Suddenly I Understand…..

From In Through The Front Door. I’ve been reading through this blog over the last few days and found this post. It leaves me light as a feather and my heart filled with joy. Thank you so much, Patrick, for sharing this…

“I just love John Piper and am thankful to be alive during the years of his fruitful ministry. Piper just tells it like it is, because . . . . well . . . . that’s what Jesus did. Here’s a recent article concerning the vanity pitfalls that ministers face, but I believe we all can learn from his words of insight concerning the blunt words of Jesus.

Jesus’ blunt words-”None of your business, follow me”-are sweet to
my ears. They are liberating from the depressing bondage of fatal
comparing. Sometimes when I scan the ads in Christianity Today
(all ten thousand of them), I get discouraged. Not as much as I used to
twenty-five years ago. But still I find this avalanche of ministry
suggestions oppressing.

Book after book, conference after
conference, DVD after DVD-telling me how to succeed in ministry. And
all of them quietly delivering the message that I am not making it.
Worship could be better. Preaching could be better. Evangelism could be
better. Pastoral care could be better. Youth ministry could be better.
Missions could be better. And here is what works. Buy this. Go here. Go
there. Do it this way. And adding to the burden-some of these books and
conferences are mine!

So I was refreshed by Jesus’
blunt word to me (and you): “What is that to you? You follow me!” Peter
had just heard a very hard word. You will die-painfully. His first
thought was comparison. What about John? If I have to suffer, will he
have to suffer? If my ministry ends like that, will his end like that?
If I don’t get to live a long life of fruitful ministry, will he get to?

That’s
the way we sinners are wired. Compare. Compare. Compare. We crave to
know how we stack up in comparison to others. There is some kind of
high if we can just find someone less effective than we are. Ouch. To
this day, I recall the little note posted by my Resident Assistant in
Elliot Hall my senior year at Wheaton: “To love is to stop comparing.”
What is that to you, Piper? Follow me.

• What is it to you
  that David Wells has such a comprehensive grasp of the pervasive
  effects of postmodernism? You follow me.
• What is it to you that Voddie Baucham speaks the gospel so powerfully without notes? You follow me.
• What is it to you that Tim Keller sees gospel connections with professional life so clearly? You follow me.
• What is it to you that Mark Driscoll has the language and the folly of pop culture at his fingertips? You follow me.
• What
  is it to you that Don Carson reads five hundred books a year and
  combines pastoral insight with the scholar’s depth and
  comprehensiveness? You follow me.

That word landed on me
with great joy. Jesus will not judge me according to my superiority or
inferiority over anybody. No preacher. No church. No ministry. These
are not the standard. Jesus has a work for me to do (and a
different one for you). It is not what he has given anyone else to do.
There is a grace to do it. Will I trust him for that grace and do what
he has given me to do? That is the question. O the liberty that comes
when Jesus gets tough!

I hope you find encouragement and freedom
today when you hear Jesus say to all your fretting comparisons: “What
is that to you? You follow me!”

Learning to walk in freedom with you,
Pastor John”

(HT: JT)

A humbling selection of posts…..

From Sharper Iron. Here one finds no shallow clichés:

Fourteen Reasons for Fourteen Years?

Fourteen years ago, my brother was hit by a truck. This past week, after living in a persistent vegetative state for all this time, he went home to be with the Lord. I shared the following at his memorial service on August 14, 2008. (Follow this link to view a YouTube tribute that was played at the memorial service.)

After Jeremy’s accident, I wrote a gospel tract entitled “Why?” that answered the basic questions the average person has when he undergoes trials. Now, fourteen years later, I find myself asking the same question, but in a different way. I was satisfied with the answers from God fourteen years ago, but why did God keep him around for fourteen years? Some people would say Jeremy was a drain on society and had a terrible quality of life. And at weary times, we are susceptible to all such tempting thoughts. In fact, I can say for the family this morning that in a way, a weight has been lifted. A fourteen-year weight. However, if we don’t answer that question, we are gathered here today as fools, trying to find meaning in a wasteland.

But God has the answers, and we are pressed to find them today. Why did God keep Jeremy alive in that condition for fourteen years? When you have a friend on the verge of death for fourteen years, you think about this day a lot and what you would say. I would like to share with you fourteen reasons for fourteen years.

1. Fourteen years changes the contemporary idea of quality of life. The idea that quality of life is to be defined solely by the individual rather than by the community is from the Devil. American individualism has robbed this nation of many benefits. Countless stories could be told of the untold blessings of Down syndrome, handicapped, special needs, and yes, PVS patients and the way they have made people ponder what true quality of life is-a life that displays the wonders of God. And all life is valuable.

2. Fourteen years was the time needed to teach us the ways of God. The psalmist said, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statues.” Some things we learn only in affliction. Visiting Jeremy was often like looking in a mirror. His life message was convicting. You were confronted with your life, your lack of love, your priorities, your dedication, your care for the hurting, and the nature of your service. I cannot explain it, but many of you know of what I speak. Many times I left his bedside and followed Job’s example in chapter 42 and repented of the idolatry in my life. One of his friends said, “There was a time when I struggled with what appeared to be the senselessness of it all. But the reality of the goodness of God and then the experience of the work of God in lives through Jeremy’s suffering have resonated with the truths of Scripture. It is real. This is what the world needs to see -a real God transforming real lives in the most intense of situations.”

3. Fourteen years screams at the suffering of their need of patience. James admonishes us to let patience have its maturing work. Job was held up as an example of patience; at the end of his long journey, he saw a merciful, compassionate God. When a trial grows in length, the value of it deepens like fine wine. Clichés no longer sustain us. Shoulders to cry on vanish. Christ demands that we do what is supernatural, to abide under the burden while He perfects us.

4. Fourteen years provoked thousands of Christians to improve their prayer lives. When the trial happened, thousands prayed. Over the years, thousands more have interceded. One note I received from a college classmate of his said that her mom prayed for him every day for fourteen years. That’s fourteen years of communication with God. Fourteen years of pleading with Him to work. Fourteen years of Him saying no. Fourteen years of Him increasing and His creatures decreasing. I observed this fact firsthand as my boys made him their prayer project from the time they learned to speak. Yesterday, as we closed the casket, they wept. Boys, thank you for praying for him all these years. Sometimes God says no, and we can know that this is best. I was reminded of David who prayed and fasted for his child to live. Perhaps God would show mercy. He didn’t to David, and He didn’t to us. He had better plans.

5. Fourteen years uplifts the sovereignty of God. In our wisdom, we wonder, Why fourteen? Why not four or twenty-four? Yet we can rest, not in our autonomy, but in God’s great, ultimate plan. He tells us that Jer’s days were numbered before he was born, so he went home on the perfect day. So if I asked God why not four or twenty-four, He may respond the way he did to Job. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements-surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place?” God knows why it was fourteen years, and that is enough. Sovereignty is a soft pillow.

6. Fourteen years prolonged his earthly ministry. Jeremy’s legacy runs deep with many who remember his boundless energy, but he ministered to more through his tragedy than he ever did through his so-called “public” ministry. That was simply setting the stage for God to show something far deeper, far more marvelous. Over the past fourteen years, hundreds of people asked ultimate questions as they cared for him. Whether on his dozens of trips to ER, his transfer to multiple facilities, or his regular caregivers, he forced people to consider God’s hand in the world. One of his college professors e-mailed me yesterday with apt words. “As I see it, Jeremy has been full time in the ministry for the last fourteen years. It was not the ministry he would have chosen or any of us would have chosen for him. But he gave up the right to choose how God would use him sometime along the way, and I know he wanted what God wanted for him. He is a great example for all of us.”

7. Fourteen years has forced all involved to rely on divine strength. The physical demands of caring for Jeremy fell on his caregivers and primarily on my parents. And I want to publicly thank them for tirelessly caring for him, fighting for him, and staying by his side until the end. In our weakness we were forced to rely on a strength that was not our own. We can say that we were able to do this through Christ who strengthened us.

8. Fourteen years gave many people a new ministry of ministering the comfort of Christ. Second Corinthians 1:3-5 tells us that we get to take the ministry of a comforting Christ to our own hearts and use that to minister Christ to other hurting hearts. Our phones ring when brain-injured people enter emergency rooms. And we go. It’s a stewardship. It’s a gift. It’s a joy.

9. Fourteen years allowed him to preach the gospel longer. From the beginning, a gospel tract written on his life was used to give the gospel to lost sinners. At the end, on the night before he saw Jesus, one of his caregivers knelt by his bedside and accepted the Lord into her life. Paul testified to this in Philippians when he said of his persecution, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”

10. Fourteen years gave us a glimpse of what it means to be part of the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. No human being suffered the way He did. John MacArthur says it well. “The deepest moments of spiritual fellowship with the living Christ are at times of intense suffering; suffering drives believers to Him. They find in Him a merciful High Priest, a faithful friend who feels their pain, and a sympathetic companion who faced all the trials and temptations that they face (Heb. 4:15). He is thus uniquely qualified to help them in their weaknesses and infirmities” (Heb. 2:17). I can say that I better understand Christ and His cross because of fourteen years of suffering.

11. Fourteen years allowed us to see the works of God. God used Jeremy’s trial to transform lives. People were saved, lives were transformed, and believers were sanctified. Why was the man born blind? Because of sin? No, so that the works of God could be displayed in his life.

12. Fourteen years proved Satan wrong. I can visualize the day when Satan walked into God’s throne room and said, “Do the Janzes fear God for nothing? Do those who know and love this boy simply believe in a feel-good God?” I can see God granting His permission. I fast-forward to sitting in the Salt Lake Hospital with family and friends who were reeling. But let fourteen years prove that this trial did not derail the saints of God. Let Satan be silent. Let it be known that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. So fourteen years proved him wrong . . . for fourteen years.

13. Fourteen years made us long for heaven. Perhaps one of the more draining experiences of these years took me by surprise. It was the dreams. Nobody told me about the dreams. But more times than I could keep track of, I would walk into a hospital room to a coherent brother, and I would catch him up on all that had taken place only to wake up and realize that it was a farce. The new grief got old fast. I began to long for heaven where we could converse about life during these fourteen years. I want him to know my children, my wife. God tells us that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glories of heaven. In a sermon by Jonathan Edwards in 1733, he said, “God is the highest good of the reasonable creature, and the enjoyment of him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. - To go to heaven fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows. But the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean. - Therefore it becomes us to spend this life only as a journey towards heaven, as it becomes us to make the seeking of our highest end and proper good, the whole work of our lives, to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life. Why should we labor for, or set our hearts on anything else, but that which is our proper end, and true happiness?”

14. Fourteen years showed us that our satisfaction should be in Christ. “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!” (Ps. 21:26). God forbid if we ever lose sight of our true satisfaction. It is Jesus, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Sustainer, our Hope.

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Here are some thoughts, and I think we can all identify with them, from Sam Storms:

An Open Hand or a Clenched Fist? The Frightening Reality of a Fair Weather Faith

“I don’t know how else to say it, so I’ll come straight to the point. Last Sunday, August 17, 2008, I came face to face with the fragility and weakness of my faith in God. It may have been the most frightening moment in my Christian life. Let me explain.

On Wednesday, August 13th, just five days earlier, I was in Oklahoma City meeting with the staff of Bridgeway Church. During lunch, as I was about to respond to another question, my cell phone rang. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.

My younger daughter, Joey (23), was hysterical and virtually incoherent. It took at least ten minutes for me to get her calm enough that I could understand what she was saying amidst the tears and shock. She had been on her way back to Kansas City from Branson, Missouri, when her car grazed the side of a large truck that had moved into her blind spot. She was instantly airborne, her car virtually flying through the air at 65 mph.

The car flipped upside down, but not as you might expect. It didn’t roll over, side to side, but rather back to front. The nose of the car dipped as the rear end rose, eventually landing on its roof. Joey immediately unhooked her seat belt, pushed away the airbag, and fell to the roof of the car which was now the floor.

Her immediate instinct was to call me. But I was helpless to do anything, being nearly four hours away. I called Ann in Kansas City and she quickly made her way to the hospital in Bolivar, Missouri, where the police took Joey for an examination.

Miraculously and mercifully, she had only an abrasion on her neck from the seat belt and a slight chemical burn on her forearm. No broken bones. No internal injuries. No bleeding. She was sore for several days (and still is, as of Wednesday, August 20th), but was graciously preserved from any serious injury. Everyone at the scene said they’d never seen an accident like that in which the driver walked away unscathed. The car was thoroughly crushed and destroyed. We have pictures to prove it. “I have no explanation for why your daughter isn’t dead,” said the police officer to me on the phone.

You may wonder, then, why Sunday would have been a difficult day for me. I was filled with such indescribable gratitude for what God had done. My heart was flooded with joy and delight as I reflected on how close she had come to death and how wonderful it was that she emerged without serious harm.

The tears of thanksgiving and profound appreciation and worship flowed freely and unashamedly. My hands were lifted high in adoration and praise as we sang that now familiar and somewhat dated chorus, “He is exalted, the King is exalted on high, I will praise Him!” We then sang what has quickly become one of my favorites, “Beautiful,” by Phil Wickham, one verse of which is as follows:

• “I see your power in the moonlit night
  Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
  We are amazed in the light of the stars
  It’s all proclaiming who You are,
  You’re beautiful!”

Suddenly, my hands began to tremble ever so slightly. The tears dried up. Without warning, giving me no chance to prepare my heart, this horrifying thought raced through my mind: “Would I be lifting my hands in love and adoration of the Lord if Joey had died last Wednesday? Or would my raised and open hand be a clenched and defiant fist? If she, like so many who had similar wrecks, had died, would I have praised God for being ‘Beautiful’”?

I was spiritually paralyzed. A shiver of raw fear ran down my spine. No words can adequately explain the emotional terror that gripped my soul. Was I the sort of person who would only worship and honor and love God so long as he saved my daughter’s life? Was I the sort who would happily and profusely speak of the mercy of divine providence only if it shined on me favorably?

If Joey had not survived the wreck, or if she had been severely injured or paralyzed, would I have declared God to be beautiful, or would I have seen him as ugly and uncaring and indifferent? Was my faith the sort that flourished only in fair weather, or would it withstand the storm of tragedy and loss of the worst imaginable kind?

I couldn’t answer my own questions. I froze in fear. Would I have cursed God instead of extolling him had my precious little girl died? How have other people coped when their child was lost? What did they think of God? Was he still worthy of their praise? Was he still deserving of their devotion and affection and love? Was he still “exalted” as “King on high”? Was he still beautiful in their eyes?

I wish I could tell you that I reassured myself by saying, “Hey, Sam, don’t worry. Of course you’d still love God. The pain would be unbearable, but your faith would withstand the test. You’re strong. After all, you’re a Calvinist. Your whole life and ministry are built on the stability and strength of divine sovereignty.”

I wish I could tell you that’s what passed through my mind. But it didn’t. Maybe I would still have praised him. I certainly hope so. Oh, God, please let it be so! But I felt vulnerable in that moment in a way I never have before. I felt weak and frail and terrified that my faith was only as good as were the circumstances of my life.

I have many times glibly and proudly quoted the words of Job: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). It’s always been easy, because the Lord has not as yet “taken away” anything of great value to me. He came close, but he gave her back. If he hadn’t, could I have honestly and sincerely said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord”? I don’t know. That’s what scares me.

I want to believe that I would still love and honor God following the sort of loss Job suffered. I desperately want to believe it. I labor in my study of God’s Word and in prayer and in so many other ways to cultivate a heart that is quick to submit to his sovereign ways. But I would be less than honest if I didn’t say that I was shaken the other day.

There’s no great struggle in affirming God’s sovereignty when he has given rather than taken away. I felt no strain last Sunday in saying, “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” because Joey was standing next to me. Had it been otherwise, would I follow the advice of Job’s wife and “curse God and die” (Job 2:9)? I don’t know. I pray not. God help me.”

Sam

HT: Already Not Yet

Evidence of discernment - excerpts from a post by John Piper

John Piper speaking on discernment, the Lakeland ‘outpouring’ in specific, and testing ‘revival’ in general:”

“Discernment is not created in God’s people by brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance. It is created by biblical truth and the application of truth by the power of the Holy Spirit to our hearts and minds. When that happens, then the brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance will have the strong fiber of the full counsel of God in them. They will be profoundly Christian and not merely religious and emotional and psychological.

The common denominator of those who follow the Antichrist will not be “charismatic.” It will be, as Paul says, “they refused to love the truth.”

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Our test for every Lakeland that comes along should first be doctrinal and expositional. Is this awakening carried along by a “love for the truth” and a passion to hear the whole counsel of God proclaimed?”

---

Evidence of spiritual growth

(The following is something I put together for a friend of mine from work yesterday. I was asked to provide input to a program his church was developing regarding the identification of different stages of spiritual growth with an overarching goal to move people to deeper levels of discipleship.)

Sorry for any lack of clarity on my part for what follows. I tell you, it is a daunting task to identify stages of spiritual development and perhaps describe/prescribe how one moves from one stage to another, and I do not know how qualified I am to speak to these issues. I am humbled by so many men far more capable than myself.

That all being said, here goes…………

I think I will start at the end and move to the beginning. I think we need to identify what spiritual maturity, the overarching goal, looks like It is conformity to Christ as evidenced in the following, and I believe these are evidences we in Christ all can agree on. In no particular order and perhaps a bit repetitive at times, here are some of those aforementioned evidences:

• It is evidenced in dying to self.
• It is counting as a loss everything the world may offer in comparison with knowing and being known by Christ.
• It is loving the Redeemer and Giver of gifts more than the gifts.
• It is evidenced in the attitude of exalting Christ without regard to circumstance.
• It is evidenced in the tongue that does not complain.
• It is evidenced in the heart that looks and longs for evidences of grace rather than always self-righteously looking at the faults in the lives of others who are in Christ
• It is evidenced when one looks at others as being more important than themselves
• It is evidenced in the ability to discern truth from error
• It is evidenced in the ability to know how to graciously respond to one who may be in error
• It is evidenced by seeking to ‘wash the feet’ of one’s brother.
• It is evidenced in the one who thanks God when circumstances may, on the surface, seem dire.
• It is evidenced by child-like (not childish) faith in the Redeemer
• It is evidenced by a heart that repents more dearly and sincerely, a redeemed heart broken over sin.
• It is evidenced by a humble and contrite spirit
• It is evidenced by a desire to share the Gospel and make disciples of the nations
• It is evidenced by an abiding love for the Church, the bride of Christ
• It is evidenced by a generous heart that gives sacrificially
• It is evidenced by a desire, a hunger, for the Scripture, the authoritative, infallible, inspired word of God
• It is evidenced by a desire to reflect the grace of Christ to others
• It is evidenced by a heart that grieves over injustice
• It is evidenced by a life of faith in Christ whose faith produces works of righteousness
• It is evidenced by a attitude that seeks obedience to Christ in ALL things
• It is evidenced by acknowledging that we in Christ bring absolutely nothing to the table in regards to our justification. Even our faith is a gift of God that no man should boast
• It is evidenced in an attitude of patience
• It is evidenced when one is satisfied with what one has
• A longing for the deeper things of Christ, to move beyond a diet of milk
• It is evidenced when we perhaps sometimes ask “why” instead of “why me.”
• A growing understanding of the absolute sovereignty and holiness of God and the ability to have that understanding reflected in our response to trials and tribulation.
• A growing tenderness of heart tempered by a fierce devotion to truth
• Knowing that when the Father looks upon us, He sees us clothed in the righteousness of Christ
• A life infused with grace
• A life defined by having no fear of death or life. To live is Christ, to die is gain.
• A life defined by having love for those who do not love us back.
• A life defined by not seeking retribution for those that hurt us
• A life defined by the ability to endure hardship in such a way that we, and others, may exalt Christ
• A life defined, for a husband and father, as being head over the family as Christ is head over the Church
• A life defined as being the first to seek reconciliation without regard to one’s guilt, or lack thereof, especially within the context of one’s marriage and the church
• A life defined, for a wife and mother, as one of Christ-like submission to one’s husband, whether or not he ‘deserves’ it.
• A life defined by submission to authority as long as such does not require immorality.
• A life defined as working for one’s employer as if one is working for Christ, without grumbling and complaining.
• (Irony alert) An understanding that we are not justified by faithful adherence to a list of behaviors and attitudes.
• A life defined by acts and attitudes of forgiveness.
• When one wakes up, one’s thoughts are on the Redeemer. When one goes to sleep, one’s thoughts are on the Redeemer.
• It is evidenced by acts of mercy, forgiveness, selfless service, selfless giving
• Being a gracious defender of truth, being one who stands on the wall to watch and protect
• Understanding that is ultimately the power of the Spirit that enables spiritual growth. We have nothing to boast about.
• It is evidenced when one has the courage, love, and commitment to graciously turn a brother away from sin. We are our brothers keeper.
• It is evidenced by obedience to Christ

While I have not provided any scripture to validate the above, I can do so, given a bit of time, if desired. I am admittedly writing from memory and though I feel comfortable with what the Bible states regarding spiritual maturity, I am not very good at memorization.

Having pointed out evidence of spiritual maturity, let’s go to the other end of the spectrum and ask ourselves what spiritual infancy/immaturity look like. It would be easy to simply state the opposite of the first list, but I will try to avoid, for the most part, that easy path

Again, in no particular order:

• The asking of “why me” instead of “why.” (I know that a pure, simple faith does not even ask the ‘why.’)
• The ‘pitching of one’s tent to close to the world.’
• Lack of discernment
• Focus on legalism
• Lack of knowledge regarding doctrine (Let me state that I am concerned about the ‘deeds, not creed’ attitude that seems to be so deeply embedded in large parts of the American church. Deeds and creeds go hand in hand. Ignore either at ones peril.)
• A prayer life that consists primarily of selfish petition rather than praise and thankfulness. “What can you do for me, God?”
• Seeking recognition of self - an overarching focus on self. Conversations are most always about oneself, one’s problems.
• An untamed tongue. We murder people with our tongue every day
• A tendency to involve oneself in fruitless arguments and discussions
• Finding one’s greatest satisfaction in hobbies, work, etc rather than in knowing and growing in the Redeemer
• When you may be more identified by your political affiliation rather than your affiliation with the Messiah.
• When you self-righteously judge the unredeemed for acting like someone who is unredeemed.
• Finding one’s peace and satisfaction built upon a foundation of circumstance.
• Trying to validate one’s standing with the Creator by one’s performance.
• Not knowing what doctrines are hills to die on and which doctrines may be agreeably disagreed upon.
• More on the tongue: engaging in crude comments
• Neglecting the gathering together within a local church where sound doctrine is preached and the body serves one another
• Neglecting to regularly spend time in the Word and in prayer
• Being entertainment driven
• Seeking more to be served then to serve
• Seeking revelation beyond what God has reveled in the Bible
• When you unrighteously/self-righteously judge the redeemed….which infers there are times and places of righteous judgment. You are to graciously point out/remove the speck from your brother’s eye; just make sure there is no log in your eye.
• A tendency to “play the Pharisee card” in regards to differences of ‘questionable things’. (The “Thank God I am not like those self-righteous Pharisees over there” attitude. We in Christ are all, in varying degree, recovering Pharisees.)
• Wavers on the non-negotiable truths of the faith……The “I believe in Jesus, but who am I to judge someone else on a different path to God” perspective

I have given two extremes. I think we all can identify with elements in both lists. I do not think everyone’s experience in growth to spiritual maturity is the same. Perhaps one could break the list into further categories…..infancy, toddler, etc…..but I am not so sure the Bible leads to that understanding of spiritual growth. Paul and the apostles speak in terms of maturity and immaturity. The Apostle Paul speaks of babes longing for and drinking milk and the more mature who are ready for a more substantive diet. Paul chastises those who are still drinking milk when they should move beyond the foundational elements of the faith. As an aside, I think about the church at Corinth. I think about how Paul did not call into question their salvation though he has grave concerns about that church.

Ultimately, the Spirit convicts us and leads us to righteousness. The Spirit leads us to exalt Christ. We have the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting. We have the body of Christ, the church, to relationally build us, mentor us, and correct us and encourage us. We have the 66 books of the Old and New Testament canon to build us, to train us in righteousness, to equip us for good works. We have under-shepherds, the pastor of the local church and the elders, to provide nurture and protection for the flock. We have the assurance that Christ will complete the work He began in us. We have the assurance that He works out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

However, we are also called to check ourselves, to see if our election, our salvation is ‘real.’ Are we bearing fruit? Some, like me, are slow out of the gate and take many wrong turns while others grow and bear fruit soon after the seed is planted, but ultimately, we in Christ will bear evidence of spiritual fruit. I fear, however, so many in the church are on the wide path and will miss the narrow gate.

In closing, many of the attributes of the first list may be found in those who do not know Christ. Merely possessing these attributes does not justify us. Many of the latter attributes are found in those who are truly redeemed by the penal substitutionary atoning work of Christ on the cross. They are no less justified by faith than those in Christ who possess all the attributes of the first list. Therein lies the power of grace through faith in Christ. We are not to fall into the erroneous idea that this life is a ’spiritual test’, that we are justified by our adherence to the ‘list.’ Adherence to the ‘list’ is an effect, not a cause. The cause is the grace and mercy of Christ as the Holy Spirit works within us and conforms us to His image.

Evidences of Grace

Here is a sermon, an MP3 a little under an hour in length, based on 1 Corinthians, by C. J. Mahaney on evidences of grace. Here I find, thankfully, further conviction of my oftentimes overly polemic attitude. Too, there is perhaps a time and place for moralistic sermons, for corrective encouragement, but I would love for all my brothers and sisters to hear grace expounded so clearly. Grace encourages me. Grace drives my desire to be more Christ-like. Grace transforms. Grace nurtures and grows a heart that longs to die to self so that we may find our sole satisfaction in our Redeemer.

11-4-08 and AD 70

Back to blogging for a bit……

As we approach conclusion of this current electoral cycle, I find myself increasingly disconnected from the blur of political conversation and opinion. Not much more than a year ago, it would not be unusual to find me embroiled in ideological debate. I was resolute in my opinions, listened to and read my commentators of choice on a regular basis, and could articulate the assured correctness of my politics with a fair measure of coherency. If one were to list my most frequently visited websites, one would find a fairly large sampling of political pundits.  Before I continue, I want it be abundantly clear that I am not making any kind of overarching blanket condemnation of all political thought, talk, and activity as it emanates from everyone. I do not infer that all political conversations are always inherently unhealthy to ones growth as a disciple of Christ; nor do I infer that one’s interest and involvement in politics is always and in all circumstances detrimental to the purpose of the kingdom of God.

Now that I have that disclaimer out of the way, I want to testify to the transforming power of God in individuals and exalt and affirm His sovereign hand on the affairs of the world.

I think about the political climate of the 1st century Palestinian Jews and then compare it with the political milieu of 21st century America. Please forgive any error in detail and accuracy because I write from my fallible memory, but I recall reading about 30,000 Jews crucified, immediately prior to the birth of Jesus, by the Roman Empire in response to an uprising by Jewish zealots seeking to overthrow the rule of Rome over Israel. I think of the horrific persecution of the early followers of Christ under Nero and Diocletian.  No matter how bad one may think the choices are come November 4, America under Obama or McCain will be a bit less oppressive than Judea in AD 70.

Having said all that, the New Testament canon, authored in times and places of political upheaval, is remarkably apolitical. We are told that disciples of Christ are in the world, but not of it. We are sojourners. We are to render to Caesar the things of Caesar and the things of God to God. Our Kingdom, our allegiance, is not in the here and now. We are not promised political stability. While being salt and light, we affirm that our hope lies not in any temporal political process, personality, or agenda. Our zeal for politics may often (but never should) mask our zeal for Christ. There is a danger that outspoken political agendas may overshadow the Evangel.

While the organized political momentum of 1980’s evangelicalism may thankfully be on the wane, our speech as individuals still reverberate in the lives of others. Will people, after engaging me in conversations, label me, remember me, as a conservative or liberal, or will they recall me as someone who seeks oportunity to exalt the One who spoke creation into existence from nothing, the One who redeems the lost. I am not always faithful, I know, but when Christ redeemed me by way of the Cross, He redeemed my tongue that I should use it to His glory.

I simply and thankfully find myself led to a place where I no longer care too much about politics. For me, politics was an idolatrous pursuit. It may not be such for you. I know that, left to my own devices, I am spring-loaded to a position of idolatry. That statement, I believe, is true for all of us.

With a note of irony, more blogging about my blogging hiatus…or… an indeterminate pause part 2

I reflect on the biblical truth that those who teach will be held to a higher accountability.  I think of the apostle Paul stating that not many should take up the role of teacher.  Next, I think that the act, my effort, of ‘blogging’ often becomes, intentionally or not, a conduit for teaching – or at least for making declarative theological statements and judgements.  I reflect, too, on the fact, that I currently have no accountability in my ‘blogging’, no church structure above me and around me, to whom I offer my thoughts prior to posting.  I rely solely on my fallible judgment as to the appropriateness of any particular thoughts that I may consider publishing.  It is not as if I have been writing about sports or politics.  The stakes are higher in the theological realm.  I seek to exalt my Redeemer, not to further a political agenda. My Savior redeemed me that I should use my words for His glory, not mine.

 

 

 

Another concern for me involves my motivations in ‘blogging’, or at least in publishing certain posts and thoughts.  I question myself as to if I sometimes seek to validate my ego (and I know I sometime do) rather that purely seeking to exalt my Redeemer.  Again, there is the question of accountability. Perhaps I have a smudge on my face that I do not see.   

 

 

Do I seek to build up or tear down? Do some things need to be torn down?  Bottom line and big question is this: right now, do I really possess the spiritual maturity stand on this virtual soapbox?  It is not that I shrink from responsibility, it is more a question of am I really equipped, at this particular point and time, to stand in this arena.  More, I am humbled by men by who in vast degree are my betters that I should venture into this arena and suppose that I have something worthwhile to say.  Cutting to the chase, one might say I am having perhaps not so much a crisis of confidence, but more a question of ’calling’. 

 

Curious to know how others deal with these kinds of issues.

 

 

James 3:1

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Another good post faith, freedom, and knowing the will of God…

To A Land I Will Show You

HT: The Thirsty Theologian

“And whatever you do, in word or deed…”

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

“Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Philippians 2:14-16 (ESV)

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:3-8 (ESV)

A very good post on knowing God’s will….

….can be found at The ‘old Adam…lives. Going off on a slight tangent, my perception is that books like Walking With God by John Eldredge seem to be little more than thinly vealed Gnosticism, probably doing more harm than good. To begin to apprehend the will of God, there is absolutely no substitute for intentional, prayerful, careful, consistent, and diligent study of the Bible followed by application thereof. Again, good post and good blogging, Steve!
FYI: Here is a good review of Walking With God by Eldredge found at Challies.Com