"Anti" Christians

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that we was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures...” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Facebook is an interesting phenomenon.  This free social networking site allows people to create their own web page on the internet and is a useful tool for keeping in touch with friends and family.  One of the noteworthy features of facebook is your status line.  Status lines are simply a headline that is easily changeable and is often used to let people know what you are thinking, feeling, or doing at any particular moment.  A recent facebook status by a friend of mine announced that he “is anti-gay.”  This caused me to pause and think about how we define ourselves.

The truth is that evangelicals are often identified by what we are against.  We may be anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-slavery, anti-liberal, and even anti-catholic or anti-Islam.  Sometimes, some of us may be anti-alcohol, anti-tobacco, anti-dancing, anti-movies, or (like my paternal grandparents) anti-playing cards.  In extreme cases, some would go so far as to say they are anti-drums, anti-guitars, and anti-syncopated beat.  

Some of these things that we are against arise from right, Biblical convictions, while others tend to be more personal preferences that have taken on a traditional appearance of greater holiness.  Clearly, in today’s day and age, one would be hard pressed to find anyone who would advocate for slavery.  At the other end of the spectrum, it is becoming increasingly hard to find those who hold to the idea that playing crazy 8s or hearts will banish someone to hell!  

Regardless of which end of the spectrum that these issues may be on, there is a great danger that occurs when we define ourselves by them.  Certainly some of these issues require us to take action, such as slavery or abortion.  Yet, why do we take action?  What is the purpose and attitudes that are behind our activism?  Are we proceeding out of a self-righteous pride that motivates us to condemn those involved in a particular activity?  Or are we lovingly advancing the Gospel as we interact with the homosexual, the unwed mother considering abortion, or the person who likes rock music?

D. A. Carson, in his book The Cross and Christian Ministry,  recounts an assessment from a Mennonite leader as follows:

“One generation of Mennonites cherished the Gospel and believed that the entailment of the Gospel lay in certain social and political commitments.  The next generation assumed the Gospel and emphasized the social and political commitments.  The present generation identifies itself with the social and political commitments, while the Gospel is variously confessed or disowned; it no longer lies at the heart of the belief system of some who call themselves Mennonites.” (p 63)

As we look to 2009, will you resolve to make the Gospel more central to your identity?  Will you humbly start each day by thanking Jesus for dying as your substitute, to satisfy the wrath of God against your sin?  Will you ask him to send the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the glory of the Gospel and lead you, day by day, to lovingly and faithfully proclaim that Gospel to the people you encounter?  Will you define yourself by being for the Gospel, rather than against something else?  May God bless you in this coming year and draw you ever more deeply into the beauty and glory of the cross of Jesus Christ!

Six Things God Has Taught Me This Year

My daughter Olivia tagged me in her blog post with the same title.  In blog culture, that means I need to respond with a post of my own.  It is a good question for all of us to ponder frequently and even to share our thoughts on, so I'll do it.  But the REAL reason I am doing it is because my little girl asked me to!

1.  If you are a visionary person, you need to be very careful about who, when, and how much of your vision you share publicly.  You also need to make it very clear when you are brainstorming versus when you are sharing actual plans of action!

2.  I need to practice disciplines of abstinence (fasting, silence, solitude, etc.) more consistently.  (And not just during deer season!!!)

3.  God is giving me a deeper understanding of the absolute ugliness of pride, self-righteousness, and all forms of idolatry -- including materialism, gluttony and lust.  For our churches to faithfully proclaim the Gospel, we must preach the horror of the sins that we are most prone to and not just the ones we see in others outside the church.

4.  I do not adequately appreciate God's kindness to me in a faithful wife, children who fear the Lord, and loyal and loving friends.

5.  Duck hunting from a kayak is a lot of fun.  

6.  There are people of all age, gender, and station in life who earnestly desire to live lives of eternal significance for the sake of Jesus, but they don't really know where to start.  I think that God wants me to focus on equipping, training and launching them.

 

Even as I wrote this, I realize how little time or thought I give to this question on any kind of regular basis.  Perhaps number 7 would be that I need to pay more attention to the lessons God is trying to teach me this year....

Celebrating Citizenship

Today, the 2008 election campaigns are over.  There are very few people that I know who have not been emotionally effected by the outcomes.  A quick glance at facebook profiles of my friends can illuminate who is ecstatic and who is depressed.  

For some, the elections were a sign of great hope that changes are coming that will usher us into a new era of enlightenment where all our troubles will be miraculously melted away.  A new day is dawning and it will be bright and clean with great promise for the future.  There will be fairness, compassion and perhaps even world peace!

For others (I am a white evangelical who hangs out with a lot of white evangelicals!), there is a heavy spirit of doom and gloom that has descended along with the election results.  The way some of these friends are reacting, you would think that not only will abortion rights be expanded, but that there will be death squads dispatched to throw young infants into the nearest river; that the only way anyone will be able to get a marriage license anymore is if they can prove they are of the same gender; or that Sharia law will be in place before the end of the next year.  The end is nigh -- stock the root cellar and buy as much ammo as you can get your hands on!

I, however, want to take this opportunity to CELEBRATE my citizenship.  Colossians 1:13-14 states, "He (God) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."  While it is certainly a physical blessing to be an American citizen, my American citizenship is NOT what I take my pride or comfort in.  My primary citizenship is not to a nation of this world (which will one day pass away!), but I have been transferred to a citizenship in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ that will NEVER pass away!  Since Jesus Christ has made it possible for God's righteous wrath to be removed from me by being my substitute, bearing the punishment for my sin on the cross, I have now been reconciled to God the Father and transferred into the kingdom of his Son.  I am no longer an American citizen who holds the Christian faith, but a Christian citizen who is sent as an ambassador to America.  (See 2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

So, if you are a democrat, remember that it is much easier to blame someone else (George Bush!) for difficult and complex problems, than it is to actually fix problems and govern.  You will have no excuses now for being unable to accomplish all the utopian dreams that you have been promising to the country if you could only get your way.  Prepare to be disappointed by your leaders -- for the greater the power that is held by men, the greater the corruption that normally follows.

And if you are a republican, understand that your leaders lost badly largely because they had sold out to corruption when they held power.  In 1994, they surged to an unprecedented measure of control -- much like the democrats did last night.  However, once they tasted the perks and privilege of holding power, they abandoned their principles, broke their promises (like term limits!), and increased the size of the government that they set out to make much smaller and more efficient!  This doesn't even touch on the 15 or so major moral corruption scandals that various national republicans found themselves involved in over the past few years.

Let me close by quoting Philippians 3:20-21 -- "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."  Jesus is the King of all kings and the Lord of all Lords!  That will never change.  I pray that you will find the peace and joy that comes from yielding your life and allegiance to King Jesus, before the day comes when all his enemies will be made a footstool under his feet!  Do not trust in democrats.  Do not trust in republicans.  Trust in King Jesus!

Evangelism Without the Cross

Monday night I attended a large youth rally.  All day, a team had been to area high schools doing school assemblies in order to invite kids to a large community rally that evening.  They must have done good work, because nearly 700 kids showed up for the evening rally.  They had a cool, hip band and cool, hip speakers.  There was pizza and pop waiting for the end of the rally.  Everything was in place as the speaker moved towards calling kids to make a decision. 

The speaker told them, "Jesus isn't some guy sitting on a chair waiting to throw lightening bolts at you when you screw up.  Give your heart to God, he'll take the bad and the good.  Come forward and come to faith."  On the count of three, about 400 kids went forward to "come to faith."  

As I sat and observed, many of these kids were busy chatting with their friends or texting as the speaker made the invitation.  They went forward chatting and giggling with their friends.  Some rode piggy back on others.  Their were no tears of repentance or even serious looks of determination, rather there was chatting and autograph requests as they got close to the entertainers.  

Other than the chair comment, not one word was said about WHO Jesus is, or what he did.  The entire content of the rally could have easily been done at a public high school without raising any concern from the most liberal teacher or student.  Most notably absent was the Cross.

Paul writes to the Corinthian church, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

I think the young people doing this assembly are sincere followers of Jesus who want to see teens come to faith in Jesus.  However, they have fallen victim to the lie of our day and age that we must make the message of Christ more acceptable to our day and age.  They want to make sure that nothing prevents kids from being saved.  While we want to remove any obstacles that stand in the way of coming to faith, there is one obstacle -- a stumbling block actually -- that Jesus does not give us the option of removing -- the cross.  Again Paul writes, "But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:23-24)  

Please remember that our duty is to simply proclaim the Gospel message.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Certainly we want to proclaim it to the best of our abilities.  We want to proclaim it in language that will be clearly understood by our listeners and we want to make it as readily accessible as we can.  

However, we can not alter the message.  Ultimately, we cannot convert one single human being through our own abilities or efforts.  It is the work of the Holy Spirit to regenerate the dead hearts of humans and to cause them to spring to life.  And it is the pleasure of God to use a message that seems like complete foolishness to those who are perishing to accomplish this purpose.  In this way, He receives all the glory and honor and praise.

Due to the number of kids who came forward, the counselors were not able to meet with them one on one to help be sure they understood the good news.  Instead, the groups of teens continued chatting and texting as they received their promised gift -- a tract and a copy of the Gospels in chronological order.  Many were clearly disappointed in the promised gift -- it wasn't an ipod touch like they hoped, so they passed them on to other friends so that they wouldn't have to carry them.  But God is sovereign, and hopefully there will be even one teen who the Holy Spirit reaches through these imperfect efforts.  Which gives me hope that maybe my imperfect efforts at proclaiming the message can bear fruit too.

Friendly Versus Intimate.

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. James 2:1

The official word is that Chisholm Baptist is a friendly church.  I frequently hear people from the church talking about what a wonderful, friendly place this church is.  There is no doubt that the people I hear this from are sincere and really love this church – as they should!  

However there are other voices that I hear from time to time.  These voices share another message.  These are the voices of people who feel lonely and isolated.  They are voices of people who are never included in the private parties, or invited to dinner.  These are people who are new, or poor, or single, or in some way don’t “fit the mold.”  These voices talk about a Chisholm Baptist Church that seems cliquish and sometimes shallow in our relationships.  

It isn’t that people are necessarily mean or unkind.  It’s just that most of us do not get beyond a smile and light chatter on Sunday morning in the hallway.  Most of us, frankly, like it that way.  Do we really want to know about someone else’s pain or trials?  Do we really want to put up with stories from people who seem “weird” to us?  Are we content to remain blind to any problems that aren’t far away and disconnected from our day to day lives?  

This becomes even more evident as we get closer to issues of sin in people’s lives.  Do we ask each other tough questions to hold one another accountable?  Do we confront people who offend us, or do we hold grudges and talk behind their backs?  Do we ignore sinful patterns of behavior in other people instead of lovingly and humbly encouraging them to repent?  Have we quietly embraced the modern notion of tolerance when we let people continue uninterrupted in their involvement with church activities despite their blatant and unrepentant sinning?  1 John 1:6 says “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”  

While Chisholm Baptist may be a friendly church, it is not always an intimate church.  All of us need to examine our hearts, our attitudes, and our actions to see if we are making efforts to love and serve other people in our midst.  We need to reach out to others in the church who are hurting, lonely, struggling with sin, or just a little different than us to be able to serve them in their walk with Christ.  We must love people enough to correct them in patterns of sin in their lives – not because we have reached a level of perfection and can sit in judgment – but because we need them to be there to do the same for us in turn.  If we fail to cultivate deep and intimate relationships with one another that are centered around Jesus, we will end up as hearers of the Word, but not doers of the Word.

Even if you feel that you are rich in intimate relationships here at church, ask yourself these questions.  When was the last time someone loved me enough to confront me on sin in my life?  When was the last time I felt the need to confront someone else and actually did it?  When was the last time I invited someone over for dinner for the first time?  When was the last time I prayed to ask God to guide me to a person who needed me to serve them?  What is the biggest struggle with sin for each of my three closest friends at CBC?  What am I doing to help them overcome that sin in their lives?  When was the last time I confessed my sin to someone else?  All of us MUST fight against our sinful tendency to be selfish and our desire to be served, and seek, by God’s grace, to become servants to others around us.  Only then will Chisholm Baptist be not just a friendly church, but an intimate one as well.

Feminist Template Obliterated...

Click here to read the article by Kathleen Parker in USA Today...

Here is an excerpt:

"But the greatest insult was yet to come. Republicans — those anti-woman, patriarchal Neanderthalian gun-clingers — nominated a woman whom Democrats would call a "Stepford wife," except she'd beat them to a bloody pulp with a moose antler.
The irony is almost too on-the-nose to be enjoyable, but there is other cause for satisfaction. Even if Sarah Palin ultimately fails to prove herself worthy of second-in-command, her enthusiastic reception has proved that there are other kinds of women in the USA — lots of them — who have a different idea about what's best for womankind."

I find the current discussions fascinating in light of Biblical teaching on the roles of men and women as God has created us. Certainly, none of the models on display in the current public debate are necessarily Biblical, but I love how this is shaking up so many stereotypes. Our cultural stereotypes need to be shattered, so that ultimately people will turn to the Creator with an open mind to how He made us in the first place.

Please weigh in with your observations on this topic!

Democrats Must Learn Some Respect... Lessons for the Church???

Here are my thoughts on this article: Democrats Must Learn Some Respect, by Clive Crook

I find Mr. Crook's observations to be very interesting and generally accurate. While it would be easy to simply blast liberalism, I think to do so would miss a very important teaching opportunity.

Is it possible that American Evangelicals could suffer from the same afflicition of arrogance and entitlement that the author points out in regard to liberals and the media?

Within much of the evangelical world, we have a tendency to be extremely harsh and shrill in our criticism of the world around us. We don't hear ourselves very well. As we criticize homosexuals, liberals in politics or academics, abortion rights advocates, or anyone else that we deem to be opposed to our Biblical worldview, we come across frequently as arrogant and judgmental. Our message is largely lost, because of the tone and mode of how we convey it. As a result, we end up preaching only to those who already share our views, and the rest of the world tunes us out as bigots and hate-mongers.

Please understand that I do not disagree with most of the content of these messages! However, many of our chief spokes-people are doing more harm than good to the cause of Christ. Here are some ways that we have not been good followers of Jesus' example as we engage the culture around us:

1. Jesus clearly distinguished between this earthly kingdom and His kingdom. When asked about his kingdom by Pilate, Jesus responded that his kingdom was not of this world. (John 18:36) Jesus paid taxes, obeyed the laws, and otherwise submitted to the authority of this world so long as it did not directly contradict the greater authority of his own kingdom. Ultimately, he expressed this proper perspective between kingdoms in Matthew 22:21 -- "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." We must remember that our true citizenship is in Jesus' kingdom and that we are simply ambassadors and aliens to the kingdoms of this world. Therefore, we obey and honor the laws, but recognize our first allegiance to our true King.

2. Jesus clearly modeled an authority structure based on service, rather than perks and privilege. (See Mark 10:42-45) Jesus exemplified leadership by pouring out his life in loving service not only to his followers, but also to his enemies. We need to serve the very people who we are tempted to hate. Good examples of this include many of the pregnancy centers that take care of pregnant women and their unborn children. We need more of this type of service to those with addictions, homosexuals and AIDS victims, and the poor.

3. Jesus reserved his harshest criticism for the religious people! Jesus repeatedly goes after those who have great head knowledge about God, but whose lives are not consistent with the scriptures. Jesus repeatedly offers forgiveness to wretched people who are humble, but continually opposes religiously proud people. In many of our churches, we have reversed this! We give in to the most religiously proud people and heap condemnation on the broken. We should be very careful about condemning homosexuals, addicts, abortion rights people, etc., if we are tolerating heterosexual adultery, pornography, divorce, greed, materialism, and pride in our own people and even in our LEADERS!

4. Jesus stayed on message. Jesus purpose was to preach "good news." This is also frequently stated as the "gospel of the kingdom." We are called to be ambassadors of this gospel (good news) of the kingdom. We must stay on message with the Gospel as well. As we observe and interact with the culture around us, we must always return to the message that Jesus commissioned us to carry. We must resolve to preach the truth that Jesus died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, to satisfy the wrath of God against our rebellion, and that he rose again to give us hope of a new life as subjects of His Kingdom. We need to continually remind everyone we meet that the kingdoms of this world are about to be destroyed by the rightful King who is offering amnesty in advance of final destruction.

Will this message still be heard by many to be harsh and shrill? Probably. But we need to let the CROSS offend people, rather than our arrogance or our methods.

A feminist view of recent political developments....

A Feminist's Argument for Mc'Cain's VP, by Tammy Bruce -- click the link to read the article.

Perhaps many women who have been indoctrinated in the liberal world-view are beginning to see that those of us who lean conservative really value women as something more than just a voting block we can manipulate to gain power.

Hopefully, at some point they can see that even our stance on abortion is ultimately because we value ALL human life -- including the lives of women. Now we just need a feminist to write an article about how abortion is devastating the lives of the women who have them....

We have seen some strange alliances between Christian conservatives and feminists before -- regarding pornography and human trafficking. Perhaps a new day may be dawning after all....

My primary concern in recent developments is that it has been yet another opportunity to put down women who CHOOSE to dedicate their lives to being wives and mothers FIRST. Just last night, we heard Geraldine Ferraro ask what Sara Palin would do all day at home -- as if she would be completely wasting all of her talents and abilities. Let me make it clear -- my wife has chosen the HIGHEST calling available to any woman. She has dedicated her entire life to raising, educating, and discipling our children for the glory of God. Her sacrifice of public acclamation and acceptance of public scorn is noted by me, but more importantly it is noted by Jesus, who will grant her great reward and honor when she appears before his throne. Thanks honey, and do not lose heart....

Kingdom-Focussed Living

Today, my son, Sam, began his first day of school in the last year in our home. He has aspirations to complete his college degree in an area that involves communication and writing. He is a gifted song-writer and musician, and he has a heart that is bent towards using his giftedness in some sort of way to impact the world for the Glory of God. We are thrilled by the evidences of grace in his life and can't wait to see what the Lord will do in and through him.

I am not bragging, but you need to know this so that the following conversation, reported to me by my wife, Kim, will make sense. The others involved in the conversation would be considered mature Christians.

"So what are Sam's plans for the future?"
Kim, "He wants to finish a degree in communications or writing with the idea of doing some sort of ministry."
"There's no money in that!"
Kim, "Well, he is more concerned about doing what God has called him to do than he is about making money."
"Has he ever thought about becoming a plumber? Plumbers make real good money."

First, you need to understand that one of my greatest failures as a dad has been to fail to include Sam in manual labor around the house. As a result, if I send him to get me a wrench, I would have to describe how it is different than a pliers. The idea that he would end up in any sort of mechanical occupation is less likely than me ending up in the NBA. There is nothing wrong with blue-collar occupations and God actually CALLS people to be skilled in working with their hands, (see Ex. 35:30-36:1) but I can tell you with great certainty that it is not SAM'S calling!

Second, there is a worldview issue here that is astonishing. That mature Christians would be driven in guiding young people to make career decisions based nearly exclusively on money and material possessions speaks volumes about the state of the church in America today. Have we fallen so far in our idolatrous worship of material possessions that we cannot see the extent to which it is effecting us?

As we consider the God-ordained task of raising children, we need to define success correctly. For me, I would rather have my children living in a card-board box under a bridge somewhere if they are walking faithfully with Jesus, than to have them achieve great success in their education, career, standard of living, and all other endeavors -- only to forsake Jesus. If they were to achieve everything their hearts could desire in this world, but do not love Jesus, I would be heart-broken.

How would you respond to a conversation like this? What are your goals for using your life and investing in the next generation? Post your thoughts and join the discussion.

Doing great works like Jesus...

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14

One of the points in the sermon on July 20, was that Jesus exercised great power, and promised that when he returned to the Father, his disciples would do even greater works. Between services, I was asked why it was that we do not see this in practice. I thought is was a great question and deserved special treatment in response.

I believe the answer lies primarily in the fourth chapter of James. The first reason we do not see great spiritual works is that we do not ask for them. James writes “you do not have, because you do not ask.” (verse 2b) So, why don’t we ask for God to do great works in our day? First, because we are very rich in material possessions. Even with tough times, we are rich beyond imagination compared to any other people in history. Therefore, we are quite content to rely on things we can see and pay for to take care of the needs that we perceive in our lives.

Second, we do not ask because we lack faith. While we will clearly acknowledge that God CAN do miracles, we lack the faith to believe that he is in the regular business of granting them on our behalf. Perhaps we have tried praying about certain things in the past, but God let us down. Thus, we lack the faith to boldly approach the throne of grace with our requests. We tend to think God has bigger things to worry about than our requests, and we forget that he is our loving dad who loves to take care of his children.

Third, we are afraid to ask. We have seen so much that passes for “supernatural” or “charismatic” that we are afraid we will open a big can of worms if we pray for things out of the ordinary. The problem here isn’t worrying that God won’t answer, but worrying that he WILL answer. I am skeptical of much that passes for faith healing and extraordinary works in our day and age. However, God clearly is able to do these things. Perhaps we need to worry less about what impression these requests may leave and simply pray with more boldness.

A second reason we don’t see these works today is contained in James 4:3. James goes on to say “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” So when we ask God for him to work on our behalf, we need to do it with a careful eye towards our motives and desires. Are we asking God to give us things that we have a tendency to value more than we value God? If so, we are asking him to enable our worship of idols. Are we asking for things that will make us look good and bring us personal glory? Then we are asking him to worship us!

In verse 6, James quotes Proverbs as he says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” God will not do great works through men and women who are competing with him for the glory. However, he is EAGER to do them through men and women who are humbly walking with Jesus and whose desire is to see Jesus get all the glory and honor and praise. So whose glory are YOU seeking?

Rahab and Achan

This was the June newsletter piece....

In preaching out at Side Lake, we have been working through the book of Joshua. In the past couple of weeks, we have seen a noteworthy contradiction illustrated in two very different characters. In Chapter 6, we see Rahab, a prostitute, who by faith in the God of Israel is spared from the utter destruction of her city of Jericho. In Chapter 7, we see Achan, a member of God’s covenant people, who disobeys God’s command to utterly destroy Jericho and keeps some of the plunder hidden in his tent. As a result, he and his entire family are put to death.

These passages are both difficult passages that display something of God’s character that we would just as soon ignore. As Americans living in the 21st century, we are uncomfortable with the idea of God wiping out an entire nation or having the people execute someone who has broken God’s commands. In these passages from Joshua, we see “the Old Testament God of Fire and Brimstone.” However, when we look deeper at the stories involved, we can see that the Gospel, or good news of Jesus, is evident even in these difficult stories of utter destruction.

First, we need to see how these stories reflect the Holiness of God. We need to understand that the Lord God is altogether perfect and without any blemish. His perfection is so absolute that nothing impure or unholy can exist in his presence. In Deuteronomy 4:24, Moses tells the people “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” When we begin to understand the holiness of God, our amazement is not that he would allow the destruction of Jericho or Achan’s family, but that he would not utterly destroy ALL human life. The amazing fact that should be hard to understand is that he shows kindness to Rahab’s family and the people of Israel.

Second, we see God extending his grace to people who do not deserve it. Achan was a part of God’s chosen people. He was, at least outwardly, a worshiper of God. However, he came under judgment for his idolatry. He valued (or worshiped) a coat, a bar of gold, and some silver more than he valued God’s command. Rahab, on the other hand, was a prostitute. Not only that, but she was a foreigner who lived in an idolatrous city that worshiped pagan gods. The reason that Jericho was to be destroyed is that their evil was full or ripe. In this context, Rahab the Prostitute saw that the Lord God of Israel was the real God. She turned her back on the false gods of her people and acted in faith to hide Israeli spies who had come to spy out Jericho. As a result of her faith, God allowed her to be spared from the utter destruction she deserved, along with all those in her family who would trust her to come to her house to await salvation. Ultimately, we find her name listed in the geneology of Jesus. Not only was she saved, but God allowed his own son to descend from her line. This is amazing and undeserved grace!

Third, in the story of Achan we see that disobedience within God’s people results in a removal of his hand of blessing and discipline. As a result of Achan hiding loot under his tent, the army loses its next battle resulting in 36 men dying trying to take a tiny little town of virtually no significance. Achan and his family receive the death penalty as a consequence of Achan’s sin. Was his family also guilty? Were they innocent victims? I don’t know. But the lesson for us to take away is that God takes our sin very seriously – even after we have been saved by his grace and made a part of his people. In both Acts 5 (Ananias and Sapphira) and in 1 Corinthians 11, we see indications that sickness and death are the direct result of sin on the part of believers.

Please don’t misunderstand – not all sickness or untimely death is a direct result of sin. Most of these sufferings are simply a part of living in a fallen world. But keep in mind that God showed mercy to the prostitute who left behind her external religion of pagan idolatry to follow God, but brought judgment on the person who was externally religiously worshiping God, but inwardly worshiped a pile of stuff he hid inside his tent.

So what are you hiding under your tent? When you leave church on Sunday, do you return to your worship of material possessions, relationships, lust, food, or status? Do you literally have things hidden about your house that you know are sinful? Especially for you men, are you secretly worshiping images of creatures in the form of pornography or sexually explicit materials? If so, determine now to repent and seek God’s forgiveness. Take steps to break free from the sin that entangles you. Call me and get ready to meet with other men to learn how you can purge this area of sin from your life as we go through “Every Man’s Battle” together this summer.

A Vision for the Times

This was originally published in the July issue of our Chisholm Baptist newsletter. I will plan on trying to post these monthly articles to the blog to help keep it active. Please post your thoughts as comments....

Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 1 Samuel 3:1

We live in a day and age that is similar to the one described in this verse. Few people have a vision for anything beyond a secure retirement with enough money to play out their years. The motto of our times is eat, drink, and be merry. It is reflected in the advertisements with which we are continually bombarded, and it is reflected in the way we, in turn, spend our time, money and other resources.

As a result, there are two very distinct ways that some people respond to the lack of prophetic vision in our times. The first way they respond is by not caring about the lack of vision and just allowing themselves to be swept away with the tide of our times. We do this by simply living our life by the standards of the world where our striving is all aimed towards consuming and enjoying as much as we can in this life.

The second way that people respond is by becoming desperate to latch onto anything that remotely resembles a vision. One I have heard of lately is the "I35 Revival" vision. The gist of this is that Isaiah 35 is actually referring to a revival that will happen along the Interstae 35 corridor from Duluth to Texas. Since Isaiah 35 refers to a highway that will be a "way to holiness," I35 is the road in which this prophecy is supposed to come to pass. While I would have no problem with a massive revival breaking out along the I35 corridor from Duluth to Dallas, I think that the conclusion is a bit of a stretch – to say the least.

In light of these poor reactions to a general lack of prophetic vision in our times, I think that we need to be actively seeking the Lord to provide us with a clear vision for our lives and times. He promised that in these days our sons and daughters would prophecy, our old men would dream dreams and our young men see visions. Most importantly, if we are living lives in step with the Holy Spirit, we need to see through the eyes of Jesus. We need to see people the way that Jesus sees them and we need to see a clear picture of the mission that Jesus has laid out for us in our time and culture.

Specifically, we are living in the least churched county in the state of Minnesota. We support foreign missionaries who are working in countries that have a higher percentage of Christians than we do on the Iron Range. So what is God calling us to have a vision for?
First, I think we need a vision for passionate and transforming faith. Mere religion does not impress Jesus, and we need to have a vision for passing on a faith to future generations that goes above and beyond religious observance. We need to stop worrying about whether our faith is "acceptable" to the culture we live in and start loving Jesus with an abandon that will freak some people out. Without a passionate love for Jesus, there will never be a clear vision of the mission.

Second, we need to take a serious look at benevolence ministry. Our mandate to care for the poor is incredibly clear from scripture, but it needs to be more than "mere handouts." We need several people to step forward and to take on a benevolence ministry that can serve the needs of the poor in our communities in a way that preserves dignity and encourages a biblical work ethic. Ideas such as a benevolence garden, or work projects in return for gas or food vouchers simply need some willing people who are willing to have a huge impact on our community.

Finally, we need to consider planting new churches. This was the clear pattern of the apostles and early church leaders. Planting is also the most effective way to reach new segments of our communities for Christ. As we see our passion for Jesus and the gospel grow, it will translate into a passion to reach the lost in our communities and see them experience the transforming grace of God. Church planting is the natural outflow of these passions.

These are just a few. I would encourage you to seek God’s face and ask him to give you your own vision for your life and times – something more than a life of leisure and lack of discomfort.

Pearls Before Breakfast

One of the illustrations used by C.J. Mahaney at the Text and Context Conference in Seattle last week was based on an article in the Washington Post entitled Pearls Before Breakfast. The short version of the story is that the Post conducted an experiment on January 12, 2007, at a Washington subway stop. They got Joshua Bell, a world renowned violinist, to take his $3.5 million Stadivari vioin and perform as a street musician at the entrance to the Washington metro during morning rush hour. They wanted to see the effect that context would have on people's perceptions of beauty.

The results? In short, out of 1097 people who passed by, only 7 stopped to listen for more than one minute. The musician who can command $1000 per minute for some of his concerts made $32 and change for his 43 minutes of playing. Most commuters were so engrossed in their normal routines -- rushing to work, dropping off kids, and buying lotto tickets -- that they didn't even notice the beuaty of the moment.

There are great lessons in this for us in relation to the Gospel. The good news of Jesus is the most beautiful and valuable treasure in all of heaven and earth. And yet, how many people cannot take the time to appreciate it because they are so busy with their routine and mundane things? Even for those of us who have seen the beauty and glory of the gospel, we far too often find ourselves losing our joy and passion for this treasure as we chase after other infinitely less valuable things.

Click HERE to read the whole article, and then let me know how it makes you think about beauty and the gospel.

Turning 40.

Over the years, most of my friends have been older than me. Because we got married young and had kids early, we naturally wound up hanging with a crew that had kids the same age -- mostly 6-10 years older than us. As a result, when I was in my early 30s, we would attend big 40th birthday parties where my friends were mercilessly treated because they were "so old." Even at the time, I realized that by the time I turned 40, these same friends would be closing in on 50 and probably lose their enthusiasm for big 40th birthday parties! So, I think I might get off the hook! (Yes, that is a good thing, I think!)

Anyhow, there is a healthy aspect to examining our lives from time to time. For many of us, the new year is one such time. Birthdays are another -- and in particular, birthdays that mark decades give us an opportunity to ponder the brevity of this life, and to examine what we have accomplished so far and what remains to be done if God grants us a normal span of years.

For me, I look at the fact that my firstborn is nearing his time to leave our home. I think this makes me feel older than the number of my birthday. As I evaluate this fact, I realize that our primary work with Sam is nearing completion. There are still a lot of things I'd like him to know and skills that I would like to pass on -- however, I know that I only have a little time left for this process and I will have to trust that God will finish off the areas that I have not covered. By and large, I am excited to see his adaptation to the adult world and I am optimistic that he will have a significant influence for the Kingdom of God in the years to come.

I also look at the girls and thin that the next few years are critical. As they enter their teen years, I realize that I have unfinished work to do to prepare them to relate to men when it is their turn to leave. I see bright prospects for them to be able to take meaningful stands, develop godly character and to also have influential lives, but I am struck by the weight that falls on me as a dad to teach them how to relate to men. I am struck by the need for me to carve out time for them over the next few years so that they don't seek out male attention in unhealthy ways.

For my marriage, next years birthday is probably even more of a milestone. Using an online day calander, I calculate that 2 days after my 41st birthday, I will have been married for half my life. I am amazed at the grace God has shown me in giving me a woman who would hang in there through all the turmoils that life has thrown at us. I honestly couldn't blame her for giving up years ago. But I need to work at making the next part of our life more tolerable than the first 20 years. I am very aware of the ways that I ahve fallen short, and pray that God would grant me the ability to make significant improvements in the years to come.

Beyond these concerns, my ambitions seem to fade quickly. There are many things I'd like to experience or accomplish, but they fade in importance quickly under this type of examination. Perhaps part of that is realizing that all my work, my preaching and teaching, my activities and hobbies will not carry on beyond my death. As I think about where my legacy will be carried on, it will be in the generations of people who come from my marriage and the raising of my children. I was recently challenged by another pastor's message to pray for a generation I cannot see. I realize that my impact and influence on the next century will come through my work in leading my family. So it is a bit daunting to realize that a huge portion of that work (whether done well or not!) is already behind me. Certainly, there will be ongoing relationship and influence for whatever years lie ahead, but a lot of that will be built on the foundations already laid.

So, for those who may read this who are just starting out, especially, I would challenge you to catch a glimpse of a time you cannot see. Then realize your opportunity to influence that time may be sitting in a high chair and driving you crazy right now. Worry less about their ability to have the American Dream, and inspire them to dream of their part in a bigger Kingdom -- the Kingdom of God. Trust me, there is no greater rush than to see your chidren carrying forward a passion and joy in Jesus as they begin to become missionaries to the time you cannot see.

Schedule update!

I haven't been on here for awhile, but we'll givei t another chance. Due to my attendance at the Bethlehem Pastor's Conference next week, there will be no Marriage Bible Study on Tusday, Feb.5, 2008. Also, Thursday morning men's study is also cancelled for Feb. 7, 2008.

Don't forget the Super Bowl party on Sunday! Bring a snack to share and come watch the game, play games, or just hang out. All ages welcome.