It's not surprising to me that the recent poll on religious knowlege in America was so low. In a country that sees itself as religious, but doesn't want to appear too religious so that it would be intolerant, we wouldn't know very much about our own religion much less others.
There were some groups that did very well on the quiz/poll. Those groups were atheists and agnostics, who will often have to or want to defend themselves against those they see as an enemy. The best answer to this problem is the same one that they use. learn about your religion. Don't say that you are something but can't describe it in any detail.
There are many resources to draw from including pastors and religious leaders, books about religion including commentaries, various holy books (wich you can read), and perhaps the best resource available to Christians...The Bible.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Joshua Chapter 2
We are going to be jumping into Joshua, chapter 2 this week.
As we saw last week in chapter 1, Joshua has assumed command of the Israelites. He is charged by God to lead them in invading and displacing all the current residents of the promised land.
Chapter 2 starts off with a familiar theme. Joshua sends 2 spies to scout ahead of the main army and to report back on the status of the people they will soon face in battle.
If this sounds like something you might have read before, it's because it is almost identical to the strategy that Moses used when the Israelites first came to the promised land. In fact, Joshua and Caleb were a part of the original group of 12 spies that went over into Canaan.
Now, as leader of the nation, Joshua needs intelligence about their opposition. So he sends his spies to report back to him about Jericho, the first major test of their invasion.
The spies come to an inn run by a prostitute named Rahab. They were supposed to slip into the city and secretly get information on it before quietly going back to Joshua.
They failed.
As verse 2 shows, the very night they entered the city, men from the king of Jericho are alerted to their presence, and even to their very mission.
Rahab hides the men, and lies to the king's soldiers as to their whereabouts, and then helps the spies escape back to Joshua. She only asks one thing, that her family be spared when the Israealites destroy the city and everyone in it.
They agree to do so, and eventually make their way back to Joshua, where their report encourages the whole nation of Israel that God has given Jericho to them.
Notice two things. First off, Rahab is a foreigner. She is not of the nation of Israel, and God's instructions to the Israelites were to utterly destroy everything and everybody in the nations they were going to invade (Deuteronomy 7:1-2).
So why are they making deals with her? Are the spies not breaking the very commandment of the God they are serving?
In a word, no.
It would take a complete article to explain the details, but the Bible is clear that there is only one true family of God, that is the family of faith, or 'true Israel'. Genetics do not determine it, but rather the loving election of individuals by God to be a part of his family. Romans chapters 9-11 will help clear this up for you.
Rahab demonstrated, by her faith in what God had already done for the Israelites in bringing them out of Egypt and into the promised land, that God had chosen her and her family to become one with his family of faith. She did not know this, but God had already worked out the plan that would make her a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ. Awesome to think that God used a foreign prostitute to further the line from which the King of Kings would be born of.
To sum up the first point then, the spies were not 'aiding and abetting' the enemy. Rather, they were unknowingly carrying out the plan that God had in mind to save his people. For more on Rahab, see Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25.
The second thing I saw was that faith in the sovereignty of God and faith that he will accomplish what he wills does not negate action on our part. We may not know every detail about how it will come about, but when God tells us to do something, he expects us to act in a way that honors him and seeks to do what he wants us to do.
Joshua knew that God would lead the Israelites to victory over the inhabitants of the land. God had told him this in the first moments of his new leadership. (Chapter 1:1-9)
But even knowing this, Joshua still had to send spies. He still had to form a battle plan.
God tells us things everyday. We can be comforted knowing that God will accomplish them. We can also be comforted knowing that if we seek to follow his will for our lives, and to bring about what he tells us to do, even if we don't get all the details right, God will have to power and will to 'fix' our mistakes to honor his wishes.
Praise God for his power and direction in your life today.
As we saw last week in chapter 1, Joshua has assumed command of the Israelites. He is charged by God to lead them in invading and displacing all the current residents of the promised land.
Chapter 2 starts off with a familiar theme. Joshua sends 2 spies to scout ahead of the main army and to report back on the status of the people they will soon face in battle.
If this sounds like something you might have read before, it's because it is almost identical to the strategy that Moses used when the Israelites first came to the promised land. In fact, Joshua and Caleb were a part of the original group of 12 spies that went over into Canaan.
Now, as leader of the nation, Joshua needs intelligence about their opposition. So he sends his spies to report back to him about Jericho, the first major test of their invasion.
The spies come to an inn run by a prostitute named Rahab. They were supposed to slip into the city and secretly get information on it before quietly going back to Joshua.
They failed.
As verse 2 shows, the very night they entered the city, men from the king of Jericho are alerted to their presence, and even to their very mission.
Rahab hides the men, and lies to the king's soldiers as to their whereabouts, and then helps the spies escape back to Joshua. She only asks one thing, that her family be spared when the Israealites destroy the city and everyone in it.
They agree to do so, and eventually make their way back to Joshua, where their report encourages the whole nation of Israel that God has given Jericho to them.
Notice two things. First off, Rahab is a foreigner. She is not of the nation of Israel, and God's instructions to the Israelites were to utterly destroy everything and everybody in the nations they were going to invade (Deuteronomy 7:1-2).
So why are they making deals with her? Are the spies not breaking the very commandment of the God they are serving?
In a word, no.
It would take a complete article to explain the details, but the Bible is clear that there is only one true family of God, that is the family of faith, or 'true Israel'. Genetics do not determine it, but rather the loving election of individuals by God to be a part of his family. Romans chapters 9-11 will help clear this up for you.
Rahab demonstrated, by her faith in what God had already done for the Israelites in bringing them out of Egypt and into the promised land, that God had chosen her and her family to become one with his family of faith. She did not know this, but God had already worked out the plan that would make her a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ. Awesome to think that God used a foreign prostitute to further the line from which the King of Kings would be born of.
To sum up the first point then, the spies were not 'aiding and abetting' the enemy. Rather, they were unknowingly carrying out the plan that God had in mind to save his people. For more on Rahab, see Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25.
The second thing I saw was that faith in the sovereignty of God and faith that he will accomplish what he wills does not negate action on our part. We may not know every detail about how it will come about, but when God tells us to do something, he expects us to act in a way that honors him and seeks to do what he wants us to do.
Joshua knew that God would lead the Israelites to victory over the inhabitants of the land. God had told him this in the first moments of his new leadership. (Chapter 1:1-9)
But even knowing this, Joshua still had to send spies. He still had to form a battle plan.
God tells us things everyday. We can be comforted knowing that God will accomplish them. We can also be comforted knowing that if we seek to follow his will for our lives, and to bring about what he tells us to do, even if we don't get all the details right, God will have to power and will to 'fix' our mistakes to honor his wishes.
Praise God for his power and direction in your life today.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
THE TWO DRAWERS
We have these two drawers in our kitchen that have become catch-alls for "things". These "things" seemed important at one time in the past. These two drawers had become so full that you could find only those "things" in front. To search through the full drawer was only frustrating.
Well one day I had enough. I decided to straighten these two drawers out. SO, I drug the trash can over and I got a chair. I sat down (on the chair) and began to straighten. I found several pens that didn't work. Screws, nails and metal pieces that didn't go to any thing. Memos that had faded to a non-readable state. One drawer had 10 or 12 votive candles scattered all over, a single piece of gum and candy. Keys to nothing, coupons 2 and 3 years out of date. Well, I'm sure you get the point. There was very little of value left.
As I was going through the drawers, a thought occurred to me that these drawers are like my mind. I fill my head with worldly "things" during the day. During the week. During the month. You get the idea. I do this to the extent that good spiritual "things" have a hard time getting in. I just use the "things" on the top or in the front. These "things" do not have to be sinful. They are things like television, vacations, church work, golf, children's games. My point is that our minds become so full that we have trouble communicating with God.
Where I'm going with this is in Philippians 4:6-9. I will let you look it up. Basically, vs 6 & 7 tell how to obtain God's peace, and vs 8 & 9 tell how to keep it.
Verse 8 is what I thought of when cleaning the two drawers:
Finally, Brethren, whatsoever things are true,
Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,, think on these things.
If we keep our minds on the "things" of vs 8, we will become closer and closer to what God wants for us in our lives. So, I think we need to "straighten" out the drawers of our minds daily. That way we will be able to find God quickly. We will not have to search through the clutter.
Jim Capps
Well one day I had enough. I decided to straighten these two drawers out. SO, I drug the trash can over and I got a chair. I sat down (on the chair) and began to straighten. I found several pens that didn't work. Screws, nails and metal pieces that didn't go to any thing. Memos that had faded to a non-readable state. One drawer had 10 or 12 votive candles scattered all over, a single piece of gum and candy. Keys to nothing, coupons 2 and 3 years out of date. Well, I'm sure you get the point. There was very little of value left.
As I was going through the drawers, a thought occurred to me that these drawers are like my mind. I fill my head with worldly "things" during the day. During the week. During the month. You get the idea. I do this to the extent that good spiritual "things" have a hard time getting in. I just use the "things" on the top or in the front. These "things" do not have to be sinful. They are things like television, vacations, church work, golf, children's games. My point is that our minds become so full that we have trouble communicating with God.
Where I'm going with this is in Philippians 4:6-9. I will let you look it up. Basically, vs 6 & 7 tell how to obtain God's peace, and vs 8 & 9 tell how to keep it.
Verse 8 is what I thought of when cleaning the two drawers:
Finally, Brethren, whatsoever things are true,
Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,, think on these things.
If we keep our minds on the "things" of vs 8, we will become closer and closer to what God wants for us in our lives. So, I think we need to "straighten" out the drawers of our minds daily. That way we will be able to find God quickly. We will not have to search through the clutter.
Jim Capps
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Book Of Joshua
Hey everybody, hope the week has gone well for you, and you've tried to seek out the presence of the Lord in your life.
We will be going through the book of Joshua, so I hope you guys are ready for some good ol' fashioned Old Testament stories.
Background info for those who might not be up to speed on who exactly Joshua was.
Everybody knows Moses, his story from the little baby adopted into the royal family of Egypt, to his leading of the Israelites over the Red Sea, to the giving of the ten commandments at Sinai. If you don't know these stories, just start in Genesis and read through Deuteronomy. They are his five books.
Well, Joshua was the son of Nun, Moses personal assistant. (Joshua 1:2). He helped him administer over the nation while Moses was alive, and after Moses had died, God picked Joshua to lead the people in their conquest of the promised land. Check out the last couple chapters of Deuteronomy for this transition in leadership.
In the first chapter of Joshua, we see him fully take leadership over the nation of Israel through a series of public ceremonies and speeches.
There isn't a whole lot of detail needed to explain this chapter, so I will focus on the one thing that is special about those who wish to lead under the Lord.
Most ancient societies had certain obligations placed on their up and coming rulers. The Egyptian Pharoahs had to memorize spells for their trip to the underworld. Spartan kings had to master warfare. Roman caesars had to become intimately involved in the foreign affairs of their empire.
Not so with God's chosen leaders. If you notice in this chapter, God gives Joshua some instructions that he will need to follow to lead the people successfully.
In verses 6-8, God tells Joshua that he is to study the law given through Moses, and to never turn from God's instructions contained in it.
That's it.
He will lead millions of people into battle, and instead of being told to hone his warfare, or develop his pragmatic leadership abilitiy, God tells him to study the Law day and night, and that by doing this he will make a successful leader.
I think it's cool that the very same instructions and words that Moses and Joshua were told to study and live out in their lives are in our hands today.
With these very words, kingdoms were conquered, nations were freed, and world history was changed.
Think it could help you at your next business meeting, or p.t.a. associational meeting?
Please, let us join Joshua in studying God's word day and night, and see what we can accomplish.
We will be going through the book of Joshua, so I hope you guys are ready for some good ol' fashioned Old Testament stories.
Background info for those who might not be up to speed on who exactly Joshua was.
Everybody knows Moses, his story from the little baby adopted into the royal family of Egypt, to his leading of the Israelites over the Red Sea, to the giving of the ten commandments at Sinai. If you don't know these stories, just start in Genesis and read through Deuteronomy. They are his five books.
Well, Joshua was the son of Nun, Moses personal assistant. (Joshua 1:2). He helped him administer over the nation while Moses was alive, and after Moses had died, God picked Joshua to lead the people in their conquest of the promised land. Check out the last couple chapters of Deuteronomy for this transition in leadership.
In the first chapter of Joshua, we see him fully take leadership over the nation of Israel through a series of public ceremonies and speeches.
There isn't a whole lot of detail needed to explain this chapter, so I will focus on the one thing that is special about those who wish to lead under the Lord.
Most ancient societies had certain obligations placed on their up and coming rulers. The Egyptian Pharoahs had to memorize spells for their trip to the underworld. Spartan kings had to master warfare. Roman caesars had to become intimately involved in the foreign affairs of their empire.
Not so with God's chosen leaders. If you notice in this chapter, God gives Joshua some instructions that he will need to follow to lead the people successfully.
In verses 6-8, God tells Joshua that he is to study the law given through Moses, and to never turn from God's instructions contained in it.
That's it.
He will lead millions of people into battle, and instead of being told to hone his warfare, or develop his pragmatic leadership abilitiy, God tells him to study the Law day and night, and that by doing this he will make a successful leader.
I think it's cool that the very same instructions and words that Moses and Joshua were told to study and live out in their lives are in our hands today.
With these very words, kingdoms were conquered, nations were freed, and world history was changed.
Think it could help you at your next business meeting, or p.t.a. associational meeting?
Please, let us join Joshua in studying God's word day and night, and see what we can accomplish.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Hey guys.
Took last week off, but I'm back and ready for action.
I will be going through the book of Joshua, and each week will be a portion of the book, and thoughts on what we read.
Keep me in your prayers. I'm trying to cling to my savior and follow his lead in my life. I need to develop my prayer life more, and I would like to see myself become more compassionate towards strangers, and more social towards them as well.
May God's grace overflow to all who draw near to him in repentance and in love.
-Brett
I will be going through the book of Joshua, and each week will be a portion of the book, and thoughts on what we read.
Keep me in your prayers. I'm trying to cling to my savior and follow his lead in my life. I need to develop my prayer life more, and I would like to see myself become more compassionate towards strangers, and more social towards them as well.
May God's grace overflow to all who draw near to him in repentance and in love.
-Brett
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
An Excursus into Reality
I call it an excursus but really it’s getting to the main point while going around everything I wanted to talk about and probably will discuss anyway. I love theology. So much so that it often times becomes an idol for me. I love to think and wrestle with concepts, theories and ideas as they pertain to God. I believe that God works in his creation and with his people to make himself know, more specifically showing his glorious attributes. I get this from the first chapter of Romans and the book of Exodus, but you can see it everywhere. So it makes sense to me that if God wishes to make himself known, we should work to know him.
Not only this, but I would argue that the more we know God and his purposes in creation and our own lives, the more we are compelled to live for him. There is reason why Paul prays that the churches will grow in knowledge; the reason is that true knowledge produces action. If we say we know God, but don’t act according to that knowledge, we don’t really know God. 1 John says that if we say we know God and continue in sin we don’t really know him. But something must come before our growing in knowledge. That thing is the main point which I will try and articulate now.
The main point of this series on theology is that repentance comes before knowledge. In the epistle that we call 1 Corinthians, Paul tells the church there that he wishes that he could address them as adults and feed them with meat (Deeper teachings about God), but he can’t because they are acting like babies and still need milk (The elementary teachings). WE HAVE TO GROW UP IN OUR FAITH! And to do that we must repent of our worldliness. But what does this mean? In the situation in Corinth the believers were grumbling with each other and they were playing favorites with which teacher’s they liked the best. They were prideful and were using the gifts God had given them for the purpose of building up the church to exalt themselves. So they were prideful. They loved things and the perceived power or position that came with them, namely their spiritual gifts. They were still acting as the world acts. Jesus tells us that the rulers of the world lord their power over other people, but it is not to be that way with us. We are all equal in position with differing roles. We are a body.
Just as the church in Corinth was acting as the world and not in accordance with the grace and call of God, so are we. The reason we as a church are so theologically weak, is because we love the world more than we love God. And our theological lacking shows in how we live. We look like the world because we don’t know God. We will spend hours if not weeks trying to figure out how we can make more money or have more possessions, but we won’t spend 5 minutes learning the scriptures. Why? Because we don’t see it as important. We, just like the Corinthian church, are seeking power and position. Knowledge and understanding are not valued in our culture, and like wise it is not valued in the Church. So instead of seeking to know the Lord, we seek money and position. We want to be exalted, instead of exalting God.
THIS HAS TO STOP. We are a body and it is necessary that we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, so that we will live in accordance with his word and his will. This is what pleases God. Not our house, not our checking account. Our unabashed devotion to Jesus Christ and his Gospel is what pleases God. So let’s stop acting like the world and grow in the knowledge of the Lord.
-Mitchell
Not only this, but I would argue that the more we know God and his purposes in creation and our own lives, the more we are compelled to live for him. There is reason why Paul prays that the churches will grow in knowledge; the reason is that true knowledge produces action. If we say we know God, but don’t act according to that knowledge, we don’t really know God. 1 John says that if we say we know God and continue in sin we don’t really know him. But something must come before our growing in knowledge. That thing is the main point which I will try and articulate now.
The main point of this series on theology is that repentance comes before knowledge. In the epistle that we call 1 Corinthians, Paul tells the church there that he wishes that he could address them as adults and feed them with meat (Deeper teachings about God), but he can’t because they are acting like babies and still need milk (The elementary teachings). WE HAVE TO GROW UP IN OUR FAITH! And to do that we must repent of our worldliness. But what does this mean? In the situation in Corinth the believers were grumbling with each other and they were playing favorites with which teacher’s they liked the best. They were prideful and were using the gifts God had given them for the purpose of building up the church to exalt themselves. So they were prideful. They loved things and the perceived power or position that came with them, namely their spiritual gifts. They were still acting as the world acts. Jesus tells us that the rulers of the world lord their power over other people, but it is not to be that way with us. We are all equal in position with differing roles. We are a body.
Just as the church in Corinth was acting as the world and not in accordance with the grace and call of God, so are we. The reason we as a church are so theologically weak, is because we love the world more than we love God. And our theological lacking shows in how we live. We look like the world because we don’t know God. We will spend hours if not weeks trying to figure out how we can make more money or have more possessions, but we won’t spend 5 minutes learning the scriptures. Why? Because we don’t see it as important. We, just like the Corinthian church, are seeking power and position. Knowledge and understanding are not valued in our culture, and like wise it is not valued in the Church. So instead of seeking to know the Lord, we seek money and position. We want to be exalted, instead of exalting God.
THIS HAS TO STOP. We are a body and it is necessary that we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, so that we will live in accordance with his word and his will. This is what pleases God. Not our house, not our checking account. Our unabashed devotion to Jesus Christ and his Gospel is what pleases God. So let’s stop acting like the world and grow in the knowledge of the Lord.
-Mitchell
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Witness, How do I do that?
I am like Jim, never ventured out into this blog world before, and frankly haven't read very many. However, when Matt said we needed writers, I figured I could always find something to say, and most of you know that is really speaking the truth :) But here is what got this thought started....
A few months ago, Chaz Chinsethigid blessed us with singing an awesome song with the choir. Many of you have heard it a million times, as the youth sing it often as well. I don't know the name, but it talks about a man on a plane with his Bible, and how that lead to him witnessing to a stranger. And that got me thinking, how can I find ways to witness. I must admit, I have never been someone to go about sharing my testimony, and certainly don't really look for ways to do so. There is a lot of fear that comes with that, and lets face it, no one really likes a Bible beater. And if people don't like you they aren't going to listen to what you have to say, right? So, I thought what can I do or say to change some of that?
Well, here are some ideas that God sent to me as I pondered that tought.
I wear a beatiful cross on occasion. It is really sparkly and has lots of rinestones, it truly is an eye catching piece. I love it, my Mom gave it to me, and it goes with everything. Everytime I wear it, I get compliments. I usually say, "Oh thanks my Mom gave it to me". Or "it's one of my favorites", but what would happen if I said, "Thanks, it really helps me remember what God did for me and reminds me to share that with others". Wouldn't that be an awesome way to make an impact on someone's life? They may walk away, but at least I would have given it a shot. I also have a t-shirt or two with a cross (also sparkly) on it, and although I don't get as many compliments, it's still and opportunity waiting to happen.
But what about all of you men out there, I know you don't go around wearing sparkly crosses around your neck. Unless of course you are a 50cent impersonator in your spare time :) So what can you wear, or keep on or around you that could lead to a conversation about salvation? Or for you women who just don't like sparkly stuff or jewelry, what are subtle everday ways to witness? I would love to have some other thoughts, because I don't wear the cross everyday.
Thanks for letting me knock around some thoughts in my head.
As my Grandma always says ....
Remember where you come from,
-Sally
A few months ago, Chaz Chinsethigid blessed us with singing an awesome song with the choir. Many of you have heard it a million times, as the youth sing it often as well. I don't know the name, but it talks about a man on a plane with his Bible, and how that lead to him witnessing to a stranger. And that got me thinking, how can I find ways to witness. I must admit, I have never been someone to go about sharing my testimony, and certainly don't really look for ways to do so. There is a lot of fear that comes with that, and lets face it, no one really likes a Bible beater. And if people don't like you they aren't going to listen to what you have to say, right? So, I thought what can I do or say to change some of that?
Well, here are some ideas that God sent to me as I pondered that tought.
I wear a beatiful cross on occasion. It is really sparkly and has lots of rinestones, it truly is an eye catching piece. I love it, my Mom gave it to me, and it goes with everything. Everytime I wear it, I get compliments. I usually say, "Oh thanks my Mom gave it to me". Or "it's one of my favorites", but what would happen if I said, "Thanks, it really helps me remember what God did for me and reminds me to share that with others". Wouldn't that be an awesome way to make an impact on someone's life? They may walk away, but at least I would have given it a shot. I also have a t-shirt or two with a cross (also sparkly) on it, and although I don't get as many compliments, it's still and opportunity waiting to happen.
But what about all of you men out there, I know you don't go around wearing sparkly crosses around your neck. Unless of course you are a 50cent impersonator in your spare time :) So what can you wear, or keep on or around you that could lead to a conversation about salvation? Or for you women who just don't like sparkly stuff or jewelry, what are subtle everday ways to witness? I would love to have some other thoughts, because I don't wear the cross everyday.
Thanks for letting me knock around some thoughts in my head.
As my Grandma always says ....
Remember where you come from,
-Sally
Monday, May 17, 2010
Honey Get the Shovel. It’s time to dig
This is going to be the first of a few little lessons of a more academic nature. It seems to me that our culture plays down knowledge and academic study. It is seen as cold and impersonal. We enjoy experiencing things, but we have little interest in why or how that experience occurred. No one wants to have deep discussions about God, or anything for that matter, but these things are important. In at least two of the epistles Paul wrote, Colossians and Ephesians, he tells the Church that he is praying that God would continually grow them into a deeper knowledge of himself. Because of this, I would like to write up a couple of things that will help us to study God’s word in systematic way. But before we get into all that, I want to give my case for why Theology is important.
Theology is the study of God and by it we attempt to known him as he desires to make himself known. Not that God is some inanimate impersonal object that can be studied, like a volcano or a tree, but that he is alive and he loves. He interacts with his creation and we should seek to know him not as we know a tree but as we know our best friend or our spouse. Seeking knowledge of God while not seeking to know God is a dangerous thing and an insult to the great love that God has for us.
So does God want us to know him? YES! Seems like a silly question, but if we look around, or dare I say in the mirror, do we live like we believe God wants us to know him? God has revealed himself to us through his word and do we read it? But anyway back to the question, silly as it may be. Throughout the story told in the book of Exodus, in which God delivers his people from the oppression of Pharaoh, God claims that both Pharaoh and the Israelites will know that he is God after he has worked all that he intends. Again, in the book of Ezekiel where God introduces the new covenant he is making with his people, God again speaks of making himself known. We serve a God who wants his people to know him. Not only does he desire it, he works to make it happen. Because of this we should be a people who desire and work to know our God with the same ferocity that he wishes to make himself known to us. Theology is how we aim to do this.
Now, some will say we can not fully understand God because he is infinite and we are finite. While this is true, it does not mean that we should not struggle to understand the more difficult attributes of God. They are just as glorious as the ones that are seen as simpler. Just because it is hard and sometimes confusing, does not mean that it should be abandoned. You can never fully understand or know your spouse or best friend, but that does not stop you from trying. We should wrestle and pray through what we do not understand. Like aforementioned, God has worked and is working to make himself known. We would be discrediting him by saying that he is not worth struggling to understand. You can not really comprehend the magnitude of God’s incomprehensible greatness until you have tried to comprehend it. It will at least show you how insignificant and small you are in comparison to him.
So how can we know him? We know him through the Bible, through creation, and through Jesus who is the word become flesh. After Jesus’ ascension into Heaven the Holy Spirit was poured out on all believers and it is through the Holy Spirit that we know God. In this way theology is subjective. We all experience God in our own way. Most people in our culture like to stop here. I know my God you know yours we’re all good. But this is wrong. God also gave us the Bible which is his objective word to which all of our subjective experiences must be submitted to. If any experience or emotion of ours contradicts scripture, we must discredit that experience and accept the truth of scripture. While experience and emotions and reason all play apart in how we do theology, all of it must be submitted to the authority of scripture.
While theology is important there are several potential pitfalls that must be avoided, one of which is being more concerned with knowing certain doctrines and being able to defend them, than knowing the God whom the doctrines describe. Ideology about God can never be used to replace God (See the Pharisees). It is a terrible thing when someone becomes more concerned with spreading a specific doctrine, which could be false, than with spreading the gospel. Another danger is arrogance. Paul says that knowledge puffs up but love builds up. This can be avoided by remembering that everything known about God was revealed by the Holy Spirit. It was not based on any merit of personal ability or aptitude. God has grace on stupid, wicked people, and any knowledge of him is given by grace. So a person should not boast in knowledge but in the grace of God.
-Mitchell
Theology is the study of God and by it we attempt to known him as he desires to make himself known. Not that God is some inanimate impersonal object that can be studied, like a volcano or a tree, but that he is alive and he loves. He interacts with his creation and we should seek to know him not as we know a tree but as we know our best friend or our spouse. Seeking knowledge of God while not seeking to know God is a dangerous thing and an insult to the great love that God has for us.
So does God want us to know him? YES! Seems like a silly question, but if we look around, or dare I say in the mirror, do we live like we believe God wants us to know him? God has revealed himself to us through his word and do we read it? But anyway back to the question, silly as it may be. Throughout the story told in the book of Exodus, in which God delivers his people from the oppression of Pharaoh, God claims that both Pharaoh and the Israelites will know that he is God after he has worked all that he intends. Again, in the book of Ezekiel where God introduces the new covenant he is making with his people, God again speaks of making himself known. We serve a God who wants his people to know him. Not only does he desire it, he works to make it happen. Because of this we should be a people who desire and work to know our God with the same ferocity that he wishes to make himself known to us. Theology is how we aim to do this.
Now, some will say we can not fully understand God because he is infinite and we are finite. While this is true, it does not mean that we should not struggle to understand the more difficult attributes of God. They are just as glorious as the ones that are seen as simpler. Just because it is hard and sometimes confusing, does not mean that it should be abandoned. You can never fully understand or know your spouse or best friend, but that does not stop you from trying. We should wrestle and pray through what we do not understand. Like aforementioned, God has worked and is working to make himself known. We would be discrediting him by saying that he is not worth struggling to understand. You can not really comprehend the magnitude of God’s incomprehensible greatness until you have tried to comprehend it. It will at least show you how insignificant and small you are in comparison to him.
So how can we know him? We know him through the Bible, through creation, and through Jesus who is the word become flesh. After Jesus’ ascension into Heaven the Holy Spirit was poured out on all believers and it is through the Holy Spirit that we know God. In this way theology is subjective. We all experience God in our own way. Most people in our culture like to stop here. I know my God you know yours we’re all good. But this is wrong. God also gave us the Bible which is his objective word to which all of our subjective experiences must be submitted to. If any experience or emotion of ours contradicts scripture, we must discredit that experience and accept the truth of scripture. While experience and emotions and reason all play apart in how we do theology, all of it must be submitted to the authority of scripture.
While theology is important there are several potential pitfalls that must be avoided, one of which is being more concerned with knowing certain doctrines and being able to defend them, than knowing the God whom the doctrines describe. Ideology about God can never be used to replace God (See the Pharisees). It is a terrible thing when someone becomes more concerned with spreading a specific doctrine, which could be false, than with spreading the gospel. Another danger is arrogance. Paul says that knowledge puffs up but love builds up. This can be avoided by remembering that everything known about God was revealed by the Holy Spirit. It was not based on any merit of personal ability or aptitude. God has grace on stupid, wicked people, and any knowledge of him is given by grace. So a person should not boast in knowledge but in the grace of God.
-Mitchell
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Walk in a manner worthy of the call
This week's post is short.
Ephesians 4:1-6:20 is where this comes from. Paul is writing the Ephesians a letter to tell them more about how to practically live out the teaching of Jesus in their lives.
I was reading articles on CNN and I came across one about a Baptist minister who was part of an organization that offered help to those who struggled with homosexuality. He has spent years talking about the redeeming work of Christ in the area of sexuality.
He recently resigned from his post to fight allegations that he went to Europe with a homosexual Male escort.
Are you as tired of this crap as I am?
How many prominent pastors and priests have resigned or been fired for public airing of their private escapades over the last couple of years? The Roman Catholics are still trying to find out how far down the pit they walked into goes.
To be fair, I don't know if these allegations against the Baptist minister are true. And I also know that just because someone is called to leadership positions in the Church, they still struggle with their old sin nature like any other Christian.
But enough is enough already. They bible says that not many should aspire to be teachers, or leaders, because they will be judged by a higher standard from God. (James 3:1)
But notice that he doesn't say that lay people escape judgement either.
In modern American theology, we don't like to think that after we are saved, we will have to give an account of how we used the grace God gaves us in Christ to further his kingdom. It rubs us wrong that we will actually be expected to do something for God after he saves us. Our attitudes are of this opinion more often than not, that of "well, he saved me, yeah, but how could he seriously say he loves me if he just wants to save me so I can be used by him? I think that love is letting someone do what they want."
Don't believe me that we will have to give an account? Check out these scriptures: Ecclesiastes 11:9; Matthew 25; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
Please get your heads straight. If we love God, we will try to walk in a manner that pleases him.
Remember, he didn't have to save you.
-Brett
Ephesians 4:1-6:20 is where this comes from. Paul is writing the Ephesians a letter to tell them more about how to practically live out the teaching of Jesus in their lives.
I was reading articles on CNN and I came across one about a Baptist minister who was part of an organization that offered help to those who struggled with homosexuality. He has spent years talking about the redeeming work of Christ in the area of sexuality.
He recently resigned from his post to fight allegations that he went to Europe with a homosexual Male escort.
Are you as tired of this crap as I am?
How many prominent pastors and priests have resigned or been fired for public airing of their private escapades over the last couple of years? The Roman Catholics are still trying to find out how far down the pit they walked into goes.
To be fair, I don't know if these allegations against the Baptist minister are true. And I also know that just because someone is called to leadership positions in the Church, they still struggle with their old sin nature like any other Christian.
But enough is enough already. They bible says that not many should aspire to be teachers, or leaders, because they will be judged by a higher standard from God. (James 3:1)
But notice that he doesn't say that lay people escape judgement either.
In modern American theology, we don't like to think that after we are saved, we will have to give an account of how we used the grace God gaves us in Christ to further his kingdom. It rubs us wrong that we will actually be expected to do something for God after he saves us. Our attitudes are of this opinion more often than not, that of "well, he saved me, yeah, but how could he seriously say he loves me if he just wants to save me so I can be used by him? I think that love is letting someone do what they want."
Don't believe me that we will have to give an account? Check out these scriptures: Ecclesiastes 11:9; Matthew 25; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
Please get your heads straight. If we love God, we will try to walk in a manner that pleases him.
Remember, he didn't have to save you.
-Brett
Monday, May 10, 2010
Faith: For Better or For Worse, Which is The Best.
Hebrews 11
If anyone is reading this please stop right now and read all of Hebrews 11. It’s not that long and it is an amazing section of Scripture. Not only does it unify the believers of the Old Testament and the New Testament on the grounds of faith, it also shows us that bad things, which I will argue are the best things, are carried out by the same faith that great things are carried out with.
Hebrews 11 is called the Faith Hall of Fame, and in reading it, its easy to see why. You have read it right? If not see the first sentence. The Chapter is all about faith; this is good because faith is some what of a buzz word these days. “Have faith and everything will okay.” “God will heal you.” “God will give you a big house.” “God will give you a perfect family.” Everything will be great. “Just have faith and you can shut the mouths of lions.” And the first part of Hebrews 11 seems to support this. By faith Enoch pleased God and if we read in Genesis, he didn’t have to taste death. He walked with God then he was no more. Sarah who was up there in years and barren bore Isaac. By Faith Isaac invoked future blessings on his offspring. By faith Moses is spared and used mightily by God to lead his people out of captivity. These are awesome and good things. That God does do for those that have faith. In verse 32-35a the climax is reached. It says,
“What more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were mad strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection”
These are awesome things. They are good things, but as we continue to read in Hebrews 11 we see that other individuals don’t seem to fair so well. Just look at verse 35. The first sentence of the verse reads, “Women received back their dead by resurrection.”, but the sentence directly following it, without any sort of transition says, “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.” WOW!. We go from being brought back from the dead to being tortured and killed. It goes on to say in 36-40,
Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, though condemned through their faith, did not received what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Again I’m blown away. By faith all of these people suffered terrible things. It was not because they were lacking in faith, or because they were disobedient. They went through these things because it was better. In chapter 2 of Hebrews it speaks of Jesus being made perfect through suffering. And it is the same for us. It is a blessing to share in the sufferings of Christ. But in America today, suffering and death are seen as bad things, or some sort of punishment. It’s neither of those things. It is not the worst thing that could happen, it is the best thing. This world and the things of the world are passing away. No matter how good your health, you’re going to die. No matter how big your house, it’s going to burn. No matter how good your marriage, it will end. Everything apart from Christ and his Kingdom is fleeting, and will one day be gone. To live by faith is not to live a comfortable life. It’s to live a life that hopes in the things we have not yet received. So live you life by faith in a better day, the day to come when our glorious Lord returns and all things are made new.
-Mitchell
If anyone is reading this please stop right now and read all of Hebrews 11. It’s not that long and it is an amazing section of Scripture. Not only does it unify the believers of the Old Testament and the New Testament on the grounds of faith, it also shows us that bad things, which I will argue are the best things, are carried out by the same faith that great things are carried out with.
Hebrews 11 is called the Faith Hall of Fame, and in reading it, its easy to see why. You have read it right? If not see the first sentence. The Chapter is all about faith; this is good because faith is some what of a buzz word these days. “Have faith and everything will okay.” “God will heal you.” “God will give you a big house.” “God will give you a perfect family.” Everything will be great. “Just have faith and you can shut the mouths of lions.” And the first part of Hebrews 11 seems to support this. By faith Enoch pleased God and if we read in Genesis, he didn’t have to taste death. He walked with God then he was no more. Sarah who was up there in years and barren bore Isaac. By Faith Isaac invoked future blessings on his offspring. By faith Moses is spared and used mightily by God to lead his people out of captivity. These are awesome and good things. That God does do for those that have faith. In verse 32-35a the climax is reached. It says,
“What more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were mad strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection”
These are awesome things. They are good things, but as we continue to read in Hebrews 11 we see that other individuals don’t seem to fair so well. Just look at verse 35. The first sentence of the verse reads, “Women received back their dead by resurrection.”, but the sentence directly following it, without any sort of transition says, “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.” WOW!. We go from being brought back from the dead to being tortured and killed. It goes on to say in 36-40,
Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, though condemned through their faith, did not received what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Again I’m blown away. By faith all of these people suffered terrible things. It was not because they were lacking in faith, or because they were disobedient. They went through these things because it was better. In chapter 2 of Hebrews it speaks of Jesus being made perfect through suffering. And it is the same for us. It is a blessing to share in the sufferings of Christ. But in America today, suffering and death are seen as bad things, or some sort of punishment. It’s neither of those things. It is not the worst thing that could happen, it is the best thing. This world and the things of the world are passing away. No matter how good your health, you’re going to die. No matter how big your house, it’s going to burn. No matter how good your marriage, it will end. Everything apart from Christ and his Kingdom is fleeting, and will one day be gone. To live by faith is not to live a comfortable life. It’s to live a life that hopes in the things we have not yet received. So live you life by faith in a better day, the day to come when our glorious Lord returns and all things are made new.
-Mitchell
Thursday, May 6, 2010
How much of God is too much?
I have spent the past couple of months really trying to get over this notion in my head that I am closer to God on Sunday morning than I am on Tuesday afternoon.
I will try to remind myself while I'm working that God lives inside of me. His Holy Spirit is watching me and trying to purify me and lead me when I do an audit or write an order. When I mop the floors, I try to remember the Scriptures that talk of working not for men, but for God. (Colossians 3:23-25)
I have had some cool moments trying to live like this. I truly do feel like I am worshiping at times, when I praise him for the healthy body he has given me to work, for the job I have, for letting me be competent at it.
I have also had some bad moments, when I catch myself thinking evil thoughts, or getting upset at customers, or just generally being a grinch. God will just reinforce his presence in my life, as if to say "Do you think I don't care what you do, or how you think, outside of church? Do I only want you to become more like my Son on Sunday and Wednesday?"
There is a little book written by a monk whose name was Brother Lawrence. He titled the book "The Practice of the Presence of God." He reached the point where he felt as close to the Savior washing dishes as he did reciting prayer. I would encourage you guys to read it, and to think on what he is proposing.
God wants us to worship him in ALL things. We are told to give thanks to God for everything in Ephesians 5:20. When was the last time you thanked him for your drive to work? When was the last time you thanked him for the boss you have, and the specific co-workers you are surrounded by?
Instead of grumbling about the drive and traffic, try to praise him for providing for your needs with a job. Instead of harboring resentment about the bad attitude of your co-worker, or the tyranical zeal your boss has for filing your paperwork, pray for them. If they don't have Christ, all they have is this world. And the last time I looked, it was pretty bad. So don't marvel at how bad they act. Give thanks that God saved you, and he has given you something greater to hope for than what this world offers (John 16).
We need God every second. I am humbled and appalled that I go hours, days, sometimes weeks without really tapping into this truth. He is our life.
I plead with you guys, especially the married ones, MAKE ROOM FOR GOD. Life becomes so cluttered because we fill it with so many things. God is gracious to us, and he allows us to feel his presence wherever we are. If you wish to talk to him at work, he will be there. At the gym, he will answer your call.
But don't spend your life fitting God in. Don't make it where the only time you talk to him is on your coffee break, or on the drive somewhere.
Single people have this problem too, but it's the married couples that I see who make 'good' excuses why they don't have time.
"We have kids to take care of, and events to get them to."
"The house doesn't pay for itself, and if I am a good steward of what God gives me, I will work my butt off to pay for it and give my family nice things."
"I've been in this pattern for too long to change it now."
Please wake up! Please!
God desires your hearts. He should have destroyed us for our sins, but he loved us and sought us to forgive our sins and to heal us. (Jeremiah 3)
I will close with a hymn that I think we would all do well to think on, and wonder when we last felt like this.
"I Need Thee Every Hour" by Annie S. Hawks
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.
I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.
I will try to remind myself while I'm working that God lives inside of me. His Holy Spirit is watching me and trying to purify me and lead me when I do an audit or write an order. When I mop the floors, I try to remember the Scriptures that talk of working not for men, but for God. (Colossians 3:23-25)
I have had some cool moments trying to live like this. I truly do feel like I am worshiping at times, when I praise him for the healthy body he has given me to work, for the job I have, for letting me be competent at it.
I have also had some bad moments, when I catch myself thinking evil thoughts, or getting upset at customers, or just generally being a grinch. God will just reinforce his presence in my life, as if to say "Do you think I don't care what you do, or how you think, outside of church? Do I only want you to become more like my Son on Sunday and Wednesday?"
There is a little book written by a monk whose name was Brother Lawrence. He titled the book "The Practice of the Presence of God." He reached the point where he felt as close to the Savior washing dishes as he did reciting prayer. I would encourage you guys to read it, and to think on what he is proposing.
God wants us to worship him in ALL things. We are told to give thanks to God for everything in Ephesians 5:20. When was the last time you thanked him for your drive to work? When was the last time you thanked him for the boss you have, and the specific co-workers you are surrounded by?
Instead of grumbling about the drive and traffic, try to praise him for providing for your needs with a job. Instead of harboring resentment about the bad attitude of your co-worker, or the tyranical zeal your boss has for filing your paperwork, pray for them. If they don't have Christ, all they have is this world. And the last time I looked, it was pretty bad. So don't marvel at how bad they act. Give thanks that God saved you, and he has given you something greater to hope for than what this world offers (John 16).
We need God every second. I am humbled and appalled that I go hours, days, sometimes weeks without really tapping into this truth. He is our life.
I plead with you guys, especially the married ones, MAKE ROOM FOR GOD. Life becomes so cluttered because we fill it with so many things. God is gracious to us, and he allows us to feel his presence wherever we are. If you wish to talk to him at work, he will be there. At the gym, he will answer your call.
But don't spend your life fitting God in. Don't make it where the only time you talk to him is on your coffee break, or on the drive somewhere.
Single people have this problem too, but it's the married couples that I see who make 'good' excuses why they don't have time.
"We have kids to take care of, and events to get them to."
"The house doesn't pay for itself, and if I am a good steward of what God gives me, I will work my butt off to pay for it and give my family nice things."
"I've been in this pattern for too long to change it now."
Please wake up! Please!
God desires your hearts. He should have destroyed us for our sins, but he loved us and sought us to forgive our sins and to heal us. (Jeremiah 3)
I will close with a hymn that I think we would all do well to think on, and wonder when we last felt like this.
"I Need Thee Every Hour" by Annie S. Hawks
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.
I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Hello, learn and think together
This is my first trek into the blogosphere. I am reminded of my first months of teaching a Sunday school class more than 28 years ago. I really did not believe that I had anything to add because I was sure that all of the students in my class already knew the Bible. After a year or so, I realized that the students, at least most of them, knew less than I did. So, from there on, we learned together. Now, having said all that, I don't expect to be writing anything that might be considered earth shattering, mind boggling, divinely inspired or life changing to the max. My only desire is to maybe cause some reader to think. To question. Not doubt their Christianity, but to maybe see a view that would allow for more closeness with God and a desire to serve. I hope that I would be accepted as a fellow learner as we all travel down the path toward total sanctification. A deeper appreciation of God's gift and Christ's sacrifice. I hope and pray that God blesses you more each day.
-Jim Capps
-Jim Capps
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Four Soils: The good stuff.
Mark 4:1-9
And now we’re reached the end of our little journey through the parable of the sower, and although it was looking a little scary there in the middle, we can finally see some good ground. I don’t have much to say on this soil because I feel that I would just be repeating what I said in the previous posts, but there are a few things that I think could be helpful.
The final soil mentioned by Jesus is the good soil. Of it he says in verse 8, “And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” This seed produces fruit. It is deep and free of thorns. This is what we should long to be, and the power to be good soil is not of ourselves. If we want to live lives that produce fruit for the Kingdom of God we must rely on him to give us new hearts and to keep us from fulfilling the desires of our flesh. David says it best in Psalm 19 when he says, “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.” James says that we are dragged away and enticed because of our own wicked desires. And to put the cherry on top, Paul says that we are altogether of ourselves unrighteous. If we want to bear fruit we must rely on the Holy Spirit and his regenerative work to make our hearts into the deep, briar free soil that we need it to be.
I also would like to bring attention to that fact that the seed is bearing the fruit. In all that God does, he is working to bring praise and honor to himself. Even in the redemption of his people. He is the one sowing the seed, and the seed is what is bearing fruit. Good soil without any seed does nothing. So when God uses us and we begin to see the fruit being produced in our life, we need to remember that it is only because of the grace of God that it is happening. We have to be mindful of this, so that we do not become prideful, and thus rendering ourselves ineffective in his kingdom.
The last thing to look at is verse 20. In it Jesus says that the ones who produce fruit are the ones that “hear the word and accept it and bear fruit.” We first have to hear the word. And once we have heard it, we must accept it. Jesus says some pretty harsh things in the Gospels. He isn’t always a people pleaser. He may tell us something we don’t want to hear. But regardless, we have to submit to his words of rebuke and command just a willingly as we do to his words of encouragement. If we hear it and accept it, the word of God will produce fruit, if our soil is good. And it is the branches that produce fruit that are truly members of the True Vine.
-Mitchell
And now we’re reached the end of our little journey through the parable of the sower, and although it was looking a little scary there in the middle, we can finally see some good ground. I don’t have much to say on this soil because I feel that I would just be repeating what I said in the previous posts, but there are a few things that I think could be helpful.
The final soil mentioned by Jesus is the good soil. Of it he says in verse 8, “And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” This seed produces fruit. It is deep and free of thorns. This is what we should long to be, and the power to be good soil is not of ourselves. If we want to live lives that produce fruit for the Kingdom of God we must rely on him to give us new hearts and to keep us from fulfilling the desires of our flesh. David says it best in Psalm 19 when he says, “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.” James says that we are dragged away and enticed because of our own wicked desires. And to put the cherry on top, Paul says that we are altogether of ourselves unrighteous. If we want to bear fruit we must rely on the Holy Spirit and his regenerative work to make our hearts into the deep, briar free soil that we need it to be.
I also would like to bring attention to that fact that the seed is bearing the fruit. In all that God does, he is working to bring praise and honor to himself. Even in the redemption of his people. He is the one sowing the seed, and the seed is what is bearing fruit. Good soil without any seed does nothing. So when God uses us and we begin to see the fruit being produced in our life, we need to remember that it is only because of the grace of God that it is happening. We have to be mindful of this, so that we do not become prideful, and thus rendering ourselves ineffective in his kingdom.
The last thing to look at is verse 20. In it Jesus says that the ones who produce fruit are the ones that “hear the word and accept it and bear fruit.” We first have to hear the word. And once we have heard it, we must accept it. Jesus says some pretty harsh things in the Gospels. He isn’t always a people pleaser. He may tell us something we don’t want to hear. But regardless, we have to submit to his words of rebuke and command just a willingly as we do to his words of encouragement. If we hear it and accept it, the word of God will produce fruit, if our soil is good. And it is the branches that produce fruit that are truly members of the True Vine.
-Mitchell
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Gospel vs. Culture, or what's up with the seemingly powerless proclamations these days?
I'm sure you've all heard it before. "The Bible was written a long time ago to a different culture," or "I don't read the Old Testament because as a 21st century Christian, I just cannot relate to it," or "We want to be a church that invites people in, so we don't preach that old Fire and Brimstone stuff anymore."
Pastors and church leaders are slowly looking around at the world we live in, and they are seeing some disturbing trends. Divorce rates are crazy high in and out of the Church; People who claim to be 'Christian' openly confess that Jesus doesn't have to be the only way to heaven; Our country, which prides itself on being the center of the Christian world, is seeing legislation and popular movements that are absolutely pushing Jesus and his teachings further and further into the backdrop of our society.
In response to these trends, it has become common to see in Christian bookstores, and to hear on Christian radio and in the Sunday morning pulpit, discussions on how to become a force in the culture again. How do we assert the power of Jesus into the everyday lives of this nation? How can we inspire our members to take a stand and do what is right and needs to be done for the Lord in their everyday lives?
And these talks always talk about method. Some people have totally relaxed their church services in an attempt to make it more inviting. Coffee, donuts, superbowl parties, block parties, movie nights are all ways that churches have tried to become more appealing to the world around them.
But these men and women who are wrapped up in this game are missing the truth and the power of the situation.
WE MAKE IT RELEVANT. WE ARE THE FORCE FOR CHANGE, NOT A GIMMICK OR A COMPETING SERVICE TO SOMETHING THE WORLD OFFERS.
Zondervan and Lifeway can, and do, sell books by experts on culture telling us how to influence our neighbors and cities for Christ. They give strategies and tips on how to talk to people, how to break the ice, how to organize parties that people might like to come to.
But how is an 'expert in culture' supposed to know more about our city and our neighborhood and our schools and our friends, than we do? The average lay person knows more about the current culture where they live, and the trends and feel of their friends and neighbors than any two experts put together, simply because we live in that culture everyday and we talk and socialize with those people everyday.
In the book of Numbers, chapter 6, God lays the groundwork for those people of his who wished to take on extra responsibility and extra vows for him. They were laymen who were already considered holy simply because they were God's chosen people, but they wished to become as zealous in their holy living as they could in honor of their LORD.
God called these people Nazirites. Chapter 6 of Numbers lays out the rules and requirements that these people had to follow during their vow to him. Those who took this vow became almost as holy as their priests were.
Flash forward to the New Testament, and in 1st Peter 2:9-10, we are called "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
God expects YOU to be his priest. He expects YOU to proclaim his name and his glory and mercy to your friends.
We want the preacher or the sunday school teacher to do everything. But we can do everything they do more effectively. What I mean by this is they want to reach men and women's hearts with the truth and hope of the Gospel, and so they try to preach relevant texts to people, in order to tell them of their need for Christ.
But we are the ones who live and work with these people. We don't have to think hard or long about how we can be relevant, because we share many of the same interests and activities.
God wants us to be a nation of priests for him. Where we see the church fail, we are seeing not the failure of the pastor or the administration, but of OURSELVES to go out and preach the Gospel.
We must take the lead, and become modern day Nazirites for the Lord.
-Brett
Pastors and church leaders are slowly looking around at the world we live in, and they are seeing some disturbing trends. Divorce rates are crazy high in and out of the Church; People who claim to be 'Christian' openly confess that Jesus doesn't have to be the only way to heaven; Our country, which prides itself on being the center of the Christian world, is seeing legislation and popular movements that are absolutely pushing Jesus and his teachings further and further into the backdrop of our society.
In response to these trends, it has become common to see in Christian bookstores, and to hear on Christian radio and in the Sunday morning pulpit, discussions on how to become a force in the culture again. How do we assert the power of Jesus into the everyday lives of this nation? How can we inspire our members to take a stand and do what is right and needs to be done for the Lord in their everyday lives?
And these talks always talk about method. Some people have totally relaxed their church services in an attempt to make it more inviting. Coffee, donuts, superbowl parties, block parties, movie nights are all ways that churches have tried to become more appealing to the world around them.
But these men and women who are wrapped up in this game are missing the truth and the power of the situation.
WE MAKE IT RELEVANT. WE ARE THE FORCE FOR CHANGE, NOT A GIMMICK OR A COMPETING SERVICE TO SOMETHING THE WORLD OFFERS.
Zondervan and Lifeway can, and do, sell books by experts on culture telling us how to influence our neighbors and cities for Christ. They give strategies and tips on how to talk to people, how to break the ice, how to organize parties that people might like to come to.
But how is an 'expert in culture' supposed to know more about our city and our neighborhood and our schools and our friends, than we do? The average lay person knows more about the current culture where they live, and the trends and feel of their friends and neighbors than any two experts put together, simply because we live in that culture everyday and we talk and socialize with those people everyday.
In the book of Numbers, chapter 6, God lays the groundwork for those people of his who wished to take on extra responsibility and extra vows for him. They were laymen who were already considered holy simply because they were God's chosen people, but they wished to become as zealous in their holy living as they could in honor of their LORD.
God called these people Nazirites. Chapter 6 of Numbers lays out the rules and requirements that these people had to follow during their vow to him. Those who took this vow became almost as holy as their priests were.
Flash forward to the New Testament, and in 1st Peter 2:9-10, we are called "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
God expects YOU to be his priest. He expects YOU to proclaim his name and his glory and mercy to your friends.
We want the preacher or the sunday school teacher to do everything. But we can do everything they do more effectively. What I mean by this is they want to reach men and women's hearts with the truth and hope of the Gospel, and so they try to preach relevant texts to people, in order to tell them of their need for Christ.
But we are the ones who live and work with these people. We don't have to think hard or long about how we can be relevant, because we share many of the same interests and activities.
God wants us to be a nation of priests for him. Where we see the church fail, we are seeing not the failure of the pastor or the administration, but of OURSELVES to go out and preach the Gospel.
We must take the lead, and become modern day Nazirites for the Lord.
-Brett
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Four Soils: You’re going to feel a slight prick….or maybe die.
Mark 4:1-9
This week we are going to talk about the soil with the thorns. I’m willing to bet that this soil is the most prevalent through out the world, especially for us here in America. Here is what Jesus says in verse 7, “Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.” The word goes out, springs up but doesn’t produce fruit because the thorns choke it out. What happens here is very similar to what happens to the seed in the rocky soil that we looked at last week. The difference in the two soils is what hinders the growth of the plant. Last week it was that the soil was shallow and the sun, or persecution, caused the plants to whither and die. In this circumstance it is the presence of thorns. And in verses 18 and 19 Jesus says that the thorns are the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things.
Have you ever had God speak to you and you get all fired up, but the next day your mind is filled with work or your spouse or your kids and you forget all about what God has said. This happens to me all the time, and not only to me. This is what I see most in the people around me. God tells us to stop worshiping possessions and the next week we have a new TV because that old one was just about to die. This is all silly and we are only justifying our sin to ourselves.
One of my favorite passages concerning this topic is Luke 21:34-36,
But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.
Just before Jesus says this he is instructing his disciples on the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem as well as the second coming of Christ when judgment will be brought on the whole earth. Jesus warns his disciples and I think that we should heed his warning. We must watch ourselves so that we aren’t so weighed down that when he comes back, we’re surprised. Not only are we surprised by the coming of our Lord, but we are not able to stand before him. This is not a good thing. We must cast aside the sin that so easily entangles and chase after Jesus, longing for the day that he returns not falling asleep and being rudely awakened.
I fear that we have become too complacent with our American Christianity. We live lukewarm lives in the name of grace and freedom. And we are under both, but Paul tells us that we are not to continue in our sin just because we are saved by grace. And pride in possessions is sin. The love the world is sin. If you ever want to doubt your salvation read 1 John. He says if you love the things of the world, you don’t love God. But we continue to justify our materialistic lives in the name of God’s blessing, when maybe really he has given us over to the wicked desires of our heart, and we are storing up wrath for ourselves on the Day of Judgment.
Stay awake! Don’t let the cares of the world weigh you down and keep the word of God from bearing fruit in your life. He knows you have needs but seek first his kingdom. “[cast] all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.” Trust in God and not in the comforts of the world. Bear fruit.
-Mitchell
This week we are going to talk about the soil with the thorns. I’m willing to bet that this soil is the most prevalent through out the world, especially for us here in America. Here is what Jesus says in verse 7, “Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.” The word goes out, springs up but doesn’t produce fruit because the thorns choke it out. What happens here is very similar to what happens to the seed in the rocky soil that we looked at last week. The difference in the two soils is what hinders the growth of the plant. Last week it was that the soil was shallow and the sun, or persecution, caused the plants to whither and die. In this circumstance it is the presence of thorns. And in verses 18 and 19 Jesus says that the thorns are the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things.
Have you ever had God speak to you and you get all fired up, but the next day your mind is filled with work or your spouse or your kids and you forget all about what God has said. This happens to me all the time, and not only to me. This is what I see most in the people around me. God tells us to stop worshiping possessions and the next week we have a new TV because that old one was just about to die. This is all silly and we are only justifying our sin to ourselves.
One of my favorite passages concerning this topic is Luke 21:34-36,
But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.
Just before Jesus says this he is instructing his disciples on the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem as well as the second coming of Christ when judgment will be brought on the whole earth. Jesus warns his disciples and I think that we should heed his warning. We must watch ourselves so that we aren’t so weighed down that when he comes back, we’re surprised. Not only are we surprised by the coming of our Lord, but we are not able to stand before him. This is not a good thing. We must cast aside the sin that so easily entangles and chase after Jesus, longing for the day that he returns not falling asleep and being rudely awakened.
I fear that we have become too complacent with our American Christianity. We live lukewarm lives in the name of grace and freedom. And we are under both, but Paul tells us that we are not to continue in our sin just because we are saved by grace. And pride in possessions is sin. The love the world is sin. If you ever want to doubt your salvation read 1 John. He says if you love the things of the world, you don’t love God. But we continue to justify our materialistic lives in the name of God’s blessing, when maybe really he has given us over to the wicked desires of our heart, and we are storing up wrath for ourselves on the Day of Judgment.
Stay awake! Don’t let the cares of the world weigh you down and keep the word of God from bearing fruit in your life. He knows you have needs but seek first his kingdom. “[cast] all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.” Trust in God and not in the comforts of the world. Bear fruit.
-Mitchell
Thursday, April 22, 2010
It's not about who's teaching the message, it's about the message
Matthew 3:9
"And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father', for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham."
John Piper is my favorite pastor. I have been listening to him for a couple of years now, and I have really grown in my understanding and knowledge of God through his ministry. I am going to a conference later this year where he will be speaking, and I'm looking forward to it.
One of the reasons I am looking forward to it, is because it will be the only stateside speaking engagement he will hold all year. He is taking a sabbatical this year, and he may not even come back to the pulpit.
When I heard this, it filled me with sadness. I will miss hearing my pastor, for I consider him one of my spiritual fathers.
And when I heard yesterday that Francis Chan is stepping down from his pastorate, it made me sympathize for his flock out in California, and what they must be going through.
But as I've been reading through Matthew, and savoring and chewing on the words of the Master, it got me thinking. Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, are the only ones who do the teaching in Matthew. Jesus comforts his disciples when he tells them he will leave by promising them that the Holy Spirit will come and personally teach them in John 14:15-31.
And when the early church was trying to form factions around their favorite teacher, whether it was Paul or Peter or Apollos, the Holy Spirit rebuked the church through Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:4-9.
"For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human? What this is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Aploos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who planst nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building."
I say all this to remind myself, and you guys, that whatever is good about church, whatever is uplifting, whatever is powerful about church, is God.
It's not our lesson.
It's not the preacher.
It's not the luncheon we have after the service, or the fellowship we have in the hallway.
These things are only good if and when the Holy Spirit breathes life into them.
This is why a good lesson at church stays with us for so long, when a good business meeting rarely carries it's weight for longer than a week. This is why a good preacher can show us something in the Scripture that will change our lives, and an equally good teacher at school can present an awesome lesson that will be forgotten at the end of the semester.
God is bigger than John Piper, or Francis Chan, or Andy Jobe, or Brett Crawford. I think he removes men like Piper or Chan to remind us that it is our Father in Heaven who does the work. We are just the messengers.
And lest we become worried that there will be nobody with the ability to carry on the ministry that these men had, remember the verse at the top. We all have hearts of stone, before God transforms them. If he ever needs a need filled, he just breathes life into another rock, and puts it to work.
Praise God!
-Brett
"And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father', for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham."
John Piper is my favorite pastor. I have been listening to him for a couple of years now, and I have really grown in my understanding and knowledge of God through his ministry. I am going to a conference later this year where he will be speaking, and I'm looking forward to it.
One of the reasons I am looking forward to it, is because it will be the only stateside speaking engagement he will hold all year. He is taking a sabbatical this year, and he may not even come back to the pulpit.
When I heard this, it filled me with sadness. I will miss hearing my pastor, for I consider him one of my spiritual fathers.
And when I heard yesterday that Francis Chan is stepping down from his pastorate, it made me sympathize for his flock out in California, and what they must be going through.
But as I've been reading through Matthew, and savoring and chewing on the words of the Master, it got me thinking. Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, are the only ones who do the teaching in Matthew. Jesus comforts his disciples when he tells them he will leave by promising them that the Holy Spirit will come and personally teach them in John 14:15-31.
And when the early church was trying to form factions around their favorite teacher, whether it was Paul or Peter or Apollos, the Holy Spirit rebuked the church through Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:4-9.
"For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human? What this is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Aploos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who planst nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building."
I say all this to remind myself, and you guys, that whatever is good about church, whatever is uplifting, whatever is powerful about church, is God.
It's not our lesson.
It's not the preacher.
It's not the luncheon we have after the service, or the fellowship we have in the hallway.
These things are only good if and when the Holy Spirit breathes life into them.
This is why a good lesson at church stays with us for so long, when a good business meeting rarely carries it's weight for longer than a week. This is why a good preacher can show us something in the Scripture that will change our lives, and an equally good teacher at school can present an awesome lesson that will be forgotten at the end of the semester.
God is bigger than John Piper, or Francis Chan, or Andy Jobe, or Brett Crawford. I think he removes men like Piper or Chan to remind us that it is our Father in Heaven who does the work. We are just the messengers.
And lest we become worried that there will be nobody with the ability to carry on the ministry that these men had, remember the verse at the top. We all have hearts of stone, before God transforms them. If he ever needs a need filled, he just breathes life into another rock, and puts it to work.
Praise God!
-Brett
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Parable of the Sower: There is no SPF 4000
Mark 4:1-9
If you remember from last week, we are talking about the parable of the sower. Last time we talked about the first soil mentioned in the parable, the path. This week we are going to look at the second type of soil Jesus mentions, the rocky ground. Verses 5-6 says,
Other seed feel on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and Immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away.
In this instance the word of God hits the dirt and a plant shoots up, but because the soil is so shallow the sun kills the plant, and it doesn’t produce any fruit.
So here is what it looks like in our lives. God speaks to you and says, “Stop looking at those other women and be faithful to your wife.” Or “Find your identity in me. Find your value in me, not in how you look or what other people think.” And you say, “Yes Lord! I am not going to do that anymore.” Your plant springs up. You get excited and you start to run forward. You no longer participate in the conversations about the new receptionist. You stop worrying so much about how your hair looks, and everything is good. But then the sun comes out. In verses 16 and 17 Jesus says,
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. (ESV)
Your buddies start making of fun of you, or you hear those ladies whispering behind your back. This is the point where your plant is tested. And depending on the soil it is planted in, it will either live and produce fruit or it will die, whither and be burned. Our first response might be to try and hide from the sun, but there is no escape from it. Jesus says that the world will hate us. And like we talked about last week, Satan wants to destroy us. He is going to do everything he can to try and keep the word of God from bearing fruit. There is no escaping from the sun; it’s going to try and burn you. There is no SPF 4000. Luckily, the secret to saving the plant is not hiding it from the sun, but increasing the depth of the soil. So how can we make our soil deeper?
Psalm 1:1-3 says,
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (ESV)
The psalmist tells us that the people who obey God and remain in him; those who mediate on God’s law day and night, they are the ones who produce fruit. So if your soil is shallow, spend time reading your Bible. Know what the word of God says, so when the sun comes out it does not burn you up. Paul calls the word of God the Sword of the spirit. We can fight with it. Your friends say, “Come on man, it’s just looking. It’s not like your doing anything.” And you can say, “Jesus says if you look at a woman lustfully you have already committed adultery with her in your heart.” Or maybe that voice inside your head tells you that people won’t like you if you look like that, and you can answer back, “I am not to let my beauty be external but internal as the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.” We can fight against Satan with the word of God, but we have to know it if we are to use it. There is a reason why Paul says to “take up” the sword of the spirit. Just because it is sitting on your night stand doesn’t mean it is protecting you. You must immerse yourself in the scriptures and prayer. We must know the promises of God if our plants are to survive the sun of persecution when it rises in our lives.
- Mitch
If you remember from last week, we are talking about the parable of the sower. Last time we talked about the first soil mentioned in the parable, the path. This week we are going to look at the second type of soil Jesus mentions, the rocky ground. Verses 5-6 says,
Other seed feel on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and Immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away.
In this instance the word of God hits the dirt and a plant shoots up, but because the soil is so shallow the sun kills the plant, and it doesn’t produce any fruit.
So here is what it looks like in our lives. God speaks to you and says, “Stop looking at those other women and be faithful to your wife.” Or “Find your identity in me. Find your value in me, not in how you look or what other people think.” And you say, “Yes Lord! I am not going to do that anymore.” Your plant springs up. You get excited and you start to run forward. You no longer participate in the conversations about the new receptionist. You stop worrying so much about how your hair looks, and everything is good. But then the sun comes out. In verses 16 and 17 Jesus says,
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. (ESV)
Your buddies start making of fun of you, or you hear those ladies whispering behind your back. This is the point where your plant is tested. And depending on the soil it is planted in, it will either live and produce fruit or it will die, whither and be burned. Our first response might be to try and hide from the sun, but there is no escape from it. Jesus says that the world will hate us. And like we talked about last week, Satan wants to destroy us. He is going to do everything he can to try and keep the word of God from bearing fruit. There is no escaping from the sun; it’s going to try and burn you. There is no SPF 4000. Luckily, the secret to saving the plant is not hiding it from the sun, but increasing the depth of the soil. So how can we make our soil deeper?
Psalm 1:1-3 says,
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (ESV)
The psalmist tells us that the people who obey God and remain in him; those who mediate on God’s law day and night, they are the ones who produce fruit. So if your soil is shallow, spend time reading your Bible. Know what the word of God says, so when the sun comes out it does not burn you up. Paul calls the word of God the Sword of the spirit. We can fight with it. Your friends say, “Come on man, it’s just looking. It’s not like your doing anything.” And you can say, “Jesus says if you look at a woman lustfully you have already committed adultery with her in your heart.” Or maybe that voice inside your head tells you that people won’t like you if you look like that, and you can answer back, “I am not to let my beauty be external but internal as the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.” We can fight against Satan with the word of God, but we have to know it if we are to use it. There is a reason why Paul says to “take up” the sword of the spirit. Just because it is sitting on your night stand doesn’t mean it is protecting you. You must immerse yourself in the scriptures and prayer. We must know the promises of God if our plants are to survive the sun of persecution when it rises in our lives.
- Mitch
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Show me faith without works, and I'll show you a sushi roll with jalapeno and egg on it
I had sushi for dinner tonight. It was delicious. I was enjoying the nice atmosphere and food, when two women came in and sat nearby to order their meals.
They began to chat about life, and one of the women told her friend that she was filing for divorce from her husband. She then said that she had already found a good man, and she was in love with him. Her friend asked her where they had met, to which the first woman replied "We were friends in church before I decided to get a divorce. He is a really great guy who understands me and I just love him like I've never loved before."
After this remark, the second woman asked her friend where they had gone to church, and after learning where they went, she told her where she went, and they both laughed and ordered salads and a very interesting sushi roll that included jalapenos and egg.
I was reading James before I had gone to eat, and it was in my mind as I heard these women talking, both of whom would consider themselves faithful Christians.
James 2:14-26 offers a stern warning to us.
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness'-and he was called a friend of God.
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."
If you have never read this passage before, it might alarm you. After all, isn't the great sounding call of the Protestant "by faith alone?"
Many people have thought that Paul and James fought over this issue of justification by faith alone. Paul clearly states in Galatians 3:1-14 that only those who by faith accept Jesus will be counted righteous. And here, we have James saying that "... a person is justified by works and not by faith alone."
Read carefully my friends. Paul and James are not fighting each other; rather, they are complementing one another.
Paul uses Abraham's faith in following God away from his homeland into a foreign one to show that Abraham was saved and justified by God because of his faith in what God had told him.
James uses Abraham's faith in sacrificing his son to show that the Abraham's faith was "completed," or shown to be a genuine saving faith by his obedient actions towards God.
This passage goes on to say that "faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James uses the example of the "christian" who encounters someone with a physical need, and instead of supplying the need, the "christian" just says some cheap words and moves on.
Both Paul and James are echoing Jesus' teaching on those who call him Lord but do not obey what he says. Jesus says these people prove they are not true disciples because the storms and trials of life come, and they are not built up by a life of obeying Jesus' commands. The storms come, and the 'faith' of these people is totally destroyed and proven useless.(Luke 6:43-49)
Guys and gals, the Scriptures are not meant to be things we simply chew over in our heads a little bit, and then leave until we come home or get free on the weekend.
They are meant to be a measuring rod for our lives. We are expected to look into the Scriptures, and see how they tell us to live, and then go out and do that. If we look into the Scriptures and see an area or areas that do not line up, God is not content for us merely to be 'bummed out' about it. He expects us to meet him everyday and ask him to change our hearts until they love him and look like him in all areas of our lives. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
I pray that God lets us see the wickedness in all our hearts, the wickedness that drives us back to our Father who is willing and loving to change us.
-Brett
They began to chat about life, and one of the women told her friend that she was filing for divorce from her husband. She then said that she had already found a good man, and she was in love with him. Her friend asked her where they had met, to which the first woman replied "We were friends in church before I decided to get a divorce. He is a really great guy who understands me and I just love him like I've never loved before."
After this remark, the second woman asked her friend where they had gone to church, and after learning where they went, she told her where she went, and they both laughed and ordered salads and a very interesting sushi roll that included jalapenos and egg.
I was reading James before I had gone to eat, and it was in my mind as I heard these women talking, both of whom would consider themselves faithful Christians.
James 2:14-26 offers a stern warning to us.
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness'-and he was called a friend of God.
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."
If you have never read this passage before, it might alarm you. After all, isn't the great sounding call of the Protestant "by faith alone?"
Many people have thought that Paul and James fought over this issue of justification by faith alone. Paul clearly states in Galatians 3:1-14 that only those who by faith accept Jesus will be counted righteous. And here, we have James saying that "... a person is justified by works and not by faith alone."
Read carefully my friends. Paul and James are not fighting each other; rather, they are complementing one another.
Paul uses Abraham's faith in following God away from his homeland into a foreign one to show that Abraham was saved and justified by God because of his faith in what God had told him.
James uses Abraham's faith in sacrificing his son to show that the Abraham's faith was "completed," or shown to be a genuine saving faith by his obedient actions towards God.
This passage goes on to say that "faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James uses the example of the "christian" who encounters someone with a physical need, and instead of supplying the need, the "christian" just says some cheap words and moves on.
Both Paul and James are echoing Jesus' teaching on those who call him Lord but do not obey what he says. Jesus says these people prove they are not true disciples because the storms and trials of life come, and they are not built up by a life of obeying Jesus' commands. The storms come, and the 'faith' of these people is totally destroyed and proven useless.(Luke 6:43-49)
Guys and gals, the Scriptures are not meant to be things we simply chew over in our heads a little bit, and then leave until we come home or get free on the weekend.
They are meant to be a measuring rod for our lives. We are expected to look into the Scriptures, and see how they tell us to live, and then go out and do that. If we look into the Scriptures and see an area or areas that do not line up, God is not content for us merely to be 'bummed out' about it. He expects us to meet him everyday and ask him to change our hearts until they love him and look like him in all areas of our lives. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
I pray that God lets us see the wickedness in all our hearts, the wickedness that drives us back to our Father who is willing and loving to change us.
-Brett
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Four Soils: The Perilous Path
Mark 4:1-9
The parable of the sower is one we all know, and I’ll bet every time you read it, you think of the gospel. Am I right? Of course I am. And you should, this parable is very much about the gospel, but I think that there is something very beneficial in expanding our view on the “word” that is sown.
The word of God is, like I said, very much the gospel, but it also goes out in other ways. God whispers to you, “Go help that person.” or “Are you really loving your wife like I love the church?” Each time God speaks to us he is sowing his word, whether it be through scripture and the spirit, prayer, or other people. We can use the parable of sower to help us guard ourselves so that we can effectively respond to the word of God when he speaks to us. Not only in his saving call of repentance and belief, but also in his sanctifying call to live like Christ.
The first soil that Jesus mentions is the Path. This path is not a good place to be. The ground is so hard that he seed can not even penetrate it, let alone bear any fruit. The seed just sits there and the birds come by and snatch it away. The soil in this parable is referring to our hearts. Have you allowed your heart to become so hard and insensitive that you don’t even hear the word of God when he speaks to you? Is simply snatched away by the birds? In verse 15 of Chapter 4 Jesus shows us what’s really going on. He tells us that the bird is really Satan, and he snatches it away.
In our society, we play down the spiritual world. It’s seldom mentioned in church, and, at least for me, when I do hear it I don’t take it as seriously as I should. But it is constantly pointed to in scripture that we find ourselves in the middle a battle that is entirely spiritual. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to demolish strongholds.” Not only is our spiritual battle very real, our enemy is very real. Peter says of Satan in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Listen to Peter’s warning. If we are walking on the perilous path Satan has us. We are blind and deaf to the words of God. 2 Timothy says we are “taken captive to do his [Satan] will. To add to the power of Peter’s warning lets look at what Jesus tells him in Luke 22:31-32, before he denies knowing Christ.
Jesus says, “Simon, Simon behold Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again strengthen you brothers.” Peter knew what it meant to have the seed snatched away, and he is warning us so that we won’t find ourselves in the same situation. Satan wants to destroy you! And if you find yourself on the Perilous Path, he is succeeding. He is snatching up the word of God before you even hear it. But even if we find ourselves there, we are not without hope. Christ is the one who intercedes for us. He is our savior and just like he kept Peter, he will keep us, but we must get off the path. How do we do this? James 4:7 is our answer. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” We must turn to God and submit to him to get off the path. He is our salvation. He is our hope. He is our savior. Submit to God, and resist the Devil.
-Mitchell
The parable of the sower is one we all know, and I’ll bet every time you read it, you think of the gospel. Am I right? Of course I am. And you should, this parable is very much about the gospel, but I think that there is something very beneficial in expanding our view on the “word” that is sown.
The word of God is, like I said, very much the gospel, but it also goes out in other ways. God whispers to you, “Go help that person.” or “Are you really loving your wife like I love the church?” Each time God speaks to us he is sowing his word, whether it be through scripture and the spirit, prayer, or other people. We can use the parable of sower to help us guard ourselves so that we can effectively respond to the word of God when he speaks to us. Not only in his saving call of repentance and belief, but also in his sanctifying call to live like Christ.
The first soil that Jesus mentions is the Path. This path is not a good place to be. The ground is so hard that he seed can not even penetrate it, let alone bear any fruit. The seed just sits there and the birds come by and snatch it away. The soil in this parable is referring to our hearts. Have you allowed your heart to become so hard and insensitive that you don’t even hear the word of God when he speaks to you? Is simply snatched away by the birds? In verse 15 of Chapter 4 Jesus shows us what’s really going on. He tells us that the bird is really Satan, and he snatches it away.
In our society, we play down the spiritual world. It’s seldom mentioned in church, and, at least for me, when I do hear it I don’t take it as seriously as I should. But it is constantly pointed to in scripture that we find ourselves in the middle a battle that is entirely spiritual. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to demolish strongholds.” Not only is our spiritual battle very real, our enemy is very real. Peter says of Satan in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Listen to Peter’s warning. If we are walking on the perilous path Satan has us. We are blind and deaf to the words of God. 2 Timothy says we are “taken captive to do his [Satan] will. To add to the power of Peter’s warning lets look at what Jesus tells him in Luke 22:31-32, before he denies knowing Christ.
Jesus says, “Simon, Simon behold Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again strengthen you brothers.” Peter knew what it meant to have the seed snatched away, and he is warning us so that we won’t find ourselves in the same situation. Satan wants to destroy you! And if you find yourself on the Perilous Path, he is succeeding. He is snatching up the word of God before you even hear it. But even if we find ourselves there, we are not without hope. Christ is the one who intercedes for us. He is our savior and just like he kept Peter, he will keep us, but we must get off the path. How do we do this? James 4:7 is our answer. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” We must turn to God and submit to him to get off the path. He is our salvation. He is our hope. He is our savior. Submit to God, and resist the Devil.
-Mitchell
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Luke 6:43-46
"For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Why then do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and not do what I tell you?"
Our class name is going to be True Vine.
Are we bearing fruit as a class, and more importantly, are we bearing fruit in our everyday lives for Jesus?
Millions of people will attend church on Easter Sunday, confident that because they said a two minute prayer when they were 5, and they haven't missed more than 3 Easter services since then, Jesus counts them as one of his flock.
This is a tragedy.
Jesus never said "say a prayer like this, and I will save you." He said to repent, or turn away from the sin we were commiting, and follow him. He was very clear that the only people who he counted as his own were those who did what he told them.
In his sermon on the plain in Luke chapter 6, Jesus outlines what it means to be a follower of his. He tells us that we are to love our enemies (verses 27-36), and to judge ourselves before we judge others around us (verses 37-42). He closes out his sermon with the passage above about bearing good fruit. Why?
He is reinforcing the truth that the people who love him and truly follow him will LIVE as he lived, and not merely talk as he talk.
He expects us to "bear fruits in keeping with repentance." (Luke 3:8) If you are wondering what you are to look for in your life as evidence that you are saved, look for the fruit of the Spirit in your life, that is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)
Don't rest on a prayer found nowhere in the Bible for your comfort. Don't think that since Jesus died for your sins, how you live now doesn't matter. Don't use the standards that the church uses to gauge spiritual maturity, i.e. age or the regularity of your tithe or the number of committees you've chaired or the number of solos you've sang in choir.
Instead, let us look to the Master for our confirmation. Do we look like Christ? Do we feel pain when we fail him? Do we want to become more like him?
I pray our class truly bears fruit worthy of the True Vine.
-Brett
Our class name is going to be True Vine.
Are we bearing fruit as a class, and more importantly, are we bearing fruit in our everyday lives for Jesus?
Millions of people will attend church on Easter Sunday, confident that because they said a two minute prayer when they were 5, and they haven't missed more than 3 Easter services since then, Jesus counts them as one of his flock.
This is a tragedy.
Jesus never said "say a prayer like this, and I will save you." He said to repent, or turn away from the sin we were commiting, and follow him. He was very clear that the only people who he counted as his own were those who did what he told them.
In his sermon on the plain in Luke chapter 6, Jesus outlines what it means to be a follower of his. He tells us that we are to love our enemies (verses 27-36), and to judge ourselves before we judge others around us (verses 37-42). He closes out his sermon with the passage above about bearing good fruit. Why?
He is reinforcing the truth that the people who love him and truly follow him will LIVE as he lived, and not merely talk as he talk.
He expects us to "bear fruits in keeping with repentance." (Luke 3:8) If you are wondering what you are to look for in your life as evidence that you are saved, look for the fruit of the Spirit in your life, that is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)
Don't rest on a prayer found nowhere in the Bible for your comfort. Don't think that since Jesus died for your sins, how you live now doesn't matter. Don't use the standards that the church uses to gauge spiritual maturity, i.e. age or the regularity of your tithe or the number of committees you've chaired or the number of solos you've sang in choir.
Instead, let us look to the Master for our confirmation. Do we look like Christ? Do we feel pain when we fail him? Do we want to become more like him?
I pray our class truly bears fruit worthy of the True Vine.
-Brett
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Don’t be a Burning Branch (John 15:1-11)
Jesus is the true vine and we are the branches. But what type of type of branch are you? Are you a fruit bearing branch, or one that, although it has leaves and is attached to the vine, produces no fruit? This is scary question because Jesus says the branches that don’t bear fruit are cut off, allowed to wither, then are gathered and burned- a burning branch. I think it is safe to say that no one wants to be one of those branches. Right? We want to be a branch that bears fruit. Jesus says in verse 2, “every branch that does bear fruit he[his father, the vinedresser] prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Jesus also says of these branches in verse 8 that they glorify his father and that they prove to be his disciples. This isn’t said of the burning branches, so I think it fair to say that they have not glorified God and have proven themselves not to be his disciples. (see 1 John 2:19) To be a part of the True Vine means to be a branch that bears fruit. But how do we do that? One of the reasons I love this passage of scripture so much is that Jesus clearly lines out what a disciple looks like and what we gain by being a fruit bearing branch.
If we want to be a branch that bears fruit we must do one thing, Abide. Abide means to remain, and in verses 4 and 5 Jesus says, “Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” If we abide in Jesus and he abides in us we WILL bear fruit. So there are two conditions to bearing fruit: abide in Jesus and have Jesus abide in you. We serve a God who is the definition of faithful. Hebrew 13:5 says “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” God will not leave us. Jesus will not forsake us. But are we as faithful as him? In verse 10 Jesus says that to abide in him means to obey him. We must be obedient to Jesus. And I think that the place we fail him the most is the place that is mentioned in the first part of Hebrew 13:5. “Keep you life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” Ouch. Many times I have been convicted by the Spirit over my love of things. And I know I am not alone. I can see it all over the American Church. And I know that it isn’t new to us because God speaks about it so many times in scripture. Over and over again it says not to love money or the things of this world. They are passing away, they are like grass that withers and is burned. Not only are they fleeting, but they do not satisfy. We get what we think we desire; only to find ourselves wanting more. Our culture compounds the problem. We have the means of acquiring many possessions, and on top of that it is encouraged. But this same mentality is not promoted by scripture. In fact it is quite the opposite. We can not have the American Dream and Jesus. Jesus must be our dream. He is all there is. He is what satisfies. He is eternal and never fades. He is love and he promises that he will never leave us of forsake us. But how often do we forsake him, to pursue vain idols? We must stop. We must do what Hebrews 13:5 commands us to do and keep our life free from the love of money. If we don’t we are not obeying Jesus. And if we are not obeying, we are not abiding. And if we are not abiding, we are not bearing fruit. And we are not bearing fruit, we are burning. Don’t be a Burning Branch. Bear fruit that you may prove yourself to be a disciple and bring glory to God. Do so and the joy of Jesus Christ will be in you, and your joy will be full.
-Mitchell
If we want to be a branch that bears fruit we must do one thing, Abide. Abide means to remain, and in verses 4 and 5 Jesus says, “Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” If we abide in Jesus and he abides in us we WILL bear fruit. So there are two conditions to bearing fruit: abide in Jesus and have Jesus abide in you. We serve a God who is the definition of faithful. Hebrew 13:5 says “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” God will not leave us. Jesus will not forsake us. But are we as faithful as him? In verse 10 Jesus says that to abide in him means to obey him. We must be obedient to Jesus. And I think that the place we fail him the most is the place that is mentioned in the first part of Hebrew 13:5. “Keep you life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” Ouch. Many times I have been convicted by the Spirit over my love of things. And I know I am not alone. I can see it all over the American Church. And I know that it isn’t new to us because God speaks about it so many times in scripture. Over and over again it says not to love money or the things of this world. They are passing away, they are like grass that withers and is burned. Not only are they fleeting, but they do not satisfy. We get what we think we desire; only to find ourselves wanting more. Our culture compounds the problem. We have the means of acquiring many possessions, and on top of that it is encouraged. But this same mentality is not promoted by scripture. In fact it is quite the opposite. We can not have the American Dream and Jesus. Jesus must be our dream. He is all there is. He is what satisfies. He is eternal and never fades. He is love and he promises that he will never leave us of forsake us. But how often do we forsake him, to pursue vain idols? We must stop. We must do what Hebrews 13:5 commands us to do and keep our life free from the love of money. If we don’t we are not obeying Jesus. And if we are not obeying, we are not abiding. And if we are not abiding, we are not bearing fruit. And we are not bearing fruit, we are burning. Don’t be a Burning Branch. Bear fruit that you may prove yourself to be a disciple and bring glory to God. Do so and the joy of Jesus Christ will be in you, and your joy will be full.
-Mitchell