Peace the Passes Understanding

I have so much appreciated the thoughtful, humble, hopeful, honest, God-ward reflections of Kara Tippetts, even as she stepped up to the brink of her departure from this world.  Praying for her husband, pastor Jason Tippets, and for their four children.  (See also this excerpt from her book.)

Winter of Discontent

As I write, pellets of sleet are tapping on the window in front of me.  And I wonder:  is ice accumulating on those oak branches hanging high above the power lines out back?  Is our house about to go dark—again? 

This has become the “winter of our discontent” (that may have been Shakespeare’s line, but it has found new meaning in 2014):  freezing rain, sticky snow, tree limbs crashing down, raging icicles, plus some nasty cold temperatures.  And yet, of the many ways to describe this winter’s weather (such as horrendous, unprecedented, relentless, stunning…), I’d like to suggest a different term:  meaningful.  Packed with significance.  The convulsions of nature are one way God speaks.  So just what is he saying through the wild winter weather?

God exhibits his raw power through Nor’easter and Polar Vortex systems that bring our routines grinding to a halt.  It’s a not-so-subtle reminder that he’s charge and we’re not.  Are you at peace with that?  Or do you get all bent out of shape when conditions don’t toe the line for your “well-laid plans”?

Remember, Psalm 19:1 is true all the time, not just with pretty sun­sets:  “The heavens declare the glory of God.”  The Lord’s creative power and sovereign majesty are on display this winter:  do you have eyes to see?  Praise the Lord, fire and hail and snow and frost! (Ps 148:8). 

God is always at work for the good of his people (Rom 8:28), so let’s be on the lookout for the good in having our agenda squashed.  May­be we need to be disrupted.  Disruption gives us a chance to live by faith—to trust the Lord with down time, loss, discomfort, even pain.  Don’t forget: the Father “disciplines those he loves” (Heb 12:6).

James 4:13-16 confronts our vain self-assurance:  “Of course we’ll go here and there and do this and that tomorrow and the next day!”  Winter Storm Pax reminds us that tomorrow is God’s domain.  The One who runs the universe also holds our future in his hand.  Are you content with that, even amidst the storm?

One more thought:  could it be that God gives us this mild misery to awaken us from our self-sovereignty stupor so we’d see a world in need—people facing affliction far worse than our blizzard?

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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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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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God's Loving Discipline

God’s Word from Hebrews 12 speaks of the Heavenly Father’s discipline. Ah, that word “discipline”—it has such vivid connotations! I wonder what you feel when you hear it?

It’s vital to understand the term the way God means it in his Word. If you equate discipline with punishment, it’s espe­cially crucial to stop, study and see what’s going on in Hebrews 12. Look at the term in context: “The Lord disciplines those he loves” (v 6); “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons” (v 7); “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (v 10).

So it’s obvious that divine discipline is not destructive or some act of meanness or sheer cruelty or any such thing. Nor should we imagine that the Father’s discipline is “punishment” for our sins—since his just and holy wrath against the sins of his people zeroed in entirely on the cross: Christ takes our guilt on his shoulders, and the wrath of God is poured out upon him for it (see 9:28).

If we were to suppose that even the tiniest shred of divine punishment was coming our way in our adversities, we’d be saying that the cross was insufficient—inade­quate to bear the full weight of our guilt. We are not saved by the death of Christ plus by “paying our dues” through affliction! No, the hardships believers face are not punishment in that sense at all.

God’s discipline is positive and constructive; it’s a strategy of love and a means to help his children progress in holiness; it’s a training regimen to help us run fast and far in the race of faith (12:1).

A reticence to accept our various trials as divine discipline may be rooted in pride: “I’m in pretty good shape spiritually; I don’t need some radical surgery to cut away sin tumors; God is out of line to come at me with the scalpel!” Is there a root of such pride in your heart? Wouldn’t it be better to bow before the Lord and thank him for his discipline, assuming that there are many and deep sin faults in our lives that need his loving correction?

The poignant lyrics of the hymn, “How Firm a Foundation” (John Rippon, 1787), can help put things in perspective:

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,

My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Trust the Father today: his design is to do you good!

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God's Work and Our Weakness

I’ve found both of the following resources to be of great help for processing the struggles of this life under the sovereign oversight of God. What’s more, both stories help believers see how it really is true that God’s grace is sufficient for us and his power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Joni Eareckson Tada's book, "A Place of Healing," is available this month for free from https://christianaudio.com/. You can download and listen at your computer or from your MP3 player. Joni herself reads the book. (Obtaining this audio book requires registering and establishing an account.)

John Knight is interviewed regarding his spiritual pilgrimage in the aftermath of the birth of his son, Paul, who was born blind and with various other serious health issues. If you want to see (or just listen to) this interview, go to http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/interviews/john-piper-interviews-john-knight-part-1?lang=en. Note that at the bottom of the video there are links to parts 2 and 3 of the interview. John Knight also blogs at http://theworksofgod.com/.

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BEING the Right Person

In the life-stage of transitioning into adulthood, the relationships we long for are found not so much by looking but by being.

Do you want good friendships? Then make it your aim, first and fore­most, not to search out good friends but BE a good friend. Do you want to meet Mr. or Miss Right? Then make it your aim, first and foremost, not to seek out that special someone but to BE that special someone.

Let me focus on marriage in particular. The mindset of being the man or woman God wants you to be today is a stance of faith. It means trusting the Lord to work on you, help you grow in spiritual depth and personal maturity, and lead you into greater holiness.

You say “holiness” isn’t on your marriage preparation checklist? That’s all the more reason you need to focus on being the right person more than finding your special someone. Ephesians 5:21-33 reveals a breath­taking design for Christian marriage in which husbands and wives die to themselves and live to love one another, and that requires spiritual depth and maturity. It’s a beautiful vision of married life, but that beauty never flowers and its joy is never known by immature, self-seeking spouses.

Being “the right one” is a goal that doesn’t impose a timetable on God. But the “gotta find someone” attitude is time-driven: it doesn’t consider that now may not be best and God may want you to wait. Maybe the Lord has a lot of refining to do in Mr./Miss Right’s life before it’s time for you two to meet—meeting today might be a disaster. Similarly, are you willing to look in the mirror and admit that that God has a lot of work to do?

Just to clarify, I’m not saying you should be utterly passive and never open your eyes to the people around you. My point is simply this: see today as God’s gift in which he aims to refine you and humble you and shape your soul in Christ-loving and Christ-like ways. Don’t assume you’re ready for marriage and it’s God’s job now to bring that special someone along. Assume, instead, that all delays are orchestrated by the Lord for good purposes (Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28), and that at the center of those purposes is sanctification—your growth in godliness. Your marriage will be SO much stronger and more joyful and satisfying if you trust God with time.

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God's Love and Human Suffering

In a recent sermon on God’s compassion (Jan. 31, on Luke 15:11-32), I noted that there was an elephant in the room: “How can we speak of a loving God in the aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake?” This question arises in many honest hearts—I’m guessing we’ve all struggled with it. It’s also a question that has lunged into popular atten­tion in surges in the past (e.g., after the 2004 Tsunami, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, etc.).

Just to be clear, we’re not asking about suffering that results from sin, such as trafficking, terror, or murder. Natural disasters don’t stem from God-defying impulses in the human heart. (And yet, even with sin-based suffering, questions about God’s permission and intentions arise—but that’s another discussion.)

Can we reconcile the love of God with harrowing affliction due to earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods—and let’s add diseases like small pox and cancer? Please see my posts, Haiti Earthquake and In the Wake of Disaster, for some intro­ductory thoughts to provide a biblical framework even as we voice sincere questions.

In his article, “A Fault Is Not a Sin,” atheist Christopher Hitchens says it’s idiotic to blame anything other than geology for the Haitian quake. But of course, what else can he say from where he stands: if God is excluded from one’s vision of reality, all is material and temporal, and we live and move in a meaningless abyss. End of conversation.

On the other hand, if one means to consider seriously the interpretation of reality presented in the Bible, one has to reckon with a God who’s able to intervene within his created order and, for example, prevent natural disasters. God isn’t helpless; he’s no mere bystander looking on as nature takes a chaotic course. The Lord is active within creation and history.

In Christ God demonstrated his power over nature (e.g., calming storms, walking on water, multiplying food, raising the dead). The Bible teaches that God is powerful—all-powerful—and that his might is exercised within the sphere of this-world, this-life experience. He parted the sea (Exod 14), toppled the walls of Jericho (Josh 6), protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Dan 3), and so on. And of course, the grand miracle of all time was the resurrection of Jesus Christ. With God, all things are possible (Matt 19:26; Luke 1:37). “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen 18:14; cf. Jer 32:17). So we won’t solve our problem by denying the power of God: he is able to do anything and everything that he chooses to do: the Lord does whatever he pleases (Ps 115:3).

The Bible also insists that God is a God of love: He is love (1 John 4:8), and in all things he works for the good of his people (Rom 8:28). God loves “the world” and in Christ he reaches out with open arms of com­passion (John 3:16). In the cross God demonstrates breathtaking love for undeserving sinners (Rom 5:8): there is no greater love than Christ’s (John 15:13).

The keys to comprehending God’s love, however, are two: 1) He does not promise and is not obliged to show his love by giving humans pleasant or even tolerable earthly circumstances. In fact, the Lord has all eternity in which to enact and express his love toward his people. Suffering here and now is no sign of the absence of God’s love.

2) There’s more to God’s character than love—he is love, yes; but he’s also just and holy, and in his white hot moral purity he abhors sin. Both love and holiness are true: sin must be punished (holiness), yet God makes a way for Another to take our guilt upon his shoulders (love).

Let’s step back: a huge turn in the plot of God’s story takes place in Genesis 3: sin enters an otherwise perfect world. With sin came inter­personal strife, physical toil and bodily death (3:16-19), and all humanity was plunged into calamity along with Adam and Eve. And more: notice how the curse brought serious damage upon creation itself (thorns and thistles, 3:18). So in some sense, nature itself was twisted and damaged by sin. In Romans 8 Paul describes how creation itself now “groans,” awaiting the final reversal of sin’s destructive effects (8:22). Nature’s convulsions fall in this category: they signal the terrible destructive effect of sin in the realm of God’s creation.

Let me clarify: I’m not saying we can identify each instance of suffering due to natural disasters as a direct punishment deserved by the specific person(s) who undergo such suffering. John 9:1-3 proves otherwise: there’s no simple blame-line to link all suffering back to a person’s sins. So too in Luke 13:4-5: when the tower at Siloam fell (due to an earth­quake?) and killed eighteen people, was it because they were worse sinners than other people? Jesus says NO. And yet, he urges onlookers to repent: let the sudden snuffing out of others’ lives move you to turn from sin and trust in Christ and thus be ready to meet your Maker.

It’s also true that our loving God often weaves searing hardship into the fabric of our ultimate good (e.g., Heb 12:5-11; 2 Cor 1:3-11; Gen 50:20). Paul pleaded for relief from a “thorn in the flesh,” but in time he realized his healing wouldn’t be for the best (2 Cor 12:7-10). Still, living with an affliction isn’t the same as being struck dead. The suddenness in which death can strike is used by God to warn us not to be presumptuous about the future or assume all will be well (Jas 4:13-17; Luke 13:1-5). The door of opportunity to repent and be saved is not held open forever (2 Pet 3:8-9).

But what about the children, even babies, tragically killed in Haiti? How does God love them? If being allowed to live at least an average earthly lifespan is the measure of God’s love, then love fails. But isn’t God free to show his love in the age to come, beyond this fleeting, temporal existence? The Bible doesn’t say a great deal about the eternal state of those who die in infancy, but a solid bib­lical case is made that they enter into glory with Christ. See, for example, messages and studies on this topic by Charles Spurgeon, Al Mohler, Sam Storms, and Desiring God Ministries.

In the end, then, I urge you to look around at this troubled world, imitate the Savior's heart of compassion for the lost (Matt 9:36), look up to the Master of All Things and echo Genesis 18:25, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

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In the Wake of Disaster

The world is reeling in the aftermath of Tuesday’s devastating earth­quake in Haiti. The Wall Street Journal is comparing it with the 2004 Christmas tsunami that had a six-digit death toll. These are sobering days.

Many people may be wondering how to make sense of such grievous misery. How would God have us look at this? How are we to understand a world in which such seemingly random, dread­fully severe suffering strikes as it does? Let me offer a few ideas:

1. “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). Resist the impulse to accuse God of wrong, and instead cover your mouth. “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away” (Job 1:21). Does the pot have a right to find fault with the Potter (Rom 9:20)? The Lord does not answer to us: we answer to Him.

2. “The Lord reigns” (Pss 96:10; 99:1; 115:3), even now—as always.

3. God does not always disclose his purposes to us. Some questions remain unanswered in this life. The Lord has all eternity to put things right, and he does what he does in his own good time.

4. Seek answers in God’s Word. Don’t let the panic of the moment propel you away from the only Source of Truth that can provide a solid footing in this world’s swamp of sorrow. Read Job 1-2 and 38-41; Luke 13:1-9; John 9:1-5; Prov 1:7; Luke 8:25; Pss 104:32; 147:15-18; Amos 3:6; Isaiah 45:7. Among other things, the Word teaches that even when Satan is instrumental in human suffering, God is not caught off-guard or held hostage by the Enemy: afflic­tion is permitted purposefully, and one purpose is to humble hearts and drive us to our knees in repentance (Luke 13:3). Disasters are a wake up call to a world snoozing in the dreamland of earthly pleasures: life is short, insecure, and dangerous; seize the moment (while it lasts) and run to Christ for mercy and eternal life.

5. Weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15). Love your neighbors (Luke 10:25-37), including those in Haiti. As one step to take, consider donating to Food for the Hungry.

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Haiti Earthquake

I just re-read several articles John Piper has written on how to think about natural disasters and resulting human suffering. Very helpful. Very sobering. The Word of God has much to say to help us get our bearings amidst life's quaking.

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In good times and hard times

In trying times, as in the best of times, the Lord beckons us to rely on him in every way—that is, to walk by faith. After all, he pro­vides the bounty and health and laughter we enjoy on the pleasant days, but he also brings us through the dark valleys to help us grow deep in trust and humility. What do we have that isn’t from God and isn’t maneuvered by God for our good (1 Cor 4:7; Rom 8:28)? The Lord is a loving Father who seeks what’s best for his children (Matt 7:11; Heb 12:3-11).

So when the hard times hit (is it economic tribulation, relationship demise, health decline, or something else?), be ready to cling to Christ. And likewise, when prosperous times strike, be ready to rely on the Lord and don’t let comfort become your god.

Psalm 62, from a time when David faced intense adversity, can help us in this venture of courageous faith:

• Don’t let trials distort your picture of God. The Lord remains our “rock” and “fortress” and “refuge” (vv 2, 6, 7, 8).
• Don’t lose sight of the fact that the Lord alone is the source of our ultimate deliverance and rest (v 2, 5-7).
• Determine (praying for God’s help) to “trust in Him at all times” (v 8) and not just on sunny days. Expect to face hard­ship and plan now to keep holding on to the Father’s hand.
• Don’t fall for the temptation to rely on your money or skills or work ethic or any other earthly benefit: “though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (v 10). Be alert here: with any degree of wealth comes an insidious lure to rely on that prosperity and take credit for it.
• Don’t lose track of the exquisite balance of love and strength within the character of God (vv 11-12). So when circum­stances are grueling, remember that the Father still loves you and still is able to weave all things together for good.

My soul finds rest in God alone;

My salvation comes from him (Psalm 62:1).

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"God meant it for good"

The breathtaking story of Job drives home the point that affliction is not necessarily a punishment for sin (1:1; see also John 9:1-3). Nor is it helpful to say that Satan caused the pain, since Job spoke correctly (1:22) in stating, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away…” (v 21).

Isaiah 53 prophesies of God’s Servant, the Substitute who would bear the guilt of sinners: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (53:6). This, of course, anticipates the sacrificial death of the Son of God who “gave his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Was Christ’s death the grim result of sin? Yes (Acts 3:15). Was it owing to the insidious schemes of Satan? Yes (Luke 22:3). But there’s more to say: at root, the cross was God’s doing. Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer…” (so too Acts 2:23).

In both cases of extreme affliction, ultimately it’s God’s hand we see in action. Same with Joseph (the guy with the coat of many colors). His jealous brothers abused him and sold him as a slave, and he ended up wrongly imprisoned in Egypt for years—all undeserved. But God was up to something—God, the key Actor behind the scenes; God, the initiator of good plans even though they lead through dark valleys. The Lord maneuvered Joseph into an influential office in Egypt in order to save countless lives from a coming seven-year famine.

This good end is recognized by Joseph (eventually!). In Genesis 45:5-9 he says four times that it was God who sent him to Egypt. Now, of course he remembers how his nasty brothers had shipped him off with traders. But he’s looking beneath the surface: who was really at work in all those years of pain? It was God. Same in 50:20, where Joseph says to his penitent brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” All that misery he’d gone through was intended by God to take place and (of course) lead eventually to God’s good goals.

There’s no shortage of pain and trauma to go around today, what with economic turmoil, crime, family breakdown, disease… The Lord is stretching our faith: are you willing to trust him to weave a beautiful fabric, in his time and in his way, even when it includes the black strands of your pain and suffering? Are you willing to let God be God, and to leave it to him to put things right in time or eternity?

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God in Action in Acts

The Acts of the Apostles also recounts the sovereign Acts of God. I think back on preaching through this gripping biblical narrative in 2008, and so many of the Lord's mighty deeds come to mind, including:

The dramatic ascension of Jesus up to heaven (1:9); moving of the Spirit, sound of wind, visions of flame, giving of speech in foreign languages (2:1-13); doing of many signs and wonders through the apostles (2:43); healing of man crippled from birth (3:7); saving of 5,000+ to form the Jerusalem church (2:41; 4:4; 6:7); striking down Ananias and Saphira (5:1-11); miraculously freeing Peter and John from prison (5:19); a vision of God in his glory given to dying Stephen (7:55); turn­ing the persecution-driven scattering of believers into Christian mission (8:4); sending the Holy Spirit with power (8:15); navigating Philip to meet the chariot of the Ethiopian and lead him to Christ, and then whisking Philip away (8:26-40); boldly “arresting” Saul on the road to Damascus, blinding him, and transforming his heart (9:1-19); healing of Aeneas (9:32-35); raising Tabitha from the dead (9:36-43); giving coordinated visions to Peter and Cornelius so they’d meet (10:1-43); bestowing of the Spirit upon Cornelius and his household to speak in tongues and give praise to Christ (10:44-48); deliverance of Peter from prison as believers prayed (12:6-11); calling the worshipping Christians at Antioch to set aside Paul and Barnabas for mission (13:1-3); blinding of Elymas the magic­ian (13:4-12); joyful believing by Gentiles who were ordained to eternal life (13:48); granting signs and wonders at Iconium (14:3); healing of a crippled man at Lystra (14:8-10); preserving Paul through stoning (14:19-20); opening a door of faith to the Gentiles (14:27); blocking ministry in Asia to redirect Paul and Silas to Macedonia (16:6-10); opening Lydia’s heart to believe (16:14); sending an earthquake to break open the Philippian prison (16:26); speaking to Paul in a vision to encourage bold witness (18:9-11); tongues and prophecy accompanying baptism of new believers (19:1-7); doing of many miracles through Paul (19:11-17); raising Eutychus from the dead (20:7-12); giving prophecy by Agabus that Paul would be arrested (21:11); the Lord’s appearance to Paul in prison to say he’d testify in Rome (23:11); uncovering the plot to murder Paul (23:16); speaking to Paul on the ship to promise that all would survive (27:22); protecting Paul from a poisonous snake bite (28:5); healing many people on Malta (28:7-10); overall, the spreading of witness (1:8) all over the Roman world and to Rome itself (28:30-31).

Our God is an awesome God! Stand in awe. Bow in wonder.

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The Acts of God

Spending a year preaching through the Book of Acts has been stretching and enriching for me. Along the venture through dark valleys and over spectacular peaks, I’ve noticed some familiar “sights”—recurring patterns, themes, truths. Such as:

· God is sovereign. In fact, he’s so powerful and ingenious that he can even weave hardship and persecution into a beautiful tapestry of church growth and joy-filled spiritual life in the hearts of his people as they scatter to the ends of the earth. Human authorities make their plans, including hostile advances against the church and Christians, but God overrules such rulers at will (e.g., 4:27-28). This book called “The Acts of the Apostles” is, at root, the story of “The Acts of God.”

· Healthy Christians and their churches are forward-moving and outward-oriented, taking the truth and love of Christ to others. That’s the “thesis” of the book (1:8), and it’s the outcome of the story as well: the Gospel is spread all the way to Rome. Spiritual healthy believers don’t circle the wagons and retreat from the world, but instead they step forward as Jesus’ witnesses—in both word and deed. They are sojourners in the “foreign land” of today’s world, not settlers.

· Honest Christian discipleship involves bearing a cross and following Jesus through trials (14:22). Notice that Paul’s in custody and on trial all the way from chapter 21 to 28. Also, he’s repeatedly targeted by would-be killers, and he’s accused over and over even though the charges against him are hollow and contrived. But in spite of this outrage, Paul doesn’t cling to his rights or moan about how unfair it is. Instead, he seizes the opportunity to probe the hearts of adversaries and author­ities, sharing his story of new life in Christ! Paul realizes (as we should too) that trials are really opportunities in disguise.

Amazing stuff, this action-packed, apathy-wrecking, joy-inspiring Book of Acts! I trust that God is feeding your faith as you study and savor his Word (Romans 10:17).

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The Christian and the State

The presidential election is finally upon us. This is a moment when Christians need to think hard about what it means to follow Jesus here and now, in 2008. Let me offer a few key biblical perspectives:

First things first: we’re citizens of God’s kingdom, and our ultimate allegiance is to King Jesus (Rev 19:16). He’s the “Commander-in-Chief” to whom we owe supreme devotion. “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20; Heb 9:28). Under the sovereign leader­ship of God’s Spirit, we’re enroute to “a better country, a heavenly one” (Heb 11:16). Today we live as sojourners, not settlers.

And yet, during this earthly journey it’s right to obey the law of the land (Rom 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). In fact, Christians demonstrate trust in God when they affirm his delegation of authority to the state. Still, such compliance is always conditional: if pressed by human powers to dishonor or disobey our Lord, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29; 4:19) and accept the consequences as “strangers and exiles on earth” (Heb 11:13, 35-38).

Christians should expect to face opposition or even persecution. Our daily trek involves carrying a cross (Luke 9:23); in this world “you will have tribulation” (John 16:33); the world hates Jesus’ people because they (we) “are not of this world” (John 15:19; 17:14); “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12); “Woe to you when all men speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). Not that we should despair or give up on showing Jesus’ love to neighbors (1 Pet 2:12; 1 Thess 4:12; Jas 1:27): some will be receptive to our witness! In fact…

Christ says we’re “the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth” (Matt 5:13-16)—and light and salt permeate their environments for good. But we can’t be salt and light while retreating from society or hiding away in Christian ghettoes. We’re taught to love our neigh­bors as ourselves (Matt 22:37-40; Luke 10:37), and acts of neighbor love are not just for their benefit in the life to come: we must seek God’s help to spread his material and spiritual blessings here and now as well (Luke 3:11; 1 John 3:17; Matt 11:28-30; John 10:10).

So let’s join in prayer for God’s guidance, even as we vote, to love our neighbors and seek their good.

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