p. 34 Tom Steffen, "Church Planting That Empowers":
* What is the worldview of the target audience?
* What is the culture's decision-making pattern?
* What does it cost a person in this culture to become a Christian?
* What redemptive analogy is best for this culture?
* How does this culture view Christianity?
* What does this culture understand about the basic components of the gospel story?
* Is this culture based on shame or guilt? ( my 2 cents: liberal societies operate off of shame "HOw can you drive an SUV? You don't recycle? etc.)
* How will this culture understand Christian rituals?
* What is the best delivery system for exposing the people of this culture to the Gospel?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
At the Cross, Jesus met me at my very worst....
"With, and because of, Jesus the Redeemer I am both fully known and completely safe. At the cross, Jesus met me at my very worst. For at that mysterious moment all my toxic envy, all my deceit, all my secret sins, all my ingratitude, all my self-centered neglect and cruelty--everything that is corrupt and twisted about my attitudes and behavior--was exposed to the full heat of God's justice, attached to Jesus, and punished....By fully identifying with all our sin and then being punished for it, Jesus satisfied God's justice."Charles Drew, A Journey Worth Taking, p. 154
Saturday, July 5, 2008
CS Lewis on Two Errors re: Devils
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to have an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. The devils are equally pleased with both errors, and hail a materialist as much as a magician.”
Monday, June 30, 2008
Hirsch on Agenda & Incarnation
"Mission always sets our Agenda and Incarnation must always describe our Way."
Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsch
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Democracy is not the Cure
“Christians cannot possibly view democracy as “the cure” for the world’s ills.
“For many pragmatic and moral reasons, we may concur that, granted attendant structures and liberties, it is the form of government least unaccountable to the people and least likely to brutalize its citizens without some eventual accounting. It is a form of government most likely to foster personal freedoms, including, usually, freedoms for Christians to practice and propagate their faith.
“But it has also proved proficient at throwing off a sense of obligation to God the Creator, let alone the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is another way of saying that it is proficient at fostering idolatry. Its freedoms, so many of which are enormously praiseworthy for political, religious, personal, and artistic reasons, include the freedom to be hedonists, to pursue a life revolving around entertainment, to become inured against responsible family life, communal interaction, and self-denying service in the endless worship of massive egos, passing fads, and this-worldly glitter. Laying up treasures in heaven does not seem to be on the radar screen of many Christians.
“Christians with a firm grasp of the Bible’s story line from creation to consummation, even while they offer thanks for the freedoms that democracy provides, will not overlook the fact that democracy, rule by the people, what we might call the kingdominion of the people, cannot compete for righteousness with the kingdominion of God.”
D.A. Carson - Christ and Culture, pgs. 127-128
[HT]
“For many pragmatic and moral reasons, we may concur that, granted attendant structures and liberties, it is the form of government least unaccountable to the people and least likely to brutalize its citizens without some eventual accounting. It is a form of government most likely to foster personal freedoms, including, usually, freedoms for Christians to practice and propagate their faith.
“But it has also proved proficient at throwing off a sense of obligation to God the Creator, let alone the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is another way of saying that it is proficient at fostering idolatry. Its freedoms, so many of which are enormously praiseworthy for political, religious, personal, and artistic reasons, include the freedom to be hedonists, to pursue a life revolving around entertainment, to become inured against responsible family life, communal interaction, and self-denying service in the endless worship of massive egos, passing fads, and this-worldly glitter. Laying up treasures in heaven does not seem to be on the radar screen of many Christians.
“Christians with a firm grasp of the Bible’s story line from creation to consummation, even while they offer thanks for the freedoms that democracy provides, will not overlook the fact that democracy, rule by the people, what we might call the kingdominion of the people, cannot compete for righteousness with the kingdominion of God.”
D.A. Carson - Christ and Culture, pgs. 127-128
[HT]
Luther on Being Offensive
There are some who have no understanding to hear the truth of freedom and insist upon their goodness as means for salvation. These people you must resist, do the very opposite, and offend them boldly lest by their impious views they drag many with them into error. For the sake of liberty of the faith do other things which they regarded as the greatest of sins… use your freedom constantly and consistently in the sight of and despite the tyrants and stubborn so that they may learn that they are impious, that their law and works are of no avail for righteousness, and that they had no right to set them up.
Martin Luther
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Christians Singing the Blues
The Internet Monk asks, "Can Christians Sing the Blues?"
Lament is a form of language used THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE (excuse the shouting) when human beings responhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifd to their experience of God seeming to not keep his covenant promises to them. Lament is “Where are you Lord? What are you doing? Why are you against me? How could you let this happen? I did what you commanded, and now this? My life is miserable. Where is God?” If you’re like most Christians, you know this stuff is in the Bible, but your pastor never gets near it at the risk of a deacons meeting to ask why he’s lost his faith.
Lament is a form of language used THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE (excuse the shouting) when human beings responhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifd to their experience of God seeming to not keep his covenant promises to them. Lament is “Where are you Lord? What are you doing? Why are you against me? How could you let this happen? I did what you commanded, and now this? My life is miserable. Where is God?” If you’re like most Christians, you know this stuff is in the Bible, but your pastor never gets near it at the risk of a deacons meeting to ask why he’s lost his faith.
While the Poor Clamor for Justice
Over at Common Grounds Online, Amy Lauger writes...
* Lisa Miller, “Everything Old is New Again” Newsweek (May 5, 2008), 20.
As I continue to learn more about all types of suffering and injustice in our world, many other issues don’t seem quite as important as they once did. In this week’s Newsweek, N.T. Wright is asked about gay unions and clergy, a contentious and indeed a truly significant issue in the church today. He replies:
“We have to address it. At the same time, I wish we could prioritize so that we were actually talking about issues of global justice and debt remission and global warming and so on. I mean, there’s something very bizarre about the rich arguing about sex while the poor are clamoring for justice.”*
I pray that God will find us faithful to seeking first his kingdom of justice and righteousness. May he help us straighten our priorities as the poor clamor for justice. And may the just become powerful and the powerful just.
* Lisa Miller, “Everything Old is New Again” Newsweek (May 5, 2008), 20.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Chesterton on My Neighbor
GK Chesterton...
"It is not fashionable to say much nowadays of the advantages of the small community. We are told that we must go in for large empires and large ideas. There is one advantage, however, in the small state, the city or village, which only the willfully blind could overlook. The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world. He knows much more of the fierce varieties and uncompromising divergences of men. The reason is obvious. In a large community we choose our companions. In a small community our companions are chosen for us....
If we were tomorrow morning snowed up in a street in which we live, we should step into a much larger and much wilder world than we have ever known. And it is the whole effort of the typically modern person to escape from the street in which he lives.... We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbour. Hence he comes to us clad in all the careless terrors of nature; he is as strange as the stars, as reckless and indifferent as the rain. He is Man, the most terrible of beasts. That is why the old religions and the old scriptural language showed so sharp a wisdom when they spoke not of one's duty towards humanity, but one's duty towards one's neighbour. The duty towards humanity may often take the form of some choice which is personal or even pleasurable. ... But we have to love our neighbour because he is there--a much more alarming reason for a much more serious operation. He is the sample of humanity which is actually given us. Precisely because he may be anybody he is everybody. He is a symbol because he is an accident." -- from Heretics (1905)
"It is not fashionable to say much nowadays of the advantages of the small community. We are told that we must go in for large empires and large ideas. There is one advantage, however, in the small state, the city or village, which only the willfully blind could overlook. The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world. He knows much more of the fierce varieties and uncompromising divergences of men. The reason is obvious. In a large community we choose our companions. In a small community our companions are chosen for us....
If we were tomorrow morning snowed up in a street in which we live, we should step into a much larger and much wilder world than we have ever known. And it is the whole effort of the typically modern person to escape from the street in which he lives.... We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbour. Hence he comes to us clad in all the careless terrors of nature; he is as strange as the stars, as reckless and indifferent as the rain. He is Man, the most terrible of beasts. That is why the old religions and the old scriptural language showed so sharp a wisdom when they spoke not of one's duty towards humanity, but one's duty towards one's neighbour. The duty towards humanity may often take the form of some choice which is personal or even pleasurable. ... But we have to love our neighbour because he is there--a much more alarming reason for a much more serious operation. He is the sample of humanity which is actually given us. Precisely because he may be anybody he is everybody. He is a symbol because he is an accident." -- from Heretics (1905)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Church with Benefits
And millions are doing the same thing with church. I attend when I want to, and only for my benefit. I am there because I am experiencing a personal spiritual, relational, or emotional crisis, and I want God to give me my "spiritual booty call" to make me feel better. But don't ask me to make any ongoing investment in the church. Don't have any expectations of me as someone who came to that church. Just allow me to come in, use your church as I would a prostitute (I might even pay you for your services), and then I can move on, go back to my life and I'll get back to you if I need you again.
Read the rest.
Read the rest.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Pastors: If I Had To Do It All Over Again...
From Jesus Creed:
...from Kent Anderson, pastor of a Covenant church in Naperville Illinois.
Hindsight is 20/20 but it often comes at less than productive moments but sometimes it does make a difference. I have served churches in Iowa, Michigan and Illinois; in rural, small town and suburban environs. I have dealt with everything from murder to suicide to sexual abuse to goofy boards to cranky members to bats in the church to you name it. Knowing this - the one thing I would make sure of if I was starting over again is this – read the Bible.
Oh I read the Bible regularly with some systematic method, but what I mean is to read through the Bible repeatedly every year. Make it a high priority practice. About 12 years ago I began to read the Bible from front to back three times a year. I read it in 20 chapter segments and this takes about an hour a day. I do this 4 - 5 time a week. I change version each time read through it, NIV, NRSV, KJV, NASB, Jerusalem, the Message, whatever. I mark the Bible up and have cheap notebook to jot down my thoughts and questions. There are times when I take a break for a month and do something else but this has been my foundational practice for years.
Why do this? In every other element of my position I know that there are people in the church who know more about leadership and vision casting, finances, building construction and maintenance, pedagogy and the care and feeding of copiers. But I need to know the Bible. I need to know it intimately, its themes (large and small) the people who populate it and its flow. I need to know it personally to be able to carefully use it professionally. The more I read it the more I am drawn to it. And I discover more about myself in reading the Bible. I love Leviticus and its lessons. Judges is the most contemporary book for our land. David is always in trouble in Psalms. The personalities of the gospels are amazing, and Revelation can be breathtaking.
My regret is that I started this practice after 15 years of ministry. But if I were starting over again among all the choices I would have to make, reading the Bible through would be #1.
...from Kent Anderson, pastor of a Covenant church in Naperville Illinois.
Hindsight is 20/20 but it often comes at less than productive moments but sometimes it does make a difference. I have served churches in Iowa, Michigan and Illinois; in rural, small town and suburban environs. I have dealt with everything from murder to suicide to sexual abuse to goofy boards to cranky members to bats in the church to you name it. Knowing this - the one thing I would make sure of if I was starting over again is this – read the Bible.
Oh I read the Bible regularly with some systematic method, but what I mean is to read through the Bible repeatedly every year. Make it a high priority practice. About 12 years ago I began to read the Bible from front to back three times a year. I read it in 20 chapter segments and this takes about an hour a day. I do this 4 - 5 time a week. I change version each time read through it, NIV, NRSV, KJV, NASB, Jerusalem, the Message, whatever. I mark the Bible up and have cheap notebook to jot down my thoughts and questions. There are times when I take a break for a month and do something else but this has been my foundational practice for years.
Why do this? In every other element of my position I know that there are people in the church who know more about leadership and vision casting, finances, building construction and maintenance, pedagogy and the care and feeding of copiers. But I need to know the Bible. I need to know it intimately, its themes (large and small) the people who populate it and its flow. I need to know it personally to be able to carefully use it professionally. The more I read it the more I am drawn to it. And I discover more about myself in reading the Bible. I love Leviticus and its lessons. Judges is the most contemporary book for our land. David is always in trouble in Psalms. The personalities of the gospels are amazing, and Revelation can be breathtaking.
My regret is that I started this practice after 15 years of ministry. But if I were starting over again among all the choices I would have to make, reading the Bible through would be #1.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Nouwen on the Sins of the Church
“When we say, ‘I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,’ we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness.”
-Henri Nouwen
-Henri Nouwen
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Elton John's Moral Judgment
Homosexual singer, Elton John, blames the sinking popularity of Hillary Clinton on "sexism."
"I never cease to be amazed by the misogynistic attitudes of some people in this country," said John, wearing a spangled black evening coat over a vermilion silk shirt. "I say to hell with them. ... I love you, Hillary, I'll always be there for you."
Here and here.
"I never cease to be amazed by the misogynistic attitudes of some people in this country," said John, wearing a spangled black evening coat over a vermilion silk shirt. "I say to hell with them. ... I love you, Hillary, I'll always be there for you."
Here and here.
Monday, April 7, 2008
A Bright Stainless Mirror....
If we let him... he will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into dazzling, radiant, immortal creatures, pulsating all through with such energy, joy, wisdom, and love as we cannot now imagine; a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly, though of course on a smaller scale his own boundless power, light, and goodness. That is what we are in for, nothing less.
— C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
— C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
The New World Begun in the Resurrection of Jesus
The early church arrived at a belief that the royal presence of Jesus would be the central feature in a cosmic denouement that could occur at any time...[The Apostle] Paul had expected the kingdom to be ushered in all in one. The resurrection of Jesus, however, has forced him to divide the "end" into two "moments," with the church living in between, grounded on the first and longing for the second. The first (Jesus' resurrection) gives the content of the second (the final resolution) in a nutshell, expressing as it does God's victory over death and the transformation of the physical world. It also guarantees the second, since the risen Lord is now already ruling the world... when the heavenly dimension is finally unveiled, so that the royal presence of Jesus is visibly and tan- gibly with us at last, the dead will be raised and the living transformed, to share his new humanity within a transformed world. This will be the fulfillment of the new world, which began in Jesus' resurrection.
— N.T. Wright, The Meaning of Jesus
— N.T. Wright, The Meaning of Jesus
A Prayer Before You Preach
I am expected to preach today,
but go weak and needy to my task;
Yet I long that people will be edified with divine truth,
that an honest testimony will be given for you.
Give me assistance in preaching and prayer,
with heart uplifted for grace and passion.
Present to my view things pertinent to my subject,
will fullness of matter and clarity of thought,
proper expressions, fluency, fervency,
a deep emotion to accompany the words I speak,
and grace to apply them to people’s consciences.
Keep me conscious all the while of my defects,
and let me not gloat in pride over my performance.
Help me to offer a testimony for yourself,
and to leave sinners inexcusable in neglecting your mercy.
Give me freedom to open up the sorrows of your people,
and to set before them comforting consolations.
Give your power to the truth preached,
and awaken the attention of my slothful audience.
May your people be refreshed, melted, convicted, comforted,
and help me to use the strongest arguments
drawn from Christ’s incarnation and sufferings,
that people might be made holy.
I myself need your support, comfort, strength, holiness,
that I might be a pure channel of your grace,
and be able to do something for you.
Give me then refreshment among your people,
and help me not to treat excellent matter in a defective way,
or bear a broken testimony to so worthy a redeemer,
or be harsh in treating Christ’s death, its design and end,
from lack of warmth and fervency.
And keep me in tune with you as I do this work.
- Puritan Prayer, adapted by Kingdom People.
NTW on Jesus as the Coming Judge
“The picture of Jesus as the coming Judge is the central feature of another absolutely vital and nonnegotiable Christian belief: that there will indeed be a judgment in which the creator God will set the world right once and for all. The word judgment carries negative overtones for a good many people in our liberal and postliberal world. We need to remind ourselves that throughout the Bible, not least in the Psalms, God’s coming judgment is a good thing, something to be celebrated, longed for, yearned over. It causes people to shout for joy and the trees of the field to clap their hands. In a world of systematic injustice, bullying, violence, arrogance, and oppression, the thought that there might come a day when the wicked are firmly put in their place and the poor and weak are given their due is the best news there can be. Faced with a world in rebellion, a world full of exploitation and wickedness, a good God must be a God of judgment.”
“Surprised By Hope” pg. 137
“Surprised By Hope” pg. 137
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Grace Marin Mission Statement
Grace Marin
Our Mission
PURPOSE: Why do we exist?
Grace Church of Marin exists to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ known in Marin County and, through it, the world.
VISION: What do we hope to accomplish?
We seek to tell and embody the transforming story of the historic Christian faith — a story of mercy, peace, and hope — that brings about changed lives, social healing, and cultural renewal in Marin.
MISSION: What will make our vision a reality?
God Exalting
We seek to honor God for all of his worth by crafting worship services that are both rooted in Scripture and the historic Christian faith and relevant to Marin; that are both edifying to the committed worshiper and engaging to the curious and skeptical seeker; that are both excellently prepared and dependently postured on God’s living Spirit.
Miracle Working
We seek to form partnerships with social service providers in order to create opportunities to extend both mercy and social justice to those who are hurting and disadvantaged in Marin. The extension of our service will seek to restore the weak (compassion), to re-neighbor our divided neighborhoods (community), to reclaim God’s heart for his creation (conservation), and to redeem our experiences with goodness, beauty, and truth (culture).
Story Telling
We seek to boldly and humbly posture ourselves to Marin—through organic and intentional relationships with our neighbors, colleagues, and friends with whom we live, work, and play—in a way that will help the curious and skeptical seeker feel intrigued, invited, and included in various venues for conversation and discussion about Christianity.
Community Building
We seek to create a welcoming and vibrant community by developing dynamic gatherings in which people can discover and practice Christianity, cultivate meaningful and supportive relationships, and receive pastoral care. Through these experiences and relationships we seek to mobilize people to serve, train new leaders, multiply our community presence, and promote Christian ethics in the marketplace in order to cast a broad net of love over our county.
Church Shaping
We seek to teach the Scriptures, offer the Sacraments (Baptism and Communion), and superintend the governance of our church in an intelligible and compelling manner that exalts God, edifies the committed worshiper, and engages the curious and skeptical seeker.
Kingdom Expanding
We seek to build relationships with existing churches and develop new churches in order that the Bay Area would enjoy more of God’s mercy, peace, and hope.
Our Mission
PURPOSE: Why do we exist?
Grace Church of Marin exists to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ known in Marin County and, through it, the world.
VISION: What do we hope to accomplish?
We seek to tell and embody the transforming story of the historic Christian faith — a story of mercy, peace, and hope — that brings about changed lives, social healing, and cultural renewal in Marin.
MISSION: What will make our vision a reality?
God Exalting
We seek to honor God for all of his worth by crafting worship services that are both rooted in Scripture and the historic Christian faith and relevant to Marin; that are both edifying to the committed worshiper and engaging to the curious and skeptical seeker; that are both excellently prepared and dependently postured on God’s living Spirit.
Miracle Working
We seek to form partnerships with social service providers in order to create opportunities to extend both mercy and social justice to those who are hurting and disadvantaged in Marin. The extension of our service will seek to restore the weak (compassion), to re-neighbor our divided neighborhoods (community), to reclaim God’s heart for his creation (conservation), and to redeem our experiences with goodness, beauty, and truth (culture).
Story Telling
We seek to boldly and humbly posture ourselves to Marin—through organic and intentional relationships with our neighbors, colleagues, and friends with whom we live, work, and play—in a way that will help the curious and skeptical seeker feel intrigued, invited, and included in various venues for conversation and discussion about Christianity.
Community Building
We seek to create a welcoming and vibrant community by developing dynamic gatherings in which people can discover and practice Christianity, cultivate meaningful and supportive relationships, and receive pastoral care. Through these experiences and relationships we seek to mobilize people to serve, train new leaders, multiply our community presence, and promote Christian ethics in the marketplace in order to cast a broad net of love over our county.
Church Shaping
We seek to teach the Scriptures, offer the Sacraments (Baptism and Communion), and superintend the governance of our church in an intelligible and compelling manner that exalts God, edifies the committed worshiper, and engages the curious and skeptical seeker.
Kingdom Expanding
We seek to build relationships with existing churches and develop new churches in order that the Bay Area would enjoy more of God’s mercy, peace, and hope.
Park Slope PCA
is a worshipping communhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifity that exists to celebrate, in word and deed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our neighborhood and throughout Brooklyn.
The Devil is a Better Theologian
“The devil is a better theologian than any of us and is a devil still.”
- A.W. Tozer
- A.W. Tozer
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Co-habitating Before Marriage Risks Marriage
Between 50 and 60 percent of all marriages begin with the two partners cohabitating, and many of those couples no doubt believe they are making a wise move up front. But living together before marriage actually increases the chances of divorce in a first marriage -- 67 percent of cohabitating couples who marry eventually divorce, compared to 45 percent of all first marriages....
"Men and woman cohabitate for different reasons," Mike McManus said in a conference call discussing the book. "Women see it as a step toward marriage. They think they can audition for this job. Men do it because they like to have the ready availability of sex and having someone share their living expenses. Women should heed their mother's advice -- if you give away the milk, he won't buy the cow."
Baptist Press: 'Living together' before marriage a statistical risk
"Men and woman cohabitate for different reasons," Mike McManus said in a conference call discussing the book. "Women see it as a step toward marriage. They think they can audition for this job. Men do it because they like to have the ready availability of sex and having someone share their living expenses. Women should heed their mother's advice -- if you give away the milk, he won't buy the cow."
Baptist Press: 'Living together' before marriage a statistical risk
Skepticism
"But you cannot go on "explaining away" forever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on "seeking through" things for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? ... a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To "see through" all things is the same as not to see.
C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, p. 48, quoted in Tim Keller, The Reason for God, p. 37.
C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, p. 48, quoted in Tim Keller, The Reason for God, p. 37.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Survivors Rescuing Survivors
From The Missional Challenge
In The Externally Focused Church, you can read about Colorado Community Church in Aurora, CO. "They are defined by going after those who are still in the water." They've taken on the mission of Lifeboat 14.
As I read that story, I thought about how I am so glad that Jesus has rescued me! And having been rescued, I am now in a position to help rescue others by leading them to Jesus. Yet sometimes, I act like those in the lifeboats who resisted the cries for help.
Isn't it easier (sometimes) to row away from people who need Jesus? We get so busy with our own lives and enjoying the fact that we've been rescued. We think that certainly somebody else will help in the rescue effort.
I want to catch the vision of "Lifeboat 14." I want to be involved in rescuing people. I want to go after those still in the water. Don't you?
In The Externally Focused Church, you can read about Colorado Community Church in Aurora, CO. "They are defined by going after those who are still in the water." They've taken on the mission of Lifeboat 14.
On April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and began taking on water. By the time the lifeboats were deployed, it was clear that the ship was sinking. Passengers were loaded into lifeboats, and the lifeboats were lowered in the icy waters. Of the twenty lifeboats lowered into the water, most had room for more people. Despite the cries for help, those in the lifeboats were afraid to return to the drowning people lest the boats be swamped. Resisting the cries for help, the people in the boats rowed away from hundreds of people floating in the water.
In Lifeboat 14, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe thought differently and acted differently. He transferred many of his passengers to other lifeboats and returned to the sinking ship to pick up more survivors. Though he could not save them all, he could save a precious few from death in the icy sea. Survivors rescued survivors. (p 71)
As I read that story, I thought about how I am so glad that Jesus has rescued me! And having been rescued, I am now in a position to help rescue others by leading them to Jesus. Yet sometimes, I act like those in the lifeboats who resisted the cries for help.
Isn't it easier (sometimes) to row away from people who need Jesus? We get so busy with our own lives and enjoying the fact that we've been rescued. We think that certainly somebody else will help in the rescue effort.
I want to catch the vision of "Lifeboat 14." I want to be involved in rescuing people. I want to go after those still in the water. Don't you?
The faith of the people of CCC is lived out in the community. They get involved in the dreams and hurts of their community. They don't condemn. They love and serve. They don't retreat; they go after those still in the water. The Titanic remains at the bottom of the Atlantic, but Lifeboat 14 is still involved in pulling people out of the water in Aurora, Colorado. (p 72)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Wrestling with God
"Sometimes in the dark of our night seasons, we don't know with whom we are struggling until the light begins to dawn."
"When God allows or even invites us to wrestle with Him, His constant goal is to make us overcomers. Even when God appears to be against us, He is for us."
"Few things define us more than how we struggle. Through the crisis with God all the way to the blessing, we are gloriously redefined."
~ Beth Moore on Jacob's story.
"When God allows or even invites us to wrestle with Him, His constant goal is to make us overcomers. Even when God appears to be against us, He is for us."
"Few things define us more than how we struggle. Through the crisis with God all the way to the blessing, we are gloriously redefined."
~ Beth Moore on Jacob's story.
The Highs & the Lows
Heather passed this along to me....
"Nothing serves us better in places of high position than our lessons in low position."
~ Beth Moore
"Nothing serves us better in places of high position than our lessons in low position."
~ Beth Moore
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Piper on For Whom Did Christ Taste Death?
Piper on For Whom Did Christ Taste Death?
"I am not the least bit interested in withholding the infinite value of the death of Jesus from anyone. Let it be known and heard very clearly: God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes on him—I say it again: whoever believes in him—should not perish but have eternal life. Christ died so that whoever (in this room this morning) believes might not perish but live.
"And when you believe as you ought to believe, you will discover that your belief—like all other spiritual blessings—was purchased by the death of Christ. The sin of unbelief was covered by the blood in your case, and therefore the power of God's mercy was released through the cross to subdue your rebellion and bring you to the Son. You did not make the cross effective in your life by faith. The cross became effective in your life by purchasing your faith."
"I am not the least bit interested in withholding the infinite value of the death of Jesus from anyone. Let it be known and heard very clearly: God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes on him—I say it again: whoever believes in him—should not perish but have eternal life. Christ died so that whoever (in this room this morning) believes might not perish but live.
"And when you believe as you ought to believe, you will discover that your belief—like all other spiritual blessings—was purchased by the death of Christ. The sin of unbelief was covered by the blood in your case, and therefore the power of God's mercy was released through the cross to subdue your rebellion and bring you to the Son. You did not make the cross effective in your life by faith. The cross became effective in your life by purchasing your faith."
Dawkin's Moral Outrage
Parchment & Pen has an interesting blog entry about the moral indignation of atheist Richard Dawkins.
"...the atheist is still left without a proper metaphysical context for affirming such moral dignity and responsibility. As it turns out, despite all of Dawkins’ moral indignation toward theism, naturalism seems to be morally pretentious in claiming the moral high ground, though without any metaphysical basis for doing so."
"...the atheist is still left without a proper metaphysical context for affirming such moral dignity and responsibility. As it turns out, despite all of Dawkins’ moral indignation toward theism, naturalism seems to be morally pretentious in claiming the moral high ground, though without any metaphysical basis for doing so."
America: One of the Worlds 10 Largest Mission Fields
Phil Ryken recently gave this report at Reformation 21:
The church planting committee at Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian Church was recently given some statistics that clarify the need for gospel work in our own United States.
With almost 200 million unchurched people, America is one of the world's ten largest mission fields.
In 2000, the US sent out more than 100,000 missionaries, but also received 33,000 missionaries, making us both the world's largest missionary-sending and the world's largest missionary-receiving country.
It is estimated that more than 100 million Americans have no substantial Christian memory, which is a reminder that a large part of the task of evangelism in our times is simply explaining to people what Christianity is.
The church planting committee at Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian Church was recently given some statistics that clarify the need for gospel work in our own United States.
With almost 200 million unchurched people, America is one of the world's ten largest mission fields.
In 2000, the US sent out more than 100,000 missionaries, but also received 33,000 missionaries, making us both the world's largest missionary-sending and the world's largest missionary-receiving country.
It is estimated that more than 100 million Americans have no substantial Christian memory, which is a reminder that a large part of the task of evangelism in our times is simply explaining to people what Christianity is.
Apostolic Succession
It is by Fr. John Behr, dean and professor of patristics at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. :
As an example, Irenaeus pointed to the Christian communities in Rome (at that time there were many house churches, each with its own leaders, not one church with a single bishop), and in particular the community led by Eleutherius. He listed 12 successive leaders, from the apostles down to Eleutherius, to show that the apostolic teaching had been passed on continuously. He especially noted Clement, one of the first leaders, who had known the apostles and recorded their teaching in a letter that was earlier than any of the Gnostics’ texts. “By this succession,” Irenaeus wrote, “the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us. And this is the most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the apostles until now, and handed down in truth.”
In later centuries, some churches began trying to construct similar lists of succession to defend their own authenticity or authttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifhority, but this was not Irenaeus’s main concern. He was not defending the authority of particular people; he was trying to defend the true faith against heresy by showing that the apostles’ message about Jesus had been faithfully preserved in the churches, and therefore could be trusted. Succession for him did not primarily mean handing down an office; it was the public expression of the continuity of the true faith.
The article can be found here.
HT: Reformed Catholicism
As an example, Irenaeus pointed to the Christian communities in Rome (at that time there were many house churches, each with its own leaders, not one church with a single bishop), and in particular the community led by Eleutherius. He listed 12 successive leaders, from the apostles down to Eleutherius, to show that the apostolic teaching had been passed on continuously. He especially noted Clement, one of the first leaders, who had known the apostles and recorded their teaching in a letter that was earlier than any of the Gnostics’ texts. “By this succession,” Irenaeus wrote, “the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us. And this is the most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the apostles until now, and handed down in truth.”
In later centuries, some churches began trying to construct similar lists of succession to defend their own authenticity or authttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifhority, but this was not Irenaeus’s main concern. He was not defending the authority of particular people; he was trying to defend the true faith against heresy by showing that the apostles’ message about Jesus had been faithfully preserved in the churches, and therefore could be trusted. Succession for him did not primarily mean handing down an office; it was the public expression of the continuity of the true faith.
The article can be found here.
HT: Reformed Catholicism
Keller on the Gospel
The ‘gospel’ is the good news that through Christ the power of God’s kingdom has entered history to renew the whole world. When we believe and rely on Jesus’ work and record (rather than ours) for our relationship to God, that kingdom power comes upon us and begins to work through us.”
- Tim Keller
- Tim Keller
Berkouwer on the New Earth
“The message of the gospel is not simply a ‘spiritual’ thing, but good tidings applied to man’s entire existence. . . . The true New Testament expectation includes the new earth, and the present life is founded on and proceeds from this expectation. Only with an eye to God’s future can one understand the richness of life in the present.”
G. C. Berkouwer, The Return of Christ
G. C. Berkouwer, The Return of Christ
Spurgeon on Preaching Christ
"I believe that those sermons which are fullest of Christ are the most likely to be blessed to the conversion of the hearers. Let your sermons be full of Christ, from beginning to end crammed full of the gospel. As for myself, brethren, I cannot preach anything else but Christ and His cross, for I know nothing else, and long ago, like the apostle Paul, I determined not to know anything else save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. People have often asked me, "What is the secret of your success?" I always answer that I have no other secret but this, that I have preached the gospel,—not about the gospel, but the gospel,—the full, free, glorious gospel of the living Christ who is the incarnation of the good news. Preach Jesus Christ, brethren, always and everywhere; and every time you preach be sure to have much of Jesus Christ in the sermon. You remember the story of the old minister who heard a sermon by a young man, and when he was asked by the preacher what he thought of it he was rather slow to answer, but at last he said, "If I must tell you, I did not like it at all; there was no Christ in your sermon." "No," answered the young man, "because I did not see that Christ was in the text." "Oh!" said the old minister, "but do you not know that from every little town and village and tiny hamlet in England there is a road leading to London? Whenever I get hold of a text, I say to myself, 'There is a road from here to Jesus Christ, and I mean to keep on His track till I get to Him.'" "Well," said the young man, "but suppose you are preaching from a text that says nothing about Christ?" "Then I will go over hedge and ditch but what I will get at Him." So must we do, brethren; we must have Christ in all our discourses, whatever else is in or not in them. There ought to be enough of the gospel in every sermon to save a soul. Take care that it is so when you are called to preach before Her Majesty the Queen, and if you have to preach to charwomen or chairmen, still always take care that there is the real gospel in every sermon."
-CH Spurgeon, The Soul Winner.
HT: Between Two Worlds
-CH Spurgeon, The Soul Winner.
HT: Between Two Worlds
Keller on Defining Sin
When Keller, author of The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, speaks about "sin" to his audiences, which are 70% single and younger than 40, "I use it with lots and lots of explanation, because the word is essentially obsolete.
"They do get the idea of branding, of taking a word or term and filling it with your own content, so I have to rebrand the word 'sin,' " Keller says.
"Around here it means self-centeredness, the acorn from which it all grows. Individually, that means 'I live for myself, for my own glory and happiness, and I'll work for your happiness if it helps me.' Communally, self-centeredness is destroying peace and justice in the world, tearing the net of interwovenness, the fabric of humanity."
USA Today
"They do get the idea of branding, of taking a word or term and filling it with your own content, so I have to rebrand the word 'sin,' " Keller says.
"Around here it means self-centeredness, the acorn from which it all grows. Individually, that means 'I live for myself, for my own glory and happiness, and I'll work for your happiness if it helps me.' Communally, self-centeredness is destroying peace and justice in the world, tearing the net of interwovenness, the fabric of humanity."
USA Today
Is Sin Dead?
USA Today asks, "Is sin dead?"
And answers, "Not by a long shot."
What Americans call sin:
• Adultery: 81%
• Racism: 74%
• Using "hard" drugs, such as cocaine, LSD: 65%
• Not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change: 63%
• Having an abortion: 56%
• Homosexual activity or sex: 52%
• Not reporting some income on your tax returns: 52%
• Reading or watching pornography: 50%
• Gossip: 47%
• Swearing: 46%
• Sex before marriage: 45%
• Homosexual thoughts: 44%
• Sexual thoughts about someone you are not married to: 43%
• Doing things as a consumer that harm the environment: 41%
• Smoking marijuana: 41%
• Getting drunk: 41%
• Gambling: 30%
• Not attending church or religious services regularly: 18%
• Drinking any alcohol: 14%
Source: Ellison Research, August 2007, based on 1,007 adults through a representative online panel ad adjusted to be demographically representative of the USA Margin of error: ±3.1 percentage points.
And answers, "Not by a long shot."
What Americans call sin:
• Adultery: 81%
• Racism: 74%
• Using "hard" drugs, such as cocaine, LSD: 65%
• Not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change: 63%
• Having an abortion: 56%
• Homosexual activity or sex: 52%
• Not reporting some income on your tax returns: 52%
• Reading or watching pornography: 50%
• Gossip: 47%
• Swearing: 46%
• Sex before marriage: 45%
• Homosexual thoughts: 44%
• Sexual thoughts about someone you are not married to: 43%
• Doing things as a consumer that harm the environment: 41%
• Smoking marijuana: 41%
• Getting drunk: 41%
• Gambling: 30%
• Not attending church or religious services regularly: 18%
• Drinking any alcohol: 14%
Source: Ellison Research, August 2007, based on 1,007 adults through a representative online panel ad adjusted to be demographically representative of the USA Margin of error: ±3.1 percentage points.
AMA Article on the Crucifixion of Jesus
Journal of the American Medical Association article on the crucifixion of Jesus.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Thoughts on Jacob's Wrestling with God
From the Vossed World....
The narrative about Jacob wrestling a “man” has become, for me, one of those key OT passages that explains so much about OT redemptive history (Abraham’s torch-oven vision would be the other). These are some of the thoughts I shared with my SS class a few years back (loosely based on some thoughts from Brian Vos quite a few years ago when I asked the same question).
At its core, this narrative is a “theology of glory vs. theology of the cross” episode. Jacob’s wrestling with a man is all about Jacob being confronted by the Lord of the Ladder to once and for all rid Jacob of his self-dependence and self-reliance. Jacob’s entire life has been marked by wrestling... he was born holding Esau’s heel. He “wrestled” with Esau over a birthright and blessing. He “wrestled” with Laban. Jacob was known as a conniver, getting what he wanted through wit, cunning, and deception... all in his own strength for his own glory. If there was ever a picture of someone who believed and lived as if God existed solely to bless his efforts, it was Jacob. This is the kind of man who, in the wake of heaven -- and Coram deo no less, dared bargain with God with his own benefit in mind (Genesis 28:20-22).
While much has changed in the interim between Bethel and Genesis 32, not *enough* has changed. Jacob is about to meet his brother for the first time in years and already he is conniving and manipulating the situation in fear of what might happen. But Bethel has already begun to intrude again into Jacob’s life (Gen. 31:13 and 32:1-2). Angels, much like Eden, guard the gateway back into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and most recently, Jacob. The “supplanter” is no longer the orchestrator of his life’s events and he knows it. Jacob may have been faithless in bargaining with the Lord of the Ladder, but the Lord of the Ladder has not been unfaithful since.
In his fear, Jacob reminds God of the Abrahamic promises made to him in the land of Laban. Years of hard living at the expense of Laban have stripped Jacob of his former pretense. It is clear that his transformation has already begun. Jacob acknowledges that he is not worthy of God’s covenant love (this is the second mention in scripture of the formulaic “steadfast love and faithfulness” that describes God’s favor toward His people). Faced with the unknown of meeting his brother again, Jacob reaches out to God in apparent affirmation of Abraham’s covenant. Jacob initiates this interaction with the covenant God of Abraham and his father Isaac, probably hoping for a “more sure word” than the one he had been given. But God is silent. If Jacob had been expecting all Bethel to break loose, especially in the wake of Mahanaim, his expectations were ingloriously unmet. The silence between Mahanaim and Peniel is deafening.
God has something else in mind for Jacob. The Lord of the Ladder does descend into the silence, but in a most unexpected way. Jacob expects glory; he expects assurance. What he gets is mystery, vulnerability, and darkness. It is no coincidence that what transpires is at night. God is about to resolve the self-centered bargain made by Jacob at Bethel. Before Jacob can return to the land, before he can reconcile with his brother, and before he can return to Bethel, Jacob’s transformation must be complete. He cannot take self-sufficiency into the land. His self-reliant striving must be brought to an end; his self-rule will be brought into submission to another; his self-serving resolve must be broken.
This time there is no gateway to heaven. The ford at Jabbok is a gateway to land. Indeed, this divine meeting has no angelic glory with the LORD of hosts standing in the gateway to heaven. This one has an earthy feel. For Jacob, there is no sleep as he had at Bethel. There is only insomnia, loneliness, and the sweat of a wrestling match with a mysterious man-figure whose identity is not cloaked in glory but humanity’s darkness.
Just as has been true with Esau and Laban, the stranger who meets Jacob at the gateway to the “promised” land is just another man to be wrestled with and conquered. And, true to form, Jacob prevails in his wrestling. Once again, Jacob’s self-reliance seems vindicated. Or has it been? Things aren’t what they seem. As dawn breaks, the truth dawns on Jacob and his world is flipped on its head. The mysterious “man-figure” is no mere man. And Jacob knows it. This is the Lord of the Ladder with whom he has been wrestling, the Son of man whose glory transcends and transverses heaven and earth (see John 1:51). The Lord of hosts has come to earth and the all-glorious concedes defeat in humanity. Despite having the power to maim Jacob’s strength and reduce him to nothing, the mysterious man allows Jacob to seemingly prevail. Jacob has bested the Lord of the Ladder. But it is not Jacob who is the ultimate victor. It is not a good thing to wrestle with God and win.
The prospect of the mysterious divine-man-figure leaving the scene without blessing Jacob is more than a now broken and contrite Jacob can bear. For the one who is "undone" face to face with the Holy, a departure without blessing is unthinkable. Jacob's transformation is complete. There will be no more wrestling. Only clinging. The divine intrusion into Jacob’s life via submission of the mysterious man in “conflict” moves Jacob from wrestling to clinging. The divine touch on his life emanating groin has not merely robbed him of physical strength. Jacob’s knowledge of the holy exhausts him of his willpower. No longer is Jacob attempting to impose his will on God. He is no longer reminding the covenanting God of promised blessing. Gone is the cocksure attitude that would bargain Coram deo with the Lord of the Ladder. Now he is clinging to the Lord of the Ladder for blessing, even if it costs him his life. It is the clinging of the spiritually bankrupt at the end of himself crying out the only hope he has: “Bless me or I die”. He recognizes that the wrestling man is both antagonist and Savior. The Lord of hosts has humbled himself; in conceding defeat, he wins Jacob's salvation. And Jacob's desperation of faith is that of Job's: "though he slay me, I will still hope in Him".
The man-"mysterium” responds to Jacob’s plea with a question in a manner reminiscent of the Son of Man who invariably would ask a question in these kinds of situations. The question here is meant to illicit a confession from Jacob (compare the confession of Legion in Mark 5:9): what is your name? With the mouth confession is made, and a repentant Jacob speaks a one-word confession that summarizes life long self-gratification and self-sufficiency: "Jacob". At the end of himself, he acknowledges in one word to the Lord of the ladder that his life has been the life of the supplanter, even to the point of naively believing that the covenant promises could be secured through betrayal and deception. Jacob is a sinner, a fool who has lived life in the wisdom of man. In clinging to man-mysterium, Jacob confesses his only hope of life lies in the One to whom he clings.
And in the Son of Man who stood at the top of the ladder at Bethel (John 1:51), Jacob receives grace and life. This life-giving Son of man gives Jacob a new name and with the new name, a new identity. It is this new name and this new identity that not only gives rise to a nation, but it is a name and identity forever borne by those who would cling to the Son of Man at the expense of their own lives. In the receiving of new life with a new name, Israel gains entrance to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 400-500 years later, this will be repeated as a nation is born with a new identity in the Passover and Exodus. Even though Israel the nation gains entrance to the Promised Land, they will forget the lesson of their forefather. Rather than cling to the Yahweh who offers them life, they will play the unfaithful fool and be driven from the land.
Over the course of redemptive history, Israel's descendents will give rise to the Son of Man Incarnate, the new Israel in whom heaven and earth meet. The Lord of the Ladder will shed his mystery and descend the ladder at night, surrounded by the angels of glory. The Lord of those hosts will take upon himself flesh forever. The man-mysterium has been revealed for the ages to be the Image of God, Jesus Christ. In humility and suffering he will concede defeat, and in that defeat win salvation for his people. Our striving in the theology of glory has been brought to its end at the cross in the Son of Man’s death.
A new day dawns. Christ, both Son of Man and New Israel, gives grace and life to the spiritually bankrupt. With a new name and new identity, we have been brought into the new creation, an abundant life that flows with milk and honey from the king’s table. Blessed are those at the end of themselves who prefer death to letting go of the Son of Man. As we cling to our only hope of life, may our desperate plea forever be: bless us or we die.
The narrative about Jacob wrestling a “man” has become, for me, one of those key OT passages that explains so much about OT redemptive history (Abraham’s torch-oven vision would be the other). These are some of the thoughts I shared with my SS class a few years back (loosely based on some thoughts from Brian Vos quite a few years ago when I asked the same question).
At its core, this narrative is a “theology of glory vs. theology of the cross” episode. Jacob’s wrestling with a man is all about Jacob being confronted by the Lord of the Ladder to once and for all rid Jacob of his self-dependence and self-reliance. Jacob’s entire life has been marked by wrestling... he was born holding Esau’s heel. He “wrestled” with Esau over a birthright and blessing. He “wrestled” with Laban. Jacob was known as a conniver, getting what he wanted through wit, cunning, and deception... all in his own strength for his own glory. If there was ever a picture of someone who believed and lived as if God existed solely to bless his efforts, it was Jacob. This is the kind of man who, in the wake of heaven -- and Coram deo no less, dared bargain with God with his own benefit in mind (Genesis 28:20-22).
While much has changed in the interim between Bethel and Genesis 32, not *enough* has changed. Jacob is about to meet his brother for the first time in years and already he is conniving and manipulating the situation in fear of what might happen. But Bethel has already begun to intrude again into Jacob’s life (Gen. 31:13 and 32:1-2). Angels, much like Eden, guard the gateway back into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and most recently, Jacob. The “supplanter” is no longer the orchestrator of his life’s events and he knows it. Jacob may have been faithless in bargaining with the Lord of the Ladder, but the Lord of the Ladder has not been unfaithful since.
In his fear, Jacob reminds God of the Abrahamic promises made to him in the land of Laban. Years of hard living at the expense of Laban have stripped Jacob of his former pretense. It is clear that his transformation has already begun. Jacob acknowledges that he is not worthy of God’s covenant love (this is the second mention in scripture of the formulaic “steadfast love and faithfulness” that describes God’s favor toward His people). Faced with the unknown of meeting his brother again, Jacob reaches out to God in apparent affirmation of Abraham’s covenant. Jacob initiates this interaction with the covenant God of Abraham and his father Isaac, probably hoping for a “more sure word” than the one he had been given. But God is silent. If Jacob had been expecting all Bethel to break loose, especially in the wake of Mahanaim, his expectations were ingloriously unmet. The silence between Mahanaim and Peniel is deafening.
God has something else in mind for Jacob. The Lord of the Ladder does descend into the silence, but in a most unexpected way. Jacob expects glory; he expects assurance. What he gets is mystery, vulnerability, and darkness. It is no coincidence that what transpires is at night. God is about to resolve the self-centered bargain made by Jacob at Bethel. Before Jacob can return to the land, before he can reconcile with his brother, and before he can return to Bethel, Jacob’s transformation must be complete. He cannot take self-sufficiency into the land. His self-reliant striving must be brought to an end; his self-rule will be brought into submission to another; his self-serving resolve must be broken.
This time there is no gateway to heaven. The ford at Jabbok is a gateway to land. Indeed, this divine meeting has no angelic glory with the LORD of hosts standing in the gateway to heaven. This one has an earthy feel. For Jacob, there is no sleep as he had at Bethel. There is only insomnia, loneliness, and the sweat of a wrestling match with a mysterious man-figure whose identity is not cloaked in glory but humanity’s darkness.
Just as has been true with Esau and Laban, the stranger who meets Jacob at the gateway to the “promised” land is just another man to be wrestled with and conquered. And, true to form, Jacob prevails in his wrestling. Once again, Jacob’s self-reliance seems vindicated. Or has it been? Things aren’t what they seem. As dawn breaks, the truth dawns on Jacob and his world is flipped on its head. The mysterious “man-figure” is no mere man. And Jacob knows it. This is the Lord of the Ladder with whom he has been wrestling, the Son of man whose glory transcends and transverses heaven and earth (see John 1:51). The Lord of hosts has come to earth and the all-glorious concedes defeat in humanity. Despite having the power to maim Jacob’s strength and reduce him to nothing, the mysterious man allows Jacob to seemingly prevail. Jacob has bested the Lord of the Ladder. But it is not Jacob who is the ultimate victor. It is not a good thing to wrestle with God and win.
The prospect of the mysterious divine-man-figure leaving the scene without blessing Jacob is more than a now broken and contrite Jacob can bear. For the one who is "undone" face to face with the Holy, a departure without blessing is unthinkable. Jacob's transformation is complete. There will be no more wrestling. Only clinging. The divine intrusion into Jacob’s life via submission of the mysterious man in “conflict” moves Jacob from wrestling to clinging. The divine touch on his life emanating groin has not merely robbed him of physical strength. Jacob’s knowledge of the holy exhausts him of his willpower. No longer is Jacob attempting to impose his will on God. He is no longer reminding the covenanting God of promised blessing. Gone is the cocksure attitude that would bargain Coram deo with the Lord of the Ladder. Now he is clinging to the Lord of the Ladder for blessing, even if it costs him his life. It is the clinging of the spiritually bankrupt at the end of himself crying out the only hope he has: “Bless me or I die”. He recognizes that the wrestling man is both antagonist and Savior. The Lord of hosts has humbled himself; in conceding defeat, he wins Jacob's salvation. And Jacob's desperation of faith is that of Job's: "though he slay me, I will still hope in Him".
The man-"mysterium” responds to Jacob’s plea with a question in a manner reminiscent of the Son of Man who invariably would ask a question in these kinds of situations. The question here is meant to illicit a confession from Jacob (compare the confession of Legion in Mark 5:9): what is your name? With the mouth confession is made, and a repentant Jacob speaks a one-word confession that summarizes life long self-gratification and self-sufficiency: "Jacob". At the end of himself, he acknowledges in one word to the Lord of the ladder that his life has been the life of the supplanter, even to the point of naively believing that the covenant promises could be secured through betrayal and deception. Jacob is a sinner, a fool who has lived life in the wisdom of man. In clinging to man-mysterium, Jacob confesses his only hope of life lies in the One to whom he clings.
And in the Son of Man who stood at the top of the ladder at Bethel (John 1:51), Jacob receives grace and life. This life-giving Son of man gives Jacob a new name and with the new name, a new identity. It is this new name and this new identity that not only gives rise to a nation, but it is a name and identity forever borne by those who would cling to the Son of Man at the expense of their own lives. In the receiving of new life with a new name, Israel gains entrance to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 400-500 years later, this will be repeated as a nation is born with a new identity in the Passover and Exodus. Even though Israel the nation gains entrance to the Promised Land, they will forget the lesson of their forefather. Rather than cling to the Yahweh who offers them life, they will play the unfaithful fool and be driven from the land.
Over the course of redemptive history, Israel's descendents will give rise to the Son of Man Incarnate, the new Israel in whom heaven and earth meet. The Lord of the Ladder will shed his mystery and descend the ladder at night, surrounded by the angels of glory. The Lord of those hosts will take upon himself flesh forever. The man-mysterium has been revealed for the ages to be the Image of God, Jesus Christ. In humility and suffering he will concede defeat, and in that defeat win salvation for his people. Our striving in the theology of glory has been brought to its end at the cross in the Son of Man’s death.
A new day dawns. Christ, both Son of Man and New Israel, gives grace and life to the spiritually bankrupt. With a new name and new identity, we have been brought into the new creation, an abundant life that flows with milk and honey from the king’s table. Blessed are those at the end of themselves who prefer death to letting go of the Son of Man. As we cling to our only hope of life, may our desperate plea forever be: bless us or we die.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Missing Husband
Rick was in trouble. He forgot his Valentines Day gift. His wife wasreally angry. She told him 'Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in less than 6 seconds, ANDIT BETTER BE THERE!!'
The next morning Rick got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, and brought the box back in the house.
She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.
Rick has been missing since Friday. Please pray for him.
The next morning Rick got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, and brought the box back in the house.
She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.
Rick has been missing since Friday. Please pray for him.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Evangelicals a Liberal Can Love
New York Times' Nicolas Kristof:
At a New York or Los Angeles cocktail party, few would dare make a pejorative comment about Barack Obama’s race or Hillary Clinton’s sex. Yet it would be easy to get away with deriding Mike Huckabee’s religious faith.
Liberals believe deeply in tolerance and over the last century have led the battles against prejudices of all kinds, but we have a blind spot about Christian evangelicals. They constitute one of the few minorities that, on the American coasts or university campuses, it remains fashionable to mock.
Scorning people for their faith is intrinsically repugnant, and in this case it also betrays a profound misunderstandhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifing of how far evangelicals have moved over the last decade. Today, conservative Christian churches do superb work on poverty, AIDS, sex trafficking, climate change, prison abuses, malaria and genocide in Darfur.
Bleeding-heart liberals could accomplish far more if they reached out to build common cause with bleeding-heart conservatives....
In parts of Africa where bandits and warlords shoot or rape anything that moves, you often find that the only groups still operating are Doctors Without Borders and religious aid workers: crazy doctors and crazy Christians. In the town of Rutshuru in war-ravaged Congo, I found starving children, raped widows and shellshocked survivors. And there was a determined Catholic nun from Poland, serenely running a church clinic.
Unlike the religious right windbags, she was passionately “pro-life” even for those already born — and brave souls like her are increasingly representative of religious conservatives. We can disagree sharply with their politics, but to mock them underscores our own ignorance and prejudice.
More
At a New York or Los Angeles cocktail party, few would dare make a pejorative comment about Barack Obama’s race or Hillary Clinton’s sex. Yet it would be easy to get away with deriding Mike Huckabee’s religious faith.
Liberals believe deeply in tolerance and over the last century have led the battles against prejudices of all kinds, but we have a blind spot about Christian evangelicals. They constitute one of the few minorities that, on the American coasts or university campuses, it remains fashionable to mock.
Scorning people for their faith is intrinsically repugnant, and in this case it also betrays a profound misunderstandhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifing of how far evangelicals have moved over the last decade. Today, conservative Christian churches do superb work on poverty, AIDS, sex trafficking, climate change, prison abuses, malaria and genocide in Darfur.
Bleeding-heart liberals could accomplish far more if they reached out to build common cause with bleeding-heart conservatives....
In parts of Africa where bandits and warlords shoot or rape anything that moves, you often find that the only groups still operating are Doctors Without Borders and religious aid workers: crazy doctors and crazy Christians. In the town of Rutshuru in war-ravaged Congo, I found starving children, raped widows and shellshocked survivors. And there was a determined Catholic nun from Poland, serenely running a church clinic.
Unlike the religious right windbags, she was passionately “pro-life” even for those already born — and brave souls like her are increasingly representative of religious conservatives. We can disagree sharply with their politics, but to mock them underscores our own ignorance and prejudice.
More
Wendell Berry on Christianity & the Survival of Creation
Wendell Berry's essay, Christianity & the Survival of Creation...
"In denying the holiness of the body and of the so-called "physical reality" of the world -- and in denying its support to the economic means by which alone the Creation can receive due honor -- modern Christianity has cut itself off from both nature and culture. It has no competent interest in biology or ecology. And it is equally uninterested in any feature of culture by which humankind connects itself to nature: economy or work, science or art."
"In denying the holiness of the body and of the so-called "physical reality" of the world -- and in denying its support to the economic means by which alone the Creation can receive due honor -- modern Christianity has cut itself off from both nature and culture. It has no competent interest in biology or ecology. And it is equally uninterested in any feature of culture by which humankind connects itself to nature: economy or work, science or art."
Garlington on Piper
Don Garlington's review of Piper's "The Future of Justification". His conclusion:
"As much as anything, this book is flawed by its near phobia of anything that smacks of newness and freshness, which, for Piper, must be suspect by definition. This is why we are exhorted to be suspicious of “our love of novelty” and eager to test biblical interpretations by “the wisdom of the centuries” (38). Agreed, but surely “the wisdom of the centuries” includes our own century. Wright is precisely correct: we are “to think new thoughts arising of the text and to dare to try them out in word and deed” (quoted on 37, italics added). Dr. Piper would do well to remember Matthew 13:52: “And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old’.” I would say the appropriate response to matters “new” and “fresh” is not skepticism but the Beroean spirit of searching the Scriptures to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11)."
"As much as anything, this book is flawed by its near phobia of anything that smacks of newness and freshness, which, for Piper, must be suspect by definition. This is why we are exhorted to be suspicious of “our love of novelty” and eager to test biblical interpretations by “the wisdom of the centuries” (38). Agreed, but surely “the wisdom of the centuries” includes our own century. Wright is precisely correct: we are “to think new thoughts arising of the text and to dare to try them out in word and deed” (quoted on 37, italics added). Dr. Piper would do well to remember Matthew 13:52: “And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old’.” I would say the appropriate response to matters “new” and “fresh” is not skepticism but the Beroean spirit of searching the Scriptures to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11)."
Friday, February 15, 2008
Augustine on the Spiritual Presence of Christ in the Supper
Video by James White. Augustine quote is about 5 min into the video.
Hell: Spurgeon vs. Seinfield
From Dan Kimball's "Hot Theology"
There is an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine's boyfriend, Puddy, becomes a Christian. He starts listening to Christian music and begins badgering Elaine about going to hell. At one point he asks her to steal the neighbor's newspaper for him because she's "the one going to hell, so [she] might as well steal it." Elaine explodes, starts whacking him with the newspaper, and screams, "If I am going to hell, you should care that I'm going to hell!"
I think Elaine has the right perspective. We cannot approach the subject of hell merely as a doctrine and ignore the human impact. Teaching on hell is not for the sake of knowing Christian trivia or to satisfy theological curiosity. If we believe in hell, and if we believe people created in God's image will either experience eternity in communion with him or apart from him, then we should be communicating the gospel, both the good news and the bad news.
....As Charles Spurgeon said, "If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for."
There is an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine's boyfriend, Puddy, becomes a Christian. He starts listening to Christian music and begins badgering Elaine about going to hell. At one point he asks her to steal the neighbor's newspaper for him because she's "the one going to hell, so [she] might as well steal it." Elaine explodes, starts whacking him with the newspaper, and screams, "If I am going to hell, you should care that I'm going to hell!"
I think Elaine has the right perspective. We cannot approach the subject of hell merely as a doctrine and ignore the human impact. Teaching on hell is not for the sake of knowing Christian trivia or to satisfy theological curiosity. If we believe in hell, and if we believe people created in God's image will either experience eternity in communion with him or apart from him, then we should be communicating the gospel, both the good news and the bad news.
....As Charles Spurgeon said, "If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for."
Barrenness & Brokenness
Barrenness is the way of human history. It is an effective metaphor for hopelessness. There is no foreseeable future. There is no human power to invent a future. But barrenness is not only the hopeless condition of humanity. The marvel of biblical faith is that barrenness is the arena of God's life-giving action. Inexplicably, this God speaks his powerful word directly into a situation of barrenness. This is the ground of the good news. This God does not depend on any potentiality in the one addressed. Abraham and Sarah were quite without potential. The speech of God presumes nothing from the one addressed, but carries in itself all that is necessary to begin a new people in history. The speech of God overcomes and overpowers the barrenness of reality.
Walter Bruggermann
Grace flourishes in the soil of brokenness.
Walter Bruggermann
Grace flourishes in the soil of brokenness.
Missional Discipleship
"Missional Discipleship: Reinterpreting the Great Commission"
by Jonathan Dodson
Retaining the cultural impulse of Genesis, the Gospels call us to a missional discipleship that entails creation care, cultural engagement, social action, and gospel proclamation. Missional disciples will not content themselves by preaching a culturally irrelevant, creation indifferent, resurrection neglecting message. Instead, they redemptively engage peoples and cultures through Christ for the renewal of his creation.
By digging deeper into the great commissions, we have unearthed a wealth of cultural and theological insight. This rereading of familiar evangelistic texts has demonstrated that God in Christ has called us not to mere soul-winning, but to distinctive discipleship, to heralding a worldly gospel of a fleshly Christ who humbly accommodates human culture and understands the human condition. These commissions call us to missional discipleship — to redemptive engagement with all peoples and cultures.
Read full article here.
by Jonathan Dodson
Retaining the cultural impulse of Genesis, the Gospels call us to a missional discipleship that entails creation care, cultural engagement, social action, and gospel proclamation. Missional disciples will not content themselves by preaching a culturally irrelevant, creation indifferent, resurrection neglecting message. Instead, they redemptively engage peoples and cultures through Christ for the renewal of his creation.
By digging deeper into the great commissions, we have unearthed a wealth of cultural and theological insight. This rereading of familiar evangelistic texts has demonstrated that God in Christ has called us not to mere soul-winning, but to distinctive discipleship, to heralding a worldly gospel of a fleshly Christ who humbly accommodates human culture and understands the human condition. These commissions call us to missional discipleship — to redemptive engagement with all peoples and cultures.
Read full article here.
Fasting
Christian Fasting: A Theological Approach
Online book by Kent Berghuis
Introduction: Contribution and Methodology
Chapter 1: Fasting In The Old Testament And Ancient Judaism: Mourning, Repentance, And Prayer In Hope For God’s Presence
Chapter 2: Fasting In The New Testament: Remembrance And Anticipation In The Messianic Age
Chapter 3: Fasting Through The Patristic Era
Chapter 4: The Development Of Fasting From Monasticism Through The Reformation To The Modern Era
Chapter 5: Toward A Contemporary Christian Theology Of Fasting
Appendix 1: Basil’s Sermons About Fasting
Appendix 2: Fasting In Scripture
Online book by Kent Berghuis
Introduction: Contribution and Methodology
Chapter 1: Fasting In The Old Testament And Ancient Judaism: Mourning, Repentance, And Prayer In Hope For God’s Presence
Chapter 2: Fasting In The New Testament: Remembrance And Anticipation In The Messianic Age
Chapter 3: Fasting Through The Patristic Era
Chapter 4: The Development Of Fasting From Monasticism Through The Reformation To The Modern Era
Chapter 5: Toward A Contemporary Christian Theology Of Fasting
Appendix 1: Basil’s Sermons About Fasting
Appendix 2: Fasting In Scripture
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Accountability
Good post on accountability here, including discussion about
the means of accountability
benefits of accountability
potential pitfalls of accountability
scriptural basis for accountability
the means of accountability
benefits of accountability
potential pitfalls of accountability
scriptural basis for accountability
The Presence of a Hidden God
What can be seen on earth indicates neither the total absence nor the obvious presence, but the presence of a Hidden God.
— Blaise Pascal
Pensées (556)
— Blaise Pascal
Pensées (556)
Newbigin on Faith & Knowledge
The challenge to faith has to be accepted. Faith is not a second-class substitute for knowledge: it is the indispensable precondition for knowledge. This is true in every sphere but supremely true when we are thinking of the knowledge of God. There is a personal invitation which has to be accepted on trust if we are to have the possibility of vision. The common idea in our secular culture that this "personal knowledge" is of an inferior validity to that which depends upon pure induction from the data of the senses, or upon extrapolation from the requirements of a logical system, has no foundation.
— Lesslie Newbigin
The Light Has Come
— Lesslie Newbigin
The Light Has Come
Idolatry: Whom Will You Serve?
The idols of our day and society may not be images made of wood or stone. They are far more likely to be our own lusts or desires, money, power, position, security and relationships. Perhaps the easiest way to identify our idols is to ask what we serve. Idols are often those things we are tempted to trust instead of God. What are those things for which we strive, those things we look to in order to achieve security or a sense of well-being? “Elijah, can’t I serve God and Money?” No. “How about God and Job Success?” No. “Just a little?” No. There can be no wavering between two opinions: “If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal [or Money, or Power, or Security] is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21).
— Raymond B. Dillard
Faith in the Face of Apostasy
— Raymond B. Dillard
Faith in the Face of Apostasy
The Resurrection Changes Everything
Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead and He shouldn’t have done it. He thrown every- thing off balance. If He did what he said, then it’s nothing for you to do but throw away every- thing and follow Him, and if He didn’t, then it’s nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can.
— Flannery O’Connor
A Good Man Is Hard To Find
— Flannery O’Connor
A Good Man Is Hard To Find
Original Sin
I believe in original sin.... I know that I’m capable of craving a cold beer in a village of starving kids.... I understand that selfishness vies for space in our hearts with compassion ...
— George Stephanopoulos
— George Stephanopoulos
Monday, February 11, 2008
Mohler on the Call of God to Preach
Al Mohler asks,
"Has God called you to ministry? Though all Christians are called to serve the cause of Christ, God calls certain persons to serve the Church as pastors and other ministers. Writing to young Timothy, the Apostle Paul confirmed that if a man aspires to be a pastor, "it is a fine work he aspires to do." [I Timothy 3:1, NASB] Likewise, it is a high honor to be called of God into the ministry of the Church. How do you know if God is calling you?"
Check out his thouhgts....
"Has God called you to ministry? Though all Christians are called to serve the cause of Christ, God calls certain persons to serve the Church as pastors and other ministers. Writing to young Timothy, the Apostle Paul confirmed that if a man aspires to be a pastor, "it is a fine work he aspires to do." [I Timothy 3:1, NASB] Likewise, it is a high honor to be called of God into the ministry of the Church. How do you know if God is calling you?"
Check out his thouhgts....
Tripp on Waiting on God
"This side of eternity you and I are called to wait. We're called to recognize that the most important, most essential, most beautiful, and most lasting things in our life are things over which we have no control. No, these things are the gracious gifts of a loving Father. He never is foolish in the way he dispenses his gifts. He never plays favorites. He never mocks our neediness. He never plays bait and switch. He never teases or toys with us. His timing is always right and the gifts that he gives are always appropriate to the moment. He is kind, faithful, loving, merciful, and good....Somewhere in your life you are being called to wait. In your waiting, you are being given an opportunity to deepen and strengthen your faith."
Paul Tripp
Paul Tripp
Lent & Fasting
There is an ancient Christian tradition of fasting in preparation for Easter. Whether you’re among The Liturgically Correct who started the observance of Lent with Ash Wednesday last week, or whether your church is less engaged with a traditional church seasonal calendar, the basic idea of doing some deep preparation for Good Friday and Easter comes from a solid Christian instinct: the death and resurrection of Christ are, together, the one main event of Christianity. That makes the weeks before Easter a good time to consider the biblical practice of fasting.
Fred Sanders: Biblical Fasting
Fred Sanders: Biblical Fasting
Kim on Atonement & the Cross
Conclusion of Seyoon Kim's "The Atoning Death of Christ on the Cross"...
Thus, when the doctrine of Christ’s penal substitutionary atonement on the cross—and the doctrine of justification that issues from it—is properly expounded, it can integrate the Christus victor motif in itself and provide the adequate basis for sanctification or imitatio Christi. Hence Paul uses penal substitutionary atonement for his moral exhortation not to sin against brethren, especially the “weak” ones (“the brother for whom Christ died,” Rom 14:15; 1 Cor 8:11), and not to sell one’s body into slavery either of sexual lust or of a human master (“You were bought with a price,” 1 Cor 6:20; 7:23). Above all, in expounding the missionary and social implications of the doctrine of justification, Paul makes the most revolutionary declaration: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28; cf. also Rom 3:30; Eph 2:11-22; Col 3:11). Since justification does not depend on any innate quality or merit of human beings, but it is only by God’s grace manifested in Christ’s substitutionary atonement, and solely through our faith-appropriation of it, racial, gender, or social differences do not count any more.
Thus, when the doctrine of Christ’s penal substitutionary atonement on the cross—and the doctrine of justification that issues from it—is properly expounded, it can integrate the Christus victor motif in itself and provide the adequate basis for sanctification or imitatio Christi. Hence Paul uses penal substitutionary atonement for his moral exhortation not to sin against brethren, especially the “weak” ones (“the brother for whom Christ died,” Rom 14:15; 1 Cor 8:11), and not to sell one’s body into slavery either of sexual lust or of a human master (“You were bought with a price,” 1 Cor 6:20; 7:23). Above all, in expounding the missionary and social implications of the doctrine of justification, Paul makes the most revolutionary declaration: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28; cf. also Rom 3:30; Eph 2:11-22; Col 3:11). Since justification does not depend on any innate quality or merit of human beings, but it is only by God’s grace manifested in Christ’s substitutionary atonement, and solely through our faith-appropriation of it, racial, gender, or social differences do not count any more.
Wright on Heaven
From "Christians Wrong on Heaven"...
And if people think that our world, our cosmos, doesn't matter much, who cares what we do with that? Much of "traditional" Christianity gives the impression that God has these rather arbitrary rules about how you have to behave, and if you disobey them you go to hell, rather than to heaven. What the New Testament really says is God wants you to be a renewed human being helping him to renew his creation, and his resurrection was the opening bell. And when he returns to fulfill the plan, you won't be going up there to him, he'll be coming down here....
...But the end of Revelation describes a marvelous human participation in God's plan. And in almost all cases, when I've explained this to people, there's a sense of excitement and a sense of, "Why haven't we been told this before?"
And if people think that our world, our cosmos, doesn't matter much, who cares what we do with that? Much of "traditional" Christianity gives the impression that God has these rather arbitrary rules about how you have to behave, and if you disobey them you go to hell, rather than to heaven. What the New Testament really says is God wants you to be a renewed human being helping him to renew his creation, and his resurrection was the opening bell. And when he returns to fulfill the plan, you won't be going up there to him, he'll be coming down here....
...But the end of Revelation describes a marvelous human participation in God's plan. And in almost all cases, when I've explained this to people, there's a sense of excitement and a sense of, "Why haven't we been told this before?"
Piper on Gutsy Guilt
The closest I have ever come in 26 years to being fired from my position as a pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church was in the mid-1980s, when I wrote an article for our church newsletter titled "Missions and Masturbation." I wrote the article after returning from a missions conference in Washington, D.C., with George Verwer, the head of Operation Mobilization.
Verwer's burden at that conference was the tragic number of young people who at one point in their lives dreamed of radical obedience to Jesus, but then faded away into useless American prosperity. A gnawing sense of guilt and unworthiness over sexual failure gradually gave way to spiritual powerlessness and the dead-end dream of middle-class security and comfort.
In other words, what seemed so tragic to George Verwer—as it does to me—is that so many young people are being lost to the cause of Christ's mission because they are not taught how to deal with the guilt of sexual failure. The problem is not just how not to fail. The problem is how to deal with failure so that it doesn't sweep away your whole life into wasted mediocrity with no impact for Christ.
The great tragedy is not masturbation or fornication or pornography. The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have. In their place, he gives you a happy, safe, secure, American life of superficial pleasures, until you die in your lakeside rocking chair.
Gutsy Guilt
Verwer's burden at that conference was the tragic number of young people who at one point in their lives dreamed of radical obedience to Jesus, but then faded away into useless American prosperity. A gnawing sense of guilt and unworthiness over sexual failure gradually gave way to spiritual powerlessness and the dead-end dream of middle-class security and comfort.
In other words, what seemed so tragic to George Verwer—as it does to me—is that so many young people are being lost to the cause of Christ's mission because they are not taught how to deal with the guilt of sexual failure. The problem is not just how not to fail. The problem is how to deal with failure so that it doesn't sweep away your whole life into wasted mediocrity with no impact for Christ.
The great tragedy is not masturbation or fornication or pornography. The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have. In their place, he gives you a happy, safe, secure, American life of superficial pleasures, until you die in your lakeside rocking chair.
Gutsy Guilt
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Piper on Teaching Kids (unbelievers?) to Pray
Should children be taught to pray even if they haven't professed faith?
Yes. I think we should teach our children to pray as soon as they can say anything. The first words they should say are, "Dear Jesus, thank you."
I say this is because I can't discern when a child is being spiritually wrought upon by the Lord. I don't put much stock in children's professions of faith. They seem to come and go. What matters is whether or not they have been born again.
desiringGod.org
Yes. I think we should teach our children to pray as soon as they can say anything. The first words they should say are, "Dear Jesus, thank you."
I say this is because I can't discern when a child is being spiritually wrought upon by the Lord. I don't put much stock in children's professions of faith. They seem to come and go. What matters is whether or not they have been born again.
desiringGod.org
Randy Alcorn on Accountability
To experience true accountability, we have both the right and the responsibility to ask each other hard and to-the-point questions. Our goal must be not just to help each other feel good, but to help each other be good. The following questions are only suggestions. You may add and subtract as you wish. The point is not legalism, but checking in with each other in a meaningful way.
Questions to Ask Initially--And Come Back To Periodically
l. What are the biggest barriers to your relationship with God?
2. What are the biggest barriers to your relationship with your wife?
3. What are the most serious temptations you face at home? At work? Elsewhere?
4. If Satan were to wage an all-out attack on your life, what area(s) would he focus on? (What are your greatest points of vulnerability? For example, sexual impurity, financial irresponsibility, dishonesty, greed, pride, etc.)
5. How can your brothers help you and pray for you?
Questions to Ask Each Other Regularly
If there's more than two or three men, not all of the following can be asked of each man each week. Even when asked, the answer may be brief. The point is not to always answer each question but to regularly bring up each area and thereby give opportunity for sharing. Don't let more than a few weeks go by without discussing any of these areas. (You may wish to add questions of your own.)
1. What have you learned or memorized this week from God's Word? (Share a specific passage.)
2. What happened this week that put you to the test? How did you respond?
3. How are you doing in your relationship with God? (Be specific--time in the Word, prayer, sense of dependence on the Lord, etc.)
4. How are you doing in your relationship with your wife? (Be specific--communication, spiritual sharing, conflict resolution, etc.)
5. How are you doing in your relationships with your children? Or parents? Other key people?
6. How are you doing in your relationships at work or school?
7. How are you doing with your thought life? This week did you consistently keep your thoughts and actions pure before God? (If the answer is "yes", ask "Are you lying?")
8. What kind of a ministry did you have this week? Whom did you share Christ with, either directly or indirectly? Or, how did you use your gifts and resources to help the needy?
9. How can the others pray specifically for you this week?
10. Anything else you'd like to share? (questions or issues you're dealing with?)
Randy Alcorn & EPM
Questions to Ask Initially--And Come Back To Periodically
l. What are the biggest barriers to your relationship with God?
2. What are the biggest barriers to your relationship with your wife?
3. What are the most serious temptations you face at home? At work? Elsewhere?
4. If Satan were to wage an all-out attack on your life, what area(s) would he focus on? (What are your greatest points of vulnerability? For example, sexual impurity, financial irresponsibility, dishonesty, greed, pride, etc.)
5. How can your brothers help you and pray for you?
Questions to Ask Each Other Regularly
If there's more than two or three men, not all of the following can be asked of each man each week. Even when asked, the answer may be brief. The point is not to always answer each question but to regularly bring up each area and thereby give opportunity for sharing. Don't let more than a few weeks go by without discussing any of these areas. (You may wish to add questions of your own.)
1. What have you learned or memorized this week from God's Word? (Share a specific passage.)
2. What happened this week that put you to the test? How did you respond?
3. How are you doing in your relationship with God? (Be specific--time in the Word, prayer, sense of dependence on the Lord, etc.)
4. How are you doing in your relationship with your wife? (Be specific--communication, spiritual sharing, conflict resolution, etc.)
5. How are you doing in your relationships with your children? Or parents? Other key people?
6. How are you doing in your relationships at work or school?
7. How are you doing with your thought life? This week did you consistently keep your thoughts and actions pure before God? (If the answer is "yes", ask "Are you lying?")
8. What kind of a ministry did you have this week? Whom did you share Christ with, either directly or indirectly? Or, how did you use your gifts and resources to help the needy?
9. How can the others pray specifically for you this week?
10. Anything else you'd like to share? (questions or issues you're dealing with?)
Randy Alcorn & EPM
On Being Genuinely Happy for Others
During a recent episode of American Idol, Simon Cowell turned to his fellow judges and said, “You know what’s amazing about this country is that you’re genuinely happy when someone you know does well…. The idea of me knowing somebody, they get good news and celebrating with them — I couldn’t do it.”
Keller on Gospel Presentations
From Keller's lecture: The Supremacy of Christ & the Gospel in a PoMo World" (~27min):
"I haven't seen a Gospel presentation—a relatively short but comprehensive Gospel presentation—recently that I think actually really, really addresses postmodern people. The older Gospel presentations of Evangelism Explosion and the Four Spiritual Laws were great on systematic theology—God, Sin, Christ, Faith—and they got across the idea of grace vs. works but there was no story arc—Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. It wasn't there. They had systematic theology, but it didn't have biblical theology (what we call it). It read across the grain of Scripture and did a good job of summarizing, "This is God." "This is what the Bible says about sin." "This is what the Bible says about Christ." "This is what the Bible says about faith." But the basic narrative arc of Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration, was not part of those Gospel presentations. And as a result (critics rightly say), the older Gospel presentations that so many of us grew up on were very individualistic, they helped you get your relationship right with God, but they were in a sense almost consumeristic, and the idea of the kingdom of God was never part of those Gospel presentations. So the Lordship of Christ over all my life—the Lordship of Christ over all of life—its not part of the Gospel presentations; it doesn't follow on from them.
"Now, if you go to the emerging church, if you go to the post liberal church, all the emphasis when they talk about the Gospel, all the emphasis is on the kingdom. All of it. It's all on Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. And all the emphasis therefore is on the fact that we had a world that we wanted (you see its all done corporately instead of individualistic), we had a world that we wanted and we've lost the world that we've wanted and now Jesus Christ has created a people and He's brought the kingdom and now you need to be a part of His kingdom program which is going to heal the world of injustice. And what you have there is an emphasis on the corporate, an emphasis on the kingdom, but you do almost always in these newer presentations of the Gospel lose the emphasis on grace vs. works, and on substitutionary atonement, and on the way in which Christ absorbed the wrath of God. And you don't see—when you hear these conversations, when I hear these Gospel conversations—I don't want to walk out of these presentations saying, "My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth and followed thee"….
"It's going to take all our theological thinking now (not Bill Bright, not Billy Graham) but all our best theological thinking to develop user friendly Gospel presentations that merge both systematic theology and biblical theology in such ways that people can grasp [it] rather quickly and rather easily…."
"I haven't seen a Gospel presentation—a relatively short but comprehensive Gospel presentation—recently that I think actually really, really addresses postmodern people. The older Gospel presentations of Evangelism Explosion and the Four Spiritual Laws were great on systematic theology—God, Sin, Christ, Faith—and they got across the idea of grace vs. works but there was no story arc—Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. It wasn't there. They had systematic theology, but it didn't have biblical theology (what we call it). It read across the grain of Scripture and did a good job of summarizing, "This is God." "This is what the Bible says about sin." "This is what the Bible says about Christ." "This is what the Bible says about faith." But the basic narrative arc of Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration, was not part of those Gospel presentations. And as a result (critics rightly say), the older Gospel presentations that so many of us grew up on were very individualistic, they helped you get your relationship right with God, but they were in a sense almost consumeristic, and the idea of the kingdom of God was never part of those Gospel presentations. So the Lordship of Christ over all my life—the Lordship of Christ over all of life—its not part of the Gospel presentations; it doesn't follow on from them.
"Now, if you go to the emerging church, if you go to the post liberal church, all the emphasis when they talk about the Gospel, all the emphasis is on the kingdom. All of it. It's all on Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. And all the emphasis therefore is on the fact that we had a world that we wanted (you see its all done corporately instead of individualistic), we had a world that we wanted and we've lost the world that we've wanted and now Jesus Christ has created a people and He's brought the kingdom and now you need to be a part of His kingdom program which is going to heal the world of injustice. And what you have there is an emphasis on the corporate, an emphasis on the kingdom, but you do almost always in these newer presentations of the Gospel lose the emphasis on grace vs. works, and on substitutionary atonement, and on the way in which Christ absorbed the wrath of God. And you don't see—when you hear these conversations, when I hear these Gospel conversations—I don't want to walk out of these presentations saying, "My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth and followed thee"….
"It's going to take all our theological thinking now (not Bill Bright, not Billy Graham) but all our best theological thinking to develop user friendly Gospel presentations that merge both systematic theology and biblical theology in such ways that people can grasp [it] rather quickly and rather easily…."
Cyncism
John Sartle:
This is where cynicism takes hold: with our realization that nothing or no one can be totally trusted, and we can’t even point the finger of accusation at others because we ourselves cannot be trusted. We must number ourselves among the unfaithful and untrustworthy. Cynicism is the temple to which we finally come after stopovers at the houses of all the other gods. It is the temple at the end of “temple row.”
Read the entire article entitled "The Altar of Cynicism" here.
This is where cynicism takes hold: with our realization that nothing or no one can be totally trusted, and we can’t even point the finger of accusation at others because we ourselves cannot be trusted. We must number ourselves among the unfaithful and untrustworthy. Cynicism is the temple to which we finally come after stopovers at the houses of all the other gods. It is the temple at the end of “temple row.”
Read the entire article entitled "The Altar of Cynicism" here.
Childers on the Church as God's Vehicle
Steve Childer's plenary session:
Childers then stressed the importance of vision – not just for a particular church plant, but for how church planting fits into God’s mission in the world of bringing glory to Himself by redeeming sinners out of every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). God’s vehicle for accomplishing this is the church. We need to see our personal stories within God’s over-arching story.
Childers' message was broadly divided into four headings:
I. A Vision for the Glory of God
II. A Vision for the Kingdom of God
III. A Vision for the Church of God
IV. A Vision for the Gospel of God
I. A Vision for the Glory of God
Key Question: What is God’s purpose for the world?
Answer: To bring glory to God.
II. A Vision for the Kingdom of God
Key Question: How has God chosen to glorify His name among all nations?
Answer: Through the expansion of His kingdom.
III. A Vision for the Church of God
Key Question: How has God chosen to advance His Kingdom in the world today?
Answer: Through the multiplication of churches.
IV. A Vision for the Gospel of God
Key Question: How can we be empowered to do this?
Answer: The gospel is the power to save the lost and to grow the saved.
1. Good News for the lost: A new record
2. Good News for the found: A new heart
3. The Good News for the Community: A New World
Read the full summary at Alex Chediak's blog.
Childers then stressed the importance of vision – not just for a particular church plant, but for how church planting fits into God’s mission in the world of bringing glory to Himself by redeeming sinners out of every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). God’s vehicle for accomplishing this is the church. We need to see our personal stories within God’s over-arching story.
Childers' message was broadly divided into four headings:
I. A Vision for the Glory of God
II. A Vision for the Kingdom of God
III. A Vision for the Church of God
IV. A Vision for the Gospel of God
I. A Vision for the Glory of God
Key Question: What is God’s purpose for the world?
Answer: To bring glory to God.
II. A Vision for the Kingdom of God
Key Question: How has God chosen to glorify His name among all nations?
Answer: Through the expansion of His kingdom.
III. A Vision for the Church of God
Key Question: How has God chosen to advance His Kingdom in the world today?
Answer: Through the multiplication of churches.
IV. A Vision for the Gospel of God
Key Question: How can we be empowered to do this?
Answer: The gospel is the power to save the lost and to grow the saved.
1. Good News for the lost: A new record
2. Good News for the found: A new heart
3. The Good News for the Community: A New World
Read the full summary at Alex Chediak's blog.
Monday, February 4, 2008
College Students Walking Away from the Faith
More than two-thirds of Protestant young adults exit the church between the ages of 18 and 22, according to a recent report by LifeWay Research, a branch of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Among the chief reasons young adults gave for quitting church - one in four mentioned the transition to college, while 22 percent said they moved too far from church to keep attending and 27 percent said they just wanted a break. Another 23 percent named work responsibilities as the primary factor.
"The years immediately following high school graduation often determine the course of a person's life as decisions are made about careers, lifestyles and spouses," says George O. Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God. "It's a tragic loss when a young person walks away from the body of believers during this crucial time. We must pray and do our best to not let that happen."
Wood says approximately 60,000 AG youth are expected to graduate from high school next spring. National statistics indicate 50 to 70 percent will leave the faith within four years. Among those who attend evangelical colleges, however, the percentage is only about 5 percent.
Read entire article.
Among the chief reasons young adults gave for quitting church - one in four mentioned the transition to college, while 22 percent said they moved too far from church to keep attending and 27 percent said they just wanted a break. Another 23 percent named work responsibilities as the primary factor.
"The years immediately following high school graduation often determine the course of a person's life as decisions are made about careers, lifestyles and spouses," says George O. Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God. "It's a tragic loss when a young person walks away from the body of believers during this crucial time. We must pray and do our best to not let that happen."
Wood says approximately 60,000 AG youth are expected to graduate from high school next spring. National statistics indicate 50 to 70 percent will leave the faith within four years. Among those who attend evangelical colleges, however, the percentage is only about 5 percent.
Read entire article.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Do We Even Like God?
From Larry Crabb's Shattered Dreams:
"In our struggle to handle the pain of shattered dreams, however, one question is rarely talked about with honesty. The question is this: What do we do with how we're feeling toward God?
Do we even like God, let alone love Him? Is He on our list of cherished friends? Are we resting in His goodness, confidently trusting Him to work all things together for our good?
In the chaos and heartache of dreams that crumble, God so often seems to pull away. When we cry the loudest, He sometimes turns a deaf ear. Nothing changes.
And when He fails - we feel betrayed, let down, thoroughly disillusioned. He neither reverses the tragedy nor fills us with peace and joy.
How do we trust a sometimes disappointing, seemingly fickle God who fails to do for us what good friends, if they could, would do?
"The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name" (Zechariah 14:9).
The best hope, our highest dream of being in His presence where nothing ever goes wrong and where we fully enjoy Him more than every other blessing, will not be granted till the next life.
We will not suffer in heaven."
"In our struggle to handle the pain of shattered dreams, however, one question is rarely talked about with honesty. The question is this: What do we do with how we're feeling toward God?
Do we even like God, let alone love Him? Is He on our list of cherished friends? Are we resting in His goodness, confidently trusting Him to work all things together for our good?
In the chaos and heartache of dreams that crumble, God so often seems to pull away. When we cry the loudest, He sometimes turns a deaf ear. Nothing changes.
And when He fails - we feel betrayed, let down, thoroughly disillusioned. He neither reverses the tragedy nor fills us with peace and joy.
How do we trust a sometimes disappointing, seemingly fickle God who fails to do for us what good friends, if they could, would do?
"The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name" (Zechariah 14:9).
The best hope, our highest dream of being in His presence where nothing ever goes wrong and where we fully enjoy Him more than every other blessing, will not be granted till the next life.
We will not suffer in heaven."
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tripp on the moment by moment miracle of prayer
I never get used to the moment by moment miracle of prayer. It's an amazing thing that God would ever even once listen to me, let alone answer! In little moments and big, again and again, I choose my own kingdom over his. I often run to him for help for messes that in my foolishness and rebellion I've made. I've no righteousness to present as an argument that he should hear me. I've no autonomous wisdom that I can present as a reason for his attention. I've no independent track record of good deeds that would get his attention. I've often been more fickle than loyal. I often justify my sin rather than seek his forgiveness. I struggle with being more attracted to the temporary pleasures of this physical world than I am committed to godly living. The desires of my heahttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifrt wander again and again. I forget my identity as his child, and in my amnesia seek identity where it was never meant to be found. Again and again I contradict the theology that I say I believe with the way that I live. I sadly have to ask for his forgiveness for the same things over and over again. Undeserving is the way I always stand before him.
This is precisely why David appeals to God's mercy as he prays. He can't look to himself for any reason that God would listen and respond. Yet, the miracle of his existence and ours is that he doesn't have to fear God's rejection or fall into thinking that prayer is an exercise in spiritual futility. Why? Because God is his own reason for answering. Prayer finds its hope, not in the qualifications of the one praying, but in the character and plan of the God who's hearing. He answers because of who he is. He answers because of what he's doing. He answers because he loves to see us come and he loves to provide just the grace for that moment.
Read the rest of the article here.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Holistic Ministry
"There is no longer a need to qualify a mission as 'holistic,' nor to distinguish between a 'mission' and a 'holistic mission.' Mission is, by definition, 'holistic,' and therefore 'holistic mission' is, de facto, mission. Proclamation alone, apart from any social concern, may be perceived as a distortion, a truncated version of the true gospel, a parody and travesty of the good news, lacking relevance for the real problems of real people living in a real world. On the other end of the spectrum, exclusive focus on transformation and advocacy may just result in social and humanitarian activism, void of any spiritual dimension. Both approaches are unbiblical; they deny the wholeness of human nature of human beings created in the image of God. Since we are created 'whole,' and since the Fall affects our total humanity in all its dimensions, then redemption, restoration, and mission can, by definition, only be 'holistic'"(323).
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Evangelism Shift
Your Journey Blog lists his change of thinking regarding evangelism...
...from event to process...
...from combative to attractive
...from monologue to dialog
...from short-term to long-term.
...from event to process...
...from combative to attractive
...from monologue to dialog
...from short-term to long-term.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Non-Attendees Find Faith Outside of Church
"We no longer have a home-field advantage as Christians in this culture."USA Today reports:
A new survey of U.S. adults who don't go to church, even on holidays, finds 72% say "God, a higher or supreme being, actually exists." But just as many (72%) also say the church is "full of hypocrites."
Indeed, 44% agree with the statement "Christians get on my nerves."
Many of the unchurched are shaky on Christian basics, says LifeWay Research director Ed Stetzer.
Just 52% agree on the essential Christian belief that "Jesus died and came back to life."
And 61% say the God of the Bible is "no different from the gods or spiritual beings depicted by world religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.," although Buddhist philosophy has no god and Hindus worship many.
Most of the unchurched (86%) say they believe they can have a "good relationship with God without belonging to a church." And 79% say "Christianity today is more about organized religion than loving God and loving people."
Calvin the Evangelist
Calvin the Evangelist
If Calvin is taken as a model, Reformed theology ought to produce not only the best theologians. but also the best pastors and missionaries.
If Calvin is taken as a model, Reformed theology ought to produce not only the best theologians. but also the best pastors and missionaries.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Interruptions
"My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered the interruptions were my work." -Henri Nouwen
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