the world, and if called upon would give my life to defend it as many before me have done and are doing now, but ever since the Roe v. Wade decision of the early 70’s, there have been almost 50 million innocent children that have been destroyed in the womb by abortion. And now we are doing it in the lab under the auspices of research. If I’m not mistaken the Nazi’s did the same thing in World War 2, using people for experiments. The only difference is the stage of development of the person being sacrificed. The soul is there. King David ascribed personhood to conception (Psalm 51:5). And further, even if these stem cells taken from the destroyed embryos show signs of “promise,” the end does not justify the means.

The ancient Proverb reads, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint” (Prov. 28:19a). Certainly there is no underlying conviction wrought by God’s revelation (God’s Word) that is being considered, understood or regarded here, and therefore the secular world has no reason to practice ethical restraint on this. There is no conviction about it whatsoever. None of this should surprise us, because it is the Holy Spirit that brings conviction, repentance, and faith, and even the illumination necessary to discern the truths of Scripture, that which is right and wrong.

It is our duty as Christians to hold fast to the sanctity of human life, both at the beginning of life as well as the end. We should oppose any and all legislation or executive orders that disregard the sacredness of human life, at any level. Therefore we should pray that our President may somehow change his mind on this, though I think it is unlikely that he will.

This blog is not so much about politics, rather it is about Christians speaking out about issues of morality, what is right and wrong. We have a duty as Christians to speak out against wickedness wherever we see it and to call all those who will listen to repentance from sin and faith towards God (in keeping with our Great Commission). Further, we have an obligation to pray against unrighteous actions, that the Lord himself will “deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). Yet we should not be surprised if things get worse for those who hold to biblical principles, because the world system is continually and gradually being set up and primed for the return of Christ. And to be honest, I wouldn’t mind it if the Lord came back right now, even before this order reversal takes place on Monday.

Remembering and Being Inspired by His Suffering

2009-02-18T11:35:00.004-05:00

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” - 2 Timothy 2:8-9 (NIV)

These are the words that Paul told Timothy. He wanted to remind Timothy of the necessity of keeping Jesus Christ at the center of his mind. Paul reminded him that this Jesus has been, “raised from the dead” – and thus proven to be fully God, while at the same time a human “descended from David” – and thus fully man. So Timothy, as Paul might say, it is the suffering “God-man” that must be at the center of all things, and we must have such a view of him before us that it would cause us to be willing to suffer as well for the sake of His gospel.

What does such a view entail? It means seeing God for who He is, in all of His majesty and glory, discovering him anew from different angles as we read the Scriptures and experiencing him daily in our prayers and worship. And it means taking special notice of His suffering. The focal point of all of history is found in the One who took on flesh. And He suffered, and we should be living out our faith so boldly that we suffer along with him, thus identifying ourselves as His followers.

But I have a hard time believing that we can actually have that sort of view of him or even have a willingness and desire to suffer when our eyes are fogged up with temporal things and worldly distractions that never satisfy. I am guilty of this. Even the noble business of doing “ministry” may clog up one’s spiritual arteries and jerk your mind off of Jesus if you're not careful. Which is why Paul said to Timothy – remember Jesus Christ! And specifically - remember his suffering. Take hope from that, and consider it over and again in your mind.

We should have such a love and holy boldness for Christ (and such a clear identification with Him) that it naturally ought to bring a measure of persecution and suffering to us who live in world that is hostile towards Jesus. Let us evaluate our lives to see if we are suffering in any way because of our allegiance to and outspokenness for Christ.

I would go as far to say that in the same way the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) are necessary marks of a Christian life (as is faith, hope, and love – 1 Thess. 1:2-3), so is the idea that “suffering in some measure for the name of Christ” must also be a mark of an obedient Christian (2 Tim. 3:12). That’s bold to say – and may generate some comments. But where are we experiencing that hostility? I hate to say it, but if we are not suffering (in this sense), perhaps it is because we look like everybody else and are much too in love with and conformed to the pattern of this world (1 John 2:15-17; Romans 12:2).

Remember Jesus, beloved. Remember his suffering. For until we fully grasp how He suffered for us, we will never be inspired and inclined to live the kind of obedient life that God expects for those who are to be suffering as “aliens and strangers” to this world.

Beware of playing "matchmaker"

2009-02-09T18:43:00.002-05:00

Recently at my church we have been discussing the topic of marriage and singleness. Few areas are more near and dear to people’s hearts than their “love interests.” Being single in today’s world is not easy. For some it may be a “spiritual gift” ( 1 Cor. 7:7), for others it may be a matter of not yet finding the right mate, and for some it may be a matter of making school or a career a priority for this season of life. Singleness may be by choice, or not by choice. Everybody is different.

The pressure that singles often feel from our social culture, whether by family or friends, can often times be overwhelming. Some have felt opinions of others who may wonder if there is something “wrong with them. They can’t seem to find love.” The expectations that are placed are often unfair. “Maybe someday they will grow up and settle down,” some may say. Even parents and grandparents have hopes for grandchildren and great grandchildren. It’s not bad to want those things, but when those expectations and judgments hover over someone’s head who is single, it can be devastating.

Yet being single is not anything to be “ashamed” about. In fact, in God’s sight it is honorable, right, and good (1 Cor. 7:1). The freedom one has to serve the Lord (1 Cor. 7:32), the unbridled devotion to give of themselves to Kingdom priorities, being spared from some of the unique challenges and encumbrances that married life can bring (1 Cor. 7:28), are just but a few of the advantages of remaining single if God so wills it.

Don’t get me wrong. Marriage is a gift of God. It is a unique way to portray the relationship that Christ has with his church (Eph. 5:22-33). It is a blessing in numerous ways. But marriage is not the end all. It is not to be elevated and idolized above all else. Our primary satisfaction should not come from an earthly relationship, but from a heavenly one. A relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we should be careful what we say and how we approach friends and family who for whatever reasons are single. It may not be God’s will for them to get married, or at least not just yet. And if they do desire to get married, but haven’t found the right person yet, we should still do everything we can to encourage them to be content with where they are right now until God chooses to bring the right person along. Because if they are not content when they’re single, it’s not likely that they will be content once they are married. Contentment is not merely achieved by a change of circumstances. No, it runs deeper than that. Contentment is a spiritual issue.

For example, Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks…will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.” (John 4:13-14) Our goal then should find our delight and satisfaction not in the temporal, but in the eternal. That’s contentment. So true contentment comes from knowing Christ, not from things of this world, no matter how good the love or the relationship may be at the human level.

Why do I say all of this? Well, I think it’s important to remember all this when it comes to our attempt at “matchmaking.” It may be all in good fun, and maybe on occasion it might actually work. But beware of once again putting unwarranted pressure on someone and feeding into an attitude of discontentment by always coming up with someone to solve their “problem” of being single. Like I said, singleness may be no problem at all, but God’s will. But we may make it harder for someone to find that contentment if we are always suggesting somebody new that they could go out with.

A word of advice. If you want to set someone up with someone else, ask permission first. Ask your friend whether he or she even wants you to offer to do that for them. Don’t assume they need your help, unless, of course they ask for it. Remember, our deepest desire for them is that they are happy and content, and they have to find that part in their relationship with Christ first. “The best way to find the right spouse is to be the right spouse.” And that’s what you want to aid them in the most, preparing them spiritually to be satisfied in Christ (and thus the "right spouse" for someone else) so that if they do enter into a relationship it is on solid footing right from the start. That’s the best thing you will ever do for them, whether they get married or not.

So have fun, but be careful, and mindful of what people really need more than anything. They need Jesus. As do we all.

A Bible Without "Error"

2009-02-03T12:18:00.004-05:00

A STATEMENT ON THE INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE

Thanks to God’s providence and power, Scripture, in the original manuscripts, is for us a completely errorless text in all it affirms. Every word, every fact, every matter of faith and practice is without any error, in keeping with the character of God, who inspired (God-breathed) the text. In the process of writing Scripture, the Holy Spirit spoke infallibly through fallible men, all the while allowing the style and personality of the writer, and the cultural distinctives (including the various literary genres) to shape the final form of the original text.

We must certainly be willing to acknowledge the potential for errors to occur in the transmission process, and comparing what known manuscripts we currently have can substantiate many of these errors. This is likely to happen through hundreds of years of copying by scribes. With this understanding, the science of textual criticism is then employed, so as to arrive to as close a reading as we can to the original autographs. We can acknowledge mistakes in transmission, but it is more important to acknowledge the fact that God does not lie and does not communicate to us in such a way that what he says is contrary to fact. Using the context to aid us, we can safely conclude that we have the original manuscript with 99 percent accuracy and that none of this compromises important doctrine. Furthermore, it is not necessary to see discrepancies in numbers (which may be rounded) and a lack of concrete language as “errors” in the text. To be imprecise is not necessarily to be in err. Modern day tests of precision and accuracy need not usurp inerrancy. As John Frame rightly asks and answers,

But why does God allow vagueness in His inerrant Word? Because vagueness is often both necessary and desirable for communication, and God’s purpose in Scripture is to communicate, not to state the truth in the most precise form possible.[1]

With regard to numbers which may be rounded, for it to be concluded that what was written is factually in error, it would have to be shown that “the degree of precision implied by the speaker and expected by his original hearers” is completely or grossly contrary to historical fact.[2] Thus to claim that there were 1,000 men killed by Samson (Jud 15:15) when in fact it could be substantiated that there were only 3 or 4 killed would be to indeed find an error.[3] The issue we are getting at here is truthfulness, which must be measured in its rightful context. It is essential to affirm that chronicles in Scripture can and do provide accurate “informational” content, because it is impossible to disconnect the theological or moral meaning from its historical moorings. Much work has been done to show that many “problem texts” in Scripture can indeed be resolved and harmonized through deeper historical, linguistic, and literary study. I find it interesting that even as I write this, archaeologists have just uncovered the ancient wall in Jerusalem built by Nehemiah. I love it when this happens!

The analogy of faith is also a binding conviction in my understanding of Scripture. This is a principle of interpretation that recognizes the inherent unity of the Bible (Genesis through Revelation). We then can clarify “problem texts” that are suspicious that would seem to advocate more than just a factual error. For example, a contextual study of James 2:24 would help us see that it does not contradict Ephesians 2:8-9 or Romans 3:28. The harmonization of these texts reveal to us that although we indeed are saved by grace through faith alone, a true saving faith is one that will embody fruit or works in keeping with repentance. Therefore, the Bible does not contradict itself resulting in some doctrinal and moral error. It is, as Wayne Grudem puts it, a “gracious condescension” for God to speak to us in human language through the Holy Scriptures. And as such, it is an "action" of God that is without error.[4] In what the Bible claims, whether this is a historical fact or a theological or moral assertion couched in such, it is wholly true.

[1] John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 1987), 221. The latter emphasis is mine.

[2] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 91. Grudem also notes that it was acceptable in the ancient world to loosely quote the content of an earlier speaker or writer without presenting an exact quotation (92). Surely this is what many of the Apostles did in the NT when quoting the OT. Yet using a loose quotation (an indirect quote) does not deny the truthfulness of what is being said or cause one to note a contradiction resulting in a false assertion.

[3] For a helpful essay which seeks to resolve some alleged errors in the text, see Gleason L. Archer, “Alleged Errors and Discrepancies in the Original Manuscripts of the Bible,” in Inerrancy, ed. Norman L. Geisler (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980), 57-82.

[4] The connection of seeing Holy Scripture as divine action embodied in human language is further reason why one can advocate inerrancy. God is performing an action when He speaks, and all His actions are perfect. These are known as "speech acts."

Repentance -- the Path to Freedom

2009-01-26T16:59:00.002-05:00

Admitting that we are all sinners is not so difficult. I don’t believe that I have ever met anyone who said that they’ve never sinned, even though I hear that there are some out there who may actually believe this. Ironically, I think for someone to even say that they’ve never sinned is a sin in and of itself, for it denies what God has said in His Word (Romans 3:23).

What then, is repentance? Is it merely an admission that we are sinners? Certainly it has to be more than that, because most people would say that they are sinners, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve truly repented.

Unfortunately, the word repentance has fallen out of favor with many in today’s world because it forces one to recognize that there are absolutes of right and wrong out there and that there is someone whom we are ultimately accountable to (mainly, a holy God), and few are willing to admit or consider that sobering thought. Secondly, we’ve all seen those rather interesting people who stand at athletic events or on street corners whose view of evangelism is holding a picket sign that simply says, “repent or die.” Never mind that there is an element of truth to it – it doesn’t seem to be the most sensitive way to reach someone for Christ. (But hey, take a look at the prophets and apostles and you might change your view of that a little bit). Nonetheless, our culture has a measure of disdain for such approaches, and therefore the word repentance may not really mean much to some due to its association with such strategies.

But at the heart of the Christian gospel is repentance and faith. Paul basically summarized his mission to proclaim the gospel by saying that, “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21). Repentance, then, must mean more than simply an admission of sin – because all who admit sin are not necessarily saved. And it has to be more than simply a sorrow for getting caught, which Paul says is nothing more than a “worldly sorrow” (2 Cor. 7:10).

But there is such a thing as “godly sorrow” that brings forth genuine repentance. This true repentance is something that involves a deep conviction of the heart that recognizes the offensive nature of sin (to both man and God – thus “godly” sorrow). And this kind of sorrow will lead someone to renounce the sin and turn from it altogether, so that there is even a commitment made to forsake it in the future. That’s what repentance is. It is admission, sorrow, renouncing, and forsaking.

If repentance is genuine, it will always bear fruit, almost immediately. Thus even John the Baptist, when confronting the Pharisees and Sadducees with respect to their utter hypocrisy, wouldn’t allow them to simply claim that they were repentant, but commanded them to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matt. 3:8) They were masters at giving lip service to God, even claiming to be repentant. But unless it produced a life of godliness and obedience, it was all just a show.

For the heart that does truly repent from sin, there is freedom and release. In fact, Peter stated it this way: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). There is nothing more refreshing that a clean conscience – it breathes life into weary bones, bones that have been weighed down by the destructive power of sin. It restores fellowship with God.

The Holy Spirit not only brings conviction for sin, but the enabling power to forsake and overcome it so that it will no longer hold us in its awful grip. Today, if you hear God’s voice, do not harden your heart, but follow through with what he calls us all to embrace, a heart filled with genuine repentance and faith in Jesus, Who died to set us free. Be free, my friend, be free and refreshed. And forgiveness will be yours. Repentance will then be your friend, and your entryway to the “life that is truly life.”

Why Did God Do It?

2008-12-17T15:35:00.006-05:00

My teacher and friend, Dr. Wayne Grudem, provides an excellent overview of some of the reasons for the coming of Christ, and I felt it was worth sharing for your own puporses of worship this holiday season. May we continually marvel of the miracle that God, who is Spirit, became a man and dwelt among us.

God Became a Man: Why was it Necessary?[1]

A. For Representative Obedience.
“Jesus was our representative and obeyed for us where Adam had failed and disobeyed. (see Romans 5:18-19)… Jesus had to be a man in order to be our representative and obey in our place.”

B. To Be a Substitute Sacrifice.
“If Jesus had not been a man, he could not have died in our place and paid the penalty that was due to us…it is important here to realize that unless Christ was fully man, he could not have died to pay the penalty of man’s sins. He could not have been a substitute sacrifice for us (on the cross).”

C. To Be the One Mediator Between God and Men.
“Because we were alienated from God by sin, we needed someone to come between God and ourselves and bring us back to Him. We needed a mediator who could represent us to God and who could represent God to us (1 Tim. 2:5). In order to fulfill this role of mediator, Jesus had to be fully man as well as fully God.”

D. To Fulfill God’s Original Purpose for Man to Rule Over Creation.
“God put mankind on earth to subdue it and to rule over it as God’s representatives. But man did not fulfill that purpose, for he instead fell into sin…Then when Jesus came as a man, he was able to obey God and thereby have the right to rule over creation as a man, thus fulfilling God’s original purpose in putting man on the earth. Jesus had to be a man in order to fulfill God’s original purpose that man rule over his creation.”

E. To Be Our Example and Pattern in Life.
“Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). The goal of the Christian life is to glorify God by becoming more and more like Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:18), who was our example (1 Peter 2:21), in whose steps we must follow.”

F. To Be the Pattern for Our Redeemed Bodies
“When Jesus rose from the dead he rose in a new body that was ‘imperishable…raised in glory…raised in power…raised a spiritual body’ (1 Cor. 15:42-44). This is the pattern for what our bodies will be like when we are raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:49). We now have a physical body like Adam’s but we will have one like Christ’s.”

G. To Sympathize As High Priest.
“If Jesus had not been a man, he would not have been able to know by experience what we go through in our temptations and struggles in this life. But because He lived as a man, he is able to sympathize more fully with us in our experiences” (Heb. 2:18; cf. 4:15-16).

[1] The following points were taken from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p.540-542. This is not an exhaustive list.

The Great Exchange and The Moment a Believer Dies

2008-11-26T15:45:00.004-05:00

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Luke 23: 39-43, NIV

The irony here is hard to miss. Here we have the Righteous One, the One who made the blind to see, who made the lame to walk, who cleansed the leper, and raised the dead – the One who preached the good news to the poor, who ate with sinners, who loved the unlovable – who was willing to touch the untouchable – here we have this Jesus being sentenced to death.

And this perfect man, this man so filled with love, who was gentle and humble in heart, is now bloody, bruised, and beaten, and nailed to a tree. And if that doesn’t make sense to you, then consider the fact that hoards of wicked, godless people were pummeling him with words of anger, and hatred, hurling every bit of sarcasm at him that they can muster. Matthew in his gospel tells us that at first both of the criminals who were being crucified beside him were reviling him and joining in on the taunting of the crowd, “He saved others, why not himself? What about this temple you said you would destroy and rebuild in three days? (If they only knew what was happening in front of them when they said that!) “If you really are the king of Israel, come down from there!” You see, the One who possessed words of life is now facing words of death.

Luke tells us that one of the criminals looked at him and spouted, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself, and us!” It is seemingly at that very moment that the Spirit of God does an amazing thing in the heart of the criminal dying on Jesus’ other side. For in a moment of self-reflection he realizes that his own sentence is just. He knows he deserves to pay for the guilt of his sin and he confesses his guilt with his own mouth – but this man, “what has he done?”

So in that one snapshot of history, we see the perfect example of the greatest exchange the world has ever known. A criminal confesses his sin, and confesses the truth about Jesus – that the man dying next to him was without sin, and that He was the King, the Messiah. And in this powerful moment, Jesus, who had an immeasurable amount of sin being placed upon his own shoulders, was willing to shoulder the guilt and sins of one more.

So for that criminal, in that moment, his sin and his guilt was transferred to our Lord who was hanging just a few feet away, and the perfect righteousness of the Son of God was credited to him in exchange. What a great deal that was for that criminal – at one moment he was spiritually bankrupt, and in the next moment his cup runneth over as God’s grace and perfect righteousness is given to him. And in an intimate moment he looks to His Savior and calls out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Now his statement is an expression of the Jewish hope that one will be delivered on the last day, that at the end of time he will experience life again. But Jesus makes an even better promise. For this criminal will not have to wait ‘til the end of time to experience fellowship and life with God.’ No, the Savior turns to him in the midst of his own suffering and assures him by saying, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

For all who truly believe, this is our hope...may your heart be filled with thanksgiving, and great expectation.

Performance Based Spirituality that Leads to Emotional Chaos

2008-11-13T14:34:00.003-05:00

It is so easy to fall prey to this, but “checklist” or “performance based” spirituality is perhaps the most dangerous killer to one’s genuine walk with God. What happens is that there is this subtle shift that takes place in our lives where we begin to think that blessings that come into our lives are a result of our own actions rather than that which is simply from God himself. Then we get puffed up thinking, “hey, I’m doing pretty good here,” and pride sets in. Not only that, but we begin to judge success by worldly standards (and things like suffering seems to feel like punishment when it may have nothing to do with it).

Have you ever fallen into this trap? Like Peter, you’ve stopped to look around and evaluate things and have taken your eyes off of Christ and before you know it your spiritual walk starts sinking (Matt. 14:30). You know you’ve done this when your prayer life starts to dwindle – your time in the Word gets crowded out by your schedule – and you start complaining more. Another symptom of this is the unending emotional roller coaster that comes daily simply from changes in circumstances.

If our daily attitudes are so very affected by circumstances, then you can bet we are spiritual wimps. We are called to live by faith, not by sight. Faith is not a religious activity; it’s not even a devotional practice. Faith is a certainty that you are united to Jesus Christ, that this world is not your home, that you are His servant, that you have died to yourself, that He owns you, and that He bought you at a price so that you would stop living for yourself but for the One you will worship for all eternity. Faith is sharing in the incarnation with Him. Faith is the belief that all this is true.

Gaze at Him. Worship Him. Plead and pray to Him. Call out to Him. Seek Him. Trust Him. Be satisfied with Him. Love Him. Fall on your knees before Him. He is glorious. He is mighty. He is sovereign. He is good and kind. He is safe. He is real.

When you approach your life and faith this way, all the rest of the checklist and performance based stuff takes care of itself, because the Holy Spirit brings it forth naturally and you don’t even realize it. Bottom line: Get your eyes off of yourself, and put it on Him, and then you’ll never have time to stop and say, “hey, I’m doing pretty good at this,” because you were never looking at yourself in the first place.

Political Season 2008

2008-10-23T20:56:00.001-04:00

Ads in the mail, phone calls to our homes, signs in the yards, television commercials, messages on the radio – the political season is at a fever pitch. Even our email inboxes are overflowing with “forwards” with all the latest information, warnings, petitions, and desperate appeals to sway anyone with ears to hear. It’s all a bit surreal.

Yet don’t just blow it off. Voting in a democracy is an enormous privilege that we’ve been given and is a freedom that many gave their lives for. So we can’t just take it for granted. It is part of the many blessings that God has given this country – the right to choose our leaders, those that will govern and make laws for us. With such a privilege comes responsibility, and it is our duty and obligation as citizens of a free country and as believers to be a voice for truth in a society that is regularly hostile towards it. See the following link for a healthy perspective on this.

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/voting.html

All this to say that as Christians, it is our responsibility to do the research and to discover the views of each candidate, and to vote in keeping with a biblical worldview. In issues where there are clearly moral issues at stake (such as stances on abortion, the definition of marriage, etc.), we must be willing to vote firmly for that which would honor God and be consistent with the voice of Scripture. The Bible is clear that all of life is sacred and that “personhood” begins at conception (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 139:13; Luke 1:44; Exodus 21:22-23) and that marriage is a commitment between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31). These are not just minor issues. These are major “watershed” issues – issues that stand out among the rest. They are more important than issues surrounding the economy, education, and many others. Why? Because they have to do with life and death itself and the make up of the building blocks of society and the home, two significant moral issues that are seen all throughout Scripture.

Therefore, each believer should be motivated during this critical election. For there is much at stake. Yet at the same time a caution – please do not think that the advancement and success of the kingdom of God is completely dependent on the outcome of the election. To do so would be to take a distinctly human point of view and would undercut a firm belief in the sovereignty of God. Though we should stand for truth in a hostile world, we should not expect that God will usher in His kingdom via the secular political system. God’s chosen vehicle is the Gospel of His Son. Our trust is always in God himself, not in any form of human government. Vote biblically, yes, but trust that Romans 13 will always remain true, that God has sovereignly ordained the governing authorities whose authority comes directly from God.

And finally – get out there and vote!

What does it mean to "wait upon the Lord?"

2008-09-29T14:50:00.006-04:00

This question was recently posed in one of my Wednesday evening classes. Certainly on the surface we think of patiently trusting in God to come through for us in moments of need, whether that’s the need for guidance, financial provision, relational reconciliation, etc. “Waiting” on God has the same connotation as “hope,” which is a confidence in God to bring about the future he has promised (Thus the various translation of Isaiah 40:31 depending on what version of the Bible you use – the Hebrew word is qāwâ).

John Oswalt, an OT scholar, notes that “waiting on the Lord” implies two things.

1) Complete dependence on God
2) A willingness to allow Him to decide the terms

Oswalt writes, “to wait on him is to admit that we have no other help, either in ourselves or in another…[it is] to declare our confidence in his eventual action on our behalf. Thus waiting is not merely killing time but a life of confident expectation.” (Oswalt, New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of Isaiah Chapters 40-66, p. 74).

Confident expectation – I like that. So practically speaking, what does this look like? Does it mean that I stop moving forward in my pursuit of discerning God’s will? If someone is unemployed, do they stop making phone calls to look for a job and simply “wait” on the Lord? Well no, because “wait” does not necessarily imply ceasing activity.

A person can wait patiently for God’s timing/God’s terms and yet at the same time do whatever is necessary and available to provide for one’s family. Maybe God wants to teach you something by serving and working for food in less "glorious ways" before He is ready to give you a greater amount of responsibility and income elsewhere. Besides, there are strong warnings against idleness in Scripture (see 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12). So we should always be pressing onward and working out our salvation (some phrases from Philippians) – the operative idea here is “movement.”

Until God moves in a much larger way, I am going to serve him and work hard day to day, trusting that if there are greater needs then God will meet those needs in His own way and perfect timing. Sometimes he whittles us down to what we truly need first before He leads us and provides us with what we will need for later. We don’t always need what we think we need.

Waiting on God gives Him the opportunity to develop your faith and character, to shape your trust – the kind of trust that is surrendered, selfless, and obedient to Him. If we sincerely want to be followers of Christ, then we have to be submit to whatever God intends for us in order to make us that way – even if that means suffering and waiting. You don’t know what’s around the corner, but He does.

So to wait means ultimately to trust in the Lord with all your heart, leaning not on your own understanding, but in everything acknowledging His sovereignty and lordship over your life – and when you do, He will direct your paths. He wants you in His will more than you really want to be in it. So let Him work it out in your life, be patient, and wait on Him. Have that confident expectation in His power, and in His timing. He is faithful, and He will give you what you need when you need it. Is not your life worth more than sparrows? (Matthew 10:31)

People UNLIKE You - Relational Wisdom

2008-09-22T16:26:00.004-04:00

Is it not true that one of the natural social realities of our lives is that we tend to surround ourselves with people who look like us, talk like us, and agree with us? We long to be liked, appreciated, revered, and understood – and finding someone who agrees with us is often the path we choose to find fulfillment in these areas.

Though this may feel good, I have found that this is not the most helpful way to grow. Abraham Lincoln was known for the fact that he had a Secretary of State and a Secretary of War that often did not agree with him. Yet Lincoln did not shun them or fire them, and in listening to their different point of views he actually found them to be helpful.

This all leads to some insights worth noting:

1) Never dismiss or write off someone from your life simply because they do not agree with the majority of your opinions or convictions. We are often unaware of the weaknesses of our views or blind spots in our lives that someone who is just like us would never pick up on or challenge us to consider.
2) Knowing that there are others who see things differently than you do has a way of reminding you that you are not the center of the universe, that your opinion is not the only one that may have value, and that God has made people differently, and there is something refreshing about that.

Having said all this though, I will tell you that when it comes to some things, there does need to be opinions that are equally shared by all – especially when it comes to truth claims. For there is such a thing as absolute truth, and there is no room for diversity when it comes to issues like the Lordship of Jesus Christ or the inerrancy of Scripture. But that’s not my point right now.

My point is: don’t be so quick to cling to people who always think just like you – that kind of friendship circle is not always conducive to your growth. Some of the most bizarre people I have met that have crazy ideas and preferences have strangely ended up bringing more excitement and joy to my life than I would have ever anticipated. And the more I rub up against them, the more it rounds off my edges – and occasionally, I’ve even changed my whole perspective on something. The bottom line: it’s not the most important thing to be right all the time. And sometimes, I am totally wrong.

Soli Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone)

2008-09-18T09:23:00.006-04:00

I am thankful today to know that one of my projects is now coming to fruition. I learned this past week that my doctoral dissertation will be published by a rather fast growing evangelical publishing company, known as Wipf and Stock publishers out of Eugene, Oregon. When I wrote this book to fulfill the requirements of the degree, I intentionally wrote it in such a way that it would be readable and usable not simply for academic minds, but I wrote it in a user friendly manner for the local church. I’ve never really talked about this that much, because I never wanted my discussion of it to seem self-serving or to be viewed as some kind of boast. But I do believe that God led me to write it. Perhaps in an upcoming blog I will share the gist of its contents – but in short, it talks about how God’s love in seen in the practice of church discipline. But right now I just want to praise the Lord for this, and to remind each of you that perseverance, patience, and a hard work ethic pays off, no matter what God has called you to do. If you do it with the motive of glorifying God rather than to simply make a name for yourself, then I believe God has a way of using it in His own way and in His own time. Just be faithful friend, and let God take care of the rest.

(The picture above is my brother-in-law Seth playing with my two sons Joshua and Andrew at the beach -- evidently they are working on a project of their own.)

A Call to be Satisfied With the One Who Fills

2008-09-11T17:33:00.005-04:00

For those of you who know or attend my church, I have been preaching the last 4 months through the Gospel of Mark. It has been spiritually invigorating for me. I think the reason why is that I am getting a deeper snapshot of who Jesus is and am finding myself increasingly distanced from the temporal fallen world that I live in. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? Is it not true that when we “see and savor” Jesus Christ for who He really is, our appetites ought to change? We should hunger and thirst for the One who is the Bread of Life and who quenches our thirst with living water. Furthermore, our taste buds change, and the sinful world we live in seems less appealing, unable to satisfy, almost foreign to us.

I hope this is what is happening to me. When I make a statement about how much I long for the 2nd Coming of Christ, I sometimes have to qualify it by saying that it doesn’t mean that I want “out” of my joyful life with my wife and kids or the ministry God has called me to. What I’m saying is that I long for the resolution that God has promised. I desire to see His wonderful plan of redemption unfolded and consummated in fullness – and at the height of it is seeing Jesus for who He is in all of His glory and splendor.

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

My prayer is that I would become much more aware of those times in my life when I am settling for less than God’s best. Those things will never really satisfy. I think the more you look at Jesus, I think the more you become aware of those distractions, those fillers that really leave you wanting. I think more and more I agree with John Piper, who said, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

His is the Bread of Life. And I’ve always loved bread. So I guess that’s where I ought to look and be filled.

It's Getting Lean, and Its Not about Meat!

2008-08-29T19:42:00.006-04:00

These are lean times. But I don’t believe that’s all that bad. There is something positive about being forced to examine your priorities by taking a second look at where you spend your money. My guess is that most of us are a little too loose with the use of discretionary funds. Maybe it’s time to cut that caramel frappuccino from the treat list this week – time to discipline your impulsive whims.

It is right and good for us to perform a little introspection and self-examination. In this busy life we live, we don’t do this enough. The noise, commotion, and busyness of our schedules cause us to naturally forfeit this needed habit.

I’ve been a Christian for nearly 30 years, and there were many times in that span where my faith suffered from neglect. My walk with God has been stale at times, usually as a result of carelessness and too much focus on self. Apathy can creep up on you when you are not looking if you are not looking – looking to Christ that is.

Paul wrote this,

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” - 2 Corinthians 13:5

Jesus also said that where your treasure is, there is where you will find your heart. What do these times of money pinching and budget adjustments reveal about the affections of your heart? Take a minute to reply to this blog and tell me what this money tightening season of life is teaching you…

What’s its telling me is that I’m too self-consumed and undisciplined, and my spending habits show it. Lord forgive me, and teach me to number my days aright, and to watch the numbers in the process.

The Joy of Life with God

2008-08-18T15:46:00.009-04:00

There are many things in this world that can rob our joy. Jesus, in one of His parables, told about the person who hears the Word of God and receives it with great joy, only to watch it slip away when trouble or persecution comes. The point being the Word of God never actually took deep root in that person’s life, and external things had a way of washing that joy away. A superficial faith will never have real and lasting joy.

All this leads to the idea that one’s personal joy is not so much related to external circumstances as much as it is connected to a person’s deep spiritual roots in the person of Christ (who in another sense is the Word of God). He is a God and Savior who desires not to be seen as a genie in a bottle to pull out and rub when needed, but rather the Lord and Master of one’s daily life. He is the source of all joy, a joy that gives inner peace and refreshment that literally lifts one above and beyond any circumstances in life.

If you are depending on your success at work, your ability to have constantly obedient teenagers, Christmas bonuses, and even the prospect of people liking every word you say as your own personal source of joy, then you’re in for a rude awakening, and odds are you are probably going to be riding an emotional roller coaster most of the time with a shifting view of God’s goodness that changes with every slight turn of the wind.

Never confuse joy with happiness. They are not the same. Joy is much deeper than circumstantial blessings or outwardly dependent mood swings, and it is something that can never be robbed of someone who is walking with God. Not even torture or poverty can rob a Christian of their joy if God is their strength (Neh. 8:10). Obedience to Christ and His commands brings forth this joy in surplus. Listen to the Savior’s voice in John 15.

10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Life can be a joy, to be sure. But life with God is lasting joy. Eternal joy. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). In this way, it is wholly of God, and surpasses all human understanding. It is why we can rejoice even when dying, and even when tragedy strikes, because it’s from God – it’s source is God himself, who is our inheritance (Rom. 8:17).

Does your life radiate joy, despite what’s going on? The real secret to joy is complete satisfaction in your relationship with Jesus. (Read Psalm 103:1-5) If you are looking for something outside of that to bring true joy and peace, you will be looking for a long time. He is your everything! Lean not on “stuff” and “happenings” and let your heart be lifted up by the Spirit that brings life.

11"But let all who take refuge in you be glad;let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. 12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12

If today your joy is lacking -- pray to God for it. Go ahead, ask Him. Would He not answer that prayer? Of course He would, and He might decide to rearrange a few things in your life to give it to you. (You can interpret that however you wish). But please know that joy in the Lord is what God's will for your life entails (1 Thess. 5:16-18, Phil. 4:4). Don't miss it by being caught up in "stuff." External circumstances change, but God never does.

(Oh by the way, the fella in the picture above is my brother-in-law Christian Motter, who loves to express his personality in unusual ways. This is classic, a picture taken at a family wedding -- and it fits him perfect, because this year Christian found Christ, and now his joy is quite literally captured by this picture! Thanks Christian, for making life with you and life together with God such a joy.)

Scriptures that Make One Sit in Wonder

2008-07-17T20:51:00.010-04:00

The following is a list of Scriptures that truly make me shudder, lead me to worship, grip me with fear, make me laugh, humble me, and cause me to shout for joy. Take a minute to read them and see if they don’t make you feel small. Let's start with Elisha's prayer that spiritually opened the eyes of his servant so that he could see the army of angels that were protecting them. Nothing like a glimpse into the spirit world to make one start thinking...and then there's the terrifying statement that started the whole Job situation. I'll just let you read from here. A night photo of the church where I serve is on the right.

16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. - 2 Kings 6:16-17

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8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? - Job 1:8

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5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. – Genesis 6:5

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28 Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"

29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."

30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said. - Numbers 22:28-30

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21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians 5:21

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"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." - Revelation 5:9-10

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27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. - Acts 4:27-28

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9 Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. -Acts 5:9-10

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23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. - Acts 12:23

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6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. - Deuteronomy 7:6-9

Expectations on Unbelievers

2008-07-14T17:45:00.007-04:00

Expectations. We all have them. We have them for ourselves and we have them for others. It has been my experience that often times within the context of human relationships, if there is ever any friction or tension between two people, it almost inevitably circles around the idea of unmet or unrealistic expectations.

I’ve been thinking about this lately, but in a little different context. It is my conviction that those of us who are Christians may sometimes place expectations on non-Christians that they are unable or incapable of meeting. Consider the following two Scripture passages:

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18, NIV

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14, NIV

What these two passages tell me is that within the unbelieving soul, there is absolutely no capacity to comprehend the deep truths of God without some form of illumination from the Holy Spirit. Now that’s not to say that non-Christians can’t comprehend the idea of God himself or contemplate spiritual things at some level, because surely they can.

In Romans 1:20, Paul said that “since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” And further, the writer of Ecclesiastes said that God has “set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (3:11).

So the idea of a God that exists and the concept of eternity are two things that all unbelievers should be able to ascertain according to the testimony of Scripture. Furthermore, the possession of a moral conscience (Romans 2:15) also testifies to the fact that even fallen humanity is still left with a basic capacity to know some measure of right from wrong.

But should we or can we expect more from them? If the above Scriptures are true, that the gospel message and the things of the Spirit are foolishness to the unbelieving soul, and that he or she cannot even understand these spiritual things because they lack the spiritual capacity to do so (because the Holy Spirit is not there enabling them to understand), then why in the world do we as Christians sometimes expect unbelievers to act and think like believers?

Ephesians 2:1 tells us that until one hears and receives the Gospel message by faith, they are for all intents and purposes to be regarded as spiritually dead. It is the Spirit who brings spiritual life to a soul (through faith in the Gospel). This is why Paul just a few verses later says,

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5, NIV

If you are a Christian and you read this, it ought to humble you to ponder the idea that God brought grace to your life and made you spiritually alive – you were once dead! But this still causes me to ask – do I consciously or subconsciously expect non-Christians to completely think and act like Christians when they have no spiritual capacity to do so? And then perhaps worse, do I inappropriately judge them for not being able to act like I think they should?

One thing is for sure, when it comes to the natural world, animals and even humans act according to their nature. We cannot expect a pig to act like a cat. Furthermore, we cannot expect someone with a totally depraved nature (which is what all of us are born with) to act like someone who has been given a totally new nature through faith in Christ. The contrast could not be clearer in Romans 8:8-9.

“Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”

I’ve been thinking through the ramifications of this -- and I wonder if I have been guilty on more than one occasion of expecting someone to act in a way that is contrary to their nature. Taking this further, as a pastor of a church, another thought comes to mind. If there are people in the church who are not growing at all spiritually, could it be true that I have wrongly assumed that they are Christians when in fact they are not, and I am expecting them to behave like they are?

I suppose this is why it is important to never assume anything. It also tells me that I should be proclaiming and living out the Gospel both outside and inside the church. But I shouldn’t expect someone who has not embraced the Gospel to act like they have. I’m going to spend some more time thinking about this because I think it has some clear implications for how I think about and treat nonbelievers, and for the expectations that I may unknowingly place on them.

Ponder it with me if you would. My love and compassion for them ought to increase, that’s for sure. They are trapped (enslaved) in sin, with no capacity to get out on their own. I suppose this is why Scripture says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:15).

But until the good news is brought to them and believed, we should not expect someone who is “dead” to act like they are “alive.” And we should not assume that someone who claims to be “alive” actually is “alive” if they are still acting like they are “dead.”

The Stunning Nature of the Cross

2008-07-11T15:11:00.002-04:00

This is a quote that struck me this morning. It sent me into worship. I pray it does the same for you.

“For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties which belong to man alone.”

John W. Stott, The Cross of Christ, 160.

The Slippery Term - "Evangelical" (Part 2)

2008-07-07T11:58:00.003-04:00

The term “evangelical” is a fairly modern one (post World War II), though the major beliefs associated with it are not. In the early part of the 20th century, battles waged in America between a conservative/religious viewpoint of the world and a much more liberal, secular view of life. It was during this time that we began to see such things as the “Scopes Monkey Trial,” which was the famous trial that battled over the teaching of evolution in the public school system. We obviously know how that trial ended up, and now the pendulum has swung so far that even mentioning creationism in schools is to go against all “scientific logic” (though if you ask me scientists are becoming much more hostile and defensive because advances in modern science are seemingly bringing more support to the creationists viewpoint – but this is another subject for another time).

It was during those early 1900’s that biblical Christians were known as “fundamentalists.” Back then it didn’t have the negative connotation that it has “evolved” into today, where presently if you are a “fundamentalist Christian” then you have the demeaning tag of being labeled as legalistic. This is most unfortunate, because all true Bible-believing evangelical Christians should be able to wholeheartedly affirm that we believe in the “fundamentals” or “essentials” of the Christian faith.

Nevertheless, the term “evangelical” is the present label given to Christians that affirm the historic, orthodox tenants and beliefs of the Christian faith that have been held by all true believers since the beginning of the church in the 1st century. Further, modern day evangelicalism can rightly be said to piggy back the teachings and understandings of the faith that historically came out the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

The term is historically derived from Scripture itself, coming from the Greek noun euangelion, which translated means “glad tidings or good news.” In our Bibles the word is translated into the English word “gospel.” So the good news about Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4) is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ. This original Greek noun with its accompanying verb euangelizomai, “to proclaim good news” is seen nearly 100 times in the New Testament. So right from the start we can conclude that an “evangelical” is someone who champions the message of the Gospel.

I would say then, that someone who claims to be an “evangelical” must be able to, at the very least, ascribe to and affirm the following beliefs:

1) An adherence to the absolute truthfulness of and the need to proclaim the Gospel message. In this belief one must affirm that the only way for humankind to be saved is through repentance from sin and faith in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was both fully God and fully man. His death was sacrificial (in that it justly atones for sin and satisfies the wrath of a holy God), and substitutionary (in the sense that Jesus stood in our place while undergoing the penalty).

2) Secondly, an evangelical must also believe that in order for one to be able to fully embrace and trust in the Gospel message for salvation, they must be spiritually reborn or “born again” by the Holy Spirit of God. In short, there must be conversion. We are saved by God’s grace alone. And it is only through faith that one experiences the rebirth (where the soul that was dead because of sin is now made alive by the power of the Holy Spirit – Titus 3:5). Therefore, belief in the gospel is a transforming belief that affects the mind, the heart, and the will, not simply an intellectual assent to a certain set of facts about God.

3) Finally, an evangelical is further defined by his or her commitment to the Bible as the inspired Word of God and the final authority in all matters of life and practice.

Spelling this out further, this means that an evangelical believes that the Holy Spirit inspired the original writers of Scripture such that what they wrote was wholly true (without any mixture of error) and that it was in keeping with the mind and will of God. Therefore, if we want to know the mind of God on any particular subject then we are to study and ascertain the original intent of those who penned the words of Scripture. This assumes our interpretation stems from taking Scripture in a literal sense, keeping mind its historical and grammatical contexts.

Are there more things that are distinctive and peculiar to evangelicals? Yes, there are many more things that could be said here – for example, we believe in a literal, physical or bodily return of Jesus Christ to earth at some point in the future – but of all things that mark us as evangelicals, it is the big three noted above. These are non-negotiable beliefs (note: there is nothing inherently political about them).

Looking back through church history, you can see many faithful believers who adhered to these essentials. And whenever these things were abandoned, history teaches us that the church (and might I even assert “society in general”) suffered. But for the people and the church who recognizes that these are essential truths which must be kept, there is surely blessing and favor from God.

The Slippery Term - "Evangelical" (Part 1)

2008-06-30T15:21:00.004-04:00

We’ve been swamped recently with surveys of the American religious landscape, and we have statistics flying all over the place. Inasmuch as these things are sometimes helpful, they are always limited in their ability to truly capture complete accuracy. Sometimes it’s how they ask the questions that will illicit what kind of response you get.

Nevertheless, a rather stunning survey came out last week that stated that of those who were labeled as “evangelicals,” nearly 57% stated that they believed that there may be alternative routes to salvation and that faith in Jesus Christ might not be the only way (contra John 14:6 and Acts 4:12).

There can only be a couple ways to interpret this.

#1 – the survey had such a broad definition of the word “evangelical” that many who were not genuinely saved responded/or were catagorized under that label and they set forth this rather unbiblical and heretical conclusion that other roads might lead to God.

#2 – the survey was accurate and it is genuinely showing that many who are “evangelicals” are being influenced more by the prevailing pluralistic culture than they are by solid biblical teaching.

Might I suggest that perhaps a combination of both may be a factor here? But something even bolder needs to be said here. If anyone claims that there is more than one way to heaven other than through faith in Jesus Christ, then they cannot rightly claim the label of “evangelical.” The exclusive claim of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation for the entire world, and this belief is a cornerstone assumption of all “evangelical” theology.

If there indeed are multiple paths into a saving relationship with God, then Jesus died for nothing, the cross has no meaning, the Scriptures are in blatant error, and we are all fools. (Look at the strong words of Paul in Galatians 1:8-9). Satan’s tactics are pretty bold – he’s going after the very heart of the Gospel itself, redefining terms and concepts (like he did in the Garden of Eden), exploiting ideas and making them sound “unloving.” It’s the same strategy that is used when some ask, “How could a loving God send anyone to hell?” Such a view redefines love, and then takes that new definition and elevates it above all of God’s other attributes, pitting it against his other attributes like justice and holiness.

It is unfortunate that the term “evangelical” has been hijacked recently in American culture, where now it has been broadened to be more of a way to term a particular group of conservative voters – it has more political overtones than religious ones in some people’s eyes. I often hear, “how can the candidates court the evangelical vote?” To be sure, I do believe that Christians ought to be highly involved in voting for our leaders while standing up for issues that are in keeping with biblical truth so that we have a voice in society.

However, at the same time, I don’t believe that political action is going to change the world, only the Gospel of Christ itself could do that. That’s not to minimize our involvement, but to simply give it some perspective. But my hope is that we as evangelicals will be known for our faithfulness in believing, living out, and proclaiming the exclusive claims of the Gospel of Jesus Christ more than we are known for anything else.

I am convinced that the church is suffering from lack of good teaching. These survey results are symptomatic of that. I am inspired all the more to see sound biblical teaching as the cornerstone of any ministry I am connected with.

But this still raises the question – what is an evangelical? What gives someone the right to claim that label? Stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog, as we look at how Scripture defines it and how the church has historically understood what an evangelical Christian is and what they must believe that is in keeping with the Scriptures.

A Helpful List of Theological Terms Defined

2008-06-27T14:37:00.004-04:00

- taken from Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine and Bruce Damarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation

Sin - Any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature. Man in his sinful nature, apart from any work of God, is said to be “totally depraved.”

Election - An act of God before creation in which he chooses some people to be saved out of fallen humanity, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but only because of his sovereign good pleasure.

Common Grace - The grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation. It is God’s undeserved goodness to every person in the form of his general care.

Special Grace - The grace of God by which He exercises saving power. It brings forgiveness, gives us everything we need for life and godliness and is sufficient, free, takes various forms, abounds in scope, and endures forever.

General Call - Sometimes known as the “gospel call,” this is an invitation to all humanity whereby the Gospel or Good News is made known to all nations.

Effectual Call - An act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he inwardly summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.

Regeneration - A secret act of God in which He imparts new spiritual life in us. This is sometimes referred to as being “born again,” where our spiritual nature has been “made alive,” restoring our intellectual, volitional, moral, emotional, and relational capacities to know, love, and serve God.

Conversion - Our willing response to the gospel call, in which we sincerely repent of sins and place our trust in Christ for salvation. The turning from sin is called repentance, and the turning to Christ is called faith. (faith + repentance = conversion)

Union With Christ - A phrase used to summarize several different relationships between believers and Christ, through which Christians receive every benefit of salvation. These relationships include the fact that we are in Christ, Christ is in us, we are like Christ, and we are with Christ.

Justification - An instantaneous legal act of God in which he 1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and 2) declares us to be righteous in his sight.

Adoption - An act of God whereby he makes us members of his family. In adoption, we have a new way of relating to God as our Heavenly Father.

Spirit Baptism - Refers to the activity of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Christian life when he gives us new spiritual life (regeneration) and cleanses us and gives us a clear break with the power and love of sin (the initial stage of sanctification).

Sanctification - A progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives. This process begins at justification and is a necessary result of saving faith. The goal of sanctification is Christlikeness.

Perseverance - Means that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again.

Glorification - The final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead bodies of all believers for all time who have died, and reunites them with their souls, and changes the bodies of all the believers who remain alive, thereby giving all believers at the same time perfect resurrection bodies like his own.

The Significance of Prayer

2008-06-26T12:35:00.005-04:00

Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is also listening to God.

It is often the most neglected of privileges that a Christian has in his or her arsenal. But, when used properly, it is a mighty weapon. The God who listens is a God that can move mountains, a God who can change hearts, a God that can rearrange circumstances and overthrow tremendous obstacles. He is the God of the impossible, and many times our vision of who God is and what He can do is often way too small, and this is reflected in the amount of time we may spend in prayer.

It is true that God is sometimes less concerned with changing our circumstances and is more concerned with changing the heart and mind and perspective of the person praying. As someone has said, “Prayer doesn’t change God, prayer changes me.”

And if that is true then it is also true that the person who is most resistant to change and is satisfied in being self-sufficient and self made is probably a person who isn’t praying at all. When we become content with who we are (in terms of thinking we've "arrived" spiritually and are done with the need to grow), then prayer will seem irrelevant.

So when we bow our heads to pray then, we acknowledge several things. First we acknowledge our willingness to change. We also acknowledge a proper assessment of ourselves and our need for God.

But perhaps more importantly, when we bow to pray we acknowledge the Supremacy and Sovereignty of the Almighty God who grants us every breath and who holds our life utterly and completely in the palm of His hands. Prayer is a statement that says that God’s glory and His plans are far more important and necessary to know and experience than anything else. And prayer is often the way we come to know those things.

When you pray, be bold. Be specific. Don’t be afraid or intimidated by silence, and let the Holy Spirit bring to mind the things that need to be lifted up. Pray according to the truths that are revealed in Scripture. Pray with your heart and with your mind. Be willing to put your opinions before God so that He might change them or perhaps refine them. Pray with expectancy and pray with faith.

If you pray this way, then it is more likely that you will learn to pray more in keeping with God’s will. As someone has said, no one out on a boat in the water throws a rope onto a dock and expects the dock to be pulled out to him. Instead, the goal is to pull the boat to the dock. And in the same way, when we pray to God, we shouldn’t expect that God would be pulled more towards our will, but rather that our will is pulled over toward God’s.

So pray with joy, knowing that God is good, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Never Resist the Holy Spirit's Voice -- it is Life!

2008-06-25T09:08:00.006-04:00

"Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." - Mark 4:18-19

This text from one of Christ’s parables jumped out at me this morning.

It led me to ask the introspective question: what are the worries of life and desires for other things that may be restricting (or choking) God’s Word from achieving its purpose in my life?

Honestly, the Holy Spirit brought to mind a few things. But the next question was: what am I going to do about it? There is first recognition of the need to change, but then there has to be the willingness and desire to actually change, followed by action.

This is the dilemma one faces whenever they read something convicting from God’s Word. What does one do when the Holy Spirit speaks? Our first commitment must be to do what the writer of Hebrews emphasized when quoting the Psalmist.

"So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.

That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, `Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' - Hebrews 3:7-10

So it is of utmost importance that we refuse to harden our hearts, or simply shake it off and ignore the Holy Spirit. If you are willing to turn away from the Holy Spirit when he puts his finger on something convicting, then how are you going to be tuned in to hearing Him speak when He has something wonderful and exciting He wants to show you (that you surely would be interested in)?

But hear the words of Proverbs 15:

"He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor." - Proverbs 15:31-33

Wisdom, understanding, honor. They are all things we would like to have. But before they are granted to us, there are things such as healthy rebukes, discipline, correction, reverence for God, and humility that must be embraced first.

Nothing is easy. Change is not easy. But change is at the core of the Christian life, and when the Holy Spirit speaks, there is blessing that awaits the one who listens and obeys. So when you hear Him speak, listen closely, fight off the urge to resist Him, and do whatever is necessary to act on it, even if it means writing it down as a reminder.

I pray that there is nothing in your life that is hindering the Holy Spirit’s voice, or as Paul says in Ephesians, I pray that there is nothing in your life that is “grieving the Holy Spirit.” Those worries, those unnecessary fears, those unholy desires – they are like spiritual cholesterol (of the bad type). They restrict the blood flow, hinder our growth, and render us ineffective, or as the text says, “unfruitful.”

Examine your life this morning. Refuse to harden your heart if God is putting his finger on something. Develop a regular pattern of listening and obeying, so that God’s blessing will never be forfeited.

A Statement on Miracles

2008-06-23T17:44:00.005-04:00

The following is a statement on miracles that is in keeping with my biblical understanding of them and their present day application to the Christian life. I post this in order to encourage any and all who are praying for miracles to firmly trust in the Sovereign God who grants them according to His will. My thanks to my Associate Pastor, Scott Hatton as we developed this statement together.

A Theological Statement On Miracles In Keeping with the Statement of Faith of Clearwater Community Church

As a church, we strongly affirm that God in His infinite wisdom and limitless power can and does act in ways that we would consider “miracles.” God is entirely sovereign over all of His creation, and can choose to work in ways that are beyond our finite understanding. In many cases, these miracles may be in response to the specific prayers of His people, yet they are always in accordance with His sovereign plans. The granting of a miracle is not simply dependent upon the faith of the petitioner, but primarily dependent upon God’s sovereignty and good pleasure in enacting His will.

We affirm, as well, that salvation by grace alone through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) is a miracle in and of itself. It is a miracle that God would choose to save and redeem sinful men and women, reconcile Himself to them, and grant them eternal life. The saving work of Jesus Christ at the cross is the ultimate example of God’s wisdom, love, holiness, and power working together for His glory and our good.

Furthermore, God acts in ways that are consistent with His character and will as revealed in the Scriptures. We acknowledge that the Bible alone is sufficient to teach us all we need to know about salvation and about how to live the Christian life (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Our experience can never be a sure guide for the truth, whereas Scripture is always a clear guide for the truth and it should serve as the lens through which all experience should be interpreted.

We also acknowledge, specifically with regard to miracles of healing, that Jesus made healing – both physical and spiritual – an important element in his earthly ministry (Matthew 9:35; Luke 4:40). This use of divine power was one of the ways that our Lord expressed the love and compassion of God while at the same time substantiating Him as the Promised Messiah who had power over creation. Furthermore, the Scriptures record that the Apostles were uniquely gifted with the ability to heal (Acts 5:15, 19:12) as well. These miraculous signs occurred to glorify God and to affirm both the messengers and the message of the embryonic Christian faith. According to the New Testament itself, these sign gifts of healing and raising the dead were seemingly restricted to this particular apostolic era and were gifts that Christ himself delineated to His apostles (2 Corinthians12:12).

Yet the New Testament also gives evidence that believers are to pray for those who are sick and ailing (Galatians 6:2; James 5:13-14). It is evident that God chooses to use the prayers of His people as part of the means through which He may bring healing when it is His will to do so (James 5:16) Equally evident, however, are those instances where God did not grant a miracle of healing (2 Corinthians 12:7-9; James 1:2-4; Psalm 119:71) and these instances, too, serve God’s good purpose, and there is no indication that miraculous healing was withheld due to a lack of faith.

Christians are to have faith in God, and seek to be ever increasing in faith (Hebrews 11:6; 2 Corinthians 5:7; 2 Thessalonians 1:3). There is no contradiction whatsoever in placing our entire faith and hope in God Almighty, entrusting Him with our very souls, and still praying for Him to heal. God desires that we come to Him with our burdens, and that we also seek to bear the burdens of others. God, in his goodness and sovereign will may choose to answer such prayer with miraculous healing, or He may not. In either case, the weight of emphasis must always fall on God’s sovereign will, not the quantity or quality of the faith behind the prayer.

We ought to pray for greater faith, as we ought to pray for the physical and spiritual healing of ourselves and others; but more significantly we ought live and pray for the will of God to be done. The Christian woman or man ought to seek to conform her or his will to will of God; not the inverse.

The Battle for Self-Discipline

2008-06-20T21:04:00.010-04:00

Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges of our day as Christians is the ability to live a self-disciplined, self-controlled life. What is it that makes this practice so difficult? I would suggest at least two things. I want to be frank without sounding critical. So here goes…

1) We don’t live in a culture where this character trait is accentuated much. Americans are not known for their strict eating habits, their commitment to physical fitness, or any sense of “doing without” something. Culturally speaking, many people from foreign countries label us as rich and lazy, and so I think it is safe to say that the “quick and convenient, fast food, serve me attitude” that often can pervade our culture is not conducive to a lifestyle where self-control and self-discipline is encouraged, valued, and modeled. But when we see it, (like in the concentration level and intensity of Tiger Woods), we marvel at it.

2) Christians often struggle with the idea of what it means to “live by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16). There has not been widespread teaching on how to apply Romans 8 to the daily Christian life. But self-control is listed in Scripture as a Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23). So in a sense, this makes true self-control a spiritual issue. If a Christian is walking with God and is relying on the Spirit through prayer, meditation, worship, putting off sin, etc., then God will naturally produce the kind of life that is bent towards practicing self-control. To be sure, it is very cyclical. The more you practice prayer and meditation the more the Spirit empowers you to practice prayer and meditation in a disciplined manner. This in turn will saturate the rest of your life (in many areas) so that you will then begin to notice the ability to be disciplined. They key is to start small. Take baby steps, pray about it often, find some brothers or sisters who will come alongside to encourage. But generally, simply ask God for help here, and then get started in small, tangible ways, and then the snowball will start rolling.

It is no mistake that the words discipline and discipleship come from the same root word. They are inextricably linked. As one follows Christ, the Spirit-empowered self-discipline will take hold.

A self-disciplined life is the key to freedom. That might sound contradictory on the surface, but it’s not. The life that reaps the rewards and benefits of self-discipline is truly invigorating. It is fulfilling, joy-filled, less swayed by outside circumstances (mostly because self-control gives such internal strength and stability), and is honoring to God. Self-control puts boundaries on the desires of the self, something that we fight all our lives on this side of glory. Therefore, the more we practice it the more like Christ we will become. It’s part of shedding the old and putting on the new.

On a side note, if a church is committed to practicing church discipline when necessary (in a restorative sense), then it also by nature has to be a church that emphasizes formative discipline in the lives of its members (in a constructive, discipleship sense). Be what it may, self-control may seem hard, but the more you exercise it, the easier it becomes…if you are leaning on the Holy Spirit.

Here’s a pray that we might want to pray together:

Lord, you know how hard it is. So please empower me with the strength to embrace a life of self-control. Apart from you I can do nothing. May the Spirit discipline my mind and heart. Help me to start small. Grant me the consistency to stay with it. In fact, please bring people into my life who will serve as encouragers and even role models for me in this area, so that I may glorify you with a self-disciplined life. Lord, I need victory here, and I know that it comes from a daily mind that is fixed on you. I want to experience the fulfillment that comes from this life, and I need your Spirit to help me. For as Scripture says,

“The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”

Proverbs 13:4

I pray in Christ’s Name, Amen.

_________

As always, I look forward to your comments.

What does it mean to glorify God? (Part 2)

2008-06-16T18:03:00.002-04:00

Ok, so what? How does this affect my everyday life? How does the command to glorify God impact my attitudes, actions, conversations, dreams, goals, and relationships?

I am reminded of the old hymn that we used to sing (and still do), which says “turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” If a person is striving to glorify God in everything they do, and wants to commit themselves to that end, then as they rely upon the Holy Spirit to help them change, there will be noticeable attitudes and actions that will begin to emerge. The things of this world will hold less appeal in comparison to “seeing and savoring” God.

Our goal is to develop an all-consuming “God-centeredness” to our lives. It is a focus that will gradually lead us towards a mindset that seeks to abandon the focus on the self (self-centeredness, selfishness, and self-sufficiency). In some older theological writings, this is the idea of “self mortification,” or just plain “mortification.” It is dying to one’s self by putting to death the misdeeds of the body (Rom. 8:13), something we can only do with the help and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So point one is this: in order to glorify God in my life I must be committed to doing away with or putting aside the things in my life that put the focus on or feed the desires of the sinful self. Those things are nothing but roadblocks that prevent others from seeing Christ in me. And how could God’s fame and reputation be enhanced by my life if I am involved in things that prevent others from seeing Christ in me?

So first practical application – commit myself to forsaking any known sin. Examine my heart. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal it to me. Confess. Admit. Forsake. Stay away. Maybe even have someone else ask me and hold me accountable to it (a rather mature thing to do). This is essentially, repentance, which in itself glorifies God by putting the spotlight on the cross, where Jesus paid for sin. It is strange to think this, but yes indeed, a place where God was glorified was on the cross. Such a wrathful event also glorified God at the same time. And since Christ paid for my sin, then I in response should be willing to forsake it (see Romans 6).

Point two is this: in order to glorify God in my life, I must discover what God’s will for my life is and pursue it. This obviously includes point one above, but more than that, it is a commitment to understanding the positive character shaping power of the Holy Spirit as well as to commit myself to certain actions/activities that are designed by nature to exalt and glorify God. For example:

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18

I was in campus ministry for many years, and whenever a college student came up to me and told me they were struggling to know God’s will for their life this is where I would point them. For how could one be in a position to know the unknown and future will of God (regarding specifics) for their life when they have not first committed themselves to living the already revealed will of God for their lives? Wisdom comes from discernment, and discernment comes from being spiritually disciplined in what God has already said is clearly His will for your life.

So living and pursuing God’s will for one’s life is a means of glorifying God. Study and memorize Scripture, pray heartfelt prayers often, fellowship with other believers, serve others, be joyful and thankful, use your giftedness to encourage and build up the church. Live sacrificial lives, giving generously. As you do these things, you will find that the Holy Spirit will empower you for them and in the process will develop your character to become more like Jesus, which is the end goal of the Christian life – Christlikeness. And Christlikeness is a person’s life is glorifying to God.

This all may seem simple. Well, guess what? It is. It’s supposed to be. The Christian life is simplicity – simple satisfaction in Christ and less attachment to the world. Fixing minds on things above and not on earthly things. Dying to self and living for God, commiting oneself to obedience, walking in faith, trusting in God for all things. Living a life of love. Serving. If a person tries to make the Christian life more complicated than that, then stay away from that person – they may have an unhealthy interest in man-made rules and traditions that make one look more spiritual than they really are. You just stick to the basics, and let God get the credit for everything.

But still, isn’t there more application than this?

Listen, if you are walking with the Lord and are testing everything, forsaking known sin, reading the Word and letting it shape you, praying regularly, serving others out of love and joy, then guess who it is who is shaping the desires of your heart? God is. And God’s will for your life is being realized naturally. Simple? Yes, simple. Note the Scripture below:

“…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
Philippians 2:12b-13

If you are working “out” your salvation as described above, then you need to understand that God is working at the same time, and he is the One who is (dare I say, “causing”) you to have certain desires and to perform certain actions that are in keeping with His will and that in the end will bring glory to God.

Ask yourself the following in the following areas:
1) Attitudes – does my attitude about something reflect God’s priorities in life or my sinful ones? Is my attitude shaped more by circumstances or by the internal relationship and trust that I have placed in Christ who reigns over me? Is my attitude similar to the selfless attitude that Christ had (see Philippians 2)?

2) Actions – is what I’m doing more inclined to enhance my reputation or God’s? This kind of gets to motives, which will always reveal itself eventually in actions. Are my actions then in keeping with the behavior and good works that exalt the name of Christ – because really, He has prepared some things for me to do that are specifically designed for that purpose (Eph 2:10).

3) Conversations – does this conversation build up others? Will it help someone else be inspired towards pursuing the things of God? Now wait here, aren’t some conversation neutral? Like isn’t it great that the Cubs are in first place? Well, yes, we can talk about that – and that conversation may not inspire someone to pursue the things of God, but indirectly it is building commonality, friendship, enjoyment of life, communication, and all those things are good – gifts of God I say. Perhaps more specifically here we can just watch to make sure that no

“…unwholesome talk comes out of our mouths but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

- Ephesians 4:29

That seems to be a good rule of thumb for knowing if I am glorifying God in this area of my life.

4) Dreams and goals – pursuing what you know God has designed you and gifted you to do is a major aspect of glorifying God. For example, one of my wife’s gifts is photography, and the more she pursues and uses it the more her gift gives testimony to God’s glory since He is the one who gave her the gift in the first place. So in doing what we are good at, and doing it in such a way that it has a positive impact on others is all a way to glorify God with your life. Just remember, when we use our gifts we are “faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

5) Relationships – committing yourself to purity, considering others as better than yourself, serving someone else with a sacrificial love that seeks to cause them to grow (Ephesians 5:25ff). All this is glorifying to God. Taking an interest in the spiritual growth of others is a priority that is often missed among many Christians today. But it is one of the main reasons why we exist – especially as a church.

All this is what it means to glorify God – to point everything to Christ and to encourage others in such a way that they do the same. Even being good stewards of creation is a way to glorify God because we are valuing what God has made, which places value on God himself as its author.

Sorry, this blog entry is too long. But the topic is so huge. I must learn to control myself a little better, lest I lose you. I’ll try to work on that. In the meantime, if you take the advice of John the Baptist, “He [that being Christ]must increase, and I must decrease,” then you are on the right path to what it means to glorify God. It is the greatest life in the world. Fulfilling, and ultimately rewarding – if not in this life, then surely the life to come.

What does it mean to glorify God? (part 1)

2008-06-10T11:21:00.002-04:00

Good question. It is a phrase that is tossed around like popcorn in Christian circles. “It is our goal to glorify God in everything we do.” That phrase seems a little elusive until one understands what it really means. Initially, it leads us to ask the questions: why does God need to be glorified? Is He arrogant? Is He prideful? Is He missing something that He needs to get from us so that He feels better about Himself?

All of these questions are based on a false premise. They stem primarily from human experience, and in asking them this way we are projecting back on God things that we know are true from human life in a sinful world. The reality is, God is completely perfect and sufficient and is not in need of anything outside of himself. This is not true for us, for we are wholly dependent on outside sources for our very survival. We are dependent on food and water and air to breathe. God has no need for any of those things. He is perfect and deserving of all worship and praise since he is the source of all things (Col. 1:15-23).

So then, to say that we need to glorify God, we are not saying that we need to add something to God that is lacking in His who He is, as if He is empty and needy and is in dire need for others to revere Him so that He can become more complete. Nor is it to say that God has any sinful pride that needs fed. He is holy.

Ok then, what are we saying? What does it mean to glorify God? Simply put, to glorify God is to praise and worship Him for who He is and to enhance is His reputation above anything else in the universe. Thus, the Westminster Confession (a reformed statement of faith adopted by the Church of England in 1646) states clearly that the “chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This says something about God and it says something about us.

What it says about God is that He alone is the One who is worthy of worship, adoration, and praise. He is the center of the universe and the purpose of all life. But it also says something about us and that is this: we are by nature designed and created for God’s glory, and so all that we do and say ought to be done towards that purpose. We live not for ourselves, but for Him. Consider these two Scriptures:

“Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth -- everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
Isaiah 43:6-7, NIV

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16, NIV

(some versions translate it as, “glorify your Father who is in heaven.”, which is more accurate according to the Greek. Sometimes the NIV lightens things a bit).

So you and I exist for the select purpose of glorifying God, to enhance His reputation. We were made to worship Him, to revere Him, to find our primary sense of fulfillment and purpose in nothing else than in Him alone. That’s why we were made. Simple. In a crude illustration, if we want someone’s reputation be known or enhanced we talk that person up. We tell others about that person. We might make signs and billboards and do things that will get others to notice the person whose reputation we want to accentuate. (Dare I say, it’s like putting a sign in your yard to promote a candidate for office.) This leads me to my second point.

According to Jesus in Matthew 5, every good deed we perform ought to be designed towards enhancing the reputation of God. Every action, no matter how small. In fact Paul went much further. Not only our good deeds ought to do this, but practically everything should be for this purpose. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” That’s pretty comprehensive.

Ok, so what? How does this affect my everyday life? How does the command to glorify God impact my attitudes, actions, conversation, dreams, goals, and relationships? Well tune in later, as this will be the subject of part 2 of this blog in the days to come.

John Piper calls glorifying God a “joyful duty.” Well said. This is not a command made to make us miserable, but in actuality, we are never more satisfied and fulfilled than when we are bent towards glorifying God. Like John the Baptist said, “He must become greater, I must become less.” More of Jesus, less of me. And when that starts to happen, then I will find the real me, the “me” God created me to be.

What in the World is Going On?

2008-06-07T18:58:00.006-04:00

Recent events have led people to ask, what is happening to the world we live in? Tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes (cyclones), tsunamis, earthquakes, disasters that kill thousands. Is it getting worse, or even more, are these the birth pangs of the end of this age and the Second Coming of Christ? A few truths that we must acknowledge are this:

1) Each day that we live is a day closer to the end. Plain and simple, the church age will not last forever. Prophecy will come true, and the time is drawing nigh. It is closer now than ever before, and may soon be around the corner. So we wait in anticipation and serve the Lord with a sense of urgency.

2) The earth is decaying. The older it gets, the more the effects of the fall from the book of Genesis will take hold. Don't expect the earth to renew itself on its own. Like us, it is suffering the results of living in a sinful world, and according to the book of Romans, it waits in eager anticipation for God to make the next dynamic move in history (Romans 8:19-22). Oh sure, the earth may go through different cycles where it has seasons of rest verses seasons of destruction or unrest, but it is getting worse, and will not be progressively getting better. So don't be surprised if these disasters seem to be more intense and more frequent. Jesus did say that things like this will increase towards the end (Matthew 24:7).

3) The effect of the split second ability to have breaking news from around the globe has increased our information in major ways. No wonder it seems like these things are happening more and more. Truth be told, these things have been happening for centuries. We just have the capacity to learn about them quicker and more often. Yet still, the earth seems to be really active, don't you think?

So now, with all of that being said, is there still a greater sense that the earth is communicating to us that Christ is coming soon? For me, I sense in my spirit that things are indeed moving much closer to His Coming. Jesus did criticize the unbelieving Jews for their utter inability to discern the times in Matthew 16:1-4 (as if He expected that they should be able to). We who are filled with the Spirit ought to have much more discernment capabilities than them. And you cannot help but look at the world situation (national disasters, wars, political posturing, unrest in the Middle East, etc.) and not "feel" in your heart that things are more intense than ever before in history. There is a lot of satanically inspired hatred for the truth of God that is much more widespread. And the earth is telling us something too.

Therefore, we should get ready. The Return of Christ, or the "Blessed Hope" as it is called, is indeed on its way... soon. Paul told us in Titus 2:11-14 that in light of His coming, and in view of our salvation (that is speeding towards its consummation in a deeper sense), we ought to be very careful and attentive to how we live. We should rid ourselves of ungodly and worldly passions, to live with profound self-control, so that we are blameless and godly before the world's eyes. Our lives ought to be a powerful testimony to the truth of God that we have believed in. As Christians living in the end days, we have a corporate witness to maintain before the world that is perishing. Therefore, we ought to be intentional and purposeful, committed to purity, and "eager to do what is good."

He is coming soon, so I say to you Christian, live hard after God's will. Pursue it passionately. Eagerly plead with others to turn to Christ. Watch your life closely. Guard your heart from the stains of the world that desensitizes our ability to have spiritual discernment. Pray regularly, and obey when conviction comes. God is speaking. He is speaking through nature, He is speaking through His Word, and He is speaking into the hearts of those who have the Spirit who are listening.

The Lord is near... are you ready? Does your life show it? Does your heart long for it? Birth pangs are happening. All I have to say is "come quickly Lord," not because I am discontent and unhappy with my life today, but because I long to see the face of the One who died for me, and I desire to see His justice, righteousness, and glory to fill the face of the earth in the fullest sense. So let's get busy...

Head Knowledge vs. Heart Knowledge

2008-06-06T19:30:00.000-04:00

Let us not become foolish and think that a mere gain of intellectual knowledge or an assent to factual truths about God is enough to qualify us or make us fit for life in the kingdom of God. God requires more than head knowledge, but rather He looks upon the heart. The men on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 were well aware of all the facts about Jesus – the fact that He was a prophet and even more – the hope of Israel. They even knew details about His resurrection.

But Jesus’ rebuke was firm and to the point. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe.” These men knew the truth, but their hearts were not engaged with it. They had seen and heard the Word, the One who was with God and the One who was God. Yet having met him, they were still lacking the very thing that God requires – simple faith.

There should be no misunderstanding of the primary lesson here. There is everything to be gained through the acquisition of truth whereby the mind is filled with the knowledge of God. Our minds must firmly be fixed on things above. Yet truth that is not believed and obeyed is meaningless. It is knowledge that simply puffs up, making us all the more accountable, condemned, and sentenced to judgment. We may think we can call Him “Lord,” but in the end we are just goats that never knew Him.

The Bible firmly establishes the truth that to know God is to experience Him, to believe Him, to submit and surrender to Him, to obey Him. This is such that the Apostle Paul even cried for a deeper walk with God when he exclaimed in his letter to Philippi, “I want to know Christ.” Here a man well reasoned and seasoned in the Law of God, first among his peers in education and training, and an Apostle with access to direct revelation, still pleads with an unquenchable thirst to simply “know” God. This was his heart cry, to be sure – not his head cry.

Therefore, let us not abandon academic pursuit, for this is how the Spirit transforms our minds and grants us insight into the will of God (Romans 12). Yet there is more to be gained in the kingdom than facts. To be sure, the essence of the kingdom is a reigning God in a surrendered and obedient heart. It is the cultivation of the life of God in a person’s soul, his character, and subsequent actions. It is a fountain overflowing. It is a life producing fruit that will last – a natural spring that yields that which is pure. And this is the balance we must keep, where head and heart work together, empowered and moved by the Spirit.

I would rather be a pauper working in the vineyard of my God where the fruit yields a rich harvest than a prince at a table of intellectual eggheads who feel very important that they know what epistemology or progressive dispensationalism means. Yet I do not toss the baby out with the bathwater. A growing Christian should know the truths of progressive dispensationalism – and then live out their place in the story. This is the heart of what it means to know truth – to know it, believe it, and live it out joyfully. This is the life that is truly life. May it be so. Amen.

There is a Time for Everything...

2008-06-05T21:30:00.000-04:00

'Tis time for me to blog. About time. Being a pastor, each day brings a whole hosts of joys and challenges. In some ways its a roller coaster. There are days when one rides high with the joyful news of great blessings upon God's people, and then there are those other days when one carries the burdens of those who are experiencing the dark night of the soul. Who is equal to such a task? Only the one who lives in fellowship and dependency on God's Spirit, who does everything they can to forsake confidence in their own flesh and abilities. Sometimes I can do this well and sometimes I fail miserably. But there is no greater privilege than to be a worker in the vineyard of the Lord, watching Him build His kingdom and change human hearts. My prayer is that this blog will not only be a place to capture the joys of life, but that it will also be a place where God is worshipped and others are blessed.