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

I have grown to affirm the Regulative Principle…

OK, I ride, too……but on the OUTSIDE of the church building, not the INSIDE of the church building….

Here is how (and where) you are supposed to do it

Yea, that was me with the mad skillz

Evidence of an exercise in marketing a tepid “Gospel”

I saw a sign in someones yard today that declared: “Elect Jesus As Your Lord!” Now, I do not in any way shape or form infer anything ill about the character of the person who displayed this sign in their yard. I know nothing about the family that lives in the house that sits behind this sign, nor do I infer that nothing ‘good’ ever comes from such faddish displays of faith.

However, does not this sign, albeit without intention, portray a Jesus that seems a bit weak and needy? Is He awaiting a majority vote before He acts? Is the mighty Lion of Judah, is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords restrained by some political process? Is He not the absolute Lord of salvation, of the created order; is He not a mighty Redeemer? He elected me that all glory should go to Him; I do not elect Him that any glory should go to me.

I think of a sermon I listened to a number of months ago at a moderately sized community church wherein the well-intentioned pastor, after having two members of the church ride their large, loud motorcycles through the poorly ventilated church to park them in front of the stage to make some point, perfumed by carbon monoxide, about God’s timing, declared that Jesus is a ‘gentleman’ who would never force His will on anyone. Is that a biblical understanding of the sovereignty and power of Jesus?

I saw a tee shirt for sale at a large book retailer a few weeks ago. The front of the shirt was a ripoff of the Staples Easy Button. “Jesus” replaced the “Easy” on the button. Wasn’t easy for Jesus.

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?”

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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.

When thoughts collide…

One thing may lead to another. In a previous post , I have voiced my opposition to what I perceive to be unbiblical presentations of the tithe. In other posts , I have expressed an interest in learning more (which wouldn’t be hard given that I know next to nothing) about covenant and dispensational theology. It is interesting that recently, in the course of a couple of conversations, the two issues have collided, and I am still sorting through the fallout.

Here is the back-story: I participate in a small group at the church I have rather recently began attending. In this group, we read through various books on the faith (currently The Contagious Christian by Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church), and in reading these books, we discuss and analyze them, looking for application, all through the lens of the reformed faith. One conversation went a bit off-topic to the subject of the tithe. Giving and tithing was the focus of the previous Sunday’s sermon, one that I missed because I was out of town. In the course of following the conversation, I perhaps was unconsciously telegraphing my discomfort with the direction of the dialog by my body language. Someone said it looked as if I were about to burst, so I voiced my opinion, I think/hope winsomely. I essentially mirrored the thoughts of my aforementioned post on tithing. In the course of the conversation, one that I must affirm was very gracious on the part of all parties involved, I found myself the sole voice for giving by grace rather than by law. In my questions about my understanding of the topic, the leader of the group, a man who I hold in utmost respect, suggested I talk with one of the associate pastors. I called and made an appointment.

I must say, I quite enjoyed the conversation with the associate pastor that followed and was edified by it, and we ended up meeting again to continue the conversation. At the closure of the conversation, we agreed to agreeably disagree on the subject of an obligatory tithe, but what I came away with from our conversations is that my questions and concerns and about the nature and extent of the interjection of the Law into the Church may be illuminated by a better understanding of Covenant Theology (CT) on my part. I will not go into the details of the conversation because, one, it would honestly take too long to put to the written word and I honestly probably spend a bit too much time with this blog thing, and two, I am still sifting slowly through my thoughts. I will, however, speak in some generalities and give voice to some questions and issues and thoughts to which I am seeking clarity.

Before I proceed, please forgive any misrepresentations on my part of CT. I am still in a very formative, embryonic stage of understanding and am quite open to correction. Too, I am beginning to better understand the value of a systemic, holistic approach to understanding the Bible, to understanding the relationship between Israel and the Church, to understanding the relationship between Law and Grace. I am thinking about how the former informs the latter, both the systematic approach informing the particulars and in the Law pointing to Grace. Also and without regard to my stance on the tithe, I believe in giving sacrificially, consistently, and regularly to one’s local church as well as to other groups and to individuals in need. I believe in doing so, when possible, anonymously, not informing the left hand as to what the right hand is doing. Within the life of a disciple of Christ, the nature of our treasure and the nature of our heart are reflective of one another. I also, at times (more often than I care to admit), fail miserably at being a faithful steward. In light of that, I humbly and in repentance thank God that I am not justified by my performance (I am not able to do so), but only by the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, and that He is, over time, sanctifying and conforming me to the image of my Redeemer, Christ Jesus.

One or two parenthetical thoughts before I continue: I do not in any way, shape, or form condemn, rebuke, shun, look down upon, castigate, or judge those who differ from me on the issue of the tithe or in regards to one’s stance on CT or DT with the caveat that I will steadfastly oppose the more egregiously legalistic presentations of the tithe wherein one is led, purposefully or not, to believe that God’s grace rests on our performance. I am also certainly not advocating a discontinuation of consistently giving a certain percentage of one’s income is one is presently doing so.

In light of all the aforementioned, here are some of those thoughts (perhaps sometimes a bit incoherent, errant, repetitive, shallow, and conflicted), questions (some rhetorical, others not), and concerns in a somewhat abbreviated fashion - perhaps fodder for later posts:

Thinking……..

• and wondering if there are there more obscure frameworks, discounting hybrids of the two in predominance, other than CT and DT(dispensational theology)? I know, I know……….. why don’t I just Google the question. Also, am I too simplistic in thinking only in terms of Law and Grace, of new wine and old wine skins, of Old and New Covenants?

• about Seventh Day Adventist verses antinomianism. Where, if any (and we all know there is), is the middle ground?

• about avoiding at all cost any vestige of the 2nd century heresy of Marcion in reference to his rejecting the OT out of hand. I affirm the Law is good. I affirm both OT and NT as authoritative, inspired, and infallible.

• on the somewhat dissonant (for me) interjection of tithing in specific, law in general, into my understanding of justification by faith. As a hypothetical, would a poor, elderly widow, just barely making ends meet and living on social security, with no relatives, be obligated to tithe? If the answer is yes from an outcome and prediction of CT (and that is what I am led to believe), then CT, in my understanding of this framework, died just a bit to me. This widow is one whom I should give to. I think of the poor in Asia Minor taking up collections so that the apostle Paul may give it to the poor in Jerusalem. Note that I do not infer that the aforementioned and hypothetical widow should not be generous even in her poverty.

• about Deuteronomy 14:24-26. Also, many preach Malachi regarding “God robbers” and being cursed. Follow up, please, Malachi 3:9 with Romans 8:1 and pay attention to context, especially with Malachi.

• about distinctions that are made between the ceremonial, civil, and moral law of the OT…..and the assertion that only moral law is for the church. Do I find this assertion in the NT? Does the OT assign or infer such a hierarchy or separation between ‘types’ of law?

• about the book of Galatians and Colossians and also thinking about Acts 15 where the few clear ‘legalistic’ prohibitions are clearly stated.

• in further detail about the tithe and how it is not presented in the Old Testament as simply a specific percentage off the top of one’s income; it was agricultural in nature in a culture that had currency. There were three (a few say four) tithes in the OT and cumulatively, they could add up to over twenty percent. I think of how craftsmen and tradesmen did not tithe though they did offer gifts. I could go on, but I just want to assert my understanding that the tithe as taught by many churches is not how I understand the tithe is presented in the OT. Also thinking about how silly the debate is over determining if that percentage of the tithe is taken off the net or the gross. Brother, please………

• about, as aforementioned, how we are to give sacrificially, about how we spend our money is reflective of what and Who we value most dearly.

• disturbingly about how brothers can apply what seems to be sound hermeneutics and sometimes reach so very different conclusions.

• about how, at this particular place and time in my growth as a Christian, I am not currently in too much intellectual conflict about the relationship between Israel and the Church, a contentment perhaps born out of my blissful ignorance. I do worry a bit, having been drawn into it for a season, about the ‘end times’ mania that seems to have captured the attention of parts of the church that are strongly dispensational. This phenomenon of a hyper-focus on eschatology, however, seems to be waning a bit. Or maybe I am just not paying attention to it anymore……

• about and asserting that, from my understanding, CT (and DT) is not primarily concerned with addressing the relationship of Law and grace, but more about how God works out His will in history and with His covenant people. I assert that my foray into issues of Law and Grace in relation to CT, while not necessarily parenthetical, does not present a fully orbed picture of CT. I affirm that God is a sovereign Maker of covenants. He does not change.

• about my concern that I may be creating heat rather than light with my dialog and questions. I do not think that I am, but I pray for greater discernment and grace and wisdom in all I say and write, that I honor my Savior in words or deeds.

• About how easy it is for me to get long-winded and hyper-focused on an issue

‘Nuff said for now…could polish and refine the post a bit more, but I think I will now release it into the wild.

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

To A Land I Will Show You

HT: The Thirsty Theologian

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

On the sometimes ill-defined evangelical metaphor of a relationship and the subtle error of decisional regeneration

Yesterday, I listened to a sermon from a preacher of a church in Georgia, a church that could be defined as ‘seeker-sensitive,’ and the central theme of the message was stated as thus: Jesus Christ came to earth to do away with religion and to talk about and engage us in a relationship. I have heard this man speak at a church I once attended.

In keeping with the anti-religion theme of the sermon, a major portion of the sermon concerned itself with expounding against the error of legalism and our inability to please God by our adherence to ‘religious’ rules. In general principle, I could not agree more. The call against legalism was contrasted with the call to have a relationship with Jesus. The pastor stated that Jesus wants us to be His friend rather than a slave. I agree, but as an aside, I think of the apostle Paul describing himself as a bond servant to the Messiah. Semantics and definitions…..

Given the pastor’s admirable distaste of legalistic religion, it is interesting that he constantly reinforced the idea that this relationship with Jesus requires an initiating action on our part. The pastor’s flock was told that all we have to decide to enter in to a relationship with Him; it’s a free invitation. Jesus is just standing there waiting patiently for us to do something. He misquoted John 3:16 as “For God so loved the world that who ever believes, who ever decides, who ever makes the action, makes the decision for Him will have eternal life.” This is a verbatim quote from the sermon.

Romans 10:13 was misquoted as “Who ever calls, whoever makes a decision, on the Lord will be saved.”

Revelation 3:20 was misquoted as, and I paraphrase fairly closely, “that Jesus stands at the door of our heart and we must make a decision to open the door. Jesus is not going to kick in the door.” One, this is a verse that is so often and with good intention taken out of context and used evangelically. However, Christ is talking to the tepid church of Laodicea, not to the unregenerate as an invitation to a saving ‘relationship.’ Two, he intentionally misquoted scripture again.

However, in all the talk about entering into some rather ill-defined ‘relationship’ with Jesus, I do not recall hearing a word about despair over sin, about repentance. That is an absolutely breath-taking omission in presenting the Gospel. Perhaps such was inferred, was understood on the part of the pastor, but the biblical call to repent and believe was not verbally presented as the invitation to a relationship with Christ. To give credit where credit is perhaps due, he did mention towards the beginning of his sermon, thought, that he was quite a hellion before he became a Christian. I am not sure if I am to infer a call to repentance from that.

Among the pastor’s numerous personal anecdotes the he used to punctuate the sermon’s main points, there was a long rant about a legalistic ‘King James Only’ type church the pastor once attended. There was another church he spoke against in the course of the sermon, one that he planted and pastored (if I recall correctly), and after calling it by name, inferred it would be welcomed in hell. Following a bit later was a diatribe against sprinkling verses dunking.

While listening to the sermon, I had to remind myself that the pastor is a human being who apparently feels he has been hurt by individuals in the church. Sometimes, and sadly, such happens. There was some real, though veiled, bitterness exhibited in his descriptions of previous churches he had be involved with, and I have to temper my thoughts and words in regards to this man and his church. I have some empathy for him.

Towards the end of the sermon, he presented the ever so ubiquitous and unbiblical refrain of the seeker-sensitive church, the all too common proclamation of how it is not his job as pastor to feed the flock, that it is the flocks fault when they complain about not getting fed at church. His spin on those who want to ‘go deeper’ was that they want the pastor to ‘confuse them’. He stated such cannot handle practical teaching because they would have to do something. These seeker-sensitive preachers and entertainment-driven churches seem to all be reading from the same script. At the risk of sounding judgmental while perhaps speaking from the burden of my personal baggage, arrogance and disdain for the real ‘seekers’ seems to have stepped in to fill the gaping void left by the absence of overt legalism.

In the last few minutes of the sermon, Jesus was presented as a marriage fixer, a relationship healer, but overall, I actually heard very little about Christ the Redeemer.

In all the pastors admirable concern about legalism, what I picked up from the sermon, with all its calls to decide, with all the calls to perform an action both in initiating this relationship with Christ and the call to self-feed, was an ironic invitation to a works-driven legalism-lite. What I picked up, too, was a not-so-subtle ‘thank God I am/we are not like those Pharisees attitude. For brevities sake, I will refrain from further exploring this theme of minor league legalism. I think it could be stated with a high degree of confidence that all who are in Christ are, to some degree, recovering Pharisees.

What I was left with after listening to this sermon was an odd mix of muted anger at and profound sadness for the pastor. I felt only deep sadness for the flock as they clapped in approval. In all honesty, two or three years ago, if I were in that audience, I would have probably nodded my head in agreement and put my hands together along with the rest of the flock. In closure, what grieves me so very, very deeply is that this is probably not an uncommon sermon in many churches. With good intentions from well-meaning pastors, the evangel is reduced to an invitation to an ill-defined relationship with buddy Jesus, a relationship that carries some vague promises to fix our marriages, to fix our money, to fix our psychology. He just wants you to get out there and do something to fill the church seats so other people can meet Him just as you did. And you know what, despite the error being expounded from the stage, I believe some may actually have a saving encounter with Christ in such services, but I also fear many others will be filled with false assurance.

There are some preachers who will tell you salvation is free, that it’s easy, but it’s ultimately up to you to decide, to act, to initiate. I do not think it was without cost for Jesus. I do not think it will be without cost to me, but I have counted them as best I can. I did not initiate this relationship, my Messiah did. I do not think it will be easy, but I will follow Him knowing that I will stumble along the way. Jesus does look after and love His flock with tender care, but He never promised a ‘wonderful plan for your life’ as many would define wonderful. I know, too, that no one can snatch me from His grip.

• Matt. 22:14 (ESV)
  For many are called, but few are chosen.

• John 15:16 (ESV)
  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

• John 6:44 (ESV)
  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

• John 6:37 (ESV)
  All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

• Romans 9:15-16 (ESV)
  For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

• Ephesians 1:4-5 (ESV)
  ..even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

• Acts 13:48 (ESV)
  And when the Gentiles heard this, the began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed

The Rebels Guide to Joy

A ‘teaser’ from a series from Mars Hill Church titled The Rebels Guide to Joy: The Life of a Saint, a sermon series on Philippians

As an aside, Come thou Fount is perhaps my favorite hymn.

Another ‘teaser’ from the series….

From the William Cowper intro:

• “William Cowper met Jesus while in an asylum suffering from depression. His life was marked by a constant struggle with anxiety and depression yet in the midst of that struggle he found great joy in knowing that his pain was architected by a sovereign God who was leading him ever closer to Jesus. Out of this troubled life came beautiful and vivid poetry, including Cowper’s most famous work “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood”.”