I found this article written by Cameron Strang, editor of Relevant Magazine. The following link will take you there. The title is Leading the Charge and is an outstanding article on making sure we not only talk the talk this election year, but also walk the walk. Enjoy.
I'd encourage you to consider a subscription to Relevant. It has been a very helpful magazine to me.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Surrender to Love - Benner
I continue to be blessed by David Benner’s writings. He really challenges the “I can do it myself” mentality which is prevalent even within the church. The need to surrender is foundational to being His and following Him. I am learning and growing and definitely need all sorts of help in this foundational aspect of following Jesus Christ. So you’ll have to come along as I share where Benner is challenging and encouraging me. The following are excerpts from David G. Benner’s book, Surrender to Love (IVP Press, 2003).
. . . surrender plays a crucial role in the spiritual journey as understood by most major religions and spiritual traditions. Far from being a sign of weakness, only surrender to something or someone bigger than us is sufficiently strong to free us from the prison of our egocentricity. Only surrender is powerful enough to overcome our isolation and alienation. (10)
Like loving parents who can look at their children with disappointment that in no way dilutes their love, the God in whose image such parents are made loves us with a love that is not dependent on our behavior. (17)
Created from love and for love, humans – according to the Christian account of things – spurned God’s love in favor of what was perceived to be freedom. The result, of course, was disastrous. Liberty was instantly replaced by bondage, intimacy by alienation. Genuine love was reduced to self-love, and the result was egocentricity and estrangement from our deepest self, God and others. (23)
The story of Jesus is the story of love personified. We miss the point when we simply try to do what he tells us to do. And we miss the point when we merely try to follow the pattern of his life. His life points us back to his own Source. His life is intelligible only when it is understood as the personification of divine love.
But genuinely encountering Love is not the same as inviting Jesus into your heart, joining or attending a church, or doing what Jesus commands. It is the experience of love that is transformational. You simply cannot bask in divine love and not be affected. (25-26)
A.W. Tozer notes that most of us who call ourselves Christians do so on the basis of belief more than experience. We have, he argues, “substituted theological ideas for an arresting encounter; we are full of religious notions but our great weakness is that for our hearts there is no one there.”
Any authentic spiritual journey must grow from direct, personal experience of God. (27)
If God is love, he cannot truly be known apart from love. He cannot, therefore, be known objectively. One cannot observe him from a distance and know him. To do so is to fail to genuinely encounter his love. One can encounter divine love only up close and personally. (28)
The Christian God wants the intimacy of our friendship, not our fear. The Christian God comes to us with gestures of breathtaking love, hoping to eliminate our fear, not manipulate us through it. And he offers his love as the one thing in the universe capable of making an otherwise hostile cosmos into a friendly home. He offers his love as the one thing in the universe capable of freeing us from our fears. (37)
The God Christians worship loves sinners, redeems failures, delights in second chances and fresh starts, and never tires of pursuing lost sheep, waiting for prodigal children, or rescuing those damaged by life and left on the sides of its paths.
The Christian God of grace stands in stark contrast to the vindictive, whimsical, threatening and often capricious (unpredictable) gods of other religions. Only the Lord God unconditionally cherishes human beings. Only the Lord God forgives all our offenses and teaches us how to forgive ourselves. Only the Lord God provides everything he demands. Only the Lord God offers the life of his own Son for the salvation of his people. The Lord God’s persistent habit of relating to humans with grace is the best news the human race has ever received.
What makes grace amazing is that it and it alone can free us from our fears and make us truly whole and free. Surrender to God’s love offers us the possibility of freedom from guilt, freedom from effort to earn God’s approval, and freedom to genuinely love God and others as the Father loves us. (45-46)
Grace is totally alien to human psychology. We want to get our house in order and then let God love and accept us. The psychology of works-righteousness and self-certification is foundational to the human psyche and totally at odds with grace. (46)
A familiar Christian hymn states that as I come to God, “nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” How deeply I resent this fact. How desperately I want to be able to contribute something to the deal – my faith, my effort, my love, my belief. But the bottom line is that Perfect Love meets me where I am and asks only that I open my heart and receive the love for which I long. (46)
Surrender and Obedience
Those who surrender obey. But not all who obey surrender. It is quite easy to obey God for the wrong reasons. What God desires is submission of our heart and will, not simply compliance in our behavior.
“Trust and obey” sums up the understanding of the Christian life of people who focus on obedience as an act of the will rather than a surrender of heart. It suggests that all we have to do is believe certain things about God and then get on with doing what God asks. While obedience may be demanding, we are tempted to think that it is achievable if we put our mind to it and are prepared for lots of hard work.
There are two problems with this. The first is that doing what God asks is, of course, not something we can ever achieve in ourselves. Not only did God never mean us to do so, he intended that our failures in obedience lead us to surrender. Rather than drive us to ever-increasing efforts to get it right ourselves, God wants our sin to make us aware of our need for him. . .
The second problem in simply trying to do what God asks is that it leaves the kingdom of self intact. I remain in control, and my willful ways of running my life remain unchallenged. The whole point of the kingdom of God is to overturn the kingdom of self. These are two rival spiritual kingdoms. We need to be very suspicious when self-control and egocentricity are left unchallenged in our Christ-following. (55-56)
Relying on the will to make things happen keeps us focused on the self. Life lived with resolve and determination is life lived apart from surrender. It is living with clenched-fisted doggedness. It is living the illusion that I can be in control. It is the rule of life lived in the kingdom of self. (58)
If the core of Christian obedience is listening to God’s will, the core of surrender is voluntarily giving up our will. Only love can induce us to do this. (59)
. . . surrender plays a crucial role in the spiritual journey as understood by most major religions and spiritual traditions. Far from being a sign of weakness, only surrender to something or someone bigger than us is sufficiently strong to free us from the prison of our egocentricity. Only surrender is powerful enough to overcome our isolation and alienation. (10)
Like loving parents who can look at their children with disappointment that in no way dilutes their love, the God in whose image such parents are made loves us with a love that is not dependent on our behavior. (17)
Created from love and for love, humans – according to the Christian account of things – spurned God’s love in favor of what was perceived to be freedom. The result, of course, was disastrous. Liberty was instantly replaced by bondage, intimacy by alienation. Genuine love was reduced to self-love, and the result was egocentricity and estrangement from our deepest self, God and others. (23)
The story of Jesus is the story of love personified. We miss the point when we simply try to do what he tells us to do. And we miss the point when we merely try to follow the pattern of his life. His life points us back to his own Source. His life is intelligible only when it is understood as the personification of divine love.
But genuinely encountering Love is not the same as inviting Jesus into your heart, joining or attending a church, or doing what Jesus commands. It is the experience of love that is transformational. You simply cannot bask in divine love and not be affected. (25-26)
A.W. Tozer notes that most of us who call ourselves Christians do so on the basis of belief more than experience. We have, he argues, “substituted theological ideas for an arresting encounter; we are full of religious notions but our great weakness is that for our hearts there is no one there.”
Any authentic spiritual journey must grow from direct, personal experience of God. (27)
If God is love, he cannot truly be known apart from love. He cannot, therefore, be known objectively. One cannot observe him from a distance and know him. To do so is to fail to genuinely encounter his love. One can encounter divine love only up close and personally. (28)
The Christian God wants the intimacy of our friendship, not our fear. The Christian God comes to us with gestures of breathtaking love, hoping to eliminate our fear, not manipulate us through it. And he offers his love as the one thing in the universe capable of making an otherwise hostile cosmos into a friendly home. He offers his love as the one thing in the universe capable of freeing us from our fears. (37)
The God Christians worship loves sinners, redeems failures, delights in second chances and fresh starts, and never tires of pursuing lost sheep, waiting for prodigal children, or rescuing those damaged by life and left on the sides of its paths.
The Christian God of grace stands in stark contrast to the vindictive, whimsical, threatening and often capricious (unpredictable) gods of other religions. Only the Lord God unconditionally cherishes human beings. Only the Lord God forgives all our offenses and teaches us how to forgive ourselves. Only the Lord God provides everything he demands. Only the Lord God offers the life of his own Son for the salvation of his people. The Lord God’s persistent habit of relating to humans with grace is the best news the human race has ever received.
What makes grace amazing is that it and it alone can free us from our fears and make us truly whole and free. Surrender to God’s love offers us the possibility of freedom from guilt, freedom from effort to earn God’s approval, and freedom to genuinely love God and others as the Father loves us. (45-46)
Grace is totally alien to human psychology. We want to get our house in order and then let God love and accept us. The psychology of works-righteousness and self-certification is foundational to the human psyche and totally at odds with grace. (46)
A familiar Christian hymn states that as I come to God, “nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” How deeply I resent this fact. How desperately I want to be able to contribute something to the deal – my faith, my effort, my love, my belief. But the bottom line is that Perfect Love meets me where I am and asks only that I open my heart and receive the love for which I long. (46)
Surrender and Obedience
Those who surrender obey. But not all who obey surrender. It is quite easy to obey God for the wrong reasons. What God desires is submission of our heart and will, not simply compliance in our behavior.
“Trust and obey” sums up the understanding of the Christian life of people who focus on obedience as an act of the will rather than a surrender of heart. It suggests that all we have to do is believe certain things about God and then get on with doing what God asks. While obedience may be demanding, we are tempted to think that it is achievable if we put our mind to it and are prepared for lots of hard work.
There are two problems with this. The first is that doing what God asks is, of course, not something we can ever achieve in ourselves. Not only did God never mean us to do so, he intended that our failures in obedience lead us to surrender. Rather than drive us to ever-increasing efforts to get it right ourselves, God wants our sin to make us aware of our need for him. . .
The second problem in simply trying to do what God asks is that it leaves the kingdom of self intact. I remain in control, and my willful ways of running my life remain unchallenged. The whole point of the kingdom of God is to overturn the kingdom of self. These are two rival spiritual kingdoms. We need to be very suspicious when self-control and egocentricity are left unchallenged in our Christ-following. (55-56)
Relying on the will to make things happen keeps us focused on the self. Life lived with resolve and determination is life lived apart from surrender. It is living with clenched-fisted doggedness. It is living the illusion that I can be in control. It is the rule of life lived in the kingdom of self. (58)
If the core of Christian obedience is listening to God’s will, the core of surrender is voluntarily giving up our will. Only love can induce us to do this. (59)
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
John turned 5
Five year olds like having birthdays - almost forty year olds . . . not so much. I loved celebrating his birthday; it’s my own that isn’t so exciting.
Have you heard the phrase “perma-grin”, which is short for having a permanent grin on your face? It is what you see during hunting season or when someone is newly in love. Perma-grin.
John experienced perma-grin for almost a week. It included the days leading up to his birthday and the day after when we actually had his birthday party. It is also what his father experienced listening to John and his two friends talk during our mini-van ride to Petoskey for mini-golf. Listening to them talk to each other was hilarious. I am amazed at the brazen confidence of four and five year olds. They know a lot – not much of it all that accurate – but accuracy is not required when you are confident.
John knows how to celebrate his birthday. First, he tells everyone. He made sure everyone knew it was his birthday. Now the fact that he wore his “birthday hat” from school the entire day was also a clue that this child was celebrating a special day. He felt it was his right to wear this hat with pride. We encouraged him to consider not wearing it into Applebee’s for his birthday dinner, but he felt differently.
There is something strangely refreshing about his desire for everyone to know it is his birthday. It was a special day for him and he had no trouble acknowledging that, at least for a day or two, he was special and it was OK to draw attention to himself. It wasn’t an egotistical, arrogant, “I’m better than you” expectation; it was the fact it is his birthday – a special and important day for him.
He loved the attention. He loved the fact that it was his special day. The look on his face while we sang “Happy Birthday” to him was priceless. Had we allowed the Applebee’s staff to sing to him when he received his birthday dessert, he would have loved that, too. His parents trumped that one, however. We’d heard them sing already and they lacked some enthusiasm.
I believe God would like us to have more of this type of experience in our relationship with Him. He desires us to experience His attention. He desires us to know that we are special to Him – all the time. We need that attention. We often seek it in other places and find it. But it isn’t the same, because it’s often selfish and therefore false. We draw attention to ourselves by our efforts, behaviors, purchases. But if we find our meaning in our efforts, behaviors or purchases, we will not find what we are looking for. It will be shallow and fleeting.
Have you heard the phrase “perma-grin”, which is short for having a permanent grin on your face? It is what you see during hunting season or when someone is newly in love. Perma-grin.
John experienced perma-grin for almost a week. It included the days leading up to his birthday and the day after when we actually had his birthday party. It is also what his father experienced listening to John and his two friends talk during our mini-van ride to Petoskey for mini-golf. Listening to them talk to each other was hilarious. I am amazed at the brazen confidence of four and five year olds. They know a lot – not much of it all that accurate – but accuracy is not required when you are confident.
John knows how to celebrate his birthday. First, he tells everyone. He made sure everyone knew it was his birthday. Now the fact that he wore his “birthday hat” from school the entire day was also a clue that this child was celebrating a special day. He felt it was his right to wear this hat with pride. We encouraged him to consider not wearing it into Applebee’s for his birthday dinner, but he felt differently.
There is something strangely refreshing about his desire for everyone to know it is his birthday. It was a special day for him and he had no trouble acknowledging that, at least for a day or two, he was special and it was OK to draw attention to himself. It wasn’t an egotistical, arrogant, “I’m better than you” expectation; it was the fact it is his birthday – a special and important day for him.
He loved the attention. He loved the fact that it was his special day. The look on his face while we sang “Happy Birthday” to him was priceless. Had we allowed the Applebee’s staff to sing to him when he received his birthday dessert, he would have loved that, too. His parents trumped that one, however. We’d heard them sing already and they lacked some enthusiasm.
I believe God would like us to have more of this type of experience in our relationship with Him. He desires us to experience His attention. He desires us to know that we are special to Him – all the time. We need that attention. We often seek it in other places and find it. But it isn’t the same, because it’s often selfish and therefore false. We draw attention to ourselves by our efforts, behaviors, purchases. But if we find our meaning in our efforts, behaviors or purchases, we will not find what we are looking for. It will be shallow and fleeting.
Can't We All Just Get Along?
I think Rodney King coined the phrase. It is a legitimate question, especially as it pertains to fellow followers of Jesus Christ.
I went on one of those internet odysseys the other day. I was searching for information about Dr. Paul Eshleman, our speaker today, and I found myself entering into some very frustrating material – having nothing to do with Dr. Eshleman, except it began with a very critical review of the JESUS film.
Having some idea of the overwhelmingly positive impact the JESUS film has had on reaching many people for Christ, I was surprised to find this review, so I dug deeper. I was sad that I did.
I am choosing intentionally not to name names. Much of the information I found did name names. I found a number of websites which claimed to have the inside track on Christianity, but did so by calling all sorts of other evangelical Christians (many of whom are familiar names to us all) heretics – even questioning whether or not these “so called” Christians will make it to heaven.
I was initially furious and tempted to email the authors of these web sites and challenge them on their poor behavior. But then I started to get sad – really sad. I was reminded about the behavior of some who call themselves Christians and how detrimental it is to what we exist for. We don’t exist to fight with each other. Our purpose is not to question, critique, judge, and even condemn each other. Our purpose is love.
Now what I’ve just said is a dangerous thing to say, because it leaves room for some very unhealthy and unbiblical behavior. We don’t just accept anyone and everyone’s teaching on the Bible and their behaviors (those who call themselves Christians). There is a huge difference between love and acceptance. There is truth and there is untruth. There are true prophets and there are false prophets. We have to use a discerning mind and often the counsel of others (especially Scripture) as we seek to discern truth from untruth.
But our purpose is not to focus our attention on each other. Our purpose is to focus our attention on loving the people of this world as we live in God’s love. I am amazed at how much time and energy is devoted by those who claim to follow Jesus Christ on arguing about why they're right and others are wrong – even heretical – even evil. I was tempted to jump into the conversation. It could easily take hours crafting a letter, responding to replies, and allowing all sorts of emotional energy to be devoted at arguing with someone who claims to be a Christian.
Granted, there are times when God makes this an important part of our calling to love one another enough to rebuke, admonish and provoke, but if it takes us away from our true calling, then the people who truly suffer are the many who have not yet heard and are not yet experiencing the freedom that comes with knowing Christ.
We Christians have to learn to check our egos at the door and stop being so devoted to being right. Let’s be His. Let’s listen to what He says. But let’s do so with humility, grace, and kindness. Let’s allow the fruits of the Spirit to be reflected in our interactions with one another. Let’s cling to truth, but may that truth be Him and not some ego-driven, self-centered, anger-based need to be right by proving others wrong. That is not love. Love doesn’t mean agreement and acceptance, but it does mean patience, humility, and kindness.
We can and should “get along” because Christ is the center and He longs for His Church to be one – united in Him.
I went on one of those internet odysseys the other day. I was searching for information about Dr. Paul Eshleman, our speaker today, and I found myself entering into some very frustrating material – having nothing to do with Dr. Eshleman, except it began with a very critical review of the JESUS film.
Having some idea of the overwhelmingly positive impact the JESUS film has had on reaching many people for Christ, I was surprised to find this review, so I dug deeper. I was sad that I did.
I am choosing intentionally not to name names. Much of the information I found did name names. I found a number of websites which claimed to have the inside track on Christianity, but did so by calling all sorts of other evangelical Christians (many of whom are familiar names to us all) heretics – even questioning whether or not these “so called” Christians will make it to heaven.
I was initially furious and tempted to email the authors of these web sites and challenge them on their poor behavior. But then I started to get sad – really sad. I was reminded about the behavior of some who call themselves Christians and how detrimental it is to what we exist for. We don’t exist to fight with each other. Our purpose is not to question, critique, judge, and even condemn each other. Our purpose is love.
Now what I’ve just said is a dangerous thing to say, because it leaves room for some very unhealthy and unbiblical behavior. We don’t just accept anyone and everyone’s teaching on the Bible and their behaviors (those who call themselves Christians). There is a huge difference between love and acceptance. There is truth and there is untruth. There are true prophets and there are false prophets. We have to use a discerning mind and often the counsel of others (especially Scripture) as we seek to discern truth from untruth.
But our purpose is not to focus our attention on each other. Our purpose is to focus our attention on loving the people of this world as we live in God’s love. I am amazed at how much time and energy is devoted by those who claim to follow Jesus Christ on arguing about why they're right and others are wrong – even heretical – even evil. I was tempted to jump into the conversation. It could easily take hours crafting a letter, responding to replies, and allowing all sorts of emotional energy to be devoted at arguing with someone who claims to be a Christian.
Granted, there are times when God makes this an important part of our calling to love one another enough to rebuke, admonish and provoke, but if it takes us away from our true calling, then the people who truly suffer are the many who have not yet heard and are not yet experiencing the freedom that comes with knowing Christ.
We Christians have to learn to check our egos at the door and stop being so devoted to being right. Let’s be His. Let’s listen to what He says. But let’s do so with humility, grace, and kindness. Let’s allow the fruits of the Spirit to be reflected in our interactions with one another. Let’s cling to truth, but may that truth be Him and not some ego-driven, self-centered, anger-based need to be right by proving others wrong. That is not love. Love doesn’t mean agreement and acceptance, but it does mean patience, humility, and kindness.
We can and should “get along” because Christ is the center and He longs for His Church to be one – united in Him.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Notes on Acts 3 - Bruce & Stott
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man (lame from birth, see 3:1-10) strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.
Acts 3:13-16
All that they (those who killed Jesus) had to do to avail themselves of this salvation was to change their former attitude to Jesus and bring it into line with God’s attitude. God had clearly shown His verdict by raising Him from the dead. Let them therefore repent, let them repudiate (refuse to have anything to do with) with abhorrence (strong opposition) their acquiescence (acceptance) in the murder of the true Messiah, let them turn back in heart to God, and the salvation and blessing procured by their Messiah’s death would be theirs. Their sins would be wiped out, even that sin of sins which they had unwittingly committed in clamouring for the death of the Author of life.
And not only would their sins be blotted out; those times of refreshment (respite from judgment) and blessing which the prophets had described as features of the new age would be sent to them by God. Jesus, their Messiah, invested with this holy office by God Himself, had been received up into the divine presence, and would remain there until the consummation of all that the prophets, from earliest days, had foretold. The gospel blessings that were to flow from His death and resurrection must spread abroad throughout the world, and then He would return from the right hand of power.
Bruce, F. F. The Book of Acts. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. (1970) Eerdmans. Pages 90-91.
Looking back over Peter’s Colonnade sermon, it is striking that he presents Christ to the crowd ‘according to the Scriptures’ as successively the suffering servant (13, 18), the Moses-like prophet (22-23), the Davidic king (24) and the seed of Abraham (25-26). And if we add his Pentecost sermon, and glance on to his speech before the Sanhedrin (4:8ff.), it is possible to weave a biblical tapestry which forms a thorough portrait of Christ (my emphasis). Arranged chronologically according to the events of his saving career, the Old Testament texts declare that he was descended from David (Ps. 132:11 = Acts 2:30); that he suffered and died for us as God’s servant (Is. 53 = Acts 2:23; 3:18); that the stone the builders rejected has nevertheless become the capstone (Ps. 118:22 = Acts 4:11), for God raised him up from the dead (Is. 52:13 = Acts 2:25ff.), since death could not hold him and God would not abandon him to decay (Ps. 16:8ff. = Acts 2:24, 27, 31); that God then exalted him to his right hand, to wait for his final triumph (Ps. 110:1 = Acts 2:34-35); that meanwhile through him the Spirit has been poured out (Joel 2:28ff. = Acts 2:16ff., 33); that now the gospel is to be preached world-wide, even to those afar off (Is. 57:19 = Acts 2:39), although opposition to him has been foretold (Ps. 2:1ff. = Acts 4:25-26); that people must listen to him or pay the penalty of their disobedience (Dt. 18:18-19 = Acts 3:22-23); and that those who do listen and respond will inherit the blessing promised to Abraham (Gn. 12:3; 22:18 = Acts 3:25-26).
This comprehensive testimony to Jesus as rejected by men but vindicated by God, as the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy, as demanding repentance and promising blessing, and as the author and giver of life, physically to the healed cripple and spiritually to those who believe, aroused the indignation and antagonism of the authorities. The devil cannot endure the exaltation of Jesus Christ. So he stirred up the Sanhedrin to persecute the apostles.
Stott, John. The Message of Acts. The Bible Speaks Today. (1990)
IVP Press. Pages 94-95.
Acts 3:13-16
All that they (those who killed Jesus) had to do to avail themselves of this salvation was to change their former attitude to Jesus and bring it into line with God’s attitude. God had clearly shown His verdict by raising Him from the dead. Let them therefore repent, let them repudiate (refuse to have anything to do with) with abhorrence (strong opposition) their acquiescence (acceptance) in the murder of the true Messiah, let them turn back in heart to God, and the salvation and blessing procured by their Messiah’s death would be theirs. Their sins would be wiped out, even that sin of sins which they had unwittingly committed in clamouring for the death of the Author of life.
And not only would their sins be blotted out; those times of refreshment (respite from judgment) and blessing which the prophets had described as features of the new age would be sent to them by God. Jesus, their Messiah, invested with this holy office by God Himself, had been received up into the divine presence, and would remain there until the consummation of all that the prophets, from earliest days, had foretold. The gospel blessings that were to flow from His death and resurrection must spread abroad throughout the world, and then He would return from the right hand of power.
Bruce, F. F. The Book of Acts. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. (1970) Eerdmans. Pages 90-91.
Looking back over Peter’s Colonnade sermon, it is striking that he presents Christ to the crowd ‘according to the Scriptures’ as successively the suffering servant (13, 18), the Moses-like prophet (22-23), the Davidic king (24) and the seed of Abraham (25-26). And if we add his Pentecost sermon, and glance on to his speech before the Sanhedrin (4:8ff.), it is possible to weave a biblical tapestry which forms a thorough portrait of Christ (my emphasis). Arranged chronologically according to the events of his saving career, the Old Testament texts declare that he was descended from David (Ps. 132:11 = Acts 2:30); that he suffered and died for us as God’s servant (Is. 53 = Acts 2:23; 3:18); that the stone the builders rejected has nevertheless become the capstone (Ps. 118:22 = Acts 4:11), for God raised him up from the dead (Is. 52:13 = Acts 2:25ff.), since death could not hold him and God would not abandon him to decay (Ps. 16:8ff. = Acts 2:24, 27, 31); that God then exalted him to his right hand, to wait for his final triumph (Ps. 110:1 = Acts 2:34-35); that meanwhile through him the Spirit has been poured out (Joel 2:28ff. = Acts 2:16ff., 33); that now the gospel is to be preached world-wide, even to those afar off (Is. 57:19 = Acts 2:39), although opposition to him has been foretold (Ps. 2:1ff. = Acts 4:25-26); that people must listen to him or pay the penalty of their disobedience (Dt. 18:18-19 = Acts 3:22-23); and that those who do listen and respond will inherit the blessing promised to Abraham (Gn. 12:3; 22:18 = Acts 3:25-26).
This comprehensive testimony to Jesus as rejected by men but vindicated by God, as the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy, as demanding repentance and promising blessing, and as the author and giver of life, physically to the healed cripple and spiritually to those who believe, aroused the indignation and antagonism of the authorities. The devil cannot endure the exaltation of Jesus Christ. So he stirred up the Sanhedrin to persecute the apostles.
Stott, John. The Message of Acts. The Bible Speaks Today. (1990)
IVP Press. Pages 94-95.
John Newton
Alas! I knew not what I did,
But now my tears are vain;
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I my Lord have slain.
A second look He gave, which said:
“I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom shed;
I die, that thou mayest live.”
Thus, while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue;
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too.
With pleasing grief and mourning joy
My spirit now is filled,
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live though Him I killed.
But now my tears are vain;
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I my Lord have slain.
A second look He gave, which said:
“I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom shed;
I die, that thou mayest live.”
Thus, while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue;
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too.
With pleasing grief and mourning joy
My spirit now is filled,
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live though Him I killed.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Please answer this question
I am longing to hear people respond to this question.
What should the Church expect of you?
Please see the Church as people not an organization. What should your fellow followers of Jesus Christ expect of you?
I would love to hear your responses.
What should the Church expect of you?
Please see the Church as people not an organization. What should your fellow followers of Jesus Christ expect of you?
I would love to hear your responses.
Desiring God's Will - Benner
The following are excerpts from David Benner’s book, Desiring God’s Will: Aligning Our Hearts with the Heart of God.
Surrendering to God’s will makes little sense if we are not first convinced of the depths of God’s love for us. (14)
The problem is that when we approach the task of choosing anything other than our own self and its immediate gratification, most of us automatically turn to willpower and resolve. Choosing God then becomes more a matter of grim determination than joyful surrender – closer to deciding to cut back on eating enjoyable foods than to following our heart to the Source of abundant life. (14)
. . . We fail to recognize that our problem is not so much knowing God’s way as being utterly convinced that choosing God is choosing life.
While the choices we make can be very important in our spiritual journey, we shall see . . . that how we decide can often be as important as what we decide. Willpower, determination and discipline are not enough in Christ-following. The close interconnection of will and desire means that if Christ is to have our will, he must first have our heart. (15)
Discipline, spiritual or otherwise, is a good servant but a bad master. It is not the summum bonum – the supreme good. When it is valued in and of itself, the disciplined life easily leads to rigidity and pride. (25)
Jesus showed nothing of this rigidity. Although the strength of his resolve and consistency of his spiritual disciplines are striking, he lived a life characterized by flexibility, not predictability. He was constantly surprising people – always capable of spontaneously embracing opportunities of the moment, never compulsively grasping the safety of the habitual. His discipline served to align his will and his spirit with God’s will and God’s Spirit. But this discipline was not dependent on external rigidity. It sprang from a heart that was aflame with the love of God, not a will striving for self-control. (27)
Discipline was, for Jesus as it should be for us, grounded in relationship and shaped by desire.
Spiritual disciplines should always be means to spiritual ends, never ends in themselves. They are places of meeting God that do not have value in and of themselves. To treat them as if they did is to develop a spirituality that is external, self-energized, and legalistic. (30)
The life that Jesus came to bring is a life that does not depend on willpower. It flows out of the Spirit of God, energizing and transforming our spirit. It’s a life based on transfusion – God’s Spirit transfusing my spirit, God’s deepest desires, longings and dreams becoming mine. This is the way – and the only way – to the freedom and fulfillment of preferring God’s will to mine. (31)
Surrendering to God’s will makes little sense if we are not first convinced of the depths of God’s love for us. (14)
The problem is that when we approach the task of choosing anything other than our own self and its immediate gratification, most of us automatically turn to willpower and resolve. Choosing God then becomes more a matter of grim determination than joyful surrender – closer to deciding to cut back on eating enjoyable foods than to following our heart to the Source of abundant life. (14)
. . . We fail to recognize that our problem is not so much knowing God’s way as being utterly convinced that choosing God is choosing life.
While the choices we make can be very important in our spiritual journey, we shall see . . . that how we decide can often be as important as what we decide. Willpower, determination and discipline are not enough in Christ-following. The close interconnection of will and desire means that if Christ is to have our will, he must first have our heart. (15)
Discipline, spiritual or otherwise, is a good servant but a bad master. It is not the summum bonum – the supreme good. When it is valued in and of itself, the disciplined life easily leads to rigidity and pride. (25)
Jesus showed nothing of this rigidity. Although the strength of his resolve and consistency of his spiritual disciplines are striking, he lived a life characterized by flexibility, not predictability. He was constantly surprising people – always capable of spontaneously embracing opportunities of the moment, never compulsively grasping the safety of the habitual. His discipline served to align his will and his spirit with God’s will and God’s Spirit. But this discipline was not dependent on external rigidity. It sprang from a heart that was aflame with the love of God, not a will striving for self-control. (27)
Discipline was, for Jesus as it should be for us, grounded in relationship and shaped by desire.
Spiritual disciplines should always be means to spiritual ends, never ends in themselves. They are places of meeting God that do not have value in and of themselves. To treat them as if they did is to develop a spirituality that is external, self-energized, and legalistic. (30)
The life that Jesus came to bring is a life that does not depend on willpower. It flows out of the Spirit of God, energizing and transforming our spirit. It’s a life based on transfusion – God’s Spirit transfusing my spirit, God’s deepest desires, longings and dreams becoming mine. This is the way – and the only way – to the freedom and fulfillment of preferring God’s will to mine. (31)
Love One Another - Sittser
Here are a few excerpts from Gerald Sittser’s book, Love One Another: Becoming the Church Jesus Longs For:
. . . the church’s success in this endeavor (to be the incarnation of Christ to the world) depends on only one thing: not great wealth, political power, sophisticated technology, superior organization, great preaching, public rallies, big buildings or creative programs, but the mutual love shared within the community of faith. The quality of relationships among Christians makes the church an effective witness for the gospel, for it creates the kind of community into which others are naturally drawn. “I give you a new commandment,” Jesus told his disciples, “that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). (17)
We wield the power to enhance or destroy people’s reputation simply by how we talk about them. The Bible is brutally direct in its warnings regarding the tongue (Luke 12:1-3; Matthew 12:36; James 3:2-12; Ephesians 4:29). Too often we make up our mind about people before meeting them because we listen to – and sometimes seek out – the “informed” opinion of others. We don’t give people a chance to show us who they really are, especially if that impression differs from their previous reputation. (31)
Forgiveness
I chose to write about forgiveness before confession because we are called to forgive even when no confession has been made. Forgiveness is a manifestation of mercy, given when it’s undeserved. Ideally it’s offered to people who are truly sorry for their sin so the broken relationship can be mended. But sometimes we must forgive when there is no sign of repentance. As Jesus said on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”
True forgiveness comes hard, especially for the church. I think that’s true for two reasons. First, we expect more from Christians. . .
Second, Christians often find it more difficult to admit they are wrong. . . Christians can be stubbornly self-righteous when they believe they possess God’s truth. Their religious self-assurance makes them unreachable, no matter how convincing the evidence against them. (65-66)
Unforgiveness condemns us to live forever in the dungeon of the past. The memory serves only to remind us of what went wrong, of the hurt we received. We caress that painful memory. We find a strange happiness in thinking about it. It finally poisons us.
Unforgiveness leads to wrath, which makes us quick to accuse and ready to explode the moment we’re crossed; wrath makes us quick to punish; wrangling engenders quarrelsomeness; slander is the crude attempt to turn other people against the offender; malice makes us wish evil on another person. Unforgiveness may get its way. It may cause hurt, inflict punishment, heap blame. Yet its greatest victim is the unforgiving self. (72)
These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things – anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourself with the new self . . . Colossians 3:7-10a
Forgiveness does not absolve offenders from guilt. Only God has the power to absolve; only he can decide that fate of every person’s soul. Human forgiveness does not bestow divine forgiveness. . .
We forgive in a relative sense; we have the power to restore the broken relationship between ourselves and the offender. God forgives in an ultimate sense; he has the power to restore the broken relationship with himself. The Pharisees were furious with Jesus because he assumed a prerogative that belongs only to God. He forgave people for sins they had committed against other people (Mark 2:1-12). That’s something only God can do, which of course is why Jesus could – and did – forgive. (73)
Forgiveness means releasing offenders from the consequences of their behavior as it affects us. It cancels the debt they owe us and saves them from having to pay us back. It absorbs the wrongdoing. Forgiveness reestablishes the relationship, at least from our end. It restores communication and under the right circumstances, can restore friendship. It uses the past as a means of strengthening the relationship, not destroying it. Forgiveness is like the growth of a tree that envelops a wound in the trunk, so that what once threatened the tree’s life becomes its place of greatest strength. (74)
Confession
Confession levels the playing field of the church. It mitigates conflicts that threaten to destroy us and disarms our opponents by demonstrating the way of humility to them. It reduces us to the needy people we are, regardless of where we come down on the issues. It reminds us – everyone, really – that weakness in the presence of God has dignity and integrity that human strength cannot comprehend. (78)
. . . confession and prayer pose the greatest risk to ourselves and perhaps the greatest hope for the church to become a loving community. Controversy and conflict engender a defensive and accusatory spirit in the church. We criticize our opponents’ weaknesses and applaud our own strengths; they do likewise. We forget what sinners we are, however right our particular perspective might be. We forget that being right is not the only goal of Christians – especially not at the expense of Christian virtue.
Confession forces us to own up to our sin and not to use others’ wrongdoing to excuse our own. Confession reminds us that we desperately need the grace of God. It makes us weak and vulnerable, exposing our underbellies to the church and revealing that we are not so high and mighty after all. (80-81)
Confession exposes; prayer heals. Confession takes responsibility for wrongdoing; prayer asks God to help us do what is right. Confession acknowledges the human condition; prayer draws on the transcendent power of God. Confession admits to sin; prayer leads us to salvation. (89)
. . . the church’s success in this endeavor (to be the incarnation of Christ to the world) depends on only one thing: not great wealth, political power, sophisticated technology, superior organization, great preaching, public rallies, big buildings or creative programs, but the mutual love shared within the community of faith. The quality of relationships among Christians makes the church an effective witness for the gospel, for it creates the kind of community into which others are naturally drawn. “I give you a new commandment,” Jesus told his disciples, “that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). (17)
We wield the power to enhance or destroy people’s reputation simply by how we talk about them. The Bible is brutally direct in its warnings regarding the tongue (Luke 12:1-3; Matthew 12:36; James 3:2-12; Ephesians 4:29). Too often we make up our mind about people before meeting them because we listen to – and sometimes seek out – the “informed” opinion of others. We don’t give people a chance to show us who they really are, especially if that impression differs from their previous reputation. (31)
Forgiveness
I chose to write about forgiveness before confession because we are called to forgive even when no confession has been made. Forgiveness is a manifestation of mercy, given when it’s undeserved. Ideally it’s offered to people who are truly sorry for their sin so the broken relationship can be mended. But sometimes we must forgive when there is no sign of repentance. As Jesus said on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”
True forgiveness comes hard, especially for the church. I think that’s true for two reasons. First, we expect more from Christians. . .
Second, Christians often find it more difficult to admit they are wrong. . . Christians can be stubbornly self-righteous when they believe they possess God’s truth. Their religious self-assurance makes them unreachable, no matter how convincing the evidence against them. (65-66)
Unforgiveness condemns us to live forever in the dungeon of the past. The memory serves only to remind us of what went wrong, of the hurt we received. We caress that painful memory. We find a strange happiness in thinking about it. It finally poisons us.
Unforgiveness leads to wrath, which makes us quick to accuse and ready to explode the moment we’re crossed; wrath makes us quick to punish; wrangling engenders quarrelsomeness; slander is the crude attempt to turn other people against the offender; malice makes us wish evil on another person. Unforgiveness may get its way. It may cause hurt, inflict punishment, heap blame. Yet its greatest victim is the unforgiving self. (72)
These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things – anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourself with the new self . . . Colossians 3:7-10a
Forgiveness does not absolve offenders from guilt. Only God has the power to absolve; only he can decide that fate of every person’s soul. Human forgiveness does not bestow divine forgiveness. . .
We forgive in a relative sense; we have the power to restore the broken relationship between ourselves and the offender. God forgives in an ultimate sense; he has the power to restore the broken relationship with himself. The Pharisees were furious with Jesus because he assumed a prerogative that belongs only to God. He forgave people for sins they had committed against other people (Mark 2:1-12). That’s something only God can do, which of course is why Jesus could – and did – forgive. (73)
Forgiveness means releasing offenders from the consequences of their behavior as it affects us. It cancels the debt they owe us and saves them from having to pay us back. It absorbs the wrongdoing. Forgiveness reestablishes the relationship, at least from our end. It restores communication and under the right circumstances, can restore friendship. It uses the past as a means of strengthening the relationship, not destroying it. Forgiveness is like the growth of a tree that envelops a wound in the trunk, so that what once threatened the tree’s life becomes its place of greatest strength. (74)
Confession
Confession levels the playing field of the church. It mitigates conflicts that threaten to destroy us and disarms our opponents by demonstrating the way of humility to them. It reduces us to the needy people we are, regardless of where we come down on the issues. It reminds us – everyone, really – that weakness in the presence of God has dignity and integrity that human strength cannot comprehend. (78)
. . . confession and prayer pose the greatest risk to ourselves and perhaps the greatest hope for the church to become a loving community. Controversy and conflict engender a defensive and accusatory spirit in the church. We criticize our opponents’ weaknesses and applaud our own strengths; they do likewise. We forget what sinners we are, however right our particular perspective might be. We forget that being right is not the only goal of Christians – especially not at the expense of Christian virtue.
Confession forces us to own up to our sin and not to use others’ wrongdoing to excuse our own. Confession reminds us that we desperately need the grace of God. It makes us weak and vulnerable, exposing our underbellies to the church and revealing that we are not so high and mighty after all. (80-81)
Confession exposes; prayer heals. Confession takes responsibility for wrongdoing; prayer asks God to help us do what is right. Confession acknowledges the human condition; prayer draws on the transcendent power of God. Confession admits to sin; prayer leads us to salvation. (89)
Sunday, September 7, 2008
My Struggle with "Missions"
Let’s clarify. God’s mission for the Church is helpful. Here mission is synonymous with purpose. But when we start to say “missions council” or “missionary,” we do a disservice to the word. In fact, a significant reason we have the global outreach and local outreach teams is because we found the word “missions” a hindrance to what we are trying to accomplish. Some would argue outreach is not helpful either, but we’ll save that conversation for another time.
Today, in church language, "missions" has come to mean what happens overseas. So the missions council is focused on what we support and do overseas. Missionaries are those who serve overseas. The problem with this is that God’s mission is not limited to a specific location and missionaries are not simply those who serve in the jungle or across the ocean. All of us are missionaries. We are here to be “on mission” for Christ in the places He has called us. Some of us are called to missionary work overseas and some are not. But it does not change the fact that we are all missionaries.
Some would say, “But I’m not called to be a missionary.” But that is simply not true. You may not be called to full-time vocational ministry in a church or overseas, but you are definitely called to be a missionary. Other words used in Scripture that help bring clarity to our understanding of missionary are ambassador, witness, disciple, follower, servant, slave, and imitator (of Christ).
The idea that some are missionaries and some are not is inaccurate. The idea that we may be a missionary for a while and then not is also inaccurate. A missionary is one who exists to serve God and His mission to the world. That is all of us.
Now what that means can look differently for all of us. You can have a full-time job in the marketplace and still be a missionary. You can be retired from your career job and still be a missionary. In fact, that is what all of us are called to be. Our identity is in Christ. We are His. Therefore, we exist for His purpose and His purpose is that the people of the world might see, experience, and respond to the love He offers.
The phrase “missions trip” can also be a hindrance. Yes, it is a specific trip devoted to serving God in a unique place, away from home. But when are we not on a mission’s trip? When is our life not about God’s mission? When are we not seeking to serve Him and His purpose? Clearly there are some unique aspects about a short-term experience in a distant country or cross-culturally, but those experiences are meant to be a means by which we continue our role as missionaries and even be encouraged to increase our commitment to God’s mission instead of our own.
So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20
But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
Mark 10:43-44
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32
For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.
2 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:1
Today, in church language, "missions" has come to mean what happens overseas. So the missions council is focused on what we support and do overseas. Missionaries are those who serve overseas. The problem with this is that God’s mission is not limited to a specific location and missionaries are not simply those who serve in the jungle or across the ocean. All of us are missionaries. We are here to be “on mission” for Christ in the places He has called us. Some of us are called to missionary work overseas and some are not. But it does not change the fact that we are all missionaries.
Some would say, “But I’m not called to be a missionary.” But that is simply not true. You may not be called to full-time vocational ministry in a church or overseas, but you are definitely called to be a missionary. Other words used in Scripture that help bring clarity to our understanding of missionary are ambassador, witness, disciple, follower, servant, slave, and imitator (of Christ).
The idea that some are missionaries and some are not is inaccurate. The idea that we may be a missionary for a while and then not is also inaccurate. A missionary is one who exists to serve God and His mission to the world. That is all of us.
Now what that means can look differently for all of us. You can have a full-time job in the marketplace and still be a missionary. You can be retired from your career job and still be a missionary. In fact, that is what all of us are called to be. Our identity is in Christ. We are His. Therefore, we exist for His purpose and His purpose is that the people of the world might see, experience, and respond to the love He offers.
The phrase “missions trip” can also be a hindrance. Yes, it is a specific trip devoted to serving God in a unique place, away from home. But when are we not on a mission’s trip? When is our life not about God’s mission? When are we not seeking to serve Him and His purpose? Clearly there are some unique aspects about a short-term experience in a distant country or cross-culturally, but those experiences are meant to be a means by which we continue our role as missionaries and even be encouraged to increase our commitment to God’s mission instead of our own.
So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20
But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
Mark 10:43-44
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32
For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.
2 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:1
The Challenge of Vision
Vision is all about the future and seeking to have the future be what you hope it to be. Every NFL football team right now is seeking to realize their vision of the Super Bowl. Almost all parents have some vision for their children whether it be President of the United States, college graduate, professional athlete, follower of Christ, not in jail, or countless other hopes and dreams that parents have for their children.
Everyone has vision. Everyone has a preferred future. But the challenge comes in knowing how and making the effort to help make your vision a reality.
Millions of people have envisioned a “thinner me” but yet due to little or no effort or a lack of motivation or unexpected events in life, these visions have not be realized.
What vision do you have for your future? Stop a moment and think about this. You may even want to write it down. (Ex. a healthier body, a new job, a vacation overseas, children who love Jesus, a growing marriage, a new boat, etc.)
What are you doing today to help make your vision a reality? What steps are you taking? What are you doing? What are you giving up?
Before we go any further, let’s stop for a minute and look at your vision – your preferred future. I have no trouble coming up with all sorts of visions. My list is long. But let’s stop and evaluate our list on the following question:
Is the vision I listed from God or from me? Is it my vision or God’s vision?
This is an important question. You may not be able to answer it for your entire list, but it is worth asking and it is worth seeking God’s direction if the answer is unclear. The only vision worth pursuing in this life, worth investing time and energy into, is God’s.
I think there are a couple key factors that help determine if it is God’s vision or my own.
1. Is the vision supported in Scripture? Is it something God would want to see happen?
2. If the vision is realized will it help others or just me?
Even small changes and growth in ourselves benefits those around us.
Way too many of my “visions” only benefit me. I doubt they are from God.
3. Can I accomplish the vision without God’s help?
Does God really ever call us to anything without Him?
4. Has my vision been supported and grounded in prayer?
Have you spent time asking for God’s direction in these areas?
5. Have others helped me in answering the first four questions or I am doing this on my own?
Not only can you get helpful feedback, but also support and accountability is helping to realize the vision.
Everyone has vision. Everyone has a preferred future. But the challenge comes in knowing how and making the effort to help make your vision a reality.
Millions of people have envisioned a “thinner me” but yet due to little or no effort or a lack of motivation or unexpected events in life, these visions have not be realized.
What vision do you have for your future? Stop a moment and think about this. You may even want to write it down. (Ex. a healthier body, a new job, a vacation overseas, children who love Jesus, a growing marriage, a new boat, etc.)
What are you doing today to help make your vision a reality? What steps are you taking? What are you doing? What are you giving up?
Before we go any further, let’s stop for a minute and look at your vision – your preferred future. I have no trouble coming up with all sorts of visions. My list is long. But let’s stop and evaluate our list on the following question:
Is the vision I listed from God or from me? Is it my vision or God’s vision?
This is an important question. You may not be able to answer it for your entire list, but it is worth asking and it is worth seeking God’s direction if the answer is unclear. The only vision worth pursuing in this life, worth investing time and energy into, is God’s.
I think there are a couple key factors that help determine if it is God’s vision or my own.
1. Is the vision supported in Scripture? Is it something God would want to see happen?
2. If the vision is realized will it help others or just me?
Even small changes and growth in ourselves benefits those around us.
Way too many of my “visions” only benefit me. I doubt they are from God.
3. Can I accomplish the vision without God’s help?
Does God really ever call us to anything without Him?
4. Has my vision been supported and grounded in prayer?
Have you spent time asking for God’s direction in these areas?
5. Have others helped me in answering the first four questions or I am doing this on my own?
Not only can you get helpful feedback, but also support and accountability is helping to realize the vision.
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