Extreme Fidelity

The premise from which Joshua Harris gets the title for his book, Not Even a Hint comes from Ephesians 5:3;

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

It is a high calling, particularly for men but also for women, to seek out total sexual purity in this sex-obsessed culture. We are drowned by sexually explicit imagery all around in advertising, humor, clothing choices, and even holiday celebrations. The last one is becoming more evident particularly with Halloween as sales for adult costumes are now exceeding costume sales for children, and the majority of these costumes are sexually provocative. So how do we live without a single hint? What is our motivation?

The answer I believe comes in the following verses, Ephesians 5:25-30;

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

Consider it with this question; what motivation do I have for choosing not to be unfaithful to my wife. We might say because of our love for her, because of the pain it would cause. Or that it would be harmful toward the family, thinking of the children. Or simply that we just couldn’t live with the guilt incurred. But there is a much higher reason given in this text. Marriage is a picture of the Gospel. For us to have infidelity in marriage is to be an affront to Christ. I choose to be faithful to my wife because I do not want to trivialize the Gospel of Jesus Christ before the world.

Now consider this. Christ gave up every other desire for the sake of sanctifying his bride; the church. That is the call we are given. We are to give up every form of expression that is selfish in nature. In the realm of sexuality, it includes things such as pornography and masturbation. These acts are completely selfish in nature, seeking to gratify personal sexual desires rather than live selflessly for our bride. Our engagement in these acts deliberately attack the legitimacy of the Gospel picture being presented. Do we want to show our gratitude to God for the inexpressible gift he has given us? Then we must live in extreme fidelity.

Books for Short-Term Mission Trips

Over at a ministry I find is kindred in spirit to my desire with missions, they have posted a listing of books for use by people who go on short-term missions trips. Topics include cultural sensitivity, what to do after the trip, support raising, and several other good topics. I highly recommend browsing their list located here.

Are You Really Getting It?

These past few weeks I’ve been paying more attention to how books and stories within the Bible fit together. Then I read a blog post over at King’s English that sparked some important thoughts. First I’ll rehash a bit of what the author pointed out.

Proverb’s 1:1 says it was written by King Solomon of whom it is said was the wisest man to ever live. 1:8 then tells us who he is addressing;

My son, hear the instruction of your father, and the law of your mother.

The words, “my son” are repeated 20 times in the book. The king is addressing the prince saying in 1:6 that he is offering “words of the wise and their dark sayings.” As the blogger at King’s English said; these dark sayings are “riddles to be chewed over and reflected on.”

This is where my mind began to wander. Remember how the life of Solomon turned out? Seems he did not listen to his own wisdom. And what of his son Rehoboam? I am confident he heard the words recorded in the book of Proverbs, but we know even from his first major decision that he did not seem to follow after what he was taught.

So hearing may be good, but is it enough?

As we study Scripture, listen to sermons and other forms of Bible teaching such as Sunday School or reading books and blogs, simply hearing is not enough.

David had the right idea in Psalm 119:9-16:

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

It wasn’t just head knowledge, it was heart knowledge. He actively listened and studied it, meditated on it meaning he carefully mulled it over in his mind to grasp its full meaning and implications for his life. He longed for more. He delighted in what he heard and read. It truly was his passion.

So by way of encouragement; do more than simply hear the word. Listen. Think carefully about what is being said. And as James wisely stated, be doers of it.

How Can They Know If No One Tells Them

The recent anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic produced at least one surprising reaction. A number of young people tweeted their surprise that the disaster was more than just another Hollywood film.

While this did make the news, perhaps it is not quite as newsworthy as we may be inclined to think. Another blogger wrote a fine piece on what this really demonstrates in American culture here.

But there is something else this helps demonstrate; The importance of education and the ease which knowledge can be withheld. I am in particular thinking about the Gospel. Americans live in a “Christianized” culture, but how many Americans know the Gospel? How many can tell us just what the mission of Jesus time on this earth was all about? I even wonder how many in our churches could tell us.

This just demonstrates the importance that we take the time to learn the Gospel ourselves, then go and share it with others. We cannot assume that because a person says they go to church or that they are Christian means they know and have accepted the Gospel message. I guarantee these people would have said they knew about the Titanic before this past month, but there source was only Hollywood (and we know how historically inaccurate they can be). So true is it that people may claim to know Jesus, but not really know him. And the only way they will hear is if we go and tell them.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel.”

A Reminder to Remember

A reading from Deuteronomy 9:

"Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, 'It is because of my righteous-ness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. (vs. 4)

"Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteous-ness, for you are a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. (vs. 6-7)

You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you. (vs. 24)

Moses is speaking to the nation of Israel just prior to their entering the promised land at this point and is giving his final admonition to them to remember who the are, whose they are, from whence they came, and to where they are going. Most important in this message is to remember that their esteemed position with God has nothing to do with they as a people. If anything, based on their merit, they should have long before been destroyed. But there they are, sitting along the Jordan River opposite of Jericho. It will become as history shows very important for the people to spend time reminding themselves of how they got there.

This is truly a message of grace. God is  bringing them into the land based on His character, not theirs. God made a promise to Abraham and now his is fulfilling it (in part at least).

In the same way it is with us. We are a sinful people, at war against God and yet he still brings us deliverance from ourselves and our bondage to sin. Our salvation is based on no merit of our own righteousness, for as Isaiah says; they are but filthy rags (64:6). Instead our salvation is brought to us solely based on the grace of God. To him alone belongs the glory, honor, and praise.

A Celebration and Sobering Reminder

Today is known as Palm Sunday. It is the day Jesus arrives at Jerusalem, and as he comes down off the Mount of Olives, people lay their blankets before him and cry out praises for the arrival of a new king. All this is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9;

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The salvation he bore though was not what Israel desired. They wanted deliverance from Roman rule, to be their own kingdom again. The salvation Jesus brought was much greater and something we should celebrate on this Palm Sunday.

But in the midst of this great celebration comes a sobering reminder – the nature and gravity of our sin. In just a matter of days the people who are proclaiming and celebrating the arrival of Jesus will desert him. Others will turn against him. And many will call out “crucify him.” It is an important reminder of how our sin and selfish desires can blind us to the mind, will, and love of God.

May this day be one of celebration and thanksgiving to God for saving us, for opening our eyes to see his salvation, and our minds for understanding it, and our hearts for responding positively to it.

A Thought Concerning the Mega-Lottery

Consider this from Proverbs 30:8-9:

...give me neither poverty nor riches, but only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much & disown you and say,'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor & steal, and dishonor the name of God.

On the flip side we might wish someone would win the lottery who would do a lot of good with the money like give to the poor, adopt, support missionaries, etc. We may even wish that person was “me.”

But let us be honest with ourselves. If (insert your name here) won the lottery, how would I truly respond? Would I truly be generous with my winnings, or would I become suspicious of everyone around me and hoard it or spend it all on myself?

I would like to think I would be generous with it. But I know that my heart is evil, and without Christ’s empowerment I would likely fall into the second camp and perhaps end up in a short amount of time broke or even bankrupt as so many lottery winners tend to do.

Perhaps we should just rest in the wisdom of God who knows our hearts better than we do. If he sees fit to bless us with wealth, then may we be faithful stewards of that blessing. If he sees fit to withhold from us great financial wealth, then may we see that as a blessing of God keeping us from temptation beyond what we can bear.

Either way, our hope must remain in the Lord, not in commas and zeroes.

A Pebble in the Shoe

Lyrics to a song by The Diehm Project (1993), “Pebble in the Shoe":

Started as a small thing, a pebble in the shoe,

Grew into a boulder, crushing down you.

Started as a notion, knocking at the heart,

Grew into disaster, tearing you apart.

 

Started as a small word, whispered in the dark,

Grew into a rumor, seeking to attack.

Started as a needle, pricking at the skin,

Grew into a dagger, digging deep in.

 

The Devil’s pretty good, starting out small,

Taking bit by bit ‘til he’s taken it all.

 

Started as a small thought, harmless at the time,

Became an obsession, filling up the mind.

Started as a small “no”, only now and then,

Grew into rebellion, grew into sin.

I remember first hearing this song when I was at summer camp in high school. It hit home because all too often I view small sins as “no big deal.” But those small sins are footholds for Satan. The chorus is spot on: The Devil is good at starting out small, and before we know it he has mastered us in our sin.

We cannot let him get a foothold. When is the last time you’ve cleaned out your shoes?

Entering the Lion’s Den

Question, if you wanted to learn what a lion eats, would you go into the the lion’s den to watch it happen, or study them from afar?

Seems like an odd question, for it would be ludicrous to put yourself into such danger, knowing that when a carnivorous beast goes into a feeding frenzy, the best thing to do is stay away. Surely if we sat with the lion to watch, we may very well end up as an extra snack for meal time.

Yet in some certain respects, we do just that. People think the best way to defeat sin is by going to the place where the temptation is strongest, and if we come out unscathed, then we must have experienced great victory. A man prone to alcoholism enters a pub to see if he can withstand the temptation. The pornography addict walks into an adult bookstore. Is any of this wise? Of course not. The Bible tells us regularly to avoid temptation, nay, flee temptation. Remove any avenues for temptation from your midst.

This has so many applications they would be hard to enumerate them all, but I would like to focus on one particular instance. I begin by asking if it is wise to enter into a stronghold of Satan? In various college missions classes, and even church evangelism classes we take time to teach our people about the beliefs of other religions, show where their weaknesses are to demonstrate in-roads for sharing the gospel with their followers. I firmly support this endeavor, but there is one teaching method for which I strongly question; the visit to their worship services.

It seems in our American view we tend to downplay the spiritual war taking place all around us. And so in our curiosity and even fascination with things different from us, we set out to visit houses of worship for false gods to “learn about them so we can understand them better.” I wonder at the wisdom of this idea because in it we downplay the spiritual battle taking place. We do not consider the darkness that covers over these houses of worship. And too often we are like soldiers running to battle without our weapons or armor. We are like that tasty after dinner snack walking into the lions den.

The Bible does tell us to reach out to the nations, but entering into their prayer services is not the best way. Yes we can and should learn about other faith systems to better understand their worldview, but this does not require participating by observation of their worship. By doing so we are in essence giving credibility to belief in their gods.

Here is the finest example of this disconnect we make. I would be shocked to hear of a Christian desiring to observe a satanic worship service such as Wicca, for clearly this is of the enemy. But then we have no problem attending a Muslim prayer service as “observers.” I admittedly have not yet been able to make a strong argument against this problem, but hopefully it will get people thinking.

And if you should be a part of a group preparing to go, then I implore you to do two things. First, pray and ask God for wisdom before going whether you should even go or if there are other, better ways to learn about the beliefs of that particular faith group. And second, if you do decide to still attend, then pray before, during, and even after the visit, for you are entering enemy lines.

Looking for Mephibosheth

This is a wonderful sermon by my seminary professor, Tiberius Rata. Powerful and something I all too often need to hear myself.

Tiberius Rata - Looking for Mephibosheth from Calvary Bible Church on Vimeo.

The Gospel According to Amos

Consider these words from Amos 8:7-10:

The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: "Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who dwells in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?" "And on that day," declares the Lord GOD, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

Jeremiah 31:34, in an exposition of the New Covenant, states directly that God “will forgive their iniquity, and [He] will remember their sin no more." So how is it that Jeremiah can say that God will forget the people’s sin while Amos says he will “never forget.” Is this an irreconcilable problem?

Absolutely not. The passage above in Amos is a beautiful presentation of the Gospel.¹ More specifically, the crucifixion. Verse eight alludes to the earthquake which occurred at the death of Jesus. Consider when darkness covered the earth; the sixth hour as the Gospel writers record, which is noon. The most amazing prophecy in Amos is verse 10 when he says it will be like morning for an only son. Perhaps maybe the only Son of God?

Amos is pointing to one thing, the propitiation of God’s wrath against sin. God did not forget sin, instead he brought judgment of sin down. Onto the cross. Unto the only son. Of God. In our place. Is this not the Gospel?

So Amos is correct in saying God will never forget. But so is Jeremiah because through Christ the judgment has been executed. God remembers sin’s penalty being paid through having his wrath poured out on Christ. Then, when God looks at us, he sees Christ’s imputed righteousness and therefore “forgets” our sin.

Truly a beautiful testimony of the Gospel.

 

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¹Special thanks to my friend Joe Helt for sharing this insight with me.

Spiritual Gifts of a Different Sort

So what is your spiritual gift? Encouragement? Teaching? Giving? Craftsmanship? Prophecy?

Wait, did you just say “craftsmanship”?

I am fully convinced we church people make two significant mistakes when we think about our roles in the church body. First, we look to the lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament and think they are exhaustive. The second is the divorce we make between what we like to consider “spiritual” and “natural.”

There are at least two lists in Paul’s writings on spiritual gifts. These lists are not identical and I believe that is intentional. First, as always, Paul is writing to a specific audience with particular concerns in mind. In neither instance is he intending to be exhaustive on the issue of spiritual gifts. If he were, then why are some included in one list and not the other or vice versa? The answer is simple, though we often overlook it. Paul is not being exhaustive, but illustrative. But if this is the case, then how can we create a complete and exhaustive list of the gifts. We need to know if we are to help people take spiritual gift inventory questionnaires and help them find there calling in the church. This sounds like a significant conundrum.

Well, our answer is found in our second problem. We tend to divorce the spiritual and the “secular” into categories not conducive to biblical thought. In the Bible those lines are blurred, and what we would consider “natural” or “secular” may have very spiritual implications or opportunities. Consider Bezalel and Olihab. They appear first in Exodus 31 and again in chapter 35. These are two men singled out by God with this statement; “ the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship…” God would call out these men, and gift them in a particular way which is not included in our spiritual gift inventories.

A friend of mine once struggled with our lists, noting he never felt gifted in any of the areas we regularly included. Then he read about Bezalel. The light came on. God had gifted him in ways that he could help the Church, ways that while not included in our New Testament lists, are still gifts just the same. He is able to serve the church by the work of his hands. Not just through building maintenance, but also by helping other church members with projects in their homes. He found he could greatly bless others by the work of his hands, and thus minister to them.

He understood it. The purpose of “spiritual gifts” is what helps us to see if something is a spiritual gift. We must ask ourselves the question, “is there something I can do that can minister to the needs of others?” When we are able to answer yes, then do it. That is how God has equipped us. He has readied every person in the body to minister to every other person. And there is no limit to what that might look like. May we become creative in seeing how each of us might work toward reaching our brother or sister in the pew next to us.

The Greatest Valentine

With the approach of Valentines Day, Facebook is running amuck with posts by singles and married people alike about their plan to stay away from Facebook on that day. Their wish is to avoid reading posts related to the holiday. They desire to avoid reading from all the singles who will post complaints about loneliness or even disgust with the holiday. I, as a single person, recognize and also deal with the loneliness associated with Valentines Day. For years I jokingly referred to it as “Singles Awareness Day” or “SAD”. But this year I have something far better to focus on. No, this is not an announcement that I have a “significant other” to celebrate with. It is not the hyper-commercialism of the holiday, not the pagan historical connections of the holiday, but something much deeper. And better.

This renewed focus will not be easy, but necessary just the same. The fact is I am already engaged to someone. I have a marriage supper to look forward to. This may sound odd coming from a male, but I am a bride anxiously awaiting my groom. And my groom loves me in a way no other person could ever love me. This groom knows my inner-most being; all the dark, dirty, shame-filled secrets of my life. But still he loves me perfectly, completely.

This is truly good news. Hard to fathom for certain. But Gospel just the same.

So for all of us who are a part of the Church, married or single, we have a love to celebrate which far exceeds any marital love experienced in this life. We have the love of Christ, our groom. Let us all take time to celebrate his love for us on this Valentines Day. Let us pray that our Groom would come quickly for us, his bride. Let us long for the day when we will sit at the table and enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Extravagant Love

Ever drive through a wealthy neighborhood looking at all the mansions? Maybe you watched the old TV show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and was fascinated by the posh lifestyle. Some of you may have taken it a step farther and was able to take advantage of an open house and toured one of these homes, or maybe visited a mansion that has now become a museum. It seems one word comes to mind most when looking at these homes and the lifestyles of those who live in them.

Extravagant.

The word brings out negative emotions for many. The definition caters to that negativity as well. Webster’s second definition for it is “exceeding the limits of reason or necessity” and continues with “lacking in moderation, balance, and restraint.” One that applies well to wealthy neighborhoods would be “Extremely or excessively elaborate.”

But extravagance does not automatically necessitate a negative connotation. God’s love for his people could easily be called extravagant. He loves to lavish gifts on people, gifts that are far more than any of us could ever earn or deserve. Scripture is full of examples, but one that comes to mind personally is God’s continued grace in using a sinful and obstinate people as described throughout the Old Testament.

The K-Love Christian radio network once asked listeners to call in describing how God has shown them his extravagant love. Some answers were typical. Others, well, convicting is a good word:

• God providing finances for a brother and sister to go through college.
• A wife commenting on God’s gift of her husband.
• A young man praying through the night to be released from a drug addiction, only to find himself free of it in the morning.
• One young girl mentioned God’s extravagant love in giving her a disability.

Makes us think. How has God shown his extravagant love towards you?

Not of My Own Intelligence

For anyone who thinks they are pretty special for having a strong understanding and knowledge of the Bible, below can be a very humbling passage:

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. Matthew 13:16-17

The very fact that we have the ability to read Scripture and come to a proper understanding of it and thus a saving faith in the God who inspired it, based on this passage (and even the preceding verses), have no claim to their own ability to understand. It is indeed a gift given by God.

So whether you’re John Piper, D.A. Carson, Pastor Bob, or John Doe; whatever ability we have to understand Scripture, to come to saving faith in Christ, to mature through reading and study and prayer, to offer biblical counsel to others, all of it is ascribed to the good pleasure of God. He chose us, he opens our eyes and ears and hearts.

To God alone be the Glory, Honor, and Praise.