Tuesday, February 28, 2012

hating death

If you read/watch the news it's hard to ignore the black eyes. It is clear that there are tremendous amounts of loss happening around the world. The death toll is Syria is at 7,500 and climbing. Three high school students in Ohio were killed and two others injured at the hands of a fellow student. A church in Africa was the target of a bombing killing some of its congregants. And those are only a few cases with many more completely unknown.

The Bible does reveal why death is a reality of life. Sin ushered in the reign of death (Romans 5:12). Christians can (and should) be honest about this fact. But our response to death should mimic Christ's response: anger and grief. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled (John 11:33). Jesus was angry about death. It was not part of God's good creation, and it brought pain and agony (as He would know better than anyone). This anger led Him to grieve over death and its effects.  

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb (John 11:38). It also led Jesus to act. He raised Lazarus from the dead showing the life found in the kingdom of God, and foreshadowing His own final victory over death. While we may not be called to raise people from the dead (though God's Spirit is more than able), we are called to pray for and share the message of life with those affected by death. And since death affects everyone, no one gets left out.

For while death will remain a reality until Christ comes back, it does not need to be the final reality. For Christ removed the sting and victory of death (1 Corinthians 15), so that we might never know it fully. And because of Christ, we can look forward to the day when sin and death are no more.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:3-5)

Friday, February 24, 2012

satisfy

For a variety of reasons I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary Christian music. Often times, I would rather listen to a hymn. However, there are certain bands/individuals who I will listen to from time to time. One of them is Tenth Avenue North. Their album, Over and Underneath, is one of my personal favorites of any musical genre. I just like what the songs say and how they say it.

One song in particular has been running through my head and/or speakers over the past week. It is entitled Satisfy.

Before the sun has touched the sky
Colors bursting from Your eyes
Before the flood of the morning light

Before the earth has felt Your heat
Before I stand up to my feet
Before I begin to feel this weak

(Chorus) Satisfy me, Lord
Satisfy me, Lord
I'm begging You to help me see
You're all I want , You're what I need
Satisfy me, Lord

And when the day is closing in like the stars in the night
I am falling into the pull of the earth and its affections

In me, O Lord, can You create a pure heart?
Because I'm afraid that I just might run back
To the things I hate

(Chorus)

You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You're more than all this world can give
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
Your love is all I need to live

(Chorus

Why this song? First, I rarely find myself satisfied. I am always hungering and thirsting. And sadly, the things I am hungering and thirsting for are not Christ. I know He alone satisfies, but I would rather fill myself with empty things. I lack a trust in His all-sufficient grace.

Second, I like how a lack of satisfaction leads to a plea for more of God's grace. It doesn't put emphasis on trying harder to fix myself. Finding satisfaction in God comes through His Spirit showing me just how desperate I am. As He works upon my heart, the rest of me will see all the satisfaction I need is already mine through Christ.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

going out and coming in

 Exodus 13 is only twenty-two verses, which is rather short compared to the other chapters in Exodus. However, two themes are stressed multiple times over the course of the twenty-two verses.

The first is a call for Israel to remember how they were able to get out of slavery in Egypt.

Remember...for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. (v.3)

And it shall be to you as a sign...For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. (v.9)

...you shall to say him, By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. (v.14)

It shall be as a mark...for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt. (v.16)

The second is a call for Israel to trust and know who was going before them into the Promise Land.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land... (v.17)

But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea...(v.18)

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light... (v.21)

The pillar of cloud...and the pillar of fire did not depart from before the people. (v.22)

For us on this side of the crucifixion, these verses hold the same value. First, we are to remember the strong hand of God, which redeemed us from the house of slavery. Christ's death and resurrection was the display of God's power (Ephesians 1). We should be reminding ourselves and one another of this truth every single day.

Additionally, we are to remember God is the one leading us into the Promise Land. Like Israel, God has not left us to ourselves. Instead of a pillar of cloud and fire, we have been given the indwelling Spirit of God. He is the one who goes before us and leads us to our final home in the city of God. We should be daily submitting ourselves to His guidance and faithfully following His leading.

For just as He did with Israel, God has led us out by His strong arm, and He will lead us in with that same strong arm.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Christ or Christianity (what's the difference?)

I'm not quite sure what this exact reading had to do with my hermeneutics class, but it grabbed me. The emphasis is on missions, but it aptly applies to anyone seeking to share Christ with those around them.

In India I had the wonderful privilege of seeing how pointing people to Christ far outweighs pointing them to Christianity. The children were not won over by the finer beliefs of Christianity. They were won over by the Holy Spirit revealing Christ in a convincing way. As the gospel went forth, hearts began to change. Obviously doctrine is important, but it should be the logical response of a heart already captivated by Christ.

We speak as if the Gospel and the doctrine, preaching Christ and preaching Christianity, were identical terms…Christianity, the doctrine, is a system of thought and practice: preaching Christ, the Gospel, is a revelation of a Person…But the Person is greater than the doctrine and far excels it, and consequently, when we speak of preaching Christianity and pass from the thought of Christ to the thought of doctrine, we pass from the reality itself to the shadow of the reality…To make converts to a doctrine is to make proselytes. The proselyte abandons one system of thought and practice for another; and to adopt a new system of thought and practice is not the way of salvation. The Christian convert is a convert not to a system of doctrine but to Christ. It is in Christ that he trusts, not in any system of doctrine or of morals. The difference between the work of a judaizing zealot and the Christian missionary lies here: that one sought a convert to his doctrine; the other seeks a convert to his Lord. This distinction is most profoundly important…when we ourselves know and feel the impulse of the Holy Spirit driving us to communicate to others the knowledge of Christ it is really a contradiction of our own experience to say that other men who experience the power of Christ and His Holy Spirit will not do what we know Christ and His Holy Spirit must urge them to do.

~Allen, Rollan The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church

Saturday, February 11, 2012

J.I. Packer on preaching

J.I. Packer offers seven convictions when it comes to the practice and necessity of preaching. The convictions are for both the men doing the preaching as well as those listening to the exposition of the Word of God.

1. Scripture is revelation- "Heaven is not silent; God the Creator has spoken, and the Bible is His written Word."
2. God is glorious- "...all of His self-revelation calls for constant praise, since it is infinitely praiseworthy."
3. People are lost- "Mankind's state is tragic"
4. Christ is unchanging- "The need of this Christ is universal; the adequacy of this Christ is inexhaustible; the power of this Christ is immeasurable."
5. Persuasion is needed- "Preaching is not the art of browbeating, but of persuading, in a way that shows both respect for the human mind and reverence for the God who made it."
6. Satan is active- "Preaching is thus...an endless battle for truth and power, a battle that has to be fought afresh each time by watchfulness and prayer."
7. God's Spirit is sovereign- "Through the Spirit's agency in both preacher and hearers, the Word of God becomes invincible."

~J.I. Packer in The Preacher and Preaching

Thursday, February 9, 2012

transformation

During my breaks, I read the news. For me, the news can be sports, world, local, national, or some of the "not overly important," but still interesting stories flying through the interwebs.

Today I found this one from Good Morning America (just a note of caution that the video does have some suggestive video clips and photos considering the topic, but you don't have to watch it in order to understand the story). For those who choose or are unable to view it, the story is about a former Victoria Secret model who, at 21, recently gave up modeling with this particular company because of her love for Christ and her husband. She is still modeling with other companies, but "only those jobs which I believe are honoring to the Lord" (her words, not mine).

She got the job with Victoria Secret after winning one of those modeling reality shows. This pretty much guaranteed her a very successful career in terms of money and fame. But as she encountered and grew in the grace of God, she saw honoring Him and her husband far more valuable then what she had. Simply put, the message of the gospel transformed not only her lifestyle, but her entire way of thinking.

I wish stories like these were covered more. Seeing people transformed by the Spirit who works in their lives is awesome. It doesn't matter if the individual was a drug dealer, prostitute, murder, fibber, petty thief, or disrespectful child. When the grace of God grabs hold of hearts it's always worth celebrating.

Monday, February 6, 2012

loving God's grace

A new semester is upon me which means far more reading, writing, studying, translating, and researching and far less sleeping, shaving, working, relaxing, and sports watching. But since I willingly signed up for this, I welcome it with open arms (plus my own strength is not my foundation).

Therefore, my personal thoughts will decrease, and I will make room for the words of others as they speak to me.

Today it's a hymn we sang at our convocation chapel last Thursday. It's simple, but absolutely profound. It screams of the wonders of God's amazing grace. And God's Spirit has continually worked it through me over the course of the past week.

My hope is in the Lord
Who gave Himself for me,
And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary.

No merit of my own
His anger to suppress.
My only hope is found in Jesus’ righteousness.

And now for me He stands
Before the Father’s throne.
He shows His wounded hands and names me as His own.

His grace has planned it all,
’Tis mine but to believe,
And recognize His work of love and Christ receive.

For me He died,
For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives.

~My Hope is in the Lord by Norman J. Clayton