Friday, October 29, 2010

Heard

I love the LORD, because he has heard
   my voice and my pleas for mercy.


Ps 116:1

Yielded Heart

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional:

CUTTING OF THE HEART
 
For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical.  But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.  His praise is not from man but from God.  Romans 2:28-29

A Jew believed that anyone who had been circumcised would never go to hell.  His circumcision secured his salvation.  Paul removes this last prop from their belief system.  He emphasizes that, once again, God does not look at externals but internals.  Circumcision of the heart, not the body, was what mattered to God.

And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart.  Deut. 30:6  God wants to do surgery on my soul, to cut out or cut away sin; the sin that prevents Him from writing His law on my heart.  I am to be a clean slate and accept whatever He writes.  Fighting him by putting my hands over my ears, shielding my eyes, even being stiff-necked, prevents this internal circumcision from taking place.  So much for respecting the privilege of this holy appointment.

It is no wonder that the Jewish leaders were enraged with Jesus and His apostles.  The message of the Gospel erased what they believe qualified them to inherit salvation.  To learn that all their rituals and external performances were as nothing to God must have been devastating.  Perhaps it was too threatening a truth to own.

The Spirit of God is the great surgeon of my soul.  When I interact with the Word and meditate on it, He takes truth to the part of my soul that needs attention.  When His Word cuts like a sword through my strongholds of deception, it feels frightening and emotionally excruciating.  I can hang on to a particular lie, or way of life, for many decades.  The longer I resist Him, the more protective and defensive I am of what is really killing me.  I need to be broken like a wild horse.  Yielding to the Spirit is what will take me down, and then, save me.

My heart bears the scars of much surgery.  It was painful but the results turned joyful with time.  I trust You with this holy process.  Make my heart totally pleasing to you.  Amen

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Beings In the Image of God

Excerpt from Kevin DeYoung's Interview with Tim Keller on Generous Justice

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You explain at the beginning of the book that you are writing for four kinds of people: those excited about doing justice, those suspicious, those who have expanded their mission to include social justice, and those who think religion poisons everything. In a sentence, what do you want to say to each group?

I hope that the 1st group gets a more sustained commitment to doing justice through growing in theological and spiritual maturity.
I hope that the 2nd group becomes aware that what Jonathan Edwards says is true, namely that there is “no command in the Bible laid down in stronger terms…than the command of giving to the poor.”
I hope that the 3rd group would be more patient with warnings to not let a justice emphasis undermine a church’s work of evangelism and making disciples. Careful balances have to be struck. (Whoops—that’s two sentences!)
I hope that the 4th group will be able to recognize that much of their understanding of rights and justice has come from the Bible, and even to critique the church they have to use standards borrowed from Christianity.

What is one of your favorite verses that speaks to either God’s heart for the needy or our call to generous justice? 

I don’t have just one. The entire parable of the Good Samaritan has shaped my thinking profoundly.

Why are you so passionate about this issue?

I read the Bible and I’m overwhelmed with the amount of Biblical material that expresses concern for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the alien. My main gifting is evangelism and I’ve never had extensive experience in a poor community or country. So I reason—if I can see all of this in the Bible, despite the fact that I’m not especially oriented to do so—it must be important to God. I’m passionate about it because I’m passionate to be shaped by the Bible.

What do you do in your own life to pursue generous justice?

At Redeemer, we have an excellent diaconate that works with those in need within our community. In addition, years ago I helped a group of people establish “Hope For New York,” a separate but closely aligned organization, that helps our church members give of their time and money to the needs of the whole city. As I say in the book, many churches who work among the poor establish a 501(c)3—often a ‘community development corporation’—to do much of the direct ministry to people in need. That way the elders of the local church can concentrate on building up the flock. That fits in with Abraham Kuyper’s insight that it is best for much of Christian work in society to happen through voluntary societies and associations, run by lay people. In the end, then, my main personal contribution to justice in New York City has been to establish and lead my church in a way that makes all this possible.


Any cautions you would give to Christians who are eager to transform the world or make the shalom of the city their church’s mission?

I believe that making disciples and doing justice relate (not exactly) but somewhat in the same way that faith and works relate to one another. We would say that faith alone is the basis for salvation, and yet true faith will always result in good works. We must not “load in” works as if they are an equal with faith as a salvation-base, but neither can we “detach” works and say that they are optional for a believer. Similarly, I would say that the first thing I need to tell people when they come to church is “believe in Jesus,” not “do justice.” Why? Because first, believing in Jesus meets a more radical need and second, because if they don’t believe in Jesus they won’t have that gospel-motivation to do justice that I talk about in the book. So there’s a priority there. On the other hand, for a church to not constantly disciple its people to “do justice” would be utterly wrong, because it is an important part of God’s will. I’m calling for an ‘asymmetrical balance’ here. It seems to me that some churches try to “load in” doing justice as if it is equally important as believing in Jesus, but others, in fear of falling into the social gospel, do not preach or disciple their people to do justice at all. Both are wrong. A Biblical church should be highly evangelistic yet known for its commitment to the poor of the city.

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'Tis So Sweet

Excerpt from Kathryn's Musings From A Late Fall Day .... post at Didn't See This Coming ...

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What I do know, is God is a keeper of all of his promises.  When we see the sun; feel the wind on our skin and in our hair (those who still have hair), and see the handiwork of his good pleasure all around us, having faith in something far greater than ourselves, perhaps we do not have to "fully know" or comprehend.  "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so".....and those who 'have the faith of a mustard seed" - this is sufficient for the day.  His Grace.  However, as humans, we will keep reading and searching to reach understanding that 'gets us through the day'.  He says to 'study to show yourself approved" - it is a call to know Him and his will for our lives. He commands that we gain wisdom - but only God's wisdom is to be sought, wisdom cannot be found in anything or anyone else. 

I have a great many questions - and they all begin with "why?...." and even though I want answers, I will not get them. I might get a slight glimmer and think, ah! yes, that is why - but it's only my human insight or POV.  It's not God's.

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
And to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood

Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.

Refrain
I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

The hymns of days past speak to my heart in a new way.  I hear the words; the tune or lack there of no longer matters.  I am so grateful for those who sat and penned their soul's hurts and praise to paper.  Likewise Streams in the Desert.  Words leap off the page and embed themselves into my heart - they are testimonies by humans, thoughts and faith sharpened by winter's blasts and Satan's never ending weapons thrust at our hearts, minds and marrow.  God's word is the foundation; He has provided for every storm that comes our way.  Trust Him, He is worthy to be praised and worshipped.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Heart Centered

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional

MISSING THE POINT

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth ~ you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?  While you preach against stealing, do you steal?  You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?  You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.  The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

            I tell others that I follow Jesus.  I decline the invitation to do things that I know He wouldn't do.  I engage in things others think foolish because Jesus would do them.  Is God honored by my convictions?  I can fool myself into thinking so if I am oblivious to the difference between external behavior and internal faith.  The first without the latter begets spiritual arrogance.

            The Jews were proud of their heritage and boasted in the fact that the Law was given to them through Moses.  Many of them were teachers of the truth God had entrusted.  But, just as we are, they were guilty of every point.  There are many ways to steal, even with the heart.  There are ways to commit adultery, even with the heart.  There are ways to worship idols, even with the heart.  Though people around us can't read our thoughts and see the individual sins, they can pick up self-exaltation and whether we convey that we are above breaking the law.  The theme of my life must be the Gospel and my need for the cross.

  • Every day, I break God's law.
  • Every day, because of Jesus sacrifice, I am forgiven.
  • Every day, I realize I do not have the ability to keep from sinning.
  • Every day, I pray for daily bread so that the Spirit can bring heart change.
  • Recognition of my dependence on God serves humility and smashes pride.

     When others are repelled by my good behavior because it feels hollow, seems arrogant, and is void of love, it is time to ask myself if God's name is being blasphemed among unbelievers.  I can discredit what I think I am promoting. The very things I teach, I need to continue to learn.

Wake me up if my life is a walking contradiction!  Keep me heart centered, Lord.  Amen

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Be Gracious to Us

O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited [expectantly] for You. Be the arm [of Your servants--their strength and defense] every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.  [Amplified]


Isaiah 33:2

Liberating Power of the Finished Work

Excerpts from Tullian Tchividjian post:  The Gospel Everyday


...

In his letter to the Christians of Colossae, the apostle Paul portrays the gospel as the instrument of all continued growth and spiritual progress, even after a believer’s conversion.

“All over the world,” he writes, “this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth” (Col. 1:6). He means that the gospel is not only growing wider in the world but it’s also growing deeper in Christians.

After meditating on Paul’s words, a friend told me that all our problems in life stem from our failure to apply the gospel. This means I can’t really move forward unless I learn more thoroughly the gospel’s content and how to apply it to all of life. Real change does not and cannot come independently of the gospel. God intends his Good News in Christ to mold and shape us at every point and in every way. It increasingly defines the way we think, feel, and live.

...

In his book The Gospel for Real Life, Jerry Bridges picks up on this theme–that Christians need the gospel just as much as non-Christians–by explaining how the spiritual poverty in so much of our Christian experience is the result of inadequate understanding of the gospel’s depths. The answer isn’t to try harder in the Christian life but to comprehend more fully and clearly Christ’s finished work for sinners and then to live in more vital awareness of that grace day by day. The main problem in the Christian life, in other words, is not that we don’t try hard enough to be good. It’s that we haven’t accepted the deep implications of the gospel and applied its powerful reality to all parts of our life.

As I see it, there are two challenges for preachers, those of us called to announce this good news. First is to help people understand theologically that the gospel doesn’t just ignite the Christian life but it’s also the fuel that keeps Christians going and growing every day. The second challenge, which is much harder for me than the first, is to help people understand how this works functionally.

I address the second challenge by regularly asking myself questions like this one: Since Jesus secured my pardon and absorbed the Father’s wrath on my behalf so that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” how does that impact my longing for approval, my tendency to be controlling, and my fear of the unknown?

In other words, how does the finished work of Christ satisfy my deepest daily needs so that I can experience the liberating power of the gospel every day and in every way?

If you’re a preacher, then God has called you to help others make the connection between Christ’s finished work and their daily life. To do this, we must unveil and unpack the truth of the gospel from every biblical text we preach in such a way that it exposes both the idols of our culture and the idols of our hearts.

Every sermon ought to disclose the ways in which we depend on lesser things to provide the security, acceptance, protection, affection, meaning, and satisfaction that only Christ can supply.

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No Second Guessing

Excerpt from Perry Noble post:  It's Monday ...


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BUT…something has caught my attention lately while reading through Paul’s letters…he begins each one of them by identifying the fact that he has been called to be an Apostle by God Himself.  (See II Timothy 1:1, I Timothy 1:1, Colossians 1:1)

As I’ve been reading through these letters there has been a thought that has kept coming up over and over…

God knew EXACTLY what He was doing when He called you…and not only has He called you but has gifted and empowered you to do the work that He has prepared for you to do!

Think about that…God knew exactly what He was doing when He called you.  He didn’t dial the wrong number, there wasn’t an angel that messed up and went to you instead of your next door neighbor.  He called YOU (and…when we learn to allow our identity to be in the fact that the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE called us instead of who retweets us or how many people we have in church…we can truly learn to rely on His strength and not our own!)

He called us…not because of who we were but in spite of it!!!  He knew everything about us…all of our previous sins (and the future ones as well) and yet still chose to call us to Himself and give us stewardship of something that is very near to His heart…His church!

He called you not because He knew you could get it done…but because He knew you were the person who would bring Him the most glory.  I once heard Rick Warren say that God most often puts His strongest gifts in His weakest vessels!  (II Corinthians 4:7)

He called us…AND gifted/empowered us to do HIS work!  Sure, there are times when we feel like we literally can’t go on…that our strength is zapped and we want to tap out…and it is in those times that I have discovered that He most often does His best work!

He called you, equipped you, will sustain you and be with you always!  SO…if you are second guessing yesterday…just remember that God isn’t second guessing you!!!  Fix your eyes on Him and get on with whatever He’s called you to do!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Delivered

But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's! 

Romans 8:9-11[Message]

Less Is More

Link mentioned yesterday:  Time of Your Life | North Point

Godly Counsel

LifeToday Devotional

Finding Help
At times we need another’s wisdom
by Betty Robison


About fifteen years into our marriage, James and I found ourselves caught up in a vicious cycle that lasted for several years.

James began his ministry at age eighteen, and after nearly two decades of preaching five or six times a day for more than 250 days a year, he was no longer happy. He was burned out and exhausted, and as a result he became depressed and angry. He also acknowledged a serious battle with lust.

My attempts to help him only triggered my old fears and insecurities about being an inadequate partner for him in ministry. When he traveled, I was lonely and missed him. But when he was home, his dark moods and lack of joy made him difficult to be around. When he confessed his lustful thoughts and compulsive feelings, I felt helpless to respond. I kept asking him if I was doing something wrong, but he always assured me that it wasn’t my fault. Still, I felt overwhelmed and incapable of being the kind of wife he needed. How could I be strong and help James when I was struggling so much myself?

I prayed for James, asking God to bring back the joy we’d had earlier in our marriage. Eventually it became clear that we needed outside help and counsel. When James returned from a trip and confessed that he had become so depressed and discouraged that he had considered deliberately crashing the plane he was flying, which would have killed not only him but a very good friend, we knew we had reached the breaking point. The next day James spent several hours talking with various friends, and when he was done, he told me he wanted to meet privately with a pastor from Florida, Peter Lord, who had spoken at our annual Bible conference. “I know I can trust Peter to keep things confidential,” James said.

I encouraged him to meet with Peter as soon as possible, and James found the time while he was conducting a crusade in Miami. When he returned home, I could tell right away that something was different. James seemed at peace for the first time in a long time, and his hunger for the Word of God and his enthusiasm for preaching had returned. Always quick to tell me what was happening in his life, James explained how Peter had opened his eyes to the realities of spiritual warfare, especially how deceptive evils spirits could influence and oppress us – even as Christians.

At first I was confused. “I thought the devil and demonic spirits couldn’t trouble us once we have Jesus in our hearts,” I said.

“No, that’s untrue,” James replied. “And that’s what Peter showed me. He gave me some references from Scripture to see for myself.”

This timely counsel profoundly affected James. It was obvious that he had a newfound freedom. Sadly, that freedom didn’t last.

When James shared what he had learned with some of his more conservative friends, including several prominent pastors, they scoffed and downplayed the role of evil spirits in affecting believers. James was troubled by their mocking response, but because he respected their knowledge of Scripture and their Christian maturity, he backed away from the teaching he had received and stopped pursuing the breakthrough he had experienced and so greatly desired.

Tragically, the spiritual battle intensified, which is just what Jesus said would happen when a spirit is driven out but the house is not then occupied by God’s Holy Spirit and abiding presence. The Lord said that seven more spirits would come into the house and the condition would be far worse.[1]

It wasn’t until months later, when James not only received further counsel from a friend but also an unmistakable deliverance through the prayers of a humble servant of God, that he was truly set free from the forces that had sought to derail his life and ministry.

The lesson we learned is this: if you reach a point in your marriage when outside counsel is needed, pray for God’s guidance. Ask Him to direct you to the right person or people in whom to confide. As with anything in life, when we seek outside counsel, we must do so with discretion and discernment. Not everyone we might choose will give us the kind of godly counsel we need.

James and I both believe that when a person is defeated and caught in an addictive practice, the problem must be acknowledged and outside assistance accepted. Serious problems such as substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexual addition usually require a process that leads to positive change. Do not be ashamed to admit your failures or weakness.

Although it may be difficult, if you discover problematic issues in your spouse’s life, I urge you not to write them off, throw them out, or give up on your marriage. Help is available and necessary.

It is important to understand that the decision to seek outside counsel is not to be taken lightly; nor is it to be undertaken individually. When the need arises to go outside your marriage for help, you and your spouse must maintain your commitment to work together. James and I highly recommend that you make a joint decision to seek the help of a counselor.

Sometimes it can be helpful to seek advice from a professional who doesn’t know you or your spouse. Look for a person with strong professional credentials and a faith-based approach. Many churches provide a list of referrals, or they may have a well-trained counselor on staff who is both qualified and caring.

You don’t need to suffer in silence, and you don’t need to cry out behind each other’s backs. If you’re in the midst of a difficult time and you can’t see any way out, please let me encourage you: there is a way. Pray and ask God for His direction in finding help. If you ask Him for an egg, He won’t give you a scorpion.[2] No, if you ask Him, He will give you the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.[3]

Most important, ask God to help you and your spouse remain united as a team. When you’re upset with something your husband or wife has said or done, there is a huge temptation to seek a sympathetic ear. As the saying goes, “Misery love company.” We want to unload telling all the ways we’re right and our spouse is wrong. We want someone to be as upset as we are and to validate our feelings.

This is not a good idea. It’s also not what we mean by seeking counsel. Commiserating with people just to get them on your side is merely stewing in your own juices and inviting others into the pot with you. It is treacherous because you run the risk of fostering an air of superiority over your spouse. If you continue to do this, you can eventually find yourself resenting your spouse rather than moving toward understanding and reconciliation.

Please be very careful when discussing your spouse’s weaknesses without his or her consent, because it can result in deep feelings of betrayal.

Instead, take your concerns first to God, and then take them to your spouse. After you’ve prayed and spoken to your spouse, if you still have no resolution, take your concerns – together with your spouse – to someone you both agree on. James and I have never approached another person to discuss a challenge or difficulty in our marriage unless we have first addressed it between ourselves and then have explicitly agreed to discuss this particular challenge with a trusted friend or counselor. We never have and never will go behind each other’s back. Believe me, this practice has enabled us to work through some very serious challenges.

It was essential for both James and me to seek and accept outside help. We needed someone we could trust when we shared information on recurring defeats in our lives. Thankfully, we found someone who would actually advise us, then would pray and take authority over the tormenting spirits of deception, distraction, fear, and rejection that has effectively held us in bondage.

From James: The above writing comes from our book Living in Love, which is available in bookstores or online from www.livinginlovetoday.com. When you get our book, please don’t fail to read Chapter 15 “The Invisible Enemy” which reveals the adverse affects of the spiritual realm of deception and darkness. Regardless of the challenge or failure, Betty and I want to encourage you – there is hope in the Lord and there is help available. Seeking help from an outside source for a marriage challenge is not a sign of failure. Be patient. It takes time for you and your spouse to work through the difficulties you’re encountering. Be willing to forgive and begin again. God wants your marriage to be heaven on earth and He makes all things new! Your marriage is worth fighting for!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Fear of Grace

Excerpt from Tullian Tchividjian The Resurgence post:  Don't create a new law for yourself

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This is super important because the biggest lie about grace that Satan wants the church to buy is the idea that grace is dangerous and therefore needs to be “kept it in check.” By believing this we not only prove we don’t understand grace, but we violate gospel advancement in our lives and in the church. A “yes, grace...but” disposition is the kind of fearful posture that keeps moralism swirling around in our hearts and in the church.

I understand the fear of grace. As a pastor, one of my responsibilities is to disciple people into a deeper understanding of obedience—teaching them to say “no” to the things God hates and “yes” to the things God loves. But all too often I have (wrongly) concluded that the only way to keep licentious people in line is to give them more rules. The fact is, however, that the only way licentious people start to obey is when they get a taste of God’s radical unconditional acceptance of sinners.

The irony of gospel-based sanctification is that those who end up obeying more are those who increasingly realize that their standing with God is not based on their obedience, but Christ’s.

The people who actually end up performing better are those who understand that their relationship with God doesn’t depend on their performance for Jesus, but Jesus’ performance for us. 

People need to hear less about what we need to do for God and more about all that God has already done for us, because imperatives minus indicatives equal impossibilities. If you’re a preacher and you’re assuming that people understand the radical nature of gospel indicatives, so your ministry is focused primarily on gospel imperatives, you’re making a huge mistake. A huge mistake!


Long-term, sustained, gospel-motivated obedience can only come from faith in what Jesus has already done, not fear of what we must do. To paraphrase Ray Ortlund, any obedience not grounded in or motivated by the gospel is unsustainable. No matter how hard you try, how “radical” you get, any engine smaller than the gospel that you’re depending on for power to obey will conk out in due time.

So let’s take it up a notch. Don’t be afraid to preach the radical nature of the gospel of grace. For, as the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “If your preaching of the gospel doesn't provoke the charge from some of antinomianism, you're not preaching the gospel.”

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Marriage

Perry Noble post:  Seven Verses To Look At Regarding Your Marriage!


Earlier this week I asked our church to read through Philippians 2:1-11 every morning and pray two things…
  • Jesus, let me see the areas I fall short in serving my spouse…and
  • Jesus, let me see my spouse through your eyes.
I hope you are doing that and that God is showing you some amazing things.  AND…if you want to do a little more reading and studying in the book of Philippians on this subject then I would like to submit seven to you today…(by the way…for those who are unaware of this, if you will just click on the verses listed below they will automatically appear on your screen in another window.)

#1 – Philippians 1:27 – The first word is the one that gets me the most – “whatever!”  AND…please keep in mind that the Apostle Paul was in prison when he penned that verse.  If Paul can instruct us to keep a good attitude when he was in prison they surely we must strive to do the same…even if we are in a difficult marriage.

#2 – Philippians 2:14 – DANG…notice the word “everything” in this verse!  If we would simply submit to this instruction how much better would our marriages be?

#3 – Philippians 3:12-14 – Paul refused to allow the fact that he had fallen short of who he felt God was calling him to be…he was willing to continue the fight!  (Everyone is tempted to give up on their marriage at some point…but if we are followers of Jesus we should be willing to fight FOR it and not just in it!)

#4 – Philippians 3:16 – AHHH!  Most of the time we already know what we need to do and how we need to do it….we know it but struggle to apply it!

#5 – Philippians 4:5-7 – We should be gentle to all (including our spouse) and not be anxious…but rather present our requests to God, knowing that He wants for us to have a great marriage even more than we would actually like to have one.

#6 – Philippians 4:8 – How we think about our marriage (or future marriage) will definitely impact it…this verse is essential in reminding us to think the right thoughts.  (Also see II Corinthians 10:5)  We must fight the temptation to constantly think negative thoughts about our spouse and our marriage.

#7 – Philippians 4:13 – “Everything” means “Everything!”  Trust me…your messed up marriage situation CAN BE HEALED by Jesus.  He specializes in bringing dead things back to life!  In Christ our marriage CAN (and SHOULD) work out in order that Ephesians 3:20 should be true about them.

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Testing

Neil Anderson Daily in Christ Devotional

GOD'S MINISTRY OF DARKNESS

2 Corinthians 4:11
For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh


What is the point of troubled times in our lives? What is God trying to do? What is He trying to teach us? Peter wrote, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation" (1 Peter 4:12, 13).

In God's ministry of testing, we learn a lot about ourselves. Whatever is left of simplistic advice such as "Read your Bible" or "Just work harder" or "Pray more" gets stripped away. Most people going through testing times would love to resolve the crisis, but they seemingly can't and don't know why.

In God's ministry of darkness we learn compassion. We learn to wait patiently with people. We learn to respond to the emotional needs of people who have lost hope. We weep with those who weep. We don't try to teach or instruct or advise. If God took away every external blessing and reduced our assets to nothing more than meaningful relationships, would that be enough to sustain us? Yes, I believe it would.

Perhaps God brings us to the end of our resources so we can discover the vastness of His. We don't hear many sermons about brokenness in our churches these days, yet in all four Gospels Jesus taught us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily, and follow Him. I don't know any painless way to die to ourselves, but I do know that it's necessary and that it's the best possible thing that could ever happen to us.

"No pain, no gain," says the body builder. Isn't that true in the spiritual realm as well (Hebrews 12:11)? Proven character comes from persevering through the tribulations of life (Romans 5:3-5). Every great period of personal growth in my life and ministry has been preceded by a major time of testing.
 
Prayer: Lord, I submit to Your testing so I may come to the end of my resources and joyfully discover Yours. 
 




Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Our Steps

The very steps we take come from God;
   otherwise how would we know where we're going? 


Proverbs 20:24 [Message]

Sets Us Free

Ray Ortlund post excerpt:  Hermeneutics and culture


For a church to preach gospel doctrine and embody gospel culture is ultimately a matter of hermeneutics. Not the pastor’s cheery personality, though that helps, but hermeneutics. What is this Bible we are reading? If it really is good news for bad people through the finished work of Christ on the cross — if “good news” is the hermeneutic with which every passage is interpreted and every sermon preached, then by God’s help that church will build a gospel culture where sinners can breathe again.

But it is possible for a church, reading the Bible, even revering the Bible, never to become a gospel culture. Why? Hermeneutics, how they perceive their Bible. And if the only light we have is darkness, how great is our darkness.

We tend toward a sinister reading of reality. We see God that way, we see each other that way, we see life that way. The Bible sets us free. Wise churches keep their thinking in happy and determined alignment with the authoritative message of divine grace.

Get It Out

Steven Furtick post:  Saturation Point


In chemistry, every substance has a saturation point where it can’t take anymore. Nothing has unlimited capacity. For example, a sponge can absorb only so much water. Eventually it will get to the point where it will not be able to soak up any more until it gets wrung out.

The same is true in our lives when it comes to absorbing teaching. That includes teaching from sermons, leadership conferences, podcasts, blogs, books, retreats, or any other venue you can think of.

Obviously I don’t mean that we have a point where we won’t be able to consume and remember new information. But I do believe there is a point when the teaching we’re receiving will stop having the positive transformational effects on our lives that we desire.

Not because we’re not hungry for biblical teaching. Or for that moment when someone says something that completely rearranges our conceptual paradigm. But because we’re not just as hungry to apply biblical teaching. We’re not just as hungry to rearrange our practical paradigm.

I think many Christians have reached their saturation point. Many of us just want to get fed. We want to collect the latest and best “deep” teaching we can get our hands on. The best quote that we can tweet.

What we really need is to wring out what we’re absorbing.

A mind-expanding thought doesn’t become a life-changing one until it becomes reality. The best teaching you’ve heard recently is the teaching you’re applying right now. Deep teaching is teaching that bores through your mind, into your heart, and out through your hands.

Don’t hear me wrong. I wholeheartedly believe in the idea of consuming as much good teaching as you can. I usually have 3-4 sermons running in the background of my office. I study the Bible intensely. I’m constantly reading new books.

So by all means, take in the best teaching you can. Listen to every podcast you can. Go to the best conferences. Read twenty blogs a day.

But whatever you take in, you’ve got to get it out. Or else you’ll soon run out of space to take in anything else.

Contextualization

Ed Stetzer post:  Calling for Contextualization:  Part 8 Ruining and Recovering Relevance

In leading or planting a church, central to your calling is the proclamation of the gospel in words and works of grace. As Christians and leaders in the church we represent Jesus, do the things of Jesus, and tell others about Jesus. And we do that in "relevant" ways.


If you've read my blog for any length of time you know I'm a believer in cultural relevance in our churches. Perhaps a better way to say it is that I believe gospel-centered, biblically faithful churches are culturally relevant. Not everyone gets excited about this subject, and I understand their concerns because I have some concerns as well. But I believe cultural relevance is a necessary aspect of and tool for missional ministry in each of our contexts.

The Gospel must always be delivered into a specific cultural context. To be culturally relevant is to take the unchanging Gospel into ever-changing cultures. We do that by listening to and understanding the culture, learning to speak their language, connecting the Gospel to the idols of the culture, and showing the beauty and supremacy of Jesus. Read through Paul's approach to the cities of Iconium, Lystra, Macedonia, and Athens in Acts 14-17 and you will find an excellent model of a discerning cultural relevance.

Trouble starts with cultural relevance when we misunderstand its importance. Sometimes we believe being relevant means being missional, but it doesn't. The truth is we can be culturally relevant and ultimately go nowhere in helping people know Jesus or serving Him on mission. Relevance is an implication of mission, and a tool for the mission, but it is not the goal of the mission. Making disciples through the spread of the gospel is the goal. If cultural relevance is our goal, the Gospel is demoted and we lose confidence in its transforming power and necessity.

How does this happen? How do we wind up elevating cultural relevance, intentionally or not, to be an ultimate goal? Here are a few ways.

We elevate cultural relevance when we focus on personal or social transformation and not Gospel transformation. The Gospel message is not about trying harder to be a good person. Atheists, Mormons, and Oprah can help you be good. The gospel message is not about cleaning up our cities. Atheists, Scientologists, and politicians can improve our cities. Cultural relevance as a goal will encourage us to stop short of the most needed and deepest changes in our lives because because of the desire not to offend those in the culture. When it is the goal, we stay on the surface of change and avoid the heart. But if cultural relevance is a tool we will focus our work on the Gospel that says that we need to be changed from the inside out. We will focus on a ministry in which Jesus transforms lives.

We elevate cultural relevance when our sermons are so practical that they lack a Gospel priority. Of course I'm not saying that practical sermons are bad. I think sermons with practical implications and application are essential. Some are trying so hard to be practical in their preaching that their messages are easily understood, received and applied, but Christ is not made known. I seek to never preach a message that would not be true if Jesus had not died on the cross. Belief in a bloody cross and an empty tomb should be foundational to whatever practical advice we share.

We elevate cultural relevance when our outreach demeans others who preach the Gospel. I've seen the mailers from churches that say things like, "top 10 reasons every other church in this county stinks, but ours is great." They often use words like "relevant," "exciting," "fresh" and "real" to explain their ministries. If we are not careful, we can show confidence in our relevance, not in the Gospel. If the Gospel is at the center of our message and ministry, we will not communicate anything that allows people to devalue other churches that preach the Gospel. We will work with them and pray for them.

We elevate cultural relevance when personal evangelism is an oxymoron at our churches. Relevance as the goal makes our cool worship services the place where people connect and pastors are the only ones who tell people about Jesus. When the Gospel is the point and relevance is a tool, pastors will also equip God's people to take the Gospel with them into their communities. Sure, let's invite the neighbors to our worship services and ministries. But when done alone, it hinders the work of the Gospel.

We elevate cultural relevance when attendance is celebrated more than conversions. In one of our studies we asked a question about the conversion rate in new churches. We found that most churches never ask that question, and even if they ask they often give an inflated answer. One church from the study had done an incredible job planting multiple churches. They had the courage to survey all their people and ask the simple question, "Did you come to faith in Jesus Christ in this church?" The goal was 10% conversion growth in their new churches, but they found it was only 2-3%. Our focus can't simply be on our attendance, but seeing men and women come to faith in Jesus Christ.

We elevate cultural relevance when not offending seekers is often more important than telling the Gospel. God taught us a lot of things in the seeker movement. But it is hard to be perceived as sensitive when you talk about sin and death and the cross, the central elements of the Gospel. I think our focus needs to be "seeker-comprehensible": to communicate the Gospel clearly and understandably even as we communicate a message that is not sensitive or comfortable. Relevance is a tool that helps seekers comprehend the truths of the Gospel.

The good news is that cultural relevance and the Gospel aren't at odds. Relevance is a tool to be used by all churches from the painfully hip to the quietly liturgical, because it is the necessary consequence of doing things God's way. It is a missiological principle that helps us fulfill the goal of getting the Gospel to the greatest amount of people. Whatever community you find yourself in, use relevance with discernment and the Gospel with liberality.

If you missed the previous 7 parts in the series check out the links below:
Calling for Contextualization (Part 1)
Calling for Contextualization: The Need to Contend and Contextualize (Part 2)
Calling for Contextualization: Knowing and Making Known the Gospel (Part 3)
Calling for Contextualization: Untangling Cultural Engagement (Part 4)
Calling for Contextualization: Indigenization (Part 5)
Calling for Contextualization: Loving and Hating the World (Part 6)
Calling for Contextualization: The Contextualization Spectrum (Part 7)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

He Has Done

Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name!
      Tell everyone you meet what he has done! 


Ps 105:1 [Message]

His Glory

Kevin DeYoung post:  Claiming to Be Wise, He Became a Fool

Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory. Acts 12:23a
 
Herod Agrippa was not a nice guy–he killed James the brother of John and imprisoned Peter–but no one could deny he was important.  He was the grandson of the impressive (and murderous) Herod the Great.  He was a friend of Emperors and one of the great princes of the East, ruling over the land of Judea.  So when Herod, decked in royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a stirring ovation, it seemed only fitting that the crowds would shout, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”

Ah, such a discerning crowd. Such a grateful people. Such a good day to be king. Herod just soaked it all in.

God let it all hang out, and he struck down Herod dead right on the spot.

What made Herod’s crime so serious as to merit such swift retribution? He committed no crime against humanity (not in this moment at least). He decreed no unjust law. He did nothing outwardly heinous. No, Herod’s crime lay in what he failed to do. He did not give God the glory.

No one may mistake us for gods, but someone may hail you as a great quarterback, a fabulous cook, a drop-dead beauty, a powerful preacher, a gifted writer, a tremendous student, a successful entrepreneur, or a really kind person. Now what to do? In most cases rebuking the encourager is a sign of pride more than humility. Just say thank you. But then you ought to quickly say, think, or feel, “to God be the glory.”

We may be self-aware enough not to seek out showers of fame and praise, but it sure is easy to bathe in it when it comes. We all have Herod in our hearts. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. We love the fame of our name more than the Lord’s.

So remember what Herod forgot: the world does not exist to make our dreams come true.  Our friends do not exist to make us feel special.  The church does not exist to make us feel comfortable.  And God does not exist to make much of us.  His glory he will not give to another. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory” (Psalm 115:1).

Not Logical

LifeToday Devotional

Remove The Stone
by Tony Evans


Have you ever been in a situation where things fell apart after you went to Jesus? Have you ever experienced a death? Not just a physical death, because death is essentially a loss. Have you ever experienced a deep loss of any kind? Stuff started to get sick, and then it just died. You have this plan for your life. You had a hope. You thought that things were going to fall right into place. But not only did they not fall into place, they died.

If you have ever been in a situation like that, then you know exactly what Martha and Mary were experiencing when they got caught between a rock and a hard place in John 11. Lazarus was sick. Martha and Mary reach out to Jesus for help. Jesus sends back hope. Lazarus dies.

Martha had told Jesus that she believed He was the resurrection and the life (v. 27). She had then run to tell Mary that Jesus had come.

Now Mary, seeing Jesus, falls at His feet and says, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (v. 32). John reports that when Jesus “saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see’” (vv. 33-34).

Then, John writes, “Jesus wept” (11:35).

The next part of the passage contains potentially the most revolutionary spiritual truth you could ever learn for your daily living. It can sustain you when you’re caught between a rock and a hard place. We read: “So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Remove the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days’” (vv. 38-39).

Jesus makes a simple request, “Remove the stone.” Martha interrupts to let Jesus know that what He is asking isn’t practical. She lets Jesus know that what He is asking isn’t logical. It makes no biological sense.

When God puts you or me between a rock and a hard place, He will often make a request that makes absolutely no sense. His request to the mourners is not logical. Lazarus is literally between a rock and a hard place. Lazarus is literally behind a stone. Jesus asks the mourners to remove the stone without giving them any more information.

Here’s the spiritual truth you can apply to your daily life: When God is getting ready to do something significant in your life that involves a deliverance from a situation gone bad, or a resurrection of a situation that has died, it will often include an illogical request. And I want to encourage you, when that happens, don’t go logical on God. What we often do with God in situations like that is debate the instruction. Just like Martha did. Jesus’ instruction to her was pretty simple, “Remove the stone.”

With God it’s not about logic. It’s about doing what He says to do in faith. Once you add human logic to the Word of God, you ignore the power of the Word of God in your situation.

Jesus doesn’t want to have a discussion about the stone He has told us to remove. He doesn’t want to know how big the stone is. He doesn’t want to know how long the stone has been there. He doesn’t even want to know how dead the dead is behind the stone. All Jesus wants you to do is remove the stone.

To experience the living Christ in your dead situation, belief must precede sight, because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith precedes sight. One of the great verses in the Bible describes this situation. It says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). In other words, belief requires no empirical evidence to validate what you are doing. There is nothing to taste, smell, touch, hear, or see in order for you to believe. There is nothing that the five senses can grab because if there is, then that is no longer faith. You don’t have to see something to know that it’s real. But what you do have to do is act in faith.

God says the righteous “shall live by faith” (10:38). So how do you know when you have faith? You only know that you have faith when you remove the stone – when you do the thing that God has asked you to do. If you’re not doing the thing that He told you to do, then you’re not having faith. If you’re discussing it, you’re not at the point of faith yet; you’re at the point of discussion. If you’re thinking about it, you’re not at the point of faith yet; you’re at the point of thought.

You’re not at the point of faith until God sees that stone move.

What can you expect to happen when you remove the stone? Jesus told Martha that if she will believe, she will see the “glory of God.” The glory of God is seeing God manifest Himself in your situation.

God wants to make some dead scenarios come forth. He wants to make dead careers come alive once more. He wants to resurrect dead marriages.

Martha and Mary didn’t make life come forth. All they did was remove the stone at His word. Then He created a miracle.

Someone reading this needs a miracle. Something in your life has died, and you need God to call it back to life. Someone is trapped in an addiction. You’ve tried everything that you know to get out of it but it doesn’t seem to work. What you need is a resurrection.

God can take your dead and dying scenario and call forth a resurrection. He can take what looks like a rotting situation and give it new life. He’s just waiting for you to remove the stone. When we do what God says to do in faith, God is free to bring forth life.


Adapted from Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Tony Evans. © 2010 by Anthony Evans, Moody Publishers.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Remembered

Ray Ortlund post:  The good Shepherd


“He will tend his flock like a shepherd.”  Isaiah 40:11

“Jesus, the good shepherd, will not travel at such a rate as to overdrive the lambs.  He has tender consideration for the poor and needy.  Kings usually look to the interests of the great and the rich, but in the kingdom of our Great Shepherd he cares most for the poor. . . . The weaklings and the sickly of the flock are the special objects of the Savior’s care. . . . You think, dear heart, that you are forgotten, because of your nothingness and weakness and poverty.  This is the very reason you are remembered.”

C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of the Old Testament (London, n.d.), III:575-576.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Fascination v. Force

Excerpt from Tullian Tchividjian post:  No Utopia Now

Contrary to what some have concluded, a transformational approach to culture does not assume an unrealistic optimism about what’s possible in our fallen world. Because the world will remain sinful until Christ returns, we know we can never achieve any utopia here and now. “Heaven on earth” will become a universal reality only when Christ comes back.

In this regard, it’s been helpful for me to understand the distinction Abraham Kuyper made between “persuasion” and “coercion.” For Kuyper, persuasion is the Christian’s role and responsibility toward culture here and now—seeking to influence every sphere of society (such as the family, government, education) for Christ and bringing the standards of God’s Word to bear on every dimension of human culture. Coercion, on the other hand, is the role and responsibility of Christ, not Christians. Jesus alone possesses the right and power to “coerce,” or force, culture in a Godward direction, and this is a right he will fully exercise only when he returns to make “all things new” (Revelation 21:5). It’s helpful to remember that as far as our role is concerned, Christianity has historically spread best through fascination, not force. Understanding the difference between persuasion and coercion—between our role and Christ’s role—helps us serve God with realistic expectations.

...




Converge

Ray Ortlund post:  Gospel doctrine, gospel culture


Gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. The doctrines of grace create a culture of grace, healing, revival, because Jesus himself touches us through his truths. Without the doctrines, the culture alone is fragile. Without the culture, the doctrines alone appear pointless.

The doctrine of regeneration creates a culture of humility (Ephesians 2:1-9).

The doctrine of justification creates a culture of inclusion (Galatians 2:11-16).

The doctrine of reconciliation creates a culture of peace (Ephesians 2:14-16).

The doctrine of sanctification creates a culture of life (Romans 6:20-23).

The doctrine of glorification creates a culture of hope (Romans 5:2).

If we want this culture to thrive, we can’t take doctrinal short cuts. If we want this doctrine to be credible, we can’t disregard the culture. But churches where the doctrine and culture converge bear living witness to the power of Jesus.

Appetites

Mark Batterson post:  A Bowl of Stew

I've been coming to Catalyst for ten years and I honestly think Andy Stanley's session may have been the best ever! Talked about Esau trading his birthright for a bowl of stew. We read that story and think: seriously? How could you make that trade? A birthright was worth a double portion of the inheritance! And you're going to trade it for a bowl of stew? You'll be hungry again in three hours! If ever there was a bad trade, that's it. But isn't that what we do when we obey our sinful appetites?

Sin is trading your birthright for a bowl of stew. We trade our future to satisfy an insatiable appetite. Here's the deal when it comes to appetites. They are never fully and finally satisfied. And whatever you get you will want more of. What we need to do is reframe our appetites in light of God's plan for our lives. Think about this: it should have been "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau." But Esau forfeited his place in the plan of God for a bowl of stew. He didn't have a clear and compelling vision for his future. So he traded it for a bowl of stew!

What is your bowl of stew?

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Doing Good

Post from What's Best Next summary of Tim Keller's The Gospel and the Poor

This is a very helpful article by Tim Keller on The Gospel and the Poor.

Here is the introduction:
The original question I was asked to address was “How does our commitment to the primacy of the gospel tie into our obligation to do good to all, especially those of the household of faith, to serve as salt and light in the world, to do good to the city?” I will divide this question into two parts: (1) If we are committed to the primacy of the gospel, does the gospel itself serve as the basis and motivation for ministry to the poor? (2) If so, how then does that ministry relate to the proclamation of the gospel?
And here’s some of what Keller has to say on the relationship between evangelism and the preaching of the gospel:

(1) Evangelism is distinct.
The modernist church of the early twentieth century reduced gospel ministry to social ethics and social action. The quaint saying “preach the gospel; use words if necessary” fits in with this idea that the gospel is basically “a way of life” and that gospel ministry is “making a better world.” But this not only contradicts the Bible’s teaching that the gospel must be verbally proclaimed and responded to in repentance and faith. It essentially denies the gospel of grace through God’s saving acts in history and replaces it with good works and moral improvement.
. . .
(2) Evangelism is more basic than ministry to the poor.
Evangelism has to be seen as the “leading edge” of a church’s ministry in the world. It must be given a priority in the church’s ministry. It stands to reason that, while saving a lost soul and feeding a hungry stomach are both acts of love, one has an infinitely greater effect than the other. In 2 Cor 4:16–18, Paul speaks of the importance of strengthening the “inner man” even as the outer, physical nature is aging and decaying. Evangelism is the most basic and radical ministry possible to a human being. This is true, not because the “spiritual” is more important than the physical (we must be careful not to fall into a Greek-style dualism!), but because the eternal is more important than the temporal (Matt 11:1–6; John 17:18; 1 John 3:17–18).
(3) But ministry to the poor is inseparably connected to evangelism.
We all know the dictum: “we are saved by faith alone, but not by faith that is alone.” Faith is what saves us, and yet faith is inseparably connected with good works. We saw in Jas 2 that this is also the case with the gospel of justification by faith and mercy to the poor. The gospel of justification has the priority; it is what saves us. But just as good works are inseparable from faith in the life of the believer, so caring for the poor is inseparable from the work of evangelism and the ministry of the Word. In Jesus’ ministry, healing the sick and feeding the hungry was inseparable from evangelism (John 9:1–7, 35–41). His miracles were not simply naked displays of power designed to prove his supernatural status, but were signs of the coming kingdom (Matt 11:2–5.).
. . .
(4) Inseparable does not mean a rigid, temporal order.
What do we mean by “inseparable”? Ministry to the poor may precede the sharing of the gospel as in Jesus’ ministry to the blind man. Though the deed-ministry led to the blind man’s spiritual illumination, there is no indication that Jesus gave the aid conditionally. He did not press him to believe as he healed him; he just told him to “go and wash” (John 9:7). Even so when Jesus spoke of giving money and clothing to those who ask, he insisted that we should give without expecting anything in return (Luke 6:32–35). We should not give aid only because the person is open to the gospel, nor should we withdraw it if he or she does not become spiritually receptive. However, it should always be clear that the motivation for our aid is our Christian faith, and pains should be taken to find non-artificial and non-exploitative ways to keep ministries of the Word and gatherings for teaching and fellowship closely connected to ministries of aid.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Whole Heart

He Wants It All:  Forever Jones

A Great God

For the LORD is a great God,
   and a great King above all gods.


Ps 95:3

A Revelation of His Holiness

Mark Batterson post: Jesus isn't your Homeboy

Remember the story of Aaron’s two sons, Nabad and Abihu, offering "strange fire" and being stuck down by the Lord? Scholars wrestle with exactly what that "strange fire" referred to, but there is a consensus that they didn’t respect the holiness of God.

Can I just make an observation?

I think there is a lot of "strange fire" in our culture. I'm not the kind of guy that takes potshots at our culture from the comfortable confines of the Christian subculture. I believe in criticizing by creating. But just to make a point, indulge me. I remember seeing a t-shirt a few years ago with a portrait of Jesus on it that said: Jesus is my homeboy. On one level, that could be considered funny or creative or relevant. But Jesus Christ isn't your homeboy. He's the sinless Son of God who suffered brutal torture and crucifixion on a Roman cross. His blood was shed to pay the sin debt that you owed. And that makes Him more than your homeboy. He is the sovereign Savior who is seated on His Throne and the earth is his footstool.

What we so desperately need is a revelation of His holiness. Like Isaiah who saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and lifted up. And he cried out: “Woe is me. I am undone. For I am a man of unclean lips.”

Until we have a revelation of the holiness of God, we’ll keep making the same mistake that Nadab and Abihu made. And we’re playing with fire. And if you play with fire long enough, you might eventually get burned. It’s the holiness of God that engenders the fear of God. And the fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom. Or to flip the coin, our lack of fear is the beginning of foolishness.

Nothing is more dangerous than under-estimating and under-appreciating the holiness of God. Why? When we under-estimate the holiness of God we under-estimate the mercy of God. We cheapen God's grace because we don't comprehend His holiness. And the foundation of salvation begins to crumble.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Faith Engagement

Ed Stetzer post:  Barna on Diversity of Faith in US Cities


America is anything but "secular." We are a religious, mystical, "spiritual" country. But how does this differ from city to city, and region to region? The Barna Group did a "study of regional and city-level expressions of faith [that] both confirms and rejects many popular stereotypes about faith and religion in America." Head over to their website for the details. I'll share a few highlights below.

The cities with the highest percentage of residents who describe themselves as Christian are in the South. Shocking, I know. They include: Shreveport (98%), Birmingham (96%), Charlotte (96%), Nashville (95%), Greenville, SC / Asheville, NC (94%), New Orleans (94%), Indianapolis (93%), Lexington (93%), Roanoke-Lynchburg (93%), Little Rock (92%), and Memphis (92%).

The cities with the lowest percentage of self-identified Christians were in: San Francisco (68%), Portland, Oregon (71%), Portland, Maine (72%), Seattle (73%), Sacramento (73%), New York (73%), San Diego (75%), Los Angeles (75%), Boston (76%), Phoenix (78%), Miami (78%), Las Vegas (78%), and Denver (78%). Barna points out that even in these cities that's roughly 3 out of every four people aligning with Christianity.

One of the interesting findings is that some markets have a much higher percentage of skeptics. In both Portland, Maine and Seattle, WA 19% of the population identify as being atheist or agnostic. It drops to 16% in Portland, Oregon, Sacramento, CA, and Spokane, WA. Compare this with those cities that have a high proportion of faiths other than Christianity. For example, New York (one of the cities with the lowest representation of self-identifying Christians) reports 12% of the population shares a religious faith other than Christianity.

The article summarizes one aspect of the findings, stating, "Nearly three out of four people call themselves Christians, even among the least 'Christianized' cities. Furthermore, a majority of U.S. residents, regardless of location, engage in a church at some level in a typical six-month period."

There is much more in the article touching on politics and outreach, so head over there and read the whole thing. The come back here to talk about it.

Soul Food

Jon Bloom (DG) post:  What Do Our Souls Eat?


Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4)
When our bodies need energy, we know that we need to eat. So we eat a variety of foods, some better and some worse sources of energy (and bodily health, but more on that in my next post). Our body then digests these foods and converts them into energy and we can keep going. No food, no energy. No energy, no going on.

This physical phenomenon mirrors a spiritual reality. Our souls also run on a kind of energy, and so require a sort of food that they convert into that energy.

So what do our souls eat?

Before we answer that question, let’s first ask this: what is the energy that animates the soul? Answer: hope.

Our souls are hope machines. We consume hope every day. And when we run low on hope we start feeling discouraged, even desperate.

All the wonderful things that have happened to us in the past will not fuel our hope if our future looks bleak. We can be grateful for the past. But we must have hope for the future in order to keep going.

But what about faith? Isn’t faith what keeps us going? Well, yes, because you really can’t have hope without faith. They are inextricably linked. But faith is distinct from hope (1 Corinthians 13:13). Faith is the confidence we have that our source of hope is trustworthy (Hebrews 11:1). Hope is the energy of the soul.

When we’re hopeful, the world is full of wonder and possibilities. We have drive and curiosity. We don’t want to waste our lives. We take on challenges and see adversity as something to be overcome.
But when we run low on hope, the world becomes a fearful, threatening place, full of chaotic futility.

Hopelessness saps us of desire and drive. It robs us of interest and appetite. We just want to curl up and protect our souls.

Today, we call this experience depression. The Bible diagnoses it as hopelessness. Note the psalmist’s prescription for his depression:
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 43:5)
Hope in God. Okay, so how do we do that? If our souls run on the energy of hope, then what do we feed our souls in order to hope in God? We feed them promises.

A promise is a pledge of a good or better future for us. God’s promises are what he pledges to be for us, do for us, and provide for us. That is what the writer of Psalm 43 is exhorting himself to do: remember and believe (eat) God’s promises. Here is a powerful example of a promise God uses to feed his saints:
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
The Bible is a book of promises—a storehouse of soul food—as well as stories of God making and keeping promises.

But as we’ll read in the next post, God has provided a soul food, one particular source of hope, that will sustain his people eternally.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Deliverer

I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
   my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.


Ps 18:1-2

Commitment

Excerpt from LifeToday Houses But Not Homes

Because so many of our friends and viewers of LIFE Today have asked to hear more from Betty, let me assure you in the book Living in Love, you will hear from this truly beautiful, very meek, yielded-to-God wife, mother and best friend a man could ever have. Let me share a few thoughts from Betty in the very first part of the book under the sub-heading, “Commitment pushes us beyond fear and frustration”:

  • True commitment also involves stretching. As imperfect people, we get the wrong idea about commitment, and in order to protect ourselves, we commit only so far. Instead of giving everything we have, we hold back, afraid to give ourselves fully because we run the risk of getting hurt. Instead of completely engaging with our mate, we back off and hope to avoid what I call “ugly stuff”...
  • The truth is this: you cannot have a harmonious, God-honoring relationship without making a firm, daily decision to honor each other and to stay attuned to each other’s thoughts and feelings, no matter what. Otherwise, you won’t be living, you’ll simply be existing. And you won’t even be existing together but rather operating in separate worlds. You may share the same physical space, the same room, but you’ll be in different emotional and mental places.
  • You can come to a place in your relationship where you are strangers, wondering how you ever got along in the first place and unable to recognize or remember the love you once had for each other. It could be compared to the distance you may sense between yourself and God when you don’t communicate with Him. Of course, God never leaves us or forsakes us, and that’s the level of commitment a husband and wife need to have with each other.
  • Sadly, over the years James and I have observed many couples living as though they have no common focus or interests. In a way it’s as if they are held captive within prison walls they have allowed to be built in their relationship. This is not what God intends! If you are living in this bleak world, you must – with God’s help – break free.
  • When you try to operate in a separate, commitment-free zone, you only do damage to your relationship--possibly far more damage than you realize. A lack of dedication to each other is insidious in the way it begins to harden your heart and your attitudes. If you allow a lack of commitment to creep into your life, you’ll find yourself becoming more and more calloused to your spouse’s feelings and needs as well as to your own...
  • People come to marriage with a commitment to the person they think they see in their spouse. And everyone comes into marriage with a commitment to her or his own self-interests and dreams. James and I want you to understand that the path to your own self-interest lies squarely through the territory of your spouse’s best interests and the best interests of your relationship.

Hope

Ray Ortlund post:  Now may the God of hope ...


“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13
Who is God?  He is the God of hope.  Hope for us is deep inside who God is.

What does God do?  He fills us with all joy and peace, so that we abound in hope.

How does God do that?  Our part: in believing.  His part: by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with all joy and peace, so that we abound in hope — that’s what a Romans-taught Christian looks like.  Not a tense, dogmatic person but someone filled with all joy and peace, abounding in hope.  Romans 1:1-15:12 is calculated to produce believers like this, churches like this.  Romans chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, and so on — it all funnels down to our being filled with all joy and peace, so that we abound in hope, and thus prove who God really is.

Friday, October 08, 2010

Those Very Same People

Excerpt from Perry Noble post: "Oh Crap, They Got Me" -- Part Two


#2 – As a Christian it is incredibly easy to look down on people who are far from God…not understanding that we used to be those very same people. 

Ephesians 2:1 has been rocking my world lately…seriously…read it…Ephesians 2:1.

“YOU WERE DEAD…”  AND…keep in mind that the Apostle Paul was writing this to people INSIDE the church…church people…Bible study people…deacons…elders…reminding them that THEY WERE ALL DEAD!

I was DEAD…not suffering from bad habits, not caught up in destructive patters, not trapped in a system of making bad mistakes, not addicted, not unfocused…BUT DEAD!!!

BUT…Ephesians 2:4-5 tells me that GOD MADE ME ALIVE IN CHRIST!

So…I was dead…God made me alive…so…that transaction had EVERYTHING to do with HIS effort and not my own!  (Because dead people can’t decide to be better people…because…THEY’RE FREAKIN DEAD!!!)

God saved me by HIS grace…not because I am great but because HE IS GREAT!

BUT…as Christians we forget that fact.  We forget that salvation was (and is) and gift…quite often because we slip into a system of legalism that allows us to be defined by what we do and do not do rather than the finished work that Christ has done for us.

We get angry at spiritually dead people for…well…acting spiritually dead.  So…we protest them, we picket them, we yell at them and damn them to hell…completely forgetting that if it were not for the amazing grace of God we would be the very people that we try to isolate ourselves from!

It is incredibly difficult to look down on someone when you realize that you WERE that person…and God brought you out of that death by HIS SON and not your effort!

The church is not called to condem the world (John 3:17) but to reach and impact the world…and that will NEVER be accomplished until those IN the church realize the reality of the Gospel…and instead of using the cross to beat people with we simply kneel at the foot of it and began to declare that there is still room for those who are far from God.

We can’t forget what it was like to be lost…

And we can’t yell at people who are the very people we would be if it were not for God’s grace.

I believe the grasp of those two concepts could CHANGE our churches…and through that would eventually CHANGE our world!

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Know More Thoroughly the Anointed One

[For my concern is] that their hearts may be braced (comforted, cheered, and encouraged) as they are knit together in love, that they may come to have all the abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding, and that they may become progressively more intimately acquainted with and may know more definitely and accurately and thoroughly that mystic secret of God, [which is] Christ (the Anointed One).  [Amplified Bible]

I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery! I'm telling you this because I don't want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or "the Secret."  [Message, v2-4]

Col 2:2

Ever Growing Revelation of Jesus Christ

Excerpts from Ed Stetzer post:  Leadership Book Interview: Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola on Jesus Manifesto


ES: What do you believe is the dominant view of Jesus in the evangelical church, and what is wrong with it?

LS: Myron Augsburger, former President of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, has said it best for me:


I believe in justice, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of justice, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to justice.

I believe in love, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of love, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to love.

I am committed to peace, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of peace, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to peace.

I believe in the value of the simple life, but I am not the preacher of the simple life, but of the Gospel of Christ that calls us to the simple life.

For Augsburger, evangelicals have too often been guilty of the ultimate plagiarism: "borrowing some great concepts from Jesus then, running off proclaiming these concepts and not sharing the Christ that empowers these concepts."

FV: At best, Jesus is Savior and Lord, but not much more. So He gets routinely short-changed and limited. At worse, Jesus is a slogan, a banner, a logo, or a footnote to the gospel and the many "things" that Christians enthusiastically chase after today, whether they be the gifts of the Holy Spirit, leadership principles, apologetics, healing, miracles, the "five-fold ministry," helping the poor, social justice, personal holiness, memorizing Bible verses, a certain theological system, end-time theology, the coming revival, etc.

The problem is that Christians can chase these things, pursue them, major in them, and leave Jesus Christ out in the cold. I've met many evangelical Christians who were jazzed about a host of religious and spiritual "its" and "things" I was also at one time yet when Jesus Himself is brought up, they are disinterested. One of the reasons for this, I think, is that many believers have been given a very small Christ. By contrast, our book seeks to unveil His stunning greatness.

In short, if our eyes are opened to catch even a glimpse of the glory, the beauty, the majesty, the "otherness," and the amazing greatness of Christ, it would blow our circuitry. Everything else would turn into plain yogurt, and our hearts would be stolen for Him alone. That experience is the "Game-Changer" beyond all game-changers in my view.

Let me add one more word in this connection: Guilt is the greatest motivator on the planet. Psychologists tell us that guilt is a stronger motivating force than sex or money. That said, guilt is often used by contemporary preachers to get God's people to do certain things and stop doing other things.

But instead of being placed under a pile of guilt, what God's people need more than anything else (I believe) is an ever-growing revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. For out of that flows everything else. The words of a classic hymn explain this better than I can:

What has stript the seeming beauty
From the idols of the earth?
Not a sense of right or duty,
But the sight of peerless worth.

The look that melted Peter
The face that Stephen saw
The heart that wept with Mary
Can alone from idols draw

This touches evangelism too. Not long ago I was talking to a young man who was a leader in a very large para-church organization that's known for its evangelism. After observing some intensely Christ-centered gatherings where every member present was participating and sharing the riches and depths of Jesus Christ, the young man said to me:

"I just got back from one of our leadership conferences and the more they talked about saving the lost, the more disinterested I was. I come to these meetings here and while nothing is said about evangelism, I'm so excited about my Lord that I want to share Him with others. There's no guilt or duty in it at all. I'm fired up about Him."

In short, we all need a fresh unveiling of our Lord. And that's what Len and I have set out to do in Jesus Manifesto.

Decency and Respect

Ray Ortlund post:  ... or we are all undone

“We may please ourselves with the prospect of free and popular governments. But there is great danger that those governments will not make us happy. God grant they may. But I fear that in every assembly, members will obtain influence by noise, not sense. By meanness, not greatness. By ignorance, not learning. By contracted hearts, not large souls. . . . There is one thing, my dear sir, that must be attempted and most sacredly observed or we are all undone. There must be decency and respect, and veneration introduced for persons of authority of every rank, or we are undone. In a popular government, this is our only way.”

John Adams, writing to James Warren, quoted in David McCullough, John Adams (New York, 2001), page 106.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Have Learned

Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.  [Message]

Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.  [Amplified Bible]

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  [ESV]

Phil 4:11


------------
Learn = Manthano <3129>

Definition:
1) to learn, be appraised
1a) to increase one's knowledge, to be increased in knowledge
1b) to hear, be informed
1c) to learn by use and practice
1c1) to be in the habit of, accustomed to

Power Witness

Christine Wyrtzen Devotional:

HOW POWERFUL IS THE CROSS FOR ME?
 
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.  Romans 1:28

Paul writes to the Christians in Rome who were in no way naïve and sheltered from their culture.  They were first century Romans.  Life was barbaric, sexually deviant, and politically cut throat.  One could see about anything in broad daylight, even in the so-called temples of the day.  The blood of people and animals ran down walls like water. 

What happened to a person when God gave them up to do whatever their hearts desired was on full display.  One didn't have to go to the bad side of town to see it.  There were no corners of Rome where life was provincial, where behavior looked righteous but sin was under the surface.  A God-ward conscience was a rare thing.  The behavior of the majority of the population was described by Paul.  They were a people "filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice, envy murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness." 

If you were rich in ancient Rome, you were privileged to live on a large piece of land outside the stench of the city.  Opulence reigned but the danger of political alliances plagued you day and night.  If you were poor and lived inside the city, gangs ruled and life was physically dangerous.  Whether rich or poor, sin - the likes of what we can only begin to imagine, was encouraged and displayed.  Talks of being impaled on a pole for petty crimes were commonplace around dinner tables.

It was out of this that Paul was converted.  It was out of this that the Roman church was born.  The power of the cross to change lives from such debauchery to godliness was the Christian's witness.  Each one, treasuring Jesus, lived in such a way as to provide a stark contrast between one who worshipped Roman gods and one who followed Christ.

The implications for me are staggering.  As I tend to become discouraged over the places where sin still has a hold over me, I remind myself of Calvary.  Christ died for my sins, died to make me a daughter in a new kingdom, and powerful life change will be the result when I treasure Jesus today more than I treasure doing the things which come so easily for me but dishonor my Savior.

I pray that You will let my heart and mind live in first century Rome as I read Paul's words.  Don't let me get used to 'cross' talk without being profoundly moved.  Amen

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Farewell Forever

Ray Ortlund post:  First step


“Would you like to be rid of this spiritual depression?  The first thing you have to do is to say farewell now once and forever to your past.  Realize that it has been covered and blotted out in Christ.  Never look back at your sins again.  Say: ‘It is finished, it is covered by the blood of Christ.’  That is your first step.  Take that and finish with yourself and all this talk about goodness, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is only then that true happiness and joy are possible for you.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression (Grand Rapids, 1965), page 35.