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God can take bad motivations and change them

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This past week someone very close to me admitted he did not really feel like going to church on Sunday. His motivation was not to be around the fellowship of believers, to hear God’s word preached, or confess and sing praises; it was simply to get out of the house. 
Fortunately God can take a heart that doesn’t want to be at church, a heart which would probably rather be sleeping in or fishing, and do something with it.
This person heard God’s word preached and the Spirit really spoke to him. He told me how thankful he was to have come. Had he stayed home, God would have loved him just as much. But had he stayed home God wouldn’t have renewed him and empowered him through His Word.
The point of this post is not to make people feel bad for not coming to church b/c they have been up all night coughing, traveling, baby-sitting, etc….You are free to sleep and in most cases probably should sleep. The point of this post is not to make people feel bad at all. The point is simply to realize God can take a heart that is ill-motivated (to be honest, none of us have a perfect motivation to come to worship) and do some amazing stuff with it. Good things can happen when you intentionally throw yourself into the oncoming train that is the “means of grace.”
Nevertheless, don’t be motivated by guilt to come to worship a God that has taken away your guilt through Jesus. That doesn’t make any sense. But if you do happen to come out of guilt or obligation, know that God can break those chains and allow you to walk around in freedom.
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Bonhoeffer completed

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One of the “benefits” to being up till 4 in the morning for several nights this past week due to coughing spells is that I’ve been able to complete Bonhoeffer: pastor, martyr, prophet, spy by Eric Metaxas. This book is an absolutely incredible read on an absolutely incredible man of God who didn’t back down before arguably the most powerful regime the world had ever known.

Metaxas includes a very complete history of what went on before Hitler’s rise to power and how much of the church simply capitulated to the tyrannical Nazi heresy. His writing is clever, witty, and illustrative; through his writing, you are drawn into Bonhoeffer’s struggles as he tries to discern what it actually looks like to follow Christ in the Third Reich.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life is very reminiscent of an OT prophet, cut short because of what he preached and how he appied the gospel in such a seemingly hopeless time. He was executed just 2 weeks before the concentration camp was liberated which makes his story even sadder. To me, and probably to his fiancee at the time, but not necessarily to him. Here’s an excerpt from a sermon he preached while pastoring a German congregation in London, before WWII.

Whether we are young or old makes no difference. What are twenty or thirty or fifty years in the sight of God? And which of us knows how near he or she may already be to the goal?…. How do we know that dying is dreadful? Who knows whether in our human fear and anguish we are only shivering and shuddering at the most glorious, heavenly, blessed event in the world? Death is hell and night and cold, if it is not transformed by our faith. But that is just what is so marvelous, that we can transform death.

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Ruth with a sickness

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While our lead pastor was on vacation, I had the opportunity to preach through three chapters in the book of Ruth. Thus I’ll have to conclude the series sometime in August. The third chapter of Ruth is perhaps my favorite because it involves both risk and seeming risque, initiative and responsibility. Ultimately it encourages us to take action to bring God’s redemptive plans from heaven to earth because he uses  human initiative. That’s why I tilted my sermon, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Because I wanted to be faithful to God’s Word, that is what I preached. But what I probably also needed to hear was one of my “caveats,” which our lead pastor picked up on. Every redemptive action that takes place in the book of Ruth is an answer to one of the characters’ prayers. In fact, some of the characters become God’s answer to their own prayers. How cool.
But God shows grace to us in weird ways. I got struck with some sort of wicked cough this week that put me on my butt for much of last Wed with a decent fever. I prayed a bunch because that’s all I could do. Then I thought, “all I could do,” is probably not the best way to look at it. My sickness reminded me of the pre-supposed place of prayer in Ruth.
Then God took away my voice. I couldn’t lead worship on Sunday. Instead of taking initiative in action and words, I had to apply a verse I don’t really like in James, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry (1:19).”  

Sometimes God will graciously throw sickness our way to balance our “grab the bull by the horns” attitude with a deeper dependence. Instead we sometimes have to take a step back, and let God direct the bull.

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Reflections on Philippians 3

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Yesterday I had lunch with an area Young Life staff person, and as usual when I talk with other leaders, we asked each other what we were reading. He had been working his way through Christ-driven life, a sequel (not to be confused with a “squeakwal” like the Chimpmunks movie we just took Connar to this week) to Christless Christianity by Michael Horton.
I’ve never read either book, but apparently Horton’s main point is that much of American Christianity has moved away from the central theme of life being centered around Christ’s life/death/resurrection. 
The cool thing is that I’d just been reading in Philippians in 3:8-16 and came across a passage that really sums up so many components of the Christian faith. The passage simply expounds what it means to live a Christ-centered life and includes all kinds of great doctrine and applications.
  • It has just justification, the act of being declared righteous before God: “not having a righteousness of my own…..the righteousness from God that depends on faith….”
  • It has sanctification, the process of being made more like Jesus: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
  •  It has assurance as well as perseverance of the saints (that true believers will demonstrate their faith by persevering till the end): “Only let us hold true to what we have attained.”
  • It has the promise of both suffering for the gospel and power of the gospel to change life and world. Our Christian experience constantly involves both. When we forget one over the other we become prosperity minded or defeatist self-fulling prophets: ….that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 
I could really go on and on about this passage and its richness, and I’m sure you could as well. 
Unknown's avatar

You can’t go from hotdog participant to spectator

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The 4th of July means a number of different things to a number of different people. But to those willing to brave the heat and masses in New York, the day represents “the Masters” of the competitive eating world: Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Instead of a Green jacket, you get an equally classy yellow “mustard belt.”
The Japanese lad Kobayashi, who used to eat his competition for lunch (last time I watched competitive eating, Chestnut played 2nd fiddle), had some contractual issues and didn’t participate. Well his fans probably reminisced of the days of yore where partially chewed hot dogs would slide down his esaphogus like kids on a slip-n-slide.
This nostalgic cheers prompted him to promptly pop up on stage and join his old competition. Police didn’t think it was such a good idea and took him to jail. 

While he probably should have signed the contract to participate, or simply stayed away, he did prove that competitive eating is not only a spectator sport. Much like tasting the gospel, it becomes impossible for someone to move from participant to spectator.

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Bad Company

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You may not have listened to Bad Company before (pictured to the left), but you’ve probably been around it before. Now I’m never quick to play the “Bad company ruins good morals” card (I Corinth 15:33), because more often than not, I think it is often used to protect and perpetuate the Christian ghetto. The reality is that our hearts are deeply sinful and that’s where sin comes from. Nevertheless, ONLY spending time with folks who aren’t Christians can do some serious damage as well. Satan definitely uses unbelievers to hurt Christian character and actions.

Not sure where Michael Vick stands before the Lord-I do know he mentioned something about Jesus after he was busted for dog fighting, but that’s probably fairly common in dog fighting busts. Regardless, Christian or non-Christian, his morals can’t afford to be ruined any further if he wishes to play in the NFL. Fortunately for him, the Feds actually wrote a “bad company” clause into his probation, technically called “supervised release.”According to profootballtalk.com:
At item 10 in the list of conditions of the supervision, the order states that Vick “shall not associate with any persons engaged in criminal activity and shall not associate with any person convicted of a felony, unless granted permission by the probation officer to do so.
They’re very aware of this principle. So I’m guessing that probably included his partners from that dog fighting ring, and I love this one, Bad Newz Kennels. Now perhaps he had permission from that probation officer to invite his partners in crime to his 30 year birthday bash at a Virgina Beach night club. Regardless, it might have been good to go by the spirit of the law here, and not invite those guys. Perhaps if they didn’t get invited, one of them wouldn’t have ended up being shot, and Vick might have fewer fingers pointing at him now. Allegedly leaving only left 3 minutes before the shooting, according to video surveillance, does not an alibi make.

Unless you’re a felon, you’ll just have to rely upon conviction and counsel to know if your associates really are causing moral corruption.

Unknown's avatar

Gospel Offensiveness

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I’ve not had the “inspiration” or should I say “illumination” (the latter is probably a better word since my theological heritage often uses the former with a sense of God “inspiring” the original authors of scripture!) to blog much lately. Perhaps preaching more regularly and VBS responsibilities sapped some of my left-over creativity. Perhaps there is less left “upstairs” as I’ve been trailing to nail down Insurance since I’ve arrived in WV (car, homeowners, health-that’s been fun with a pregnant wife). It seems like “extra” thoughts have been sucked out of my brain like Connar sucks out the juice on a freeze pop.
But I did see something last night which seemed worth a read. Especially since I preached on Jonah not too long ago. Here’s a local newspaper article about a lad named Tullian, who pastors D. James Kennedy’s old church Coral Ridge. In his new book, Tullian (I usually have better luck spelling his first name), discusses that Grace and the Religious Right are not the same thing. That would probably be pretty hard to hear coming from a place where the pastor had so much involvement in the Religious Right. 

Nevertheless, it is good to be offended by the gospel and I hope that the gospel would continually be offensive to those who don’t believe it, or who don’t believe it everyday. Myself included. Of course, the goal of gospel offensiveness is that we would repent and believe. For the first time or the thousandth.

Unknown's avatar

Don’t skip the last chapter(s)

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As I was preparing for the VBS gospel presentation, I found some great material on sharing the gospel with children in the “Salvation Flight Plan.” I really did. I’m always open to new ways of contextualizing the gospel so that young children can grasp this simply profound (oxy-moron intended) message and power.
But I came across something that I’m probably going to omit: “heaven is our ultimate destination.” Now I wouldn’t be in grave error telling the kids that, but I think that they ought to know an even greater hope. 
When most people read a book, they don’t quit at the last chapter, or turn the movie off, 10 minutes from the end (unless its really bad).
Yet ending with a picture of heaven and not a picture of heaven coming down to earth is basically skipping the last chapter of the last book of the bible. Not only that, but it is skipping the end of the whole gospel story. Revelation 21 pictures a heaven coming down to Earth, fortunately. The goal is a total restoration of the Earth, Sky, and Sea (BP, you can try your best but one day we’ll get your mess cleaned up).
Its kind of funny how the material stresses a Reformed soteriology-going out of its way to stress the need for the Spirit’s work in regeneration-but kind of misses the exciting conclusion and hope of Redemption. A hope in which all of creation, including oil covered pelicans, yearns (Rom 8:22).

Nevertheless, it is still great material and I’m beyond thankful for the one leading our VBS, as well as all of the volunteers required for this worthwhile endeavor.

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Bonhoeffer and Children

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer has always been a fascinating character to me, ever since I heard about him in my Catholic high school. Recently I purchased Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. Tim Keller wrote the foreword for it, so that was another reason why I figured it might be worth a look. It is. The book is very well written and engaging. After a 100 pages into it, I completely commend it to you. Here is a quote from about the brilliant but also pastoral Bonhoeffer regarding academia and children’s ministry.
“Bonhoeffer began to wonder whether he ought to pursue the life of a pastor rather than that of an academic. His father and brothers thought that would be a waste of his great intellect, but he often said that if one couldn’t communicate the most profound ideas about God and the bible to children, something was amiss….” pg 64

The one who is truly bright can communicated deep truth in ways that all can understand it. Here’s to growing in wisdom for the sake of the children.