All Blogs Lead to Rome

Fighting For The Gospel

2012-01-27T12:43:00.000-05:00

In the past couple of weeks there have been two events in the evangelical world that have been the objects of much attention and controversy. The first of those events was the Code Orange Revival held by Elevation Church pastored by Steven Furtick. The second event was the Elephant Room 2 created and hosted by James MacDonald. Furtick, MacDonald, and T.D. Jakes were all participants in both events and were the lightning rods for the majority of the controversy as well. Many at these events have said, insinuated, and implied that those who have serious concerns over what took place at both Code Orange and Elephant Room are simply jealous (of the numerical success of the participants mostly), haters, or misinformed. While these labels certainly apply to some, I think there is a legitimate reason for some serious concern.

That concern is for fidelity and faithfulness to the biblical gospel.

"But wait a minute...all those men would confirm the gospel wouldn't they?" you might be saying.

I think they would all agree to the ideas of the gospel as Paul lays them out in 1 Corinthians 15:3-6. We have sinned, Christ died for our sin, Christ was buried and raised again. I also think they would agree that faith in Christ is the only way to God the Father.

"If that is true, then what exactly is your concern?" Glad you asked.

My biggest concern is that these three pastors (perhaps MacDonald less so than Furtick and Jakes) seem to disregard many of the biblical underpinnings of the gospel even as they affirm the facts of it. Let me try to explain.

In order to understand the gospel rightly, we must first approach it with the right perspective. That perspective is that everything about the gospel is to be defined and understood from what the bible says about it and that the gospel cannot be isolated from the entirety of the biblical story. Our own ideas about its content, purpose, or method of delivery are useless. We are fallen people with deceitful hearts (Jeremiah 17:9) and our own ideas about the things of God are not to be trusted. We must obediently submit to God's definition of the gospel, His declaration of its purpose, and His means of communicating it.

So what does the bible teach about these things?

The first (and most important) concept we must believe in order to remain faithful to the gospel is that all things exist ultimately for the glory of God (Romans 11:36, Colossians 1:16) This means that more than anything else, including the salvation of sinners, His own glory is God's highest priority. What this does is place salvation in its proper context. Ephesians 1:3-6 tells us that our adoption as sons is for the "praise of His glorious grace". When we understand that even the salvation of sinners is a means to the end of God's glory then we have a much better chance of remaining faithful to the biblical gospel.

That is because when we elevate the salvation of sinners to the ultimate end of God, we then begin to justify any means to that end. After all, nothing is more important than converting sinners so nothing is off the table when it comes to methodology. This misunderstanding has led to the epidemic of pragmatism in today's churches. Whatever works is exalted and fruitfulness as defined by numbers is the measure of a ministry's success.

When we understand that the purpose of everything in the universe is to glorify God then we can release ourselves from the un-biblical idea that God wants us to use whatever means necessary to reach lost people. What God wants from us is humble obedience to His word and a faith that our humble obedience is what it takes to reach lost people for the glory of God. We are commanded by God to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17, 2 Timothy 4:2), trust in the power of the Holy Spirit in the gospel, and let God reach who He intends to reach. Ultimately our job is not to reach people; it is to obediently proclaim the excellencies of the One who called us so that He might draw men unto Himself.

I don't dislike James MacDonald, Steven Furtick, or T.D. Jakes personally nor do I believe what they have done or said recently means they are not believers. I do believe that in their efforts to have fruitful, successful ministries they have compromised the very gospel they say the believe and cherish and I believe that they need to repent where that has happened. In Galatians 1:8-9 Paul says those that preach a false gospel are to be accursed. It is imperative that we get the gospel right, for our hearers as well as for ourselves.

I will defend the gospel and call to accounts those, and especially those who wield such great influence, who by their words or actions defame or degrade that gospel.

If that makes me a jealous hater then so be it.

Elephant Room, Unity, and the Gospel

2012-01-26T09:51:00.000-05:00

The latest brouhaha in evangelicalism centers around the issues of unity and doctrine. Specifically, what doctrines and beliefs are worth dis-unity with other professing Christians and which beliefs should unity take precedence over. This has been thrust into the spotlight recently because of the Elephant Room conference created and run by James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Fellowship.
A brief recap of recent events:

MacDonald announces that T.D. Jakes will be a participant at Elephant Room 2
Controversy ensues dues to Jakes fuzzy definition of the trinity due to his background with Oneness Pentecostals (who hold a heretical view of the trinity) and his word of faith prosperity message.
MacDonald defends his choice of Jakes and even goes so far to change the purpose of the Elephant Room.
Jakes and MacDonald participate in Code Orange Revival at Elevation Church. Elevation is pastored by Steven Furtick who is also a participant at Elephant Room 2.
Code Orange is blasted by many, including Chris Rosebrough, for its man centered, prosperity messages (with the one notable exception of Matt Chandler's sermon).
MacDonald resigns from his position with The Gospel Coalition stating that God has called him to different methods of ministry that TGC may not agree with.
Chris Rosebrough is asked to leave an Elephant Room 2 satellite site and threatened with arrest if he does not do so.
Elephant Room Session 4 takes place with all the participants seeming to believe that it has settled the issue of Jakes' orthodoxy and many others believing it has only perpetuated the belief that Jakes sidesteps the issue of orthodox trinitarianism and receives a pass for his teaching of the prosperity gospel.

The question that naturally arises out of all this is "Who is right?" because in this case "right" matters. MacDonald, Driscoll, et al will tell you that as long as people are being reached for Jesus with the gospel then most other considerations can be overlooked and we can embrace each other despite our differences. They also strongly implied that if you disagree with that position then you are a bible beating, divisive person who only wants to tear down other believers. These men wield a great deal of influence in evangelicalism so what they say matters. Whether they are right or wrong here matters because they have been given/created a large platform from which to influence the church.

I have a couple of observations I would like to offer here.

First, the quote below is taken straight from the Elephant Room purpose statement:

The Elephant Room is more than an event. It is the outgrowth of an idea. The idea that the best way forward for the followers of Jesus lies not in crouching behind walls of disagreement but in conversation among all kinds of leaders about what the scriptures actually teach. We must insist on the biblical Gospel, right doctrine and practice but not isolate ourselves from relationship even with those who believe much differently.These are conversations about the most Christ honoring ways of building a church. Our goal is unity, however a true unity cannot be fashioned in pretense or denial of truth nor can it be won among those who prefer sectarianism to the unity Jesus prayed for. To advance Christ’s call to unity we must do what men have always done, we must push and prod and challenge and sharpen each other’s beliefs and methods. Fidelity and fruitfulness, both matter. No one has a corner on the truth and methods must do more than ‘work.’

I find it indefensible and comically hypocritical that an event whose purpose "lies not in crouching behind walls of disagreement but in conversation among all kinds of leaders about what the scriptures actually teach" would begin by revoking the registration of one of their most outspoken critics. I fail to see how this is anything other than the very sectarianism they rail against here. How are they going to "push and prod and challenge and sharpen each other's beliefs and methods" if they don't allow those with significant disagreements to even attend a video simulcast of their event?

The whole thing smacks of the big evangelical superstars telling the rest of us peons to just let them take care of this one. They know what is best for us and if we will just get out of their way and stop criticizing them, then they will be able to inform and instruct us on how to handle these types of situations.

The actual Elephant Room session with Jakes seemed to bear very little resemblance to a group of men trying to discern biblical truth. It seemed that everyone there already decided they agreed (enough) on the doctrinal issues and their point was now to demonstrate that we can all just get along.

The bigger issue here, I believe, is a gospel issue. The truth is that I agree in principle with what MacDonald and company are trying to say. If the biblical gospel is being proclaimed and taught then that is something to be rejoiced in. If another truly believes and proclaims the gospel of the bible then I think we can disagree on some other issues and still fellowship and labor alongside one another. But where there is no gospel agreement, there is no unity. Scripture is clear that what unites us is the work of Christ on the cross and our new identity as children of God. The gospel unites us and the lack of gospel divides us.

The Elephant Room wants me to believe that Jakes and those like him are reaching people with the gospel and that should trump all other concerns. The question is which gospel are they reaching people with? Is it the gospel of the bible? Is Jakes' gospel the gospel of Jesus, Paul, Peter, and the rest of the biblical authors?

Let's look in His word and see, shall we? I know it isn't as controversial and exciting as The Elephant Room or a book on sex and marriage but it is the most important question to be answered if we want to see the name of Christ exalted among all the nations.

"Yeah, But" Syndrome

2012-01-13T13:48:00.002-05:00

I was strolling through the Twitter-verse today when I happened upon this tweet by Dan Phillips (@bibchr) of Pyromaniacs and Biblical Christianity

If you are ever tempted to think the professing evangelical church is fundamentally healthy, just say publicly that the Bible is sufficient and watch what happens. That'll cure you. Seriously.

As I thought about the sad truth Dan is speaking to, the phrase that continued to bounce around in my head was "Yeah, but...." I am sure you have heard it before (and if you are like me, at some point uttered it yourself).
Usually it emerges during a conversation about life and the difficulties associated with it.
Someone mentions a struggle or problem they are dealing with or wondering about.
Usually someone else mentions what the bible has to say about that struggle of problem.
And then that is (way too often) followed with "Yeah, but....".

Let me give you a few examples......

A wife is struggling in her marriage and her friend points her to Ephesians 5 and councils her to respect her husband even if he doesn't seem to deserve it. Her response? "Yeah, but....you don't understand my husband and the things he has done."

Or the flip side of that equation where the husband is encouraged to love his wife as Christ loved the church even if she doesn't seem to respond. His response? "Yeah...but some of the things she does...."

Or the pastor trying to figure out how to reach the people in his church and see them become excited about the mission God has called them to. Another pastor recommends preaching exegetically through the bible. His response? "Yeah...but they have so many issues that I need to address first."

Or the new church plant that wants to reach the community for Jesus. It is suggested that they simply and clearly proclaim the gospel in their services. Their response? "Yeah...but we have to compete with this entertainment focused culture and people with short attention spans and......"

What all these people think they are saying is "I know that is what the bible says about my situation but my circumstances are unique and have dictated a different course of action for me". What they are actually saying is that the bible doesn't really have the answer to my problem and I can and need to find an answer that will actually work.

We parents know the truth of this. When my kids respond to a directive I have given them with "Yeah, but..." I stop them and say "No buts about it....go do it." When we are in the position of authority we recognize "Yeah, but Syndrome" for what it is....an attempt to usurp and undermine our authority.

The truth is that when it comes to what God has revealed to us in scripture, "Yeah, but..." is just an attempt at a subtle substitute for "I deny the fact that the bible is the perfect, sufficient, revealed will of the sovereign God of the universe."

Notes from 1 Peter 1:13-21

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Review

In verses 1-12, Peter lays the groundwork for the rest of the letter. He reminds the churches he is writing to that their salvation and its benefits have been purchased and secured by the very power of God. Because God Himself is making their salvation sure, they can look beyond the suffering and trials of this world to the world to come and stand firm in their faith.

1 Peter 1:13-21

In verses 13-21 Peter gives the believers 3 commands on how to conduct themselves as exiles.

Three Commands

1. Live in Hope - Set your hope fully on the grace to be brought to you at revelation of Jesus. (v.13)

a. Preparing your minds for action (girding the loins of your mind)

b. Being sober minded

2. Live in Holiness - Be holy in all your conduct. (v.15)

a. As obedient children

b. Do not be conformed to passions of former ignorance

c. As He is holy

3. Live in Fear - Conduct yourselves with fear. (v.17)

a. You were ransomed with the blood of Christ

b. Christ was the plan of God from before time

c. Manifest now for the sake of believers

d. So that our faith and hope would be in God

Notes from 1 Peter 1:1-12

2012-01-10T11:18:00.000-05:00

I have been teaching through the book of First Peter in our Sunday school class the past few weeks and decided it might be helpful to post my notes here for anyone who is interested. This set of notes is from 1 Peter 1:1-12.

If you see anything I have missed or gotten wrong, leave me a comment. The goal is to "rightly divide the word of truth" above all so I welcome corrections where I have gotten off track.

Background
• Written by the apostle Peter.
• Probably written in early 60’s AD.
• Written to Christians living in what is modern day Turkey (possibly the descendants of Jews who settled there after the Babylonian captivity – as the diaspora (dispersion) was the term used to speak of their state.
• The recipients were being persecuted for their faith (possibly the persecution instituted by Nero)
• Not written to one specific church.

Major themes
• Salvation and how it affects:
• Holiness / Conduct
• Suffering
• Submission

1 Peter 1:1-12

The reality of our salvation is our anchor as we live holy lives in the world in the face of suffering.

Knowing that these believers are facing persecution, Peter begins by reminding them of the magnificent realities of their salvation (election).

Salvation

· A product of all three members of the Trinity - election is ascribed to the Father, reconciliation to the Son, and sanctification to the Spirit.

o Father – elect according to His foreknowledge (v.1) and mercy (v.3)

o Spirit – sanctified (set apart as His) for obedience (the end in mind) to Christ.

§ 2 Thessalonians 2:13 -- But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruitsto be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

§ Hebrews 10:10 -- And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

§ Ephesians 1:4 -- even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

§ Acts 20:32, Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:11

o Son – “for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood”

§ Obedience to Christ in saving faith

· Romans 1:5 -- through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

· Faith is a gift – Philippians 1:29

§ justifies believers with His blood.

· Hebrews 11:19-22 -- For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

· A living hope – Christ’s resurrection assures us that our hope is not in vain, but alive and sure in the person of Jesus Christ.

· Inheritance – Salvation attains an imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance for us in heaven as children of the Father and co-heirs with the Son.

· Protection – We “through God’s power are being guarded through faith”. (Matthew 10:28)

· The prophets longed to know of it – the prophets of the Old Testament wanted to know more about the messiah they prophesied of.

Suffering/Trials

· Test the genuineness of faith

· Genuine faith results in the praise of Jesus Christ.

Suffering and trials are for the purpose of refining and testing our faith so that it will bring honor and glory to Christ when He returns.

The Offense and Beauty of the Gospel

2012-01-04T10:34:00.002-05:00

The gospel of the bible is offensive.

I don't know any other way to put it. It is offensive.

It is offensive to most everything we sinful humans value. It doesn't care how rich you are or aren't. It doesn't care if you are a PhD or a high school dropout. It doesn't care if you have spent your life in service to the poor and destitute or in service to yourself. The gospel has no regard for your need for control or your need to fit everything in a neat, easy to understand format. The gospel crushes our warped ideas of justice, fairness, and how the world should work.

For those who have been saved by it, however, the gospel is beautiful beyond words.

Why is it so beautiful to the redeemed children of God?

Because....It is offensive to most everything we sinful humans value. It doesn't care how rich you are or aren't. It doesn't care if you are a PhD or a high school dropout. It doesn't care if you have spent your life in service to the poor and destitute or in service to yourself. The gospel has no regard for your need for control or your need to fit everything in a neat, easy to understand format. The gospel crushes our warped ideas of justice, fairness, and how the world should work.

The offense and the beauty of the gospel come from the nature of the gospel itself. This is why the same gospel, when proclaimed faithfully, will result in derision, scorn, and scoffing along with repentance, faith, and salvation.

It is offensive to those whose hearts are stone and beautiful to those to whom God has given a heart of flesh.

Praise God for the beautiful, offensive gospel that has saved us!

The Hobbit

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am really looking forward to this....

Christopher Hitchens and the Gospel

2011-12-16T11:05:00.001-05:00

Noted atheist Christopher Hitchens passed away Thursday night at the age of 62 from pneumonia, a complication of his esophageal cancer. So what do we as Christians take away from this? What should our reaction be to the news that a staunch opponent of our faith is now gone?

There are several options available to us.

1. We can take the route that Russell Moore took here and remind ourselves that the Gospel can save even men as opposed to the gospel as Hitchens. We can say that we don't know his eternal fate but know that redemption is possible even for men like him.

2. We can exult in his death and say that because he denied and repudiated the gospel message his entire life, Hitchens is now reaping the fruits his life of sin here on earth. If Hitchens remained opposed to the gospel to the end then he is indeed reaping what he sowed, but as believers we should not exult in the eternal punishment of any man.

3. We can use Hitchens' death as a stark reminder of the truths of Romans 2:4-5 as Dan Phillips suggests here. We can warn unbelievers that to pursue a life course along the lines of Hitchens is to presume on the kindness of God and to store up wrath for the day of His returning.

So what is the answer? I don't know that there is one right answer (although option 2 is definitely the wrong one).

I suggest a response in line with the Scottish preacher Thomas Guthrie said.

It cannot be too often, or too loudly, or too solemnly repeated, that the Bible, which ranges over a period of four thousand years, records but one instance of a death-bed conversion—one that none may despair, and but one that none may presume. (via: JT)

So, for me the answer is to remember that, yes and amen, God can save men like Christopher Hitchens who reject, ridicule, and rebuff Him their entire lives to the very end. The reality, however, is that Hitchens probably went into eternity having stored up wrath for himself by continually taking advantage of the kindness of a holy God.

Above all, I am reminded that if it were not for the great mercy and grace of God, I would be no better off than Christopher Hitchens. The ultimate takeaway for those of us who call Him Father should be to bring much praise to the throne of grace on which sits the only God of the universe who has called us to be His own possession. We deserve the same fate as an unrepentant atheist and yet God has spared us by not sparing His only Son.

So mourn the fate of a man who rejected God his whole life, rejoice that because of the grace of God, his fate is no longer ours, and go forth and proclaim this gospel that can even save people like Christopher Hitchens, you, and me.

The World-Tilting Gospel

2011-12-13T08:41:00.000-05:00

The World Tilting-Gospel was written by Dan Phillips. Phillips is the writer of the Biblical Christianity blog and also writes at Pyromaniacs (I recommend you read and follow both of those blogs if at all possible.) The idea behind The World Tilting Gospel (or TWTG) was born when Dan heard a sermon by David Wells in 2007. The though that sparked TWTG was later expressed by Wells in his book Courage to Be Protestant.

Christianity is not just an experience, we need to remember, it is about truth. The experience of being reconciled to the Father, through the Son, by the work of the Holy Spirit all happens within a worldview. This worldview is the way God has taught us in his Word to view the world. That is why the Bible begins with Genesis 1:1 and not John 3:16. (Wells, Courage to Be Protestant, 45)

The World Tilting Gospel is at its core a book about the full truth of the gospel in its purpose, its content, and its implications. Through the course of TWTG Phillips shines a biblical light on:

who we really are
what kind of world we are really living in
how the world really operates and where it is really going
who God really is
what His eternal plan really was
why we really needed Him and His plan so desperately
what His terms - the Gospel - really were
what difference the Gospel will really make on every day of our lives

Without getting into too much detail and spoiling the read for you, let me just say this: You need to read this book.

It will either introduce you to the true biblical gospel and the God who designed it or it will reconfirm for you the beauty, wonder, and majesty of the gospel and the God who designed it. Either way, you win.

I believe TWTG addresses the single biggest need in evangelicalism today. Most major ills of the church (rampant pragmatism, shallow worship, seeker sensitive gatherings, emergent/ing/etc. nonsense) can be traced back to a lack of faith in the biblical God of the bible and of the gospel He designed. This book will show you that God and His gospel clearly, sufficiently, and eloquently.

You will encounter through thorough biblical exegesis and engaging writing a holy, awesome, merciful God who hates sin and makes a way to love and redeem His church.

You will see that the true gospel of the scriptures needs no help from man, but is wholly sufficient in its own power to redeem the souls of sinful people.

You will learn that the gospel was never intended to do anything less than turn the world upside down for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ.

Go buy or borrow the book, read it, share it, use it for a bible study. Study the scriptures that Phillips lays out in the book. Discover (or rediscover) the world-tilting nature of our God and His gospel for yourself.

How Great a Salvation!

2011-12-12T09:11:00.000-05:00

I began teaching through the book of First Peter yesterday in Sunday school. First Peter is probably most well known as a book exhorting and encouraging believers in the midst of persecution and suffering and there is no doubt that Peter intended to do those things. What I think is missing from so many discussions on this book is the foundation Peter lays in the first 12 verses that allows the suffering Christian to stand strong and live a God honoring life in this world even when in the midst of fiery trials.

That foundation is nothing other than the gospel.

In the first 12 verses, before Peter gives these elect exiles any instructions concerning how to live a midst persecution and suffering, he reminds them of the gospel and it's promises.

In verse 2 he reminds them that all 3 members of the Godhead played a part in their redemption: the father chose them as His own, the Spirit sanctified and regenerated them, and the Son justified them with His blood. In verses 3-12 Peter reminds them of the benefits of their salvation that were purchased and secured by God. You will notice that in each case Peter mentions that it is God who is doing and acting, not the believers. In verse 3 it is God who has caused them to be born again to a living hope and an inheritance that is imperishable. In verse 5 it is God's power that keeps them through faith as His own possession.

What Peter is doing is reminding them that because of God's great work in their salvation, they can look beyond this world to the one to come, where they will spend eternity with God. This reality is assured, not because of their will or their works, but because it is God Himself who is working in them to make it so. He has chosen them, He has sanctified them, He has justified them, and He is keeping them. Their salvation is assured because God is faithful. This assurance of what God has done, is doing, and will do is the rock on which they are to stand as they live their lives in a fallen world. Nothing else will do.

We must remember what God has done for us. We must learn to meditate on and rejoice in the gospel. We must learn to look beyond our circumstance to the reality of an eternal inheritance secured and kept for us by our God. Only as we do this will we be able to live a holy life in this world that will honor God and result in His praise and glory when He returns to judge the world and take us home.

John Calvin to Pastors

2011-12-05T15:55:00.001-05:00

Let the pastors boldly dare all things by the word of God. . . .

Let them constrain all the power, glory, and excellence of the world to give place to and to obey the divine majesty of this word.

Let them enjoin everyone by it, from the highest to the lowest.

Let them edify the body of Christ.

Let them devastate Satan’s reign.

Let them pasture the sheep, kill the wolves, instruct and exhort the rebellious.

Let them bind and loose thunder and lightning, if necessary, but let them do all according to the word of God.

(via Justin Taylor)

What Does This Have To Do With Jesus?

2011-12-01T09:22:00.001-05:00

Our Jesse tree

We are 4 days into our first year doing the Jesse tree as a family for the advent season. For those of you unfamiliar with the Jesse tree it is a devotional plan that teaches of God's plan of salvation beginning with Creation. It takes it name from Isaiah 11:1.

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

For each day the family looks at a passage of scripture and there is an ornament that corresponds to the passage that is put on the Jesse tree. There are usually between 25 and 30 passages depending on whose version you use.

Last night we read about Noah and the ark. As we read the scripture passages about the sinfulness of the people of the earth and God's reaction to their sin, my 10 year old daughter asked the question that became the title of this post.

"What does this have to do with Jesus?"

See, she knows what Christmas is about and she knows that the point of our devotions is to point to and lead up to His birth. What she didn't understand is how this Old Testament story related to Him. So we talked about sin and God's abhorrence towards it. We talked about how God hates sin so much that he decided to destroy the people of the earth in response to their sin and that He was perfectly just in doing so. We talked about how God cannot just overlook and ignore our sin and that because of that we desperately needed Jesus to come and die on the cross to pay the price for our sin.

Noah's Ark - felt style

I admit that as a father I was thrilled to hear that question come out of my daughter's mouth. We need to be constantly asking "What does this have to do with Jesus?" as we read the scriptures. Jesus condemned the pharisees in large part because they failed to do this and in so doing missed the entire point of the Old Testament (John 5:39-40). The roughly 33 years of Jesus life were the focal point of the entire history of our universe. All of history either anticipates those years finds it meaning by looking back at them.

As we read our bibles, as we listen to sermons and songs, as we interact with the world around us we should constantly be asking one question.

"What does this have to do with Jesus?"

Doctrine of Salvation, Practically Speaking

2011-11-29T10:07:00.001-05:00

I just finished a DVD study on the pursuit of God's glory in salvation by John Piper. It was a bible saturated, eloquent, and passionate defense of the biblical doctrine of salvation. One on the most helpful sessions for me was the final one where Piper laid out 10 practical implications of holding to the doctrines of grace. One of my frustrations concerning these truths has long been trying to combat the idea that the doctrines of grace are just esoteric, philosophical ideas that are interesting to argue for or against but have no real bearing on the life of the believer regardless of which side you agree with. The truth is that these doctrines have profound effects on both the life of the individual Christian as well as the corporate body of the church.

Not surprisingly, Piper has done a much better job of enunciating some of the practical implications of the biblical view of salvation than I could ever have done. Listed below are the 10 ways a right view of God's glory in our salvation affects us as followers of Christ.

These truths make me stand in awe of God and lead me into the depth of true God-centered worship.
These truths help protect me from trifling with divine things.
These truths make me marvel at my own salvation and feel humbled at my own sin.
These truths make me alert to man-centered substitutes that pose as good news.
These truths make me groan over the indescribable disease of our secular, God-belittling culture.
These truths make me confident that the work which God planned and began, he will finish-both globally and personally.
These truths make me see everything in the light of God’s sovereign purposes – that from Him and through Him an to Him are all things, to Him be glory forever and ever.
These truths make me hopeful that God has the will, the right, and the power to answer prayer that people be changed.
These truths remind me that evangelism is absolutely essential for people to come to Christ and be saved, and that there is great hope for success in leading people to faith, but that conversion is not finally dependent on me or limited by the hardness of the unbeliever.
These truths make me sure that God will triumph in the end.

Doctrine never exists in a vacuum. It always affects how we live in relation to God. It is imperative that we search the scriptures and pray that God would reveal to us the truth about Himself, ourselves, and His glorious grace in our undeserved salvation.

This Is Discipling

2011-08-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

The mission of the church is to make disciples so that the glory of God may be known and spread throughout all creation. Think about what your church does on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis.

Would you describe it as discipling?
What if we had fewer programs, events, and services to attend and spent more time, effort, and money on practically equipping people to be disciples where they live, work, and play?

What if we equipped them to be missionaries to their friends, families, or even to strangers in a land where the name of Jesus has never been heard?

If this kind of discipling appeals to you there are a couple of books I would highly recommend you read.
The first is The Trellis and The Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne.
The second is One-To-One Bible Reading by David Helm.

These are great books that encourage churches and individuals to make more disciples and less programs. If this is something that you are interested in, I would love to meet you / speak with you. Leave me a message in the comments or on Facebook.

Reading Through the Bible: Days 3 & 4

2011-08-19T08:49:00.001-04:00

The last couple of days or reading have taken me through the Fall and the Flood. Adam and Eve have failed the test of their obedience and have sinned. All of creation is fractured, broken, and unable to glorify God as it was intended to do. Having established a foothold, sin goes on to completely ruin creation in a matter of generations so that when we get to the time of Noah, God is so fed up with His creation that He decides to start over with Noah and his family.

Reading this account, I am once again amazed at a couple of truths.

The first is the utter corrupting, destructive power of sin. Sin desires nothing less than our complete destruction and ruin. Left unchecked it will have all of us. We see in the accounts of Cain and Abel and Noah just how quickly and completely sin spreads.

The second is the ability and willingness of people (including myself) to allow sin to remain in our lives. We tell ourselves that our sin really isn't that bad or that we have it all under control. Sin desires to destroy us. We must, through the power of the Holy Spirit and with a clear understanding of the gospel, kill the sin that we are allowing to remain in our lives.

We must do this for our own sake, the sake of our families, and most importantly for the sake of the name of our God. Don't be deceived. No sin is ever under control. It is just waiting for you to become so accustomed to its presence that you don't even realize when it is moving in for the kill.

Reading Through the Bible: Day 2

2011-08-17T08:51:00.003-04:00

Day 2 finds us in Psalms 8 and 104 primarily. I love what the Psalmist writes in Psalm 8:3-4:

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

When we gaze up at the stars on a clear night, stand at the edge of the ocean and look to horizon, or see majesty of a mountain ranges glimpsed from afar, we should be reminded of the majesty of Him who created all that we see. How wondrous and mighty is our God!

The only response to the majesty of God is to then recognize or own smallness in the face of such glory. How incredible is it then that our majestic God loves and cares for such insignificant creatures as us? The mercy, love, and grace of God become all that they are designed to be when we see God and ourselves for who he and we really are.

How have you been reminded of God's majesty or your smallness today?

Reading Through the Bible: Day 1

2011-08-15T15:51:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of my chronological journey through the scriptures. The reading for today was the first two chapters of Genesis. We all know this section of scripture pretty well. God, with nothing but the power of His words, creates everything that is and it is all good. He then creates the man and woman, Adam and Eve, and gives them the commission of filling the earth and subduing it. They are given dominion over the rest of God's creation.

What I find intriguing about this is that the definition of dominion is "sovereignty or control". God, the sovereign ruler of all creation, creates man in His own image to rule over this creation as His representative. Mankind is to "be fruitful and multiply" and subdue the earth. I have heard it said that to subdue the earth meant to make the rest of the untamed creation like the well ordered garden in which Adam and Eve were placed. Their job was to rule as God's ambassadors, faithfully representing the God who made them.

This commission is part of what makes the sin of Adam and Eve (which we will read about tomorrow) so heinous. Not only do they separated themselves from God and doom the rest of mankind to a life lived with the nature of sin, but they rob the creation itself of the God reflecting caretakers He intended for it to have.

This is the nature of sin. It does not stop with the destruction of the one who commits it. It's devastation reaches much further than that. Consider the sin on Adam and Eve. As a result of disobeying God and eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil:

Eve and future women are cursed with painful childbearing
Adam and future men are cursed with difficult toil in working the ground.
Adam and Eve die spiritually and all their descendants are born dead to God.
The creation itself is cursed and now awaits redemption.

There is nothing that is not tainted and ruined by sin. This is part of the reason we are called as followers of Christ to hate our sin and put it to death. Through our sin, death and destruction can run rampant in every avenue of our lives and the lives of the people we are in fellowship with.

What did you find God speaking to you about through this passage?

Women of Faith: Imagine

2011-08-15T08:48:00.000-04:00

This post is written by my wife, Katherine.

I was so blessed this weekend to be able to go down to Atlanta to the Women of Faith conference with my friend, Christy. The theme of the conference this year is Imagine and their key verses are Ephesians 3:20-21 which say;

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

We cannot even imagine the things that God can do within us.

There was great worship, amazing teaching, and lots (and lots) of women. We had some free time and some adventures on Marta and some time to hang out and catch up on life. It was a lot of fun and a great break from our four kids and my amazing husband, but the best part of the weekend was how God spoke through everyone involved in the conference.
The overwhelming message that I took away from the weekend is that God wants to use everything in our lives for His glory. He wants to work through us and through our situations and, through our experiences, show us and those around us who He is. The speakers were all honest about their lives and spoke the truth about who God is and where He has met them in the midst of their experiences. God doesn't need us to be perfect, because when we are weak, He can be strong. He is bigger than any problem, any sin, anything that we have that might be holding us back from him.

We heard several speakers, including Steve Arterburn, Sheila Walsh, Laura Story, Nicole Johnson, Angie Smith, Luci Swindoll, and Lisa Harper. All of the speakers were incredible, but my favorite was Sheila Walsh. She's a former host of the 700 club, an amazing singer, and the author of several books (if you have little girls, you'll recognize her as the author of the Gigi, God's Little Princess series). Interestingly enough, she only has one child, a boy. I'm not sure how, as the mother of only a boy, she ended up writing the books that my 5 and 2 year old girls beg for, but I was thankful for her before I heard her this weekend, and am even more thankful for her ministry now. She spoke to us more than once and shared a little bit of her life story and some of the trials that she has come through. She made us laugh and think. One of the things that she spoke about was from John 14.

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Sheila said "Peace is not the absence of trouble, it is the presence of Christ." I think that is so true and is is something that is easy to forget on the days when everything is going wrong and you're running late and you just locked your 11 day old baby in the car and the fireman who show up to help you don't actually have the right tool to unlock the car probably are wondering if you are sane as you sit crying with them for ten minutes until the other truck arrives (not that I've ever done that...) Or the days when all your kids are fighting and you just want one tiny moment of quiet, or even the really big issues like when your husband loses his job and you have no income for five months, or when you lose someone you love, or are hurt by someone.
In Mark 4, Jesus calms the storm when he is out in the boat with disciples. He can calm any storm in our lives, if he chooses. God is sovereign and in control and our hope is at the throne of grace.

Sheila also talked about forgiveness. Forgiveness is God's gift to us to live in a world that's not fair. She said that fair doesn't live here anymore, but Jesus does. I am so thankful for that. He meets us where we are and changes us. She said that the great message of the gospel is that you get to come as you are. Don't clean yourself up to come to the Father. He already knows our sins and our shortcomings and still he loves us and calls us to Him.

It was a great weekend and if you have the opportunity to go to a Women of Faith conference, I would definitely take it (unless you're not a woman, because then you might feel a little bit out of place....)

Read Through the Bible With Me

2011-08-14T16:05:00.001-04:00

One of the things I have never done is to read through the Bible chronologically. A chronological reading of the Bible takes you through the events recorded in scripture in the order they happened instead of in the normal book order we are accustomed to. My hope is that some of you will join me in reading through the Bible this way. The reading plan I have chosen will take us through the Bible in one year. It is divided into 6 readings per week and my plan is to take Sundays off. I plan on beginning this plan tomorrow and making it my daily bible reading for the next 12 months.

What I would love to see is some discussion around what we are reading in scripture. I plan on writing a little each day about what God is showing me in these readings and I would love to hear from each of you who choose to join me as well. Discussion can either take place here in the comments of each post or you can follow the blog on Facebook.

You can download a copy of the reading plan I am using by clicking the link below.

Download reading plan

I look forward to iron sharpening iron as we discuss the wonder of God's word.

Women of Faith Weekend

2011-08-12T07:41:00.001-04:00

My wife is on her way down to Atlanta with a friend for the Women of Faith conference. If you are not familiar with Women of Faith, here is how they describe themselves:

Women of Faith is a faith-based women's organization encouraging women of all ages and stages in life to grow in faith and spiritual maturity through a relationship with Jesus Christ and an understanding of God’s love and grace.

I am looking forward to hearing from my wife about the event when she gets home Saturday night. She will also be posting her thoughts here at the blog early next week.

I have heard some stories of people who were greatly impacted by last year's event and am praying that God would move in Katherine and her friend this weekend as well.

You can find out more about Women of Faith at their website. If you are interested in attending one of their weekend events, all the information you need is here.

Christian Encounters: J.R.R. Tolkien Book Review

2011-08-11T09:39:00.008-04:00

The Christian Encounters series from Thomas Nelson Publishers is a series of biographies that, according to them, is intended to "highlight important lives from all ages and areas of the Church." One purpose is to show how the faith of those being written about impacted their lives.

Having long been a fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (I even read The Silmarillion), I was pretty excited to read this biography of Tolkien. I found it to be an extremely interesting read and I learned a good number of things about Tolkien that I didn't before. It was particularly interesting to read of the club that Tolkien started while in high school that carried over to college and led to his friendship with C.S. Lewis.

The one thing that disappointed me a little was that there really wasn't a great deal of information about how Tolkien's faith really impacted his life outside of the circumstances of his marriage. There seemed to be more in this book about how the faith of those around him impacted his life than his own faith.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to others with one caveat. It really is more of a condensed biography of Tolkien than a story of how his faith impacted his life and writing.

Calvin on the Gospel

2011-08-08T15:50:00.001-04:00

I read this today at Justin Taylor's blog:

From a stunningly gospelicious preface John Calvin wrote for Pierre Robert Olivétan’s French translation of the New Testament (1534)

“Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God. But by the knowledge of the gospel we are made children of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, fellow townsmen with the saints, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs of God with Jesus Christ, by whom the poor are made rich, the weak strong, the fools wise, the sinner justified, the desolate comforted, the doubting sure, and slaves free. It is the power of God for the salvation of all those who believe …” (66)

“It follows that every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal. In short, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune.

For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn to our profit. If we are able to boast with the apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? it is because by the Spirit of Christ promised to the elect, we live no longer, but Christ lives in us; and we are by the same Spirit seated among those who are in heaven, so that for us the world is no more, even while our conversation [life] is in it; but we are content in all things, whether country, place, condition, clothing, meat, and all such things. And we are comforted in tribulation, joyful in sorrow, glorying under vituperation [verbal abuse], abounding in poverty, warmed in our nakedness, patient amongst evils, living in death. This is what we should in short seek in the whole of Scripture: truly to know Jesus Christ, and the infinite riches that are comprised in him and are offered to us by him from God the Father.” (69-70)

That is good, right there.

They Were Not Found There

2011-08-05T10:58:00.000-04:00

The Old Testament book of Ezra begins during one of the darkest periods in the history of the nation of Israel. They have been taken from their homeland and the temple has been destroyed. The Babylonians, who conquered Israel, have been in turn conquered by the Persians. It is a seemingly hopeless time for God's chosen nation.

But then, the Persian king Cyrus is moved by God to send some of the exiles home to rebuild the temple. When they arrive, some of the sons of the priests discover a harsh truth.

These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. - Ezra 2:62

What happened to these would be priests? Why, if they were the sons of priests, did some of them find that their names were not found in the genealogies proving their heritage? We know how one family found themselves in this predicament. In verse 61 we read that one man took a wife from among the Babylonians and took her name as his family's name. In all likelihood he did this because her name provided his family with a place of greater honor in the foreign land they now lived in. Since there was no temple there was no noticeable honor in being a priest so this man took a name that would provide him honor among the people where he lived.

When the decision was made to send some to rebuild the temple, the priests were once again needed to perform their duties at the altar. Their honor was to be restored. What this man discovered was having traded the honor of serving God faithfully for the honor of the world, he had lost the right to serve as he once did.

Some of us may be thinking that this isn't fair. After all, this was a terrible, dark time for the nation of Israel. I would imagine it was especially difficult for those who had served God in the temple. The work for which they had been set aside was taken from them and they found themselves living among a people who accorded them no honor for their calling. They didn't know if they would ever be able to serve in the temple again. It seems awfully harsh, when the opportunity to once again serve has appeared, to deny it from them.

And yet what we learn here is the same lesson repeated throughout all of scripture. Our God is a jealous God and the glory of His name is of the utmost concern to Him. When this priest took the name of a pagan wife to restore honor to his family he was in essence saying a couple of unsavory things about God.

First, he was saying that the honor of worldly recognition was more desirable than the honor of being a servant of the Most High God.

Second, he was saying that he lacked faith in God's ability to rescue His people and restore them to their former positions of serving in the temple.

In the New Testament, James will tell us that friendship with the world is adultery towards God (James 4:4). This man in essence was an adulterer in his relationship with God. He defamed God's name with his choice to take the name of a Babylonian woman in pursuit of worldly honor.

We need to learn from what we see in Ezra. God is indeed a jealous God. When He redeems us He places His Spirit in us. His Spirit will lead us to learn to love God and when we love God we will not love the world. If we find that we love the things of the world and that we desire the honor of the world more than we desire the honor of being called a child of God, we need to examine ourselves.

Do not assume that just because you walked an aisle and prayed a prayer that you are saved.
Do not assume that just because you have been baptized that you are saved.
Do not assume that just because you serve and lead in your church that you are saved.

It is possible for all 3 above statements to be true about a person and that person still not be truly redeemed by God. There is a reason Paul tells us to examine ourselves in 2 Corinthians 13:5. It is possible to be deceived about our own salvation.

The people of God love the things of God, not the things of this world. Even when our circumstances seem bleak and there seems to be no point in continuing in faithfulness, remember:

There is no greater honor than being called a child of the Living God.

Pure Spiritual Milk

2011-07-29T09:40:00.002-04:00

Pastor, theologian, and author John Stott passed away Wednesday at the age of 90. A quick perusal at the number of memorials written about him in the last 24 hours will give you an idea of the impact this man had on Christianity in the U.S. One of the men dramatically influenced by Stott is John Piper. Piper had his heart opened to the wonders of God's word by Stotts's dedication to expository preaching. When writing about discovering the meaning of the word of God Piper writes:

And of course what God means is staggeringly important and glorious and horrible and tender and rugged and shocking and ravishing and relevant. And implications are crashing down on me every minute, and my heart is churning with shock and wonder and fear and hope and sorrow and joy and cries for help. This is what I have been waiting for all my life.

A couple of questions come to my mind when I read that quote.

The first question is "Are you and I affected that deeply by the preaching of the Word of God?" Does God's word humble us, afflict us, comfort us, and change the very nature of our lives? It should. We need to pray that God would open our hearts to the wonders found in His word.

The second question is one that keeps me up at night. "Are we members of churches where the scriptures are faithfully taught to us?" I am not talking about spiritual self-help sermons that reference scripture. Does your pastor open up the word of God and teach you what it says?

Here are couple of things to look for if you aren't sure.

If your pastor only teaches topical sermons then you might want to be wary.
If your pastor often bases his sermons off of Christian books you might want to be wary.
If your pastor's sermons seem to be mostly stories and illustrations, you might want to be wary.

I am not saying every pastor that preaches a sermon in these ways is wrong, but these types of sermons should not be the primary form of teaching. You cannot teach the whole council of God in these ways.

I think it is absolutely critical that you find a church that teaches you what the bible says. This means finding a church where the pastor teaches through books of the bible. There is no way to truly know what scripture is saying if you are constantly teaching it out of the context of the book it is written in.

Nothing is more important in finding a church home than this.
Not worship style.
Not children's ministry.
Not community service opportunities.

The single most important characteristic of a church is whether or not the truth of the word of God is faithfully taught and explained to the saints. Nothing else equips God's people to complete the mission He has given us of making His name great among all the nations.

Are you being fed the spiritual milk of the word of God that leads to maturity (1 Peter 2:2) or are you settling for a watered down imitation?

When We Worship As We Ought

2011-07-27T12:26:00.004-04:00

“When we worship God as we ought that's when the nations listen.”

The quote above is from a man named Edmund Clowney. It appeared in my Twitter stream yesterday and immediately caught my eye for a couple of reasons. The first reason being I wholeheartedly agree with what Clowney says here. The second being I think I am probably in the minority in that belief here in the south and in my hometown of Rome.
The biggest problem facing the churches of the bible belt is a low view of God. Let me explain why I believe this to be true.
I have read some church growth material and spoken to numerous pastors both of established churches and new church plants. When it comes to the topics of how to disciple the saints and reach the lost, worshipping God for who he is shows up pretty far down the list.
Here are some of the things that tend to come up as ways to make the church more effective:

Serving the community
Exciting, relevant style of worship
Practical teaching
Creativity in the Sunday gathering and in programming
Maintaining an up to date website

Now let me be clear that I don't think that anything on that list is sinful or wrong. Those are very good things for churches to keep in mind as they plan. And if the church was a secular institution then I think everyone of those things should be extremely important. Of course, the church is not a secular institution. It is the bride of Christ and He has already told us in His word what makes His church successful in accomplishing the mission He has given it.

The mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel to all the nations so that God may be worshiped and glorified throughout the earth.

We are not called primarily to relieve social injustices, or world hunger, or any other societal ill that exists. That doesn't mean we don't get involved in those issues, just that they are not our primary focus and that when we do involve ourselves in them we do so with an eye to using our involvement as a platform to proclaim the glories of God and His gospel.

God tells us how to accomplish this: by teaching and preaching the word of God.

Romans 1:16 and 1 Corinthians 1:18 tell us that the power to affect salvation lies in the message of the gospel.

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that scripture is enough to equip God's people for every good work.

Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 to always be teaching sound doctrine from the scriptures.

Why do we think that God's method for accomplishing His mission for His church is somehow outdated or not enough?

In their book The Trellis and the Vine, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne summarized the bible's teaching on church ministry this way:

However, despite the almost limitless number of contexts in which it might happen, what happens is the same: a Christian brings a truth from God's word to someone else, praying that God would make that word bear fruit through the inward working of His spirit.

That is the call of the church and for every believer in the church. Proclaim the truth of the word of God to others and pray that the Holy Spirit would cause it to bear fruit. Nothing else will bear fruit for the kingdom. When we are faithful to do this, then our view of God and our people's view of God is lifted up. Only then can we worship Him as He deserves.

When we teach the truth of who God is from His word, people know God for who He is and turn the world upside down with His gospel.

When we teach the truth of who God is from His word, we learn to worship Him for who He is.

When we worship God for who He is in all His majesty, in spirit and truth, then, and only then, will the nations truly take notice.