mvbc

Quarterly Emphases for 2026

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:49:40 GMT

MVBC 2026 Quarterly Emphases

First Quarter: Private Worship
Second Quarter: Public Worship
Third Quarter: New Worshippers
Fourth Quarter: Family Worship

Quarterly Emphases for 2025

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 23:39:05 GMT

MVBC 2025 Quarterly Emphases — Monthly Aspects

January : Church Shepherding and Receptivity — Responsibilities of Elders to Members
February : Church Shepherding and Receptivity — Duties of Members to Elders
March : Church Shepherding and Receptivity — Commitment of Members to One Another
April : Why Sunday is Special — Theology of Worship
May : Why Sunday is Special — Priority of Corporate Worship
June : Why Sunday is Special — Ordinary Means of Grace Ministry
July : Praying for Salvation and Sanctification — Church Revival
August : Praying for Salvation and Sanctification — Community Evangelism
September : Praying for Salvation and Sanctification — Global Missions
October : God's Good Design for Families — Conversion and Baptism of Children
November : God's Good Design for Families — Raising Children in the Church
December : God's Good Design for Families — Blessing of Children

A Word For the Irreligious

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 20:01:02 GMT

“Hedging One’s Bets” is a common English idiom you’ve likely heard before. The authors at Grammarist.com define it like this: “To hedge one’s bets means to mitigate one’s risk; to leave oneself an escape; to counterbalance one’s risk or avoid committing to only one course of action. For instance, a gardener may hedge his bets by planting different varieties of tomatoes in case one variety fails to produce. The expression hedge one’s bets came into use in the 1600s and is derived from a definition of the word hedge that was popular at the time, which was to avoid commitment.”

Consider hedging one’s bets when it comes to your relationships with Christians. Of course, I would rather convince you to become a Christian. This is our prayer and aim. However, at the very least, I would urge you to keep your options open and keep Christian friendships alive. Along the time that I became a Christian, I had a friend, we will refer to him as, “Joe.” When Joe discovered I became a Christian, he relayed a message back to me, that was, “Be sure to tell him not to bring that Christian message around me.” Joe was hostile to the gospel. Joe wanted God’s messengers out of His life. Joe did not see the potential value. Joe did not want Christian preaching in his life. With regard to Christianity, Joe did not even “hedge his bets.” Don’t be like Joe. Here’s why.

Thirty-five hundred years ago, during the zenith of the Egyptian empire, the ruler of Egypt did what Joe did. The ruler of Egypt, Pharaoh, told God’s chief messenger, Moses, that he didn’t ever want to see him again. He cut him totally out of his life. He threatened him. And, by extension, he cut all of God’s messengers and God’s word out of Egypt. What were the results? Disaster!

Moses was described as like God to Pharaoh. God’s name had fallen on hard times. In an effort to restore knowledge of God to people, God sought to liberate his people from Egyptian slavery. Pharaoh had isolated God’s people to a specific geography in Egypt for housing, conscripted them to cruel construction slavery, and mandated population control measures against God’s people through forced infanticide and partial birth abortion. God saw. God responded. But not all at once. Graciously, over a three month period, God meted out ten plagues with opportunity to repent in each one. Despite the pain of plagues, each plague up to the last one lacked finality. Frogs and fleas, boils and livestock, water impurity and crop destruction were not total separation, death, and loss of the future. But that’s what came with the tenth plague. Egypt’s decimation came. But not before salvation.

Consider the next to last plague, the plague of darkness. There, the Egyptians faced utter darkness for three days—it was a darkness they could feel! For three days, no one could see to do anything. They stayed in bed. Economic activity halted. Pain ensued. But, in the midst of groping in the dark, over on the horizon, they could see the living quarters assigned to God’s people. There, was light. So long as God’s people were on the horizon, there was hope.

So long as God’s preacher, Moses, was on the horizon, there was hope, too. But this was all about to change. After the plague of darkness ended, most of Pharaoh’s cabinet of officials as well as many of the people knew that Moses’ God was the one true God. The plagues bore witness to the systematic deposing of Egypt’s false gods as well as ironic repayment for injustices done against God’s people. The plot thickened. The drama built to the death of Egypt’s firstborn—an eye for an eye for the deaths of Israel’s first borns drowned in the Nile River. However, there was a way out from due punishment. And some took it.

Here's what happened. Hard-headed and hard-hearted Pharaoh called Moses in after the three days darkness. This would be the last time Moses entered as an underling to the king. He was about to become a regent all himself. He was about to upend Pharaoh. But Pharaoh was blind to it. Pharaoh was still trying to bargain his way around with Moses. Moses wisely made no deal with Pharaoh. For God insisted his people depart a certain way. So frustrated Pharaoh commanded Moses to get away from him forever. Moses, in righteous anger, obliged. And, just like that, Pharaoh stopped hedging his bets with God’s people.

God’s judgment was swift on the Egyptians; however, thanks to the grace of previous events, many Egyptians knew whom was delivering the judgment and why. Rather than blaming God’s people, they sent God’s people with much riches. Rather than killing or keeping them, they sent them packing. Rather than cutting God’s people out of their lives, some Egyptians completed the “exodus” from Egypt as converted Israelites. The host of over a million that exited that day represented several ethnicities—an early picture of what heaven will be!

So there’s a lesson for you in this. There’s a move in our land for the convinced irreligious to blatantly disregard the religious—for folks that have little use for religion to relegate biblical religion to the edges of the public square. Learn the cautionary tale of Exodus. Do not make this mistake. It’s not too late until it’s too late. So long as you breathe, keep the people of God in your orbit. Welcome them in your neighborhood. Seek them in the city. Ask them for dinner. Listen to their messages. Perk up at their preaching. Tolerate their reaching. Even if you disagree, stay curious and inviting. You never know which plague in your life that God will use to bring you from tolerance to acceptance of Christianity. For now, though, at the very least, take care to “hedge your bets.”

What Do You Think of When You Think of Revelation?

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 19:51:20 GMT

When we think of Revelation we think of signs and wonders and the apocalypse and predictions and concerns and the lordship of Christ on grand display defeating foes in the last battle. What we don’t often think of, when we think of Revelation, is, the local church. But we should. Revelation has as its audience the local church in totality, completely, represented by seven (a complete #) of local churches known to the first century reader. Each of the seven messages are from Jesus and carry modern messages for our local churches today and are practical for your Christian life: to Ephesus—love; to Smyrna—keep on; to Pergamum—teach right; to Thyatira—live moral; to Sardis—wake up; to Philly—endure; and to Laodicea—live on mission! Today, let’s consider the message to a church like Pergamum—teach right—found in Revelation 2:12-17.   

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. “ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’” ~ Revelation 2:12-17  

Now, let’s try to make a little sense of Revelation 2:12-17. These are Jesus’ words to the church. He has the spiritual sword, the Word of God. He intimately knows who His people are and where they live. They live “where Satan’s throne is,” likely, a reference to the literal throne of Zeus, the pagan god recognized in Pergamum. But we all live where Satan’s thrones are, and, we must hold fast to Jesus’ name anyway. This is what it means to be a true Christian—to witness faithfully to Christ, not denying the faith, even when satanic influences try to get you to acquiesce to the coercive power of the state. The state wields a “sword” too. The “sword” is understood as an instrument of justice used by the state to encourage good. For good or ill, the state uses its sword for its purposes. Always for good, Jesus uses his sword, the Word, for Christian purposes. He knows who and where we are, always, and forever. Jesus never checks out from your situation.   

The early Jewish Church leaders knew they needed to provide guidance to new Christians coming into the faith. The gospel brought Jews and Gentiles together under the religion of Christ but guidance was needed. The Jewish Christian leaders wrote an affirming letter to circulate to the Gentile churches, urging them to be compliant, to not eat food sacrificed to idols or engage in sexual immorality. See Acts 15 for that. There were professing Christians at Pergamum being taught exactly the opposite of what they were supposed to do. These were being taught to eat and sexually engage in a pagan and impure manner. Teaching leads to action. Jesus is trying to pre-empt their sinful actions. So he sounds the alarm against false teaching! He compares them to Balaam and Balak in the book of Numbers. The problem back then was a scriptural teacher who put personal gain ahead of faithful witness. We must repent of holding to such false teaching. Teaching and teachers matter. What type of teachers do you listen to? Have you thought carefully enough about it? Have you sought to ensure that your teachers teach in accordance with Scripture? Have you considered that Jesus holds you personally accountable for whose teaching you “hold to?” Repent of any haphazard attitude you’ve taken toward vetting your teachers. Learn to insist on Scripture teaching teachers.   

Jesus’ last book in the Bible has the local church and your Christianity in view. Jesus knows who are his and where his are. Jesus insists you vet your teachers based on what they teach. Hear His love for you in this passage, Revelation 2:12-17. He has expectations of you but he also advocates for you. He promises to conquer. He will protect and provide for you. He knows your name. Revelation is more than predictions. Revelation is practical. Revelation is for you.  

Twas the Night Before Easter

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 16:12:58 GMT

Luke 24:1-9

“Twas the Night Before Easter,” said…no…one…ever! “Twas the Night Before Christmas” titles a famous poem describing the anticipation of Christmas morning. Everyone knows food and presents and family is just around the bend. You know what’s coming and you’re almost too excited to sleep!   

Not so with Easter. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to consider the events that led up to the night before Easter. What happened and what are we to make of it?   

God made Adam. That’s how it all got started. Adam sinned. We all sin. His better son, Abel, was killed by his jealous son, Cain. And so it began. Noah was better. The world was crazy and nearly killed off. From Noah’s offspring came Abraham who was promised the gospel. Abraham had Isaac and Isaac had Jacob and Jacob had twelve sons. Sins abounded. Joseph was sold by his brothers. They later reconciled—forming a picture of the gospel to come—but things weren’t good for the twelve sons. These became known as the twelve tribes of Israel and these people were trapped in Egypt hundreds of years. Moses delivered Israel from Egypt. Israel sinned in the desert. Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land. Israel demanded to be like their enemies and have a king. So they got Saul then David then Solomon before the fourth generation of kings couldn’t keep the people together. So they divided and divided before they were conquered and exiled—all of them exiled—by the 6th century BC. Israel repented and God gave them some more assurances of a conquering Messiah that would come, a Messiah like King David before, that would save the people; however, God seemed eerily silent. The Old Testament Scriptures tell this story and was written down on or before 400 BC. Then, God went silent. Israel groaned. Their Messiah would heal all the nations, or, at least, that’s what the prophet Isaiah had predicted. But the promises were stale and the Messiah was long overdue.   

The Messiah finally came. He fulfilled every prediction of the writing prophets. He was a prophet like Moses, a King like David, and a priest like Melchizedek. Every promise of God found their “yes” in Jesus. Just one problem. Israel rejected him. That’s right. Israel rejected their own King. The culmination of Jesus coming to His own and His own knowing Him not is the inscription placed over Jesus’ head as he was crucified on Good Friday. The inscription read, “King of the Jews.” What they meant for mockery actually told an ironic truth. The ultimate Jewish King was Jesus but they didn’t recognize Him. Why?   

They didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah, at first, because He didn’t conquer Rome. On Palm Sunday, Jesus didn’t come riding in on a war horse but humbly, on a peaceful donkey. Jesus didn’t come first to judge but to save, not to impose but to propose. Jesus proposed the world follow Him. But Israel didn’t envision a Messiah that would war primarily against their own sin but rather against the occupying empire, Rome. And Israel didn’t want a Messiah that would willingly die for the people. They wanted a Messiah that would ably kill for the people. They wanted a man of war, like David. Jesus came first as a man of peace. It is true that Jesus declared war and will come to judge the quick and the dead but that’s not the story of Easter. On Easter, Jesus delivered victory in the decisive battle in the war of human history even though the battle wages on even now. How was the decisive battle against the sovereigns in the spiritual realm won? Through death, even death on the cross.

  Jesus’ death was the only unjust death in the history of mankind. Every other man could rightly accept death as the natural outcome of a sinful disposition. Unlike every other man, Jesus knew no sin. This qualified Jesus uniquely to atone for the sins of all of His people—the righteous for the unrighteous—to bring us to God. And bring us He did! Jesus’ death brought death. This is why one pastor wrote, rather complicatingly, but also aptly, of what Jesus accomplished in this title, “The Death of Death in the Death of Christ.” Death died, it ended, when Christ died. How? Jesus conquered death. How? By removing it’s permanence, it’s sting. The sting of death is swallowed up in victory! Praise be to God!   

So what would that first Easter eve have looked like? Shocked and silent. Often, the Saturday after Good Friday is referred to as Silent Saturday. Why? Because Jesus’ earthly body laid in the grave. God the Son could never die but his incarnate body was brutally murdered by his biological kinfolk—related through his mother Mary. Jesus died. He was buried. And Saturday was quiet. Twas the Night Before Easter and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. When up from the grave there arose such a Man that the world would trust Him or in judgment they’d stand. Jesus’ resurrected body lives on as proof that you’ll live on too. Every Christ follower will follow Christ in resurrection. So, as we sing, “It is Not Death to Die.” Christmas lights the spark of a life. Easter lights the spark of life eternal. Christmas anticipates. Easter fulfills.

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb…And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. …two men stood by them in dazzling apparel, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest” (Luke 24:1-9).

When a Church Goes to the Doctor

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 17:48:58 GMT

Revelation 3:14-22

Routine check ups. Your annual check up in middle life and after carries an air of safety about it. Insurance probably covers it. Doctors remind you of it. Work desires it. Preventative health care is the best kind. You don’t really expect anything to come from it. You mainly do the check up to say that you did and have the peace of mind that the parts of your body you don’t see are working as they should. Usually, the doctor will call you if test results indicate any extreme danger. Otherwise, the doctor updates you of any problem areas or concern during the follow-up appointment. Even if the news is not what you want to hear, you still need to know it. When there’s a problem area in your body, ignoring the problem can prove disastrous. Jesus gave a sick church an honest report about the spiritual health of the body. Churches need spiritual check ups because they are prone to unseen sickness. In the letter to Laodicea, written of in Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus serves as the church’s doctor during a check-up. He has the reputation, the report, and the treatment plan needed to bring a church with this condition back to health.   

First, Jesus has the right reputation to bring a sick church back to health. Jesus is the “Amen” or the True. That’s what it means to say, “Amen,” at the end of your prayer. You are affirming the afore mentioned words. You are ratifying them with a Yes or Truly. 2 Corinthians 1:20 reminds us that every promise of God finds its “Yes” in Christ. Jesus is described in Revelation as THE AMEN. In fact, the letter to this sick church begins with “The words of the Amen” (Revelation 3:14). He has the reputation of an expert witness. Everything he ever says is absolutely true and faithful. He is the firstborn among the healthy—among those resurrected to die no more. Jesus has earned His reputation as the great physician.   

Second, Jesus bore the right diagnosis needed to bring the sick church back to health. He knew them inside and out. The message was a difficult one to hear. You’re sick! Jesus was so bothered by their lack of health that he was nauseous! His diagnosis of this sick church was that they had lost their usefulness. Unlike the refreshing cool water of Colossae and the healing warm water of Heirapolis, the proverbial water of the Laodiceans was poisonous. Though they thought themselves sufficient, they were sick. The water they piped in on aqueducts was calcified, lukewarm, poor tasting, and unhelpful by the time it got to the citizens of Laodicea. These were self-made Christians, hard working, but not trusting in the Lord. They needed to be Spirit-made not self-made. The Laodiceans weren’t cold like the orthodox Ephesians or flimsy like the false-teaching Pergamum church or sexually perverse like the Thyatirians or nominal like the Sardisian church—no, they were the hard-working, counter cultural church. However, this church was useless to Jesus because it didn’t depend on him. The gospel cannot be faithfully preached by self-made men. That man must die to himself to live for Christ. The sickly had a form of godliness that denied the need for spiritual power. They had a weak connection to the source. The Laodicean Christians had made their riches in the clothing and pharmaceutical industry. Jesus described their attitude well when he caught them saying, “I need nothing.” The needless Christian is in a dangerous place. We all stand in need before Christ. Worship lacks when need lacks. Jesus gave them the cold hard facts. With nothing of health to commend, Jesus bore the true report to the church: “you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”   

Third, Jesus has the right treatment plan needed to bring the sick church back to health. Not only does Jesus have a sterling reputation as the great doctor and the needed report from the church’s check-up, he can also offer the proper treatment plan. What is it? Jesus expresses himself as a loving doctor as he reproves and disciplines them for their perceived self-sufficiency spiritually. He counsels them to worship and receive from Him by returning to earnestness in spiritual things. He counsels them to repent of their lukewarmness toward worship and prayer then return to fellowship with him. Jesus knew of the natural disaster that struck Laodicea in AD 60. He knew the Roman authorities offered financial help, with strings attached, and that the Laodiceans rightly refused. Later, when Roman soldiers occupied their land, soldiers would refuse to even knock on the front door to peoples’ homes before letting themselves in for dinner. They wouldn’t even afford the Laodiceans the courtesy of asking before they came in and ate their food! Unlike the Roman authorities, Christ’s authority offers helps without cost and requests table fellowship without barging in. The Laodicieans, you see, were treating Jesus’ authority with the same contempt as Roman authority. They might not have meant to do so, but, their contempt for help had led them in a bad way. Allowing cultural bitterness to creep into church can cause us to operate in an unhealthy way. Dr. Jesus counseled this church to get well by trusting Jesus’ provision, resources, purity, validation, and medicine.  

Routine check ups don’t have to be scary. Jesus’ bedside manner is loving, desire is pure, and counsel is needed. His authority is never abused and always rightly used. You can trust his credentials. By His Word, he will bring you the proper diagnosis and the best treatment plan. He longs for health in the body of Christ and He won’t stop until He achieves it. That’s just it, ‘He-Achieves-It.’ We, like the Laodicean church, like to achieve for ourselves. What works in the world won’t work in the church. We don’t achieve anything of spiritual value. We worship and serve the Lord of all our achievement. Only He makes us well.

The Key to Heaven

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 14:01:43 GMT

Revelation 3:7-13

Whoever has the power to unlock doors, well, has got the power. Think about it. If you want to get into an important building or an important room in an important building, you need to know someone who has the key. In college, I worked for Campus Security. While I didn’t carry a weapon, I did carry around a powerful metal ring—the key ring. When buddies wanted to get some milk from the cafeteria, the key could get them in. When well-meaning workout partners needed an extra hour in the gym, the key could get them in. Whoever has access to the person with the keys has access to power. The building access you most want is to heaven. You want to spend eternity in the best possible place. Jesus tells us how.  

A little background is in order. Jesus writes a message for all churches by writing a letter to a particular late 1st century church: Philadelphia. This is not the Philadelphia on the east coast of the United States but rather the Philadelphia in ancient Asia Minor, of the Roman empire, situated in modern southwestern Turkey. This rural or storefront church, small in the eyes of the world, looked to have little power but they kept the testimony and the Word. They kept the faith under intense pressure. Jesus writes a letter to this little, local church in this context and we have it written down in Revelation 3:7-13. He only commends them and doesn’t condemn powerless Philadelphia. What does this teach us about marginalized Christians in our time? What does it tell us about the keys to eternity?   

First, Jesus is the key. Jesus has the key to heaven. Jesus has “the key of David” which means all the promises of the patriarchs, the prophets and kings have their fulfillment in Jesus. The forever promises to King David, recorded in the former part of the Bible, are for God’s people in Christ. Jesus speaks only just, true words. No one gets in to the throne room of heaven without Jesus unlocking that door. There is no other way into heaven except through faith in Christ. He is heaven’s Campus Security.  

Second, Jesus knows all. Jesus knows his people. No one will phony-baloney their way into heaven. He knows your works and whether you’ve trusted in His works alone for salvation. Regardless of outward appearance, the unfaithful will find the door to heaven shut and the faithful will find the door opened. Jesus secures it that way. Jesus knows you.   

Third, Jesus keeps his people. Jesus keeps his people for the day of heaven. Some affluent people claim to be God’s but aren’t. This was the case in Philadelphia. Some powerful people in the religious group didn’t keep the word, denied Jesus was Messiah, and kept sincere believers out of the worship services. Jesus said that, despite what they claim they are, they are not His. There are liars in the midst of religious activity. Jesus comforts the Philadelphia believers by telling them that one day the truth will come out. One day, the word keepers will be ahead of the word bleepers. They will learn that Jesus has loved you. Though trials will come, he will hold you fast that no one who dwells on the earth will steal your reward. Only trust him.  

There will be a great cosmic reversal on the day of the Lord. Many who are first will be last. The last will be first. Every powerful person is not condemned—but all powerful persons that lack Christian humility, are condemned. Jesus will turn the fortunes of the prideful over just as he turned the money changers over in the temple. Intolerant he will be on that day. Justice will pour down like rain on God’s people. Take comfort that, though they shut you out of polite society and genteel religious establishments now, no one will shut you out then. In fact, Jesus will hold the door wide open for you. And, for the prideful reader, it’s not too late. Turn from your wicked ways and trust in Jesus. Join those of us with “little power” but that the world will learn soon that Jesus has set his love on. For those who do, in Revelation 3:12, Jesus ends his note to the church at Philadelphia with encouraging words for you, “I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it.”

The Autopsy of a Dead Church

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 18:01:55 GMT

Revelation 3:1-6 

Jesus is God. Jesus sees down deep. Jesus knows. Medical examiners only perform an autopsy on a dead person but Jesus is the great doctor. Jesus can see the potential cause of death prior to the actual cause of death. Unlimited, Jesus shares what would kill a church if allowed to continue. If you could know what would kill you, and could do something about it, wouldn’t you want to know? Jesus graciously shares what’s killing the church at Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) and leaves the counsel for Sardis-similar churches today. Listen carefully. Jesus’ autopsy of this church might just hit a little close to home, but, also, provide what you need to get all the way home to glory.  

Nominalism kills. Want to know what leaves a church for dead? It’s nominalism. What’s nominal Christianity? Think of a nominal presidency—the presidency is nothing more than a figurehead. Think of a nominal vacation—the vacationers must still work. One defined nominalism as “empty formalities, things so-called, and meaningless labels.” Professing Christians tend to become nominal in contexts like America—contexts where the predominant culture has been accepting of a light form of Christianity, one where Christianity minimally effects lifestyle. To be nominal requires less and is therefore an easier form of Christianity. The only problem with nominalism is that it kills. No matter how much life the world sees in Sardis, they’re dead (Revelation 3:1). Jesus doesn’t approve.  

Nominalism is as bad a representation of Christianity as the loveless Ephesians or the sensual Thyatirans. Jesus warns the nominal church. He will come quickly like a thief storms a house in the night. The church playing church won’t suddenly have time to get real before Jesus comes. The time is now. Jesus’ word warns. In fact, Jesus’ words are preached to the people, in power from the Spirit, for their long-term good. However painful in the moment, the alternative to Jesus’ corrective preaching is worse. Death! By heeding these preached words of Jesus we avoid spiritual death.   

Nominalism repackages the gospel in order to avoid persecution. The church at Sardis, which is situated in modern day Turkey, was one of seven churches taught too in the opening chapters of Revelation. Each church had a distinct need and received a distinct message. Nominal Christians are known for wonderful works and fewer quirks. The nominal church is known for having a good reputation; however, Jesus knows and sees more deeply. Nominalism replaces faithfulness with shrewdness. Here’s how: Rome required worship of the emperor. Christians could not utter the words, Caesar is lord” because “Lord” was a title strictly reserved for Jesus. There was no middle ground between loyalty to Jesus and Caesar. Christians needed an exemption. Luckily, Jews at Sardis had an exemption. After centuries of persecution, the Jews had carved out space in society, at least for this time, to not have to worship the emperor in order to buy, sell, and trade in the economy. The Sardinian synagogue was among the largest in the empire, seating one thousand people, and situated in the city center next to the Roman gymnasium. Sardinian Christians could have a good name in Rome. All they needed to do was check “Jew” on the census box instead of “Christian.” It seemed such a small concession but it came with big consequence. The author of Revelation, the Apostle John, was exiled to the Alcatraz like island of Patmos for exactly this. A good name with the community is not always synonymous with having a good name with Jesus. Nominal Christians were willing to repackage essential elements of the gospel in order to get along at Sardis.

Nominalism is a sin to be repented of. Jesus offers Sardis no commendation. Revelation 3:2-3 contains the imperative verb “repent” as well as imperatives: Wake! Strengthen! Keep! Remember! Each of these verbs carry weight. Repent means to change your way of thinking about nominalism. Do an about-face. Wake means to stop with spiritual lethargy. Be sensitized anew. Strengthen what remains means minister in that church in that town—don’t go church hopping. Remember what you received by hearing the gospel. Remembering requires work. Keep the gospel. Repent of the sin of a nominal approach to Christianity. The gospel is not nominalism.   

There is no ultimate joy in nominalism. Nominalism doesn’t cut deep enough to satisfy. Even in a known nominal church, Jesus identifies a few bright lights who’ve remained pure. Having warned the nominal (Revelation 3:2-3), Jesus turns (3:4-5) to strengthen the worthy workers in the church with two contrasting promises—with a no never and a yes forever. First , the no never. The Romans would erase the existence of their citizens who received the death penalty. Christians who received capital punishment would have their existence erased from the town roll book. Jews would blot out the names of defectors from their roll thus rendering the not-Jewish-enough-Christian non exempt from emperor worship. This kind of hardball could cost the sincere Christian their livelihood or life itself. Jesus knows. Jesus says he will no, never blot these names out of His book of life. Second, a yes forever. Jesus positively will confess the name of the faithful believer before the Father’s angels on that day in heaven. Nominalism ends bitterly. Christianity continues joyfully.   

To apply, consider one author’s diagnostic questions: How real has God been this week to your heart? Are you finding certain biblical promises precious? Are you finding God’s grace more glorious now than in the past? We perform autopsies to learn from the dead. Jesus predicted an autopsy to prevent death. Nominal churches do not have to stay so, they do not have to die. Jesus cares enough to do a predictive autopsy that we might learn and live.

Be Intolerant?

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 18:55:17 GMT

Revelation 2:18-29

Tolerance! Tolerance! This is the air we breath in this cultural moment. Has it always been this way? Should Christians declare tolerance an absolute truth? Let’s take a look at some counsel from Jesus that answers these questions.   

Jesus addresses all the churches for all time by addressing seven specific churches through John’s writings in Revelation 2-3. Of these seven churches, two stand out for our topic today. Ephesus was praised for intolerance toward the Nicolaitan false teachers (2:6) but chastised for abandoning the love they’d had at first. Conversely, Thyatira was praised for loving even greater now than they did at first but chastised for tolerance toward the false teachers of Jezebel. Jesus wants his church to practice love and tell the truth—two things at once—like, you might say, walking and chewing gum at the same time. Our sin pollution drives us toward unfaithfulness in one way or another. Jesus’ righteousness at work in us speaks to us at our better and bitter points.   

First, Jesus speaks words of praise. Jesus, Himself, is praiseworthy. This “Son of God” is superior to any pagan god who claims the same title, like the pagan god at Thyatira, a son of Zeus, named Apollo. In mythology, Apollo of the day, one of the chief gods of Thyatira, was the twin brother of Artemis of the night, the chief goddess at Ephesus. Jesus draws a contrast between a warm day-like but liberal church at Thyatria and a cold night-like but conservative church at Ephesus. The true God has feet like brass and eyes like fire. This is a way of saying that Jesus’ brass was of greater strength than the secret brass metal workers of the blue collar manufacturing town of Thyatira. You may recall that the Christian convert Lydia was a seller of purple cloths. The trade guild gods were false and Christians did not need to fear the power of bronze workers. Jesus is aware of all of this. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament biblical prophets like Daniel. He is able to conquer his foes and see penetratingly deep into the mind and heart of every person. He knows. And, for what Jesus knows of the church members at Thyatira, there is praiseworthy aspects: their love, their faith, their deacon service, their patient endurance. This would’ve been a swell church to attend. They’d make you dinner but never make waves. You would’ve felt the love but also the tolerance, which, in this context, Jesus does not praise.   

Second, Jesus speaks words of punishment. Certain members of the church at Thyatira were too tolerant of sexual immorality. Jesus chastises them for tolerating a woman, Jezebel. It’s unlikely this false teacher was named Jezebel more likely she imitated the 8th B.C. wife of King Ahab, that is, Queen Jezebel. The books of Kings record the way Queen Jezebel led the children of Israel astray. The prophet Elijah had run-ins with Jezebel. There was a figure in the church at Thyatira that was propagating similar seductive teaching—urging members they could follow Christ and participate in pagan parties, sexual immorality. Graciously, Jesus had, through the church’s member warnings, we think, given Jezebel time to repent. But Jezebel had no will to repent of her sexual immorality or how she’d persuaded laxity among the member. Jesus promises to punish the adulterers lest they repent of Jezebel’s works. He promises to judge them according to their works if they aren’t trusting in Christ’s works on their behalf. Jesus is calling them back to the gospel, and, he’s calling the bystanders to stop tolerating terrible teaching. Jesus asserts he has this against them, that they “tolerate” that woman, or wife, Jezebel. Jesus knows that it is hard for the true bride of Christ, the local church, to call even the most unapologetic, publicly known, and characteristically sexually sinful saints to repent. He knows it will be considered unloving. He knows it takes courage but the kingdom is for the courageous. This is exactly what Jesus calls the faithful to do: hold His teaching by not disciplining false teachers. If not, they face punishment. If so, they learn of promises to come.   

Third, Jesus speaks words of promise. Jesus loves the members of His church. He wants them to persevere in the faith and knows they will. Those penetrating fiery eyes provide a warmth to the sincere believer. As a kingdom of priests, faithful followers will share in authority over the nations as Jesus comes to judge and rule over them. To use a manufacturing metaphor, Jesus will rule with a rod of discipline, as when earthen pots are broken to pieces. Would not it be better to heed the rule of the church’s rod of discipline now, in spiritual things, than cling to sexual sensuality only to face the permanent rod of discipline then for earthly things? The unfaithful will be broken to pieces while the faithful are being built up piece by piece into a giant household of faith. True teachers remind Christians they are recipients of a brighter star than the brightest in the sky. Jesus the Christ will be our bright and morning star. As Vern Poythress reminded, “The morning star, Venus, is the brightest star-like object in the night sky. The prominence of the morning star seems also to suggest an answer to the worldly puniness of Christians, indicating that they have weight and significance through Christ, and in the coming age their status will be made manifest.” Until that morning star rises in our hearts, we ought pay attention to the words of Scripture, know that no Scripture comes from an individual alone but from the will of God (see 2 Peter 1:19-21).   

Jesus’ praise and punishments and promises are to keep the believer for a most glorious wedding day—when the church is presented not as an unfaithful Jezebel but as a faithful bride to Jesus.

What a day that will be.

Until then, we need to walk and chew gum at the same time, we need to love in truth. At times, faithfulness to Jesus will command us to be intolerant. So help us God.

Can I Get a Witness?

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 20:52:04 GMT

Revelation 2:12-17

In certain churches, at certain points in the sermon, it is common for the preacher to pose a question to the congregation. The preacher will ask, “Can I get a witness?” To this, the congregation eagerly complies with a word of affirmation or a hearty, “Amen.” So, what is a Christian witness? How do I know if I’m a faithful witness? Thankfully, Jesus’ letter to the first century church at a town called Pergamum helps all of us answer that question. See Revelation 2:12-17.   

First, Jesus describes a faithful witness named Antipas . The Christians of Pergamum were lodged in the capitol city of the Asia Minor section of the Roman empire. Citizens of Pergamum were considered some of the most loyal in the empire. They paid homage to Caesar, engaged in the worship of the empire—pagan worship, and didn’t much tolerate dissenters. Jesus recognizes that the Pergamum Christians were living in the place “where Satan’s throne is.” This was likely a reference to the idol statue to Zeus which had little serpents engraved in it, hence, “where Satan dwells.” Anti-pas, the name on its parts, could be anti-the-pantheon of gods. Antipas was likely a pastor killed during the early reign of the ruling Roman emperor Domitian—the same emperor that now had John the Apostle, the author of Revelation, imprisoned. John faithfully witnessed to Jesus but Antipas especially faithfully witnessed by giving his life. In fact, the Greek word ‘martus’ is translated “witness” and was like with our English word, “martyr.” Faithful witnesses in the early church faced loss of trade guild cards which enabled well paying jobs, confiscation of property if prosecuted, and even death if the Pergamum governance saw fit. Pergamum was one of the few cities given the delegated ‘power to wield the sword,’ or capitol punishment, by Rome. There was much to lose for holding fast to the name of Christ in a corrupt city like Pergamum. Would the witness be worth it in the end?   

Second, Jesus describes unfaithful witnesses like Balaam and Nicolaitans. Antipas held fast to Christ while these unfaithful witnesses held to false teaching. You can’t hold fast to Christ’s teaching and false teaching. Teaching disciples to obey all that Christ commanded is part in parcel to the Great Commission. Practice follows teaching. Teaching matters. Teaching is not a matter indifferent to Jesus. All disciplers teach. Every parent teaches children. Elders qualifications are 100% character based with the exception of ‘apt to teach.’ Mind your teaching. Jesus says so. Unfaithful witnesses start down the slippery slope of unbiblical teaching. If the church at Pergamum allowed false teachers then Thyatira followed the practices of false teachers and Sardis died because of it. These 3rd-5th letters, the middle letters from Jesus to the seven churches, demonstrate a slippery slope. Satan couldn’t conquer the Christians at Pergamum coming through the front door of persecution so he changed tactics to the back door of worldliness. Jesus likens this budding compromise to that of Balaam from the Old Testament and the Nicolaitans of the New. Balaam sold his soul for gain. King Balak of the Moabites, an enemy of God’s people, hired the preaching prophet Balaam to help bring down his own people. Get this, Balaam undermined his people for greed at the same time he claimed to be a teacher to them. In the end, Balaam died by the sword but not before he reeked havoc with many sons of Israel stumbling into idolatrous immorality then dying. Israel learned a hard lesson. Like the Balaamites, the Nicolaitans taught compromise with the world. They held that you could go along with the guild god worship so long as you didn’t mean it in your heart. At the religious festivals, where the Roman chamber of commerce types abounded, the people would eat food sacrificed to idols and drink until orgies of immorality ensued. The Nicolaitans, for personal gain, were conquering the people by teaching permissive worldliness. So long as you kept your private faith, and knew those dumb idols weren’t real, you could dabble in this and that without getting caught up in it. For Jesus’ part, holding to his Name meant not holding to false teaching. These are unfaithful witnesses. They must repent! If not, Jesus will fight against them. In fact, He will war against them with the “sword of His mouth” (2:16). Jesus’ words, his teachings, are our weapons of warfare (see Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17). Jesus has the “sharp two-edged sword” (Revelation 2:12). What are we to make of the symbol of the sword with regard to faithful witnessing?   

Third, Jesus wields the sword against unrepentant witnesses. Not everything that calls itself Christian, is. Jesus promises to conquer his enemies—even enemies within the church. Judgment begins in the household of God. We the people of God must persevere in the faith, and, with the help of God, we will. His warnings against unfaithful witnessing are meant to draw us back to Him as “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth” (Revelation 1:5). Revelation is filled with counter-examples. Satan seems to set up a counterfeit trinity of a dragon, a beast, and a false prophet to contrast with the authentic Trinity of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God the Trinity plans, executes, and witnesses faithfully for your salvation. The sword too offers a counter-example. The governing authorities are allowed to wield the sword in order to punish evil and promote good. In Pergamum, the sword-wielders were using capitol punishment against the workers of good while rewarding workers of evil. Jesus comforts his people with his promise to come ‘with the sword’ against His enemies which are our enemies. In another counter-example, those who put a stumbling block in the way of faithful witness are countered by Jesus being a stumbling block to eternal life. Jesus’ free gift of eternal life is a stumbling block to some like unto how soft peddling Nicolaitan teachers were presenting the moral stumbling block of idolatrous immorality. They hatefully taught the destructive heresy that you could have your Christ and pagan practices too. Jesus comforts the repentant believers with the promise of provision (hidden manna) and protection (a white stone) that they so long for. The Christians didn’t need to turn to greed in order to get paid. The same as the people of God received manna from heaven while in the desert so will God feed his people in unforeseen ways. The Christians didn’t need to turn to pagan practices for protection. Christ gives them a white stone of acquittal from sin, as opposed to a black stone, and admission into the final wedding—in eternity.   

Fourth, Jesus takes care of His faithful witnesses. Faithful witnesses receive a new name at the marriage feast of the Lamb. We get to take on the name of Christ much like a bride takes on the name of a groom. We are readied in pure white for such a day when we will eat manna at the table of Christ at the marriage feast of the Lamb. In an odd plot twist, the suffering servant becomes the conquering King. In Revelation 19:11-15, John wrote was he saw, that is, that Christ “judges and makes war…and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven…were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them.” A faithful witness remains so because he has a clear view of what happens in the end. The conquering Christ will right every wrong and endlessly fellowship with His people. A faithful witness does not embrace false teachers with cultural compromise for personal provision and protection. No! Christ’s faithful witnesses embrace the way of the cross. Invariably, the scandal of the cross brings friction in the places where Satan dwells. However, witness is worth it. God’s work is done by such as these.

Can I get a witness?

Comforting the Afflicted

matt@mvbaptist.church (Matthew Watson) — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 17:15:50 GMT

Revelation 2:8-11

Comfort the afflicted. Afflict the comfortable. This is what the gospel does. Christ knows the difference between the comfortable and the afflicted. From Christ, there is no hiding. The last first century church at Smyrna is the subject of Revelation 2:8-11. Smyra is the second of the seven churches that receive letters from Jesus in Revelation. Smyrna, the second, and Philadelphia, the sixth mentioned church in Revelation, received no correction. Christ knew the need of the hour. When suffering lurks, comforting works. Christ prepares the would-be sufferer by His powerful, personal presence.   

First, Christ prepares the would-be sufferer by His power. Lord Axton wrote of power, that, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolute.” This is especially true of coercive powers of the state but there is no power on earth that Jesus isn’t senior too. Power only corrupts sinners capable of corruption but there is no corruption in Christ. Facing the powers of the state, Jesus comforts the Christians who were also Roman citizens of Smyrna (modern day Izmir, Turkey) by declaring His ultimate power. Christ’s powerful words are introduced with the same phrase used 250 times in the Old Testament to introduce prophetic oracles, “The words of…” Mirroring the most apt self-designation of Christ from his opening monologue (1:12-17), Christ is powerfully Lord of the whole by being Lord of first and last. Christ powerfully came back to life after death thus conquering our greatest fear—death. So we don’t have to fear the second death now, like the unbelievers will. Christ conquered death so every believer will too conquer death by going the same way, the way of the cross, the way of suffering, the way through humility to exaltation.   

Second, Christ prepares the would-be sufferer by His personal awareness . Christ is personal with His people. Revelation 2:9 begins with the words, “I know.” Christ knows the tribulation you go through. He knows your economic situation. He knows the words leveed against you for your faith. Jesus was rendered too poor to afford his own tomb and too slandered to mount his own defense. The enemies of Christ did the devil’s work, as a synagogue of Satan by pressing Christianity outside the Jewish exemption for emperor worship in Rome. So, under more tyrannical dictators like Nero and Domitian, Jews that refused to vouch for the Jewishness of Christians, left them out to pasture. Smyrnan Christians were marginalized, maligned, and in some cases martyred for their faithfulness to Christ. Christ is personally aware of every single word and deed done against His people. He is not unaware, and, you are not alone.   

Third, Christ’s prepared the would-be sufferer by His presence. Follow the imperative verbs in Revelation 2:8-11. First and fifth imperatives are Write/Hear. Second and four imperatives are Fear Not/Be Faithful. Third comes the imperative, “Behold,” or pay attention to this key thought, the devil is about to be allowed “to throw some of you into prison, that you might be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation.” Christ knows what is about to occur and is a present witness to all these proceedings. Christ wants to ready all the churches now through his words to this church then—to ready us to be faithful as the martyrs of the early church, the Reformation, and today. We should empathize as well as support the people in the world that face tribulation today. We should stand ready to suffer, even like Job did, according to the sovereignty of God. Salvation belongs to the Lord, we learn in Jonah. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, we learn in Romans. The same as the Lord secures salvation for sinners, so do we need to leave room for the Lord’s vengeance. Our witness is hampered when we emphasize our personal rights instead of dwelling on Christ’s presence during suffering.

When we are faithful unto death, we receive a crown of life. Polycarp knew the author of Revelation, John the Apostle. While John went to prison on Patmos for his faith, Polycarp went to martyrdom in the Coliseum for his faith. John was a wrinkly old eighty plus year old pastor when he wrote Revelation on behalf of our Lord Christ. Polycarp was a wrinkly old eighty six year old pastor when he was burned at the stake, refusing to slander Jesus, and testifying to the executioner of the long-lasting lake of fire upon the second death if he does not receive the gospel of Christ. Christ prepared these sufferers to be courageous the same way He prepares us: by His powerful, personal presence. Christ comforts the afflicted. Suffering hurts. Christ helps.

When Duty Forgets to Love - Revelation 2:1-7

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 18:53:10 GMT

Duty. Duty. Duty.

This is how Douglas MacArthur focused his final message to West Point, in 1962. He ended his speech with how much the battle would be on his mind when he “crossed the river” into eternity. He felt his final thoughts would be with “the Corps, the Corps, the Corps.” The Lord Jesus addresses the war hardened Christian. Just as MacArthur’s lifespan included both World Wars of the 20th century, so did the Ephesian church members’ lifespan include major Christian persecutions under Roman emperors in the last half of the 1st century. The Ephesians were commended for their bravery, counseled to repent of their hardness and comforted if they did. This message applies to any believer whose love has grown cold in a sea of dutiful Christian activity.  

First, Commendable Bravery.

The dutiful Christians at Ephesus were directly communicated to on the matter (Revelation 2:1-7). The Lord moved through John the Apostle, from prison, when John was in his 80s in the AD 90s, to write this heartfelt letter to the churches. His counsel stands for believers now. Through these verses, Jesus reminds us that he holds and walks among the churches. Jesus knows “your works.” Nothing is hidden from Him. He commends them for not bearing with the false teachers. For decades now, listening to great preaching from the likes of John and Paul and Apollos and Timothy, Ephesus had defended sound beliefs and enforced sound behavior. They’ve hated the cosmopolitan Christianity of that day, that is, the Nicolaitans, which the Lord also hates. These types of Christians do their duty to defend the faith and father the children in the faith. Brave and dutiful, they are attempting to provide a safe place to interact. But, their interaction is lacking.   

Second, Interaction Lacking.

Despite all of the commendable aspects of the Ephesian faith, Jesus has this against them, that they “have abandoned the love (they) had at first” (2:4). Is this a lack of love for Jesus? neighbor? one another? the needy? the lost? Jesus intentionally leaves the answer blank. He doesn’t opine. For one, the Ephesians would have known what specific ‘love they’d had at first’ that they no longer emphasized. For two, we can apply this teaching, with the help of the Spirit, to our own lives more readily with this lack of specificity. Like Paul’s thorn in his flesh, this loveless Christianity is left somewhat undefined. Have you lost an earlier love you have for God’s people? Do you need to rekindle affection for the gatherings of believers, meeting needs with love, sharing the gospel in love? We all get jaded, bitter from battle. It’s understanding that the tougher minded among us would recalcitrant to isolated Christianity, to dutiful Christianity. Our garden variety interaction may not be the heartfelt variety interaction. There are times we all serve out of duty but we shouldn’t stay there. We again and again need called back to heartfelt Christianity that loves one another as Christ has loved us. This lack of love was not something to lament but something to repent of! To Jesus, this lacking interaction was not spiritually neutral. He directly warns their hardened hearts to remember, repent, and redo the loving works they did at first. To reject is to lose their place as a church in the region. To repent is to keep the light shining bright through their church. If church history is any indication, the original recipients of this message repented. Will you?    Are you a war hardened Christian? There is much to commend about your fidelity to doctrine and duty. But a loss of love is declared significant by Jesus. You can conquer the sin of indifference by hearing what the Spirit says by the words of Revelation 2:1-7 and applying them in your own life. Then, you will sense renewed assurance of life before you when you “cross the river” into eternity. Wars may call us to Duty. Duty. Duty. Jesus calls us to also Love. Love. Love. Your duty is to love and love motivates certain duties. We will see this in the letters to come. For now, it is enough to say to the Ephesian-type Christian, pair your duty with love from the heart. Maintain the former while not neglecting the latter.

How Much Should Christians Care about Who Gets Elected?

Sat, 14 Nov 2020 14:03:21 GMT

We’re embroiled in one of the most contested presidential elections since McKinley/Bryan in 1896. We’re embattled in one of the most split populaces since Bush/Gore 2000. The differences are stark.

Christians are people with strongly held views. How much effort should Christians give to the shaping of political views? Should they just focus on the gospel? Isn’t politics downstream from culture? Aren’t there gospel implications for all of life? Isn’t the law a shaper of culture too?

Some say, “It doesn’t matter who gets elected.” Others say, “It totally matters who gets elected.” How am I to know who to follow? Christians say both. The “it doesn’t matter” apologists remind us that Jesus is the ultimate senior authority to all. The “it totally matters” apologists remind us that citizens have a responsibility to pursue the welfare of the nation in which they live. So, who has the better approach. Let’s explore.

First, Let’s explore the Christians who assert “it totally matters” who gets elected.

We’ll call them Christian #1. Christian #1 considers themselves well informed. Filled with passion, they argue ideas and insist that ideas have consequences. They remind us of the verses in the Bible that call Christians to seek justice and pursue righteousness. They have studied the proverbs to find the most helpful blends of human responsibility to call for in a constitutional republic. Christian #1 fears the worst could happen if America doesn’t wake up to founding principles and first things. Use, or lose, your liberties! They remind us that even the exiles in Babylon were commanded by God to seek the welfare of the city in which they lives (Jeremiah 29:7) and to denounce the idealistic utopians who held out for an Israeli kingdom to come. Christian #1 reminds us we live in the here and now. John the Baptist scolded Herod. The Apostle Paul spoke truth to Festus. Jesus spoke candidly with Pilate. Human flourishing matters. We should seek it. Anything less is a dereliction of duty. So asserts Christian #1.

Second, Let’s explore the Christians who assert “it doesn’t matter” who gets elected.

Christians #2 says, God is in control. He’s totally sovereign. Their application to this sovereignty is we can do minimal duties at the ballot box, then rest in come what may. There’s not much need to concern ourselves with things too wonderful for us—like presidential politics. These things will work themselves out. If the Apostles could lead churches under the repressive governing dictates of Nero and Domitian, and pen prose like Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, and Revelation 1, then surely we can keep an eternal focus now. The great persecutions of the church now, in the Reformation, and sporadically in the early church before Constantine did not stop the spread of the gospel. In fact, as one church father said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the saints. We are spoiled rotten by perceived political power and we’re drunk on it. It’s high time we learn a hard lesson by lessening that grip. In fact, it might be best if we vote by principle rather than practicality. Cultural Christianity is dying, and, Christian #2 says, “Good riddance!”

I sort of believe Christian #1 and Christian #2. Don’t you?

I mean in certain situations, Christian #1 sounds more apt and in other situations Christian #2 sounds right. The proverbs remind us to weigh counsels. The first position sounds right until you hear the second. Then, having heard both, the gravity of decisions and where to place the emphasis kicks in. In reality, the Lord gives us biblical data for how to pursue human flourishing and how to be faithful when under persecution. The Lord teaches us how to do battle and to not be bitter. Ask yourself: Are you more prone to feel comforted by Christian #1 or #2? Which one more challenges you in your current setting in life? Whom do you need to hear from? Are you aggressive or apathetic? Are you humble enough to realize you might not be ascertaining all the data correctly and convictional enough to stand for something lest you fall for anything? Wisdom proactively asks hard questions of herself, early, often, most always. What counsel is needed, for you, now?

Two truths coexist. These truths form a tension for the Christian life. At times we need reminded the Lord is sovereign despite the foiling of our best efforts at statecraft. At times we need to celebrate the Lord’s goodness in helping Christians impact the states in which they live. You have responsibility and God is sovereign. Both/and not either/or. This application of two truths in tension requires perspective. It’ll take wisdom to know what the time calls for. So, go, make a difference in this constitutional republic, and, rest in the finished work of Christ. The hope of the world can shine through when leveler heads prevail and when they don’t. Christians trust and witness. Christians are at rest and work.

These things we hold to be self evident: that God is good and we aren’t home yet. Serve well. Honor Christ. Embrace the tension.

Picture Perfect

Sat, 14 Nov 2020 13:56:11 GMT

Revelation 1:9-20

We aren’t supposed to draw pictures of God so that we won’t worship graven images. However, Jesus told his followers that anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father. In a surreal vision given to John the Apostle the Spirit offers us a word picture of the Son in glory. A word picture is a vivid description in words. Conversely, a word salad is a confused mixture of random words. One pastor voiced concern that our view of Jesus be a biblical word picture rather than a cultural word salad. He shared, “If you visit a church at random, I wonder what kind of Jesus you would encounter. Would it be the Jesus blended in with world religions? The Jesus of Mohammad, a simple prophet? Like Ghandi, Hinduism, Jesus as a wonderful moral teacher? Jesus of the cults like David Koresh? Jesus of refined culture like that of Dan Brown? Of pop culture like the winning athlete, “I’d like to thank the big guy upstairs?” or the rock star, like, Jesus is my home boy? Of the health & wealth gospel—if you believe it you will achieve it? Jesus of the self-esteem gospel—Jesus believes in you? In this supermarket of spirituality, you never know which Jesus you’ll get.” The Apostle John had an authorized vision of the true Jesus in Revelation 1:9-20. We see the Son in glory at work in the churches both as a tough Judge and tender Savior.   

First, We see the Son in glory at work in the churches.

John the Apostle lived a long life before he wrote Revelation. As a part of the family business, John fished with his brother James and their impetuous family friend, Peter. A captivating man named Jesus came on the scene near the Sea of Galilee, where they fished, when John was in his early twenties. Jesus changed John’s life. John spent his time trying to gain clout only to find out the essence of spirituality is service. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve. John was there when Jesus was crucified and, thereafter, gave care to Jesus’ mother. John witnessed the resurrection and led in early churches. It went well enough for a while, but, since John had been working in the church at Ephesus, a persecuting emperor, Domitian, had come to power. Now in his eighties, John was exiled to a small island 40 miles south of modern western Turkey. There, John worked in rock quarries and continued to worship Jesus every Lord’s Day, that is, Sunday. On one such Sunday, John, perhaps down on his luck, received an apocalyptic prophecy, a letter for the churches in and around Ephesus. John was commanded to “write what he saw” and “send it to the churches.” So he did. The word picture told him depicted Jesus (the Son in glory) in the midst of the churches (the lamp stands). So the Son in glory is at work in the churches, even during times of persecution of believers “on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”

Application : Attend a faithful church every Lord’s Day. Tell the word of God and the testimony of Jesus even if you wind up on an island all alone. The Lord cares not only what you do but why you do it, who, and how you do it.

  Second, We see the Son in glory at work in the churches as a tough Judge.

We tend to jump to a vision of Jesus as a buddy but this vision of Jesus is fearful before friendly, tough before tender. This tension of the Son in glory as tough and tender is captured by Mr. & Mrs. Beavers description of Lucy and Peter’s prospective meeting with Aslan in CS Lewis’s, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The Beavers are describing Aslan, who portrays the Son in glory, as untamed but nevertheless good for his people. Revelation 1:13-16 captures the untamed aspect. The Messiah would need to fulfill a threefold office of priest, king, and prophet to be fitted to mediate between God and man. Christ alone is the priest, king and prophet. Revelation uses a word picture to describe the Son in priestly garb: a robe and sash; in kingly wisdom: white haired and fiery eyed and burnished bronze feet; in prophetic voice: with a roaring voice and sharp speech. Priests intercede. Kings judge. Prophets preach. No Christian leader has time or gifting to equally intercede, judge, and preach. Only Christ perfectly shepherds, plans, and instructs. The Son in glory’s face illuminates the new creation like the sun illuminates this creation. This is the word picture John wrote to send to us. In completing the canon of Scripture, with Revelation, we get an authorized word picture of Jesus fulfilling the threshold office. He holds the church’s pastoral messengers in his right hand. His right hand is strong and soft, tough and tender.   

Application : View the Whole Christ rather than a supermarket style Jesus. Pray and Worship the Holy Savior of the universe!

Third, We see the Son in glory at work in the churches as a tender Savior.  

When John fell in awe before an angel, he was told to get up as not to commit idolatry. Here, in Revelation 1:17, John falls before deity, and, we know Jesus is deity, because no such command to “get up” is given. John’s response is one of faith in God. No one responds flippantly when faced with the stunning glory of God! John fell paralytic but Jesus, as if to comfort Him, “laid his right hand on John.” The right hand is one of strength. To be ambidextrous is to be strong in both hands, because the Greek word for right hand is dexios. Jesus laid his strong hand softly on his follower and urged him not to be afraid: “Fear…Not.” Then he list the reason: I have control of what happens after death. Of all the problems you face, the one of first order is death. So the Son in glory comforts us with what is of first importance: life forever. Fear is the right response to deity but faith in the Lord leaves you not wailing with the unbelievers (1:7) but comforted by the Son’s tender touch. He doesn’t assert your fears are unfounded. Rather, he asserts, in another place, that His perfect love casts out your fear (1 John 4:18).   

Application : Take your greatest fear to Jesus. Only He can cast it out.   

One pastor warned, “Saints today need to avoid becoming too “familiar” with Christ in their speech and attitudes, for He deserves all honor and praise.” Another shared, “Christ is more than a mere friend: He is awesome in majesty, power, and purity. Too many Christians in our generation have only seen Christ as a “buddy,” losing sight of his majesty. Revelation gives a strong, bracing antidote.” Mr. Beaver, in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe affirmed that Peter had struck this tension just right when Peter said, “I’m longing to see him…even if I do feel frightened when it comes to the point.” That’s right! We best see the tough, tender Son in glory by learning how He moves about in the midst of our churches which is exactly what comes next in Revelation, in chapters 2-3. Stay tuned. For today, it is enough for us to envision not a Christ of our own making but the Christ of the Bible.

Is it Revelation or Revelations?

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 16:57:42 GMT

Revelation 1:1-8

Revelation. Yes. That was singular. The sixty-sixth of sixty-six books in the Bible is to be referred to in the singular: Revelation. Question answered. So, you can stop reading now if you’d like. If you’re interested in studying Revelation with me, then I invite you to read on. While the Lord granted many revelations in giving us the Bible in final form, there is only one book so titled, and it’s capitalized and singular: Revelation.    When we study the prologue to the book of Revelation (remember, pronounced singular: Revelation. Hint: there’s no “s” on the end!), we find Christ at the center of it all. Revelation 1:1-8 reveals Christ’s book of books for Christ’s people awaiting Christ’s return.

  First, Revelation reveals Christ’s book of books.

There are 404 verses in Revelation. Go ahead, sit down and read it in one setting. Consider every verse. Note the repetitive language. For example, “God” is mentioned x98 times, “angel” x67 times, and “seven” is mentioned x55 times. Contrast the imagery of counterfeit trinity of the dragon the beast and the false prophet with the authentic Trinity of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit whom plans, executes, and witnesses faithfully for your salvation. Think of this book as a picture to be seen rather than a puzzle to be fit together. The broad brush strokes keep with the genre of apocalyptic literature of the time and fulfill the Old Testament prophecies. This apocalyptic letter, in fact, alludes to the Old Testament prophecy hundreds of times. As you read, follow the footnotes for the most obvious references and see how many allusions you can pick up on from books such as Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel and most referenced per verse, Daniel. Nearly every book in the Old Testament is referenced in Revelation thus pulling together the Bible, or book of books, as Christ’s full and complete book.

Application: Study the Bible deeply.

Second, Revelation reveals Christ’s book for Christ’s people.

Christ’s local and universal church is in view right from the start of Revelation. As you read, consider that the now Grandpa-aged, eighty-something year old, Apostle John is given this vision precisely for serving the churches in Asia Minor—modern day Turkey. The Apostle John, the last living Apostle, is caught up in the Spirit on Sunday, distanced from the church he loves, and he gets a letter “to the seven churches that are in” that area (see Revelation 1:4). John is allowed to serve the church one last book even while alone and exiled to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. The greetings and gospel reminders and glory given God stated in light of the complete, or seven, worshipping churches. Just as there are seven days in the week so do the seven churches, geographically circular, represent the complete church. The seven spirits (1:4) represent the Spirit and the entire Trinity is prominent from the outset in Revelation. Follow the chain in the prologue of Revelation: God the Father gave this book to the Son who gave this book to his angel who gave this book to John the Apostle who gave this book to his fellow servants then as well as for all the churches in all time.

Application: Attach yourself to a local church where the Bible is studied, deeply.

Third, Revelation reveals Christ’s book of books for Christ’s people awaiting Christ’s return.

Believers, by faith, are awaiting Christ’s return. You too can also become a child of God. You can know Him now as Savior rather than later as Judge. Upon Christ’s return, there will be tears of anguish for the unbelieving multitudes from every tribe (Revelation 1:7). All the tribes of the earth will see Him, there will be no place to hide, and the redeemed of the Lord will be vindicated. What was believed only by faith will then be witnessed by sight. This is why you must receive his loving offer to free you from your sin, by His sacrifice on the cross, for you (1:5). As believers, we anticipate the coming Ruler of rulers will task us with important priestly responsibilities (1:6) in the kingdom.

  Students have studied in good faith and arrived at four interpretative lenses for Revelation: Historicists, Futurists, Preterists, and Idealists. Historicists think most of the events of Revelation have already occurred; Futurists think most of the events of Revelation are yet to occur; Preterists think most of the event occurred during the first century, and Idealists think most of the events are occurring symbolically. Students also vary on how to interpret the millennial reign of Christ described in Revelation 20. While some see the millennium as symbolic (Amillennial) others see the millennium as literally occurring—literally whether going to occur (Premillennial) or mostly already occurred (Postmillennial). While faithful students arrive at different conclusions on the timing of events surrounding Christ’s return, they all await Christ’s return. And that’s what it means to be Christian. Christ not only is now and was before but is the Almighty One “who is to come” (1:8). Christ is the completion of everything.

Application: Attach yourself to a local church to study the Bible deeply but with humility.

Your adherence to the doctrines of the Trinity and church are much more sure than your doctrine of end times. Note: Any good Systematic Theology is going to reflect this surety in the sequential ordering of the contents of God, Church, End Times.

If you decide to dig into this book with me in this season of your life, I’d love to hear from you. You can hear my sermons and interact with us through our web site, at www.mvbaptist.church/about . Far from a book to be feared, Revelation (yes, that’s still pronounced in the singular!) is a book to be frequented. While we might not understand every detail in this picture book until it happens, we should be lifelong students of Christ’s book for Christ’s people as we await Christ’s return. Here, we will find strength to be faithful witnesses by His strength and for His glory!

Is Chaos and Ruin Coming?

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 21:13:35 GMT

Thousands of people have taken to the street in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. Video of three colleagues onlooking as a police officer used his knee to pin Floyd’s neck has prompted a strong reaction from around this country—as it should. Protests have turned to riots and riots to destruction of property. Guardsmen were called in and cable news is back in business. Questions abound. Are there a few bad apples in law enforcement or is the problem systemic, irrevocable? Should minorities live suspicious of authorities? One side follows the bad-apple theory. The other side calls the whole-bunch-is-rotten theory. Supporting statistics are thrown around like frisbees in a park. Entrenchment deepens. I cannot be sure of Floyd’s killer’s motive—Was it racial? Was it general brutality? There sure does seem to be a lot of visible-to-see, white-cop-on-black-suspect, news to report these days. Nothing I can type here will remove the tensions of race in our nation. Christ can. My interest in typing today is to get you to consider: Is benevolent use of authority a thing of the past? And, if so, how can we avoid chaos & ruin?  

Consider spheres of authority. Society depends on it. In it’s more localized form—there’s the sphere of the home. This is the sphere where parents rule…or at least they should. God teaches parents not to exasperate their children and bosses not to exasperate their employees and husbands not to exasperate their wives and teachers not to exasperate their students (cf. Ephesians 6:1-8, 5:22-33 & Galatians 3:24). Divorce kills the smallest unit of civilization but the dying doesn’t stop there. The breakdown of right use of authority in the home spreads to workplaces as children grow up to enter the labor force. Breakdowns destroy marriages as husbands use their physical strength to dominate rather than cultivate. Breakdowns happen when bosses are selfish and laborers are untrained. Breakdowns happen when the authority of government turns in on itself with career politicians rather than occasional officeholding citizens of respect—those who will serve temporarily as servants for the public good. When authority is misused in business or police, government or press, home or church, then, each person begins to do what’s right in their own eyes—a plague the aptly-titled Bible book of Judges describes as “chaos.” Guideless, we would then be prone to follow blind guides, virtue signalers, the selfishly motivated. Since, each doing only what is right in their own eyes, we, then would be, by definition selfishly-motivated. What else can we be described as if everyone does what right in their own eyes, but, ‘selfish.’ These spheres-of-authority breakdowns breed distrust, which, proves tragic because trust is the currency societies trade in. Civilizations are built on trust—that is, trust of cops and careers, coaches and pastors, congressmen and councilmen, journalists and judges, salesmen and street departments, doctors and lawyers, accountants and administrators. The vapors of trust are woven together by the whispers of a trusting mother, fanned into flame by a careful father, and lit ablaze by a confirming culture. Mediating institutions, such as churches, when healthy, help fuel the virtues that make for trust and, as a pastor, churches are the sphere of authority I’d like to hone in on next.  

No doubt churches fail. Churches fail to energetically defend the most vulnerable such as the unborn. They fail to energetically speak up for minorities and refugees when injustices occur—like the death of George Floyd. Churches fail to match their call to worship with a call to ethics—revelation and response. Churches are made up of imperfect people, who, at their best, are striving to follow Christ on the road to the glorification, and, at their worst, are full of social-club-seeking imposters claiming the name of Christ but wrongly administering the sacraments. The question I’m posing is not one of if churches have been caught acting wrongly. They have. I’m posing a more basic question: if churches “are.” To put the question fancifully, do churches exist as an authority, ontologically? You see, the Bible portrays the local churches as authority-wielding entities in the spiritual realm. America was founded on a deep appreciate for the benevolent use of authority churches were to wield, so much so, that the government sought to keep out of the church’s business. After the failures of the Church of England experiment, which continues to fail in effectiveness to this day, America had the wisdom to keep matters of the church (spiritual authority) separate from the state (governmental authority). The build-in assumption was a mutual respect for authority, a basic trust, the assumption that Americans had to be a virtuous people for this experiment of a republic to work. Recognition of the church as a kingdom authority is why government chose not to tax church property. Promotion of ethics among the citizenry, via Christian education, undergirded marriages and families and schools and workplaces and legislators and laborers and doctors and lawyers—just about every sphere of authority imaginable. While not the domain of government, churches were still yet deemed tax-exempt, not-for-profit, separate and indispensable entities for purposes common with the government—human well-being. In other words, the churches upheld a belief, and a behavior, and a belonging, through their right exercising of authority that would affected every sphere. The churches, “are.”  

Do churches still view themselves authoritatively? Why would anyone want to give their lives, let alone their Sunday mornings, to an impotent church? Jesus said the church only had believers by divine revelation (Matthew 16:15-19). Jesus gave His blood bought assembled church a job to do amongst the members, that is, exercise authority to release and receive members and to protect and proclaim the gospel (Matthew 18:15-21). The authority to recognize the reception of virtue-inducing forgiveness is the domain of the church (John 1:12-13, 20:18). Paul told the members of the church at Corinth that they should handle their business when assembled to do so (1 Corinthians 5:5-11) and that he hoped the wielding of church authority wouldn’t have to be “severe” due to the hard-heartedness of unrepentant members (2 Corinthians 12:20-21, 13:9-10). The Apostolic Church carried a much more sobering definition of church than most professing Christians in America do today. I’d urge you to make a Bible study of the verses cited above, in context, and see if a change in how you view the church is warranted, which, leads me to my final point.

As far as the curse is found, until Christ’s kingdom is consummated with his return, justice will be an imperfect art. Christians at their best defend the fatherless, the widow, the orphan, and the minority, and, thus point to a final perfect justice. Belief in the attainment of perfect justice aside from Christ is idolatry, and, immorality is down the stream from idolatry. Surely this is why George Floyd’s younger brother, Terrence, told protesters in Minneapolis this week that the violence dishonors his brother’s memory. God demands to be worshipped on His own terms. A return to Christ is all that will do. Only then can we see clearly how to pursue an imperfect justice, now, for our fellow Americans. The fighting between the powerful and the less unempowered, the so-called proletariat and the bourgeoisie, results in citizens chopping each other’s heads off! It might be tempting to undermine every authority known to man, but, I’d advise against it. Advocate reform over revolution. Reform your worship. Reform your ethics. Reform your voting patterns. Reform your parenting. Reform your husbandry. Reform your police force. Reform your business practices. Begin that reform with the sphere your most directly responsible—your home. The problem with toppling every authority is you wind up with none, that is, other than yourself, which is mob rule, everyone doing what’s right in your own eyes, unloving and unjust chaos. God regulated every authority known to man—but he didn’t topple it. One day He will. One day our King Jesus will come riding in on a white horse to destroy his enemies and establish his friends with scientific precision. In the meantime, when it comes to the unraveling of authority structures, be careful what you wish for. Is the distrust warranted? I think so. Is the distrust sustainable? I doubt it. Heaven knows. Anarchy is no solution for abuse of authority. The correction will prove worse than the crime.

What If They’d Just Told the Truth?

Thu, 07 May 2020 21:31:59 GMT

Admit you’re wrong? Ever? Never! I struggle to admit when I’m wrong. Do you? It’s good to have convictions, beliefs, upon which we will not bend. You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. It’s good to make assessments of another person, examining if you have enough shared convictions to make depth of relationship a wise pursuit. However, you and I can be wrong about a person. You shouldn’t be prone to bend on your convictions; however, you should be prone to alter course with people. Truth doesn’t change but people do. You and I are changing, too. A big problem with the priests & Pharisees had with Jesus is they couldn’t change their opinion of him. The immediate results were tragic for human flourishing. Lies were propagated. Truth less told. Stubborn pride persisted. Protectionary pretense pervaded. Inability to admit wrong abounded.   

The priests & Pharisees schemed, struck, screamed for and secured Jesus’ execution. Despite Messianic evidences such as healings, authoritative teaching, acknowledgment, and gospel preaching were not enough to soften the hard-hearted priests and Pharisees. Self-deceived, they invested themselves in doing what they thought best for their people, which, excluded that rabble rouser leading a rebellion: Jesus of Nazareth. They figured his death couldn’t happen if he really was the fulfillment of prophecy so they created the ultimate self-fulfilling prophecy—they solidified His fulfillment of prophecy by killing Him. In the manner of His death, Jesus fulfilled all Scripture (Matthew 26:56). Calm under pressure. That was Jesus. Hurried over pressure. That was the priests and Pharisees.   

Rigidly inflexible. That aptly describes the priests and Pharisees. They had decided Jesus didn’t fit their paradigm for Messiah so they were invested in Him not fulfilling the requirement to be Messiah—even after death. Matthew records a conversation he knew of, likely from some later converted Roman authorities and Jewish priests, a conversation where the chief priests convinced Pilate to add guards to Jesus’ tomb. Just to be sure nothing happened to his body, they sought to secure the tomb by “setting a guard” (Matthew 27:66). Those guards were in for the assignment of their lives. They met the angel of the Lord on Easter Sunday morning and these seasoned soldiers experienced paralytic fear (Matthew 28:4). Replete with the supernatural, the guards felt the earth shake and entertained angels rolling back the stone to Jesus’ formerly inhabited tomb. He was raised. He was not there. He met his followers from the Garden Tomb to Galilee and back. He reinforced Apostolic teaching from Passover to Pentecost. Yet, with all this eyewitness testimony and supernatural phenomena, the guards still had to make their own choice. Would they believe in the resurrection and confess Jesus’ lordship to others? Or would they join the chorus of the rigidly inflexible?

Sadly, it proved to be the latter. The frightened guards took their testimony to the chief priests of the city, entrusting their truth to tyrants. The chief priests took counsel but couldn’t admit the obvious—they’d made a mistake! They’d killed the wrong man. Invested in a lie, they offered financial support if only the soldiers would lie, too. The soldiers had a choice: perpetuate the lie and live or tell the truth and die; market the myth and get paid or tell the truth and lose money. Capital punishment met Roman guards who didn’t defend their post, this case, the tomb, well. Priests offered protection from Pilate and a sufficient sum of money for soldier cooperation (Matthew 28:12). Just one lie. Just a white lie. What different could it really make. You and your family can live if you just tell whoever asks that Jesus’ disciples stole the body. One lie. That’s all. To this day, the soldiers’ story has been spread (Matthew 28:15). What if the soldiers had testified to the truth? What a difference it could have made! How many people would have heard their gospel witness? Mightn’t Pilate have heard their words and remembered the words of His wife when she warned him not to crucify Jesus? For she had dreamed Jesus was a righteous man and urged Pilate not to execute him. What if the soldiers would’ve thrown caution to the wind and entrusted their souls to Jesus even if it meant putting their bodies in jeopardy?   

What’ll you do with the truth of the resurrection? Will you do what is expedient or what is faithful? Will you trust the helpfulness of the truth? Would you acknowledge religious truth but not apply it with urgency? Grant truth the prime of place it deserves. Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Jesus answered direct, “I am.” And truth will set you free.

Jesus' Thorns and Mine Too

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 14:50:47 GMT

Every arena of life poses thorny issues. Theology faces thorny issues because of its need to deal with the fallen human condition. Every aspect of existence poses the threat of joy-thievery, because frustrations abound. The phrase, “thorny issue,” describes a subject that is difficult to deal with. How will the government balance the rights of the religious in a pluralistic society? What happens when your rights and my rights collide? How will educators cope with standardized metrics? How will a business make payroll now and plan for growth? How will parents care well plus push their children toward achievement? As far as the curse is found, sin has infected our processes. How will grace abound more in a world filled with sin?

  Paul, the Apostle, was not always gospel focused. Before he wrote half of the books for New Testament Christianity, Paul had another life. If he were to speak in the first person, it might read like this: I was born in 5 A.D. in Tarsus. By birthright, I had religious and political powers—an Israelite & a Roman citizen. I studied at the prestigious Gamaliel school in Jerusalem from the time I was 10 years old. I was 21 & 23 years old when Pilate took power and Herod killed John the Baptist for his preaching. These two, Pilate and Herod, would confer to kill Jesus. I was 25 at the time. As a religious leader, I praised the persecution of the first martyrs of Jesus until I was 29 years old. T hen, my conversion changed my view of the importance of power—religious and political—from ultimate to temporary—making power like chaff in the wind. Jesus met me on a road outside Damascus in 34 A.D. As a 29 year old man my whole way of thinking changed. Sure, thorny issues remained; however, my view of God’s work in the midst of them changed. I started to see God as God in the midst of the thorny issues of life.

Okay. So. How? How did Paul go on to see God as God in the midst of the thorns of life? God led Paul to a time of relative isolation in Tarsus between ages 33-42 years old. We don’t know much about that time other than he had a heavenly experience that he didn’t like to talk much about (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-6) and that his gospel conversion shaped his view of e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! The gospel is the good news of what Christ has done on your behalf as a sinner. Perhaps Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 best sum up how the gospel converted his way of thinking about thorns. He wrote,

“A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that (the thorn) should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses…hardships… For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul’s gospel capacity could have led to conceit. God allowed a thorn to be inflicted by Satan upon Paul. Read Job 1-2 for a similar account. Satan is allowed to cause pain in this world and, in a judo-like move, what Satan and those influenced by him mean for harm, God used for good. It is quite alright to ask for thorny issues to be resolved from you, personally. It is not alright for you to demand it resolved. Making worship of God as God contingent on how well He’s met your insistence on ecstatic experiences or thorn removal surgeries is..a..grave..mistake! Don’t look for grander stories than Christ’s and don’t expect your thorns to be overcome by positive thinking, denying the reality of the thorn’s existence, or faith-healers. The Apostles didn’t stake their faith on faith-healers. They staked their hope for the churches on maintaining faith when healing didn’t come. Satan, tho buffeting or harassing and accusing and deceiving, will be defeated. Satan will not win. God’s great work, best seen in the work of Christ, is strength-through-weakness. Satan was defeated by the cross of Christ. Here, we get our cues for praising in the pain, helping in the hardship, serving in the suffering, giving during the grind, sharing the gospel during the stress of life. Life’s thorny issues will be with you always, until the end of the age but so will the consummator of the age, that is, Jesus. He promises to be with us always, in all things, even our immovable, pesky, debilitating hardships.

During His Passion, Jesus asked three times that the way of the cross might pass from him (see Mark 14:32-42). Yet, he prayed it not as an ultimatum. He said, “not what I will, but what you will” be done with this thorn. Trust takes time. It took time for Apostles to catch this gospel orientation. It’ll take time for us, too. The Apostles were caught sleeping during Jesus’ hour of asking. After three asks, Jesus accepted the the answer: strength-through-weakness. After three times he said, ‘the hour has come, The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners, Let us be going, It-is-enough.’ Later, taking his cues from Jesus, the Apostle Paul asked three times for his thorn to be removed (2 Corinthians 12:8). It wasn’t. Paul, in Christ, needed to choose, in that very moment, like Christ, to respect God as God rather than resent God as God. And that’s the choice for you too, during life’s thorny issues. Will it be Respect or Resent? Honor or Hubris? Praise or Pride? Anger or Agree? Content or Conceit?   

Christ kills conceit.

For those in Christ, one purpose of the thorn is to remove any presence of conceit in your life. Author Scott Hafemann warns well again Christian conceit, “Christians have not begun to discern the potential of ambition, recognition, popularity, fame, and power to corrupt men. But, while sex and money have slain their thousands, ambition and its unholy siblings have slain their tens of thousands.” Conceit robs Christ of glory due his name. All glory be to Christ. Paul’s answer is our answer, too. When God won’t remove the pain Satan inflicts on his people, God promises to make it purposeful, He promises to abide with you through it all. Jesus feels your pain. Jesus won your salvation while wearing a crown of thorns on his head. That sacred head, was wounded, for you. Christ’s message for you, is, ‘When thorny issues seem immovable, My power will come to perfection in your weakness.' In the meantime, in the thorns, by faith, you’ll find, like 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds, ‘Christ’s Grace is Enough.’

God Gave, We Give

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 19:39:59 GMT

It is more blessed to give than to receive …said almost, no one, ever. But for the grace of God, who would think of it. Only by Christ at work in us would we echo: it’s more blessed to give than to receive. The Apostle Paul was a late-add Apostle, met by Jesus after Jesus’ ascension, touched and tasked with gospel proclamation, Paul had insight to share. Paul recorded this saying from Jesus in Acts 20:35, ‘Giving produces greater blessings than simply receiving.’ The Apostle Paul wrote about giving in 2 Corinthians 8-9. Read this text and you will be able to count the word “grace” ten times in thirty-nine verses. He wrote about grace in the context of giving. When we give money for God’s work, we are participating in an act of grace, as a gift of grace, by the very grace of Christ. We ought to understand something of the giving motivations taught to us by God from 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, because, these motivations will lead to greater awareness of needs, consistency, and blessings.  

Awareness matters. We need to know what’s going on with other members in other geographic locations. We are not on a church island all our own. We learn how to help and how to be helped by the global body. How we spend our money is no indifferent issue. Our hearts are deceitful. One great insight into our heart’s health is where our treasures are placed. God wants us to talk about giving. He wants the brothers “to know” about how the Macedonian church members gave “beyond their means.” The relatively poor Macedonians had a fear of missing out on giving and even begged to take part in the relief of the Jerusalem saints who were, if it were possible, even poorer than the Macedonians. Conversely, the Corinthians’ wealth surpassed the Macedonians. The Corinthians would learn from the testimony of the Macedonians and restart giving. This greater awareness of needs would lead to a greater consistency in giving.

Consistency matters. The Corinthian mentality that they can grow in knowledge and love and speech should be applied to that they can grow in the grace gift of giving too. Love’s genuineness is proven in systematic giving. Deciding to start giving at a consistent clip is important. We should pre-decide to give a sum of money in keeping with our income according to what we have, not according to what we do not have. And make no mistake, God wants you to decide. Paul issues no “command” here about giving. Rather, he sees giving as a benefit to the Corinthian givers. He wants them to gauge their “readiness in desiring” and match it by “completing (giving) out of what (they) had.” Finishing as a giver is even more important than merely beginning. Paul is imploring the Corinthians to finish the giving they started. This greater giving consistency would lead to a greater sense of the blessings of Christ’s kingdom.   

Blessings matter. Biblical theology is utilized to convey it is blessing to give not just to receive. The poorest saints serve to supply the richer saints needs. God gives grace gifts in the body so that there may be fairness and mutuality. Paul references God feeding his hungry people, equally, with bread and meat, in the desert, during the Exodus. No matter how much they gathered, their food was only good for one day. They learned that if they hoarded, the food started to stink. They learned to pray asking the Lord to give them this day their daily bread and forgive trespasses daily as well. In this we learn forgiveness, our great need, and mutuality. There is a reciprocal relationship not only from leader to member but also from member to member in all places everywhere—rich to poor and poor to rich. We supply one another’s needs. The one who gathered little in the Exodus, had “no lack.” Paul also references the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who left the riches of heaven, in the incarnation, to immerse himself in the relative poverty of earth. We pray Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus really did it. He ushered in the kingdom. We are to live like it with our finances.

The giving life is the blessed life .    So our godly giving motivation should lead to greater awareness of needs, greater consistency, and greater blessing. Christ long since said it, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” In a world full of takers, we are, by God’s grace, to model giving. Our motivations to give are greatly impacted by the experience of other faithful believers past and present, our own experience with giving, and the blessings we sense from those experiences. After all, America’s favorite Bible verse states, “For God so loved the world He “GAVE” His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” God is far from a simple taker. Motivation to give can be summed up as God’s work in us. It is no small matter, that, God gave.

Time Heals All Wounds...?

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 19:36:39 GMT

A middle-aged married man subscribes to the false piety of our age: ‘sometimes couples that marry young just grow apart.’ He leaves. She grieves. A little girl follows her teacher’s lead, completing every assignment and application only to be turned down for admission to her school of choice. A young person follows every social norm the church teaches regarding sexual ethics—every jot and tittle—only to get burned badly in the dating arena. Two parents do it right, all right, and get rewarded with the heartbreak of a prodigal son. A church leader rivets the crowds and tames the counselees. He is wide-eyed and energetic. Traditional church pews tilt on edge as if to empty out members to follow this latest, greatest enigmatic leader. Then, he turns out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He preys on the weakest and always has an explanation, a justification, for why he did what he does. In our world, in the fallen human condition, the only thing that’s guaranteed is death and taxes.

There is no assurance of rainbows and silver linings. You can’t be anything you want to be. Faithfulness, while generally rewarded, doesn’t always feel immediately rewarding. And, the philosophers of our age still say it. The arm-chair counselors of our time utter it. It’s the advice that reverberates through the annals of American pop psychological history. What is it they say?

“Time heals all wounds.”

But does time heal all wounds?  I am reminded of a biblical passage that addresses wounds and healing. The Apostle Paul wrote his fourth letter to the local church at Corinth with an eye toward healing the hurting, comforting the afflicted. But he doesn’t go about comfort with conventional wisdom, rather, with convictional wisdom. What three pieces of convictional counsel does he offer the afflicted ones?  First, Holding to your deeply held religious beliefs does not always mean you will prosper. In fact, for Christians living out their deeply held religious beliefs, affliction is more likely to ensue. As one pastor put it, the closer you get to where the action is, the more likely you are to get shot at. As one president put it, you cannot win or lose at the things that matter unless you subject yourself to the risk of the arena. Don’t doubt your convictions strictly on the merits of poor conditions. God is a comfort to the downcast—even those that are downcast for living out their deeply held religious beliefs (2 Corinthians 7:6). The faithful could be described as having “no rest,” fighting fear on the outside and “fear within,” facing “affliction at every turn” (2 Corinthians 7:5). Maybe you shouldn’t shuck your convictions at the first signs of poor conditions. Let’s give that some more thought.  

Second, reconsider the spiritual guides you’ve long since abandoned for being too ‘old school.’ Or maybe you didn’t abandon them. It’s just that they aren’t looking too helpful these days. Such was the attitude of the faithful at the church at Corinth. They had to be encouraged to again “make room in your hearts” for formerly faithful flock leaders. Paul reminded them that Titus had “wronged no one, corrupted no one, taken advantage of no one” (2 Corinthians 7:2). He did not say hard things to condemn them but rather to re-establish closeness with them. Boldness can be a sign of true friendship. False friends mostly tell you what you want to hear. The “kisses of an enemy are deceitful,” the proverb explains, but, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6). Friends challenge your assumptions and relentlessly point you to what is “true” (2 Corinthians 7:14). The Corinthians felt restricted by the wounds of spiritual friends, but, in fact, it was their current affections that restricted them (6:12). What true spiritual guide could you return to and give a fresh, fair hearing? This just may be God’s means to comfort you, the downcast (7:6).

Third, stop getting your life philosophy from non biblical sources. We all do it. We depend more on our buddies and co-workers and the latest, greatest online preacher and what they’ve gleaned from Oprah’s protege or Dr. Phil than on the local biblical expositor. The problem is that a steady diet of worldly wisdom produces, well, worldly grief. Grief is the common denominator among all people. What you get to effect is not whether you will experience grief, but rather, whether you will experience “godly” grief. These hard but holy words of Scripture led the Corinthians faithful to rally again around the truth. Those hard, holy words led to spiritual health and the church leaders rejoiced. They welcomed the members back with open arms. They were grieved into repenting (7:9). Repentance means to “change one’s mind” resolutely, transformatively. True repentance can only come as a result of the inner work of God in you. Thus, as author Barry Cooper simply puts it, “Repentance isn’t the cause of salvation, it’s the fruit of it.” The Corinthian faithful responded positively to God’s Word over and against the incomplete philosophies of the day. So, the biblical author could commend, “You felt a “godly” grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For “godly” grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas “worldly” grief produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Grief is common to us all. Godliness isn’t. Glean your life philosophies from God’s Word.  

I recently spoke with a friend dealing with a family issue residual from forty years ago. Four decades later he had to navigate a family event with uneasy children and parents who thought they had done, “what was best for the children,” and pledged to, “get along for the sake of all parties.” The arrangement felt phony. And it was. Eventually, the kids didn’t play along so well. Time may cause conviction to dampen, geographies to change, and us to dig-in emotionally. But the wounds still remain in there. If time healed all wounds then universalism would be true—every person would, in time, make it to heaven. Only people who pass through faith in Christ, who repent with “godly” grief, will be in heaven. You won’t spend eternity with a Christ you deplore.

Time doesn’t heal a thing. Repentance does.

So repent where you can. And ultimately, justice will be found only through the Just Judge who took on the sins of the world. That’s what the prophet Isaiah must’ve meant about the Christ who, would, take away the sins of the world. For “by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

You might not enjoy what our greatest friend, Jesus, has said, what the great Doctor has prescribed, but that doesn’t make Jesus’ words any less true. You must be born again via faith in this Doctor, this Great Physician, who heals not wounds lightly* but wholly. Christ will, in the end, bring justice to this unjust world. On the day of judgment, he will take away sin from the world. And he will heal your every wound.

Only trust Him, now.

Encouraging Your Time with the Lord

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 21:26:39 GMT

This is a teaching for Christians who have had effective quiet times as well as the Christian that cannot ever remember having an effective quiet time. Most Christians, I think, have an internal sense that they need to spend time with the Lord and feel guilty when they don’t. But there is a gap between the sense of ought and the reality of having a quiet time.  

I do not think this gap between the ought and the reality is by accident. Battle lines between good and evil have been drawn. In Ephesians 6, we learn that the war we fight is spiritual not simply physical, that the armor we’ve been provided is largely defensive, and that our main offensive weapon to wage war with is, the Word. The Apostle Paul writes to the church at Ephesus,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the full strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God . . . and take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all saints …that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador…that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak ” (Ephesians 6:10-13, 17-20).

The gap between the ought and the reality of having a quiet time exists because it’s supposed too—your potential quiet time represents the main battle line of this spiritual war between the Lord and the devil. With you as the Lord’s, and the devil a cosmic power over this present darkness, you have been outfitted with equipment, by the Spirit, for this spiritual war. Defense, they say wins championships. But it doesn’t. They lie! In fact, no one ever won a championship without scoring a point. You must have offense. God stakes all His offensive hope to one weapon, the sword, the Word. This is war.   

This reality is why I want to assert that the most important quiet time you or I will ever have is the very next quiet time . The next one is the best one. God’s sheep know the sound of God’s voice by God’s Word (John 10:27). We the sheep know that there’s no other place we can go for words of life (John 6:68). We have lived many days on a minimal calorie diet—that of Sunday occasions and sporadic family times. But God intends us to be better fed. We do not live on bread (Gk. artos, “food”) alone but on every food-ly word that comes out of the Father’s mouth (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3).

I want to convey to you in no uncertain terms not only that this is war but also I, myself, lose battles. I have a shelf full of print journals that testify to the gap between what I ought to do and the reality of what I actually do. I am not an exemplar for consistent quiet times. I will tell you what I am—sure that this is the battle line. This is war. I am sure that I have been given enough awareness of the value of quiet time with the Lord that expressing this value to other sheep is expected of me (Luke 12:48). And my assertion for every sheep of God, who knows the sounds of the Good Shepherd’s voice, is that the very next time you have an effective quiet time, you will testify again to the total truthfulness of the Psalter when you praise God’s majesty as you, “Taste and see that the Lord is good . . . (overcome spiritual) hunger . . . (and come as children and) listen to…the LORD” (Psalm 34:8-11). Therefore, the very next battle over ‘taking the next hill’ of the quiet time is the only one you can fully focus on—and it’s the only one you will today win.   

Having an effective quiet time with the Lord requires both knowledge of how to do it and where to go. It’s like driving a car. You must, on the one hand, learn how to drive. You can only learn so much from reading or seeing. You have to get a learner’s permit, sit in the seat, and drive! You have to practice. You’ll learn spacing and steering and adjustments that need to be made mid-drive. There are unexpected twists and turns in driving. You must learn how to drive but, on the other hand, you need to have a map for where you’ll drive to next. There are many plans from which to choose. I would not recommend beginning with an ambitious Bible-In-A-Year reading plan. You might get lost in Leviticus. Instead, get a good 5-day devotional, like “Tabletalk Magazine,” produced by Ligonier Ministries. A solid resource like, “Tabletalk Magazine,” will help you develop both an understanding of the biblical storyline and the habit of an effective quiet time.

Anna's Story

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 18:49:03 GMT

A poetic narrative inspired by Luke 2:36-38

I am Anna.

Eighty years and more have I lived on earth, long life my Lord Jehovah’s gift. Here in the Jerusalem Temple I live in daily worship, fasting and prayer, as we the Jewish people struggle under Rome’s vast iron hand.

I wait.

Old Simeon nearby also waits.

We wait and we trust the Lord God to fulfill His ancient prophets’ promise to send our Redeemer.

Once was I young, a daughter of Phanuel, tribe of Asher. Our family spoke often of Isaiah’s prophetic words. In time our Messiah would come born of a woman.

Would it be me?

Would I, Anna, be the one whose womb would quicken to bear our Savior? Alas, it was not to be. My seven childless years of marriage became decades of widowhood. The Lord gave comfort through His gift of prophesy, calling me instead to speak forth of the coming Christ.

Then, today—today came the miracle.

Moved to join Simeon, and a young couple come to present to God their firstborn son, suddenly my song burst forth in joyous praise.

This was no ordinary babe in his mother’s arms but indeed The Redeemer, our Deliverer! The hour was here!

Oh the wonder, the faithfulness of our God! My heart overflowed with joy, and with gratitude will I never stop telling others that God’s redemption indeed has come.

Soon will I watch from beyond the grave as God’s redemption unfolds. Why I, Anna, should be chosen for this honor is a mystery.

My story matters little.

His story will change the world.

Chronic Irritation

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 18:42:39 GMT

You wake up in the morning and the first thought that comes to mind is how badly your friend made you look in her comments on that social media post last night. You pull yourself out of bed only to find your child didn’t clean up their mess in the kitchen or bathroom last night. Your Walmart pick-up packer substituted your JIF peanut butter for an off brand. Yuck! You stop at the bank to deposit checks and you realize your spouse spent a little more money last weekend than you thought they would. Money is tight. You jump back in the car only to realize the fuel tank is on empty. You’ll have to get gas but you have a chance encounter with an angry driver who cuts you off and almost causes a wreck. You manage to keep your religion through this encounter, but inside, you’re irritated! If only my friend would encourage . . . If only my kid would clean . . . If only my peanut butter was always name brand . . . If only my spouse was frugal . . . If only my fuel tank were full and drivers were safe . . . If only/then I’d be joyful!

Or would you?

Christians, of course, are called to pursue justice for the fatherless, the widow, and the orphan. This article ‘is not’ written to make light of those who are abused, violated, or the most vulnerable among us. This article ‘is’ addressing revenge obsessions in daily matters that effect my personal comfort level and really don’t have much long-term effect.

If we will be honest, most of our daily irritations are not so righteous. Getting “even” for every perceived wrong can become an obsession. Develop a category for not thinking of seeking retribution against routine irritators. If we’d be gut level honest about how often our discussions degenerate, we would admit that complaint can get way out of hand. A peace-having society allows us such materialistic benefit that, say, times of war, would not allow. We have luxury. For example, who would have time to complain about peanut butter brands if bombs came down like rain today? But we live in a time of relative peace and privilege. So we have the time. And, over time, we coax ourselves into this notion that we must right every little wrong. That we would be happy if/only.

Scott Hafemann shared this helpful thought in his Bible commentary,

“As believers, we sanitize covetousness by perverting God’s power and presence into a means to some other end. Since all we need to be happy is Jesus ‘and’ the (best) Christian family, Jesus ‘and’ material blessing, Jesus ‘and’ a growing [social media platform], Jesus ‘and’ my neighbor’s [income], Jesus ‘and’ whatever it is we do not have now, we turn following Jesus into a means to these other ends. Such a perversion makes serving Jesus the means to satisfying our idolatry!”

Yikes! The trouble with always having to get “even” is we run the risk of getting bitter.

God warns the believer about allowing roots of bitterness to grow up. Bitter roots can defile many (see Hebrews 12:15).

We are to limit revenge by seeing to it that “no one repays evil for evil, but always seeks to do good to one another” (see 1 Thessalonians 5:15).

We pray better, rejoice freer, and give thanks easier when revenge is limited. In fact, God describes vengeance as His property and not man’s individually. It’s not our burden to bear (Romans 12:19).

The new covenant in Christ's blood frees us from this tyranny. We can leave some personal proximate justice alone because future justice is assured. You can live free from the self-imposed pressure to right every perceived wrong by simply ceasing to impose such pressure. Our God built in this freedom to the Christian life—that is, this freedom from the tyranny of the time/energy drain it takes to micromanage relational justice. *He will take the time to right every wrong, either by the blood of Jesus, or the doctrine of hell. This precept, that vengeance is the Lord’s, frees us to pray for our enemies—that they will receive heaven, not hell.

It was Jesus who famously said,

“I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (see Matthew 5:43).

Christ was wronged for a greater salvation. Can Christ-followers not also overlook a wrong? There’s freedom in re-orienting you’re responses to daily wrongs toward future rather than present justice. You don’t have to live as perpetually “offended.” It’s not attractive. You don’t have to get revenge. You can trust Jesus, love your neighbor, and pray for your enemy.

Can there be freedom for the irritated ones?

It seems so.

To experience Christ’s power for your freedom from revenge obsession, you’ll need to apply Christ’s way to your daily manner of life! You’ll need to leave personal revenge to the Lord, and, begin to see afresh the mountains of mercy he shows his loved ones each day. He who has been shown mercy shows mercy. Blessed are the merciful, they will inherit the kingdom! There’s great freedom in overlooking a wrong. As you overlook, you’ll learn to be kind to yourself. You’ll look over some of your own wrongs—which is really the problem, now, isn’t it. Your revenge-obsession is most likely rooted in feelings of personal inadequacy. Coincidentally, there are 7 billion inadequate people on earth today. Many people feel the effects of sin as acutely as you do. Only one person has ever been adequate on their own merit. And he was killed for it. Likely, the more you begin to live like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18), the more intense the irritant will become. So don’t trivialize the concept for lesser goods. Leave room for un-righted wrongs. Make room for gospel conversations with messy people. Trust Jesus. He is adequate for you.

Shepherd of Souls

curtis@growmarketingsolutions.com (Curtis Mort) — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 16:47:01 GMT

A poem written on behalf of the covenant membership of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church to charge the elders on the day of their installation.

God for ages has called

Protectors of His fold

Men from times of old,

Shepherds of souls

Moses, Samuel, David, Paul

Each called God's own

Gold spun from stone,

Shepherds of souls

Now He calls you, brother,

Let goods and kindred go

Play the man, be bold,

Shepherd of souls

Our neighbors are perishing

Satan has them in his hold

To all Gospel must be told,

Shepherd of souls

Pilgrim eyes grow dim

Under weight of sin they groan

Whisper to them, "Christ has atoned,"

Shepherd of souls

Sickness strikes the bodies

Of the young and of the old

Wipe tears and give hands to hold,

Shepherd of souls

Your lambs come to twilight

And death dew sets cold

Hug tight and remind them of home,

Shepherd of souls

We know you feel unworthy

We know you are not whole

Hear this: you are never alone,

Shepherd of souls

There is One who is righteous

One chief Cornerstone,

One who is worthy to open the Scroll

Jesus Christ, Shepherd of souls

If by His grace you stand

Til you come before His throne

You'll hear "Well done, welcome home,

Shepherd of souls…"

"For your strivings, have been my strivings,

Your tellings, what I told,

An instrument in the hold

Of The Shepherd of all Souls."

In His presence you'll enter in

To pleasures now untold

And it is there you will behold,

Our well shepherded souls.

With one voice we call you

Will you love us so?

May God's blessings on us flow

Shepherd us, Shepherd us...

Shepherd of souls.

Elder Installation Program

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 20:41:27 GMT

Click here to download a digital copy of the Elder Installation Program 11/24/2019

Energetic Spirituality

Fri, 08 Nov 2019 16:03:49 GMT

Are you a Christian? If so, imagine if you were wrongly imprisoned for being a Christian. Underfed. In a dark cell. Lacking hygiene products. Limited guests. What would your attitude be? What would your actions be? This was the Apostle Paul’s situation as he wrote to the local church at Ephesus. His action was to write a letter to encourage church members in the faith. Notice the Christian’s calling, character, and community. Here’s part of what he wrote:

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

First , consider the Christian’s calling. The calling is to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you’ve been called.” Both noun and verb forms of “call” are in this sentence. “Walk” was an ancient Semitic metaphor for manner of life or pattern of behavior. From prison, the church’s leader urged the people in their manner of behavior. He desired them to be oriented toward a Christian manner of living. He urged them in their “walk” with Christ.

Second , consider the Christian’s character. When we think of calling, we often associate it with a sense of geography or vocation. Where am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to be doing as a job? These are not bad questions to ask; however, this is not the manner in which Paul writes here of “calling.” Here, calling is about how one lives rather than where one lives or what one does for a living. Interestingly, in the qualifications for overseers in the local church, the New Testament prioritizes exemplary Christian character over competencies. The Christian is implicitly urged here to focus on pattern of life right where they are rather than waiting to get to just the right time and place. Faithfulness is an orientation not a perfection. Faithfulness is about the here and now not the later and optimal. The first Christian calling is to character.

Third , the Christian’s community. The Christian’s calling is to worthy character, and, those character attributes are not private and personal. Interestingly, the character called for here is communal and interpersonal. The Christian is called to local church community. Notice the relational nature of of the descriptive words in Paul’s imprisoned exhortation to the church: humble, gentle, patient. C.S. Lewis wrote of humility not as thinking less of yourself, but as thinking of yourself less. Think of others. Be gentle rather than harsh or obtuse. Be sensitive to what your fellow believers are going through. I can hardly think of a more efficient way to accomplish this than as an involved member in your local church. For example, there you will get to know other believers personally. There you will learn how to pray for their concerns and what needs you are capable of meeting. You will be aware of the callings God has on other people’s lives and how we complement one another in the faith. You will have an opportunity to live in a manner known as humble, gentle, and patient in Christian community.

One biblical phrase comes to be synonymous with Christian community, that is, “one another.” Here, Paul urges the members to be enamored with “one another.” Once, a group of Christian collegiate students that weren’t particularly committed to a local church community, went on a weekend retreat. There, they studied the New Testament carefully, asking for the Spirit to guide them. What they discovered was so old an application it was thought new. They noted the sheer volume of community language in the New Testament. Count the number of times “one another” appears as a phrase in John’s writings and in the letters. Note the context for the “one another” passages in the New Testament. Enlightening, inspiring and challenging you will find it! The collegiate student weekend resulted in a deeper commitment to living out their callings in the local church. How else could they apply “bearing with one another in love”? Where else would they express an energetic spirituality but locally, that is, “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit though the bond of peace”? Where is the Lord bringing His shalom, his peace, but to his covenanted people? This bond is unbreakable but stands in need of being more expressible. That’s where we come in. We can join in a covenant community of members pursuing others that profess faith, pursuing a membership of regenerated-by-the-Spirit believers. Only then, by God’s indwelling Spirit, will we have the resources to attain unity. In fact, we don’t ‘attain’ unity but rather ‘maintain’ unity.

Unity is an exhausted buzzword in culture but an assured reality in Christ. Michael Horton wrote aptly on the subject of Unity: “One thing is for sure: unity has never been a good rallying point for unity. No great movements seem to have ever coalesced voluntarily around unity. But the force for Christian unity is the gospel and, wrapped around it, the whole teaching of Scripture. Unity is a gift of the Spirit, as people agree in the truth. But to agree in the truth, we have to talk about the truth and perhaps even argue about it. May God give us the grace, the charity, the patience, and the courage to love each other enough to pursue that truth, wherever it leads, and to joyfully accept the unity that it generates—however humble it may be in the eyes of the world.” Jesus, during his priestly prayer, prayed for us this way, that we would be one as the Godhead has always been One (see John 17:21). When we eagerly pursue this unity, bearing with one another, we are an answer to Jesus’ prayer. Channel your spiritual energy largely toward life in a faithful local church. We are a maintenance crew of sorts for the internal unity God the Spirit has inured and secured. Have you ever thought of your calling as to character in community this way?

Talk About Talk

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 21:13:50 GMT

Our words have power. We should be careful to use them rightly.

Talk. We do so much of it. Estimates show the average person speaks ten thousand words a day! Since your doing so much of it, you’ll do well to examine you’re talk. Let’s allow the biblical proverbs to help us examine our talk. Consider who, when, and what you tell.

First, Who you tell.

To whom do you entrust your messages? Beware of those who do a better job of eliciting information from you than helping steward information for you. Information is empowerment. Counsel is valuable. Friendship matters. So you should take a risk and trust in life. But this admonition still stands: Choose wisely. “Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence” (Proverbs 26:6).

Most everybody loves the experience of healthy community but fewer are willing to pay the price for healthy community. Communities require cost, leadership, commitment. The price includes member humility when differences inevitably arise. The price includes intentionally giving up some rights for a greater good, the good of community. Disciplined talk is a cost of community. One said, ‘Haste is the enemy of intimacy.’ These truths are reasons community is not more often experienced than it is, and why community is so treasured by those that have recounted the cost and freely chosen to engage it. “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” (Proverbs 18:1-2).

Second, When you tell.

Maybe tell less. Words can be fewer. Causes can be focused. Everything that you can say about an issue does not have to be said in every instance of controversy. Albert Mohler exhorted, ”One does not have a moral obligation to say everything he thinks every time he has the opportunity.” Step around danger. This is not to negate courage, which is needed! This is not to depress healthy dialogue which is also needed. This is a call for wisdom to know when it’s time to cash in earned influence in order to take a stand. Have the courage of your convictions, yes. Have not conviction-less courage or hot-temperedness. Making every issue that arises a danger to address is folly. Fire not the energies of controversy into the winds of life—so it can disperse and blow away ineffectually, misguidedly. Think well before you speak.

The justice/righteous oriented person needs to hush and study much before he opens his mouth, lest he chase after the wind. Distill that holy disquiet. Then, when the time is correct, the Spirit has guided, fire away! But most of the time, most often, you’ll see danger and dodge it. Every minor controversy is not worth your major effort. “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it” (Proverbs 22:3).

Third, What you tell.

Restrain your words. I’m not sure who first said this but they turned a worthy phrase: Better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt! Restraining words is not the same as abstaining from all words. To be sure, you should communicate with your church family, spouse or children, boss, faithful friends, etc. God created with communication. He spoke the world into existence with a word. In Genesis 1 we read, “and God said let there be...and it was.” God also instructs the reader: “the Word ‘was’ God” (see John 1:1). You, as an image bearer of the most High God, are created to be wordy. The problem is not in the words but in the wielding of words in this now sinful world of fallen humanity. It seems that in order to speak wisely we must run every word we might prospectively speak through a filter of righteousness before uttering it—especially if utterances will occur in more mixed company. It’s great to have a safe place to interact with many words, but most of the time, words must be weighed and measured before spoken. Often, we need to let our words be fewer. Be a better listener. Bring the gospel to bear in situations. Until you learn to bridle the tongue, let your words be few. The fool blabs on and on. Knowledgeable is the one who restrains words. “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent” (Proverbs 17:27-28).

Jesus talked about talk . He commented, “You’ve heard it said but I say to you.” He would exclaim, “You hypocrites!” when religious talk did not match actions. He would offer the self-styled experts an interrogative: “Have you not read?” when their spiritual arguments were inconsistent with biblical doctrine. Jesus even talked to the governor who presided over his execution. That conversation led the governor to gasp: “What is truth?” Jesus fulfilled the talk of the law. Jesus not only talked but also examined the nature of talk. And we should too.

P.S. I recommend Fool’s Talk by Os Guinness on this subject.

Hard Entry

Sun, 07 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Suffering for the advancement of the gospel.

Open Doors. God uses this metaphor in a few biblical texts to indicate where gospel progress is being made. For example, the Apostle’s letter to the church at Corinth includes these words: “I will stay (here), for a wide door for effective work has opened to me.” Seemingly antithetical, the verse finishes with the quip: “…and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9).

Adversaries might seem to indicate a door is closed. No so for the gospel-ly astute! I write to encourage you not to be dissuaded by difficulty. Open doors can be the hardest to walk through.

A friend of mine has a medium-sized lap dog. His dog safely roams between the indoor and outdoor parameters of the homestead. Once the dog gets too close to the edge of the property, an invisible fence will shock the dog’s visible collar. The dog sees what looks like an open door to the broader world and gets ‘shocked’ back into his more comfortable parameters. The dog’s predicament reminds me of the adversaries that surprisingly shock those who seek to advance the gospel.

Differently than the lap dog in the story mentioned above, we are called to take the shock in order to progress the gospel. We are to sacrifice the comfort of amenities, money, an easier life, personality preferences, and overall lifestyle desires for the advancement of the gospel.

Unreached peoples deserve to hear and we are the mouthpieces. Too often, we equate open doors with ease. The biblical witness is consistent on this one thing: open doors come with adversaries that shock evangelistic enthusiasm from you, that is, if you aren’t equipped. Here’s two equipping means God has granted you to make entry into new territory for the gospel.

First, Examples . 1 Corinthians 16 gives us the examples of an older Apollos and a younger Timothy, the Macedonian givers, the Ephesian receivers, the Jerusalem needers, and the Corinthian opportunities. The Corinthian local church was reminded of examples in the faith. They were encouraged to labor together for the gospel and to help those missionaries taking the faith through open doors—open doors that were sure to shock!

Second, Truth . The enemy of the gospel wants to divide up truth from love. The enemy wants to create a false dichotomy between truth and love. He asserts, through many adversarial mouthpieces, if God is love then he must allow for my truth to be relative to my situation. Truth is common trans culturally. God gave us inscripturated words so that ethically, missionally, and ecclesiologically, the church may live out the same truth in many locations. All churches everywhere are to behave sexually moral, send missionaries, gather on the Lord’s Day, rightly preach the Word and administer the ordinances and exercise discipling privileges amongst covenanted members.

Truth is the body of God’s gospel project while love is the engine. When God joins something together, like love and truth, we ought not separate it.

With godly examples past and present, as well as truth imbued love, you have equipping for gospel advancement. You have the makings of spiritual wind at your proverbial sail. You can discern open doors and withstand the shock of adversarial entry. This is a war, Ephesians 6 describes, a spiritual war.

William Carey had a two decade stockpile of missions translation work done. Then, the collection was adversarially burned up in the night. He rebuilt it. Adversaries came along with Carey’s open door.

Adoniram Judson labored 7 years in Myanmar before he baptized his first convert. Judson was imprisoned and grieved during his mission there. Progress was slow but sure. Judson knew adversaries were part in parcel for open doors to the gospel.

Don’t be dissuaded by difficulty. The way of the cross was most difficult. Christ’s perspiration produced sweat drops of blood. Christ’s prayers were exhausted, exasperated pleas for relief—a relief that would only be offered in death. Filling up Christ’s afflictions doesn’t sound much like ease or comfort. It shouldn’t. Ours is an age of Christianized fog machines and light shows. We have conditioned air and no out of place hair. Perhaps the way of the cross evades us. The Reformer, Martin Luther, exhorted believers to the way of the cross over the way of personal glorification. If the presence of pain validates the absence of Christ in your own life, then you need to recalibrate. You’ve temporarily misunderstood Christ’s path to eternal life. In suffering servanthood, as we pursue open doors, Christ promises to be with us always, even unto the end of the age. He abides with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Christ was forsaken so you wouldn’t have to be. Open doors can be hard to walk through but you’re surrounded by a big batch of saints that have gone before you. Stick with the truth and follow faithful examples. It’s not too late.

What open door for the gospel is Christ calling you to walk through?

What hard entry must you proceed through for Christ’s sake?

Seven Reasons You'll Rise from the Dead

Tue, 07 May 2019 20:09:10 GMT

If/Then. Two little letters in Greek, eta-iota, get translated as two little conditional letters in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, i-f. The conjunction is conditional, often positioned upstream from “then.” If such and such is true then such and such logically follows. The biblical author of 1 Corinthians is interested in entertaining the ramification of professing Christians denying the bodily resurrection of the dead. He’s concerned about it. You should be too. Let’s look at 7 “if” concepts from 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.   

First , If you can’t be raised then how is it plausible that Christ was raised? The writer believes strongly that if you can’t be assured of resurrection then you can’t be sure of Christ’s resurrection. He links them in his argumentation. The link is assumed in the next six if’s.

Second , If you can’t be raised, then preaching is in vain. The entire infrastructure of Christian preaching is built upon bodily resurrection. The content of preaching matters more than the personality of the preacher. The content of the gospel centers on resurrection: Christ died, buried, resurrected, appeared, ascended (see 15:3-4). Resurrection matters. So preaching matters.

Third , If you can’t be raised, then faith is in vain. Faith falls apart. It’s empty. It’s in vain, futile. It is by grace you are saved through faith. Trading biblical doctrine for something more digestible winds up getting you choked. Without resurrection, faith is in vain.

Fourth , If you can’t be raised, then the Scripture writers misrepresented God. To give false witness is an offense against the commandments (Exodus 20:16). A false witness will not go unpunished (Proverbs 19:5). God-fearing people, like the writer of 1 Corinthians 15, knew the ramifications for their actions. Lying didn’t benefit them in Rome and it wouldn’t benefit them in eternity. Resurrection and the biblical message are inextricably linked.   

Fifth , If you can’t be raised from the dead, then you’re still in your sin (15:17b). Your faith is futile in the sense you’re still un-atoned in your sin. All of those Old Testament sacrifices are still needed at best and are ineffective at worst. To deny messianic resurrection is to nullify the point of that sacrificial system. Departing from orthodoxy comes with consequences. We trade our problem with the supernatural with the problem of inconsistent reasoning. We are not “still in our sins” because Christ is risen. Romans 4:25 links resurrection with justification—being made right in God’s eyes, Christ was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. He conquered the capstone result of sin, that is, death. So you’re not still in your sin.

Sixth , If you can’t be raised from the dead, then funerals are final. Those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. Bodily burial upon funerals is an opportunity for Christian preachers to preach the faith-based belief that God will reunite the eternal being with this body resurrected upon the return of Christ. Just as he ascended to heaven, he will descend and the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The Scripture writers instruct us to expect the first death but to fear the second death. The sting of the first death was swallowed up in the promise of resurrection. There’s a hope in every promise.

Seventh , If you can’t be raised from the dead, then you have hope in this life only. We are the pitiable souls trying to preach Christian hope for the here and now only. We subject the power of our gospel message to the futility of therapeutic counseling alone. The big existential problem is the grave. Without conquest of the grave, there is no Christian hope, there is no meaningful Christian counseling.   William Cowper suffered a life filled with depression and doubt. Near the end of his life, as a Christian, he counseled himself in the power of the resurrection. Though he had been tortured by the doubt that God hated him for sins, he penned these words, near death, in the year 1800. In writing these words, Cowper expressed his awareness of the efficacy of Christ’s complete atonement for his sins. He wrote, and now we sing, There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood, Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins, And sinners plunged beneath the flood, Lose all their guilty stains…The dying thief rejoiced to see, That fountain in his day, And there have I, though vile as he, Washed all my sins away . . . Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die.”

Let’s not sell the family farm of our salvation to accommodate modern sensibilities.

Oh Christian, take heart. Christ is risen so you will be too.  

"In My Place"

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 16:24:26 GMT

Beautiful new hymn by Kenwood Music.

For thousands of years the Lord has been gracious to his people through the gift of music . Music moves and stimulates our emotions in a way that no other artistic medium can. Jesus has taught, comforted, inspired, and loved His people so well by gifting us with musicians that had/have a heart to bring Him glory.

...and the Lord is still being gracious to us.

"In My Place" is a new song written by a good friend of MV Baptist, Matt Damico, out of Kenwood Baptist Church.

This is theology in song form. The flow of verses tells us who God is, who we are, what He has done for us, and what He is going to do and drives us back in the chorus to the central event of the cross that makes it all possible.

This is good hymn writing by a man that loves and serves the local church.

This is proof that God is still working through His church and His word.

We will be singing it soon at MVBC!

Lyrics:

Verse 1
God in heaven, high and holy,
measure of all good and beauty,
who can stand before the fire of holiness?

Verse 2
Sinners here so poor and needy,
who would come and clear the guilty?
If you numbered all our sins, Lord, who could stand?

Chorus
In my place He stood,
all my debt nailed to the wood.
All my stains washed white by the blood of Christ, my life.

Verse 3
Justice satisfied at Cal’vry;
sin there silenced by His mercy.
Where, O death, is your reply to Christ, our King?

Verse 4
Saints, forgiven, sing to Jesus;
bow before the lamb slain for us.
Hallelujah to the Savior evermore!

Four Challenges to Fraternals

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 14:53:04 GMT

Fraternals face friction. There can be no doubt. Depth happens in relationships. Unfortunately, so does pain. Recently, at a gathering of Christian men, this question was posed: What are the challenges you face in developing close fraternal relationships with men you can trust? All agreed on the importance of 1, 2, or 10 of these close relationships. All agreed there are challenges to securing and sustaining such relationships. So our men’s gathering turned into a think tank for a morning. And I’m pleased to report our findings in hopes that you will overcome these four challenges to close brotherly relationships.

Challenge #1 Being Truthful. It’s not so much that we’re liars, but rather, we’re hiders. As men, we want to appear like we’ve got it together. “Our image” is everything. We worry, “What will he think if he finds out I’m not the man he thought I was?” So we are elusive, insular. It makes sense but this life approach is ineffective. We take the easy way out by avoiding the pain but we also avoid the prospect of closer relationships, and of profound growth. Meaningful connection requires a measure of transparency. Solution? Our group reminded each other of this bulletin: This just in! Sinners still sin! We are all sinners and it’s helpful to say so. Be truthful.

Challenge #2 Finding Time. There never seems to be extra time. There are too many tasks at the end of the time. Finding time to be together with like-minded Christian men is a hurdle unto itself. Praise be to God for the lay men in any church who organize the men’s gatherings, retreats, breakfasts, or any time together. But what good is an organizer without equally devoted participants? We decided to view men’s gathering more like preciously fleeting opportunities similar to a graduation ceremony (where if you miss it, there’s no redo) rather than viewing men’s gatherings like a ball game (where if you miss it, there’s another one tomorrow). We prioritize our time to fit the things we think are important: family, church, friends… So we will prioritize close relationships as we discover their importance. Time is limited. Solution? Make time.

Challenge #3 Choosing Wisely. A brother commented that we can entrust ourselves to the wrong men. Proverbs 13:20 states that the companions of fools will suffer while he who walks with the wise will be wise. One brother literally makes time to go for a ‘walk’ with a wise man every month. Just as an introvert may struggle to express himself, an extrovert may over express to the wrong men. Pick your brothers wisely. Walk with the wise. To quote a biblical metaphor, choose not cast your truthful pearls before proverbial swine. Take care to prayerfully discern who is a worthy friend. Then be that worthy friend, too. How do I identify worthy friends? Run the choice through this questionnaire: Do we agree doctrinally? Are values shared? Are we rowing our life’s boats in the same direction? Co-workers are a good place to start looking for friends but don’t confuse the need to earn an income with shared beliefs. Churches, typically, not work, are places people voluntarily unite around shared belief. At work, people mandatorily unite around earned income. Solution? You need to have levels of transparency—levels that determine what you share with whom. And even if you’ve had fits and starts in friendship (who hasn’t?), invest in one once again. Learn wisdom. Choose wisely.

Challenge #4 Bumpy Roads. Just because you have a misunderstanding with someone you’ve chosen to pursue a fraternal with does not mean you should give up on that relationship altogether. As far as the curse is found, men offend other men. When faced with offense, men tend to just withdraw rather than talk issues through. Also, you may harm the relationship by expecting too much growth too fast, and vice versa. Be in the relationship for the sake of the relationship—not just for perceived benefits (though there are many!). Jesus Christ chose to relate with you for no initial benefit unto Himself—other than he valued that relationship, with you, with ya’ll, with His people, with the church. In Christ, you can like me for me, just plain ole ‘me.’ Close relationships are forged not forced. Value them. Invest in them. We sing a song with the lyric: my sins they are many, His mercy is more. Our mercy can be more with one another. Mend a fraternal. One parental sage said of her kids that there are few problems that a good stroll, snack, sleep or shower won’t solve. It’s true of adults too. Sometimes we need to pause from outrage long enough to stroll, snack, sleep, shower. Most our the time our haste makes waste in relationships. When frustrated with one another, when the relational road gets bumpy, instead of complaining about the highway crew needing to fix the pot holes, just slow down. Realize that roads are deteriorating from the moment they are laid—that this is the nature of the world in which we live. Out of the curse, God is bringing blessings, showers of blessings, and he does so via relationship. In fact, God so loves us and hates sin that he died to fix the hopelessly broken vertical relationship between you and Him. If He can model that for us then we can model Him for them. If friction will cause you to withdraw from meaningful communication, you’ll not forge a close relationship. Solution? Give grace.

To the men who anonymously contributed to this article, you know who you are, thank you. Thank you for often being a better friend than I. Thank you for forging a fraternal by overcoming challenges like the four outlined in this article. You know what joy some of us are only beginning to experience in relationship truthfulness, time spent, wise choices, and bumpy blessings. Going it alone pales in comparison to going together. Fraternals face friction. But depth happens here. You were meant for closer relationships. What challenges would you add to this list of four?

For additional resources on this subject or to share this article online goto http://www.mvbaptist.church/resources

Meaningful Metaphors

Thu, 07 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Meaningful metaphors. That was the topic of my recent conversation with a high school English teacher. She shared about classroom learning. I shared about church learning. We agreed, metaphors add meaning to our appreciation for important concepts. If a concept is important enough to pass along, you’ll most likely find value in employing the use of a metaphor in your explanation. Metaphor adds spice. A metaphor, pronounced “met-uh-fawr,” according to dictionary.com, is a figure of speech in which a term is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” While God is not literally a mighty fortress, this analog tells us something about God’s provision for his people. God gives us four meaningful metaphors in the New Testament to help us understand a very important concept: His church.

First , The church is described using the metaphor of a building. The local church is not a building as in bricks and mortar. The local church is the Spirit-imbued church members. However, the church is metaphorically referred to as a building. Jesus promises that He will build His church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). Peter says we believers are being built up into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). Paul refers to the church as having using architectural language of pillar and buttress . Plus, he refers to the church as a household intimating a home or an edifice (1 Tim. 3:15, Ephesians 2:19-22). The church is like a building with Jesus Christ as the foundation (1 Cor. 3:10-11).

Second , The church is described using the metaphor of a body. Paul describes the church as a whole body (Ephesians 4:16). He describes the church using the word body a whopping 19 times in only 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Nine times in those verses, this body of Christ, the church, is described in terms of having members . This classic text ends with a straightforward statement of our individual conversions being visible in a local body: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). The church is also described as a body in Romans 12:4-5, Ephesians 4:16, and Colossians 3:15.

Third , The church is described using the metaphor of a bride. Jesus contextualizes marriage for us in Matthew 22 in teaching that we will not be married in heaven. In Matthew 19, Jesus shares that marriage is to take on the look of a man who leaves his family of origin and cleaves to his wife. This man and woman were to be in this union, described as a one-flesh union, for one lifetime. Jesus warned them that God’s creation design for marriage was not to be interrupted with no-fault divorce. But why? Likely, it’s because God instituted marriage first in the garden temple sanctuary of Eden, between Adam and Eve. Adam did not do a very good job of protecting his family from disobedience. Adam was given the command and there’s no record of his protest when Eve (a subsidiary recipient of the command) urged on the eating of fruit. Of course, the real culprit to marital destruction, at least initially, was that crafty serpent Satan. The church as the bride of Christ is beautifully articulated in Ephesians 5:22-33 where marriage is described as a union between Christ the groom and His church the bride. This is likely why we are not given in marriage in heaven. This momentary marriage is meant to demonstrate a permanent marriage between Christ and His church—a church that is to be pursued as visible, locally, even now. All metaphors, at some point, when pressed, break down. But it seems the Bible wants us to carry this metaphor right up to the end since the book begins with a marriage in Genesis and ends with a marriage in Revelation (see 19:6-10 and 21:1-4).

Fourth , The church is described using the metaphor of a flock. Sorry to break with the alliteration of building, body, and bride; however, God also intends to explain the church to us through the metaphor of flock. Perhaps this is the most affectionate title given to us since the building and the body are about strength and the bride feels distant for our tastes as individual Christians. The affection label of “sheep” in a flock with a great “Shepherd” (1 Peter 2:25) for our souls feels highly personal. Psalm 23 begins with “The Lord is my shepherd .” Peter is reinstated under the auspices of being willing to feed Jesus’ sheep— a mantle Peter surely passed on to church elders (cf. John 21:15, 1 Peter 5:1-4). Paul has no problem exhorting local church elders to care for the flock, the church . . . which Jesus obtained with his own blood (Acts 20:28). Jesus himself describes himself as the good shepherd tending the flock. We see this in the gospel of John (1:29, 10:14). In believers from every tribe and tongue being brought into one flock , Jesus warns members they can only enter the fold through the door—which is faith in Christ’s person and work (John 10:1-2). The separating of the sheep from the goats on the last day, a further metaphor for believers and non-believers, is described in flock-like terms in Matthew’s gospel (25:32).

Metaphors serve an important function in language. They help us further explain important concepts. Metaphors give the instructor options for how to pass along pertinent information to a new student. The Lord’s church is an important concept indeed. Biblical metaphors provide a rich fullness to our understanding of the church. God’s is making us a building, a body, a bride, and a flock. We are His in perpetuity. Metaphors convey meaning.

For additional resources on this subject or to share this article online goto http://www.mvbaptist.church/resources

"Choice" Wisely

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Yes, I wrote, “Choice” wisely. Grammatically, it should’ve been “Choose,” but I want to accentuate the word “Choice” as you read. “Choose Wisely” is a well-worn phrase that connotes the cardinal virtue of prudence. Prudence is illustrated by deliberation in decision-making. The first month of every year shines a light on two great causes—two great choices. As a matter of fact, both causes punt the word “Choice” around like a football, each hoping to score a touchdown. In this case, I hope both the school and life teams score. Today, I write in favor of School Choice and Life Choice.

First, School Choice . National School Choice Week is the largest organization in the world that is dedicated to communicating the importance of school choice. According to SchoolChoiceWeek.com , school choice means letting parents choose the best education environments for their individual children. These options include the traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online learning, and home schools. According to ed.gov there were over 56 million school-aged (defined as aged 5-17) kids in America in 2018 with less than 6 million private schooled. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association, there were near 2 million home schooled children in 2018. Therefore, in America, with regard to choosing education, for every 24 publicly-schooled kids there are 3 private and 1 homeschooled kids. To draw a numerical parallel, the percentage of African-Americans in the general population (12-13% of 320 million) is similar to the percentage of non-publicly educated children in America (12-13% of 56 million).

SchoolChoiceWeek.com also shared why we should support school choice, that is, even if you choose traditional public schools for your children. They note, “Every child is unique, and kids learn in different days. What may be a great school for one student might not be a good fit for another. By providing parents with the power to choose the best education environments for their kids, children have more opportunities to receive a challenging, motivating, and effective education.” Joe Carter writes correlating domestic and international school choice rights. In Carter’s article, Homeschooling Parents in Germany Lose Right to Educate Child , he cites the Wunderlich family in Germany, whose children were removed from their parents by 30 police officers and social workers in August 2013 because of their school choice. Carter argues school choice is not as legally assured in America as you might think. The Wunderlich family faced an unfavorable ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in 2016. Carter notes that, “Although this case is in Europe, it’s a reminder of how fragile parental rights are in America.” I urge you to read his argument and consider how you can support school choice for all. Consider calling your senator and voicing support for S.J. Res. 48 - A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to parental rights. This bill was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary in 2017 (see congress.gov ). This bill will help preserve parental educational rights for the next generation. Support School Choice.

Second, Life Choice . Choose Life. Morally, I urge you not to speak in terms of ‘A Woman’s Right to Choose’ or being ‘Pro-Choice.’ Choose adoption over abortion. God wrote adoption into the gospel (see Romans 8:15)! Fight for the most vulnerable among us, such as, the unborn child. The 46th annual March for Life was held in D.C. on January 18, 2019. Since 1973, the annual March for Life laments the anniversary of Supreme Court decision, Roe vs. Wade. This decision ‘legalized’ abortion in all 50 states. We are praying that Roe would be overturned thus sending abortion law-making back to the states. We cannot stand with Planned Parenthood who, by virtue of their own reporting, is the single largest abortion provider in America. Our national conscience cringed when we learned of PP selling aborted baby body parts for profit. Yikes! And we support the defunding of such an organization as Planned Parenthood. We need to come alongside at-risk pregnant women and support them rather than urging them to kill their unborn child. This is what the Hebrew midwives did in Egypt near the 15th century B.C. (see Exodus 1:15). Pregnancy Resource Centers seek to do just this today.

Sanctity of Human Life 2019 is the title of a two-minute online video you can view. In the video, you see illustrated just how alive a freshly conceived unborn child is—hardly just a clump of tissue in the womb! The video takes the first-person perspective of the unborn child and shares: “After the 18th day I was created I had a heart. During the second month my arms, legs and organs started to grow. By the ninth week I learned how to suck on my thumb and I could start to smell all the yummy foods. I also discovered that I can make silly faces.” Watch that video and learn and…grieve. We have collectively made 60 million plus of these unwise choices to abort in America since 1973. So let’s repent where we need to repent and receive the blessings of a clean conscience before God on choosing life. Assuredly, don’t double down on your sin and try to justify it by taking the death culture’s advise to “shout your abortion!” No way! Rapper, Piper, issued a prompt to repentance. If you’ve urged or had an abortion, listen to a song by Flipsyde released in 2005 titled, Happy Birthday. In the song, rapper, Piper, apologizes for his involvement in an abortion. We need to come alongside godly guilty-ridden people (see 2 Corinthians 7:10) and help them confess their sin and find cleansing (1 John 1:9). Jesus said entirely too much about the least of these among us to somehow not care for the unborn. The gospel of Luke begins with songs surrounding unborn children. Be ye not deceived, abortion is a gospel issue. We can praise God that He ‘knitted us together in mom’s womb’ and ‘forms the inward parts of unborn children’ (Psalm 139:13). Choose Life!

The choices we’ve made in the past cannot always be undone but we can reclaim the moral high ground. You can make a choice today that is contrary to that of your former self. Study the issues afresh. Make informed and faithful decisions. If you’re thinking through these issues in good faith, I’d love to hear from you. When faced with these two great choices, I urge you to find your voice for School Choice and Life Choice. Choice Wisely , my friend. Lives depend on it.

5 Tips for Your Family Worship

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Bold assertion: Family worship will draw your family closer together.

You will learn to love it! You can have a fruitful family worship time by following the following five steps.

First, Learn for yourself what family worship is. Family worship is a time set aside for all family members living under your roof to sit down together and worship Jesus. Family Worship should resemble aspects of our Sunday gathered worship time of the church families together. Ask a member with more experience leading family worship in the home to help you understand what this looks like. Learn specifically what family worship is. In other words, flesh out your definition. The church’s worship usually includes elements that can easily be adapted into shared responsibilities. It might include these aspects: sharing the family schedule, sharing requests for prayer, taking the time to lead a prayer aloud for those requests, missionary updates, a key memory verse of the season, a song you can sing with only your voices OR listen to on someone’s device, reading a chapter out of the Bible, following a kids devotional (if kids are in the home) for shared reading, and talking about what people are learning on their own. Christians are learners/disciples by definition. So irrespective of formal education, we can all learn God’s Word. And we can learn to talk about it during family worship time.

Second, List the resources that need gathered up or purchased. Get a notepad to write prayer requests on. Secure a favorite pen to keep record of those requests. Get missionary literature from the church. Select a short memory verse you think is apt for your family. Get a couple hymns off the internet or a song book you can sing from. Select the spot for your first Family Worship Time (dinner table? living room? a bedroom? a common area?). Get a family Bible to place in the area your family will meet. Get a kids devotion guide if you have kids around. If you want to be successful, be sure to gather good resources for the task of family worship. Ask your church leaders for resource recommendations.

Third, Approach other family members that live in your household. Be sure to talk with the Lord about your family before you talk with your them about family worship. Pray. If married, especially approach your spouse first about having a family worship time. Approach humbly. Listen sincerely. Perhaps they will need more time to understand. Or they may have an idea of a favorite resource or of the best time and place for your family to meet. If the family members are willing, start small. Start with one family worship time a week. You can always add more later. Inform your family you are going to have a family worship time on such and such a date (preferably, not the same day you inform them). Again, start small. Start slow.   

Fourth, Equip your family for the task. Delegate a few responsibilities (e.g., a notetaker for requests, a missions prayer warrior, a singer, a Scripture reader). Involving family members with seemingly small responsibilities is a great way to gain energy for the task of family worship. Give a child the responsibility of keeping up with what page number you’re on for church directory prayer. Give another the task of picking the song we’ll listen too or sing. Ask your spouse if they’ll lead prayer or read the Scripture selection. This will grow them up in the faith and can even help engage younger ones with spiritual things. You may have to practice family worship a few times before this takes form.

Fifth, Enjoy your times of worship. These are not to be tense and herky-jerky. The idea is that you allow the Spirit to lead your family. We never feel like there’s time for family worship. But we always feel like it was time well spent. I just know you’ll feel the same way if you try family worship.   You can have a fruitful family worship time by following these five steps: Learn, List Resources, Approach, Equip, and Enjoy your family. Family worship will draw you closer together and you will learn to love it!

This article is used in MVBC Membership Matters course.  

 Requests for republishing made be emailed to church@mvbaptist.church

For a free mini-course on the history and practice of family worship, go here as accessed December 2018.

 For a brief read on the subject attain Family Worship by Don Whitney .

Corporal Punishment

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

It’s out of style. Corporal punishment, that is, is out of style. And maybe for good reason. I still remember my parents using a belt (shhh, don’t tell the authorities!), my coach throwing halftime clothing hangers at underperforming players, a principal using a paddle on behinds, and my grandparents keeping an infamous ‘switch’ nearby for punishment. There’s an old saying, “spare the rod, spoil the child.” Of course, beating kiddos should never be in style. But corporal punishment need not be confused with abuse.

A school in Georgia recently brought it back (with prior parental written consent); however, corporal punishment has nearly been eliminated from school administrative lexicons. There are studies that purport to show behavior can be effectively modified without whoopins’! I do wonder if we’ve lost something here—that is, the ability to tell and be told…a… flat…out… “No!” I’d like to share a few biblical insights about the “rod” of punishment for good in the Christian life.

1. Jesus’ apostles were willing to bring a tense tone when needed .

The word to the Corinthians church went like this:

“I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?” (1 Co. 4:19–21).

Gentleness was not effective. Arrogance described members.

Jesus’s apostle gives them a choice between a harder or softer approach. If they self-correct the obvious immaturities among them (e.g., tolerating immorality, greed and tribalism), He will come with gentle love. If not, he will come with a tenser tone. Note that Jesus’ leadership never ruled out the option of a “rod.” He kicked over money changing tables and spoke tensely to Pharisees that tried to trap Him. Jesus didn’t likely use a literal rod during His first coming (though He will punish the unbelievers upon His second coming). But Jesus did use a metaphoric rod at His first coming—a tone of direct address. No one likes a tense tone. But wise leaders don’t rule it out!

2. There is a time mere talk will not do the job.

No doubt, as a preacher of the gospel and a full-time expositor of biblical texts, I value talk.

However, I do not value mere talk.

Imagine a parent of a wayward four-year-old little boy. The little boy knows not to walk close to the road; however, he keeps inching closer and closer. You’ve tried everything you know to do but he’s just not taking you seriously. He’s not responding to mere talk. You hardly ever have to use the rod, but this little boy needs to know you will.

There needs to be a precedent set that the level of the tenser tone, the rod, is an option for a parent. “Little Johnny, don’t go any closer to the road,” can only be asserted so many times in so many tones of voice before the wayward boy receives the board of education, the rod of discipline. Why?

Proximate danger awaits at the level of getting hit by a car passing down the road. More remote danger awaits in raising an undisciplined, rebellious, angry and unloved child who rejects any form of authority. Yes, I wrote, unloved. Why? Because it’s unloving to unleash a little heathen on society. Little boys grow up to man-sized bodies. They need to grow into man-sized morals and ethics. Love for your fellow citizens and your family and the child himself commands you to not spare the rod. Sometimes mere talk must be followed with corporal punishment— for love’s sake!

3. Reserving the rare right to use the ‘rod’ is a great way to express your love for your child!

The Word of God exhorts, “If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from ‘hell’” (Proverbs 23:14). Punishment with a metaphoric rod remains a loving category of corrective discipline. In fact, there’s no son that the Father doesn’t discipline (Hebrews 12:7). I don’t mean to turn this article into an apologetic for spanking your children. I do mean to write this article in defense of tenser-when-necessary tones in calling for behavior modification. There are times that those in authority must not only have the trump-card in discipline but are also willing to use it. The President of the United States doesn’t have the political football because he anticipates actually using it, but he does have it as a deterrent. There are far more appropriate and incremental steps a President can use prior to touching the so-called nuclear codes, but there is a nuclear option. In positions of authority, there is an obligation to maintain certain decorum, certain mores, certain behavioral standards. To ignore such a responsibility is to sully the position of authority you’ve been entrusted.

This is never more true than in the church.

For love of the member , for the good of the little ones, and for righteous witness to the world, church leaders must be willing to bring the metaphoric rod (that is, church discipline) of correction in rare occasions (1 Co. 4:21).

I think, in context, the church forfeits its power when it won’t—kind of like how well-intentioned parents forfeit their power to shape their children when they won’t. We are well-intentioned, but sometimes, talk become mere. Punishment may be out of style, but it remains timeless.

A Judgement-Free Zone

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

If Shakespeare’s Hamlet is known for one phrase, that phrase is, “To Be or Not to Be.” If today’s Christian dilemma could be summed up in one phrase, it might be, “To Judge or Not to Judge.” If the question is ever given an answer, the answer is the latter—not to judge! Instinctively, we want to offer a Christianity free of judgment. But is this what the Bible says?

Perhaps the most misapplied verse in the Bible is Matthew 7:1, “Judge not lest you be judged.” On its face, this seems to fit the cultural zeitgeist of our day. Our attitude is: “Who are you to judge me?” But the Bible’s approach to the topic of judgment is more nuanced than that. Like most topics in the Bible, a single verse does not tell the entire story. Allow me to offer a few examples on the topic in order to demonstrate a more robust picture.

 First, let’s cede some ground. There is a type of judgment that is unwise, even unChristian. To judge in a manner different than you would have yourself judged is hypocritical. The context of Matthew 7 urges members to be fit to help another member, “brother,” stop sinning. Matthew 7 is a prohibition of hypocritical judgment, or a judgment in a final sense, not of members-to-wayward-member judgment. The book of Revelation makes clear to the reader that there will one day be final judgment at the throne of Christ! It will be totally loving and totally just. There, God’s holy love will be on display. My fear in our losing the category of “judgment” is that we are losing our ability to lovingly warn non-Christians of pending judgment. For it is appointed for man once to die and then to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). If Matthew 7:1 falls into the category of forbidding last-day judgment only, then it accelerates church’s necessary judgment of obvious sin. Divine judgment will not be hypocritical. So we can cede the ground that any intra-church judgment this side of heaven should not have an aura of hypocrisy.  

Second, let’s reclaim some old ground. There is a type of judgment that is mandated. To deny it is patently unChristian. For example, 1 Peter 4:18 reminds us that “judgment” begins in the household of God. If we do not rightly apply judgment in the household of God (i.e., the church), now, then what will become of the ungodly? This indicates that a rightly ordered church helps rightly order the church’s witness to the watching world. It’s unloving to squeak into heaven while not ever presenting an accurate picture of the gospel to the world around us. We are to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). 1 Corinthians 5 gives us specific application to judgment beginning in the church. When the church is assembled they are to “judge” a known, characteristically, unrepentant, sexually sinful member. It is the job of the church members to judge their fellow member in the rare case that that member can no longer be convinced of the err of his or her way. The rationale for formally judging is that this is good for that individual (5:5), good for the younger members (5:6), and good for the church’s witness to outsiders (5:12). There is to be an “outside” and “inside” of the church. Church leaders need to take heed of these texts and be sure that the structure they are building is built to last, God’s way. 1 Corinthians 3 warns against building a structure that appears to be large but won’t indeed last. So let’s reclaim some old ground with regard to the value of judgment within each local church membership.

Third, let’s claim some new ground. The church needs to speak to the culture. Good law is affordable to us all because common grace is here for us all. A healthy church member has much to say for the good of those outside the church. It is loving for the church member to pass judgment on that which will be good and not good for human flourishing. We do not have to share a claim to special grace for salvation in order to share a common grace for law. The law is always a teacher. While it has been said that you cannot legislate morality, try telling that to a cop. You most certainly can legislate morality. If it’s illegal to do something, that serves as a deterrent to citizens. The question is not if society has a business legislating morality but which morality a governing authority will legislate. For example, will the governing authorities prize erotic or religious liberty more highly? Christians have influenced societal norms from the get-go in the American experiment. With the muzzling of spiritual mouths has come the muzzling of societal morals. It might be time for local church members to find their voices—not just for the sake of conversation but also for the common good. If the moral law is a schoolmaster for salvation (see Galatians 3:23-24), then law has a function in transformation. Church members will need to think more deeply if we want to reach more widely. If the church speaks to the culture they should expect cries of “judgementalism”—even comparisons to the shallower elements of moral majorities in the past. But the charges will be without warrant. Speaking into good law is new ground worth breaking. The Christian ethic, when practiced, leads to more human wellness not less. I’d like to ask the reader to reconsider judgment-free zoning, that is, if this doesn’t come across as too judgmental!

Soul Training

Wed, 05 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Tis the season for training. At our church, there’s a group of people training for a Tough Mudder. At the high school, there’s a weight room and track full of people training for fall competition. On our city streets there are all ages of walkers, joggers, and even all out runners. We’ve got cross fitters and beach bodier-s. We nutritionalize to the tune of big bucks—from weight watchers to keto types and more.

Some use supplements, others don’t.

Observing, and sometimes participating in, training reminds me of a well-established biblical metaphor. Training was known to the 1st century church. The Apostles argued from the lesser to the greater. They said physical training (lesser) was of some value while spiritual training (greater) was of lasting value. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 instructs, “train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Think with me about soul training in concept then in practice.

First, in concept. The concept of soul training intimates we should expect to put forth effort in the Christian life. Development of the soul doesn’t happen accidentally any more than running miles happen accidentally. Success is measured one small incremental step at a time. Regarding spiritual things, sure, a person is saved by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone. But then the work begins. As the Reformers said, you are saved by faith alone but faith does not stay alone. Sincere faith will soon be followed by joyous works, sincere effort. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). And we are exhorted to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). The Apostle Paul tells us to run our race set before us with perseverance (1 Corinthians 9:24), as to win a crown. And he holds himself to his own standard as he strives to finish the race of life (2 Timothy 4:7). Training seems to be a biblical and helpful metaphor for the Christian life. So you will need to put forth effort in your spiritual life in order to find joy in it. Effort and grace are not mutually exclusive.

Second, in practice. The practice of soul training involves tools and trainers. Just as a runner needs shoes so the believer needs a Bible. Having shoes isn’t enough, you will need to put them on and log mileage in them. Having a Bible isn’t enough, you’ll need to open it up and log time in it. You will need to spend time in the Word and in prayer. Prayer will help you to plan your work and work your plan of soul training.  
Parallel these private practices with the power of the group—in spiritual terms, Jesus’ church. Training occurs best with a multitude of trainers. You run more often and train harder when other people are involved with you—in it with you. Even the most self-disciplined person will benefit from peer training or a master trainer. Jesus’ church is where people are to regularly gather for the purpose of soul training. Church members covenant together to provide and receive resources for spiritual training. But this takes effort by you the member! In addition to locating a healthy church, and seeking to become a member of it, you must make yourself regularly available one to another. This is how you find joy in soul training.

Hebrews 10:25 reminds us not to neglect gathering together. Every Sunday group training session helps motivate your smaller group training session each weekday.—and vice versa. The ordinary means of grace the church experiences together (e.g., The Lord’s Supper, baptism, expositional preaching of the Word, covenant discipline) are irreplaceable, non-duplicable. Jesus set up this glorious grind, a sanctified effort, to be accomplished, in part, with the help of others. You are not alone. In practice, good training requires tools and trainers. Locate them.

One accomplished author quipped: I don’t even like writing so much as having written. The same can be said for physical training: I don’t even like running so much as having ran. Maybe at some point you’ll like running. But at this point, metaphors break down. Assuredly, the believer reaches a point where they like soul training. It may not be so much the training as it is having trained, the results. We know we’re pressing on to a place where we will have arrived, eternally in Christ. I can tell you from personal experience, newfound training makes life worse before better. As you acclimate to new disciplines, you’ll realize where your current fitness level really is. Humbling! But soul training is worth the effort. In the end, it’s pure joy.

Life in a Culture of Death

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Mary washed Jesus’ feet (Mark 14:9). She is remembered. Euodia and Syntyche debated issues (Philippians 4:3). They’re remembered. God remembers every true Christian by name (Revelation 3:5, 20:15). The Scriptures well remember two other ladies, Shiphrah and Puah.   

Shiphrah and Puah’s names are presented prominently in the Hebrew sentence that comes to our English-reading eyes in Exodus 1:15. There were simpler ways to convey their presence to the first hearers. But unlike the elders of Israel and the pharaohs of Egypt, the author gives dazzling specificity to their names. Before Moses is even mentioned in the Exodus narrative, as if to add emphasis, these names are mentioned: Shiphrah and Puah. They made a name for themselves by protecting the most vulnerable among us.   

These are remembered for what they were unwilling to do rather than what they did do. And, sometimes, that’s okay. When the pundits write of us as “anti-abortion” rather than “pro-life,” we accept it. Why? Because we know the game. Sometimes it’s better to be known for where we draw the line in the sand—where we won’t go—what we won’t do. Here are the things Shiphrah and Puah wouldn’t do.   

They would not be bitter.  

Shiphrah and Puah were 15th century B.C. Hebrew midwives which likely meant they were infertile. In a civilization that (wrongly) placed a woman’s value on her ability to bear children, these women were socially awkward. The upshot to their likely infertility is that they were prime candidates for midwifery employment. They would have the time to work odd hours in crisis moments as labor and delivery nurses. They would have the time because they didn’t have children of their own. They would work around situations that constantly reminded them of their own inadequacy—the births of children. But they weren’t bitter.   They would not be bitter.  

Shiphrah and Puah were ethnic minorities. They did not have the freedom to travel back home to Canaan—their Promised Land. They did not come and go as they pleased. Their faith in the promises God gave to Abraham, promises of land and blessing and offspring, were only coming true in slow, small, part. And even the part that was coming true (i.e., numerous offspring) wasn’t coming true for them personally. These ethnic minorities were macro-aggressed—not micro-aggressed. These were ethnic minorities with ever-diminishing rights. The situation was not good.   

They would not be bitter.

 Shiphrah and Puah were commanded to oversee partial birth abortions. They were asked to do an ancient version of Kermit Gosnell—dismantle unwanted babies even as the babies screamed for life. You should prepare now to watch the movie coming out this fall about America’s most prolific serial killer, titled, “Gosnell.” The authors share: “Gosnell killed more people than Gary Ridgeway, John Wayne Casey, the Zodiak Killer, and Ted Bundy combined. In a 30 year killing spree it is thought he killed many thousands of babies” The authors of Genesis exercise narrative restraint in telling the Hebrew story when they simply write, “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them” (Exodus 1:17). They let the children live. They were pro-life, or anti-abortion—if you prefer to state it in the negative.

It wasn’t just that they refused to make someone else’s baby the object of angst—the outlet of their bitterness for not having children of their own. It’s also that these women were willing to forego their civil status for them. Shiphrah and Puah civilly disobeyed the governing authorities, risking it all, throwing caution to the wind, in order to defend the cause of life. This price was a far greater one to pay than an incumbent congressman who might risk re-election at the expense of doing what he campaigned to do in the cause of life. Shame on us for pretending to be politically calculated when we are only cowards. Courageous leadership stands up for the unborn. Courageous leadership does what it says it will do. Courageous leadership only calculates until he can throw aside caution for conviction—and leverage credibility for compassion. Courageous leadership like that of Shiphrah and Puah will leverage their last bit of standing to protect the least of these. And you should too.   

They would be better.  Life is moral, not political. If we get into a discussion on moral issues, my guiding questions will orbit around your earthly view of life. For candidates seeking office, how you answer issues of life, even Right to Life questionnaires, will tell us a lot about your worldview. The first, second, third..and possibly eighth question, if you get that far in conversation, with a candidate for public office, should seek to clarify the candidate’s view on the cause of the unborn. Why? Because until we can get this ancient moral precept correctly clarified, we have little business moving forward to other truly political issues. I’m less concerned if you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party Candidate or other. I’m more concerned that you are consistently pro-life—living out your conviction for the cause of the unborn. When you think about it, life is an easy decision, really. For Shiphrah and Puah, issues of life came before many other important issues—issues of oppression and marginalization and bureaucracy and gender and economy. Life became a first-order issue for them and it can be for you too. Other issues eventually got addressed (e.g., Ex. 1:21) and the midwives got blessed. But issues of life receive prime of place, they come first in our order of societal priorities.

  So write your legislator. Volunteer at a Pregnancy Resource Center. Secure resources to share from an area pro-life organization. Teach your kids, your church, your friends. Foster. Adopt. Pray. Do what you can with what you have where you are. Be a heroine. Make a name for yourself the right way. Hold your elected officials and clergy accountable. Rightly reflect the name you claim with Christ-ian. You’ll be a blessing to people of all parties. Choose life.

Faithfulness in Evangelism

Thu, 22 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

“Billy Graham, 99, dies.” This is how I began the last newsletter I wrote to you. Again, I remind you of his death in a related yet distinct topic. When we teach our children about Billy Graham, we recite the phrase: “US Evangelist, Billy Graham.” Truly, Rev. Graham’s century was marked by more than just faithfulness in outreach—of which I wrote to you last month, but also faithfulness in evangelism.   

Evangelism is not the same as outreach. Outreach is reaching out to someone about an event. You might reach out to someone and invite them to church. You might utilize the events of Easter Week in order to get traction in an outreach conversation. You may hand them a little invitation card with our address on it or agree to sit with them if they show up or strike up a conversation with a neighbor around a t-shirt logo or yard sign. This is outreach, reaching out. It is not evangelism.   

Evangelism is telling others about the gospel. The gospel is who God is, who Man is, what Christ Did, and what response is required. The gospel is God, man, Christ, response. Evangelism is more than just reaching out. Evangelism is overtly sharing the powerful, yet sometimes rejected, gospel. We believe that without the gospel of Christ that folks are hopelessly lost with no hope of eternity with God. Therefore, we evangelize them because they aren’t better off in their current estate. They’re worse off without Christ. We tell them because we are not ashamed of the gospel. We tell them because we believe the gospel is the power of God for those who believe (Romans 1:16). We do more than reach out, we evangelize.   

This isn’t to marginalize outreach. People need to know we exist. People need to trust your tribe. People need to trust you. People need to know where to turn when spiritual needs arise. Outreach is constantly reminding people we’re here and you’re here as a brand ambassador for Christ. You need to build relationships with people. But what kind of relationship never gets around to the most important thing? If you have the real fix for a person’s eternal life, and you do in Christ, then what sort of relationship building are you accomplishing by withholding. Withholding the gospel is akin to withholding a meal to the hungry, water to the thirsty, development to a child, or freedom to a slave. Your love is expressed best by sharing the words of life with them. Outreach can be an important step toward evangelism.

  Consider afresh key verses for sharing the gospel for conversion: Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10, 10:13. Recall your own conversion to Christ. Refresh your language in order to tell someone how much Jesus has done for you. Your purpose in life may not be Billy Graham’s. But your purpose in life is to be a US evangelist. How do I know? Because you live in the US and you’re called to evangelize lost people. You are to share the gospel with the people around you (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Matthew 24:14). Therefore, you are a US evangelist. This article is a reminder to us all that we are to be about the duty of evangelizing people, of sharing the gospel with them. Until the whole world hears…

See Pastor Matt's resource on sharing the Gospel here.

Faithfulness in Outreach

Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

“Billy Graham, 99, dies; Pastor Filled Stadiums and Counseled Presidents” was the lead of one among many news outlets on Thursday morning, February 22, 2018. A man whose life spanned a century, and who preached the gospel to a whopping 215 million people in-person, reached his appointed day to die and face the Lord. We each will face that day also, as Hebrews 9:27-28 indicates, “…it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those eagerly waiting for him.” What can we glean from these verses?

First, you have an appointed day to die. You should steward your resources in this life. You should not waste your life on frivolous pursuits. But, counterintuitively, you can do nothing qualitatively to alter the day of your death. It is true that it seems we are masters of our own destiny—but we are not. Your date-of-death is known in the ages. And while you steward the balance of your days, you don’t determine the number of them.

Second, you will face the judgment seat of Christ. Every one will. In Graham’s life, he preached to 215 million people in person. There are just over 315 million people in the United States today and billions in the world. Every one of these 315 million people will face the judgment seat of Christ. It’s inescapable.

Third, sin has been dealt with and will not be dealt with again. This means there will be no second chance opportunities. Christ’s atonement is universally offered but not universally received. Worship is eternal. Missions is temporary. When life expires there is no purgatory or holding location or philosophical discussions. Bottom line: to live is Christ and die is gain for the believer. To live is self and die is eternal death for the unbeliever. This is why we must have an urgency about this gospel now—because missions is short-lived, just as your span of life is.

Fourth, waiting is not passive but active. You can be waiting on your boss to return while also working for the boss. You can be waiting on your date to arrive while also readying yourself for your date. You can be waiting for an appointment to arrive while also finishing a project. Believers eagerly wait for Christ while actively sharing the gospel. It’s both/and not either/or in applying Hebrews 9:28.

Albert Mohler shared the gospel that Billy Graham preached, the gospel we must receive, the gospel we share in outreach to the unbelieving, unresponsive, unrepentant ones around us. Mohler aptly shared,

“It was about heaven that Graham preached—the fact that every human being is a sinner and our plight is impossible except for the fact that God in Christ made atonement for our sins. Graham pointed repeatedly to the historical truths of the crucifixion and of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead—to justification by faith and the promise of the gospel that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved—that if we profess with our lips that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved. He firmly believed that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. This was the gospel Graham preached in the beginning. This was the gospel Graham preached in the end. …There will be many people who are trying…to find a way to honor Billy Graham. But I am confident Billy Graham would say that the real way to honor Graham is to preach the gospel he preached, starting here, starting now.”

Honor Graham. Honor Graham’s message. Do outreach. Without the gospel message, your acquaintances are destined for a sinner’s hell. You are God’s ambassadors. You might not lead crusades for 215 million people, but you can get a message out to about 215 people. You can order an outreach packet with t-shirts people will see, invitation cards people with share, yard signs people will notice, and pens people will write with. You don’t have to stop there. You can connect with us and share on social media. You can use these resources to spark gospel conversations and get someone to church with you in and around Easter.

Faithfulness is not defined the same for you as it is for Graham. There’s only one of him. However, faithfulness is defined the same in this sense: outreach urgency. Will you participate in outreach to unbelievers?

Christians and Their Message

Sat, 28 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Given recent political discussions surrounding the word “evangelical,” it might not be a bad time to discuss Christians and their message. There is much talk about the “evangelical” vote and which candidates will get the “evangelical” vote. An evangelical is one who has personally responded too and subscribes to the biblical Christian gospel. Christians are called to study, defend, and share the gospel message.

First, Christians are called. Christians are called to salvation. The Bible says that one must call upon the name of the Lord to be saved and that only the name of Jesus may be called upon for salvation. But Christians are called by God. Romans 8:30 shares, “those whom (God) predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” However you describe the symbiotic relationship between God calling us and us calling on God, the fact is, Christians are called.

Second, Christians are called to study. It’s a challenging little word, isn’t it? Study. Study is the what we do only as long as we have to and until we can get by with not doing it any more! Study is the habit of intellectual types but not the common man. Unfortunately, these sentiments are not afforded the faithful Christian. Christians are studious. The Greek word translated into our English print Bibles as “disciples” includes a range of meaning that includes follower or learner. Christians are are called upon to learn everything Jesus taught the original disciples as passed along to us in the Scriptures. Peter and John testify to the fact that the Scriptural writings are there for our study—that we may know. We cannot defend or share what we do not know. Christians are called to study the gospel. You are called to study that you might rightly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). The hard work of study is requisite for the work of defending the gospel.

Third, Christians are called to defend. Recent research, titled The State of Theology, revealed some troubled trends in the areas of abortion, doctrine, fidelity, Scripture, and pluralism beliefs of self-professed American evangelical Christians. It is time to reverse those trends. We need to study the doctrines of God, man, salvation, Scripture, last things, and the church that we might be able to defend them against false gospels. It is not so much that the Christian gospel has been tried and found wanting but that the true Christian gospel isn’t being tried at all. We are experiencing a content edited gospel—which Galatians 1 reminds us is no gospel at all! Only called Christians who study the Word are equipped to defend the faith once for all delivered to the believers (Jude 3). The most striking finding of The State of Theology (seethestateoftheology.com ) study is the clear correlation between regular church attendance and theological conviction. It seems Jesus’ plan for local church covenant membership and not forsaking the gathering of believers is still needed for proper defense. The seemingly boring weekly affair of attending a faithful church worship service provides the ordinary means of grace needed, over time, to help you defend the faith.

Fourth, Christians are called to share the gospel. Sharing comes last in this sequence for good reason—sharing is undermined intensely if the sharer is not a called, studious, defender of the faith. The gospel is made visible in the local church. We do not hide the gospel light but rather we let it shine. We need more gears to shift through between being Christians and effectively sharing the gospel. The one who is not willing to study doctrine is not fit to share the gospel. The one who is cowardice to defend the gospel is not fit to share it. The Christian message is easily distorted. We are guarders of the gospel before we are to be sharers—but share we must. Until the whole world hears, we are to share this gospel that our churches guard through expository preaching, sound doctrine, ministry participation, and covenant church membership. Faithful churches both guard and share the gospel.

In sports, you protect the ball before you pass it. You can only share what you have. Politics are downstream from culture. And subsidiarily, culture is impacted at the local level. Jesus’ plan for the local church is still the best option for cultural change you too faithfully seek through politics. As one thought leader reminded, Salvation is not found in Air Force One. Salvation is found in the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Today seems like just as good a day as any for we Christians to be reminded of our message.

— This resource was released to “The Posey County News” on October 28, 2017

Preparing for the Lord's Supper

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

While baptism is a one-time experience, Jesus gave us another action that is intended to continue throughout the life of the Christian. It’s called the Lord's Supper, and it’s a powerful way for Christians to remember and celebrate what God did for us in the life of Jesus.

I. WHAT IS THE LORD'S SUPPER?
(1 Cor. 11:23-26)

1. IT IS A REMINDER .

... and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,
'This is my body, which is for you; eat it in remembrance
of me.’ (vs. 24)

2. IT IS A SYMBOL.

In the same way, He took the cup, saying, 'This cup is
the new covenant in my blood; drink it to remember me.’ (vs. 25)

3. IT IS A STATEMENT OF FAITH.

For whenever you eat the bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes back. (vs. 26)

II. WHO SHOULD TAKE THE LORD'S SUPPER?

Only those who are already BELIEVERS. (see Mark 14:22-26)

For if you eat the bread or drink the cup unworthy, not
honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking
God’s judgment upon yourself. 1 Cor. 11:29

III. HOW DO I PREPARE MYSELF FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER?

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord
in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the
body and blood of the Lord. A person ought to examine
himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
1 Cor. 11:27-28

You prepare yourself by ...

1. Self-examination
1 Cor. 11:27
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord
in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the
body and blood of the Lord.

2. Confession of sins
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

3. Recommitment
Rom. 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer
your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God --
this is your spiritual act of worship.

4. Restoring relationships
Matthew 5:23-24
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there
remember that your brother has something against you, leave
your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled
to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

IV. WHEN AND HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE OBSERVE THE LORD'S SUPPER?

Jesus never said “when” or “how often” believers should observe The Lord's Supper. Since we gather for worship on Sundays the Lord’s Supper is included in our worship a number of times throughout the year and in special services.

Why Music Matters

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, I took a trip to Walmart with all four of my children. Often times I don’t even turn on the stereo. I don’t want my children to be scared of the silence that can be so deafening. But yesterday, I needed to put a stop to the bickering coming from the back seat. There are many benefits (as well as consequences) that come with smart phones but one aspect that I love, is the Radio option within iTunes. I love the fact that I can control what specific music comes on and not have to have the radio hosts filling the air with product ploys and pleas for financial support. My kids, and I, like to listen to music. Typically we like to listen to it loud. From September to March, it is often our homeschool curriculum songs that are blaring when we pull into a parking lot (which my husband thinks is hilarious), but in the “off” season, it is always the same handful of artists and usually songs of old or modern hymnody. Groan, right? I know of people that take pride in the fact that their children don’t know one, single, hymn. Not one! To me, that is a tragic thing.

My children are at a stage in their life in which they mimic what I do. Music is something that has always been important and a general love for it was cultivated within me as a child. I want my children to drink deep in all the many ways music can speak to them. Because they are in the mimicking stage, what I turn on the stereo matters a great deal. It tells my children that the artist is acceptable and worthy of their time. This is precisely why I am so picky about what comes through those speakers. This is why you won’t find local (or syndicate) christian radio being played in my van. Most of the content on the radio is not worthy of their consideration, or the artist is not someone I want my children to emulate. But what if the song has a really good message or is great musically? That is a cheap justification. I would not recommend to you a book on why Pluto is no longer a planet if the author was an avowed atheist. Why? The worldview of the the author is going to be drastically different than mine. Worldview may not play much influence on what constitutes a planet but worldview seeps in in unsuspecting ways. Music is no different. The artist’s worldview will be on display, and more importantly, so will the artist’s theology.

Oh there it is. That dirty word. Theology. The study of God. In our culture that has a difficult time stomaching difference in thought, it’s not popular, and often some christians even label it as sinful, to discuss someone’s theology. Everyone has a theology. Everyone. Your belief, and/or your system of belief, about God is your theology. But why does that matter with music? This gives more explanation to my first statement that most of the content on the radio isn’t worth my child’s listen. I don’t want to teach my children that self-centered and self-serving music is acceptable. There was recently on social media a satirical video in which a christian band was interviewing for a record deal. It was jesting at the shallow nature of modern Christian music. The formula for a hit song was the “holy trinity of chords (A, D & G), more water references and overcoming vague struggles.” As with most comedy, it’s funny because it’s true. The truth of it is tragic. Those three markers tell a lot about the health of the modern church. It’s supposed to be funny but, as satire usually does, it stings. And it should! Accustomed to When it comes to considering our infinitely inexpressible God, these shallow gestures of self-therapy are not what I want my children to think are acceptable. They are not. So why does theological music actually matter? The songs I want my children to sing and love and relate to must be rooted in scripture, not self. The expressions need to be about the nature and being of our majestic God himself, and not how they feel about his majesty at any given moment. Not many of the songs on the radio today live up to this standard. If 7 out of 10 songs played self serving songs, that leaves 3 worthy songs. Why would I listen to 7 songs that are poorly written or altogether narcissistic, when I can choose to play 10 out of 10 songs via iTunes, Pandora, or YouTube. This isn’t a plug for any of those platforms, but it is a plea for parents and Christians to seize an opportunity to intentionally fill their hearts and minds with the glory of God through the medium of music. It’s also a plea to my fellow musicians to write and share things that are worthy of the God of whom they speak of. What we listen to matters.

My boys, 7 & 3, are fairly musical already. They can hold pitch and keep a steady beat. It isn’t uncommon to hear a compilation of the ABC’s, This is the Day, The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and Nothing but the Blood being belted out by my 3 year-old. What a beautiful song to the Lord. It often moves me to tears to hear my children sing, but especially when they sing of the wondrous love, sacrifice, and glories of God. Hymns tell a story that doesn’t just describe vague struggles. They tell of the battle that is being waged for the soul. One of the best challenges I have found is a word by Kevin DeYoung. He asks the question of Pastors, “Are you teaching any songs that can be sung acapella around your hospital bed in 50 years?” That question has served my husband well as he is often, as an associate pastor, in a hospital with families that are preparing for the death of a loved one. You can’t drag in a guitar and sing a song of vague struggles. He has testified to me many occasions where he opened his hymnal and sang an anthem of the faith to comfort someone about to meet Jesus. Recently, at such a bedside, he had been asked some deep spiritual questions about death. When he came home and shared with me, my first response was singing two songs scripture based hymns that would have directly answered those questions. I probably could have come up with a few more if I had actually opened a hymnal. Modern hymns like “He Will Hold Me Fast” and “In Christ Alone” are theologically rich in content and are true to the reality of life. “It Is Well” is an old hymn that also teaches much about depending on Christ in life and in death. “All Glory Be to Christ,” “Oh, the Deep, Deep Love,” and “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood” these are the songs that I want my children to know and sing. These are the truths that I want them to learn as children so that when life happens, old or young, they can know the deep truths about God. I want them to know them and sing them to me as they gather around my bed and prepare to send me to my Savior. I long for the satisfaction of that day. Which is why I’m not sure that there is anything sweeter than the voices of my children singing

Well, except maybe yours.

Public Servants Prayer

Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

There is a time for partisan debates. There is a time for bipartisan prayer.

There is a time for partisan debates. There is a time for bipartisan prayer. The recent shooting on a baseball field outside D.C. reminds us of the need for bipartisan prayer. Sunday, July 2, was a time our local congregation focused on prayer for elected officials. I’ll explain who we invited, what we did, and how it can be done again. Then I’ll urge biblical theology and a ready application.   

First, who we invited. Rev. Matthew Barnes serves as volunteer chaplain to the Indiana Statehouse. He leads Bible studies as an encouragement to representatives. He leads events reminding believing citizens to pray for their elected officials. Barnes exhorts, “It’s hard to objectify elected officials that you actually pray for.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4, and other biblical data, urges the believing citizen to honor the governing authorities and honoring includes prayer. The Bible does not make the ability to have convictions antithetical to the ability to have compassion for elected officials (even the ones who might not share your convictions). There is a time for debate and a time for prayer. We invited twenty-one of our elected representatives to our morning worship on July 2. Among the aspects to our worship that day, we mentioned by name the ones we invited—some of which were able to join us!   

Second, what we did. We not only prayed for certain elected officials by name but we also offered resources. Our members were able to receive a bookmark for a month of prayer, “31 attributes to pray for leaders.” This bookmark is made available for free by the ministry Matthew Barnes oversees: www.publicservantsprayer.org . Rev. Barnes delivered an exposition of 1 Timothy 2:1-4. He used an acronym TIPS for prayer: Thanksgiving, Intercessions, Prayer requests, and Supplications in earnest. In Barnes’ usual easy-to-listen-to-style, he conveyed a penetrating exhortation: treat your elected officials like real people with real needs. This is what we did and will do, I hope.   

Third, how it can be done again. This prayer event is not a parochial one for a couple churches. Rev. Barnes is quite willing to support and receive support from new partner churches. We have been supporting public servants prayer for some years now as part of our missions. If you would like more information on supporting this ministry, after you view online, feel free to reach out. Having recently spoken with Matthew at length, and heard his heart for our great state, I’m quite sure Rev. Barnes would be glad to consider invitations to share at your church. Corporate prayer events like this can be done again and again.   

Fourth, you need a biblical theology on these matters. Convictions should collide; however, convictions and compassion are not biblically antithetical. Convictions and compassion intersect, for the believer, during times of prayer. Because we live in a fallen world, you and I need reminders to do what we are supposed to do. This is where the Bible informs our actions through prayer. A whole biblical theology of church/state relations will yield results in the life of the believer. The Christian will hear from Peter and Paul and Jesus himself about how we are to honor the governing authorities (1 Peter 2), pray for them (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-4), and even pay taxes (Matthew 22). A whole biblical theology will lead the Christian into giving honor where honor is due while not violating conscience. I am not advocating this is easy but it is a command of God. This intersection of conviction and compassion is doable.   

Fifth, and finally, a ready application. Governing authorities are elected by the people for the people and necessarily must hear from the people—so you need to be saying some thing to your elected officials. But the answer to our civility issues will not come simply by saying, but also by praying, for our elected officials. Inspired? Then go to publicservantsprayer.org and click on ‘receive prayer requests’ weekly. They only ask for your name and email address. Can you commit to praying weekly? Will you join the prayer club? 

— This resource was released to “The Posey County News” on July 8, 2017 —

A Work Related Crisis

Thu, 09 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

God made work. Work got frustrated. You were created to create, made made to make.

God made work. Work got frustrated. You were created to create, made made to make. Work was there in Eden and exists in its frustrated form now east of Eden. Work will be there in the new Eden. There is an old medieval-to-most saying: a man's work is sun to sun but a woman's work is never done. This pithy saying is meant to elevate our appreciation of the role of a homemaker. In a 21st century western society, I think you would agree that "work" is never done for man or woman.

I’d bet you find ways to celebrate completed work. You likely set goals and break them into projects and then into tasks. You complete tasks one-by-one until we reach the goal; however, one goal gives way to another. Life shifts. Personnel changes. And you never quite achieve finished work in an ultimate sense. Moreover, you are never done eating and drinking, wearing and laundering, planting and ploughing, yarding and mowing, with dishes and trash and maintenance and cleaning.

You have an internal desire to complete work. You will cope with this internal desire based on one of three motivational structures. First structure, you quit trying. You just recluse into mediocrity and go around greasing the proverbial squeaky wheels of life. Whichever bill collector or boss screams the loudest, you respond. Deep down, you face a crisis of purpose.

Second structure, you keep trying, hard. And as noble as trying hard sounds, it is a consuming moralism that, without proper grounding, will end in death. Deep down, you too face a crisis of purpose though the crisis is expressed oppositely. For you who try hard, and for you who have long since given up, there is a third structure.

The third structure is the gospel-centeredness. God has given your life purpose: to know Christ and make Him known. The gospel is the shape of your love for neighbor. This gospel is content-based and historically-grounded gospel. This gospel is based not on your own work but on Christ's finished work on the cross. So the next time you feel like not starting a work (first structure) or like you're better than the average bear because of your good work (second structure), remember that the only one who ever really finished work was Christ--and He did it by God's sovereignty through suffering. If you are going to cascade a meaningful sense of completed work during this life, then, your work must be gospel-centered. Consider the words of the late CT Studd: "Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice. Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last." The good news is that, regardless of employer, every work done for Christ has lasting meaning.

More to the point, Jesus said, "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do" (John 17:4 ESV). Following Jesus means working on the right things at the right times for the right reasons and then resting in the finished work of Christ.

You will not get “work” completely correct but that doesn't mean you must be denied the dignity of work. You neither have to quit (first structure) or just try harder (second structure). You can work from a gospel-centered motivation (third structure). So use the materials God gave you to the glory of God to work as unto God Himself (Colossians 3:17). Your work is frustrated but can still be fulfilling. Be sure to remember, during a crisis at work, that God made work and it can still be good.

Fasting and Prayer

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Fasting brings out our deep seeded sins. Like gunk builds up in the bottom of a gas tank and only causes problems when fuel is low, when the medication of food is taken away, we get to see what lies in our heart. It exposes us so we can deal with these things when they come up.

How you begin and conduct your fast will largely determine your success. By following these seven basic steps to fasting, you will make your time with the Lord more meaningful and spiritually rewarding.

STEP 1: Set Your Objective

Why are you fasting? Is it for spiritual renewal? For guidance? For healing? For the resolution of problems? For special grace to handle a difficult situation? Ask the Holy Spirit to clarify His leading and objectives for your prayers during your

fast. This will enable you to pray more specifically and strategically. Don Whitney, professor of spiritual disciplines at Southern Seminary, says “Fasting without an objective is just not eating!” The point of fasting is that we experience discomfort. This discomfort drives you to pray for renewal, guidance, healing, resolution grace, or ____________. Discomforts become more than paganistic self-harm in effort to curry favor with a god. Instead, discomfort in fasting reminds you of commitment keeping to yourself and God.

10 major reasons found in scripture for fasting:

1. To strengthen prayer

2. To seek God’s guidance

3. To express Grief

4. To seek deliverance or protection

5. To express repentance and return to God

6. To humble oneself before God

7. To express concern for the Work of God

8. To minister to the needs of others

9. To overcome temptation and dedicate yourself to God

10. To express love and worship to God

STEP 2: Make Your Commitment

Pray about the kind of fast you should undertake. Jesus implied that all of His followers should fast (see: Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14,15).

For Him it was a matter of when believers would fast, not if they would do it. Before you fast, decide the following up front:

• How long you will fast? One meal, one day, a week, or several weeks. (Beginners should start slowly, building up to longer fasting).

• The type of fast God wants you to undertake (such as water only, or water and juices; what kinds of juices you will drink and how often).

• What physical or social activities you will restrict?

• How much time each day you will devote to prayer and God's Word?

Making these commitments ahead of time will help you sustain your fast when physical temptations and life's pressures tempt you to abandon it.

STEP 3: Prepare Yourself Spiritually

The very foundation of fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin will hinder your prayers.

Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart:

•Ask God to help you make a comprehensive list of your sins.

• Confess every sin that the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and accept God's forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

• Seek forgiveness from all whom you have offended, and forgive all who have hurt you (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3,4).

• Make restitution as the Holy Spirit leads you.

• Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit according to His command in Ephesians 5:18 and His promise in 1 John 5:14,15.

• Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Master; refuse to obey your worldly nature (Romans 12:1,2).

• Meditate on the attributes of God, His love, sovereignty, power, wisdom, faithfulness, grace, compassion, and others.

(Psalm 48:9,10; 103:1-8, 11-13).

• Begin your time of fasting and prayer with an expectant heart (Hebrews 11:6).

• Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan sometimes intensifies the natural battle between body and spirit (Galatians 5:16,17).

STEP 4: Prepare Yourself Physically

Fasting requires reasonable precautions. Consult your physician first, especially if you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment. Some persons should never fast without professional supervision. Physical preparation makes the drastic change in your eating routine a little easier so that you can turn your full attention to the Lord in prayer.

• Do not rush into your fast.

•Prepare your body. Eat smaller meals before starting a fast. Avoid high-fat and sugary foods.

• Eat raw fruit and vegetables for a few meals before starting a fast.

While you Fast...

Your time of fasting and prayer has come. You are abstaining from all solid foods and have begun to seek the Lord. Here are some helpful suggestions to consider:

• Avoid taking over the counter medicines, even natural herbal drugs and homeopathic remedies. You most likely will have discomfort, but medication on an empty stomach could make it much worse. If you are deemed physically able to fast by your physician, don’t worry, your body knows what it’s doing. Stay the course.

• Limit your activity.

• Exercise only moderately. Walk one to three miles each day if convenient and

comfortable.

• Rest as much as your schedule will permit.

• Prepare yourself for temporary mental discomforts, such as impatience, crankiness, and anxiety.

• Expect some physical discomforts, especially on the second day. You may have fleeting hunger pains, dizziness, or the "blahs." Withdrawal from caffeine and sugar may cause headaches. Physical annoyances may also include weakness, tiredness, or sleeplessness.

This isn't to be looked at as a bad thing. These are your reminders to pray! The first two or three days are usually the hardest. As you continue to fast, you will likely experience a sense of well-being both physically and spiritually. However, should

you feel hunger pains, increase your liquid intake.

STEP 5: Put Yourself on a Schedule

For maximum spiritual benefit, set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord. Listen for His leading. The more time you spend with Him, the more meaningful your fast will be. Schedule the time that you will spend with the Lord. In addition a dietary schedule is vital as well. What kinds of juice or broth will you drink and when? I often find great energy in fruit juice for mornings and great comfort in hot broth at dinner time. It’s up to you and your tastes, but knowing what you can look forward too is helpful and helps fight temptation.

Tips on Juice Fasting:

• Drinking fruit juice will decrease your hunger pains and give you some natural sugar energy. The taste and lift will motivate and strengthen you to continue.

• The best juices are made from fresh watermelon, lemons, grapes, apples, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery, or leafy green vegetables. In cold weather, you may enjoy a warm vegetable broth.

• Mix acidic juices (orange and tomato) with water for your stomach's sake.

• Avoid caffeinated drinks. And avoid chewing gum or mints, even if your breath is bad. They stimulate digestive action in your stomach.

STEP 6: End Your Fast Gradually

Begin eating gradually. Do not eat solid foods immediately after your fast. Suddenly reintroducing solid food to your stomach and digestive tract will likely have negative, even dangerous, consequences. Try several smaller meals or snacks each day. If you end your fast gradually, the beneficial physical and spiritual effects will result in continued good health.

Here are some suggestions to help you end your fast properly:

• Break an extended water fast with fruit such as watermelon.

• When coming off an extended juice fast, while continuing to drink fruit or vegetable juices, add the following:

First day: Add a raw salad.

Second day: Add baked or boiled potato, no butter or seasoning.

Third day: Add a steamed vegetable.

Thereafter: Begin to reintroduce your normal diet.

STEP 7: Expect God to Make Himself Known

If you sincerely humble yourself before the Lord, repent, pray, and seek God's face; if you consistently meditate on His Word, you will experience a heightened awareness of His presence (John 14:21). The Lord will give you fresh, new spiritual insights. Your

confidence and faith in God will be strengthened. You will feel mentally, spiritually, and physically refreshed.

A single fast, however, is not a spiritual cure-all. Just as we need fresh infillings of the Holy Spirit daily, we also need new times of fasting before God. A 24-hour fast each week has been greatly rewarding to many Christians. It takes time to build your spiritual fasting muscles. If you fail to make it through your first fast, do not be discouraged. You may have tried to fast too long the first time out, or you may need to strengthen your understanding and resolve. As soon as possible, undertake another fast until you do succeed. God will honor you for your faithfulness.

Bonus Step 8: Expect that your deepest longings to be fulfilled in the “Kingdom Come.”

Jesus reminds his followers of the kingdom that will come. he describes its consummation as the marriage feast of the Lamb. He says, “Can the wedding guests morn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The day will come when the bridegroom is taken away and they will

fast.” Matthew 9:14

The context of fasting is the longing for the not yet of the kingdom. The heart of God’s people aches for Jesus presence. Fasting proclaims, “I need you!” It is the exclamation point. Fasting fights the fleshly tendency towards “their god is their belly” (Phil 3:19). Fasting reignites a desire

to live for something more than the next meal (Matthew 4:4). Fasting can be great assurance of salvation for the believer (1 Jn 5:14).

“Self-indulgence is the enemy of gratitude, and self-discipline usually its friend and generator. That is why gluttony is a deadly sin. The early desert fathers believed that a person’s appetites are linked: full stomachs and jaded palates take the edge from our

hunger and thirst for righteousness. They spoil the appetite for God.” -Cornelis Plantinga Jr. The Reformed Journal Nov 1988

Many of the thoughts in this article are assimilated from teachings received from Don Whitney and his book “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life,” from the meditations and teachings of Pastor John Piper available through desiringgod.org, and medical information on fasting from various health websites and my family doctor.