Shepherd Press Blog

The Gospel Matters for Your Eight-Year-Old

2010-07-31T02:22:41Z

Your eight-year-old hears things. Your son hears wild stories. Your daughter sees the constant allure of commercials. He hears the taunts of the schoolyard. She feels an inner dread growing out of her many fears. How do you help your eight-year-old child with such difficult issues? What is needed most is the news of the gospel; specifically, the good news of the grace of God. The word gospel means "good news." Matthew speaks of the Jesus proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. That is, the good news of the kingdom where Jesus is King. This good news means that people can be rescued from darkness. Your eight-year-old already knows something of this darkness. He knows the darkness personally from the fears and brokenness caused by his own sin. He also knows of the darkness from the ugliness of the world around him. Perhaps he has experienced the death of someone close to him. Or perhaps she has heard the cruel taunts of other children. He may have experienced the vicious devastation of a "natural" disaster or the ravages of war. Whatever the source, he has seen and experienced the attacks of the kingdom of darkness. He was born a slave to this darkness. The good news is that Jesus is able to rescue him from darkness. The gospel matters.

The world, however, offers other alternatives to the gospel. These alternatives are offered because the natural world is deeply offended by the idea that it needs to be rescued. So the world offers its own solutions for your eight-year-old. Fears are said to be overcome by success. Selfishness is countered with a call to give back to others. Pride in accomplishment is seen as the answer to self-doubt and personal shortcomings. Many of the answers the world offers may be good things in themselves: education, enjoyment of the outdoors, athletic accomplishments, works of service in the community, artistic skill. The reality is that none of the world's answers to the rule of darkness will ultimately help. In the end they only yield bitter fruit.

There is also another voice offering solutions to the rule of darkness. It is the voice of the flesh. The solutions the flesh offers are more unpleasant than the "good" solutions of the world. If someone is unkind to you, retaliate against them! If you don't have what you want, take it from someone else. If someone exposes your faults, let your bitterness overflow. If things don't go well in school, blame someone else. If you don't fit in, embrace seclusion.

The problems that an eight-year-old faces are not ones that he will outgrow. He may grow physically, and he may grow in his social skills, but the dark issues of the heart will never leave him unless he comes to believe the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel matters!

The temptation that parents face is to use the world's solutions and to minimize the sins of the flesh. The world's solutions often seem to work. "Surely," the parent reasons, "my child's life will be better if he is part of a sports team, or if she is acknowledged for her accomplishment in music or other art. If he is moody or withdrawn, he will get over it. He just needs some space. But these are the solutions of the world and the flesh. They will always look like they have promise--but what they offer, they cannot deliver. The gospel matters!

Offering the gospel of Jesus to your eight-year-old means that the gospel must matter, really matter, to you. As an adult, you struggle with the same core, heart issues that your child does. Christ died so that we could live in the beauty of light rather than under the tyranny of darkness.

To help your child know the freedom the gospel offers, you must know your child. You must, to some degree, understand his fears and struggles. You must understand how he views what is happening in his world. Once again, this brings us to Deuteronomy 6. When you speak to him about God and your love of God and his ways, it must be connected with the world your child inhabits. There must be an understanding of the issues in his heart if you are going to be a faithful shepherd. So, we see again, as with toddlers, offering the hope of the gospel is so much more than the transfer of information.

To be a faithful parent and faithful shepherd, you must intimately know your Savior and your child. This means a sacrificial commitment to both Christ and your child. To know them both, you must love them both. There are no shortcuts. To be a good shepherd you must be in loving submission to your shepherd. The outward behavior is only the first layer of concern. Reaching the heart is what really matters. And reaching the heart is where the gospel matters most.

The Gospel Matters for Your Toddler

2010-07-24T03:50:47Z

For most, the statement that the gospel matters for toddlers lacks a sense of immediacy. This seems more suitable for older children and adults. However, this perspective reveals a common underlying problem. The problem is that information transfer is seen as the primary method of bringing people to Christ. In other words, you tell someone about Christ and hope they will respond. The person to whom you are speaking is the one who holds the cards. Your role is ultimately passive.

Biblically, the spread of the gospel is more appropriately tied to the imagery of search and rescue in a time of war. The setting is not one of communication of information in a time of peace. In Matthew 28 Jesus says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Then, he instructs his followers to make disciples of all the nations. Christ does not say to give information about the gospel, he simply says to make disciples. In the first chapter of Colossians Paul says that we have been rescued from the domain of darkness and brought into the kingdom of light. This passage describes rescuing people from imminent danger. These two passages call to mind the classic warfare waged between light and darkness. This is how we should consider Christ's command to bring the gospel to all nations. The Scriptures do not paint a picture of asking someone's permission to tell them about Jesus Christ. Rather, the picture is of someone committed to a mission of searching for and rescuing the lost. This mission defines life itself for those who undertake it.

What does this have to do with toddlers? Parents who view presenting the gospel as primarily information transfer will lack a sense of urgency. I do not mean that this parent is unconcerned about the spiritual condition of his child. He may be deeply concerned. However, seeing the presentation of the gospel as transfer of information means waiting for when the child is willing to engage in this transfer. The parent who sees the presentation of the gospel as one of search and rescue will have an immediate sense of urgency. Thus, even before the toddler can speak, he will be interacting with parents who see the gospel as the most important reality of life. This child will hear his parents passionately talking to others about the gospel. He will hear his own actions explained in terms of his need of the gospel even before he can articulate a response. He will see and hear that his parents are driven by truths that transcend the temporal. This is the process outlined in Deuteronomy 6. The very thoughts of God, revealed in Scripture, are graven into the hearts of this toddler's parents. These parents are gripped by God's call to rescue the lost. This mission defines these parents. This is an immense blessing to our toddler. He is being raised by parents whose mission in life coincides with God's purpose for each day. That purpose, at least in part, is to bring honor to his great name through the rescue of the lost.

Practically this toddler will hear often of the wonder of Jesus Christ. His parents will see his sin as an opportunity to present the gospel to him and not merely to correct his behavior. He will live in a home that is focused on the wonder of a God who forgives sins. This focus leads to joy. Joy comes from the reality that Jesus is our effective and loving high priest. Living for the gospel means living with joy.

So, when this toddler spills a cup of milk because he is still learning how to handle a cup, he is not scolded. His parents speak lovingly and reassuringly to him. They help him learn to handle the cup with more precision. He knows that he is more valuable than spilt milk. He is lovingly disciplined when he sins, but he is also lovingly embraced when he acts like a 2 year old. He is on the road to knowing what it means to be loved and being secure. The gospel matters to his parents. In time, Lord willing, the gospel will also matter to him.

The Gospel Matters

2010-07-20T05:08:48Z

Whatever, it doesn't matter.

You have heard these words before. Perhaps, you have heard them from your own lips. These words are not words of encouragement or optimism. These are words of discouragement and disappointment. They are said when we feel let down, betrayed. The irony is that often when these words are spoken they really mean that something matters very much.

People disappoint people. This is an unavoidable fact of life. This is not cynicism. It is a biblical reality. Yet, we continue to be surprised at being disappointed. To borrow a phrase from Paul Tripp, "What did you expect?" People have this problem called sin. Sin comes from rebellion to God. At its root, rebellion starts with believing a lie. We believe we can be happy apart from dying to ourselves. We believe that the people we love will not hurt us. We believe that we deserve what we desire. We believe we will do better next time. We believe that we will not be disappointed again. And then, when our beliefs turn into self-deception, we say it doesn't matter.

The miscalculation of this age, of any age, is to look for hope without looking for God. This is another way to look at sin. Sin is putting someone or something other than God at the center of our affections. Sin is also many other things, but this is sin at its core. A culture rich with material things is a culture that will be dominated by bitterness and disappointment. Why? Because these things never satisfy. Ultimately, they will always disappoint. When we live for material things we measure happiness by what we can see, taste, and hold. Relationships become secondary to material wealth. When this happens relationships will always disappoint. To compound matters, relationships without Christ will also always disappoint.

Without the life-changing power of Christ and his gospel, life will disappoint. In the end, someone will say - it doesn't matter.

The Holy Spirit chose these words to speak to a materialistic culture. "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." There is nothing wrong in looking for things of great value. You just have to realize what real value is and what things are pretenders to value.

For the Christian all things matter, because all that we do can to be done for the glory and honor of God. This life is not all that there is. New things will not lead to happiness, but to disappointment. People, no matter how appealing they may be, will bring disappointment. It is the gospel that matters. The gospel matters because it transforms your ability to distinguish between things of value and things that only pretend to offer value.

The gospel matters. There is only one Person who will not disappoint you - his name is Jesus.

Shepherd Press is on Facebook!

2010-07-19T02:38:16Z

Shepherd Press is now on Facebook. On this page you can keep up with the latest events at Shepherd Press as well as show your support. You can easily keep track of new book releases and you can even leave us a message by writing on the Shepherd Press wall.

You can check out the Shepherd Press Facebook page here.

What God is Doing

2010-07-17T02:36:42Z

There is tremendous comfort to be found in knowing what God is doing in our lives each day. The Holy Spirit has graciously made known to us what God is going to do on any particular day. Armed with this reality, it is possible to face each day with the certainty of knowing what God's actions will be. Someone might be asking where this information can be found. This is where faith comes in. Obviously, I am not talking about knowing what will happen at 3 p.m. this afternoon. Neither am I talking about being able to predict the earthquake that happened in Washington, D.C. this morning. What we do know, however, is that God is a God who is trustworthy and cares for his people as a loving Shepherd. Nothing will ever change this. In Daniel 3 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew that God had the power to rescue them from the flames. That was not in question. So their praise for God was not based upon the circumstances that occur, but on the faithfulness of God. To be specific, their praise of God was not contingent upon whether he would rescue them from the flames. No matter what happened to them in the fire, God would still be faithful. This is why these three young men could be so confident as they faced the fire.

Deuteronomy 29:29 expresses this truth : "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." The things that are secret include all of the things that are yet to happen. They belong to God. Nothing that is yet to happen will alter the faithfulness of God. He will be true to his covenant promises. The blood of his Son will be payment for our sins. He will work all things together for good for those that know him.

This is what we know. This is what God is doing. While the future is not revealed to us, the faithfulness of God is revealed. This means that we can obey and follow God's law with confidence. We don't have to assess the consequences of a situation to know whether God will be faithful.

So, this is where I left off in the last post. We were headed to Duke University to find out the results of the MRI that would determine how effective the radiation and chemotherapy had been in attacking my wife's brain tumor. What we knew for certain was that God would be good to Ruth. We knew that he would be faithful to his ordained plan to do all things inconformity with his will. What we did not know is what God had determined to do regarding the tumor. Regardless of the results of the MRI our God is a God who is worthy of praise.

What we learned is that God had used the radiation and chemotherapy to significantly reduce the size of the tumor. The Lord had chosen to grant our petitions for Ruth. While this is something we are extremely grateful for we still don't know what the future holds. There are more treatment cycles to come. But we do know what God is doing. We know that he will act to bring honor and praise to his name. For this and for this initial healing we are blessed and thankful. What a wonderful comfort it is to know that our peace, our hope is not tied to test results, but to the loving kindness of God. This precious revealed truth belongs to us. Nothing in all creation can take if from us. Praise God!

What is God Doing?

2010-07-14T11:27:50Z

Today, my wife and I are travelling to Duke University for an appointment at the Brain Tumor Center. As I shared with you in a previous post, my wife has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. The type of tumor is a stage 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme. This is an aggressive tumor. We are going today for another MRI and evaluation of the initial round of radiation and chemotherapy. Around 2 p.m. today, we will find out how effective the treatment has been. In other words we will find out what God has been doing since Ruth's surgery last April.

What we don't know and what we will find out in a few hours is the impact of the treatment on the tumor. In addition, to the treatment many people from places all around the world have been praying for healing for Ruth. What we do know is that God is a good and faithful God. We do know that he is loving and compassionate. We do know that God has chosen to answer the prayers of his people in a way that will bring glory to him and good for Ruth.

From the perspective of human experience, we don't know what the next few hours will bring. From God's perspective, revealed in his word, we know that God is committed to caring for Ruth. That is a given. Whatever news the doctor's visit may bring, that truth is bedrock.

Hebrews 11 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." What I hope for Ruth this God's love and care. Of this, both she and I are certain. This brings peace. Our prayer has been for Ruth's complete healing. God will answer with the same love and faithfulness that has always marked his covenant commitment to his people. The psalmist reminds us that our days were numbered by God before the world began. Nothing can change this blessed reality.

We tend to fret about what might or might not happen to us. But God is good to his people. God has promised that he works for the good of his people in all things. Nothing that happens in this fallen world can change this. What is God doing? On one level, the human one, we don't know. But what we do know is that God is acting in human history to bring my wife to this point so that his name will be honored. That is a good thing. We have been challenged and comforted by the faith of three men from long ago:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18

Do You Love the Church?

2010-07-12T16:50:08Z

Do you love the church? This question is one of the most important questions you will ever answer. An answer in the affirmative is binding. It is similar in importance to the affirmative answer given in a wedding ceremony. The pastor asks the question, "Will you take this woman to be your wife?" If the answer is "Yes," at least two important things happen. The first is that you make your new wife happy. The second binds you to a committed relationship of service and sacrifice to your wife for the rest of your life.

Surely, the question of loving the church is not that important, is it? Granted, most people, even most Christians, would not think so. But, in fact, it is just as important, if not more so. In I Peter 2:17, the Holy Spirit commands that you are to love the brotherhood. In Ephesians 4:11-16, we read that your spiritual growth is directly tied to the investment that you make in the body of Christ. If you want to be a good husband, wife or parent (by God's perspective) you cannot do this without the church. Your church commitment should be to a church that is biblical and is in full agreement with the historic essentials of Christian faith. But having taken that step, your sacrificial love to the church must be one that is unwavering. Your spouse and your children will only be harmed if you are unfaithful to God's command to love the church. Shepherd Press has just released a new title that addresses this very question.

John Crotts has written a practical and accessible study on the importance of the church. As Crotts indicates, loving the church is not merely an option, but it is a command. Christians are to love each other corporately and individually. Much modern day teaching has emphasized the individual aspect of Christian love. But there is little that demonstrates how important it is to also love each other corporately.

If you have ever had questions about why church membership is important this book has the answer. If you have been at a loss about how to explain the importance of regular church attendance this book will help you find your way. Perhaps you have friends or children who have been disaffected by church; Loving the Church can help. Loving the Church is not stuffy but refreshing. It takes common everyday questions about the church and gives practical answers that will stick with you. John Crotts successfully uses the casual setting of a coffee shop to make God's instruction about his church easily understandable.

There is much dissatisfaction with the evangelical church at large. Loving the Church shows that there is no reason for dissatisfaction for God's plan for the church. This book is clear and biblically based. This is a book to discuss with your friends who may have questions about the necessity of "doing church". This book can be a blessing to you. Loving the Church also can be an excellent evangelistic tool to show how a biblical church should function. It is a great way to dispel misconceptions that many have about how churches should function.

As you read through it you will find yourself loving the church.

As a bonus, if you purchase this book you will be entitled to a free ebook!

Sin Is Never Logical

2010-07-09T21:10:35Z

The statement that sin is never logical seems obvious enough. If an action is contrary to God's commands we would expect the outcome to less than good. Yet how many times when observing sinful behavior in others do we hear the words, "how could you do that; what were you thinking"? When one child takes another's favorite toy knowing it will cause trouble, we ask, "Why did he do that?" as if the answer were a mystery. The implication is that if the child had been thinking logically or wisely he would not have taken the toy. In this case it is easy to see that the child was acting selfishly and not obeying God. This is not really a knowledge issue but one of disobedience and selfishness. However, when it comes to the behavior of adults it seems that logical, biblical behavior is expected. So we ask the question, "What was the person thinking?"

Here are three examples from recent news headlines to illustrate this point.

First: A federal judge in Boston ruled

that the federal ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, because it interferes with an individual state's right to define marriage... U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro ruled that "as irrational prejudice plainly never constitutes a legitimate government interest," the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the protection under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.

In effect, this judge has ruled that the Bible's teaching that marriage is to be between a man and a woman is an example of "irrational prejudice."

Second: Golf star Tiger Woods has multiple affairs and destroys his marriage. The man who seemingly had control of everything is captured by lust.

Third: NASA, the government's agency tasked with the exploration of space, has been given a new mission, a diplomatic one. Foxnews.com states:

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his "foremost" mission as the head of America's space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world.

In all three of these examples the first reaction might be, "What were they thinking?" But it would be just as appropriate to ask, "What else did you expect." Ephesians 2:1-3 states that apart from coming to Christ everyone is under the direction of Satan. Everyone is following the cravings of the flesh. In other words, people will not follow the path of wisdom on their own. So, a judge will not look to the only source of truth to determine how to rule about marriage. A man who is disciplined in athletics and business is not protected from the lusts of the flesh. And it may appear perfectly logical to redefine the mission of an agency devoted to space exploration to a mission of diplomacy.

Here is the point: sin is not logical. Sin defined most broadly is failing to live for the glory of God. God's ways are not our ways. The natural mind desires what is contrary to God's rule (Isaiah 55 & I Corinthians 2). If Christians want to see people live in ways that are truly logical and in accordance with the will of God, then we must be devoted to the spread of the gospel! No action of government can bring this to pass. The Church of Jesus Christ is called to bring the good news of the gospel to a broken world. Let us not only be concerned about the actions of sinful men. Let us also be concerned to bring the message of hope and light that is found only in Christ. He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Summer Obedience

2010-07-07T10:45:43Z

Summer is marked by hot weather and too often, hot tempers. One reason for this is the change in schedule from school time to my time. Both children and parents look forward to summertime as a break from the busyness of the school year. But the flexibility of summer schedules also can create conflicts of interest. Parents may see summer as a time to get things done around the house. Children may have other ideas about how to spend the summer months. The result - conflict of interest. Both parents and children are looking for a reward. Conflict and hot tempers come from seeing rewards as something one is entitled to.

The Bible has a different perspective on rewards. In the Sermon on the Mount Christ encourages his listeners to abandon the way of the reward centered life of the religious establishment. The folks who were part of the religious establishment did good deeds so that they would be noticed by people. In sharp contrast, Christ teaches that good deeds should not be done to be noticed by others. Notice Matthew 6:1:

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

The balance of the sixth chapter continues this theme of avoiding the praise of men when doing good things. There is an important application here for parenting. Let's begin at the end of the chapter and work our way backwards, highlighting some key points. Jesus says that we are not to worry about what we will wear because God will provide what we need. However, one of the reasons both adults and children worry about clothing is that they want to please or impress others by being in style. So, it is not enough to have clothes, but we must have clothes that do not embarrass us. Next, Jesus urges his disciples to store up for themselves treasures in heaven. One characteristic of heavenly treasure is that it cannot be measured by the devices of man. There is no bank statement which can quantify the amount of heavenly treasure one has. Finally, as we continue to move backwards in the chapter, we come to the category of doing righteous things. Christ is explicit. Do not do good things with an eye to being rewarded by men. Rather, do them in secret, so that your reward will be from God alone. This is extraordinary!

If Christ is our model, then it is important that we do not look to earthly things as our reward. If we do, that is all the reward that we can expect. We must teach this same perspective to our children - God's reward is what we must desire. As this chapter indicates (as well as other places in Scripture), if we live for the rewards of men, we will not know the rewards of heaven. It is important to train our children to think God's way about true rewards.

One way, then, to cool summer tempers is to think of how you can joyfully serve each other. Make summertime an opportunity to delight in serving those closest to you. Ask God for strength to serve your children as true servant leaders. This spirit is contagious. By setting the example of service your children may actually look for ways to serve you. The way to resolve conflicts of interest is to do what Paul says in Philippians 2:1-5 and consider the interests of others in addition to your own. In this light, summer obedience can be a wonderful reward.

iPhones and Scripture

2010-07-02T12:34:36Z

There is no more powerful gift you can give to your children than for the Word of God to bring light to your own eyes.

How important is the Bible to you and the way you live? You want your children to follow the ways of Scripture. You want them to know its content. You want them to know its Author. You know that what the Holy Spirit has written in his Word is essential for life. But allow me to ask again, how important is the Bible to you? Is it possible that you love what the Bible will do for you, but you struggle with actually loving it? In other words, you love the benefits of the Bible's teaching - things like obedient children and a calm household - but there is not a deep longing for Scripture itself.

"Okay," someone is asking, "where are you going with this? Of course I love the Bible; it is the most important book I own." You see, the real test of the Bible's importance to you is this--how alive is the Scripture to you? Hebrews 4:12 describes the Bible as being living and active. Is this merely a fact you teach your kids? Or does this phrase in Hebrews speak of you? Do you read the Bible simply to increase your knowledge so you can better control your children --or to be spiritually fed and enlivened as you read?

We know that our children must trust the Bible and live it. But do our children see that these words of God are living and working in us? Do our children know that the Bible defines who we are and how we live? The prophet Isaiah warned against following words learned by rote:

And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. Isaiah 29:13

Surely, you want more than rote knowledge to be the basis of your children's worship. But for it to be more than rote for your kids, it must be more than rote for you. It must be alive to you. What is it that gives light to your eyes and brings joy to your heart? This is a significant question, a question whose answer is at once disarming and revealing, if honestly asked and answered.

Think about your relationship to God's Word. How important is it to you? The words of the Bible are the words of the Spirit of God. Does it bring light to your eyes as nothing else can? Your children know what brings light to your eyes. For example, perhaps you just purchased a new iPhone. Were you excited about its features? Was there light in your eyes when you talked to others about this phone? Does your excitement at reading and knowing God's word come close the excitement you have for your new iPhone purchase? If you have not thought about this, your children have.

Continue to think about the words of the Psalmist - do they describe you?

⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
       giving joy to the heart.
       The commands of the LORD are radiant,
       giving light to the eyes. Psalm 19:8

Getting Ready for the 4th

2010-06-30T03:18:19Z

The Fourth of July is a combination many things - cookouts, fireworks, concerts, memorials to fallen heroes and to the birth of a nation. Fireworks and explosions will mark celebrations all across the country. We can and should be thankful for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon the United States for the last 234 years. However, it is more important to remember why our country and indeed all countries exist. Our country exists by the sustaining power of Jesus Christ, to the end that God, his Father, will bring salvation to all those whom he has called. America does not exist for her own heritage, nor does she survive by her own will. America exists and continues to survive because it pleases God for her to do so. We owe our collective breath as Americans to the purposes and pleasures of God. We will not survive one minute longer or shorter than what God sees as fitting. This may rankle the notions of the politically correct, but it is true nonetheless. (Act 17:24-28; Col. 1:15-20; Romans 13)

In I Timothy 2 Paul shows us how to pray for our nation. We are to pray that our leaders will lead in such a way that we, the people of God, may be about the business of bringing honor to the name of Jesus Christ. Paul sent these words to Timothy while living under the tyrannical and decadent rule of the Caesars. Paul was not telling Timothy to lead a populist revolt against unjust leaders. Instead, Paul urged prayers of thanksgiving and intercession be made for them. Why? Because he wanted God's people to be about God's work. God's work was not about saving the Roman empire, any more than God's work today is about saving the United States. Paul was a faithful and good Roman citizen who used that citizenship for God's purposes, just as American Christians should today. But Paul's focus was on his heavenly citizenship and adding others to the heavenly nation. America has eerily mimicked aspects of the Roman culture of Timothy's day. As in the Roman world, spiritualism is on the rise. Sexual perversion has become normal and legal.

Preaching the Constitution will not turn aside these pagan tides. Preaching the Gospel will.

On this Independence Day, don't get caught up in the fear that each political party has of the other. Teach your children why America really exists as a nation. In this moment of history, those of us who know the gospel and who live in the United States have the mandate to declare the glory and message of Jesus Christ to a fallen and lost world.

Two Fathers

2010-06-25T13:54:16Z

You live in a world that wants to take you and your children captive. The goal of this captivity is to have Christians follow the ways of Satan rather than the ways of Christ (Colossians 2:8 and Ephesians 2:1-3). In the book, Instructing a Child's Heart, Tedd and Margy Tripp give a strong warning about being captured by the surrounding godless culture. Parents, your children are being raised in a hostile world. For Americans, this hostility has been obfuscated by the past influence of Christian thought. But this influence has been steadily eroding.

For example, consider the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt in a radio address he made on Navy Day, October 27, 1941. He was warning about the danger posed by Nazi Germany:

In the place of the churches of our civilization, there is to be set up an international Nazi church -- a church which will be served by orators sent out by the Nazi government. In the place of the Bible, the words of Mein Kampf will be imposed and enforced as Holy Writ. And in place of the cross of Christ will be put two symbols -- the swastika and the naked sword.

A god of blood and iron will take the place of the God of love and mercy. Let us well ponder that statement which I have made tonight.

Roosevelt saw the threat of Nazi Germany as ideological. He warned that the Bible and the Cross of Christ would be replaced by the dogma of Nazism. Today, not 70 years from the date of this address, such rhetoric would be classified as hate speech against religions other than Christianity. Roosevelt was warning Americans that Christianity and Jesus Christ would not be tolerated by the Nazi regime. Few, if any, politicians today would have the courage to use language that so closely linked the American way of life with Christianity and the Bible.

Fast forward to Father's Day, 2010, when President Obama issued his Father's Day Proclamation. The proclamation reads in part:

Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step father, a grandfather, or caring guardian. We owe a special debt of gratitude for those parents serving in the United States Armed Forces and their families, whose sacrifices protect the lives and liberties of all American children. For the character they build, the doors they open, and the love they provide over our lifetimes, all our fathers deserve our unending appreciation and admiration.

Fatherhood has been redefined. The Bible is no longer the standard by which the role of fathers may be judged. This proclamation, in principle, also represents a threat to Christianity. It shows how American culture has become hostile to the gospel.

However, there is no reason to shrink back. By aggressively pursuing the directive of Deuteronomy 6:4-7, it is possible to raise your children so that they are aware of the danger. You can also encourage them that the gospel has the power to overcome the ways of this world. This was Paul's encouragement to the Colossians - they could avoid being taken captive by holding fast to Christ and his word. God wants you to talk wisely and frequently to your children about his ways. Talk to them about the lostness of the culture and its people with compassion. These talks are one way to promote a passion for the grace of the gospel. When man rejects the ways of God, no matter how well meaning his motives, chaos and tragedy will result. Just as the early church prevailed against the humanist traditions of its day, you can make the most of every opportunity to tell your children how God's ways are better than human traditions. The inclusion of "two fathers" in this proclamation is no doubt meant to be compassionate and understanding. However, this is anything but compassionate.

In days ahead you will hear more and more about principles that depend upon human traditions. These principles have been incorporated into our modern culture as the new American way of life. Clearly, the "American" way of life is viewed to be something different that it was even 70 years ago. To give your children power in the hope of the gospel, you must have that hope deeply embedded in your thinking. As Paul teaches, the way to avoid being taken captive is to first to take every thought captive for Christ.

The next time you hear something contrary to Christianity, do not become derisive or pessimistic. Instead, use this as an opportunity to tell your children of the excellent ways of God.

God and Oil part 2

2010-06-22T17:52:08Z

In a recent post I raised the question about God's involvement with the oil spill in the Gulf. There are at least two perspectives from which to consider this question. The first perspective is to consider if God is actively involved and if he is, to what extent. The second perspective is to consider whether the human agents that are part of this spill could have benefited from considering relevant biblical principles. A related issue is how to follow the direction of Deuteronomy 6:4-7 in talking about the spill with your family.

Drilling for oil in undersea deposits is a challenging task. These deposits may lie several miles below the ocean floor. So how is God directly involved? First, He is the one who placed the oil in these fields. He is the One who bought all of the individuals involved in this spill together (Acts 17:24-28). It is in him that we live, move and have our being. Then, there is the reality of Romans 8:28 that God does work all things together for good for those that love him. Without God's active control this promise would be meaningless. This way of thinking about human events is not common or popular among our political leaders today. But this was not always the case. Peter Lillback's number one national bestseller, George Washington's Sacred Fire, is a powerful testimony to the rock solid trust in the Providence of God held by many of our Founding Fathers. While it is true that Deism infected the thoughts of leaders like Thomas Jefferson, it is also true that many others were devoted to the God of the Bible.

We can establish that the Bible teaches that God has been and is actively in control of the spill event in the Gulf of Mexico. Colossians 1:15-20, Job 38-42 and Daniel 2:21 & 4:34-37 are among the many passages which also teach of God's control of the events of human history. But what does this mean? Because of the spill are we to conclude that is wrong to drill for oil in the Gulf? This is where the second perspective comes in. Are there truths in Scripture that were ignored in this situation? This was covered previously, so let me reprint this for you:

Today, the Creation Mandate has been replaced with a technological mandate. People do not ask should a particular task be undertaken so that God would be glorified. All that is asked now is can we accomplish such and such a task. And if it can be done, there is the mandate that it should be done. This is a dangerous way to think. It is dangerous because we live after the fall of man into sin. When Adam fell he subjected not only the human race to darkness and misery, but also the creation. As Romans 8 teaches, the creation itself has been groaning under the weight of sin. In other words, creation has been negatively impacted. Among other things this means that things will not always work the way they are intended to, including oil drilling equipment. Add to this the component of the selfish sinful ways of man and you have a recipe for disaster.

Here is what this means practically. Biblical humility teaches that given the best of intentions the noblest of plans for good, and the most careful planning and foresight possible, there is no guarantee that some catastrophic event would not have happened. On the natural side there is the possibility of rare category 5 hurricanes, undersea earthquakes, unknown powerful underwater currents, an unexpected rupture of the earth's crust and other unlikely but possible occurrences too numerous to list. On the human side there is the possibility of faulty equipment and design specifications that were not comprehensive enough to account for the unexpected. You can see that there is potential for trouble even if all the human effort involved is as pure as could be.

But the Bible also teaches that man is anything but pure and selfless. We should not be shocked that costs might be cut to increase profit. It is possible that some people could be motivated by exploitation or greed. Then, there is the human element of revenge and rage on the individual scale. On a larger scale actions such as foreign or corporate sabotage or terrorist acts cannot be ruled out. 3,500 oil rigs make an appealing target.

The Bible does give an essential perspective about drilling for oil in the Gulf or anywhere else. Even if the best of safety precautions were followed, it is still arrogant for governmental and industry leaders not to seek God's will and providential care for the safe operation of each of these 3,500 wells. God is to be acknowledged in all things.

This is the perspective is what you must teach your children. The oil spill is in the news. Oil covered pelicans are pictured everywhere. This is part of the Deuteronomy 6 experience of walking along the road of life. What are you saying to yourself and to your children about this spill? Do your children view this spill as a random out of control event that was caused by the recklessness of industry? If they do, they are missing the perspective of God's involvement in this spill. I will not pretend that I have any knowledge of God's predetermined plan beyond what we see has happened. But I do know that God is in this to bring glory to himself. Of that much we can be sure.

Perhaps God is showing us how good and gracious he is. Can you imagine if there were 100 such explosions among the oil wells in the Gulf - if there were 100 wells spewing oil with no immediate hope of stopping the flow? Why isn't this happening? Has the government or the oil industry displayed the skill and leadership these last 64 days that would cause us to think that it is their careful management that has kept other wells from suffering the same fate as the Deep Water Horizon well? Or are all the other wells functioning properly because of something else, like the good providence of God?

This is the opportunity that Deuteronomy 6 urges you to take when your children have questions about oil soaked pelicans.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Shepherd Press Authors Conference

2010-06-18T21:17:07Z

Less than 2 weeks left to save $30 on early registration!

Our authors are servants in ministry who have first been tested in battle. Each of these authors has a proven track record of applying biblical truth to life and ministry. All of them are parents who have known the challenges of shepherding their children toward Christ. Their writing flows from actual life experience where God's word has been a light for their path. That is what makes this conference special. These speakers know what it means to trust Christ in the heat of battle. If you are a parent, teacher, pastor, youth or childrens worker this conference is for you.

You have less than two weeks left to save $30 on early registrations for our East Coast Authors Conference, Rejuvenating the Gospel in Your Marriage and Family. Visit the website here to secure a spot. We hope to see you there!

God and Oil

2010-06-16T18:33:58Z

Oil is gushing from a damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico. British Petroleum (BP) has thus far failed to cap the oil flowing into the Gulf. The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring the situation. In an address from the Oval Office the President said that he is upset and wants the problem solved. In the meantime fish, birds, and other wildlife are being coated with an oily film. This film is also beginning to cover beaches and wetlands all along the Gulf Coast. Tourism and fishing, vital to this region, are also threatened. The finger pointing is increasing. Questions abound on the economic, political, and ecological fronts. What is to be done about the oil?

What about God and the oil? With regard to natural disasters God, in these modern days, is already written out of the picture. While reporters freely speak of angry storms and a fickle "Mother Nature", you will not hear much about the Sovereign God of Scripture who is in control of nature. But now we have a disaster that clearly has the finger prints of man all over it. The U.S. government granted the oil leases and drilling authorization for BP and other companies to search, drill, refine, and market oil. BP contracted with a company to manage the drilling rig that brings this oil to the surface. The government regulates all of these activities. As of 2007 there were over 3,500 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Bringing oil to the surface is a technological marvel. The gulf floor lies thousands of feet below sea level. The oil deposits lay in fields deep below the seabed of the Gulf. This is where the drilling begins. One Chevron rig, the Cajun Express, drills down 22,000 feet below the Gulf floor to reach rich oil deposits. Yet despite all the plans and efforts of government and industry, no one appears to have envisioned that a spill of this magnitude could occur.

So the question remains, what about God and the oil? Is God only an observer in this situation or is he more directly involved? I am reminded of Proverbs 19:21 which says, "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Should this disaster have been foreseen? In hindsight, it is easy to say yes. But what could have been taken into account that would have made a difference? Is there something in God's Word that could have prevented or limited this disaster? In a word, yes.

In general science, technology, and the environment are fields that modern Christians have seen as a low priority compared to other areas of doctrine. For the most part these disciplines have been left to those who do not see the importance of being subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In a recent visit to the Tower of London and other points of interest in the UK, I was amazed at how many historical and scientific displays included references that these achievements were done for the glory of God and his Son, Jesus Christ. There was at least an acknowledgement, if not a heart-held belief, that God was the ruler of the earth. Such references today would be banned as unconstitutional in the United States.

Thus, the most basic command given to all humanity is ignored or, more commonly, held in contempt. The first command, the Creation Mandate, was that man was to have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). Implicit in this command was that this was to be done for God's honor and glory. The task was of divine origin. Each step of progress in all fields was to be done for the glory of God. The Fall changed this. Man's own glory was now preeminent. This is illustrated by the technological undertaking to construct a massive city with a high tower by people who had moved eastward into Babylonia. The reason for this construction project was to bring fame to themselves (Genesis 11:4). God chose to end their project by confusing their language. But this point should not be missed. Man was attempting to use technology and industrial skill to bring honor to himself. God was not even an afterthought.

So the Bible does give essential perspective about drilling for oil. If drilling for oil in the Gulf is an essential thing to do then the bible teaches, in principle, that there are safeguards that are mandatory. It is biblically irresponsible for leaders in government and industry to say they were shocked and unprepared for this disaster when the bible teaches that there is so much that could happen to cause trouble.

Does irresponsible sound like a strong word? It is meant to be. Romans 1:18 teaches that men actively suppress the truth of God. It is not politically correct to speak of man as evil and selfish apart from coming to know and serve Jesus Christ. It is incorrect to speak of the ravages of sin. Yet, if we are to live and function on this planet it is folly to ignore these two realities. Man cannot make wise decisions about drilling for oil unless he first considers the glory of God. By ignoring the truth of Scripture industry and government leaders have shown that while they make many plans it is God who will prevail. To ignore Him is to do so at great peril. This is at least one truth to take away from this disaster in the Gulf. These truths are what we must teach to our children and to our churches. Our culture is in dire need of salt and light. Please pray that the power of the Gospel will shine forth in these days.