This is sort of a response to David's post on beauty a few days ago. He says, "Beauty is not a good guide to truth. For often false things may appear beautiful." Conversely, I posit that Beauty is a good guide to Truth.
God is beautiful. He is lovely. He is praiseworthy. That is the truth. God, in fact, is Beauty. Maybe what David means to say, and what I will say, is that our false conceptions of beauty are not a good guide to truth. Our failure to see real beauty for what it is, is a reflection upon ourselves and our sin, and not on beauty itself, whose content is God. To call a marriage, which is "full of rot and bile," beautiful is to lie about beauty, and to lie about God. God's beauty is not expressed in rotten marriages, but in ones that reflect his supremacy and communicate the truth about his Son to the world.
It's often the philosopher's game to say that "Beauty" or "Goodness" is some abstract thing, but in reality, God is those things, first, and the things that are beautiful or good are the things which reflect God. God revealed both truth and beauty to man in the incarnation, the death and the resurrection of Christ. Therefore, again, to call a philosophical argument, which is untrue, beautiful is to lie about beauty and God.
Now, things (like ceremonies or argument)may appeal to us, or affect our emotions or stimulate our brains, but may not be true or good. In these cases, we prefer them over something else- but wrongly. But to say these things is not to change what the things are, or if they reflect God's beauty. So the problem of truth lies in our sin. For what is sin or idolatry but to find loveliness in something other than God? (to lie about God's beauty and worthiness and sufficiency and to replace God with something of lesser worth?) Beauty is a good guide to truth, for wherever we find true Beauty, there is the handiwork of God, who is all beauty. So in order to evaluate the beauty of anything, we must first see,know and love true Beauty.
Sam Storms just put out a new book called One Thing, which talks a lot about God's beauty. It's good as far as I have gotten in the book, and I will post a review when I've finished it. But I do recommend it.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Friday, November 05, 2004
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Hear His Word, and Tremble
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good, He's the King, I tell you."
This familiar scene from Lewis' Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe reminds of our often silly or ignorant assumptions about God. The Word of God is dangerous and the life of the Christian is not safe. Nor indeed should be expect otherwise. Psalm 29:9 says, "The voice of the Lord twists the oals and strips the forest bare." God's Word moves the hurricanes and casts down lightning bolts, hardens the hearts of kings and pierces the hearts of sinners. At his Word, we should tremble.
Jeremiah says, "You words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.."(Jeremiah 15:16) And yet Jeremiah became the picture of what happened to Judah and to those who do not heed his Word- destruction and despair. The Word of God is an awesome, consuming fire that sinful men should fear.
And yet, there is much hope for the Christian, because God promises that he will look upon the man "who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:2) God promises that he will not destroy those who hope in Him and whose faith proclaims his excellencies. But his word is still true and active and piercing. And as sinners, we still experience the refining and pain of God's probing into our hearts, or at least, we should. Let us not fear his Word and therefore keep our safe distance, but let us delve deeper and let it renew and sanctify us, though it hurts and grieves us. For the Christian, there is great joy in being made more like Christ and all the burning and cutting serves us in removing that filth that poisons us.
Many a pharoah and Belshazzar heard God's Word and balked in prideful disbelief. Let us not be counted among those whom Mrs. Beaver calls silly, but let us approach his Word with a contrite heart "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19)
I love this poem so much, because although we are expected to suffer as Christians, we have hope and there is a purpose to it, whether God is rooting out our sin or whether we are being tried in our faith:
I stood a mendicant of God before his royal throne
And begged Him for one priceless gift, which I could call my own.
I took the gift from out his hand, but as I would depart
I cried, "But, Lord, this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart.
This is a strange and hurtful gift, which though hast given me."
He said, "My child, I give good gifts and gave my best to thee."
I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore,
As long years passed, I learned to love it more and more.
I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace,
He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.
~Martha Snell Nicholson
Deo Gratias.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Why don't YOU sin?
I am in a Bible Study at Dr. Burke's and we are reading William Gurnall's The Christian in Complete Armour. You've got to love those Puritans. It's good stuff on Ephesians 6 and combatting sin. Anyway, in one of the chapters, Gurnall makes the statement: "Others wrestle with sin, but they do not hate it, and therefore they are favourable to it, and seek not the life of sin as their deadly enemy."
Think about some of the sins with which you continually struggle. Do you truly hate them? Do you sin for what it is- a lie about the sufficiency and love of God and as offensive to him? I find that often I refrain from sin simply because I know in my head that it isn't right or because I want to hold up my reputation with other people. Other times, we don't sin because it isn't convenient or we just don't find it in our particular taste or interest. But sin is more than breaking a rule, it is an attitude about God. Gurnall strikes a very human chord, because if we still find pleasure in sin, then we are still subject to it and we are not letting Christ win the victory over that sin in our lives. We must view sin with hatred and replace the pleasure of sin with the vastly infinite pleasure of knowing and loving and being loved by God, our Creator and Savior. If we don't see what the life of sin is, namely as our own moral independence decrying the overflowing nature of Christ the image of God, then we struggle in vain. Once we view sin as our "deadly enemy," then we can begin its mortification in our lives. Our fight with sin can neither be passive nor complacent.
So why don't you sin?
Think about some of the sins with which you continually struggle. Do you truly hate them? Do you sin for what it is- a lie about the sufficiency and love of God and as offensive to him? I find that often I refrain from sin simply because I know in my head that it isn't right or because I want to hold up my reputation with other people. Other times, we don't sin because it isn't convenient or we just don't find it in our particular taste or interest. But sin is more than breaking a rule, it is an attitude about God. Gurnall strikes a very human chord, because if we still find pleasure in sin, then we are still subject to it and we are not letting Christ win the victory over that sin in our lives. We must view sin with hatred and replace the pleasure of sin with the vastly infinite pleasure of knowing and loving and being loved by God, our Creator and Savior. If we don't see what the life of sin is, namely as our own moral independence decrying the overflowing nature of Christ the image of God, then we struggle in vain. Once we view sin as our "deadly enemy," then we can begin its mortification in our lives. Our fight with sin can neither be passive nor complacent.
So why don't you sin?
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Some regimes never change...
"In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple." -Isaiah 6:1
Isaiah 6 marks the call of Isaiah as a prophet. It also marks an unsteady period in Judah's history. King Uzziah had just died and the people were frantic, because they were left without a strong leader and faced threats from Assyria, and even Israel and Syria. But though the king died, what did Isaiah see sitting on a throne? None other than Yahweh, the Lord. The message is quite remarkable, and I may add relevant, for us today as it was back then: the Lord still reigns. He is the king who is seated on the throne and builds up and puts down rulers. There is comfort in that, especially on this day in American history.
The Psalmist reminds us, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. " (Psalm 146:3) Augustine faced a similar experience when the Roman empire fell. Some Christians at that time despaired the fall of the empire, holding to a "Rome" theology that elevated the empire to undue admiration. Augustine wrote in response to this thinking the City of God, in which he sets for a different way of looking at history. Sure, God raised up the Roman Empire and sure, Christianity flourished by the blessings of Roman roads, etc. BUT Rome was not God's chosen people, nor the means by which God would bless the nations. Christianity, by God's faithfulness and promises, has surived and will survive many regime changes, and the rise and fall of many nations.
God intends to bless the nations, not through a country, but through his chosen and holy people, the church. It is important on this election day not to put undue weight or worry upon the fate of America and to take comfort in God's promise that HE is seated on the throne. The church will survive, even if America does not. America is not God's chosen people, and though she may be a blessing indeed to the church, she must not be loved too much. We should pray for our nation and take our responsibility as citizens seriously, but our hearts should be committed to loving the church and participating in advancing God's kingdom through the church to the nations.
Our God reigns.
Isaiah 6 marks the call of Isaiah as a prophet. It also marks an unsteady period in Judah's history. King Uzziah had just died and the people were frantic, because they were left without a strong leader and faced threats from Assyria, and even Israel and Syria. But though the king died, what did Isaiah see sitting on a throne? None other than Yahweh, the Lord. The message is quite remarkable, and I may add relevant, for us today as it was back then: the Lord still reigns. He is the king who is seated on the throne and builds up and puts down rulers. There is comfort in that, especially on this day in American history.
The Psalmist reminds us, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. " (Psalm 146:3) Augustine faced a similar experience when the Roman empire fell. Some Christians at that time despaired the fall of the empire, holding to a "Rome" theology that elevated the empire to undue admiration. Augustine wrote in response to this thinking the City of God, in which he sets for a different way of looking at history. Sure, God raised up the Roman Empire and sure, Christianity flourished by the blessings of Roman roads, etc. BUT Rome was not God's chosen people, nor the means by which God would bless the nations. Christianity, by God's faithfulness and promises, has surived and will survive many regime changes, and the rise and fall of many nations.
God intends to bless the nations, not through a country, but through his chosen and holy people, the church. It is important on this election day not to put undue weight or worry upon the fate of America and to take comfort in God's promise that HE is seated on the throne. The church will survive, even if America does not. America is not God's chosen people, and though she may be a blessing indeed to the church, she must not be loved too much. We should pray for our nation and take our responsibility as citizens seriously, but our hearts should be committed to loving the church and participating in advancing God's kingdom through the church to the nations.
Our God reigns.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Valleys Fill First
"The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah." 1 Kings 16:17
So truthfully, I am getting quite worn out with this semester. I probably took on more than I should have and stress more than I should. But today I was reminded of the story of Elijah and the widow. The widow had faith, not because her jar was already full, but because she trusted in the future promise of its filling. God uses weak and empty vessels so that He can provide and show forth His strength and make His name great. That is something we as Christians should want but all too often we begin to rely on our strength or the blessings that God has provided. So it is not up to us to be strong so that God can use us, but we can be, and most certainly are, weak and broken people who have faith in the promise of God's sufficiency as evidenced by His past faithfulness to Himself and to us. And what a comfort that should be to us.
This is the valley that I’m walking through
And if feels like forever since I've been close to you
My friends up above me don't understand why I struggle like I do
My shadow's my only, my only companion and at night he leaves too
Down in the valley, dying of thirst
Down in the valley, it seems that I'm at my worst
My consolation is that you baptize this earth
when I’m down in the valley, valleys fill first
Down in this wasteland I miss the mountaintop view
but it's here in this valley that I'm surrounded by you
Though I'm not here by my will- it's where your view is the most clear
so I'll stay in this valley if it takes 40 years
And it's like that long Saturday your death and the rising day
When no one wrote a word, wond'ring is this the end
But you were down there in the well, saving those that fell
Bringing them to the mountain again
~Caedmon's Call (the best band ever!)
So truthfully, I am getting quite worn out with this semester. I probably took on more than I should have and stress more than I should. But today I was reminded of the story of Elijah and the widow. The widow had faith, not because her jar was already full, but because she trusted in the future promise of its filling. God uses weak and empty vessels so that He can provide and show forth His strength and make His name great. That is something we as Christians should want but all too often we begin to rely on our strength or the blessings that God has provided. So it is not up to us to be strong so that God can use us, but we can be, and most certainly are, weak and broken people who have faith in the promise of God's sufficiency as evidenced by His past faithfulness to Himself and to us. And what a comfort that should be to us.
This is the valley that I’m walking through
And if feels like forever since I've been close to you
My friends up above me don't understand why I struggle like I do
My shadow's my only, my only companion and at night he leaves too
Down in the valley, dying of thirst
Down in the valley, it seems that I'm at my worst
My consolation is that you baptize this earth
when I’m down in the valley, valleys fill first
Down in this wasteland I miss the mountaintop view
but it's here in this valley that I'm surrounded by you
Though I'm not here by my will- it's where your view is the most clear
so I'll stay in this valley if it takes 40 years
And it's like that long Saturday your death and the rising day
When no one wrote a word, wond'ring is this the end
But you were down there in the well, saving those that fell
Bringing them to the mountain again
~Caedmon's Call (the best band ever!)
Monday, October 25, 2004
"Here am I, send me"
So just as a follow to yesterday...here is a good and short article on how to pursue God's calling in your life and lay yourself open for the call to missions. Take five minutes...
"Seeing now, but then...darkness"
The words of Teiresias speak concerning Oedipus' future doom. Or prophesying my certain doom on a Greek test I took today where I felt Oedipus' pain, as one who blindly "wanders beating the ground with his staff." Sigh.
It's that word, darkness (skotos in the Greek), that really struck me when I read it, as did the images of sight/blindness and light/darkness upon which Sophocles plays between Oedipus the seeing blind man and Teiresias the blind seer. A word quick search on "skotos" turned up 30 uses of the word in the New Testament, and such images of light and darkness should sound very familiar to the Christian. (Hehe...considering my own blog theme...) I'll just list a few here for quick reference:
Speaking of the doom of unbelievers
"I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 8:11-12
Where we were before fellowship with Christ
"Therefore do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." Ephesians 5:7-10
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9
"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13-14
What We, as Christians, should avoid
"The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." Romans 12:12
It's that word, darkness (skotos in the Greek), that really struck me when I read it, as did the images of sight/blindness and light/darkness upon which Sophocles plays between Oedipus the seeing blind man and Teiresias the blind seer. A word quick search on "skotos" turned up 30 uses of the word in the New Testament, and such images of light and darkness should sound very familiar to the Christian. (Hehe...considering my own blog theme...) I'll just list a few here for quick reference:
Speaking of the doom of unbelievers
"I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 8:11-12
Where we were before fellowship with Christ
"Therefore do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." Ephesians 5:7-10
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9
"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13-14
What We, as Christians, should avoid
"The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." Romans 12:12
That out of which we should call others
"But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles- to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'" Acts 26:16-18
What Gods exposes and will expose"Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God." 1 Corinthians 4:5
I think it very beneficial to consider this imagery and tease out what the NT writers might mean by such talk. Perhaps in a succeeding post I will expound more upon these thoughts.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
What is the greatest crime in the desert?
...Finding water and keeping silent.
Kristen is at Wycliffe orientation these next two weeks at their center in Orlando. The more I hear and read about the vision and ministry of Wycliffe, the more I am impressed by their passion for the glory of God and the salvation of men. After 2000 years, there are over 3000 languages that still do not have any of the Bible in their own language! These people have never heard the gospel message and do not know Christ, their only hope for salvation. Many of these language groups do not even know what writing is. I heard another statistic today that said 80% of support for missionaries today comes from my grandparent's generation.
So in pondering these two statistics, I wonder what it is that my generation is seeking. I know that God will continue the work that he has started among the nations and that one day men from every nation, tribe, and tongue will stand before his throne. But will my generation be among the harvesters? I wonder that my generation hasn't grown up despising suffering and therefore forfeits any endeavor that might inflict such misery upon us. And yet Christ called us to suffer, but even more to take part in the great joy of suffering and living and dying for his namesake. We sit in our churches and seminaries and Bible schools with every imaginable tool and book with which to study our Bible- all at our fingertips. We have Bibles in whatever flavor you could want. There are millions of people who have no such access to the Bible and thirst for its hope and salvation, and yet how dispassionate are we to their need or maybe ignorant or blinded by our own ambitions. Some, like Kristen, have heeded the call of Christ and begun their journey to spread God's name among the nations...will you? Will I? God commanded us to missions. It isn't a choice. Here lies the choice: whether we live and die stateside supporting missionary work or live and die as the missionary. Both call for sacrifice and suffering and a war-like mentality...and a joy found in the promises of Christ, indeed Christ himself.
I end with a quotation by missionary Jim Elliot from The Shadow of the Almighty:
"You wonder why people choose fields away from the States when young people at home are drifting because no one wants to take time to listen to their problems. I'll tell you why I left. because those stateside young people have every opportunity to study, hear, and understand the Word of God in their own language, and these Indians have no opportunity whatsoever. I have had to make a cross of two logs and lie down on it to show the Indians what it means to crucify a man. When there is that much ignorance over here and so much knowledge over there, I have no question in my mind why God sent me here. Those whimpering stateside young people will wake up on the day of judgment condemned to worse fates than those demon-fearing Indians, because, having a Bible, they were bored with it- while these never heard of such a thing as writing."
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Coming back and getting real....
So I have been absent for a time....a loooong time. Some because I am busy and mostly because I keep waiting for inspiration to compose "the post." Then I thought, get real. So forthwith I plan on just posting. And posting more often. I have said that a few times but maybe this time I have relaxed enough to follow through on it. If I still have readers.....
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
"People Will Say We're in Love..."
"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." -- Revelation 2:10
So tonight, as part of the CCA, Shirley Jones was here. You know, Mrs. Partridge. Laurie in Oklahoma. Julie Jordan in Carousel. Marian the librarian in The Music Man. Anyway, it was incredible to hear about and think about all that she has been able to accomplish on stage and in film over the years, including an Oscar, and she is not done at 70 years. She continues to tour, and this May will appear in a three month showing of 42nd Street. By anyone's standards, she has made the most of her life as an entertainer and says she will never retire, as though that is a funny concept to her. People would say that she is in love with performing....
As much as I admire her work, though, I would not wish her accomplishments for myself, grand and spectacular as they may be. In a sense, there is a larger, higher dream than the American Dream of glamour and success to which the Christian is called. But she exemplifies a great love for her driving passion and will probably perform until the day she dies, as she collects respect and honor from her admirers. And it is that which I wish to emulate. My one driving passion is Christ and I hope that I may continue to show forth his love and pursue him faithfully by his grace throughout my entire life. Ms. Jones showed that you are not too young to make your start, as she played in Oklahoma at age 18, with almost no experience. Similarly, Christ's power may be made manifest through even the youngest or weakest member of the body, and that is encouraging. It is never too early to begin working for kingdom, and working for it powerfully.
I was reminded today in thought of Matthew 25:23, "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'" It's wonderful to dream big for God. I don't think we can dream big enough about service to God. But at this stage in life it is easy to create the big dreams and forget the everyday things. God will not give us the nations if we are not faithful where we are. How will we tell the world if we are not telling our neighbor?
Ms. Jones' passion for performing will not allow her to stop, for she is so in love with what she does. I think it is tragic in America that once people hit the magical age of 65, they settle for dying on the golf course, when there is still so much life to live, especially for the Christian. Seriously. Where in the Bible does it say that we can stop? So someone gets to that age and decides to stop their current trade. Fine. I have no problem with that. But if our driving passion is the Lord Jesus Christ and he is our King of Kings until we meet him in glory, then age 65 means nothing to us in our pursuit of him and service to him. We think that we deserve to rest after a life of work, but we deserve nothing and yet Christ has granted us his power and love to become ministers unto the Word through suffering and service unto our eternal joy! There is nothing in this life that could compare to the riches of Christ that are to be found in his service- no yacht, no golf course, no lakehouse. I am continually encouraged by stories of saints, past and present, who have passed retirement age but have continued on for the sake of God's glory, going out to live and die in his mission field. What a testimony, especially to us younger ones in the faith. Christ never promised an easy life nor a comfortable life. In fact, he called us to take up our crosses and follow him, realizing that a cross is a place to die. The mission field is not safe. It has never promised to be safe. But what is this life compared to the riches of the life hereafter?
So I want to encourage you not to grasp onto the small pleasures of this life that will never satisfy you. Go to the source of all joy and satisfaction- Jesus Christ, our King. His way is not safe and will ask for your life, but wasn't it he that trod the road to Calvary and laid down his life for you? He will be our strength and our life even in death. So let our lives testify Christ, so that in our death people will say we were in love with our Lord.
"Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever."
-- Martin Luther, from "A Mighty Fortress is Our God"
So tonight, as part of the CCA, Shirley Jones was here. You know, Mrs. Partridge. Laurie in Oklahoma. Julie Jordan in Carousel. Marian the librarian in The Music Man. Anyway, it was incredible to hear about and think about all that she has been able to accomplish on stage and in film over the years, including an Oscar, and she is not done at 70 years. She continues to tour, and this May will appear in a three month showing of 42nd Street. By anyone's standards, she has made the most of her life as an entertainer and says she will never retire, as though that is a funny concept to her. People would say that she is in love with performing....
As much as I admire her work, though, I would not wish her accomplishments for myself, grand and spectacular as they may be. In a sense, there is a larger, higher dream than the American Dream of glamour and success to which the Christian is called. But she exemplifies a great love for her driving passion and will probably perform until the day she dies, as she collects respect and honor from her admirers. And it is that which I wish to emulate. My one driving passion is Christ and I hope that I may continue to show forth his love and pursue him faithfully by his grace throughout my entire life. Ms. Jones showed that you are not too young to make your start, as she played in Oklahoma at age 18, with almost no experience. Similarly, Christ's power may be made manifest through even the youngest or weakest member of the body, and that is encouraging. It is never too early to begin working for kingdom, and working for it powerfully.
I was reminded today in thought of Matthew 25:23, "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'" It's wonderful to dream big for God. I don't think we can dream big enough about service to God. But at this stage in life it is easy to create the big dreams and forget the everyday things. God will not give us the nations if we are not faithful where we are. How will we tell the world if we are not telling our neighbor?
Ms. Jones' passion for performing will not allow her to stop, for she is so in love with what she does. I think it is tragic in America that once people hit the magical age of 65, they settle for dying on the golf course, when there is still so much life to live, especially for the Christian. Seriously. Where in the Bible does it say that we can stop? So someone gets to that age and decides to stop their current trade. Fine. I have no problem with that. But if our driving passion is the Lord Jesus Christ and he is our King of Kings until we meet him in glory, then age 65 means nothing to us in our pursuit of him and service to him. We think that we deserve to rest after a life of work, but we deserve nothing and yet Christ has granted us his power and love to become ministers unto the Word through suffering and service unto our eternal joy! There is nothing in this life that could compare to the riches of Christ that are to be found in his service- no yacht, no golf course, no lakehouse. I am continually encouraged by stories of saints, past and present, who have passed retirement age but have continued on for the sake of God's glory, going out to live and die in his mission field. What a testimony, especially to us younger ones in the faith. Christ never promised an easy life nor a comfortable life. In fact, he called us to take up our crosses and follow him, realizing that a cross is a place to die. The mission field is not safe. It has never promised to be safe. But what is this life compared to the riches of the life hereafter?
So I want to encourage you not to grasp onto the small pleasures of this life that will never satisfy you. Go to the source of all joy and satisfaction- Jesus Christ, our King. His way is not safe and will ask for your life, but wasn't it he that trod the road to Calvary and laid down his life for you? He will be our strength and our life even in death. So let our lives testify Christ, so that in our death people will say we were in love with our Lord.
"Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever."
-- Martin Luther, from "A Mighty Fortress is Our God"
Monday, March 08, 2004
Highly Recommended!
I highly recommend this book: Don't Waste Your Life, by John Piper. It is very convicting but also encouraging. It challenges us to consider how we spend our lives and what we are willing to die for. Will we buy into the American dream of confort and complacency? It challenges us to find our ultimate comfort in Christ even though the way may be paved in trouble. Choosing Christ is to choose a full life, anything other than Christ is a waste. Quotation from the book:
"Forbid that any, Lord, who reads these words would have to say some day: "I’ve wasted [my life]." But grant, by your almighty Spirit and your piercing Word, that we who name Christ as the Lord would treasure him above our lives, and feel, deep in our souls, that Christ is life and death is gain. And so may we display his worth for all to see. And by our prizing him may he be praised in all the world. May he be magnified in life and death. May every neighborhood and nation see how joy in Jesus frees his people from the power of greed and fear." (p. 189)
It is also a good introduction to reading Piper as some find Desiring God too heavy.
As of today, Piper's book, The Passion of Jesus Christ, (released in January) has sold more than 1,055,378 copies.
"Forbid that any, Lord, who reads these words would have to say some day: "I’ve wasted [my life]." But grant, by your almighty Spirit and your piercing Word, that we who name Christ as the Lord would treasure him above our lives, and feel, deep in our souls, that Christ is life and death is gain. And so may we display his worth for all to see. And by our prizing him may he be praised in all the world. May he be magnified in life and death. May every neighborhood and nation see how joy in Jesus frees his people from the power of greed and fear." (p. 189)
It is also a good introduction to reading Piper as some find Desiring God too heavy.
As of today, Piper's book, The Passion of Jesus Christ, (released in January) has sold more than 1,055,378 copies.
Sunday, March 07, 2004
Bear With Me
Hi, so I am still alive. Doing very well actually. There's nothing too exciting on the menu tonight, but I thought I would let everyone know that there are some good posts in the works for which to be watching, some concerning recent controversies on Hillsdale's campus. I hope they will be challenging and edifying. So bear with me and above all, "May the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. " (Hebrews 13:20-21)
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
People of Consequence
Last week, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas came to Hillsdale to teach a seminar on the Constitution. He also participated in an open question-and-answer session, which I attended. In talking of the pettiness of politicians, he said something to the effect that "people of consequence should do things of consequence." And it struck me that Christians should do things "of consequence" and concern themselves with things "of consequence." And why? Because we have been made People of Consequence.
Sure, in our natural state, we are dreadful, selfish beings. The God of the universe lacks nothing and yet deserves all praise and honor from his creation, deserves undivided devotion and service. But we trade our birthrights on a daily basis, committing the ultimate treason against a holy God. Through our actions we often show to the world what our hearts keep secret, that we find more satisfaction in earthly treasures than in the majesty of God. And that is treason. For "who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?" (Psalm 113:5-6)
But there is hope in the Redeemer. Though we have nothing to offer to God, he has given us everything, for "has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." (1 Peter 1:3-4) There is for those who are in Christ a "eternal weigh of glory beyond all comprehension" (2 Corinthians 4:17) in heaven. Those whom Christ has redeemed have been reconciled to God and made his children and "fellow heirs with Christ." We have put on Christ's righteousness and now live in his power- and that makes us People of Consequence.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) What are we afraid of? Certainly, on our own we have nothing in which to boast, but in Christ we have everything- all power, all wisdom, all patience, all boldness, all love, all JOY. "But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." (Jermiah 9:23-24) We are promised that if we "walk in the way in which he walked" (1 John 2:6) we will be persecuted, but we do not "preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord." (2 Corinthians 4:5) So we should not be surprised at trials nor should we fear them, but we ought to rest in God's provision.
Not only that, God made his children People of Consequence for a mission. In fact, the whole of history attests to God's mission to save his people. Though Christ's work on the cross is finished, the harvest is not yet complete, and God has seen fit for his people to carry on his mission to the nations here on earth. We are People of Consequence who fight not against the flesh, but against the powers of darkness, possessing the power of the Most High to work within and through us. And our calling is neither optional nor to be taken lightly. We are to be a light to the world around, ever testifying to the supremacy and love of our God through our speech and actions through evangelism. We are called to love the church and ever strive to build her up in Christ. And we are called to the great joy of participating in God's mission to the nations, that they may rejoice in his name, whether through support or through actually going to the mission field.
So what are we doing, today, right now, where we are at? Are we living in the reality that we are a people, redeemed by Jesus' blood and called to minister to others in his name? Do we daily consider our actions in light of the gospel and God's mission? Are we throwing off everything in our lives that hinder us from a life of service and devotion to God? What are we living and dying for? Is it Christ?
God has made us People of Consequence, so let us live and die that our lives may be of consequence for his kingdom by his grace. "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ." (Philippians 3:8)
Sure, in our natural state, we are dreadful, selfish beings. The God of the universe lacks nothing and yet deserves all praise and honor from his creation, deserves undivided devotion and service. But we trade our birthrights on a daily basis, committing the ultimate treason against a holy God. Through our actions we often show to the world what our hearts keep secret, that we find more satisfaction in earthly treasures than in the majesty of God. And that is treason. For "who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?" (Psalm 113:5-6)
But there is hope in the Redeemer. Though we have nothing to offer to God, he has given us everything, for "has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." (1 Peter 1:3-4) There is for those who are in Christ a "eternal weigh of glory beyond all comprehension" (2 Corinthians 4:17) in heaven. Those whom Christ has redeemed have been reconciled to God and made his children and "fellow heirs with Christ." We have put on Christ's righteousness and now live in his power- and that makes us People of Consequence.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) What are we afraid of? Certainly, on our own we have nothing in which to boast, but in Christ we have everything- all power, all wisdom, all patience, all boldness, all love, all JOY. "But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." (Jermiah 9:23-24) We are promised that if we "walk in the way in which he walked" (1 John 2:6) we will be persecuted, but we do not "preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord." (2 Corinthians 4:5) So we should not be surprised at trials nor should we fear them, but we ought to rest in God's provision.
Not only that, God made his children People of Consequence for a mission. In fact, the whole of history attests to God's mission to save his people. Though Christ's work on the cross is finished, the harvest is not yet complete, and God has seen fit for his people to carry on his mission to the nations here on earth. We are People of Consequence who fight not against the flesh, but against the powers of darkness, possessing the power of the Most High to work within and through us. And our calling is neither optional nor to be taken lightly. We are to be a light to the world around, ever testifying to the supremacy and love of our God through our speech and actions through evangelism. We are called to love the church and ever strive to build her up in Christ. And we are called to the great joy of participating in God's mission to the nations, that they may rejoice in his name, whether through support or through actually going to the mission field.
So what are we doing, today, right now, where we are at? Are we living in the reality that we are a people, redeemed by Jesus' blood and called to minister to others in his name? Do we daily consider our actions in light of the gospel and God's mission? Are we throwing off everything in our lives that hinder us from a life of service and devotion to God? What are we living and dying for? Is it Christ?
God has made us People of Consequence, so let us live and die that our lives may be of consequence for his kingdom by his grace. "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ." (Philippians 3:8)
Sunday, February 01, 2004
"This one goes out to the ones I love..."
I was talking with my mom last night and she reminded me that I have some awesome friends. She hasn't met most of you out there, but she has been able to tell by the support I have that you guys are the best. Indeed, I have been blessed with some amazing people in my life. First with my family and then with my Christian brothers and sisters out there who continually challenge me and support. This is a shout out to all of those who have touched my life. You guys are in my heart and I thank God for you all. I look forward to the day in which we will all be praising our Father together for all eternity. Until then:
"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. " Ephesians 1:16-21
"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. " Ephesians 1:16-21
Saturday, January 31, 2004
Bookstore Blunders
For those of you who don't know, Urbana is a student missions conference that takes place ever four years in Urbana, Illinois, at the University of Illinois campus. It is hosted by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, a campus ministry similar to Campus Crusade for Christ. Well, over Christmas break I attended this five day conference with about 20,000 other students. Urbana 03 has caused me to think about so many things that I will try to relate over the next few weeks.
I was especially excited to visit the bookstore that InterVarsity set up at the conference. I love books and I was nervous about bringing my wallet to the bookstore, thinking I was liable to spend more than I ought. I was mistaken as I was tempted to buy only one book. (I bought Operation World by Johnstone and Mandryk. I highly recommend it!) The bookstore disappointed me in some ways. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't for lack of books. They advertised over 20,000 titles. But I was surprised to see that the bookstore wasn't completely devoted to books on missions, but I was greatly astonished to see the lack of discernment in choosing how to fill the other shelves. To my dismay, I saw books by Greg Boyd to name one, a very vocal proponent of Open Theism. And I am not at all opposed to saying that I consider Open Theism heresy. Now, I am not at all for burning books or being the thought police. Open discussion is great and I don't believe in sheltering Christians from other worldviews. However, I knew that there were searching students at the conference who wouldn't know Greg Boyd from anyone else, and would buy such books trusting in the InterVarsity and Urbana labels. This thought alerted me to a problem that perhaps is prevalent among the Christian book industry. Just because the Christian bookstore sells it, doesn't mean that it is Biblical or edifying. I realize that there are many differing beliefs on a variety of doctrines that may be considered orthodox and I am not opposed to bookstores selling them all. But I caution myself and others to be discerning about what books to value, and to value them based upon their agreement with Scripture and not because of who published or sold them. And I would also like to see big publishers like Zondervan and IV Press to be more careful with their endorsements with the knowledge that their name can influence so many people. They are in a position to feed people, so let them feed people with Scripture-saturated, God-exalting food, not settling for anything less than what would cause his people to rejoice in his great reign.
I was especially excited to visit the bookstore that InterVarsity set up at the conference. I love books and I was nervous about bringing my wallet to the bookstore, thinking I was liable to spend more than I ought. I was mistaken as I was tempted to buy only one book. (I bought Operation World by Johnstone and Mandryk. I highly recommend it!) The bookstore disappointed me in some ways. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't for lack of books. They advertised over 20,000 titles. But I was surprised to see that the bookstore wasn't completely devoted to books on missions, but I was greatly astonished to see the lack of discernment in choosing how to fill the other shelves. To my dismay, I saw books by Greg Boyd to name one, a very vocal proponent of Open Theism. And I am not at all opposed to saying that I consider Open Theism heresy. Now, I am not at all for burning books or being the thought police. Open discussion is great and I don't believe in sheltering Christians from other worldviews. However, I knew that there were searching students at the conference who wouldn't know Greg Boyd from anyone else, and would buy such books trusting in the InterVarsity and Urbana labels. This thought alerted me to a problem that perhaps is prevalent among the Christian book industry. Just because the Christian bookstore sells it, doesn't mean that it is Biblical or edifying. I realize that there are many differing beliefs on a variety of doctrines that may be considered orthodox and I am not opposed to bookstores selling them all. But I caution myself and others to be discerning about what books to value, and to value them based upon their agreement with Scripture and not because of who published or sold them. And I would also like to see big publishers like Zondervan and IV Press to be more careful with their endorsements with the knowledge that their name can influence so many people. They are in a position to feed people, so let them feed people with Scripture-saturated, God-exalting food, not settling for anything less than what would cause his people to rejoice in his great reign.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Tonight, I just want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Aaron and Natalia on their engagement. They are two of the coolest people ever. I wish them a God-centered, God-glorifying, joyful life together.
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Letter to a Cynic
During my limited time in the undergraduate academy, I have come in contact with a lot of cynics...Christians who are cynical about the church and about the culture and who respond to the church and to the culture cynically. And by cynically, I mean, with a mocking, haughty attitude, sometimes treating it with humor, but a humor that lords its superiority. But it is not just the academy. It can be any and every Christian. Cynicism has been something of which I have recently been convicted and was aided in part by this World Magazine article. This letter speaks as much to my own heart, as to anyone else.
Dear Cynic,
Paul tells us in Corinthians, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am but a resounding gong or clanging cymbal." So often our talk of God in our haughty language sounds like nothing more than many gongs, which is why I feel compelled to write this letter. Paul says that the words may be true, but the manner, without love, is worthless. Sometimes we have great knowledge and see many truths and provide deep insight. But sometimes we treat the errors of the church in doctrine or in practice with a haughty spirit. We ask, "How could anyone believe that teaching?" We place ourselves above them thinking we have the correct answers. And we may have the correct answers. But we do not possess the great power of mind to discover such great truth but for the grace God. We know not the Father or his son but for his great grace. For what poor wretches are we, doomed to destruction, that God extends his hand to us? If we boast, it must be in the Lord (Galatians 6:14) for his grace must do nothing other than humble us before his throne. Paul also reminds us in 1 Corinthians 8:2, "If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know." How small are out finite minds and how little understanding we truly have. Even those with the greatest knowledge and most correct doctrine have such a small view of the riches of the glory of God. But Paul tells us the "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." (1 Corinthians 8:1)
Indeed, knowledge and doctrine are important. But God has not told us that he meant knowledge to be lorded over those with none. In Ephesians 4:11-14, Paul says, "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." He gives us teachers to profess the truth "for the building up of the body of Christ." So often it seems like our attitudes and words do more toward the tearing down of our fellowship. Right teaching is important, as Paul emphasizes that we must be kept from being led astray. But his next words are "rather, by speaking the truth in love." We are to profess the truth of God in love. This is not sentimental, touchy-feely love for often the truth hurts, and yet our own pride must never get in the way.
In order to correctly teach and build up the body of Christ, we must first examine our own motives and our own hearts. We must take our eyes off the failure in others. We are often loathe to do such a thing because our focus on others has conveniently allowed us to ignore the sin and failure in our own life. But our attitudes and passions must align with God's and we must deal with our own heart issues. Our goal must not be for our glory but only for his, and not only that we see his glory but that we rejoice in bringing others to share in that glory. When we look at the church and see doctrines that are incorrect or when we look at the culture and see morality failing, we must not say, "I know better." But we must fall on our faces and weep because they are missing out. The culture has bought into its own lies that there is something better than God, and they are missing our on the great joy and rest to be found in the magnificent glory of God. The church is buying into lies that are dimming their view of the power and majesty of the King of Kings. And that should make us weep for it should be our prayer with the psalmist, "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy," (Psalm 67) for we should want to see Christ glorified on earth and in our churches and to see his his kingdom spread to his eternal praise.
But we must not merely sorrow, we must also serve, and in this we speak the truth in love. Jesus says, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Jesus is our example of ultimate service and our attitude toward our churches and toward our culture must mirror his servanthood. We are not the judges of our culture nor the lords of it. We have been set free from the bondage of sin in order that we might serve God, which in turn means serving our churches and those around us in humility and love. We are brokenhearted that God is not praised and loved in the world around us like he ought to be, but we are servants to the word, fervently striving for the glory of God, laying down our lives to that end. And this means that we are not to keep silent when the culture or the church present false teaching to us, but our hearts must retain the attitude of servanthood in our telling. It is not the person we attack for being so stupid by being led away by such teaching, but the lies themselves, for God did not destroy us, but detroyed the grip of sin that held captive our hearts.
But you might say, that your commentary on life and the church is merely in humor, to lighten up and make entertaining what the world or the church takes too seriously. But to that I say, this is not a game. The Christian life is nothing to take lightly. The Christian life is a wartime existence. Ephesians 6 reminds us: "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." We say that we are not lords over our culture because indeed the prince of darkness rules this world (1 John 5:19), and we do not fight in this battle with cynicism. We fight with truth and on our knees in exhausting, soul-wrenching prayer that calls for God's glory to be revealed through us and in his world, that though we may suffer for his sake, not our own wills, but his be done. And our God is a prayer-hearing God. If we but saw the backside of God's glory and felt its weight, how we would cry with Isaiah, "I AM UNDONE!" No, the glory of God is to be taken seriously, as is the battle we fight on earth for the eternal destiny of souls. When we view that glory, our response must be, then, "Here am I, send me." Send me to be a servant, and to channel your love to the nations.
But is our life to be without joy? By no means. Ultimate joy permeates the Christian when the soul is satisfied in nothing less than God himself, who is all joy. Psalm 68:3 says, "But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!" John says in his first epistle that he writes about Christ in order that his joy may be complete. Paul says to the Philippian church, "I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus." Even Jesus, "for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross." (Hebrews 12:2) James says to count it joy when we face trials and Peters says, "Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9) Joy is part of the Christian faith, but it is a joy found in God. It is not the joy that stops short in the small pleasures to be found in ourselves or in our knowledge or our own witty phrases. It is a joy that humbles us and magnifies the Father. It is joy in the truth, in a freedom to serve God who is all truth, and that recognizes that there is nothing in the world that can satisfy us like God can satisfy every desire and need in our hearts.
So let us not snicker or smirk at the sinful world that is too pleased with its own short-sighted pleasures. Let us not mock the Christian who has been carried away by false teaching. Cynicism locks us up, takes us captive in our high tower and prevents us from doing any work. It is a prison by which our prideful mind shackles our body into passive uselessness. Because of it, we do not take part in nor are we moved by the pain and suffering around us, but rather turn up our noses at the faults of the world. But God did not become incarnate to justify the righteous but to seek and save the lost. So too, must we lower ourselves form our unjustified, cynical prisons to serve with humility the King of Kings by proclaiming his truth to all peoples in love.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Dear Cynic,
Paul tells us in Corinthians, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am but a resounding gong or clanging cymbal." So often our talk of God in our haughty language sounds like nothing more than many gongs, which is why I feel compelled to write this letter. Paul says that the words may be true, but the manner, without love, is worthless. Sometimes we have great knowledge and see many truths and provide deep insight. But sometimes we treat the errors of the church in doctrine or in practice with a haughty spirit. We ask, "How could anyone believe that teaching?" We place ourselves above them thinking we have the correct answers. And we may have the correct answers. But we do not possess the great power of mind to discover such great truth but for the grace God. We know not the Father or his son but for his great grace. For what poor wretches are we, doomed to destruction, that God extends his hand to us? If we boast, it must be in the Lord (Galatians 6:14) for his grace must do nothing other than humble us before his throne. Paul also reminds us in 1 Corinthians 8:2, "If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know." How small are out finite minds and how little understanding we truly have. Even those with the greatest knowledge and most correct doctrine have such a small view of the riches of the glory of God. But Paul tells us the "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." (1 Corinthians 8:1)
Indeed, knowledge and doctrine are important. But God has not told us that he meant knowledge to be lorded over those with none. In Ephesians 4:11-14, Paul says, "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." He gives us teachers to profess the truth "for the building up of the body of Christ." So often it seems like our attitudes and words do more toward the tearing down of our fellowship. Right teaching is important, as Paul emphasizes that we must be kept from being led astray. But his next words are "rather, by speaking the truth in love." We are to profess the truth of God in love. This is not sentimental, touchy-feely love for often the truth hurts, and yet our own pride must never get in the way.
In order to correctly teach and build up the body of Christ, we must first examine our own motives and our own hearts. We must take our eyes off the failure in others. We are often loathe to do such a thing because our focus on others has conveniently allowed us to ignore the sin and failure in our own life. But our attitudes and passions must align with God's and we must deal with our own heart issues. Our goal must not be for our glory but only for his, and not only that we see his glory but that we rejoice in bringing others to share in that glory. When we look at the church and see doctrines that are incorrect or when we look at the culture and see morality failing, we must not say, "I know better." But we must fall on our faces and weep because they are missing out. The culture has bought into its own lies that there is something better than God, and they are missing our on the great joy and rest to be found in the magnificent glory of God. The church is buying into lies that are dimming their view of the power and majesty of the King of Kings. And that should make us weep for it should be our prayer with the psalmist, "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy," (Psalm 67) for we should want to see Christ glorified on earth and in our churches and to see his his kingdom spread to his eternal praise.
But we must not merely sorrow, we must also serve, and in this we speak the truth in love. Jesus says, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Jesus is our example of ultimate service and our attitude toward our churches and toward our culture must mirror his servanthood. We are not the judges of our culture nor the lords of it. We have been set free from the bondage of sin in order that we might serve God, which in turn means serving our churches and those around us in humility and love. We are brokenhearted that God is not praised and loved in the world around us like he ought to be, but we are servants to the word, fervently striving for the glory of God, laying down our lives to that end. And this means that we are not to keep silent when the culture or the church present false teaching to us, but our hearts must retain the attitude of servanthood in our telling. It is not the person we attack for being so stupid by being led away by such teaching, but the lies themselves, for God did not destroy us, but detroyed the grip of sin that held captive our hearts.
But you might say, that your commentary on life and the church is merely in humor, to lighten up and make entertaining what the world or the church takes too seriously. But to that I say, this is not a game. The Christian life is nothing to take lightly. The Christian life is a wartime existence. Ephesians 6 reminds us: "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." We say that we are not lords over our culture because indeed the prince of darkness rules this world (1 John 5:19), and we do not fight in this battle with cynicism. We fight with truth and on our knees in exhausting, soul-wrenching prayer that calls for God's glory to be revealed through us and in his world, that though we may suffer for his sake, not our own wills, but his be done. And our God is a prayer-hearing God. If we but saw the backside of God's glory and felt its weight, how we would cry with Isaiah, "I AM UNDONE!" No, the glory of God is to be taken seriously, as is the battle we fight on earth for the eternal destiny of souls. When we view that glory, our response must be, then, "Here am I, send me." Send me to be a servant, and to channel your love to the nations.
But is our life to be without joy? By no means. Ultimate joy permeates the Christian when the soul is satisfied in nothing less than God himself, who is all joy. Psalm 68:3 says, "But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!" John says in his first epistle that he writes about Christ in order that his joy may be complete. Paul says to the Philippian church, "I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus." Even Jesus, "for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross." (Hebrews 12:2) James says to count it joy when we face trials and Peters says, "Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9) Joy is part of the Christian faith, but it is a joy found in God. It is not the joy that stops short in the small pleasures to be found in ourselves or in our knowledge or our own witty phrases. It is a joy that humbles us and magnifies the Father. It is joy in the truth, in a freedom to serve God who is all truth, and that recognizes that there is nothing in the world that can satisfy us like God can satisfy every desire and need in our hearts.
So let us not snicker or smirk at the sinful world that is too pleased with its own short-sighted pleasures. Let us not mock the Christian who has been carried away by false teaching. Cynicism locks us up, takes us captive in our high tower and prevents us from doing any work. It is a prison by which our prideful mind shackles our body into passive uselessness. Because of it, we do not take part in nor are we moved by the pain and suffering around us, but rather turn up our noses at the faults of the world. But God did not become incarnate to justify the righteous but to seek and save the lost. So too, must we lower ourselves form our unjustified, cynical prisons to serve with humility the King of Kings by proclaiming his truth to all peoples in love.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Monday, January 19, 2004
I'm Back.
It's a good thing no one has been holding their breath waiting for me to update again. Phew. But I am happy to report that I will be back into the swing of things shortly. I have much to write about, including observations from and thoughts provoked by my experience at Urbana over Christmas break. Be watching this week...
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