Celebrating Fall
A recent church Fall Newsletter headlined, “Celebrating the Beauty of God’s Changing World” Now, at first glance this may seem like a harmless headliner. It sits on top of a beautiful fall picture of children catching falling leaves. Harmless right? It’s quite picturesque too. Yet, I can’t help to point out how this could be misread. There seems to be a revealing error being communicated here. A fatal error that points to a trend in our churches that has proven to be detrimental to so many. A celebration of gifts rather than the giver. A few years ago this might have never caught my attention and I would have excused it as an issue of semantics and simply displayed grace to the editor. (I’m still willing to dialogue with the editor, because it could be just a matter of retraction and correction.) Yet, this error will more than likely be smiled at as cleaver and cute (with children laughing, of course it’s cute) Yet the effort to make the season less about a Pagan ritual by throwing ‘God’ in the headline doesn’t necessarily excuse the headline as being an acceptable Christian statement. Without ‘God’ in the headline it would read “Celebrating the beauty of a changing world” sounds like a progressive political magazine now, right? Do you see my conflict yet? God is not changing, yet His world is changing. Is this something we should celebrate?
There is at least two types of changing here that could be expressed:1) The change that happens Read more
A World Vision
I recently had the joy of traveling out of the States to the “heart” of Europe. Whether you think it’s the heart of Europe or not, Slovakia is a beautiful country with open fields and rolling mountains… Any way, while we were there, our team spent nearly a week in the northern mountains running a English speaking camp for Slovak students. Though there are several stories and great things I could share about what God did in Slovakia and how he made himself known. I want to take this post to share my personal experience and the subtle impact it has had upon my life.
I’ve struggled pinning it down but this might be how I would describe it. This difference is something like a better view from the overlook of a mountain, a far greater understanding of the call for us to go. To see the need for His presence to be made known and to make it known. Yes, through teaching and sharing about him, but also through the care and time that he desires for our relationships daily whether abroad or at home. Sure, a month ago I would have agreed with that statement, that I believed all of that. Yet, when participating in an effort to go beyond our own land. Something about affirming a statement and not living it out or at least not yet to experience it doesn’t settle well with me. (Matthew 5-7 is something that came to mind)
It’s very easy to come back from such a trip and really feel like you’ve got some things figured out. I truly desire to be careful and intentional enough to let things simmer down a bit and for the realities of my “localized” community settle back in. Yet coming back was not the usual “spiritual high” experience for me. That makes me think of Psalm 33:10. He will ruin our plans and bring them to nothing. A humbling truth when we really think about his grip on our lives and his desire for the nations.
Though I’ve been called to live where I am now. The impact has been a new unsettled feeling, a desire to move forward with this new understanding. In other words a clearer view of the next step or a more focused perspective of the current stage of life I am called.
One of the most interesting lies that has been magnified by this trip for me was the idea we like to convince ourselves of “I’ve just had no desire to go and do that sort of thing”. This is a statement that I didn’t like before, but now even more so after going. It’s magnified itself in conversations. I don’t think we’re all meant to go to the tough places, and many of us might not be called out of our “mother land”. Yet, the statement above does not justify our lack of striving toward and wrestling with a greater vision of God’s desire to see people groups come to know Him. Think about Jonah… Sometimes, being pulled out of the comforts of our surroundings and into a completely different society is what God requires for us to be a part of what He is doing globally. Having God place us in a society with challenges that are either different or possibly greater than our homeland can transform us and make us seek after Him in new ways.
Now, before you think I’ve gotten on my high horse just after one mission trip. (Yes, this was my first to a foreign land) I want to be sure that you know I’m not trying to point the finger at the “American” church as a blanket statement to THE church. There are thousands that go every year and serve abroad. Yet I’m also not willing to say that we’ve got it right. No, there is much to do and I’m saddened that there is still too few who are willing to go to people groups that don’t know Jesus. I think to confirm either status would be foolish, though I’m more willing to vocalize the need for discipline within our churches because of it’s current slothful nature and unregenerate status. What I think is greater to point out is the need for us to be striving to see the world as He sees it and to go no matter what. (EASIER SAID THAN DONE)
For so long I’ve sat on the sidelines and have watched several of my friends go on trips and come back changed. (Though our personal transformation is not the entire impact of a trip, it does play a roll in our relationship with our God and the world.) They would come back different, striving for something I could not understand. They had gained a new world vision. Maybe I was jealous, because I never thought this was something I could do or would do. No, by saying this I’m not glorifying missions as a means to justify ourselves. BY NO MEANS! I know several devoted and godly christians who are not called out of their homeland. What I hope to emphasize is the great need for us to live in such a way that we reflect God’s heart for the nations. That we become devoted to our Lord’s calling that we strive to be obedient to His call regardless of “our” desire. To Love God and to Love Others.
Jonah’s Dilemma and Nineveh’s Salvation
Below are a few thoughts on the book of Jonah. Well, not just a few but more of a continuation of a few posts I made for the students on the student ministry website that I work for. Just a few follow up thoughts to our current series in Jonah that I thought would be beneficial to share here.
Chapter One
Jonah isn’t the first guy to flee from the presence of God. Yet what’s so crazy about Jonah is the shear audacity of his pride. To flee from an ever-present God is the most ridiculous thing to ever consider. The psalmist made it clear when he said “where shall I flee from your presence?”(Psalm 139:7) God is everywhere. Yet Jonah a prophet of God thinks he can flee. What’s so profound about this is the foundational issue at hand. None of us seek after God (including Jonah). Yet, God seeks to display who He is in some of the most remarkable ways and draw us near to him.
Jonah could have been killed when he was thrown into the water. Yet, God spared him and sought after him to go. How remarkable is God’s redemptive desires that He will go to great lengths to bring us back to Him.
Chapter Two
Wow, Chapter 2 is very insightful into what went down once Jonah was thrown over. It wasn’t quite like swimming with flounder and Sebastian. In fact it was quite the contrary. It makes me wonder: Has Jonah recognized his foolishness yet? Is giving himself over to the sea a display of defeat and admitting his guilt? Jonah’s prayer gives insight into what had come upon his heart in the midst of sinking to the depths of the ocean.
His willing response to the circumstances reveals that his heart had hardened and it’s need for softening. He knows this must be his cue to admit he was wrong willingly or else things could get worse for himself and the crew. Was jumping ship an effort to continue running further from God by his hopes of death, or was he admitting his guilt and humbling himself to his evident “judgment” for running from God? If Jonah thought he could run that far, he had lost his mind at this point. I think what we see hear is a clear understanding that Jonah knew he was in the wrong and God was making that clear to him.
He recognized he was in the wrong and humbled himself just a tiny bit. His prayer makes this clear. He recognizes God’s hand against Him in verse 3. (vs. 3 “For YOU had cast me into the deep”) An unlikely response after seeing how deliberately he ran from God. Part of me wants to think he would have continued in his pride and not admit that God was against him at this point. Yet, Jonah’s prayer while in the fish shows that he cried out to God for salvation from the ragging sea around him.
Being thrown into the depths was not a casual swim. He was in this situation because of his own desire to flee God’s plans. He was in the waters because of his selfishness and disobedience. Jonah realigns himself with God yet God’s purposes for Jonah are not yet complete. Still more is to be done in Jonah’s heart as we will see in Chapter 4. Yes, believe it or not God spares Jonah in his distress despite all that Jonah has done thus far. Isn’t that amazing! Finally Jonah claims the most significant truth with the last words of his prayer “Salvation is from the Lord”
Chapter Three
So, Did Jonah forget that he had to go to Nineveh? Wasn’t the whole crazy storm and being swallowed by the fish a bit of a wake up call that he disobeyed. Yet, here in Chapter 3 he’s reminded again to go. This kinda reminds me of myself sometimes in my forgetfulness, but I haven’t been swallowed by any fish lately either. I think by this point I would be booking it to Nineveh, that’s if I had the strength.
Honestly it reminds me of Psalm 33:10 “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.” Wow… Jonah’s plans, whatever they were, were brought to nothing.
So the word of the Lord comes to Jonah. I wonder what was going through his head at this point. I’m sure he was a bit out of it to some degree, and thankful to be alive as we saw in his prayer. After three days in the belly of a fish, you are more than likely going to have a hard time standing, if you’re still alive.
Yet, the word of the Lord came to him again. An amazing thing about the book of Jonah is how it displays a few awesome characteristics of our God. Especially here, we see how His yes is yes and His no is no. God is faithful to his plans and His desires. He really isn’t going to play a guessing game with us when it comes to His will being carried out on the earth. God makes it clear to Jonah not once but twice, and believe it or not He has Jonah’s attention now. True, sometimes we struggle to perceive God’s desires, but it’s never sent to us in ways we can’t understand. Jonah was a prophet, he knew when God was talking to him at this point.
So, Nineveh was not a city that Jonah wanted to go to in the first place and several would say it all boils down to Jonah’s opinion of Nineveh’s value in being redeemed. As we will see in Chapter 4 Jonah’s heart issue comes to light once again, and God displays how he seeks out to display His glory whether we are all on board or not. It was pretty remarkable how quickly this city turned to God. To see this happen should blow us all away. God is a pretty amazing God if He can take such a twisted city and draw it to himself so quickly is what some might say. I say it is amazing that God has withheld is rightful judgment on us and has set His heart to save us.
This should transform our thoughts about God’s ability to take whatever condition we are in and change hearts! His greatness is displayed in our lives when we turn from our sinful desires to Him. This glorifies Him for who He is. He can take even the filthiest city or people group and redeem them to himself no matter what, but just for him to take out our rightful punishment on his very own son should be magnified here. This is huge! He is worthy of our praise and adoration for his great love for us. How GREAT is HE who has redeemed our traitorous race to himself!! 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Chapter Four
Soon to come!
How do we glorify God?
I live right down the street from this amazing used books store that is a treasure chest of books for any theologian. Upon checking out, the owner also included a freebee titled How Do We Glorify God?, by John D. Hannah. This little book is a part of a Series about the Basics of the Reformed Faith.
With Romans 11:36 as its central focus. I found that this book was very helpful in narrowing a basic understanding of what any reformed theologian finds to be dear. With a clear cutting tone. The author holds nothing back about the current status of the church and the need for a “radical perspective”
Many churches have fallen prey to cultural assimilation. They have degenerated into self-serving enterprises whose primary celebration is to exalt God as giver and to validate a message of cultural narcissism and personal advantages. Such churches have accommodated themselves to things that are not eternal. Genuine worship is not like that. It realizes the worth of God and our dependence on him. It is not a celebration of a favored socioeconomic status within a decadent capitalistic state.
Offering several key thoughts about why the church has lost it’s God-Centeredness. Hannah offers the stark contrast of what it means to be God-Centered, placing a spot light on the five solas: Scripture alone, Christ alone, Grace alone, Faith alone and Glory to God alone. This again is an affirmation of Romans 11:36 “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” After laying this foundation Hannah offers a few answers to the radical reformed questions such as: What is the chief end of man? What is the chief end of God?
The very nature of God’s being, that is, he alone, is the cause of his creative activities. it might be explained this way: God values himself above all else, and because he does, he is himself the end of creation. When the world is consumed in the final judgment and time no longer exists, the ultimate end of God’s handiwork will be known. It will be evident then that God is the final end of all his activities.
One of the most amazing things he points out is how the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. (Does John Piper ring a bell?) To live out life in such a way that indicates our love for the father. “True virtue is rooted in an inward perception of the holiness and beauty of God… Only a Christian can have true virtue because only a Christian can delight in God for who he is alone.” This means that all the “good” done in society apart from God is not rooted in him it is grounded in “self-love and the desire to enjoy pleasant circumstances.”
Moreover Hannah forms His thoughts around one question each day. “Will you (God) grant me the privilege of glorifying you today?” His focus isn’t; What are my duties today? His desire and focus is glorifying God through the vehicle of his tasks at hand. Rather than focusing on the tasks themselves. God desires “that he would see himself in me each day.” Hannah points out. To have a radical, God-centered perspective in a self-centered, self-loving culture is to live forth and shine forth Him for who He is and not as a mere giver of pleasing circumstances.
How marvelous a transformation this requires in the lives of believers and how marvelous is the creator who will see to its end. To God alone be all the glory!
Judge Not…
People who don’t want scrutiny, people who don’t want to be held accountable for what they teach or what they believe, people who don’t want to be told they’re wrong, they always throw that verse “Judge not lest you be judged!” - John MacArthur
The Emergent Problems of Rob Bell
Adam posted a great article on a book review concerning the typical demographic in America that runs like wildfire to the teaches of the emergent church. One of Rob Bell’s popular books, “Velvet Elvis” is nothing more than a theological mess and frankly should not be labeled Christian. Pastor Ken Silva, over at Apprising Ministries, has an excellent post entitled, “Rob Bell Makes Me Angry: A Pastoral Response to Velvet Elvis.”
Following along the lines of the book Adam reviewed, albeit probably a little more polemic (which in my opinion is needed), Silva gives an excellent response to Bell’s book “Velvet Elvis”. For example,
Rob Bell makes me mad because he downplays the vital role of conversion. In a horrible overreaction against professing Christians wrongly not being compassionate, Bell says “the most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people…” (p. 167). He then proceeds to establish a supporting argument that would surely set well with most anyone who is either ignorant of or ignoring what Jesus says in John 3—unless someone is converted, they will not see the light of day in the kingdom! Bell’s tactic is entirely unacceptable and irresponsible, but dare I say, fits with his mimicking the likes of the quintessential theological liberal Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969).
So, head on over to Apprising Ministry’s web site and read the full post. (And as Dr. Phillips recommends… if you own a copy of Velvet Elvis it’s a great idea to toss it in your trash can!)
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