Doing "Church Stuff"

A story of grace in a series of videos from Renovation Church on "Making beautiful what is broken."  The love of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover even our hypocrisy.

Jesus Loves Whores & Hypocrites - Michael Wang from Renovation Church on Vimeo.
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Being Mr. Right

I've often taught and preached that, more important than finding Mr. Right / Miss Right is BEING the right person.  That is, growing strong in Christ and deep in faith and mature in service to the Lord with his church and in his world.  Rather than pining away waiting, or fretfully hunting for that ideal soul, ask the Lord to help you become the person he wants you to be.

I appreciate Suzanne Gosselin's summary article on "10 Ways To Be Marriable" along these lines.
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The Bachelor Pastor

For a great message on God's good pathway of sexual purity, check out Steve DeWitt's last sermon as a bachelor pastor.  His story includes how that pathway can be a long road--Steve got married at the age of 44.
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Faith Matters

Love cares about faith—1 Thessalonians 3:1-10 makes this point with urgency.  Five times Paul says that one thing weighed most heavily on his heart:  the vitality of their FAITH.  3:2 we sent Timothy … to establish and exhort you in your faith,… 3:5 when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith,… 3:6 Timothy has brought us the good news of your faith… 3:7 we have been comforted about you through your faith… 3:10 we pray that we may supply what is lacking in your faith. 

Faith is the heartbeat of Christian life; without faith there is no spiritual pulse (Heb 11:6).  Love compels believers to check one another’s vital signs.  If we love people, we’ll care about their faith (or their lack of it); if we don’t care about their faith, we don’t love them.

Think of some of the good things Paul does not mention five times in this chapter.  He does not say five times that he could no longer bear not knowing about their feelings—were they feeling positive, feeling happy?  He does not say five times how deeply con­cerned he is for their health—was anyone sick or injured?  And he does not say five times how he just had to know about their safety, were they all safe and sound, free from harm?  These good things are overshadowed by what really moves Paul’s heart.  FAITH is what counts (cf. Gal 5:6); Paul loves them, so he simply must know about their faith.

What about us?  Are we content to rub shoulders at church without getting to know about each other’s faith?  It’s nice if we can testify of one ano­ther’s pleasant demeanor or regular attendance or church activities.  But do we see faith?  I don’t mean fuzzy “faith” that’s little more than optimism:  I mean conscious dependence on the mercy, power and shepherding care of Christ.  I mean serious confidence in the Great Hero of the Uni­verse, such that we take bold steps to honor him.  As we watch one another walk this earth, do we see evidence of strong, heart-felt, biblically-informed trust in Christ?  Do we look in the mirror and in the pew and find faces that light up at the wonder of God’s majesty and gift of his grace through Jesus?  What do our conver­sations, spending habits, and scheduling patterns say about our faith in Christ?  Do we know each other well enough to have a sense for these vital signs?  How is your faith today?

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Trusting God through Trials

Very helpful, encouraging, challenging words of testimony from the Harms family.

Smooth Sailing?

The Lord definitely called Paul and Silas on mission to Macedonia—it was indisputable:  “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night:  a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’” (Acts 16:9).  So they sailed from Troas across the north Aegean Sea toward Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea.

And in so doing, the Lord definitely led his global ambassadors into places where they’d face fierce opposition and violent persecution.  At Philippi Paul and Silas were arrested, flogged, and shackled—all due to false accusations.  In Thessalonica a mob drove them out of town (they escaped by cover of darkness).  Then, after preaching in the synagogue of Berea, raging Thessalonian adversaries hunted Paul and Silas down, and they had to run for their lives once again.

This seems unsettling:  God leads his missionary team into Mace­donia, but then he doesn’t protect them from hostile powers and intense suffering while they’re proclaiming the gospel and planting churches there. What do we make of this apparent tension?

I say “apparent” because, in God’s scheme of things, all things work together for the good of his people (Romans 8:28).  It’s just that we must allow the Lord to achieve that good on his terms and in his time.  We may think it’s wrong for Christian witnesses to suffer harm as they spread the truth of Christ.  But have we considered the value of the testimony of Christians who find their true joy in the love of Jesus even though they suffer?  Don’t forget 1 Thessalonians 1:6:  the newly born-again believers there received the word of Christ amidst much affliction “with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (cf. James 1:2-4).

Or think back to Philippi (Acts 16):  what does it say to the jailer when his Christian prisoners, bleeding from flogging, feet fastened in the stocks, sing songs of praise to God in their dark cell?  We might assume it would have been better if Paul and Silas had been kept comfortable all along their mission journey, but that assumption is entirely now-centered and self-focused.  What about eternal conse­quences?  And what about the potential impact on unbelievers?

Here’s the point:  when the Lord’s at work in our lives, his leading does not and is not supposed to mean smooth sailing.  So if you assume God owes you smooth sailing, think again.  And if your “faith” in Christ is conditional upon being granted smooth sailing, you need to get on your knees before the One who called you to take up your cross (Luke 9:23) and ask if it’s really faith that you have. 

Assuming we should have a comfy, cushy Christian lifestyle, and supposing that our witness in this world ought not to bring us into any kind of trouble, is just wrong-headed, unbiblical thinking.  Plus, that kind of self-oriented, comfort-driven vision for the church will divert us from Jesus’ mission.  He’s called us to go and make disciples among all the people groups of the world—including those in “hard” places (Matthew 28:18-20).  Scripture speaks with eyes wide open about the dangers:  “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).  “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

Another part of the biblical picture, of course, is that the Lord will not give us more than we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13), and that he’ll be with us, right beside us by his Spirit, as we face any and every kind of trial (Hebrews 13:5).  We’re never alone.  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).  The biblical picture, then, is not of Christian life bypassing suffering but of Jesus’ loving presence with his children in and through and beyond all of this world’s sorrow.

It is extremely important that those who make up a local church family—as disciples of Jesus Christ, as children of the living God, as citizens of heaven traveling together through this world—lock it down in their hearts:  trouble will come; the Lord does not intend to insulate you or me from pain.  In fact, in his wisdom and sovereign ingenuity the Lord orchestrates our lives so as to bring about great good and great gain through the afflictions we face while trusting in him:  our own hearts are reassured at the genuineness of our faith, nonbelievers are struck by the compelling joy of our authentic witness under pressure, and the Lord we love and trust is honored.  And that is GOOD.

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Sin's Devastation

Jim Elliff's list of 35 reasons not to sin piles on the sobering biblical truth of how sin brings misery and ruin upon ourselves and others--not to mention bringing dishonor to the Lord.

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God Wins!

A remarkable expression of faith in Jesus Christ from a woman battling cancer:

God Wins from The Austin Stone on Vimeo.

"Radicalized"

Back in 1970 Jim Lovell radioed from the Apollo 13 spacecraft, “Houston, we have a problem.”  Well, in a different way, today’s “radical” Christians have also run into a crisis:  “Devoted disciples of Jesus, we have a problem.”

What is it?  If you follow the incessant news coverage of the Boston Bombings, you'll notice countless sobering claims about how Tamerlan Tsarnaev had become “radicalized.”  Some years ago, apparently, he was not a “radical,” but an uncle has concerns that since 2009 his nephew had been an “extremist.”  In late 2010 Russian authorities first took an interest Tsarnaev, and in 2011 they told the FBI that he was a follower of radical Islam and a strident believer.  In 2012 he spent six months overseas, visiting the North Caucasus, an area of separatist movements and extremist Islamic ideology, and a hotbed of militant Islamic activity.  U.S. House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul believes Tsarnaev received training during his trip, and became radicalized [source].  Bottom line:  a thousand times over the word “radical” is being cast in deadly dangerous colors.  To be called “radical” is fast becoming a way to be pegged a terrorist.  Being radicalized means becoming dangerous.

Shift gears to Pastor David Platt.  In 2010 he wrote a really good book for Christians entitled Radical:  Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.  Trouble is, in our post-Boston world it’s become desper­ately difficult to use the “R-word” positively.  Today the term just drips with scary, even evil, connotations.  Is it possible to rehabilitate this once-helpful way of portraying legitimate devotion and zeal?  One wonders if every reference to Christ-honoring, neighbor-loving, self-giving, truth-telling, whole-hearted, compassionate Christian “radicalism” will need to be qualified and clari­fied and explained into oblivion.  After all, we do want to make sure no one suspects Christ-followers of the least trace of the kind of extremism that motivates the committing of murder. 

That’s where we stand as the church in 2013.  Our challenge is to encourage each other to keep on pursuing the Lord passionately ("You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" [Jeremiah 29:11]).  And don’t waver in your commitment just because sloppy journalism portrays any and all religious passion as “fanaticism.”  Christ is not honored if we turn lukewarm in our love for him just to avoid criticism.  And yet, at the same time, let’s be vigilant more than ever to convey the biblical fact that the way of Jesus in this world is the path of peace.

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Boston Bombing

Helpful thoughts from Tony Reinke on our responses to the bombings at the Boston Marathon.
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Faith and Evidence

Steve Fuller has a helpful post on the importance of evidence for Christian faith.  He also provides a great summary of the various lines of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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Broken

Cru tells the Great Story--about God and life and love and death and hope.

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Anti-Intellectualism

Helpful and challenging words about anti-intellectualism in the church.
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Fumbling the Ball

Al Mohler has some thoughtful analysis of Tim Tebow's recent decision to withdraw from a speaking commitment at First Baptist Church of Dallas.
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On Purity

Jen Pollock Michel, in her article, "Virginity Isn't Our Holy Grail," rightly identifies “the real question:  How do we talk about sexual sin in ways that don’t shame and yet stay faithful to the biblical truth that sex outside of marriage is, after all, sin (Heb. 13:4)?”  True—we want to communicate God’s grace to sinners (i.e., all of us—whether we’re talking about sexual sin or some other variety), but we also want to be clear that God calls his people to resist temptation and lead holy lives.  It is a fine but crucial biblical balance.  

But this wise standard is then cast aside as hopelessly impractical with this faithless claim:  “Because let’s be honest:  Can we hope for purity with horny high school kids?”  

To summarize the resulting dissonant message:  Let’s extend God’s grace and also pursue godliness—and yet, forget the part about pursuing godliness because young people don’t stand a chance against the force of raging hormones.  

The drift of the article, in the end, is to inspire doubt and discouragement as to the possibility of honoring God in our sexual lives.  

Not helpful.
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Reflecting on Life

Many thoughtful and sobering and urgent words are circulating today, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, about the cause of life and the grievous reality of abortion.  For example:

• Remembering Roe v. Wade
• About "Jane Roe"
• 64 questions
• We know they are killing children
• A poem for the children
• MLK's dream and the nightmare of black genocide
• Roe v. Wade misunderstood and misrepresented

On this topic, see also:

• Related resources at Desiring God, including the e-book, "Exposing the Dark Work of Abortion"
• Recent pro-life books
• The wonder of fetal development
• My post the other day.

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Where is the evidence?

When President Obama addressed a packed audi­torium in Newtown, Connecticut, last month, two days after the mass murder of twenty elementary students and six staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School, he made a very profound statement.

After asserting that our most important job is to give our children “what they need to become self-reliant and capable and resilient, ready to face the world without fear,” and after stressing the im­portance of “keeping our children safe, and teaching them well” and noting that “we bear a responsibility for every child,” the president made this weighty claim:  “This is our first task—caring for our children.  It’s our first job.  If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right.  That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.”

Strong words!  And wise.  What’s more, the leader of the free world delivered them with a sense of urgency.  But I must ask a question:

Mr. President, since the protection of children is such a crucial priority for our society, and since you have not taken action to protect the unborn, it must be that you have evidence, compelling evidence, that the unborn are not children.  Since this is your posi­tion, please share the overwhelming and convincing evidence you possess that allows you, on the one hand, to look the other way as abortion goes on (over a million per year in the USA), and yet, on the other hand, passionately to announce our national outrage over the slaughter of innocent school children.

After all, unless we have utterly compelling reasons to classify those outside the womb differently from those inside the womb, we would want to err on the side of protection for the unborn.  Since we affirm every person’s right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” and in light of the fact that the unborn have so many characteristics in common with those who have been born, surely the burden of proof is upon those—upon you—who contend that the unborn are not children.  In order to support the practice of abortion (and, indeed, to treat it as a person’s right), both rationality and decency require persuasive evidence that in so doing we “do no harm” to children.  

Mr. President, please deliver that evidence.

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What Will the President Do?

President Obama could prove Russell Moore wrong, but if he doesn’t speak up to defend religious diversity and freedom in America then he’s proving Moore right.

Moore contends that the recent fracas over the White House’s invitation of Pastor Louie Giglio to give the benediction at the upcoming presidential inauguration, followed by Giglio’s withdrawal of his acceptance of that invitation due to a firestorm of criticism from strident left-wing voices, signals that we’ve come to the place today where we basically have a state church. 

Giglio, an evangelical Christian and founder of the Passion Conferences, preached a sermon in the 1990s in which he articulated a Bible-based message on sexuality, including the idea that homosexual activity is contrary to God’s will.  Moore points out that such a stance on sexual ethics is not only in line with historic Christian teaching but with the moral vision of Islam and Judaism as well.  Thus the day has come in which a faithful Christian or Jew or Muslim cannot pray at a presidential inauguration:  the new state religion forbids it.

So far President Obama has been silent on this controversy, but Presidential Inaugural Committee spokeswoman Addie Whisenant indicates that the committee hadn’t known of Mr. Giglio’s remarks when he was selected to participate in the inauguration, and “they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of our country at this inaugural.”  She added that as the committee works to “select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.”

In other words, they are determined to find someone whose religious stance not only affirms homosexual conduct now but who has never articulated a Bible-based or faithful Muslim or Jewish stance on sexuality.  That is the new standard that people who pray in public must meet, and that's also a key premise in the doctrinal statement of the state religion our current administration is establishing.

UNLESS President Obama steps up and speaks out in favor of allowing the millions of Americans who accept Christian teaching to remain present in the public square.  Unless he replies to Giglio and says, “I know you’re getting raked over the coals, and I know we don’t agree on everything, but I appreciate your excellent work fighting against human trafficking and I want you to participate in the inauguration.”

The ball is in the President’s court.  What will he do?  Will he tolerate the new intolerance, or will he affirm and endorse the classic American concept of tolerance that allows and even protects religious diversity in the land?  Will he stand up to his inaugural committee and others in the administration, or will he sit quietly by as this moment passes (his moment to affirm religious freedom) and look forward to an inauguration with prayers only from people who march in lock-step conformity to the new state-approved religion?

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Visual Christmas Story

This video from the Skit Guys tells the Great Story at a swift pace.  Watch and wonder.  "Come, thou long-expected Jesus!"
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A Good Word on a Dark Day

I appreciate John Piper's reflections on the suffering Savior on this day when violence struck Newtown, Connecticut.
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Christmas Contentment

 
It’s especially fitting at Christmas time to reflect on Pastor Jeremiah Burroughs’s 1648 book, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.  “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition” (p. 19—note “every”).

There’s a “mystery of contentment” (ch. 2):  “It may be said of one who is contented in a Christian way that he is the most contented man in the world, and yet the most unsatis­fied man in the world; these two together must needs be mysterious” (p. 42).  “Mark, here lies the mystery of it, A little in the world will content a Christian for his passage, but all the world, and ten thousand times more, will not content a Christian for his portion” (p. 43).

This “passage/portion” distinction is really crucial.  It's like the interplay of Philippians 3 and Philippians 4:  in ch. 3 Paul is all restlessness and striving—discontent because he can’t get enough of Jesus (so he “presses on” to know Christ more fully); but in ch. 4 Paul is restful, at peace, non-anxious, joyful in the Lord, and content whether he has plenty or faces poverty.  The key is choosing your pleasures wisely: “If God gave you not only earth but heaven, that you should rule over sun, moon and stars, and have the rule over the highest of the sons of men, it would not be enough to satisfy you, unless you had God himself” (p. 43).

As for trusting God with your situation in life, Burroughs says this:  “Here lies the bottom and root of all con­tentment, when there is an evenness and proportion between our hearts and our circumstances” (p. 46).  Thus a believing heart thinks this way:  “The Lord has been pleased to bring down my circumstances; now if the Lord brings down my heart and makes it equal to my circum­stances, then I am well enough” (p. 46).

How do you calm your fretful heart?  “I know nothing more effec­tive for quieting a Christian soul and getting contentment than this, setting your heart to work in the duties of the immediate circum­stances that you are now in, and taking heed of your thoughts about other conditions as a mere temptation.”  Say to yourself:  “Well, though I am in a low position, yet I am serving the counsels of God in those circumstances where I am; it is the counsel of God that has brought me into these circumstances that I am in, and I desire to serve the counsel of God in these circumstances” (p. 52). 

Burroughs also says it more briefly:  “He has all things who has him that has all things” (p. 68).  “Many think, O if I had what another man has, how happily and comfortably should I live!  But if you are a Christian, whatever your condition, you have enough within yourself” (p. 78).  When “if only” beckons, sin is lurking very close by—beware!

“My brethren, the reason why you have not got contentment in the things of the world is not because you have not got enough of them—that is not the reason—but the reason is, because they are not proportionable to that immortal soul of yours that is capable of God himself”(p. 91).  That’s a 17th century way to say:  this world’s trinkets will never satisfy your heart’s deep longings.  There’s a God-shaped void in your soul and nothing can fill it but the all-satisfying and eternally magnificent Lord of glory himself (Gen. 1:27; Eccl. 3:11).

Burroughs sees this life as a voyage, and at Christmas this is vital:  “When you are at sea, though you have not as many things as you have at home, you are not troubled at it:  you are contented.  Why?  Because you are at sea” (p. 94).  “Thus it should be with us in this world, for the truth is, we are all in this world but as seafaring men, tossed up and down on the waves of the sea of this world, and our haven is Heaven; here we are travelling, and our home is a distant home in another world” (p. 95).

Wealth burdens the traveler four ways:  1) trouble (in one’s family and one’s dealings with others); 2) danger (“the sweet of prosperity invites the Devil and temptation”); 3) duty (of those given much God requires much); and 4) account (we’re all stewards, and those with great wealth have a great account to give to God) (pp. 103-107).

We must know three things about “God’s ways”:  1) “God’s ordinary course is that his people in this world should be in an afflicted condi­tion” (p. 115).  2) “Usually when God intends the greatest mercy to any of his people he brings them into the lowest condition” (p. 116).  3) “It is the way of God to work by contraries, to turn the greatest evil into the greatest good” (p. 117). 

And thus, “There is no work which God has made—the sun, moon, stars and all the world—in which so much of the glory of God appears as in a man who lives quietly in the midst of adversity” (pp. 122-23).  Does the glory of God shine in your life this Christmas?

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Powerball Mania

As of yesterday, the Powerball jackpot had reached $550,000,000.  And today's news indicates that winning tickets have been sold in Arizona and Kansas City.

Playing the lottery is actually a huge gamble.  Now I know you can buy a Powerball ticket for a mere $2.  It's not that spending $2 is a “huge” deal.  What’s enormous is the risk that, if you did win, your life would unravel in chaos and isolation and disaster. 

Just consider some of the big winners of recent years.  Of course, there are stories of careful millionaires who've invested their winnings wisely and kept their heads on straight.  But there’s also a lot of sorrow and human wreckage strewn along Lottery Lane.

• In 2006 Sandra Hayes split a $224,000,000 Powerball jackpot with a dozen co-workers.  She later said, “I had to endure the greed and the need that people have, trying to get you to release your money to them.  That caused a lot of emotional pain.  These are people who you’ve loved deep down, and they’re turning into vampires and trying to suck the life out of me.” (source)
• In 2002 Jack Whittaker of West Virginia hit the Powerball jackpot:  $315,000,000.  But later, as a devastated man, he lamented how his windfall was to blame for his granddaughter’s fatal drug overdose, his divorce, hundreds of lawsuits, and an absence of true friends. (source)
• In 2009 James Groves of New York City won a 50% share of the Mega Millions $336,000,000 jackpot.  But promptly thereafter he was flooded with calls from friends and acquaintances wanting money.  “It’s a dream turned into a nightmare.” (source)

I could go on with stories of lottery winners’ lives ruined by bankruptcy, cocaine, pros­ti­tution, violence, and suicide.  But I’ll spare you.  My point is simply this:  Americans were lining up to buy 6.3 million tickets per hour yesterday (source) because they yearn for joy—for pleasure, for true happiness.  In fact, the human heart is spring loaded to seek happiness—God made us that way.  We've been designed to crave maximum delight in the all-satisfying presence of the Lord, here and now by foretaste, and one day with unspeakable joy in eternal presence of Christ!  But in this world we also lust after idols—after what’s created rather than the Creator, delights that don’t last, rewards that can never really satisfy our deep longings. 

John ends his first letter this way:  “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”  So guard your heart:  don’t let yourself run after this world’s fleeting pleasures, but pursue the glorious joy of Christ with all your strength.  How foolish and sad it would be set your heart on a passing payoff.  Frankly, today’s jackpot—whether we speak of money or status or power or fame (etc.)—isn’t worth a thing compared to “Jesus priceless treasure.”  The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (Matthew 13:46).
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Premarital Sex

Kevin DeYoung has drawn attention to Tim and Kathy Keller’s book, The Meaning of Marriage, posting an excerpt about why sex before marriage is both morally wrong and personally harmful (from pp. 225-27):

“The modern sexual revolution finds the idea of abstinence till marriage to be so unrealistic as to be ludicrous. In fact, many people believe it is psychologically unhealthy and harmful. Yet despite the contemporary incredulity, this has been the unquestioned uniform teaching of not only one but all of the Christian churches—Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant.

The Bible does not counsel sexual abstinence before marriage because it has such a low view of sex but because it has such a lofty one. The Biblical view implies that sex outside of marriage is not just morally wrong but also personally harmful. If sex is designed to be part of making a covenant and experiencing that covenant’s renewal, then we should think of sex as an emotional “commitment apparatus.”

If sex is a method that God invented to do “whole life entrustment” and self-giving, it should not surprise us that sex makes us feel deeply connected to the other person, even when used wrongly. Unless you deliberately disable it, or through practice you numb the original impulse, sex makes you feel personally interwoven and joined to another human being, as you are literally physically joined. In the midst of sexual passion, you naturally want to say extravagant things such as, ‘I’ll always love you.’

Even if you are not legally married, you may find yourself quickly feeling marriage-like ties, feeling that the other person has obligations to you. But that other person has no legal, social, or moral responsibility to even call you back in the morning. This incongruity leads to jealousy and hurt feelings and obsessiveness if two people are having sex but are not married. It makes breaking up vastly harder than it should be. It leads many people to stay trapped in relationships that are not good because of a feeling of having (somehow) connected themselves.

Therefore, if you have sex outside marriage, you will have to steel yourself against sex’s power to soften your heart toward another person and make you more trusting. The problem is that, eventually, sex will lose its covenant-making power for you, even if you one day do get married. Ironically, then, sex outside of marriage eventually works backwards, making you less able to commit and trust another person.”

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First Things First

I appreciate today's blog post by David Mathis challenging Christians who lose themselves in politics and invest all their passion and energy in the cause of electing this or that candidate.  Our mission is to make disciples; as followers of Jesus, we really do have "bigger fish to fry."
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Mormonism and the "Cult" Question

It is at least intriguing, and possibly disturbing, to read that “The Billy Graham Evangel­istic Association (BGEA) recently removed an article from its website that listed Mormonism as a ‘cult.’  The change followed Mitt Romney’s home visit to Billy Graham last week, where the evangelist pledged ‘help’ to the Mormon presidential candidate’s campaign” [Christianity Today online 10-19-2012].

Here’s the BGEA’s justification for this action:  “‘Our primary focus at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has always been pro­moting the Gos­pel of Jesus Christ,’ Ken Barun, chief of staff for the association, told CNN in a statement.  ‘We removed the information from the website because we do not wish to participate in a theo­logical debate about something that has become politicized during this campaign’” [CNN online 10-16-2012].

Not everyone has swallowed that claim.  Pundits find the timing of the change suspicious.  Like CNN’s Roland Martin:  “To those of my fellow evangelicals who are on the religious right, please, stop your fake trumpeting of biblical values if you’re going to run roughshod over your biblical convictions and let your partisan views take center stage” [CNN online 10-23-2012].  Biola University’s Craig Hazen contends that this move “gives the appear­ance that the BGEA might think that—on certain occasions—they will let politics trump princi­ples” [Christianity Today online 10-19-2012].  “Appearance” is the key word here.  The BGEA’s action appears to be politically expedient.

Whatever we’re to conclude about the BGEA’s maneuver, I wouldn’t want anyone to think that Mormonism’s errors are minor matters.  In fact, The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints (i.e., Mormon­ism) is decidedly contrary to biblical Christ­ianity.  Consider a few of their claims:  *Mormon­ism (founded in 1830) is the restored apos­tolic church; *God was once a man who progressed to god­hood; *the Trinity is actually three distinct gods; *humans can be exalted to godhood; *Jesus was originally a spirit-child of a hea­venly marriage who later progressed into deity; *Adam’s sin was a noble, vital act leading to godhood; *faith in Christ isn’t necessary for salvation but only to reach heaven’s highest echelons (cf. “The Bible and Religious Cults,” ESV Study Bible, pp. 2631-2).  They also accept other “scriptures,” such as The Book of Mormon, as divine revelation.  These departures from Christianity are serious and sobering. 

And so I encourage followers of Jesus Christ to be in prayer for Mormons, that they would come to faith in the one and only Savior.  And pray as well for the BGEA—for wisdom in this hour.

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Politics and Courage

I appreciate Kevin DeYoung's post in which he lists comments you most likely will not hear in this election season's debates.

What would happen in the public square if all the political posturing and staging and slanted characterization of opponents' views and sound-bite oversimplification (etc.) were somehow erased?  One thing's for sure, it would take courage for a candidate to follow that path.  But maybe, just maybe, people would welcome such radical, respectable conduct, and follow that kind of leader.
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About "The Gospel of Jesus' Wife"

Justin Taylor has collected a number of responses to the recently publicized Coptic fragment.  Click here.
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Church & State

This election season, let’s ponder the oft-cited 2 Chronicles 7:14:  If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  “My people…”; “their land…”  How should this word to ancient Israel be applied by Christians in today’s world?

In Old Testament times God’s people lived under “theocracy”:  devotion to the Lord and allegiance to government were inseparable; no divide between religion and public life (between “church and state”).  American Christians some­times succumb to wishful thinking that we have a theocracy today—that the rule of God could be “restored” in our land.  But that’s not a biblical hope.  With the coming of Christ and his Great Com­mission, God brought theocracy to an end.

God’s children today are an inter­national, inter-racial, worldwide people—called the church—that can’t be con­tained in or aligned with any one nation-state.  So an Old Testament promise about the “land” of ancient Israel cannot be neatly transferred to our country (or any country) today.  Rather, the application of 2 Chronicles 7:14 would center on the church—i.e., that group who, today, are God’s people:  “my people.”  If we as Christians, in fellow­ships all around the world, repent and pray and humbly seek God, then he’ll forgive and renew his people—his church.  And so, the text relates to the revival of the church, not the improvement of this country.

Here are a few church-and-government challenges believers should grapple with: 

1) Thank God for the gift of the US government—it’s not perfect, but much about it is good. 

2) Submit to the law of the land (see Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:12-17).  Only when “Caesar” would force you to turn against Christ is it right to play the Acts 5:29 civil disobedience card:  We must obey God rather than men.  

3) Pray for government leaders (1 Tim 2:2)—for wisdom, humility, reverence for God, zeal for the common good, unwavering commitment to justice, and both restraint and courage in “bearing the sword.” 

4) Serve your country, including through constructive criticism.  “Sub­mit” does not mean silence. 

5) Watch your expectations:  the state isn’t supposed to promote or advance the church (or vice versa), so don’t expect it to do so. 

6) Model respectful inter­action with those you disagree with this election season (e.g., other party, other positions). Let it be obvious that “the Christians” don’t use the world’s weapons of twist­ing facts, half truths, smearing opponents, or hitting back.  Break the rules of politics as usual. 

7) Finally, give praise to Jesus as Lord of All and King of Kings.  For all your appreciation of our government and nation, let it be ever so clear to all around you that you exalt Christ as “Commander-in-Chief”!

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Chick-fil-A and Culture Wars

Amidst the ongoing “culture wars” and the ever-escalating clash of conservative and liberal value systems and political agendas in our polarized times, and as we charge ahead to a November election, I’d like to offer followers of Jesus a challenge.

But before I do, let me say what I’m not saying.  I’m not here to advocate supporting any political party or some particular legis­la­tive initiative, nor do I intend to tell anyone how to vote.  Instead, I’d like to encourage you on an entirely different wavelength.

Now about the culture wars—and I’m thinking of last week’s fracas over Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy’s com­ments about homosexuality, as well as the vigorous push-back by pro-gay voices.  We could discuss what Mr. Cathy said, and we could debate what a corporate executive should and shouldn’t say publicly when it comes to his/her beliefs (when do you speak for yourself, and when do you represent the company?).  And we could discuss the range of reactions to his comments, from the reasonable to the ridiculous.

And, of course, we could discuss what the Bible says on the topic—namely, that homosexual practice is contrary to God’s will (so, e.g., Romans 1:26-27; 1 Cor 6:9-10; see www.robgagnon.net for some careful attention to the Bible’s teaching).  Scripture’s message is quite clear, so those who regard the Bible as God’s inspired and authori­tative Word should have all the guidance they need when it comes to the question of homosexual activity.  But that’s not my topic.  I’m approaching the situation from another angle.

I want to probe beneath the surface of these recurring cultural scuffles and examine the implicit (and sometimes explicit) vision for Western society held by many professing Christians—namely, that what we really want to see is a world adhering to traditional, con­servative morality; and that what’s really bringing ruin upon humanity is how people are straying away from such practice.  If only we could do something to bring about (or return to?) a moral utopia here and now in which popular culture truly embraced God’s standards of sexual morality!

But is that God’s vision?  And is that the church’s mission in God’s world?  Here’s my challenge:  don’t set your heart on establishing a morally tidy culture.  Don’t let your imagination settle for that dream.  After all, such a vision is way too small—plus, that goal is way off target from where the Lord has directed his church. 

After all, even if we could somehow persuade every person in North America to abide by conservative morals and affirm tradi­tional marriage and practice sexually purity, if in the process we failed to win their hearts and minds to authentic faith in Jesus Christ, we would have won the battle but lost the war. 

I’m reminded of debates from over a century ago about the social gospel when D. L. Moody raised a valid question:  what good is polishing brass on a sinking ship?  What eternal gain would there be in producing a squeaky clean society if people did not also, first and foremost, come to see their sin and grieve over their rebellion against an all-holy Creator and run to the Savior for amazing mercy and forgiveness and life and adoption into the forever-family of the Heavenly Father? 

Someone might answer that question by saying there would be gain—it would be positive to help people at least lead moral lives even if they don’t embrace Jesus.  But would it?  That kind of “good” influence actually does great harm:  it gives the spiritually lethal impres­sion that by performing well and acting uprightly and doing good deeds and staying clean, people can tip the balance of divine favor to their advantage.  And such human-centered, pride-fueling theology is a heresy the New Testament resoundingly rejects (e.g., Eph 2:8-9; Gal 2:16; Rom 3:24; 2 Tim 1:9).

Are we at risk of giving the world the impression that our grand passion in life is to tell people, “Clean up your act”?  Don’t get me wrong:  societal rejection of godly morality in our day is a serious problem with far-reaching conse­quences (e.g., unstable relationships, rampant lone­liness, disintegra­tion of marriage, broken families, impoverished children).  We want to love people away from those traumas.  BUT we don’t love them truly, genuinely, unless we point them to the eternal Lover of their souls.  Frankly, social reform pales in impor­tance compared to the heart response of faith, of trust, in Jesus Christ, who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10; John 3:16).  And yet, when God goes to work transforming believers from the inside out, good deeds follow—including moral purity! (e.g., Gal 5:6; Eph 2:10; James 2:14-26; Matt 28:18-20 [“disciples” are taught to obey]).  First things first.

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Pray for Greece!

Greece has been in the news—with the recent elections, the wrenching struggle over accepting the European Union bailout terms (austerity measures and all) and whether there’s any wiggle room in the stiff terms that need to be imposed.  That story is unfolding before us as a new government has been formed to try and lead the Greek people through some very difficult times.

Having just visited Greece in the capacity of a short-term teacher with Training Leaders International for the purpose of building up pastors and church leaders among various immigrant communities in Athens, however, I’m reflecting these days more about the spiritual “state of the nation.”  [Links:  my blog from Greece; some photos from Greece]

What especially has my attention is the odd juxtaposition of two statistics in Operation World’s country report on Greece:  On the one hand, 91% of the population (i.e., 10,228,331 out of 11,183,393 people) self-identifies as “Christian.”  On the other hand, the number of “evangelicals” in the country is 41,372, or 0.4% of the population.  What does it mean that only about one half of one percent of self-proclaimed “Christians” in Greece are “evangelical”?  Let’s probe this with a couple more questions.

What does OW mean by “evangelical”?  Let me quote their definition at length.  Evangelicals are…  “All who emphasize and adhere to all four of the following:

• The Lord Jesus Christ as the sole source of salvation through faith in Him, as validated by His crucifixion and resurrection.
• Personal faith and conversion with regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
• Recognition of the inspired Word of God as the ultimate basis and authority for faith and Christian living.
• Commitment to biblical witness, evangelism and mission that brings others to faith in Christ.” 

So the term “evangelical” is not being used of some politically conservative voting bloc or as a label for people who promote traditional morality.  Rather, the it’s being applied to people who’ve been born again, who have a personal and vital faith relationship with the living Lord Jesus Christ, who embrace the Bible as the uniquely inspired and authoritative Word of God, and who long to live for the honor of Christ in all things.  You can say it many different ways.

Well then, when speaking of evangelicals, does OW envision only to those outside the historic Greek Orthodox Church?  No.  The 0.4% of the population includes evangelicals who are worshipping within Orthodox congregations.  Back to the OW definition:  “Evangelicals are largely Protestant, Independent or Anglican, but some are Catholic or Orthodox.  It is one of the TransBloc movements in this book.”  So, obviously, OW knows that there are evangelical renewal movements in all sectors of global Christianity, Orthodoxy included.  A glaring implication of their statistics, however, is that such movements in Greece are miniscule at best.

So, again, what does it mean to be among the 99.5% of “Christians” in Greece who say no to the concept of Christianity above under the heading of “evangelical”?

Our ministry team peeked into several Orthodox church buildings in Athens and the surrounding area.  A couple of times we were able to listen in on the worship liturgy.  In one instance, the canters sang back and forth a prayer-song pleading with the “Panagia,” the all-holy one, i.e., the mother of Jesus, “Mary, save us!”

We were distraught to hear this:  “Mary, save us!”  How bold, how brazen, to plead for salvation to someone other than the Savior, Jesus Christ.  And further, how unsettling to consider the tenuousness of the salvation experience from that frame of reference—that God is remote, and mercy is insecure…

The more we took things in, the more we came to see how different the religious landscape is in Greece compared to the USA.  Here in the States some 29% of the population is self-described as evangelical.  But in Greece, the religious scene is dominated by historic Greek Orthodoxy, and any group claiming to be Christian but not Orthodox is immediately considered suspect, peripheral, or even cultish; non-Orthodox churches are viewed as culturally marginal.

One of the leading Greek evangelical pastors in Athens explained to us that, if asked what made his evangelical church so different from Orthodoxy, he’d highlight two things.  First, he’d underscore the evangelical commitment to the “solas.”  These Latin phrases (sola scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus) summarize evangelical priorities on the unique revelation and authority of Scripture alone, salvation through God’s grace alone and by faith alone, all achieved by Jesus Christ alone.  Orthodox church-goers need to grapple with the solas.  OW contends, “Most Greeks are ignorant of the gospel message and are unreceptive to any non-Orthodox witness.”

And, secondly, they need to comprehend and experience the love of God as taught in Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).  The character of the father in this profound story portrays God’s great heart of love for lost and ruined lives—especially how the father scans the horizon for his lost son and then runs recklessly to him, embraces him, assures him of his acceptance, and insists on a grand celebration of the son’s return home.  That kind of a conception of God, of our Heavenly Father, is not brought out in traditional Greek Orthodox churches—and the need to see the Lord God from that angle is an urgent need.

Do pray for Greece!

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Summer Challenges

It’s almost June now—a fine time to check and see if we’re really ready for all that summer brings.  I don’t mean ready with sun-screen or a new BBQ grill, but with spiritual resolve to grow strong in Jesus during this odd season called summertime.  Here are several challenges:

• Don’t "bail" on the church—you need your church family and they need you all year round.  Baseball is seasonal; so are garden­ing and golf and raking leaves.  But being the body of Christ isn’t seasonal.
• Don’t take a vacation from your routine spiritual practice—from reading Scripture carefully (with your own Bible, pen in hand) and responding to God’s Word through prayer.  Summer’s disruptions make it all the more crucial to stay close to Jesus.  The rest of the year our more regular schedules help us keep our bearings and stay on track:  we’re creatures of habit.  But summer throws us a curve.  So brace yourself, and make plans now so that shifting schedules don’t stifle your walk with Christ.
• Make your decisions about what to wear this summer with the good of others in mind.  Your own style preferences or whatever’s the current fashion are hardly the guiding standards.  Gals, your brothers in Christ will be grateful if you choose modesty.
• The flipside of that topic is guarding your eyes and directing your vision away from lustful gazing.  Jesus doesn’t buy excuses like “Boys will be boys” or “I couldn’t help it” (Matthew 5:27-30).  Commit your eyes to honoring the Lord (Job 31:1).
• In an article on the “Summer Mindset,” John Piper counsels all who yearn for R&R:  “Jesus Christ is refreshing.  Flight from him into Christless leisure makes the soul parched…  Don’t let sum­mer make your soul shrivel.”  This is God’s good earth.  “But it is all prelude to the real drama of heaven.  It is a foretaste of the real banquet.”  The heavenly city “has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev 21:23).  “The summer sun is a mere pointer to the sun that will be.  The glory of God.  Summer is for seeing and showing that.  Will we have eyes to see?  Do you want to have eyes to see?  Lord, let us see the light beyond the light."

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Digital Bible, Pros and Cons

What do you gain when you use an electronic Bible for personal devotions, Bible study, or with the gathered church during the sermon?  And what do you lose? 

Clearly one gains convenience—not so bulky, and not all that fanning through pages.  In addition, you can find things quickly, whether it’s the text at hand or cross references or other linked resources.  And further, although our digital devices may fail, data backup means the texts, images, videos, and programs we value can live another day.  Considerable plusses.

But frankly, I’m more impressed by the advantages of the printed page.  The big plus, as I see it, is the ease of personalizing a physi­cal Bible.  I bought my Bible in 1976 (for the youth among us, yes, the glaciers had just receded that year…)—it was recommended for “New Testament History” by the Prof my first year at Bethel College.  That Bible has since been rebound three times, and today the binding is faltering yet more; some pages are thin or tattered around the edges.

But when it comes to Bible study or counseling or conversations about Christianity or preaching or teaching or personal communion with the God Who Speaks, my old Bible is the first tool I grab.  Of course, I have other Bibles (in various English translations).  And I also seek to access Scripture in its original lang­uages.  But my “good old” Bible still comes first.

Over the years I’ve added all sorts of brief notes, cross references, codes, and highlighting of every kind (circles, lines, arrows, colors, boxes…).  And over time I’ve developed a “relationship” with the format of these now-yellowing pages:  I can see the layout of chapters; I can visualize certain key passages, and that helps me find them.  Yes, there’s the danger of losing my Bible (I’m concerned about that).  But still, I’d be hard-pressed to overstate the value to me, and to others I serve, of having my one primary printed copy of God’s Holy Word.

The last year I taught at Wheaton College (2005), I assigned students in one class to write a short paper about the electronic Bible.  They were especially to identify any subtle gains or losses accom­panying this technology, and then make an argument in favor of one or the other—printed or digital Bible.  Results:  the vast majority (and note, these were 18- to 22-year-olds) said they wanted their bound book Bibles:  way too much would be sacrificed by relinquishing their familiar, personalized, printed copies of God’s Word.

That, of course, was in a pre-iPhone/iPad age.  The use of such mobile devices is on the rise these days, to be sure.  A recent experience with an adult class at my church revealed that at least half of those present, when encouraged to look up a Scripture passage, did so on their phones.  The digital revolution continues to extend its reach into our lives.  And I’m happy to restate this point:  there are many advantages to using electronic tools for accessing Scripture.

But I end with a word of caution:  be careful what you give up when you choose new tools to access the Bible.  The gains do not come to us without losses.  Let’s ask God to help us be “wise as serpents” (Matt 10:16) when it comes to the handling of his Word.

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"My Chains"

Several of the letters God inspired the Apostle Paul to write were penned in prison.  In fact, it’s on account of declaring the message of Christ, Paul says, that “I am in prison” (Colossians 4:3), and he urges the church to “Remember my chains” (4:18; see also 1:24; 4:10).  Just imagine what it was like—chains on his ankles clanking, sores bleeding, rats scurrying, cold and dark … as he wrote!  Philippians, Philemon, Ephesians, and 2 Timothy are also prison letters.

I don’t know about you, but when my circumstances go south, I’m tempted to wallow in frustration over how things ought to go better for me—why do I have to put up with this?  It isn’t right!  (Etc.)  But that’s exactly what we don’t find in Paul’s Prison Letters.  Despite chains, he’s free to bless and encourage and build up believers as he shepherds them from a distance.  Just think what he says; consider the content and tone of this prisoner’s message as he writes the church at Colossae:

Colossians oozes with gratitude; Paul is grateful to the Lord for his brothers and sisters in Jesus, thankful for how they’ve learned and grown and given testimony to the Gospel in their mission (1:3; cf. 1 Thess 5:18).  How would my gratitude hold up if I were bound in chains?  How about you?

Colossians overflows with praise, with highest worship of the all-glorious, eternal Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator and Sustainer of “all things,” the Head of the Church, who is the very Fullness of God, the Preemi­nent Redeemer (1:15-20).  Praise from prison! (of course, we’ve seen this before [Acts 16:25]).

Colossians reports how Paul boldly, confidently rebukes the false teachers who propagate insidious error (2:8-23).  This is not a letter from a timid man, pining away with his chains, hoping someone might just pay attention to his “two cents” on the matter.  Rather, it’s a definitive, authoritative word, inspired by the God of the Universe, to defend and declare life-giving truth.

Colossians may speak from behind bars, as it were, but it pulsates with hope of Christ’s appearing in all his glory, and to our union with him (3:4).  The Apostle’s anticipation of his Lord’s future full victory will not be squelched.

Colossians looks right past the obstacles of captivity to the advance of the Gospel, calling for prayer that God would open doors, pave the way and help his ambassadors speak the word of Christ—to make it clear, so that many might find true freedom (4:2-4)!

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