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LifeMatters: Head of the Church

Laura Magness — 2012-02-10T20:13:25-06:00

Is your church centered on Christ? That’s the question we’ll be addressing in this week’s LifeMatters study, as we look at Colossians 1:24–2:7. With Christ at the church’s center, we have a unified message and example to share with the world.

Here are the links to this week’s Web features:

In other news, we had a few print issues with February’s learner guides, so if you’re having trouble reading them and need a PDF of the week, just comment below or e-mail us at lifematters@lifeway.com.

Theology Thursday: Questioning Adam and Eve

Sam O'Neal — 2012-02-09T15:17:15-06:00

Quick question: Who were the first human beings to ever live on the earth?

If you’ve ever set foot in a church, skimmed over the first couple pages of the Bible, or feasted your eyes on a flannelgraph presentation, then you probably have a quick answer: Adam and Eve. That’s the “traditional” answer for Western society — not just the Church — and it’s been that way for thousands of years.

In recent years, however, a lot of people have started to debate the traditional view. This got started as a discussion among scholars and commentary writers, but the conversation has become more mainstream even in the past few months, especially because of a new book written by Peter Enns called The Evolution of Adam.

The Research
What Enns and other scholars are now saying is that a better understanding of the human genome makes it difficult to believe that the human race could have grown out of the genetic contributions of one man and one woman — Adam and Eve, in other words. Rather, these scholars say that the history of human genetics points to homo sapiens appearing around 100,000 years ago in a population of 10,000 people. Not two.

It should be noted that much of this research comes from a man named Francis Collins, author of a 2006 bestseller called The Language of God. This is significant because Collins — an outspoken Christian and defender of evolutionary theory — was the head of the Human Genome Project, which spent more than a decade mapping out the 25,000 genes found in human DNA.

The Bible
The reason this research makes a lot people uncomfortable is that it seems to clash with the Bible’s presentation of Adam and Even as a living, breathing, historical human beings who are the original parents of the human race.

Genesis talks about it: “Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being” (2:7). “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man” (2:22-23).

The genealogy of Jesus from Luke 3 lists Adam as Jesus’ earliest ancestor: “As He began His ministry, Jesus was about 30 years old and was thought to be the son of Joseph, son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi … son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God (vv. 23-38).

And, perhaps most importantly, Paul treats Adam as a historical person when he makes a direct link between Adam and Christ: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.13 In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law.14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One” (Romans 5:12-14).

What Next?
This is a huge issue, obviously, and our goal in presenting it here is simply to introduce you to a conversation that has lots of theological implications. We’ll be observing how the Church as a whole works together to achieve the best understanding of the facts, and we recommend that you do the same.

If you want to dig a little deeper, here are some good places to get started:

— Christianity Today’s cover story The Search for the Historical Adam offers a great overview of the debate and what has happened so far.

— The editors of Christianity Today offer their own take on the issue in an editorial called No Adam, No Eve, No Gospel.

— This post from The Jesus Creed has a helpful overview of Peter Enns’s book and the link between Adam’s portrayal in Genesis and in Paul’s writings.

— Southern Baptist Theological Seminary features a chapel discussion on this issue. It’s called Adam and the Gospel: Is a Historical Adam Necessary, and it includes input from Al Mohler, Chad Brand, Jim Hamilton, Thomas Schreiner, and Steve Wellum.

— Finally, Kevin DeYoung offers 10 Reasons to Believe in a Historical Adam.

Collegiate Ministry Leaders Unite!

staff — 2012-02-08T14:03:17-06:00

by Arliss Dickerson

The Collegiate Summit is about people who share the same, unique calling being together. As college ministers we often feel lonely because no one else in our day-to-day lives is exactly like us. We aren’t professors or teachers and we aren’t pastors. It’s encouraging to spend time around people who face what we face—students lacking responsibility, just like mine do. Or another ministry doing their enlistment projects on my students. When I hear others struggle with the same issues, it’s encouraging—even if we don’t have all the answers.

At the end of another school year, it’s easy to feel like your spiritual tank is sitting on double empty. Summit is a time for encouragement and spiritual challenge. I always leave with the reminder that college ministry is the greatest calling in the world. And I end up meeting some folks who I can talk to through the coming summer and year. Even if they don’t have the answers either, they share my concerns for college students and desire to see how God can continue to use me on my campus. That’s pretty good!

College ministry has probably changed more in the last 5 years than it did in the previous 20 years. How do we get a handle on this generation? One theme running through this year’s Summit is people like Gabe Lyons and Tim Clydesdale who have focused on understanding where today’s students are coming from and how that impacts our ministry. At Summit, we’ll be overwhelmed with new ideas specific to college ministry. I love being learning new things that will forever change my ministry. For me, Summit not just one of those places, it is THE place for all things college ministry. I am excited about the gathering of the college ministry family. I love it and can’t wait to see you there!

Arliss Dickerson retired in 2011 after 32 years as BCM director here at Arkansas State University.

LifeMatters: Lord of Everything

Katie Krebs — 2012-02-03T21:41:10-06:00

As Christians, we’re called to keep our minds focused on Christ, who is Lord over everything. But in order for us to do that, we first need to have a good understanding of what His lordship truly means. As you study this week’s passages in Colossians, check out the Web links below.

Adam Young, lead singer of Owl City, is a professing Christian, and he wrote a cover of the popular hymn “In Christ Alone.” This hymn happens to be the focus of our study this month, so meditate on this song as you prepare to lead this Sunday.
The song from the playlist this week is by Mandisa. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the story of her album What if We Were Real.

Theology Thursday: Respectful Disagreement

Sam O'Neal — 2012-02-02T17:26:33-06:00

There are lots of people within the Church today who disagree on lots of things. And that’s okay. That’s natural. That’s human.

What’s not okay is that many of those people don’t know how to disagree. Or, more accurately, many people don’t know how to go about the process of disagreeing in a way that offers mutual respect and maintains the unity of the Church. Such people often look at disagreements as opportunities to pounce, sneer, control, and win.

I am one of those people, by the way. I have a lot of strong opinions and ideas about things — theological and otherwise — and I usually get all amped up when I come across someone who disagrees with me. I view it as a chance to win a debate rather than be sharpened. Or, sometimes I come across blog posts or Facebook updates or tweets where someone makes a bold declaration about what they believe, and then my first thought is: How can I squeeze a snarky comeback into 140 characters?

Ephesians 4:15 is the Scripture verse that usually gets thrown around in these kinds of situations: “But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head — Christ.” Honestly, though, I don’t know what that looks like. I haven’t seen that modeled very often in my life — at church or school, at work or at home.

That’s why I was excited to see this blog exchange between Pete Wilson and Jared C. Wilson. (I don’t think they’re related.) Pete is a young pastor of a big and influential church here in Nashville, and Jared is a big-time successful author (Seven Deadly Sins, anyone?). Apparently, they disagree about something. Or many things. But they, at least, seem to have a better understanding than me on how to go about the process of that disagreement.

It all started when Jared posted an Open Letter to Pete on his blog. Then Pete responded on his own blog.

If you’re like me and you have trouble engaging others in a “Christian” way when you don’t agree with them, then I highly recommend you read up on their exchange. It will be enlightening and encouraging.

If you’re not like me and you already know how to disagree in a way that maintains unity and honors Christ, then please take a minute or two and jot down some ideas in the Comments section. We need them.

LifeMatters: Share Generously

Laura Magness — 2012-01-27T20:38:06-06:00

God showed us His great mercy when He sent Jesus to live and die for us and our sin. That mercy from God should motivate us to show the same love and mercy to others in everything we do.

Here are the links to this week’s Web features:

Visit onelifematters.org to learn about the vision behind the International Mission Board’s OneLife social justice advocacy program.
“View from the Pew: Top 5 Findings on Finances, Debt, and Giving/Tithing”
Don’t miss the compelling music video for this week’s playlist song, “Actions Speak Louder” from Swoope

Collegiate Summit 2012

Linda Osborne — 2012-01-23T20:02:05-06:00

So, if you were stranded on a deserted island for a month and got to pick three people to be with you, who would you pick? Not so fast, there are a few rules: No family members and no celebrities can be included. Now, who’d you pick?

Truth is, all three of my picks would be collegiate ministry friends. Our tribe is a strong, loyal one. We get each other. We support each other. We share a calling, and often times a skill set. Plus, we would have interesting conversation and lots of laughs on a deserted island. Good news—you don’t have to pick just three, and you don’t have to go to an island with bugs and no electricity.

The Collegiate Summit is our “once every three years” big hoo-ray. Time with 600+ collegiate ministers from almost all 50 states and Canada is refreshing, sharpening, and just plain fun. May 2–4, 2012, we will gather at LifeWay in Nashville. We will be led in worship by Michael Boggs and be challenged by a host of speakers, including: Gabe Lyons, Jon Acuff, Eric Geiger, Pete Wilson, Tim Clydesdale, Chuck Lawless, Darrell Cook, and more.

If you serve college students in any way—BCM Director, Church College Minister, Pastor, Sunday School volunteer—the Collegiate Summit is for you. Find registration details at threadsmedia.com/events.

Hurry—early bird pricing only lasts through the end of January. Hope to see you there!

Theology Thursday: It’s All About Jesus

staff — 2012-01-19T13:54:45-06:00

By Micah Carter

At the start of 2012, I managed to stumble across a number of “read through the Bible” plans that caught my attention. One of those plans was to read the entire Bible in 90 days. I thought: Whoa! The idea seemed daunting, but also intriguing, so I decided to tackle the plan. (I’m happy to report “so far, so good” on my progress nearly 20 days in.)

Reading huge chunks of Scripture at a time has allowed me to see the text with a wide-angle lens instead of a microscopic view. And the more I see of the big picture within the Bible, the more I’m convinced that it’s all about Jesus.

One verse that stopped me in my tracks early on was Exodus 17:6: “I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.”

Seems like an obscure verse, right? But it’s powerful. And it’s powerfully illustrative of Christ.

A Look at the Israelites
Through Moses, Yahweh delivered the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. You’d think that freedom from bondage would be grounds for consistent gratitude, but not so with the Israelites. Instead, we read time after time that they grumbled against Moses (and God) whenever water was short or food wasn’t satisfying enough.

Even so, God always provided for them, even when they didn’t deserve it. He instructed Moses to hit the rock and see the water flow that would satisfy the thirst of the people.

Do you see Jesus in the picture yet? If not, don’t worry — we get a little help from the New Testament writers.

For example, the apostle Paul refers to this wilderness event in 1 Corinthians 10:4, and he directly says that the rock Moses struck was Jesus! What?

Here’s the full context (verses 1-4): “Now I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.”

Beautiful. God said he would stand on the rock, take the blow, and produce thirst-quenching, life-giving water.

Do we not hear this obscure verse behind the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4, when He identified Himself as “living water” that satisfies and brings eternal life? Even more pointedly, Jesus said in John 7:37, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink!” Aren’t we driven to worship to think that as He was pierced on the cross, blood and water flowed from His side?

A Look at Us
Here’s why it’s all about Jesus (and not Moses or anyone else). Through Jesus, God delivered us from slavery to sin, death, and Satan. You’d think freedom from that bondage would be grounds for consistent gratitude, but not so with us. Instead, we grumble whenever we’re not satisfied with everything that is not Christ.

And yet, God always provides for us, even when — especially when — we don’t deserve it. And he satisfies us with and through Jesus. We should be thankful our Rock was struck (or better, pierced) for us, so that His living water might satisfy our spiritual thirst.

It really is all about Jesus Christ.

From beginning to end, the obvious and the hidden, the big and the small, every nook and cranny in the Bible is about Jesus. Truly, “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him” (Colossians 2:3). Paul is convinced that everything that came before us in the Old Testament is a shadow, but the true substance is in Christ (Colossians 2:17). To explore this idea further, take some time to read and think about Luke 24:25-27, 44-45 and John 5:39, 46.

B. B. Warfield once famously said that the Old Testament is “a richly furnished but dimly lit room.” Only when the light is switched on in the New Testament do we see the glory of the room and its contents — and Christ is all in all. It’s really all about Jesus.

Micah Carter is the editorial project leader for Threads.

LifeMatters: Fight Injustice

Katie Krebs — 2012-01-13T19:22:26-06:00

This Sunday marks the annual Sanctity of Life Sunday, a date thousands of churches around the country set aside to reflect on what God’s Word says about the value of all life. Each year we take this Sunday to focus on the value of all life from the youngest to the oldest.

Edmund Burke, an 18th century British politician, said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” What about you and me? If we examined our lives, would we see evidence that we’ve joined the fight against injustice? Or have we turned blind eyes to the mistreatment of the innocent?

As you prepare your heart to study the Word this Sunday, listen to this week’s playlist song, “Psalm 139” by Sons of Korah, and spend time reflecting on this week’s Scripture passage as it is set to music.

LifeMatters: Eliminate Excess

Katie Krebs — 2011-12-30T13:00:50-06:00

It’s that time of year again! As we wrap up the holiday festivities this week, our thoughts turn to the new year and how we want it to be different from the last one. Whether you make new year’s resolutions or not, we all have areas where we could improve. For the month of January, we’ll focus on a few areas of our lives that we all can improve upon. Hopefully by this time next year we’ll all be able to point and say “This is how my faith grew in 2012.” I know I would like that!

Pay close attention to the sidebars that accompany this week’s lesson. There are some interesting facts that we hope will enhance your study, including the stats in this article:

“Frequent churchgoers frequently fatter” at CNN.com