Discovering The Christ Life

What about those who never hear the Gospel?

2012-01-16T05:31:00.000-08:00

I do not want to presuppose that everyone knows what I’m talking about when I say the Gospel. For some people, the Gospel is synonymous with truth, the good news, the teachings of Jesus, the way of salvation, or even church dogma. While there is an element of truth in each concept, I want to clearly define the Gospel.

The Gospel is the “Good News” of God. It is truth about God’s way of salvation. The Gospel is absolutely shared in the teachings of Jesus, and it should be part of the dogma (religious beliefs) of every church. But let’s get more specific!

What is the Gospel? Stated simply, the Gospel is about relationship.

You and I were created for relationship with God (Genesis 2-3; Leviticus 26:12).
Our sin separated us from that relationship (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:23; 6:23).
There is nothing that we can do to reconcile this relationship on our own (Ephesians 2:1-9).
Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin (Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:13-16; 1 John 4:10).
Jesus rose from the dead that we might have eternal life (a reconciled relationship) (1 Peter 1:3; John 17:3).
Jesus offers eternal life (a reconciled relationship) to those who will repent of their sin by placing faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; John 17:3; Acts 2:38; Romans 10:9).

The Gospel tells us who we are, why we’re here, what went wrong, what Christ did, and how Jesus can make all things right. That’s why the Gospel is the Good News!

But now, we’re left with a difficult question. If all have sinned, and if Christ alone saves, what about people who have never heard the Gospel? Are they doomed to an eternity separated from God?

My reply is going to share Scripture, science, philosophy, and reason. Let’s begin.

There are almost 7 billion people on the planet. Research indicates that 92% practice some form of religion. A basic definition of religion is the desire to please and/or appease the God through religious beliefs and practices. I’ve got two questions. First, why are so many people trying to please and/or appease God? Second, why would people automatically assume that they are not right with God?

Romans 2:15 gives the answer. “…in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them…”

This passage tells us that God has written His law in our hearts and our conscious either accuses or defends us. In other words, we know something is wrong is because His moral code, His Law is written into the very fabric of our being. When we sin, our conscious tells us that something is not right. We become ashamed, we feel guilt, and we hide from God. Every major world religion attempts to address this instinctive need to remove the guilt and shame and be right with God.

Judaism says that you are right with God by obeying God’s Law. Islam teaches that you are right with Allah by practicing the 5 Pillars of Islam. Buddhism tells people that they can be at peace with the divine by following the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Fold Path. Christianity says, “You can never be right with God on your own. Only Christ can reconcile you to God.”

Here’s my point. Even if someone has never heard of Christ, they still have the law of God written in their heart bearing witness against their conscious.

Second, Romans 1 tells us that God has given general revelation about Himself through nature. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made…” God’s attributes and power and nature have not only been seen, but they have been clearly seen and understood through what was made.

Some people may get upset with me for saying this, but the battle between Creationism and Evolution is not a battle of science—it’s a battle for souls. If God’s attributes and power and nature can be clearly seen in His creation, what happens when our kids are taught that God was not the Creator? What happens when the incredible design of God is reduced to atoms randomly colliding in space? What happens when the purposeful creation of humanity is replaced with humanity evolving by chance? When people reject God as the Creator, they also reject God’s revelation in creation.

When we look at what God has made, common sense should say—IT DIDN’T JUST HAPPEN. The laws of science even dictate that IT DIDN’T JUST HAPPEN.

Let me give you one quick example. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Law of Energy Decay) states that every system left to its own devices always moves from order to disorder...

If you build a house, and leave that house unattended for 100 years, what do you find? A broken down house! Items left to themselves move from away from order to disorder. If you buy a brand new car and leave it in the desert for 50 years, what do you have? A dilapidated, broken down, rusted out car! The 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics tells us that items move away from order to disorder.

And yet the theory of evolution is built on the premise that the universe moved away from disorder to order. To this day, we have never witnessed, observed, or verified anything doing that. What takes more faith? To believe that an all-powerful God created the world, or to believe that random debris (going against the laws of science) just happened to come together in a way that formed life? And even if you choose the second option, you still have to answer the questions, “Where did the debris come from. How does life come from non-life? How does intelligent design come out of nothingness?

God would say, “By looking at creation, you can see Me. I’m here! Just look at the mountains, think about the billions of stars and the depths of the sea, look at the variety of animals and the complexity of the human brain, smell the fragrance of a rose and ponder the elements of life…just look at it. It’s screams of my attributes; it tells of my power; it clarifies my nature.”

So why don’t some people see in God in creation? Paul tells us in Romans 1:18. People “suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident to them…” In other words, they don’t want to see God.

God is an inconvenient truth! The moment you recognize God’s existence is the moment we are accountable to someone bigger than us. People don’t want to see God in creation because His presence messes up their plans. So as long as they walk in ignorance, suppressing the truth, God says in Romans 1, “they are without excuse.”

Even if a person has never heard the Gospel, they still have God’s law written in their hearts bearing down on their conscious, and the general revelation of God as revealed through creation.

Finally, and if people have never heard the Gospel of Christ, we should be upset with the Church—not God! Jesus commissioned His Church to take the message of the Gospel to the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). He told us to preach it to every creature. He places us in situations so that we can be witnesses for Him. If people never hear the Gospel, we need to take responsibility.

It’s easier to say, “God, you’re not fair” than to admit, “God, I’ve been disobedient.” You might not be able to take the Gospel to people in Africa, or the unreached people groups of the Amazon, or the post-Christian culture of Europe. But are you taking the Gospel to your own family, to the people you work with, or to the neighborhood you live in? What are you doing with the light He’s given you?

There’s one final thing I want you to see before we finish this question. In Acts 10, Cornelius had a seeking heart, and he pursued the light he was given. He didn’t know the Gospel, but he pursued as much of God as he knew. But God has an incredible way of sending His people those who want to know Him.

In Cornelius story, God sent Peter to tell him the Gospel.
In Saul’s story, God sent Stephen to live the Gospel.
In Lydia’s story, God sent Paul to proclaim the Gospel.
In the Eunuch’s story, God sent Philip to explain the Gospel.

Don’t ever forget this truth. Someone is waiting on the other side of your obedience.

Peter was told to go. Paul was told to go. Philip was told to go. The Church is told to go. And every time, there is someone who needs to hear the Gospel. Someone is waiting on the other side of your obedience.

Will you go? Will you be the light to those you work with? Will you sow seed in your own family? Will you take the Gospel to your neighborhood? Will you be a witness for Christ in your circle of friends?

Someone is waiting on the other side of your obedience.

Why do Christians continue to sin?

2012-01-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

If you’re a Christian who has struggled with some lingering sin, this question has popped into your mind. If God has changed a person’s life, shouldn’t that change be immediate? Shouldn’t a Christian stop doing bad things and start doing good things? Why do Christians continue to sin?

Here’s a list of common responses given to that main question.

We continue to sin because we are still sinners.
We continue to sin because we don’t have enough discipline in our lives.
We continue to sin because we love sin.
We continue to sin because we don’t understand enough about the Bible.
We continue to sin because we are enslaved to sin.
We continue to sin because we still have the old sin nature.
We continue to sin because we don’t have what we need to live without sin.

Did you know that all of these answers are incorrect? Some of these responses seem correct, but they do not have a biblical basis for the Christian.

The reason Christians continue to sin is because they are not pursuing intimacy with God and they are not living according to their new identity in Christ.

Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” This verse is not a passage to prove. Jesus does not want His followers to prove their love by attempting to keep His commandments. Jesus is actually giving a diagnosis of the problem. The reason we don’t keep His commandments is because we have a love problem. There is a breakdown in intimacy. A life of sin points back to a lack of love. “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” Christians continue to sin because they are not pursuing a love relationship with Jesus Christ.

The second part of the problem is that Christians are not living according to their new identity in Christ. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” As a Christian, you are a new creature. You have new passions, a new hope, a new future, a new family, a new relationship with God—and a new identity.

Prior to Christ, you were dead in sin and living according to the old nature in Adam. In Christ, you are alive to God and given a new nature in Christ. You died to that old nature at salvation; you were raised with a new nature in Christ.

William Culbertson describes the transition through the lens of Romans 6:6-8. “Who died on the cross? Of course, our blessed Lord died on the cross; but who else died there? ‘Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.”

R. Paxson said, “The old ‘I’ in you and me was judicially crucified with Christ. ‘Ye died’ and your death dates from the death of Christ. ‘The old man,’ the old ‘self’ in God’s reckoning was taken to the cross with Christ and crucified and taken into the tomb with Christ and buried. Assurance of deliverance from the sphere of the flesh and of the dethronement of the old man rest upon the apprehension and acceptance of this fact of co-crucifixion.”

Notice the words that I’ve placed in bold print: in Christ, with him, with Christ, co-crucifixion. All of these phrases deal with identity. As a Christian, your new identity is found in Christ. Therefore, when He died on the cross—you died on the cross. When He rose from the dead—you rose from the dead. You are in Christ and Christ is in you. He is your identity!

Christians continue to sin because we don’t understand and/or believe our new identity in Christ. The following chart describes your new identity from God’s perspective.

Who Am I?

I am the salt of the earth. (Matt. 5:13)

I am the light of the world. (Matt. 5:14)

I am a child of God (part of His family). (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 8:16)

I am part of the true vine, a branch of Christ's life. (Jn. 15:1,5)

I am Christ’s friend. (Jn. 15:15)

I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit. (Jn. 15:16)

I am a personal witness of Christ for Christ. (Acts 1:8)

I am a slave of righteousness. (Rom. 6:18)

I am enslaved to God. (Rom. 6:22)

I am a child of God. (Rom. 8:14, 15; Gal. 3:26; 4:6)

I am a joint-heir with Christ sharing His inheritance with Him. (Rom. 8:17)

I am a temple of God. His Spirit dwells in me. (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19)

I am joined to the Lord and am one spirit with Him. (1 Cor. 6:17)

I am a member of Christ's body. (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30)

I am a new creation (new person). (2 Cor. 5:17)

I am reconciled to God and a minister of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:18,19)

I am a son of God and one in Christ. (Gal.3:26,28)

I am an heir of God since I am a son of God. (Gal.4:6,7)

I am a saint (Eph. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Phil. 1:1, Col. 1:2)

I am God's workmanship (handiwork) created in Christ to do His work that He planned beforehand that I should do. (Eph. 2:10)

I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God's people in His family. (Eph. 2:19)

I am a prisoner of Christ.(Eph. 3:1; 4:1)

I am righteous and holy. (Eph. 4:24)

I am a citizen of heaven and seated in heaven right now. (Phil. 3:20; Eph. 2:6)

I am hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:3)

I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life. (Col. 3:4)

I am chosen of God, holy, and dearly loved. (Col. 3:12)

I am chosen and dearly loved by God. (1 Thess. 1:4)

I am a son of light and not of darkness. (1 Thess. 5:5)

I am a holy brother, partaker of a heavenly calling. (Heb. 3:1)

I am a partaker of Christ…I share in His life. (Heb. 3:14)

I am one of God's living stones and am being built up as a spiritual house. (1 Pet. 2:5)

I am a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession to proclaim the excellencies of Him. (1 Pet. 2:9.10)

I am an alien and stranger to this world I temporarily live in. (1 Pet. 2:11)

I am an enemy of the devil. (1 Pet. 5:8)

I am now a child of God. I will resemble Christ when He returns. (1 Jn. 3:1,2)

I am born of God and the evil one (the devil) can't touch me. (1 Jn. 5:18)

I am a sheep of His pasture. Therefore, I have everything I need. (Ps. 23 and 100)

We are at the beginning of a brand new year. There’s a good chance that many of you have made New Year’s resolutions that involve stopping some bad things and starting some good things. That’s great! However, apart from pursuing intimacy with Christ and living according to our new identity in Him—our resolutions will be short lived.

Make 2012 a different type of year! Instead of trying to bring about change through will power and determination, ask God to bring the change as you pursue Christ relationally and learn to walk in your new identity. You will be amazed how much change Christ can bring.

Understanding Election and the Grace of God

2011-11-28T06:31:00.000-08:00

(A Modern Day Parable)

There was a guy named George who owned a hardware store in a small town for many years. He was an honest man, a good boss, and a hard worker. Everyone loved George.

One day, three of his employees had a devious idea. They decided to make a little extra money and pay off their debts by making false returns at the store. Over the next 20 years, they made false returns for $25, and $75, and $100. The amounts were small enough not to cause any suspicion, but big enough to take hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the store.

Twenty years later, George decided to sell the store. While preparing the books for the next owner, he hired an accounting firm to audit his books. Through a routine process, the accounting firm found 3 credit cards with hundreds of thousands of dollars of returns. They traced the numbers, discovered the card owners, and then shared those findings with George.

George was devastated. He loved each man and considered them to be friends. He couldn’t understand why they chose to do what they did. He paid them a salary that was much better than similar jobs in the area. If they were financially destitute, they could have come to him. He knew that they had families to support, but justice had to be served.

George brought each man in his office and revealed his findings. He asked them how they intended to pay back the money, but no one had an answer. The amount was more than any could repay. After careful consideration, he fired each man. The men were devastated and ashamed.

Several weeks later, George called one of the men back to the office. He said, “I know you’ve done wrong. I know that you don’t deserve this, but I paid back the amount you stole. If you are willing to be honest with me—I’ll give you your job back.” The man could not believe it. He gladly accepted the offer and immediately went home to tell his wife the good news.

Soon the news got back to the other two men. They were angry and went to see George. “Why didn’t you do the same for us? How could you give his job back and not ours? He was just as guilty as we were. It’s not fair. If you made that offer to one person—you have to make that offer to all three of us.”

George listened to the other two men complain. In a very calm way, he said, “Each of you stole from me. Each man was fired. If I chose to bring one man back to work—that is my right. It is my store. It was my money. It was my decision.”

The two men became angrier with George. They insisted that his actions were not fair, and they accused him of playing favorites. The more they complained, the more they distanced themselves from the actions that caused their problem.

However, for the one man who was brought back to work—he was extremely grateful. He knew that he did not do anything good to deserve the job; he was employed because George was gracious. This understanding prompted him to become more loyal and more dependable than the other employees. He no longer worked to make money; he worked to serve the one who gave him so much.

While there is no human designed story that fully expresses God’s grace and election, this story may help.

In some ways, this is our story! It’s the story of humanity in relation to God. According to the Bible, we were created for relationship with God, and sin severed that relationship. We knew right from wrong, and we chose to do wrong. God did not treat us poorly or neglect our needs. Rather, we wanted what we could not have and we were willing to steal to get it.

Even though God loved us and wanted the best for our future, justice had to be served. The punishment of our sin was spiritual death. Everyone received the same punishment. Everyone was guilty of sin. Everyone was separated from God. If the story ended there, we could wallow in our perception of fairness while facing an eternity separated from God.

However, the story does not end there. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, He rose from the dead that we might have life, and He calls people into relationship with Himself. He does not choose people based on how little they’ve sinned or how good they promise to be. The Bible does not give percentages to indicate how many are of the elect and how many are not. In fact, this entire process is shrouded in the mystery of God.

Here are a few things we do know.

God is loving, just, merciful, gracious, and compassionate (1 John 4:8; 2 Thess. 1:6; Deut. 4:31; Exodus 34:6).
Humanity was created for relationship with God (Genesis 1-3).
Everyone sinned (Romans 3:23).
The penalty of sin is death or spiritual separation from God (Genesis 3:23-24; Romans 6:23).
God loves the world and Jesus died for the sins of the world (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).
Jesus told us to share the Gospel with the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).
God desires that all people are saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).
God calls people into salvation (John 6:44).
God must quicken a dead spirit to extend eternal life (Eph. 2:1-10).
God’s plan in election does not affect our mission to share the Gospel. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).
God anticipates that people will not understand His plan in election (Romans 9:10-24).

Does it all make perfect sense and fit nicely into our preconceived notions of God? Not even close! Can we learn to trust God with the details we don’t understand? Absolutely!

However, before we get upset with God for electing some, put yourself in George’s shoes for a moment. If you owned a store, and your money was stolen, and you chose to be gracious to one—how would you respond to a thief that demands to be rehired? Would you be okay with an employee telling you what you could or could not do with your own business?

In the same light, God owns everything. He created everything. He has the right to do with His creation as He desires. We may claim that God is not fair, but fairness as we know it went out in the Garden of Eden. If fairness were the determining criteria for humanity’s sin, some would not be elect—all would be damned.

While this post will not resolve the tension that many feel, hopefully it will show how God’s plan in election and God’s grace can fit together.

The Parable of the 4 Soils (Good Soil)

2011-10-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

As I’ve stated in each of the other posts, the 4 soils represent 4 conditions of the human heart and how each one responds to the Gospel message. So far, we’ve talked about the hard soil (those who do not understand the Gospel), and the rocky soil (those who do not understand the costs of following Christ), and the thorny soil (those who do not understand the exclusivity of the Gospel). Let’s finish the parable.

Soil Four: Some people are receptive to the Gospel:

Soil Four (Verse 8): “But others fell on good soil and produced a crop. They grew up, increased in size, and produced thirty, sixty, or one hundred times what was sown.”

The Explanation of Soil Four (Verse 20): “Others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops—thirty, sixty, or one hundred times what was sown.”

The fourth soil is away from the path, cultivated to sufficient depth, and has the ability to sustain good plants (free of weeds). Due to the conditions, it was able to “produce crops.”

The amount of production from this soil is what is truly amazing. Jesus was not just making a simple comment about a bountiful crop. Historical evidence indicates that in the region of Palestine during New Testament times, the average ratio of harvested grain would have been less that eight to one. Therefore, the ratio that Jesus refers to can only be described as supernatural. He speaks of a 30 to 1, a 60 to 1, and a 100 to 1 return. That description parallels His teachings in John 15 when He spoke of fruit, more fruit, and much fruit.

Key Thought for Soil Four: This person understands, repents, and places faith in the Gospel.

The person represented by the fourth soil is just as sinful as those represented in the other three soils, but they were willing to repent of their sin by placing faith in Jesus Christ. We know that this person had a true conversion in Christ because the fruit of their life gives testimony.

While others go to church out of habit and obligation, this person goes to church out of excitement and love. Their love for God will come out in their speech. You talk about the things close to your heart. If you are passionate about your job, you talk about your job. If you are passionate about family, it seems like a lot of conversations lean towards family. If you are passionate about a sport, you talk about the sport. When we are passionate about God, we have to talk about God.

This person will share what they are learning, thoughts they’ve had, ways God has blessed, and questions that are still on their mind. They will have an unquenchable thirst for the things of God, and they will utilize every available avenue to indulge this thirst (1 Peter 2:2-3). This person will be burdened with the spiritual state of those around them, and feels compelled to share Christ with others (Colossians 1:28-29). They find joy even when things are bad, they extend grace quickly, and give freely. And while all of these areas will grow over time—the characteristics of Christ are found to some degree at all times.

The reason is because the fruit of God is the natural outflow of the life of God. As God is living in you—His character is being displayed through you.

When we take all of the information together—we see that some people are turned off by the Gospel, some people don’t understand the Gospel, some people are captivated by another gospel, and some people are receptive to the Gospel.

The one who sows the seeds will sow on every type of soil. However, the one who reaps the harvest must understand the various conditions of the human heart.

Specializing in the good soil does not suggest neglecting the others. It is simply a reminder for believers not to force, coerce, manipulate, or drag a prayer of repentance out of anyone. By understanding the conditions of the soil, we can effectively witness to each state of the human heart.

The Parable of the 4 Soils (Thorny Soil)

2011-10-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

If you have not read the previous posts related to the parable of the 4 soils, it would be very helpful to do so. Each posts builds on the information presented in the previous ones.

Soil Three: Some people are captivated by another gospel (v.7, 18-19):

Soil Three (Verse 7): “Others fell among thornbushes, and the thornbushes came up and choked them, and they didn’t produce anything.”

The Explanation of Soil Three (Verses 18-19): “Still others are like the seeds sown among the thornbushes. These are the people who hear the word, but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can’t produce a crop.”

Our first point of interest in the third soil needs to be the issue of fruit. The presence of fruit or the lack of fruit sets the tone for how we interpret this soil. In the previous posts, I shared that the biblical sign of repentance before God is not growth—its fruit.

Matthew 3, 7, 13; John 15; Romans 7, Galatians 5, Ephesians 5, Colossians 1

All of these chapters speak of fruit as the sign of God activity. In this passage—notice where the emphasis placed. The desire for worldly things “chokes the word so that it can’t produce a crop.” Once again—the issue that Jesus raises with the third soil is that there is no fruit—no crop.

The second point of interest is the progressive nature of soil preparation. The first soil was completely hard and impenetrable. The second soil was tilled on top, but not deep enough to penetrate the bedrock. The third soil is sufficiently cultivated for good growth. We know that this because it produced good and bad growth alike. Everything was able to grow. The problem is the weeds choked out the good seed.

Key Thought for Soil Three: They don’t understand the exclusivity of the Gospel.

For this person, God is one among many interests. They are not turned off by God, but they are also not captured by His claims. Another way of saying it would be, they view God as a great addition to their life, but definitely not the essence of their life. We know this because there is a greater desire for the things of the world than there is for Christ. When forced to choose between God and the world—the world wins. This is an individual who is so consumed with the daily affairs of life (the mortgage, the work place, the raising of a family, the economy, hobbies, cars, retirement plans, etc) that they have no time to think about or dwell upon the eternal truths of God. God’s things are choked out by worldly things.

Maybe you’ve heard someone make this comment about someone else: “That person is trying to fill the void in their life with things instead of God.” Compare that statement with the description found at the end of verse 18 and going through verse 19? “These are the people who hear the word, but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can’t produce a crop.”

Chances are, this person is somewhat advanced in age. I say that because a child is not concerned with “the worries of life, the pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things.” This is a description of someone who knows the truth of the Gospel, but they are unwilling to turn from their pursuits in order to chase after Christ.

I believe that for more than 20 years of my life, this is the soil that described me. During this period of time, I prayed the prayer of repentance on numerous occasions. I wanted God to forgive my sin. I wanted to go to heaven when I died. I believed that Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day. I believe my life had been sufficiently cultivated by the Holy Spirit.

But…I wanted God for my selfish motives. I wanted God to keep me out of hell. I wanted God to bless my life. I wanted God to answer my prayers. I wanted God to be my friend. I wanted God to calm my fears. But I didn’t want God to live His life through me. I wanted to maintain control of my own life. I thought God would make a great addition to me. But God wasn’t offering to be an addition—He wanted to take over.

The problem I faced is the same one many people face. I wanted to pursue the world and keep God on the side. But Jesus taught, “You can only serve one master.” I wanted to maintain control of my life and have God’s blessing. But Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me—let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

I don’t want to sound like a doomsday Christian, but I am afraid that our churches are filled with people who match this exact soil. They go to church occasionally, they contribute to the offering, and they read the Bible periodically, they are interested in spiritual things, but they only want God at a distance. They want to run their life from day to day, and when things get tough—then they will call on God. But God’s not offering to be a safety net; He wants to be your life.

Please let the next statement sink in. There is nothing wrong with having hobbies, homes, cars, jobs, retirement plans, good friends, and favorite sports teams. The real question is, “Who has your heart at the end of the day?” Jesus says, “Where your treasure is—there will your heart be also.”

If you are forced to choose between intimacy with God or a ball game—who wins? When it comes to scheduling your life, does God take first priority and everything shifts around Him, or is God the first expendable time slot you have? These are tough questions, but the implications are life and death.

Jesus is making the argument that in the 3^rd soil, spiritual things are growing alongside of worldly things. This person is partially interested in God but primarily interested in the world. And it is their desire for the things of the world that chokes out the seed of God.

The third soil describes a person who is spiritual but lost. They have a form of Godliness, but they deny the power thereof. They have religion without relationship. And the tell-tell sign is not emotion, not activity, not church attendance, and not even clinging to a prayer. The tell-tell sign is a lack of fruit.

God’s fruit is not produced through their lives. There is no love for the things of God. There is no joy that passes all understanding. There is no peace during the hard times. There is no patience with people. There is no gentleness with others. There is no humility in their walk. There is no passion for holiness. In short, there are none of the attributes of Christ.

I am not trying to make anyone doubt his or her salvation. I’m not trying to upset anyone. Those who know me can testify that I do not care for controversial subjects. But I do want people to have a clear understanding of what God says in His Word.

What is the Christian’s response when they meet a person like this?

Love this person unconditionally and do not take a judgmental tone. The message of the Gospel will offend some people, but our delivery of that message should not.

Pray for conviction and clarity. (Refer to the Scriptures in the Hard Soil post)

Pray that God would remove all distractions from this person’s life, and bring them face to face with the reality of their spiritual condition.

Ask God to give you the courage to testify when an opportunity is given.

Continue to be a godly example before them.

Three out of four soil types have been addressed. Next week, we will see the final soil in light of Christ’s teachings.

The Parable of the 4 Soils (Rocky Soil)

2011-10-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

We are in Mark 4:1-20 where Jesus is discussing the parable of the 4 soils. Each soil represents a condition of the human heart and its receptivity to the Gospel message. The first soil type was the hard ground. They are closed to the Gospel because they do not understand the Gospel. Look at the previous post for further explanation. That brings us to the second soil type.

Soil Two: Some people are unprepared for the Gospel (v.5-6, 16-17):

The Soil (Verses 5-6): “Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.”

The Explanation of the Soil (Verses 16-17): “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.”

Key Thought for Soil Two: They don’t understand the cost of following Christ.

Soil two often begins the debate. Does this second soil represent a person who is a Christian (but not discipled)—or does it represent a person who is still unsaved?

The argument is made that this person received the Word with joy. Doesn’t that mean they received Christ? At the same time, they grew for a little while. How can they grow unless life had occurred?

As students of the Word of God—we need to be careful that we are looking for biblical signs of repentance. The Bible does not speak of growth as a sign of repentance; the Bible speaks of fruit as the sign of repentance.

John the Baptist scolded the religious crowd for desiring the baptism of the righteous without showing any signs of repentance. “Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! Don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our forefather.’ For I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree not producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water as a token of repentance” (Matthew 3:7b-11a ISV).

Jesus taught that we could distinguish between good and evil people by inspecting the fruit in their lives. “A good tree doesn’t produce rotten fruit, and a rotten tree doesn’t produce good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. People don’t gather figs from thorny plants or pick grapes from a thorn bush. A good person produces good fruit from the good treasure of his heart, and an evil person produces evil from an evil treasure. For it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:43-45 ISV).

In John 15, Jesus says He is the Vine and we are the branches. He goes on to say that every branch in Him will be fruit. Fruit is the outward indicator of being in Christ.

Therefore, when we encounter a passage like the 4 soils—our question has to be, “Do we see fruit?” The consistent theme of repentance in the New Testament is God living through us (spiritual fruit).

The second soil mentioned is rocky ground. This description does not refer to loose rocks because the farmer would have removed excess debris from the field before planting. Instead, the rock mentioned is the underlying bedrock that was not reached by the plow.

There is a degree of preparation that has taken place. In verse, 4, the seeds that fell on the path and were unable to penetrate the earth due to the hardness of the soil. The seeds that fell on the stony ground (v.5) were able to penetrate the soil, but only in a shallow fashion.

When the seeds hit this shallow layer of dirt, “They sprouted at once…but when the sun came up, they were scorched.” Verse 6 is a simple description of soil that has not been cultivated enough to sustain life.

This person is described in detail in Mark 4:16-17. “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.”

Compare this soil to the hard soil of the previous section. The former soil was resistant, unconcerned, and cold to the Gospel. The immediate response of this soil indicates eagerness or at least openness to the Gospel. However, instead of understanding the cost and commitment involved in following Christ—this individual makes an emotional decision (with joy) without a firm basis for understanding the costs of salvation. John MacArthur gave the following quote:

“Sometimes shallow acceptance of the gospel is encouraged by shallow evangelism that holds out the blessings of salvation but hides the cost—such as repenting from sin, dying to self, and turning from the old life. When people are encouraged to walk down the aisle, raise their hand, or sign a card without coming to grips with the full claims of Christ, they are in great danger of becoming further from Christ than they were before they heard the message. They become insulated from true salvation by a false profession of faith.”

John 2:23-25 gives an example of shallow acceptance, and Jesus’ response to that type of belief. “While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, many people believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. Jesus, however, did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and didn’t need anyone to tell him what people were like. For he himself knew what was in every person.” This passage clearly describes an occasion when people believed on the surface, but Christ knew their heart (For he himself knew what was in every person), and “did not entrust himself to them”.

On unusually warm days at the end of winter, it is not uncommon to see isolated flowers appear on various plants. It is a beautiful picture of the power of life emerging from a world of frost and ice. However, the beauty is somewhat deceptive. If you have another freezing night, the same flower that appeared with die and drop from the plant.

The flower dies because it was not completely prepared for the seasonal changes of life.

Likewise many spiritual seekers go through a similar cycle. The Spirit of God has been preparing their heart to be receptive to the good news, and eventually make their debut into the family of God. However, instead of waiting on the promptings of God, they make an emotional decision without the basic understanding of the cost of following Christ. As a result, they follow Christ based on emotion before Christ entrusts Himself based on faith. At the first call for real commitment—they fall away.

What does the “stony heart” person look like? A general description of this person would be someone who has the appearance of a dramatic conversion. They are characterized by emotions and enthusiasm, and are often more vocal in talking about their experience. They quickly involve themselves in the things of the church (i.e. regular church attendance, Bible studies, and serving). But unfortunately, when this person begins to experience the trials of life—they discover that they are in the same situation as before. Their feelings were changed, but their heart wasn’t.

Without the ability to sink their roots deep into the truths of the Word of God, they see the trials of life as counterproductive to their faith. What they caste off as burdens, God has allowed as a blessing (James 1:2-4). First Peter 5:10 says, “After you have suffered for a little while . . . the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” God allows the trials to strengthen, perfect, confirm, and establish believers. An unbeliever sees trials as counterproductive to victory. A faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.

The Christians response to this Soil:

Follow the same procedures as soil one.

Recognize eagerness, but fully explain the cost.

Spend time with this individual answering any questions they might have. It is impossible to make disciples from a distance. Giving the person an opportunity to investigate the claims and costs of Christ will only give them a better understanding the Christ-life.

At this point, we have seen two responses to the Gospel. Do you know of people who fit those descriptions? That’s the beauty of the Word of God. It’s timeless! While culture changes and ideas change—the Word of God is just as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Based on what you’ve seen so far, can you also begin to see how the Gospel will be the same for everyone, but how will share with people will differ. If you treat the person who is hard to the Gospel the same way you treat the person who doesn’t understand the cost of the Gospel, you will do more harm than good.

God is calling us to be spiritual farmers, specialist in good soil. If we are to join with God in the redemptive process, it will be because we join God where He is working. We don’t try to save people; we stay focused on sharing the Gospel clearly. That means we become aware of where God has them in the process.

The Parable of the 4 Soils (Hard Soil)

2011-10-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

Go ahead and grab your Bibles and turn to Mark 4:1-20. In Mark 4, Jesus is teaching through a series of parables. A parable is a visual story with a deeper meaning. It’s believed that Jesus would teach based on the scenery around Him. If He were walking along the Sea of Galilee, He would teach on becoming fishers of men. If he were walking through a vineyard, He would say, “I am the Vine, you are the branches.”

In this story, there is a strong possibility that Jesus is walking along a field, and said, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and at it up.” Everyone would recognize this scene. They would picture a guy walking through the fields with a seed bag slung over his shoulder.

The fields of the day were very similar to ours, with one exception. Due to walking being the primary mode of transportation, these fields were crisscrossed with beaten down paths. If someone needed to walk into town, they would save some time by walking across the fields. As long as they stayed on the path, the farmers didn’t mind. However, as more people walked on the paths, they became very hard and compressed.

Picture in your mind, this man walking along the path and broadcasting seed. As he slings the seed towards the good soil, some will fall on bad soil. Some would fall on the path. Some would fall along the roadside. Some would fall in the weeds, and some would actually make it to good soil. This is the picture that Jesus uses to explain the condition of the human heart, and how it responds to the seeds of the Gospel.

Soil One: Some people are hard to the Gospel (v. 3-4, 15):

The Soil (Verses 3-4): “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and birds came and ate it up.” (NIV)

The Explanation of the Soil (Verse 15): “Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” (NIV)

Key Thought for Soil One: They don’t understand the Gospel.

One of the best ways of gaining insight into a text like this is to see if the parable was repeated in one of the other Gospels. This same parable is also found in Matthew 13 and in Luke 8. It is the explanation in Matthew 13 that gives a lot of insight into this first soil. In Jesus’ explanation of the first soil in Matthew 13:19, He says, “When anyone hears the word about the kingdom yet doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.”

This person represents someone who is hardened to the things of God and the soil of their heart is still unbroken. The Word of God does not penetrate the surface. As a result, the do not understand the Gospel message.

How does someone get this way? 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us. “The god of this world (who) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”.

John MacArthur described this person as follows:

“The reason he does not understand is not due to any deficiency in the message but to his own hardheartedness. He is the person often referred to in the Old Testament as stiff-necked. He is unconcerned with the things of God, completely indifferent to anything spiritual. The word makes no penetration into his mind or heart. He does not give the gospel the least consideration, thinking it to be total foolishness. He has so continually and consistently resisted anything that smacks of spirituality, that the soil of his heart has become pounded down until it is impervious and insensitive.”

Based on the description given in the Word of God, this individual is without Christ. However, even though a person is turned off to the Gospel today, it does not mean that we are excused for sowing seed. When you and I are faced with a person is it totally hard to the things of God, what should we do?

Pray:

Pray for God to break the hard ground of the human heart with the Word of God (Romans 10:14-17).
Pray that God will open their eyes to the truth (1 Corinthians 1:18, Acts 17:18-20, Acts 26:18).
Pray that God will bring them under conviction (Acts 2:37). The men at Pentecost were “cut to the heart” when they came face to face with the Gospel of Christ.

Sow Seed:

Part of the hardness of this person’s heart has come by witnessing the hypocritical lifestyles of many Christians. The world is looking for someone has been changed by the power of God, and is living in accordance with that encounter. As you pursue God relationally, He will sow the fruit of righteousness around you. When God gives you the opportunity, graciously sow the Word of God in their lives (Conversations, books, cards, e-mails, etc.).

Love Unconditionally:

A person’s spiritual condition has nothing to do with whether we love them. There are thousands of people who were against Christianity, but they were captivated by unconditional love. We must remember that they are not turned off to the Gospel because they understand the Word and reject it; their heart is hard and they do not understand the Word. Love on this person. Even when we don’t agree with the same ideology, people still relate to love.

Begin to identify people around you that are described by the first soil. Take time to let these truths sink in. Look for ways to pray, sow seed, and love unconditionally.

The Parable of the 4 Soils (Intro)

2011-10-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Are there people in your life that you are desperate to see come to Christ? If so, the next several blog posts will be incredibly important.

In Mark 4:1-20, we find Jesus discussing the parable of the 4 soils. Each soil represents a condition of the human heart and its receptivity to the Gospel message. After teaching on this subject for a number of years, leading people to Christ, and watching their development after repentance—I believe this parable could provide the greatest insight into God’s process of redemption. When you understand His process—it enables you join Him as a personal witness instead of trying to push Christ on others.

When I first became a pastor in 2000—I was appalled by the statistics of Southern Baptist Churches. While Southern Baptist are one of the most evangelistic groups, and have more than 40,000 churches across America—over 50% of these churches did not see a single person come to Christ in an entire year.

20,000 churches without a single convert
20,000 pastors didn’t lead at least 1 person to Christ.
Average 3 deacons in each; 60,000 deacons who didn’t lead someone to Christ
Average 3 Sunday school teachers; 60,000 teachers of the Word who didn’t lead someone to Christ
Average of 80 in each church; 1.6 million Bible believing, church going, evangelical Christians who did not lead a single person to Christ. It almost sounds like a bad joke? How many Christians does it take to lead 1 person to Christ? I don’t know, but apparently more than 1.6 million.

A church is considered to be in the top 1% of all churches if they baptize 30 or more people a year.

When I first heard those statistics, I determined that our church would not become one of those churches. When I got to the church in 2000—they had not baptized a single convert in 7 years. The baptistery was storing lawn equipment and Christmas decorations. One of the first things I implemented was that the first Sunday of the month—we would have a baptismal service. People thought I was crazy. “Who ya gonna baptize?”—was the common opinion.

I taught about witnessing from the pulpit, I taught on witnessing in small groups, I took our people out to witness on a daily basis. As God as my witness—we had pastors from other area churches who would send their people to our church in order to get trained on evangelism, and we would take their people out on visitation with us. We were radical about salvation. We knocked on doors, disrupted dinners, snuck up on unsuspecting people, and hunted them down weekly until we found them. We were like the Green Beret’s of Evangelism.

But all of our effort seemed to pay off. In 2000—we saw more than 130 people pray to receive Christ through the evangelistic efforts of the church. In 2001—we saw more than 120 people pray to receive Christ through the evangelistic efforts of the church. Our church was gaining a reputation for being a “Soul Winning” church.

On the surface—everything looked great. The Baptist association was excited, our people were excited, I was excited, I thought God was excited, the waters of baptism were being moved, and I felt like we were accomplishing the goal. For two years—we did not have a single month were there were not people to baptize. Praise God—we were not a statistic.

But one day, after the 2^nd year—curiosity got the best of me. If we had seen 250 people pray to receive Christ in 2 years—where were they? I knew that some people moved away, and some people came to Christ while visiting from another city—but what about those who lived there? Where were they? I was shocked to see that after 2 years of getting people to pray prayers and go through the waters of baptism—there was only a handful still in church.

Something was wrong! You don’t get over Jesus that easily. I started talking with pastor friends and they had experienced similar results. Yet for some reason—churches were still satisfied with the idea—“Well—at least they prayed to receive Christ.” But the Great Commission was not, “Go and get people to pray prayers;” it was “Go and make disciples.” I kept wondering, “God—what’s wrong with the harvest? Where have we missed you?” More than half of the churches aren’t fishing for men, and the other half have a hole in the net.

In the summer of 2001—God took me on an amazing spiritual journey through Scripture that helped me see our part as a witness for Christ, and Christ’ part as the Savior of the world.

Over the next several posts—I’m going to share some of what God taught me in 2001 as well as some of what God has taught me in the last 3 years about effectively sharing Christ with others. You will need your Bibles for this endeavor, so find your Bible and follow along.

Let’s begin. When the Bible speaks of salvation—the most common analogy is that of farming. We no longer live in an agrarian society—so we need to shift cultures before we can really delve into the text.

Our goal through these posts are (1) To become specialists in good soil [I want us to see where God is working and join Him there], and (2) I want us to recognize the four basic ways that people respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is no question that some people are more open to the Gospel than others. If you have shared Christ with 3 or more people in your life—you will know that some people are very close to faith, and others are very standoffish. But that does not mean that some who is closed to the Gospel today, might not be open to the Gospel tomorrow. The goal of sharing the Gospel of Christ is not to “close the deal” with every encounter. The goal is to submit our actions to God’s process, and trust Him to call them within His timing.

And the end of the day—salvation is 100% in the control of God. You and I cannot save anyone, but you and I can confuse a lot of people. I’ll share more of what I mean by that as we go further.

Henry Blackaby said it best. “Find out where God is working, and join Him there.” That is great advice for all areas of life, but especially in the area of being a personal witness. When we take Blackaby’s advice, we can sow in the fields that are barren, water in the fields that are dry, and reap in the fields that “are already white for harvest” (John 4:35b).

I said a moment ago that our first goal is to become specialists in good soil. Where in Scripture do we find a basis for this goal?

John 4:35-38 says, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

There are 5 truths we can learn from this passage:

1. Without the guidance of God, there is a tendency to underestimate the spiritual readiness of those around us. “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’”

2. Jesus wants us to be observant of the condition of the fields around us. “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields...”

The word ‘behold’ speaks of a more than a casual glance. It is a lingering stare. He says, “Stare at, look at, lift up your eyes and look at the fields.”

3. The fields spoken of in this passage are symbolically referring to humanity, and specifically addressing the theme of eternal life. “And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life...”

4. Sowing and reaping work together in the harvest of God. “...Both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together...one sows and another reaps.”

5. The ultimate purpose of understanding the harvest is not for theoretical speculation, but for practical application. “I sent you to reap...”

John 4:35-38 is a graphic picture of the condition of the world around us.

God wants us to rely on Him, and He will show us the spiritual receptivity of those we meet.
God wants us to look at the fields around us—not with a casual glance, but with an intentional gaze.
God wants us to work together in sowing and reaping.
God wants us to keep in mind—that He sent us to reap.

We are to become specialist in good soil.

Another passage that helps us become specialists in the good soil is Mark 4:26-29. It says, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn’t know how. The ground produces grain by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately swings his sickle because the harvest time has come.”

There are 4 primary truths that we can learn from this passage:

1. We begin by scattering seeds on the ground around us.

“The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground.” The first question that comes to mind is, “Exactly what are the seeds spoken of in this passage?” While this passage does not specifically indicate the identity of the seeds, we do find other Scripture references that help clarify the mystery.

In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus gives the parable of the soils. We find a man scattering seed on the ground, and Jesus clearly identifies the seed. “Now this is what the parable means. The seed is God’s word.” Therefore, if we are going to practically sow seeds on the ground around us—we must find a way of sharing the Word of God.

A second passage, in James 3:18, gives even more clarification on the identity of the seeds. “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” This is a verse that has confused people for years. The difficulty of the passage is that farming practices speak of sowing seeds, not fruit. This passage specifically addresses sowing “fruit of righteousness.”

Warren Wiersbe addressed this concept by saying, “There is a vast difference between man-made results and God-given fruit. Fruit is the product of life, and fruit has in it the seeds for more fruit. Usually it is the seed that is sown, but here it is the fruit that is sown. As we share the fruit of God with others, they are fed and satisfied, and they in turn bear fruit.”

The fruit of God is God living through us. A good list to help would be the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.

When all of this information is taken together, we see that a believer who walks in the wisdom of God will have “good conduct” (3:13) that results in “the fruit of righteousness . . . sown in peace” (3:18). Therefore, by our lifestyle we are constantly sowing “the fruit of righteousness” that will not only minister to a person’s immediate needs, but it will also plant seeds in that person’s life that will be later cultivated by the Spirit of God.

For a year and a half, our church held another service for a homeless population at the corner of Tropicana and Decatur. It was either on our 4^th or 5^th week I asked the group, “What do you want in life?” One of the ladies said, “When I would come to your church—it seemed like everyone was happy.” She said, “That’s what I want. I want to be happy.”

I told her that we all have problems like anyone else, but it’s God who give us joy because of our relationship with Him. I then shared that God’s goal for everyone’s life is that they know Him. I shared John 17:3. “And this is eternal life that they may know you.” When our focus is on knowing Him—God can bring joy regardless of the situation. She said, “That’s what I want.” I was able to share the Gospel with the group and 4 people prayed to receive Christ on that Sunday.

Two things have just happened. First of all, due to people expressing joy at a church service—the “fruit of righteousness was sown in peace.” God used our actions to sow seeds in her life. Secondly, when I answered her question, I shared Scripture—John 17:3. At that moment, God took the fruit of righteousness and the seed of the Word, and I became like “like the man who scatters seeds on the ground” (Mark 4:26).

By allowing the Holy Spirit to lead the conversation, there were no uncomfortable feelings of trying to force a presentation on someone. I was simply answering a lady’s question. God allowed us to join with Him in sowing seed, and He brought about salvation.

Quick Review: What is needed in practically sowing the seed?

The Word of God. (Luke 8:11) (Bible)
The Fruit of Righteousness. (James 3:18) (Behavior)

The first truth from Mark 4:26-29 is by far the most intensive, but necessary for a clear understanding of what God requires of His people.

2. We can also see that scattering seeds on the ground is part of the normal lifestyle of this individual.

“He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow. . .” If we are to be a personal witness for Christ—it is imperative that our witness is a natural and normal part of our daily lives. When Jesus gave the Great Commission to the church (go and make disciples)—the phrase is better translated—as you go, make disciples. As we go about the normal activities of life—God will bring people into our lives who He is drawing to Himself.

I call this focused patience. Christians tend to run to either extreme. We are either not focused on the lost people around us or we are so eager that we would witness to a rock. If you have to be on one side or another—witness to a rock. But there is a Scriptural balance that needs to be seen. Keep praying for those that are lost. Keep asking God to save them. But take your cues from God. When you seen Him working—join Him.

3. There are definite stages of development that take place in the maturation process of the seed.

“The ground produces grain by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe . . . the harvest time has come.” Why did the farmer NOT harvest the grain when it was only a stalk? Very simply—the plant had not progressed to a mature level of development. Sadly, through eagerness to reap the harvest, and not waiting upon the promptings of the Spirit of God—Christians are “swinging the sickle” at people who are not ready for salvation. (Side Note: When fruit is ripe, you don’t have to tug to get it off the vine. A simple touch from a gentle hand will cause the fruit to break free.)

It is interesting to note that “soil preparation” and “plant growth” are both solely in the hands of God. Scripture clearly indicates that believers are to plant seed, water seed, and help harvest in due season. However, we find no mention of “the Christian plow” or the “soul-winner’s shovel.” The soil of a person’s heart is strictly prepared by the Spirit of the Living God.

Likewise, the spiritual growth in that person’s heart is also a work of God. While Christians are called to supply nourishment, God alone is the giver and sustainer of life. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Pay close attention to the exact words of Jesus in Mark 4:27. “He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn’t know how.”

Why doesn’t the farmer know how the seeds sprout and grow?

Answer: Because plant growth is not his department. Growth is simply the byproduct of life, and life is in the hands of God. Therefore, the only reason growth is taking place is because the Spirit of the living God “gives life” (John 6:63).

4. The man demonstrates keen observation, and persistent evaluation in connection with the harvest.

“He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow . . . but when the grain is ripe, he immediately swings his sickle because the harvest time has come.” The man in this parable was looking for and waiting on the exact moment of the harvest. His mind was focused. His actions were repetitive. His response was immediate. As a result, he was ready to be a part of the harvest. It is impossible to be ready for the harvest if we are not intentional about the process. God uses people who are willing, ready, and prepared.

At this point, the table has been set. In the following posts, we will take one soil type at a time and understand it from God’s perspective. I know the intro was long. You may need to read over it several times. However, the more this information sinks in, the better equipped you will be for sharing Christ with friends and family. Check back in a couple of days for the next post.

Does the Church REALLY Have Back Door Problem?

2011-09-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

If the question is unfamiliar or doesn’t make sense, let me take a moment to explain. Every church is in the business of reaching people. Church leaders are constantly asking, “How do we connect with more people,” “How can we better reach our community,” “What can we do to get more people to come to church?” All of these questions are focused on getting more people to come through the front door of the church.

Once new people arrive, the concern shifts to keeping those prospects (I don’t like the term, but that’s the lingo.). The first questions are outward focused; the second questions are inward focused. “How do we connect people in the church?” “How do we get more people involved?” “How do we get people to buy into what we’re doing? All of these questions are focused on keeping people from exiting the backdoor of the church. “

Put it together and here’s the debate: (1) How do we get people to come through the front door as prospects, (2) How do we keep people from going through the back door unsatisfied?”

I’ve been thinking about this situation for a while. While on sabbatical, God gave some perspective that I feel is relevant. Stated simply, the problem is that we start with the wrong question.

The question should not be, “How do we get people to come through the front door as prospects?” That’s a programming issue. The real question should be, “Why are we trying to reach people at all?” That’s a missional decision.

Are we trying to get people to come to church so that the church will get bigger? As wonderful as it is to have a growing church, that seems like a pretty silly reason for outreach. Not only can people tell when they are notches in the “growth gun,” but I would hate to think that I’m investing the best years of my life to insure that the attendance graphs continue to go up.

Are we trying to reach people so that they can be saved? That may seem like a biblical reason, but let me play devil’s advocate. What happens after salvation? Once a person is saved, why should it matter if they go out the backdoor of the church? If the goal is just salvation, the person can leave with their “fire insurance” and the church can pat itself on the back for doing a great job. IF…the ultimate goal is to see people saved.

Some churches want new people to stay to share the load of ministry. The local church runs on volunteers. We need people to give, serve, lead, and go—voluntarily. If people do not stay, then the church will eventually cease to exist. If our incentive for closing the backdoor is needing people to help, then wouldn’t that make our ultimate goal preservation? It makes an interesting circular argument. We want to reach more people…so that more people will stay…so that we can reach more people…so that more people will stay… You get the point.

The church does not have a backdoor problem; we have a mission problem.

When a local church does not understand the mission of THE CHURCH—we try to corral Christians instead of develop disciples. We’re asking the question, “How many can we gather together?” The mission requires us to ask, “How many can we train and send?” One approach soothes our need for success; the other approach impacts the world for Christ. The first question requires us to entertain people in order to keep their interest. The second question requires us to train people in order to send them equipped. I repeat my first statement. The church does not have a backdoor problem; we have a mission problem.

The mission of every New Testament church is to make disciples. That mission should impact and influence everything we do.

Why do we want people to come through the front door of the church? Answer: Our goal is to make disciples.
What should we do after a person comes into the church? Answer: Our goal is to make disciples.
Should we worry about closing the backdoor of the church? Answer: No! Our goal is to make disciples.

It’s hard to encourage people to go to the nations when we are simultaneously saying, “Stay where you’re at.”

I know that this post goes against everything we hear in conferences and read about in church growth books. However, as you walk away from this post, I have several questions for you to process.

Is it possible that God wants the backdoor open so that we are always mindful to go?
How would discipleship be different if the church were to say, “We may only have this person for a year—how can we best train them for when they leave?”
If a church is discipling people to know God, to strengthen their marriage, to lead within their family, to make wise decisions, to connect with other Christians, to make a difference for the Kingdom, and to live fully as a disciple of Jesus Christ—should we have to beg them to stay? People gravitate to things that add value to their life.

I don’t expect people to embrace these thoughts immediately (if ever). It’s easier to embrace the concept of disciple making than it is to engage in the process that makes disciples. But hopefully, there is a piece or two that resonates with concerns you’ve already felt. If that is the case, ask God how He can use you to start the conversation in your church. Chances are—other Christians are wrestling with the same concerns. May we be bold enough to speak and gracious enough to do it in love.

Learning to Rely on God

2011-09-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

“Christian living is not our living with Christ’s help, it is Christ living His life in us. Therefore that portion of our lives that is not His living is not Christian living; and that portion of our service that is not His doing is not Christian service; for all such life and service have but a human and natural source, and Christian life and service have a supernatural and spiritual source.” J.E. Conant

Learning to rely on God is like learning to breath underwater. Be prepared for a lot of kicking, and struggling, and writhing about. You will experience times of panic, periods of confusion, and moments of helplessness. And then God gives you the first challenge!

At this point, you know a lot of the story of what God did in the early years of Life (if not just go back and read some of the initial posts). God was doing a work in me. He was working on our pastoral team. He was at work in our church. It seemed like a lot of the work came back to responsibilities. What are we supposed to do and what is God supposed to do?

I can remember wrestling through multiple decisions by saying, “God, I don’t want to get in your way, but I also don’t want to be lazy. If you could just show me my part—I would be grateful.” It seemed like a legitimate prayer. However, my prayers were speaking volumes about my theology. In my mind, God had His part that I couldn’t do, and I had my part that God wanted me to do. If God would do His thing, then I could do my thing.

In my eagerness to help—I actually fell into the trap of self-empowered living.

There’s a great biblical story to illustrate this point. In John 6, the crowds were seeking Christ (partially out of curiosity and partially out of excitement). They followed Him to Capernaum and said, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” (v.25). Jesus tells the crowd that they were seeking Him because of His signs and the fact that they ate the bread that He blessed. He reminds them that they should seek the things that do not perish, but “endures to eternal life” (v.27).

Their next question is key. “Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’” In other words, how can we join with you? How can we be about the Father’s business? How can we serve God in a way that endures to eternal life? Jesus’ reply is amazing! “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (v.29). Let the fullness of that reply sink in.

To engage in the work of God is not to receive a vision from God and then attempt to accomplish it yourself.
To engage in the work of God is not to see a need and try to fill it (as best you can).
To engage in the work of God is not to “do something even if it’s wrong.” (There’s a lot of Christians who believe fully in the expression, “It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.”)
To engage in the work of God is to believe in Him whom He has sent.

To believe in Him means that we BELIEVE in Him—NOT us. Our eyes are to stay fixed on Christ. Our hope is to remain locked on Christ. Our part in this process is to believe in Him, rely on Him, depend on Him, trust in Him. If we couple this truth with the abiding principles of John 15—we are really cooking with gas.

Jesus clearly tells us the secret to bearing spiritual fruit (i.e. character change, good works, the fruit of the Spirit, etc.). “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4). John 15 tells us to “be with Christ.” John 6 tells us to “believe in Christ.” When the disciple spends time with Christ and believes in Him—God will accomplish His will through them. This statement is echoed in Hebrews 13:21 and Philippians 2:13. What is the takeaway thought?

Christian work is not laboring alongside of God; Christian work is the overflow of an intimate life that believes in Christ to work through us as us.

How does that truth change the way you serve today? Are you working alongside of God, or is God working through you?

Embracing this truth does not mean that the Christian sits back and does nothing. Far from it! For the last 5 years, while practicing this principle—I’ve seen that God has allowed me to be a part of far more work than I ever attempted on my own. The question is not “Will I be involved in the work of God?” The question becomes, “Do I trust Him enough to accomplish His work through me?”

Let J.E. Conant’s statement sit in your heart today: “Christian living is not our living with Christ’s help, it is Christ living His life in us. Therefore that portion of our lives that is not His living is not Christian living; and that portion of our service that is not His doing is not Christian service…”

Signs, Biblical Guidance, Character Development and “God Told Me…”

2011-06-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

As Christians make intimacy a priority, they will inevitably wrestle with the concept of being led by God. How does God lead? Is Scripture His only tool? Does He use signs and circumstances to direct us?

What should you do when someone says, “God told me _____________________!”? This “spiritual trump card” puts an end to many claims that should be explored further. For example, two people are arguing about what should be done at church. One person turns to the other and says, “I know what you’re saying, and I know the circumstances. But I’ve been praying, and GOD TOLD ME ___________________.” How do you argue with this claim? Did God really speak? Who knows? But if He did speak, you don’t want to be the person who says, “I don’t care what God says, I think we should do _____________________.”

Our approach to being led of God can either be an asset or a liability. In this post, my plan is to simply share some challenging concepts written by some pretty influential men. You may agree or disagree with the statements. However, I hope you will sit with the quotes and think through the implications for your life.

Bob Mumford, discussing the spectacular forms of guidance, remarks:

“Signs are given to us, because God meets us on the level where we operate…In guidance, when God shows us a sign, it doesn’t mean we’ve received the final answer. A sign means we’re on the way. On the highway we may pass a sign saying, ‘New York: 100 miles.’ The sign doesn’t mean we’ve reached New York, but it tells us we’re on the right road.

God wants to bring us beyond the point where we need signs to discern His guiding hand. Satan cannot counterfeit the peace of God or the love of God dwelling in us. When Christ’s abiding presence becomes our guide, then guidance becomes almost unconscious response to the gentle moving of His Holy Spirit within us.”

Dallas Willard, discussing the concept of Bible Deism:

“Frankly, there is abroad in the world today, and very strongly present in conservative religious circles, a position we may aptly characterize as ‘Bible deism.’ Classical deism, associated with the extreme rationalism of the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries, held that God created his world complete and perfect and then went away leaving humanity to its own devices. There was no individualized intervention in the lives of human beings, no miracle.

Bible deism holds, similarly, that God gave us the Bible and then went away, leaving us to make what we could of it, with no individualized communication through the Bible or otherwise.”

E. Stanley Jones, speaking on God’s development of character as a means of guidance:

“Obviously God must guide us in a way that will develop spontaneity in us. The development of character, rather than direction in this, that, or the other matter, must be the primary purpose of the Father. He will guide us, but He won’t override us. The fact should make us use with caution the method of sitting down with a pencil and a blank sheet of paper to write down the instructions dictated by God for the day. Suppose a parent would dictate to the child minutely everything he is to do during the day. The child would be stunted under that regime. The parent must guide in such a manner, and to the degree, that autonomous character, capable of making right decisions for itself, is produced. God does the same.”

Dallas Willard, discussing the implications of people saying, “God told me…”

“When God speaks to us, it does not prove that we are righteous or even right. It does not even prove that we have understood correctly what He said. The infallibility of the messenger and the message does not guarantee the infallibility of our reception. Humility is always in order.

This is an especially important point to make because the appeal to “God told me” or “the Lord led me” is commonly used to prove that I am right, or that you should follow me, or that I should get my way. No such claim is automatically justified.”

If these statements cause internal tension, ask God if the source of the tension is error in the statements or fallibility in our previously held convictions. Either way, we will be better off by thinking through the matter.

Confessions From A Recovering Performance Addict:

2011-06-27T10:26:00.001-07:00

Over the past 4 years, I have devoured every book I could find on the Christ-life (that includes rereading the New Testament at least 10 to 15 times). After reading the New Testament so many times, I decided to read the entire Bible again to search for other teachings I may have missed. The whole experience has been wonderful and eye opening.

When I first came into an understanding of “in Christ” truth, I just assumed that the initial flurry of excitement and insights would continue as I spent time with Him. The Bible was brand new. Passages leapt off the page; I saw connections I had never seen before. Every book I read seemed like the author was telling my story and living my life.

But after a while, I found myself in a place of saying, “I know that, I’ve heard that, I’ve read that, I’ve taught that, I’ve lived that—WHAT’S NEW?” There has to be more to learn. There has to be a fresh thought on the subject. It wasn’t that the information was bad—it was just no longer new. This bothered me!

I knew that I could never go back to performance based Christianity, but it felt like I tapped out the resources on the Christ-life. If I tapped out the resources in 4 years, what was I supposed to do with the rest of my life? Was I destined for 40 more years of dry devotional times?

In somewhat of a frantic way, I began to search everywhere for a new Jesus fix. I needed “new insights, new knowledge, new encounters, new experiences.” I didn’t see what was happening then, but in hindsight it has become clear. In the process of trying to know Him, I had become more enamored with knowledge than with Him.

How quickly we forget!

Our measuring rod for growth in Christ cannot be knowledge, newness, feelings, or experiences. The measuring rod for growth in Christ must be a deepening and developing love for Him.

Sometimes, we simply need to go back and ask the basic question, “When will Jesus be enough?” If He were never to share another insight with you—would Jesus be enough? If you were never to have another warm fuzzy feeling in your quiet time—would Jesus be enough? If there were never another book written on the Christ-life—would Jesus be enough?

The only way we can really say, “Yes” is if our focus has been on loving Him and not loving what we get from Him. All of the books and passages and insights are not intended to be replacements for Christ; they are there to help us grow in our relationship with Him.

What does this mean? It means that knowing the basics does not keep us from veering off course. It means that even in our pursuit of Christ we can still be fooled into pursuing something else. It means that our growth in Christ is not to be measured by newness but by a deepening love for Him. It means I didn’t tap out the Christ life in 4 years; I just gained a lot of information.

I praise God for those awakening moments in the journey. May Jesus be enough!

Praying Through What You Don’t Understand (Part 2)

2011-06-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

If you’ve not already done so—go to the previous post and read how this story is set up. If you have read the previous post, let’s pick up his story in Job 23. Job is wrestling through the feelings of being mad with God because of His silence, but also understanding that God is not obligated to explain His actions. He’s weary from the pain and he has no idea where to find God.

Read Job 23:1-5. Job is saying, “If I could just find God in all of this. I would talk to God, God would listen to me, and then God would talk to me.” He just wants a conversation with God. Job wants to pray through what he doesn’t understand.

Read 6-9. When you’re going through things you don’t understand, does that not sound like an accurate description of your life. “I go forward and God’s not there. I go backward and God’s not there. I look to the right and can’t see Him. I look to the left and can’t see him.”

Read 10. “But He knows the way I take…” There is a word of faith that is so profound here. Job is saying, “I can’t find God regardless of the path I choose, but that’s okay because God knows the path I’m on.” The faith that it takes to say that in the midst of these circumstances is staggering.

Read 10b-17. This is one of my favorite chapters in all the Bible. Job is frustrated in verses 1-9, faithful in verses 10-12, and frightened in verses 13-17. Yet with the ups and downs of these emotions, he continues to pursue God and say things like, “I am not silenced by the darkness.”

After Job has all of these conversations with friends—God and Job finally connect. From chapter 38 through 42, there is an ongoing exchange between God and Job.

38:1 “Then the Lord answered Job…
40:1 “Then the Lord said to Job…
40:3 “Then Job answered the Lord…
40:6 “Then the Lord answered Job…
42:1 “Then Job answered the Lord…

Back and forth—they talk and question each other. Throughout the story, Job has worshipped God through things he didn’t understand. Job has defended God through things he didn’t understand. Job has wrestled with God through things he didn’t understand. Job has grieved with God through things he didn’t understand. But now—we see Job praying through things he didn’t understand.

And it is in this final part of Job’s prayers, after talking with God, and hearing from God, that Job gives several nuggets of truth for those who are struggling to pray through things they don’t understand.

Job 42:2. “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”

Remember that God is still Sovereign.

The word ‘sovereign’ is not found in this verse, but presence is apparent. Sovereign speaks of one who has supreme authority, power, and self-governing. Job says that God can do all things and no purpose of His can be thwarted. God is so powerful, so supremely authoritative, so outside the realm of need that He can do anything He desires and none of His purposes fail.

When you are praying through things you don’t understand—remember that God is still sovereign. The circumstances have not taken Him by surprise. He’s not caught off guard. He is not scrambling in the courts of heaven to find an answer. He is still completely in control and He knows what He’s doing.

Job 42:3. “Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand.”

The ESV translates that last verse to say, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” This is Job’s confession. He is telling everyone that he was dealing with issues he didn’t understand. How can that help us?

Some things are not for you to know.

God is not obligated to tell us everything. There are mysteries of God that we may never know. I have a hard time understanding why God allows children to suffer, or young mother’s die in childbirth, or people groups to be annihilated by genocide. I don’t understand famine or disease or war.

There will be some things that God tells us in time; there will be some things God tells us in eternity. There may be some things God never tells us. The question we have to answer is, “Do we trust Him?” If we answer that question with “Yes,” then God gives us the grace to go forward without all the answers. If we answer “No,” then will the answers really matter in the end?

Some things are not for you to know.

You might be wondering, “How does this help us pray through what we don’t understand?” That’s a valid question. It helps on two levels.

First, people have a natural tendency to stop praying when they don’t understand God or they don’t get the answers they want. We’ve been so conditioned to think that prayer operates like a vending machine where we put the time in and God drops the answers out. When the answers are not dropping, we stop putting the time in. As you broaden your understanding of prayer, you need to incorporate the mindset that some things are not for you to know. It is a part of the mystery of God, and we have to be okay with that.
Second, when you accept that some things are not for you to know, it helps you focus on Who you do know. We do not always understand God’s actions. We do not always understand God’s timing. We do not always see things from an eternal perspective. But let’s stop looking at what we don’t know, and start looking at Who we do know.

We know God through our relationship with Christ. We know that God is merciful, and compassionate, and just, and holy, and loving, and righteous, and gracious, and good. You might not be able to know everything about every situation, but you can know the One who controls it all.

Job 42:4. "Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.”

God will speak, but will we listen?

There are times that we don’t understand because God is not giving the answers, and there are times that we don’t understand because we won’t stop talking. Prayer is conversation with God. It’s dialogue; not monologue. It’s not you talking to God; it’s you talking with God. If you don’t stop long enough to listen—how will you understand?

Job began to understand what God was doing because he listened when God spoke. How can you pray through what you don’t understand? Answer…stop long enough to listen.

Job 42:5. “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You.” The ESV translates this verse in a more simple fashion. “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”

How do you pray through what you don’t understand? It helps to know that…

The process will lead to greater intimacy.

Verse 5 is not just about information going from Job’s ears to eyes; it’s about God going from impersonal to personal. The verse says, “My ears had heard of you…” (that’s acquaintance, it’s hearsay, it’s knowledge gained by another). But now my eyes have seen you… (that’s personal, it’s intimate, it’s more real than before).

That’s the beauty of praying through what we don’t understand. When you don’t have your answers to run to, or your cliché’s to cling to, or your safety net to fall in—it’s just you and God. And there, in that moment—you have something greater than an answer! You have Him!

Desperation leads to prayer. Prayer leads to time with God. Time with God leads to life change. You may never get the answers you were searching for, or the understanding you hoped you’d get, but you will be changed simply by being in His presence.

Keep praying through what you don’t understand. The process leads to greater intimacy with God. Finally…

Job 42:6. “Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.”

The experience reveals personal sin.

After sitting with God, and listening to God, and reflecting over what God said—Job was convicted of personal sin. Job never did anything that we would call overly rebellious against God. He never cursed God. He never verbally insulted God. He never raised his fist towards the heavens. But in small ways, he could still see rebellion, and he repented of it. In a portion of what we read in chapter 23, Job said, “Even today my complaint is rebellion.” The entire experience caused Job to take a deep look on the inside.

There have been a number of times when I went through a period of praying through what I didn’t understand. In every situation, God revealed sins in my life. On one occasion alone, God listed 29 flaws in my character within a 5 minute time frame. Maybe it’s the fact that when God doesn’t answer, we immediately ask, “Did I do something wrong?” I don’t know! But when the path is unclear, and God seems silent, and you don’t understand what’s going on—pay close attention to the parts of your character that rise to the surface. You’ll be amazed at the hidden sins that rise when the flames get hot.

Let’s put it all back together. What can you reflect upon when your praying through things you don’t understand?

Remember that God is still Sovereign.
Some things are not for you to know.
God will speak, but will we listen?
The process will lead to greater intimacy.
The experience reveals personal sin.

Homework: Everyone has at least one area of prayer in their lives where they don’t understand why God is doing what’s He’s doing. Your homework is to take Job’s lessons into you’re prayer time. Ask God to help you see His sovereign control. Submit your list of unanswered questions before God and ask God to either give the answers or release you from the need to know. Stop during your prayers and spend 10 to 15 minutes just listening. Ask God to use this process to build greater intimacy, and finally, ask God to reveal the hidden sins that have become exposed by the process.

Praying Through What You Don’t Understand (Part 1)

2011-05-31T06:48:00.000-07:00

You’re a first time parent. The birth of your first child has brought you more joy than you could ever imagine. Several hours after the birth, the pediatrician performs a routine exam of the new born. A look of concern comes over the doctor’s face. Your child has a heart abnormality. In a split second, the joy you’ve felt is replaced with confusion. What’s wrong with my baby? What can we do? How did this happen? Instinctively, you know you need to pray, but where do you even begin?

You’ve worked for a company for 25 years. It was your first job out of college. You’ve always prided yourself in doing a good job, being loyal, and working with the team. It’s Friday afternoon and you’re just about to get off for the weekend. Your boss calls you into the office and says, “You’re services are no longer needed. Effective today, you’ve been let go.” The emotions are almost too much to handle. Did I do something wrong? Where am I going to find work? How will this affect my family? You know that you need to pray, but how do you pray when all you feel is anger and confusion?

These types of scenarios happen everyday. Tragic news hits families. People lose jobs. Marriages end in divorce. Accidents happen. In that moment a person is not only dealing with confusion about the situation—they are also confused about God’s role in it. Why didn’t God stop it? Why didn’t God intervene? Where is God when I needed Him the most?

How do you pray when you’re confused about the situation? How do you trust God when you’re confused about His role in it?

That is our focus for today. How do you pray through what we don’t understand?

If you have a Bible, take just a moment and turn to Job 1. I’m going to walk you through some critical moments in Job’s life. For those familiar with his story—you either love it or hate it. His story can either incite anger against God because God sanctioned these events. Or it brings comfort to your soul because someone really understands the pains you’ve encountered.

Chapter 1 begins with a description of Job’s life. “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” We’ve all read enough fairytales and novels to recognize a good guy when we see him. And Job is a good guy. But we’ve also been preconditioned to expect a certain set of circumstances to accompany this type of person.

Good people have good lives. Things just work out for them. God likes righteous people. God helps them because they are his favorites. And as we continue reading, it looks like this story is shaping up like all the rest.

“Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.” Here’s what all that means. “Homey was loaded and famous!” We have a godly, rich, dad, who was respected and well-known.

Verse 8 picks up in a discussion between God and Satan. It says, “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job?” For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.”

This is a disturbing conversation on a couple of levels. It appears that God and Satan are having a private conversation about Job. Mind you, Job was not invited to the party. Satan is talking about roaming around on the earth, and God basically says, “In your travels, have you seen Job? He’s a great guy, he’s blameless, he’s upright, he fears Me.” It’s nice that God thinks so highly of Job, but He is talking to the one that the Bible calls “the evil one,” “the murderer,” or “the ruler of darkness.” Satan tells God that he is blameless because he’s blessed. How could someone not be “good” when his possessions have increased and everything he does is protected by God?

It’s a legitimate thought. So God tells Satan, “Everything he has is in your power, only do not touch him.” Hold on just a moment. Am I the only one who thinks that someone needs to talk to Job? He went from protected to exposed in 18 words. Job’s life is about to radically change and no one told Job.

Notice how quickly and severely Satan acts. Read Job 1:13-22.

In rapid fashion, the oxen and donkeys are taken, the servants are killed, the sheep and servants are burned up by “fire from heaven,” the Chaldeans kill more servants and took his camels, and all of his kids were killed in a freak accident when a house collapsed due to wind.

And let’s not just read the words and miss the impact. This is not a description of events that occurred over Job’s lifetime; this is a description of events that occurred within several hours of a single day.

How do you make sense of this? Is it even possible to understand these events? Job certainly didn’t understand, but his response is legendary. He tore his robes in grief, he shaved his head in sadness, but he worshipped God through the pain. And verse 22 says, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” What a great response!

If that were everything that happened, it would be a heart wrenching but inspiring story. But chapter 2 begins with God and Satan in another conversation.

God said in verse 3, “Have you considered My servant Job?” Wasn’t that the same phrase that started this whole series of unfortunate events? Sure! God goes on to say, “For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”

If we’re talking about praying through what we don’t understand—let’s stop the train here. Someone help me understand that last phrase. “Ruin him without cause.” Is God actually saying, “There was no purpose behind all of this suffering?” That’s what it seems like! Fortunately, the further we read, the more this statement makes sense. “Without cause” means “Job did nothing to deserve the pain.” He didn’t bring these issues on himself by poor decisions or a rebellious life. But we have something Job never had. We have the privilege of reading with hindsight. Job wasn’t looking back on a story—he was living it.

Satan picks up the conversation in verse 2:4 and says, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” So the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

Keep reading in verse 7. “Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.”

Why is God doing this to Job? What did Job do to deserve either the admiration of God or the wrath of God? Ironically, the two concepts don’t seem overly different at this point.

Look at verse 9 and following. “Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” Isn’t it good to know that you can come home to the encouragement of a loving wife? Verse 10. “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

You get the jest of the story.

A godly guy experiences unimaginable tragedy.
God is not only aware of the issues, God is fueling the discomfort.
Job has no answers.
Job has no direction.
Job has no way to fully understand what’s happening.
He fights off the accusations of his friends.
He defends his integrity before his wife.
He brings his requests to God again and again, and yet God seems silent.

Stop there! Can you to relate? It doesn’t mean that you have experienced tragedy at this level. You could be sitting in a place without answers, without direction, and without a full understanding of what’s going on. You may be confused and worried. You may be upset with God because you pray and God seems silent. If you’re in that place—I encourage you to do one thing today.

Pray that God enables you to trust Him through the pain and prepare your heart for what we will see tomorrow. We’ve set up the story in this post. Check back tomorrow, and we will discover incredible truths that can help us pray through situations we don’t understand.

Abiding in Christ (Practical Insights)

2011-05-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

“Abide in Me….abides in the vine…abide in Me…abides in Me…abide in Me…abide in Me…abide in you…abide in My love…abide in My love…abide in His love…” (John 15:4-10)

According to Jesus, abiding is the key to spiritual fruit. Abiding is also crucial to enjoying God’s love. Jesus goes as far as to say that apart from abiding in Him—we can do nothing!

As a follower of Christ, I now have 3 questions.

What is abiding?
How do I abide?
How does abiding change me?

The first answer is the easiest. To abide means to remain in, to stay in, to be at home in, or to rest in.

The second answer is also relatively easy. We abide in Christ by being with Him. Some common ways to abide are…

Prayer (conversation with Him)
Scripture reading (hearing from Him)
Meditation (focused thought on/about Him)
Worship (adoring Him)
Service (working with Him)

At the heart of abiding is the desire to live life with God. Brother Lawrence referred to this as “practicing the presence of God.” When our desire is to live life with God, common things like working in the garden, driving to work, hiking in nature, or even vacuuming the floors can become a spiritual opportunity for abiding.

The third answer is the hardest. We have been conditioned to equate personal effort with practical results. If things are going to happen—I have to do it. If change is going to be made—it’s up to me to make it. If tomorrow is going to be different—I have to take charge. When our default position is set on performance based living—abiding can be one of the most difficult concepts to embrace.

How does abiding change me if I’m not the one directing the change? Here are a couple of insights that might help.

Think of abiding from the perspective of spending time with someone.

For any relationship to grow—you have to spend time with that person. Abiding in Christ in simply spending time with God where the focus is God.

We can spend time with God in prayer, Bible study, worship, meditation, service, conversation throughout the day, etc. The key is to spend time with God where the focus is God. The focus is not, “I want to learn the Bible, or I want God to answer 5 questions, or I need to check “quiet time” off my to do list—so God let’s get this over with.” It’s possible to engage in the right activity with the wrong focus and miss the point completely. When we spend time with God—the focus is to be on God.

Think of abiding and change from the perspective of close friends.

As you hang out with someone for years—you start to rub off on each other. You pick up phrases they use, gestures they use, likes and dislikes. Your habits change. Sometimes people even start to look like each other (especially in marriage). Gradual change happens by simply being with that person.

When a person spends time with God—change happens by simply being with Him. As they talk to God in prayer, meet with Him in the Word, take their problems to God, share their victories with God—eventually, they start to think like He thinks, are moved by what moves Him. His values become their values. His Word because their standard. By virtue of being with Him—they become like Him.

Think of abiding and change from the perspective of grafting trees.

When farmers want a stronger tree, or a tree that produces more fruit, or one more resistant to disease—they can create it by grafting. They take the trunk and roots of one tree and graft in live steams of another. If the graft works—they get change that does not normally happen. They get things like seedless grapes, oranges and tangerines growing on the same tree, stronger and healthier trees that are drought resistant and immune to diseases. In other words, they get abnormal results because of connection to a different source.

Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches—he who abides in Me (stays connected to me) bears much fruit.” As we are grafted into Him—we get abnormal results because of our connection to a different source. When we try to change pride, anger, jealousy, lying, lust, addiction or something else—we hit a wall. But as we are connected to a different source—God has the ability to bring different results.

Think of abiding and change from the perspective of disciplined and focused action.

Some people mistake abiding for doing nothing. They falsely assume that the options are abide or do. You can either hang out with God or you can do something. That is not the scenario God is presenting. Abiding is about being with Him and allowing Him to direct the doing.

G. Campbell Morgan said, “Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command…third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.” When you and I spend time with God—He points out the things that need to be done.

The Bible is filled with things to do. We are to pray, serve, humble ourselves, give, be good stewards, disciple others, witness our faith, provide for our families, encourage people, study to show ourselves approved, be kind, merciful, longsuffering, patient—and on and on. There is plenty of doing.

The problem occurs when Christians see all of the doing—they think that God expects them to do it all—daily—without messing up. They soon discover that they cannot do it.

As you are spending time with God—He will point out things that need to be done. We are to abide, listen, and respond as He directs.

Think about abiding and change from the perspective of an employee—not a manager.

The believer is never removed from the position of submission. We enter into submission to the yoke (teachings) of Christ, and we stay in that position. Believers become frustrated when they try to regain control of their lives and run everything themselves.

Think of abiding from the perspective of an employee and not a manager. As an employee—your actions are dictated by another. It’s not expected that you come up with the programs, make the big decisions, generate new ideas, and oversee the operation. But it’s also not expected that you do nothing. Your responsibilities are dictated by the boss or manager.

As you abide in Christ, God is not asking you to come up with the program of change, generate new ideas for growth, and oversee the process of character development. You are not the manager. The Holy Spirit is over the project. Our responsibility is like the employee. As God directs—we do. And even our doing is empowered by Him.

God’s plan is not to make you a better you; God’s plan is to transform your character into the character of Christ. The entire process is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our part is to abide in Him.

Worry, Anxiety, and Peace (A Biblical Perspective) (Part 3):

2011-04-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

In the previous two posts, I’ve shared two truths from Philippians 4 that will take a person from having a mind consumed with worry and anxiety to having a mind filled with peace.

Truth 1: Peace of mind requires consistent prayer (v.6-7):

Truth 2: Peace of mind requires captive thoughts (v.8):

Now, I’d like to give one more thought to close out the concept.

Truth 3: Peace of mind requires constant obedience (v.9):

You cannot separate outward action and inward thought. Sin always results in unrest, and purity ought to result in peace. Isaiah 32:17 says, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and peace.” James 3:17 echoes that remark when it says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable.” Obedience to the teachings of God is necessary for experiencing the peace of God.

When I was a kid, my brother and I decided to use the lampshade in our room for target practice with our BB guns. It wasn’t a regular occurrence, but sometimes the lampshade just needed to be shot. Anyway, if you turned off the main light, closed the blinds, and turned on the lamp—it looked like a constellation finder. We thought it was funny (and educational).

However, any time my parents walked into the room—we were always nervous wondering, “Have they seen it?” We would intentionally keep the lamp unplugged because we didn’t want them to turn it on and see all the holes in the shade.

Here’s my point. As long as we knew we did something my parents disapproved of—we were never at peace around them. I was always waiting for the truth to emerge and the punishment to begin.

I think there is a great spiritual parallel. When we do things that God disapproves of—we will be uncomfortable around God. We are uncomfortable around His Word, around His people, and around Him. Disobedience breeds anxiety. The best way to walk in peace is to do what God says do.

There are probably some people thinking, “My issues of worry are not about disobedience. I’m worried about making my house payment. I’m anxious about where to send my kids to school. I’m concerned about health problems that don’t go away.” If that describes you—then you need to go back and refer to truths 1 and 2. All worry is not the result of disobedience. However, all worry can be traced back to a need for consistent prayer and failing to take every thought captive.

While some worry is not the result of disobedience to God—some is!

In those cases, if we are walking with the Lord, then the peace of God and the God of peace exercise their influence over our hearts. Whenever we disobey, we lose that peace and we know we have done something wrong. God’s peace is the “umpire” that calls us “out”!

Consistent prayer, captive thoughts, and continual obedience are the conditions for having the secure mind and peace in your life. As Philippians 4 is the “peace chapter” of the New Testament, James 4 is considered the “war chapter.” The parallels are uncanny.

It begins with a question: “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?” In other words, “Why is there no peace in your life? What’s the source? What’s the problem?” The chapter then gives 3 reasons for conflict: (1) Wrong Praying (“You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives…” James 4:2b-3a), (2) Wrong Living (“Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God…purify your hands you sinners…” James 4:4a, 8b), (3) Wrong Thinking (“purify your hearts, you double-minded,” James 4:8).

Wrong Praying

Wrong Living

Wrong Thinking

That’s sounds familiar! What leads to a life of peace?

Consistent prayer (v.6-7):

Captive thoughts (v.8):

Constant obedience (v.9):

There is no middle ground. Either we yield our heart and mind to the Spirit of God and practice consistent prayer, captive thoughts, and constant obedience, or we yield to the flesh and find ourselves torn apart by worry.

WARNING: I want to finish with a word of warning. If you look at these three truths apart from an intimate relationship with Christ—it will only lead to greater worry and anxiety. It’s very easy to be overwhelmed by our failures in all three categories. If our peace is contingent upon each of us keeping this list with perfection—we will all be overwhelmed by worry.

The list is not something that we attempt to live for God; the list speaks of something God desires to live through us. As we submit to God, He lives His desires through us. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, He captures our thoughts. As we grow in our love for Christ, He lives obedience though us.

Listen to James’ prescription for those wrestling for peace.

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:7,8a,10).

By submitting to God—we are resisting the devil. By drawing near to God—we are resting in His grace (James 4:6). When the focus is upon intimacy with God—He will exalt us in due time.

The greatest solution to a life of worry is a growing relationship with God. Maybe Isaiah said it best. “I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You” (Isaiah 26:3).

Worry, Anxiety, and Peace (A Biblical Perspective) (Part 2):

2011-04-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we began a discussion on worry, anxiety, and peace. My goal in writing on this subject is to give a biblical perspective that might be missed in the “Americanized” brand of Christianity. It seems that worry and anxiety are considered normal for Christians and peace of mind is viewed as abnormal. I have a sneaky suspicion that our perspective is backwards. Anyway, based on Philippians 4:6-9, we found the first truth in the conversation.

Truth 1: Peace of mind requires consistent prayer (v.6-7):

There is no peace of mind apart from prayer. Meditation can clear the mind for periods of time. Entertainment can distract the mind for periods of time. Avoidance can fool the mind for periods of time. But only prayer will bring peace of mind because it connects us to the God of peace.

Let’s move forward and find another relevant truth to the discussion.

Truth 2: Peace of mind requires captive thoughts (v.8):

The human mind will always set itself on something and Paul wanted to be sure that the Philippians would set their minds on the right things. If we think of something often enough, we will come to the stage when we cannot stop thinking about it. When we cannot stop thinking about something, we will eventually come to the stage when we feel compelled to act upon our thoughts. If we are not careful, our thoughts will become a groove out of which it is difficult to jerk them back onto the right path. The key is that we initially set our thoughts upon the right things.

The Apostle Paul addressed this idea to the church in Corinth when he said, “Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). If we allow our thoughts to wander—they will eventually end up in the red light district. Satan has deceived people into believing that as long as we don’t physically act upon our thoughts—there is no harm in letting the mind wander. What we fail to take into account is that under the right set of circumstances—any of us are capable of anything.

The first line of defense for sinful actions is what we let in the mind; the second line of defense for sinful actions is what we focus upon in the mind. The third line of defense for sinful actions is the willful act of submitting to God. When the mind is left unguarded—the enemy has already advanced past the first two barriers. With the attractive quality of sin and two barriers removed—it will not be long before we succumb to sin. The key is to stop the advance of sin before it starts.

There is an old saying worth remembering. “If you give Satan even 1 acre of the 50 acre field that represents your life—he will choose the center acre so that he will have to cross every other part of your life to get to what is his.”

What are we to focus upon? The answer is in verse 8. There are both specific and non-specific elements to Paul’s teachings. It is specific in that he gives the categories of permissible thought; it is non-specific in that he gives categories and not the thoughts themselves. If I were to ask a group, “What is pure or lovely,” we would get multiple answers because we have multiple life experiences. Each of us has a different idea of pure or lovely. Allow God to direct your mind to what is pure and lovely and true and honest. Peace of mind is contingent upon taking thoughts captive.

The second part of living in peace and walking away from the roller coaster of worry and anxiety is to take thoughts captive. That means, you will not be able to let the mind wander and fantasize. You will not be able to dream about what you would say to the person who has wronged you. You will not be able to meditate upon a previous life of sin. You do not have the right to look as long as you don’t act. You do not have the option of entertaining every horrible outcome, every possible problem, and every way things can go wrong. Peace of mind does not come from an unbridled thought life; peace of mind comes from captured thought.

If you’re not sure of the benefits to capturing thoughts, here’s a small list of what can be gained by right thinking:

Peace of Mind
Clarity of thought
Increased productivity
Mental fortitude
Better Health
Less Sinful Behavior
Emotional stability
Stronger communion with God
Less Worry
Optimistic instead of pessimistic
Etc.

It is my prayer that God will enable you to find the path of peace that comes with the God of peace. Check back in a couple of days and I will put one final post in this series.

Worry, Anxiety, and Peace (A Biblical Perspective) (Part 1):

2011-04-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

Last week was one of ‘those weeks.’ Have you ever noticed that your mind never views the phrase—‘one of those weeks’ in a positive manner? It is the internationally understood phrase for a hard time. You could be in the depths of the rain forest and tell the natives—“it’s been one of those weeks,” and they would all cringe and say, “I hate if for you.”

For me, it was a week of ups and downs, meetings and planning, deadlines and to-do lists, and a schedule that was so packed that at the end of the evening—it took about 3 hours to regain my sanity. While our pressures and schedules may be different, we all find ourselves wanting the same thing—peace.

Worry and anxiety steal our peace. The pressures of life will challenge our peace. The fear of the unknown will attack our peace. If we do not have a plan for peace—we will react and not respond; we will grow agitated instead of acting graciously; we may keep a schedule, but we loose a life.

Thomas a’ Kempis said, “All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace.” There is a price for peace. If you’re interested in discovering an alternative to the roller coaster of worry and anxiety, I encourage you to follow along on the next several posts. I’m going to talk about worry, anxiety, and peace from a biblical perspective. The primary passage will be Philippians 4:6-9.

Take a moment and read the passage. When you’re finished, check out the following thoughts.

Okay, you’re back! Three times in three verses we are confronted with the promise of peace. The good news is—peace is obtainable. The bad news is—you and I will never stumble across peace by accident. Peace must be actively pursued with wisdom.

From the surface, it would seem that the path of peace begins in verse 6 with prayer. But context suggests otherwise. Verse 6 is actually the culmination of the truths found in chapter 1, chapter 2, and chapter 3.

Here is the one-minute crash course on the first 3 chapters.

Philippians 1 focuses on the single mind that can pray in faith. This mind adores God for who He is.
Philippians 2 addresses the submissive mind that comes to God with our needs. This mind trusts God because of His character.
Philippians 3 speaks of the spiritual mind that shows our appreciation to God. This mind thanks God for His faithfulness.
Philippians 4 promises a secure mind, but we are to practice the truths of chapters 1-3.

What I mean is that “right praying” (v.6-7) is not something every Christian can do immediately, because “right praying” depends on the right kind of mind (which has been developed over the previous 3 chapters). This is why Paul’s formula for peace is found at the end of Philippians and not at the beginning.

The truths of the previous 3 chapters are not hard to grasp. Will we adore God for who He is? Will we trust God because of His character? Will we thank God in advance for His faithfulness? If you can say, “Yes!” to all three questions, then you are ready to pray correctly in Philippians 4:6. With the first 3 chapters as our foundation, how is peace obtained by the Christian?

Truth 1: Peace of mind requires consistent prayer (v.6-7):

It should not surprise us that peace is found when we are in communication with God. There are some people who have the ability to calm your fears by just listening to their voice. It’s not that they are always giants of the faith, full of wisdom and resources, but they seem to have the ability to put things into perspective.

The instruction of the passage is, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.” A better translation of that first statement is “Be anxious for nothing.” It is a command—not a suggestion. Nothing is the most exclusive word in the English language. It does not allow for anything—otherwise, it would no longer be nothing. Does that thoroughly confuse everyone? Paul is intentionally using a play on words to show the magnitude of the statement. We are to worry about nothing because we are to pray about everything.

It doesn’t matter how legitimate our problems may be—God says, “Don’t worry!” Likewise, it doesn’t matter how small we think our issue is—God says, “Pray!”

God wants us to bring everything to Him in prayer.

One pastor said it like this: “Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads…to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them…If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say…People who have no secrets…never want subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back; neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration, just what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.”

Is that not exactly what we want and need? We search our entire life for friends whom we can be painfully honest around. We cherish the relationships in which people accept us for who we are and not for what they can get from us. That is the type of relationship that God is offering. He does not want to just be your provider in difficult times. He wants to be your Father and friend at all times.

Notice that we enter verse 6 with worry and we exit verse 7 with peace. The only thing between the two extremes is prayer. Have things changed? We don’t know. Has an answer come to prayer? We have no idea. For all we know, the storm may still be raging and the waves may still crashing, but the circumstances around us do not dictate the entrance of peace.

When we pray, we should remember three things. We must remember the love of God, which desires only what is best for us. We must remember the wisdom of God, which knows what is best for us. We must remember the power of God, which can bring what is best for us. The person who prays in this fashion will find God's peace. Peace of mind requires consistent prayer.

Check back in a couple of days and I’ll share a second truth about gaining peace over worry and anxiety.

When the Bible Doesn’t Make Sense (Part 3):

2011-03-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

So far, I’ve give two principles to help people work through difficult passages that don’t make sense.

Principle 1: Be honest about things you don’t understand.

Principle 2: Reflect on God’s pattern for repetition.

You may have noticed that the previous principles are not normal answers given to this problem. Most of the time when advice is given about working through difficult passages, it’s almost always focused on context and interpretation.

Author: Who was the writer/writers?
Audience: To whom was it written?
Setting: What is the setting (i.e. city, culture, date, struggles, etc.)?
Purpose: Why was the writer addressing this group at this time?
Genre: Can you identify the style of the writing (i.e. historical narrative, poetry, apocalyptic writings, wisdom literature, prophecy, etc.)?

It is believed that when you find the answer to these types of questions, you should be able to correctly interpret the text. While I support the idea of discovering context—it’s not always that easy. Any good study Bible will have that information at the beginning of each book. However, understanding the context does not mean we will automatically understand every passage.

The principles I’m sharing in these posts should be consulted after you’ve discovered context and before you give up in frustration. These principles are relationally centered and will encourage people to go back to God in relationship.

That brings us to a third principle!

Principle 3: Rest in God’s grace (even when we mess up).

You may need a moment to reread the text. If so, go back to Mark 9:30-37. Reread the text and I will resume with some questions.

Based on the storyline in these verses, I’ve got several questions for you. First, I’ve got a couple of theological questions about Jesus.

Is Jesus God?
Does Jesus know the thoughts of people?

Hopefully, you said “Yes” to both questions. If you did, then I’ve got two contextual questions for you.

When Jesus spoke of being delivered into the hands of men, dying on the cross, and rising on the third day—did He know that the disciples didn’t understand, and were afraid to ask?
When Jesus asked, “What were you discussing on the way?”—did He already know the topic of conversation?

Once again, the answer to each question is “Yes.” Jesus knew they didn’t understand. He knew what they were discussing on the way. When Jesus asks a question, it’s not for the purpose of gaining insight that He didn’t previously know. His questions are intended to bring truth into the light so that the audience will acknowledge and understand the greater issues.

Sometimes the greater story is found in the silence.

After calling the disciples personally,
After equipping the disciples individually,
After teaching the disciples regularly,
After living with the disciples daily,
After sharing these events previously,
They still did not understand,
And they were still afraid to ask.

Yet—we do not find a single word of rebuke. Jesus just moves on. Watch how it plays out!

As they arrived in Capernaum, and settled into a house, Jesus asked, “What were you discussing along the way?” Jesus already knew what they were discussing. We know that Jesus knew because even in their silence—He addressed the exact subject that they were discussing.

What was their response? They kept silent.

Let’s say you’re sitting in one room and you watch your child in another room throw a pillow and break a lamp. When the lamp crashes to the floor, your innocent child sits on the couch and acts like nothing is wrong.

You saw what they did, you know what happened, but in an attempt to get them to tell you the truth, you say, “Do you know anything about the broken lamp?” At that moment, your child looks you right in the eyes, shrugs his shoulders, and says, “I don’t know.”

You cannot believe it. You have to repress this sudden urge to slap a knot on their head. What do you mean, “I don’t know?” I watched you throw the pillow. I watched the lamp fall to the floor. I watched you jump on the couch and pretend to do nothing. And now you’re going to say, “I don’t know.”

Take that perspective, and look at the passage. Jesus knew what they discussed. He knew they were arguing over who was the greatest. Contextually, it seems like they’re already trying to fill His position before He’s gone. But when He asked them about what they were discussing—a bunch of grown men, followers of Christ—said nothing. They were silent.

Here’s the crazy thing! There is no verse 34 ½ or 34 ¾. We move from their silence directly into Jesus’ teaching without a single word of rebuke.

I wish we had a way to measure the grace and restraint that Christ used at this moment. His reply to them was, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Where are the fireworks? Where are the words of rebuke? Where’s the zapping?

Nowhere!

Instead of rebuke—He graciously gives them a visual lesson. He picks up a child in his arms and says, “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

What does a child have to do with greatness, serving, and receiving Christ? Think about it like this.

A child has no influence,
A child cannot advance a man's career or enhance his prestige,
A child cannot give us things,
Instead, it is the other way round.

A child needs things; a child must have things done for him. You would never measure the greatness of a parent by what they could get from their kids; you measure the greatness of the parent by how they care for the needs of the child.

Bridge that concept into the discussion between Christ and His disciples. Through visual illustration, Jesus essentially says, "If you welcome the poor, the ordinary people, the people who have no influence and no wealth and no power, the people who need things done for them, you’re welcoming me. By loving people (and not bucking for position)—you are loving those created in God’s image. You are loving those who Christ died for. You are carrying out His mission on this earth. In essence, Christ is living through you.”

This is another way of saying, "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me" (Matt 25:40).

Let’s bring it all together. There are going to be truths we don’t understand. That’s okay. There are going to be times when we mess up. That’s okay. There are going to be times when we are embarrassed by our own actions. I praise God for His grace and mercy in this area.

When you don’t understand what the Bible is teaching, or you don’t understand what life is throwing your direction—remember these principles:

1. Be honest about things you don’t understand.

2. Reflect on God’s pattern for repetition.

3. Rest in God’s grace (even when we mess up).

It takes time to learn how to live by Kingdom principles. Trust that God will repeat information, and He will be gracious in the process. When you come to passages you don’t understand—it doesn’t mean that you have to stop reading. You just have to be willing to mistake a few concubines for porcupines! In time, with study, and by His Spirit—God will make things clear.

When the Bible Doesn’t Make Sense (Part 2):

2011-03-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Let’s continue. We are talking about what you can do when the Bible doesn’t make sense. This question must be addressed by anyone serious about studying the Word of God. If you read the Bible with any regularity, you will come to passages or statements that don’t make sense. When you get to those places, you have one of three choices:

Get frustrated and stop reading altogether.
Gloss over the text without really thinking through it.
Dig into the text and discover the meaning.

Option 1 produces no growth; option 2 produces little growth; option 3 produces abundant growth. I want to help people continuously pursue option 3.

We are still in the Mark 9:30-37. You may need to reread the text to refresh your memory. The first principle is already in place.

Principle 1: Be honest about things you don’t understand.

What is a second principle to remember when the Bible doesn’t make sense?

Principle 2: Reflect on God’s pattern for repetition.

God uses repetition to teach us and conform us into the image of Christ. When Christians say, “I go through the same problems again and again. Why do I keep having relational problems? Why do I keep having financial problems? Why do I continue to struggle with this sin? Is God ever going to change the circumstances?”

If the circumstances are connected to your conformity to Christ, God will change the circumstances when you learn the lesson.

God teaches through repetition. The story of the Hebrew people coming out of Egypt is a prime example of God using repetition. Jesus working with His disciples is another example of repetition.

As much as we hate to admit it, every truth we hear does not stick the first time. There are things that God speaks into our lives for years before the light comes on and we get it. But I praise God that He is gracious enough to give us more than one lesson.

Notice how principle 2 is seen in this text.

There was confusion about the cross and the idea of greatness. That is a discovery we made in yesterday’s post. Let’s spend a moment to look at each area of confusion.

In reference to the cross—Jesus already discussed these events previously.

He discussed them in Mark 8:31.
There is an allusion to the incident in Mark 9:12.
When Jesus shared the information about His death and resurrection in Mark 9:31—this was not the first time the disciples heard it.

What about the idea of greatness/serving? Did Jesus address this concept before? Absolutely!

In every miracle—he served others. When he healed the paralytic, the demon possessed, the unclean woman, and brought the dead girl back to life—He served others. When He feed the 5000 and then the 4000—He modeled service.
He told the disciples, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
He told the disciples at another time “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus’ entire ministry was built around serving. When Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all”—He’s not sharing a new concept. They’ve seen this principle lived out every day they walked with Him.

How do we apply this second principle? When we do not understand what the Bible is saying or what God is teaching us—reflect on God’s pattern for repetition. Here are several ideas that may help:

Ask yourself, “Is there another place in the Bible where this same thought or idea or wording is found?” Sometimes, there is another passage that shares the same truth in a different way. Look for passages related to the subject. For example, if you’re having a hard time understanding the idea of forgiveness—look for other passages related to forgiveness. In the back of most Bibles, there is a concordance. Look up the word “forgiveness” and read the passages related to it. This practice can be invaluable when seeking to understand a difficult text.
Use the cross-references in your Bible to check for related passages. While a concordance works great for themes, the built in cross references work great for related passages. Many Bibles put small letters or numbers above words or phrases in a verse. These symbols are linked to a reference list on that page. Follow those references and allow Scripture to interpret Scripture.
Continue to take your questions to God in prayer. I recently did a personal study on “self-control.” Instead of searching for the phrase “self-control” in a reference book, I asked God to lead me through the subject in prayer. My question was simple: “Where are stories about self control, and where are passages about self control?” Over the next 2 days, God led me through story after story and passage after passage. When it was over, I went to a reference book to see if there was anything else. I was amazed to find that every reference listed in the book was one that the Holy Spirit already led me to in the last 2 days. It reminded me again that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth.

Here’s the bottom line. If God wants you to know it, live it, or conform to it—He will repeat it in different ways throughout the Bible. God uses repetition and we can benefit by simply following the trail.

What do you do when the Bible doesn’t make sense?

Principle 1: Be honest about things you don’t understand.

Principle 2: Reflect on God’s pattern for repetition.

Check back in two days, and I will provide principle 3.

When the Bible Doesn't Make Sense (Part 1)

2011-03-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

The following statements are answers given by elementary kids when taking a Bible test:

Question 1: “What is the first commandment in the Bible?” One kid wrote, “When Eve told Adam “You better eat this apple or else.”

Question 2: “What is the seventh commandment?” Another kid wrote, “Thou shalt not admit adultery.”

Based on responses given, some of the other lesser known biblical facts are…

Moses died before he even reached Canada.
Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol.
David was a King skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.
Solomon had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.

Let’s admit it! Sometimes, the Bible is not the easiest book to understand. Concubines, porcupines, Jericho, Geritol—they all sound kind of similar. But just for the record, kids aren’t the only ones who have trouble with he Bible. We all struggle with understanding the Bible from time to time.

So what do you do when the Bible that doesn’t make sense? I’m not just talking about Old Testament prophecy or apocryphal writings in Revelation. I’m talking about the statements of Christ, or the teachings of Paul, or the stories of Luke.

When Jesus says things like, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me…” What do you do with that?
When the writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as “A priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” What does that mean?
When Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is not longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” What was he talking about?

Studying the Bible should be a lifelong pursuit, but a lot of people give up the pursuit because they don’t understand the meaning.

Likewise, if a believer wants to grow in their understanding of the Christ-life, it is imperative that they have the skills necessary to work through difficult texts. In the next several posts, I’m going to share some basic principles for biblical interpretation that will allow people to find answers when the Bible doesn’t make sense.

In order to give a framework for these truths, I’m going to walk you through a text in Mark 9:30-37. Let me give a little background. Jesus just came down from the Mount of Transfiguration and found His disciples in an argument with a group of scribes and an angry dad. Jesus settled the dispute, taught some amazing principles about believing, and caste a demonic spirit out of a boy. When Jesus and the disciples went back to a house, the disciples asked him, “Why could we not drive it out?” And Jesus said in verse 29, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

Take a moment and read the text. I’ll be right here when you return.

Okay, you’re back! Let’s get some perspective from A.W. Tozier. He said…

“A real Christian is odd in a number of ways. He feels a supreme love for One whom he has never physically met and talks daily to Someone he cannot see. He expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another. He empties himself in order to be full; admits wrong so that he can be declared right; goes down in order to be raised up; is strongest when he is weakest; richest when he is poorest...dies so he can live; forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible and knows that which cannot be understood.”

Tozier did a fantastic job describing the undeniable twists of the Christian life, but he also gave great insight into why the Bible doesn’t always seem to make sense. Christianity is lived according to God’s Kingdom principles.

When you and I enter a relationship with Christ—we become a part of God’s spiritual Kingdom. The Gospel message is, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). We know that Jesus did not come to set up an earthly kingdom; He came to establish the Heavenly kingdom. The problem is the heavenly kingdom operates differently than what we’re used to.

God’s economy is different than ours.
God’s idea of justice is different than ours.
God’s principles for loving enemies, serving others, personal stewardship, defining success—it’s all different.

Everything’s different! While some misunderstandings in Scripture are linked to cultural differences or historical questions, I believe a lot of confusion is rooted in learning to think with a Kingdom perspective.

What should we remember when the Bible doesn’t make sense?

Principle 1: Be honest about things you don’t understand.

It’s okay to say, “I don’t know!”

There are some of the mysteries of God that I may never understand. I can’t wrap my mind around the complexities of the Trinity. I’m not sure of the exact division between God’s sovereignty and human free will. I don’t fully understand the concept of worshipping God with our lives, being a living sacrifice, or how we abide in Christ (moment by moment).

If I’m being completely honest, I absolutely stink at explaining where dinosaurs fit into Scripture. My eschatological position is fuzzy. I’m still learning what it means to be free from the Law while being complete in Christ. I have an extensive list of questions. But that’s okay. I’m still learning what it means to view my relationship with Christ from a Kingdom perspective.

In this portion of Scripture, there are two concepts that the disciples didn’t understand.

There’s confusion about the cross (v.30-32).

They did not understand the cross. They did not understand His death. They did not understand the resurrection. But instead of acknowledging what they didn’t understand—they remained silent because they were afraid to ask Him.

There’s confusion about greatness (v.33-37).

As the group walked along, they had a private conversation amongst themselves. Verse 34 says, “They had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.” Let’s stop for a moment and put the pieces together. This conversation is not completely out of the blue.

Jesus went up on the Mount of Transfiguration and only took 3 disciples (Peter, James, and John). The others are no doubt feeling a little left out.
Jesus rebukes the other 9 when he came down from the mountain by saying, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long will I put up with you?” This statement doesn’t exactly help team morale.
Then Jesus says, “I’m going to be killed, but I’ll rise from the dead after three days.” (Hit the pause button!)

Did the disciples understand Jesus’ words about death and resurrection? No! Did they ask questions so that they might understand? No!

When those pieces are taken together, the next logical question would be: If Jesus is leaving and/or going to die, “Who’s going to take His place?” How do we answer that question? Here’s a thought…“Who’s the greatest? Who’s the best? Which one of us has the ability to step up?”

My point is simple. They were confused over the cross and they were confused over greatness. In both cases—they remained silent on areas they didn’t understand. By not asking for clarification—their confusion led to greater problems.

When you and I come to portions of the Bible that we don’t understand—it’s okay to be honest and say, “God, I don’t know what this means. Will you teach me and help me to understand.” Not only does this principle allow us to be honest with God, but it also takes us back to God in relationship. It opens the door for prayer. It positions us in a place of humility where we are relying upon God. That is a good place to be.

Jesus gave us a promise in John 16:13. “When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth…” The believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. As we rely upon God for answers, we can trust that He will guide us into truth.

What is the first principle to remember when the Bible doesn’t make sense? Be honest about things you don’t understand.

Check back tomorrow and I’ll give the second principle!

Two Goals That Will Change Your Life—Guaranteed!

2011-03-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

What is your goal in the Christian life? And before you give an answer—try not to say something that just sounds spiritual. We’ve all got some good Sunday School answers that seem to apply regardless of the question—“share my faith,” “worship God,” “serve Jesus.” You know the ones. But seriously, what is your goal? Why do you do what you do? Is the whole Christian life moving towards any particular end?

For many Christians, they’ve never thought about the goal. They got locked into a routine of reading their Bible, praying, giving, worshipping, and serving. Their unwritten goal is to keep the routine, without falling into gross sin, or burning out, or giving up—until they die or Jesus comes back.

For the next 5 minutes, I want to share a few thoughts for those searching for the right goal.

In August 2010, I wrote a post entitled, “What is Eternal Life.” Eternal life is a concept shared in the New Testament, but it’s rarely viewed from a biblical perspective. Most Christians equate eternal life with going to heaven when they die, being saved, or living forever. According to Scripture, eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3). God’s primary gift is not going to heaven when we die; it’s living in relationship with Him starting now.

Since God’s gift is to know Him, then our goal should be to embrace that gift. How rude would it be for God to create us for relationship, die on the cross to make relationship possible, pursue us with the offer of eternal life, and then we choose to embrace a lesser goal?

The goal of the Christian is to know God. The goal is not to know about God. The goal is not to dissect the character and attributes of God. The goal is not to be a biblical scholar. The goal is to know Him. It’s not that those other things are bad; they’re just not the goal.

Unfortunately, many people replace knowing Him with really good Christian activities. They make reading the Bible or praying the goal. They make church attendance and service the goal. They make sharing their faith and taking a mission trip the goal. And while all of those things are great—they can divert us from the true goal. The goal is to know God, and the only way to know God is by spending time with Him.

Imagine a young couple is just starting to date. Their desire is to get to know each other and see if there’s a future together. One route would be to list all of your questions, plans, and criteria. They could email the list to the other person, and check the responses when they come back.

Another route would be to spend time together. Take a walk! Hang out! Have dinner and discuss your dreams for the future. It’s in the process of being together that affinity grows or weakens. As the couple talks over dinner, they pick up on the nuances of body language, personality quirks, thinking processes, general demeanor, treatment of others, and basic outlook on life.

By spending time together—they get to know each other.

The same concept is true of getting to know God. It is impossible to really know God, if we don’t spend time with Him. When I speak of spending time with God, I’m not just referring to just reading the Bible and praying. Sometimes we read the Bible to gain insight in our day. Often our entire prayer life is focused on getting things from God. In both examples, the focus is not on knowing God but on getting something from God.

Several years ago, I conducted a random relational experiment with my girls. In the evenings, it’s not uncommon for our family to sit down together and watch TV before bed. I noticed that my daughters would naturally gravitate to where I was sitting. They would never say anything. They would simply walk over with their blanket, climb up next to me, and start watching TV from my side. Occasionally, I would need to get up, but when I returned—I sat in a different seat. They would quietly, get down from their seat, walk over to where I was, climb up with their blanket, and start watching TV again.

They were not asking me for anything. They did not need anything from me. They were not even talking. They just wanted to be next to their dad.

When I saw the way they came to me, I was convicted of the way I come to God. Instead of coming to be with Him, I often come to get something from Him. I have a question, an agenda, a problem that I need Him to solve. It’s not that God does not want us to bring our concerns to Him, but if the focus is always on us—how will we ever get to know Him?

If you’re struggling to find a goal for your Christian life…

If you’re tired of going through a routine that doesn’t seem to have a purpose…

If you feel like you’ve made the Christian life all about you, and your problems, and your needs, and your agenda…

I have a suggestion. Why not make the goal of your Christian life to know Him? And while you’re at it—why not make the daily goal to spend time with Him? When the goals are right—it’s amazing how intimate our walk with God becomes and how all the spiritual disciplines lead to a purposeful end.