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.