Frafferz.com - Random Musing

Provoking repentance [1/4]

2009-04-29T18:48:00Z

Read: Jonah's prayer in Jonah 1:17-2:10.

Jonah's kinda peeved - he's been sent to prophesy against Nineveh, but he doesn't want to go. So, in an act of flagrant disobedience to God, he runs the opposite way. Turns his back on God, his mission, his calling and heads for Spain.

God - less than chuffed with Jonah - sends a storm to halt him in his tracks.

It works.

The sailors wake Jonah up, only to be scandalised as they find out that he's running away from God. (But they still do everything they possibly can to save him). Eventually they follow his advice and throw him overboard, whereupon he gets swallowed by a huge fish which he inhabits for the next 3 days before heading out (in the words of the Veggie tales) like a human comet [Guys - you might not want to rhyme with comet...!].

And in the belly of the fish, Jonah seems to come to his senses - and repents. (He's still a self-centred, grumpy, racist bigot - but he's making progress).

What does God use to do it?

Three things - Wrath, Mercy and Pagans.

You can't make this stuff up...

2009-03-13T21:29:00Z

I really don't know what to make of this.

It's not even April 1st.

How about one day, a bible publisher tries coming up with a "Wild About Jesus" bible? A bible that highlights stuff about Jesus throughout the bible - like stuff in the OT that is fulfilled by Jesus, or that prefigures him. A bible that puts the hero centre stage? Like a combination of "Christ in all the Scriptures" and a bible?

Or maybe, in a world that has rejected him, that just wouldn't sell so well...? <Sigh>

Isn't it actually a question of faith?

2009-02-23T19:20:00Z

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.”
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.
Jesus, looking at him with sadness, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”
But he said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:18-27)

He's clearly perfect church material: he's rich, eminently respectable and sincere in his pursuit of righteousness. Who wouldn't want this guy? (That's a rhetorical question: the answer is pretty much everyone, Jesus included.)

What makes the deal go bad? What is the one thing that he lacks? A first glance might seem that material poverty is a pre-requisite: the instruction to "sell all that you have" would seem to suggest that.

But it's not that.

In order to understand what's going on here, I think we need to look at the example of Abraham in Genesis 22:2 "Take your son, your only son, whom you love ... and offer him as a burnt offering." It's a pinnacle at which Abraham's faith in God is most clearly seen: he is convinced that God will honour his promise: that he will give him an heir; make him the father of many nations; bless the world through his offspring and Abraham is therefore willing to obey and offer his only son (Hebrews 11:17-19).

He is convinced that his future is safer in God's hands than his own. He has finally reached the point in his life where he trusts God's strength and faithfulness more than his own.

It seems that the ruler who met Jesus hadn't got this kind of faith. We don't know exactly what it is he loved about being rich - whether it's the prestige in amongst his peers, or the comfort that he can afford to enjoy, or the feeling of safety that such wealth brings. But it's clear that he feels that he needs his wealth more than he needs God.

Or, to put it another way, he doesn't trust God with his wealth.

The problem is not that absence of poverty: it's the absence of faith.

What does this mean for the church's mission in the world?

We must remember that God is in the business of salvation, not insurance. Making a "decision for Christ" has no necessary correlation with actually trusting him.
We must regularly idol check our lives - is there something we are trusting more than God?
We must be careful to describe biblical faith not just in standard kitsch clichés, but with stories and examples that accurately portray how hard it is. Because faith may be simple, but it certainly isn't easy.

How to turn a question on it's head

2009-02-09T17:26:00Z

Jesus tells the parable of the widow and the unrighteous judge (Luke 18:1-6) in order to encourage us to pray - and not give up. He starts by tackling the idea the idea that our prayers have no impact: he talks about an unrighteous self-centred judge who answers petitions just to shut up a helpless widow so that she won't bug him any more - and then contrasts the unrighteous judge with the righteous judge of the world - God.

He then gives three encouragements to pray - and in so doing turns the whole question around:

“And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them a speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)

The inductive: "And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?" A rhetorical question - given all that you already know about God, why would you doubt that he'll answer?
The explicit: "I tell you, he will give justice to them a speedily."
A strong affirmation that God isn't hanging around here - he's not busy and leaving you to go to answerphone - he's strongly committed to justice.
The implicit: "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Our knowledge of God leads us to be confident that he'll answer; the assurance of Jesus is that he'll answer so what's the real question? The real question is whether we'll pray.

Jesus' has turned the question on it's head: our real concern about prayer is shouldn't be about whether God will answer - but whether we'll even call. We can be confident that God will be faithful - but we can't assume that we will too.

Lips that touch liquor

2008-12-23T19:17:00Z

Delightful post from Terry Virgo.

Faithful Francis

2008-11-09T15:10:00Z

As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. -- Matthew 13:23

Francis is the real deal.

Luke 8:15 describes Francis as receiving the word and holding it fast in an honest and good heart. As the simplest of the four characters in Jesus' parable, Francis doesn't fall into the errors of the others. Mind is open to the gospel; heart is set on Jesus and Jesus alone.

Francis is not crippled by serving two masters - everything: every relationship, every possession, every talent, every minute is consciously given to serving God. Francis recognises that God created all of life and both desires and deserves to be honoured in all of life. Francis might be an outgoing, in-your-face evangelist that somehow manages to naturally slip into conversations about God in an average 27.63 seconds from first introductions or might be the kind of person who rarely says much to anyone but displays the transforming power of the gospel and the love of Christ - the type people turn to to share their problems with. Or Francis might be the practical type that drops dinner round to the young couple that spent last night in the hospital and came home parents. Or perhaps the person who invests time in young people showing them by instruction and example what it means to follow Jesus.

But whatever Francis does - whether vocal or silent - is done in the service of God. It is inspired by the recognition of God's grace towards them. It is empowered by God's spirit within them. It's done in the imitation of Jesus.

Francis is open and honest. Humble and loving. Obedient. Francis has the heart of a servant. How? Francis knows what it means to be loved by God.

Examples

Jesus. The perfect example of the one whose perfect obedience and love towards God the Father is the basis of all our hope. Talk about that for "bearing much fruit!"

John. The apostle who knew that Jesus loved him. His affections and priorities are simple: he loves Jesus and he loves like Jesus.

To Ponder

Who do I know who lives like this? When did I last thank God for placing them in my life? How can I learn from them? How can I encourage them?
What is it that leaves me short of the mark? Where are my ideas and ambitions out of sync with the gospel? What is holding me back from living like this?

And finally...

Pray that you will fall into the final category. One who bears fruit. One who sees the likeness of Christ reproduced in themselves through following him in the power of the Holy Spirit and in others as you evangelise and make disciples. And pray for your loved ones, that they will too.

Why are you still on your computer when you could be on your knees?

Polytheistic Pamela

2008-11-05T17:50:00Z

<q>As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. </q> -- Matthew 13:22

Pamela is a rock. She knows and understands the gospel. Her faith is evidently deep and meaningful. She is growing, albeit slowly. She's in church (whenever she can make it) and she faithfully gives (when she can afford it) and she faithfully prays (when she can find the time).

But work is just insane at the moment. There's a credit crunch and everyone's a bit worried about their job, Pamela included. So she's putting in some extra hours.

And she's a concerned about her image, so trips to the hair dressers are a big deal. And her nails. And that little bit of teeth whitening - oh and slight straightening.

She's the one you can depend on - she almost always says yes when someone asks for her help.

And she keeps up with her non-Christian friends, but she's usually too tired to even think about, must less talk about, Christian things and so she just enjoys their company. Which helps keep relationships running smoothly.

She's angling for a promotion and putting a lot of work into getting it.

She's afraid of being lonely, so she's always got a boyfriend. It doesn't really matter that he's not a Christian, he's "sympathetic" and he's a man. Her man.

Pamela's problem is that she hasn't understood that Jesus is enough. That he is sufficient.

She is unable or unwilling to cast her burdens and worries on the one who cares for her (1 Peter 5:7). The ambitions and desires that she has absorbed from the society and culture that she lives in matter almost as much to her as Jesus - and they're starting to crowd him out.

She needs to see that her life and priorities must be assembled to God's specifications not her own. There will be things that she fears; things that she loves - but they must never be allowed to displace the stuff that is more important than life itself.

When Jesus explains the most important commandment in Mark 12:29, he starts the quotation with "Hear O Israel, the Lord, the Lord your God is one." The understanding that God is one, that God is sovereign, that single-minded devotion to Jesus is all that is required is central to dealing with the fears and temptations that pull us towards the worship of multiple gods.

Examples

Solomon was man of unparalleled wisdom. Yet too much time hanging out with hundreds of hot heathen wives seduced him; he began to engage in the idolatrous worship of other gods.

In contrast, Paul (Php 3:14) was guided by one thing, one ambition, one goal. One pure and holy passion ruled his life. He refused to be side-tracked or diverted from being sold out for Jesus.

To Ponder

What do I spend my time worrying about? What do I allow to crowd out my devotional time with God? What saps my passion for the gospel? What do I need to cut loose because it impairs my ability to follow Christ?
What is my friend involved in that is diluting the impact of their faith? What should I be praying for them, for their desires? Where and how should I be provoking them to be more dedicated to their Lord?

Idolatrous Ivan

2008-11-04T18:20:00Z

<q>20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. </q> -- Matthew 13:20-21

Idolatrous Ivan loves the gospel. Quite how he came to faith we don't know... it may have been an evangelistic event, an alpha course, a friend whose life he admired.

Ivan's joy is real. His worship is genuine and sincere. He is upbeat and inspiring to those around him. But his faith has a fatal flaw: he views the gospel as a means to some other end. Jesus is his tool.

There's something in Ivan's life that he values above the gospel, above salvation. Maybe it's comfort, maybe it's his family, job, some relationship. He comes to faith not with empty hands but with preconditions.

Suddenly that precondition fails. A loved one dies. He loses his job. He gets beaten up for being a Christian. Some storm enters his life and shatters his happiness and he throws in the towel.

The reason is distressingly simple: Jesus was not Ivan's God. He may have been his servant, his friend, his adviser, his helpmate, his guide - but comfort, or a healthy family, or financial security was the God Ivan really worshipped. And when there was a conflict and Ivan had to chose between gods, between idols to serve, he jettisons Jesus.

To reach Ivan, we must impress Jesus as the ultimate blessing of the gospel, not merely the means of blessing. According to the shorter Westminster Catechism, the chief end of man is to worship God and enjoy him forever: this fundamental understanding needs to be impressed upon Ivan. He must understand that a gospel of grace means that God sets the preconditions and the terms of salvation, not us.

Examples

Paul's fellow worker Demas (2 Tim 4:10) falls more in love with the world and, it seems, abandons his faith in pursuit of "the present world."

Abraham is the opposite - desperate for a son, an heir, he even sleeps with his wife's servant. But he refuses to place his son above God - and is would rather sacrifice him to God than disobey God.

To Ponder

What do I really desire? What would really hurt my faith if I lost it? What have I made an idol of? Do I examine my heart and take stock of its desires?
What is it that my friend really wants? Am I presenting Jesus merely as a means to worship some other idol, or I am presenting him as both Saviour and Lord? Do I warn my friends when I see temporary, empty things taking too great a place in their affections?

Clueless Craig

2008-11-03T17:38:00Z

<q>When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.</q> Matthew 13:19

What's Craig's problem? What's going wrong here?

There is a credibility gap that prevents Craig from ever coming to terms with the gospel. The precise excuse or reason varies from person to person: it is what Tim Keller would call a "defeater belief."

Craig may have an intellectual understanding of the gospel. He may know his bible inside out. He may be a fool who embraces his ignorance. He may be sympathetic towards "faith" or strongly antagonistic. But whatever else is going on, he has a barrier to belief that prevents any sort of progress.

Such beliefs abound in modern society - "religion is the enemy of progress", "religion is the enemy of reason," "religion is the source of human conflict," "religion is irrelevant," "religion is repressive," "it doesn't matter what you believe," "religion is a crutch." Often mingling truth with untruth, they are dangerous and seductive lies.

For Craig to understand the gospel the barrier must be shown to be untrue. This is not a merely intellectual exercise: the issue is spiritual. The source of lies is the devil himself (Jn 8:44); any response that does not involve prayer and reliance on the spirit of God, the spirit of truth, is doomed. We need to pray for revelation; for Craig's eyes to be opened to the truth.

Examples

The pharisees - "blind guides" - were blinded by tradition and a false understanding of what pleases God.

Herod was a hedonist. He listened to the preaching of John the Baptist and was impressed by it, but was unable to turn his back on his immoral lifestyle. He believed that his route to happiness was compromised by the gospel.

To ponder

Do I assume that I will never be Craig? Or do I earnestly pray that God will confront the lies that I believe and live by and replace them with truth? Do I ask people to pray that for me?
Do I give up to easily when someone simply can't or won't see the relevance of the gospel? Or do I recognise this as a symptom of the devil's activity and respond appropriately?

Parable of the Sower

2008-11-02T17:18:00Z

In the parable of the sower (Matt 13:1-9), Jesus describes the way we respond to God's word in agricultural terms. In Matthew 13:18-23, he explains that the parable identifies four basic responses.

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Matthew 13:18-23

The path (v19) is the non-starter, the person who never "gets it": Clueless Craig

Idolatrous Ivan

The thorny ground (v22) is a person with depth but without radical commitment: Polytheistic Pamela
The good soil (v23) is the person who hears, has passion, depth and singleminded devotion: Faithful Francis.

More thoughts on the characters and application to follow...

Random observations on Nehemiah 13

2008-10-30T22:17:00Z

We just came to the end of a series of bible studies on Nehemiah at church. A few thoughts on the last chapter.

Chapter 13 is an anti-climax. Everything looks fine at the end of 12, but goes Pete Tong by the time we hit the next chapter.
He seems to see his main accomplishment not as the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, but as the restoration of worship in the temple.
His use of scripture for instruction and illustration is far more prominent at the end of the book than the beginning: it seems clear that he devoted significant time to studying and trying to understand and apply scripture to his substantially different circumstances.
He knew how to pastor men. (Nehemiah 13:25)
He was fearless and unwilling to compromise - at the same time he managed to be down-to-earth and practical.
He is a man who depends on prayer. Even when writing his journal.
He studied and learnt from the lives of great men of God, like David, Asaph & Solomon.
He knew how to keep friends and how to spot enemies.
He knew how to delegate, when to delegate and who to delegate to.
He was a humble man, willing to repent publicly, concerned that his legacy was that God would be remembered when he was forgotten.

Random quotes

2008-10-22T18:50:00Z

He had been drawn to her looks, which were typical of a certain sort of English girl who, although not overly intellectual, nonetheless has intelligence sufficient to animate the face.
-- Alexander McCall Smith, Corduroy Mansions, Chapter 5
What you have doesn't make you unhappy. What you want does.
-- Seth Godin
One might say, for some girls, that a guy displaying humility publicly is the equivalent of catnip.

Dogfood & cynicism

2008-10-14T20:11:00Z

The origin of the term dogfooding is an email sent by a guy in Microsoft to his team referencing a dog food and encouraging internal use of his teams product. It is used, in software circles, to refer to the point at which you start using what you're selling (or planning to sell).

I was reminded of term while pondering a passage in Tim Keller's The Reason for God. It strikes me that a degree of Tim Keller's success as an apologist is his ability to dogfood cynicism. He deconstructs, for example, the objection that belief is socially constructed - that religion is an accident of parentage and geographic origin. The argument is: if you'd been born in Morocco, you would probably be a Muslim, not a Christian, to which Keller replies but if you'd been born in Morocco, you'd probably be a Muslim not a secular pluralist.

Which is quite obvious once you've <strike>thought of it</strike> had it pointed out to you.

Cynicism shouldn't get a free pass.

Healthy cynicism is dogfooded cynicism.

Command and encourage

2008-10-13T17:36:00Z

Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
-- 2 Thess 3:12

Paul evidences pastoral concern: it is important that Christians work hard and do not abuse the generosity of others. So it is commanded - it is not an option for the extra-spiritual or the extra-practical. It's the baseline standard of care for yourself and your family. At the same time honest work is to be encouraged - with tenderness and concern for the person in question.

How could this possibly work in practice? How can something be demanded without being forced? Love must drive the demand. Hopeful, faithful love will neither admit failure as an option, nor will it trample the loved one.

Three chapters, three prayers

2008-10-10T18:08:00Z

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul starts by greeting his readers and warning them of the gravity of the gospel; the severity of the judgement of God on unrighteousness. He impresses upon them the need to endure the suffering that engulfs them. And he prays for them:

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfil every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
-- 2 Thess 1:11-12

Paul then warns his readers about the necessity of clinging to truth in the face of a strong delusion that will come. And about the opposition that will come. He instructs them to stand firm; to resist any loosening of their hold on the gospel. And he prays for them:

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
-- 2 Thess 2:16-17

He ends by instructing them how to live as a community of the redeemed: first implicitly - asking for their prayers - then explicitly asking them to be diligent, and warning them to give busybodies a boot up the backside.

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
-- 2 Thess 3:16

Each time he places a burden of responsibility on their shoulders he prays for them. And he lets them know (a) that he's praying for them and (b) what he's praying for them.

Every so often I get a text from Keith. And it reads: "Thinking of you and praying for you." Invariably it comes at a time when I need encouragement.

How do you encourage and instruct the Christians that you know; that you care for? Is there a friend you're praying for that doesn't know? Do you communicate your burdens for people horizontally - to them - as well as vertically - to God?