Pop Culture, The Bible and some Thoughts

I had a great discussion late last night with Brock, and during our discussion, among other things, we briefly touched on the transformation that happens when we receive forgiveness for our sins; we become convicted of our sins, we realize how short (really short!) we fall from God, and we get a glimpse of the uphill battle of changing the way we live. We are also astounded by the grace that is bestowed upon us ... but how quickly we lose our guilty conscience. How quickly we rely on grace, and go on sinning.

I was listening to a song today, and as usual I won't 'plug' the artist, however the song is said to be about "various normal people being drastically changed by the media and papparazzi", and one line goes like this:

"But I must confess, I'm in love with my own sins"

What a terrible and disturbing thing to sing. The song is upbeat, pleasant, catchy and light-hearted, but tucked away in the middle of the song are those two short lines that teenagers are singing along with, oblivious to the real message. As disturbing as it is, it's the reality of the world we live in. How many of our friends, family members, co-workers, and dare I say, fellow believers, are in love with their sin?

Consider what is written in 1 John 3 (ESV [emphasis mine]):

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

The challenge is before us. What sin do we tolerate? What sins do we not only tolerate, but embrace? I write this with a growing sense of uneasiness. I know in my heart that I have sin that I embrace. Perhaps we all do. Maybe we embrace the thought that a little gossip won't hurt, after all, it's not really gossip... or, this isn't really considered idolatry... couldn't be... it's just a hobby! Oh, that word isn't really 'cursing' per se, it's not even really considered profane, it's no big deal...

I'll encourage you, while I sit here ... guilty ... to reflect on the sin that you love. Pray with me today, as I ask God to convict my heart and name my sin, that I might be challenged to pursue righteousness. This is always a scary prayer, to be sure, but we can have confidence that God wants us to pray it - He wants us to pursue righteousness, and we can only do that by facing our sin.

Truth

My colleague at work has a short adage on her white board. A reminder of sorts - a short word of encouragement. It says this:

"Walk Your Truth"

I've seen this statement several times as I stop by to chat while enjoying a cup of coffee; her office is on my way back from the coffee maker... and I've pondered these three words each time I see them. I suppose, in our therapeutic circles, it must mean that we should exemplify what we believe to be true. If you believe something about yourself, you must live it out. For example, if you believe that violence is detrimental to society - hitting your spouse would be out-of-line with what you believe to be true, and you must therefore change your behavior to be in-line with your beliefs.

In many circumstances, this short adage appears to be true... and yet, to me, very troubling. I see these three words eroding true faith in Jesus Christ. It may be ironic to use the word "true" in that sentence; nonetheless, we are not the source of truth, are we? When we become a source of truth, we become our own god. We will be led by whatever we believe to be accurate - we have no reason for God. Live in whichever way we see fit. As long as we remain dedicated and committed to our own sense of truth - we're doing just fine. It reminds me of Romans 1:

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (ESV [emphasis mine])

Consider this: real truth from Psalm 25:4-5 (ESV [again, emphasis mine]):

4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.

I ask God that He would lead me in His truth each and every day. May I (and you) never be sucked into the trap of moralism, or setting ourselves on the task of explaining what is true. May we not look inside ourselves, or to the world, to tell us what is true. It is only when we look to Him, that we find it. It is only when we obey it that we will be blessed.

Walk His Truth.

Well this is just plain concerning!

An American polling agency released some new statistics this month that paint a grim picture of the state of the Christian church. More and more we hear of Christians who are making their own decisions about what the Bible says, and what it means, rather than interpreting the Scriptures correctly and actually believing what it says.

Perhaps most concerning is the statistic that 1 in 3 "born-again" Christians say that they are confident that Jesus sinned while on earth. That statistic breaks my heart. Perhaps there is nothing more foundational to my faith than the truth that Jesus is the unblemished lamb that died - that I might be saved.

I encourage you all to read the article here (ignore the pesky advertisements on the site - they are distracting to me!) - we need to be well-informed - and in constant prayer for the state of our church. We need to be a church that holds to the solid truth that is found in God's Word - uncompromising, unashamed, and unwavering.

May God bless you this week as you seek to know His truth.

As always, I welcome your comments, opinions, thoughts and prayers! Please add them!!!

Sacred Marriage : III

Learning to Love: How Marriage Teaches us to Love

Yes, it is difficult to love your spouse.

This chapter, while not quite as engaging at the first two, focuses on the inevitable challenges that we face in marriage, the biggest being love.

Thomas points out that God teaches us a lot through our marriages - we've already touched on that a little bit already in the first two chapters, but Thomas now focuses our attention toward love; teaching us to love, through our marriages.

We read about Matthew 22:34-40, where we are told that we are to 1) Love God, and 2) Love our neighbors. Thomas points out that there is an attitude (towards God), and an action (loving others). Jesus has connected the two ideas for a purpose; Thomas suggests that they are connected to demonstrate to us that if we love God, we must love others - even our spouse - even when we don't want to - even when they are nasty towards us - even when we disagree. Thomas says this:

We show our love for God in part by loving our spouses well. We can never love somebody "too much." Our problem is that typically we love God to little.

He continues:

If I can't love my wife, how can I love the homeless man...? How can I love the drug addict or the alcoholic? Yes, this spouse might be difficult to love at times, but that's what marriage is for - to teach us how to love.

And finally,

To fail to love my wife and kids rightly in the name of loving other people rightly is a sham.

If somebody tried to describe your love for God solely by how well you love your spouse, what would he or she conclude?

How much time do you spend thinking about how to make your spouse happy, compared to the amount of time you spend thinking about how well your spouse is pleasing you?

A thought to start the week...

...as I reflect on Brett's Sunday School lesson and series that has begun, I thought I'd encourage some further thought about evangelism and missionary work. I hope this quote, from RC Sproul, will get your brain working in the right direction this week.

Stay tuned for some follow-up from Dave Stimers' final sermon ....

From RC Sproul:

In the modern church we make a distinction between the "professional missionary" and the "layman." The distinction is between paid missionaries and volunteers, between "full-time" hired employees and rank-and-file church members. Sadly, it has come to mean that the paid professionals are responsible to do the missions task. The layperson's job is to pray for the missionary, give tithes to the missionary, and in other ways encourage the missionary. The missionaries are the players; the rest of us are cheerleaders.

God teaches us otherwise. Of course there is a special place for the paid professional. However, the biblical definition of a missionary has nothing to do with salary. A missionary is not simply "one who is paid." In biblical terms a missionary is "one who is sent." Here is the crux of the matter. We are all sent. It is our calling to be witnesses. Every Christian must get in the game. There are no cheerleaders--only players.

Be sure to check back soon!!

"Who Is My Neighbor?" Christ minded in unjust times.

Luke 10:25

A man, described simply as "a religious scholar" , stands up to test Jesus. He asks, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Being knowledgeable in the law, he is perhaps curious about Jesus' interpretation of it or thinks he could possibly trap Him. Jesus replies, "What is written in the law?" "How do you read it?"

The scholar responds by saying, "Love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, strength and mind and Love your neighbor as yourself". He nails it, the man knows the law, Jesus simply says," do this and you will live". There is nothing flawed in his interpretation of the law, nothing wrong with his theology yet there is something strangely human about his next question. Scripture says, the scholar, wanting to justify himself asks, "who is my neighbor". What did he want to justify? Why did he seem unsatisfied with the law he knew so well?

The good Samaritan

This popular parable is Jesus' response to the question, "who is my neighbor"? I personally find this to be one of the most challenging parables in the bible. A man selflessly risks his comfort, gives his time and money to aid another who has fallen into the hands of robbers. What's more? the man is a Samaritan and the victim a Jew, historically Jews and Samaritans were enemies.

Compassion

In this parable, Jesus challenges the very idea of being neighbors. It is clear that for God being one's neighbor is not defined by proximity, ethnicity, citizenship, religion, race or even relation. In our desire to be like Christ we must accept His definition of neighbor. What makes one a Christlike neighbor then? Showing compassion to all not just in words , but in action. The challenge is to see all people as created in the image of God and respond selflessly to their affliction as we would want done for ourselves and yes, at the core of this is presenting them with the reality of Jesus Christ. However the word has to be backed by action, I believe this is why Jesus healed the sick and spoke out loudly and clearly against injustice. Think about this, the harshest words He had was for the teachers of the law who abused their authority over the people.


Human rights, global citizenship, unjust times

Now more than ever we live in a shrunken world. It is truly difficult to be uninformed. Word gets around quickly, thankfully mass media is not our only source of information. In any major city in the world you come across people of all backgrounds with all kinds of stories to tell. Some have been victims of countless wars , others escape the most challenging circumstances to a new life of more systemic challenges and subtle oppression. It is the most exciting yet most difficult time to be a follower of Jesus Christ. The practice of Christlike love for one's neighbor is truly daunting yet necessary in this time and environment. Will I put my job, life, security , family on the line to speak out against the policies of the company I work for? Will I believe that countless innocent men, women and children deserve to die in a war when I know that is not the solution, will I say so unequivocally? Will I choose silence and inaction when I see people hurting or being treated unfairly ? Will I , like the scholar of the law in the gospel of Luke, look for a loophole, "well they're just unbelievers" "well those people over there are not like us" "we are the good guys and they're bad" "I was scared" " I did not know""They brought it upon themselves". The world might accept these justifications but God will not.


Every day, all around us there are Godly people who choose to act out of love for their neighbor, risking a lot but gaining more, these are my heroes. Let's be Christ minded.

Good News!

It is with great excitement that I add authors to this blog! What that means is that in the future, I will not be the only one that is posting - so keep an eye out !!

You'll find the author's name at the bottom of the post ("Posted by ____").

I'll let the new authors make their own debut....

1 Samuel 8

Here is the latest from Dave Stimers, as follow-up from yesterday's sermon; as always, it's thought provoking, insightful and concise. Enjoy!

-- Paul

Amongst the saddest passages in the Bible is 1 Samuel 8. In the face of military instability the people begin to complain about the leadership of their nation. Their cited reason should stop us in our tracks. They want to be like all of the other nations. The nation that God called to be His people, a nation that was to be blessed that they might be a blessing to all of the nations now desires to be like all of the other peoples. They have lowered their goals and expectations so far from the promises that God had given to their forefathers. They cry out for a human king who will lead them in battle, and give them the victories that they expect to have. When they report this to Samuel, he is distressed. His response is to take their request to God who states, “It is not you that they have rejected; it is me that they have rejected as being their king.”

This is a point of crisis for the people of Israel. The issue at hand is their faith in God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. He had promised them the land they were occupying and victory over their enemies as long as they were faithful to Him. The Israelites, however, are now asking for a king who will go out and fight for them. God is willing to institute the monarchy, but asks Samuel to warn the people of what a human king will mean. The warning is that this king will have his own agenda. He will build his own wealth, his own armies and the people of Israel will become slaves to him. Their effort, energy, and attention will be turned to serving the desires of a human king. Once again we are reminded that the people have been given a wonderful and powerful mandate to be the people of God and serve Yahweh alone. Now they face the threat of serving a human king. Out of jealousy for the other nations, the people of God who had been promised land, offspring and blessing are now thrusting their dependence upon a human king.

The people complained and demanded a change in leadership because they were not satisfied with God’s leadership. Their circumstances were not what they thought they should be. This is a challenge that remains to be an obstacle in our own faith journeys. We have certain expectations and aspirations that do not always match up with our circumstances. Unfortunately it is far too easy for us to complain or point the finger at those who are leading our businesses, churches or nations. We need to understand that Christians are called to live lives that have significance far beyond earthly success. Our lives are firmly in the grip of a loving and faithful God who is powerful and able to bring about His will on this earth. Our hope and trust is in God as we know that even when our lives do not look the way we have expected them to, God is bringing His kingdom to this earth and He desires our participation in His redemptive work. We serve a wonderful God who is faithful and trustworthy. Therefore let us respond with humility and confession, giving God the aspects of our lives that we have not trusted Him with. Finally, let us be encouraged that we have been given a great calling to be the people of God, and to join Him in bringing the Kingdom of God to this earth.

Questions for further Study:
-In Deuteronomy 17:14 and following God says that He will give the people a king. What are the requirements of that king?
-Solomon is the 3rd king of Israel. Compare his reign (especially in 1 Kings 10-11) with these requirements. How well does he do?
-In 2 Samuel 7 God makes a covenant with David and promises that his descendents will reign forever. How does this promise unfold in the Bible?
-Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What kind of King is He? Can you find some of His royal attributes in the pages of the New Testament?
-How does the message of God’s kingship change the way that you view: your life? Your job? Your money? Your faith?
-How will you respond to the sovereignty and kingship of God?

Sacred Marriage : II

Finding God in Marriage: Marital Analogies Teach Us Truths About God.

Chapter 2 of this book serves a few purposes; the first purpose is to evaluate the Scriptural analogies related to marriage (for example, Christ and the church). On this point, Thomas says: "Isaiah uses marital imagery to stress how God rejoices in his people: 'As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.' (Isaiah 62:5b)" (p. 29). The second purpose is to ask pointed questions that will help us view marriage in a God-centered way. Thomas asks this key question of the reader:

"Will we approach marriage from a God-centered view or a man-centered view? In a man-centered view, we will maintain our marriage as long as our earthly comforts, desires and expectations are met. In a God-centered view, we preserve our marriage because it brings glory to God and points a sinful world to a reconciling Creator." (p. 32).

Thomas uses two passages that I found to be incredibly challenging and encouraging, the first, an oft-quoted passage from Ephesians 5:25-27: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." The second, 2 Corinthians 5:9, "So we make it our goal to please him.".

The implications of those passages are staggering. Not only are we to love our wives, but our job, through love, is to "make her holy"! Our call in marriage is to come alongside our spouse, joining with them to make them pure (without stain), holy and blameless.

Why?

"...if the marriages are heavily watered with an unwavering commitment to please God above everything else ... our marriages can be platforms for evangelism" (p. 36 & 37). Evangelism? Our marriages can be a platform for evangelism? Thomas argues, rightly I think, that "in a society where relationships are discarded with a frightening regularity, Christians can command attention simply by staying married. And when asked why, we can offer the platform of God's message of reconciliation...".

As always, there is much more that could have been written on this chapter, but I'll leave you with those thoughts to meditate on. I'll take just a moment to note that these reflections are just a small slice of a bigger pie. I'd encourage all couples - married, and soon-to-be married, to pick up this book for further study. At the back of the book there are discussion and reflection questions for you and your spouse, as well.

Comments

You know, the world of blogging can be a lonely place without comments.

Up until now, you had to register your email to comment on a post - this is no longer needed! In order to maintain some kind of order, I'll have to rubber stamp each comment to ensure that the content is appropriate for this blog, but you can now comment freely.

To comment on a post, find the "comment" link at the bottom of the post. Click the link to open the comment box. I'll encourage you to click on the "name/url" icon so I know who is posting, however there is an "anonymous" icon as well.

Like I said, the world of blogging can be a lonely place... feel free to leave a comment!

Judges 19

I've asked Dave to provide some follow-up from the sermons that he'll be delivering over the next few weeks. He's graciously obliged, and it's well worth the read. His thoughts follow.

-- Paul

Judges 19 begins on an ominous note. It states that there was no king in Israel and reminds us of the phrase that is elsewhere repeated: In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. Certainly this independence from God that the Israelites developed produced horrible atrocities. Not only was there no human king, but the people were not submitting to the kingship of Yahweh their God. This is the setting of our story.

As you read through the story in Judges 19 there are a number of things to keep in mind. First of all the characters are not given names, indicating that they are not the focus of the story. The narrative is about God’s people and the depravity which they find themselves in. Secondly, the Levite and the concubine are most likely not at fault for what happens. A concubine in the strict sense of the word is a wife that comes without a dowry. Therefore it should not be assumed that she is a secondary wife or an illegitimate wife; it actually makes sense that a Levite would not receive a dowry because Levites were given their allotment from the tithes and sacrifices of the people. They did not acquire land and goods in the same way as most people did. Further, the NIV states that the concubine was ‘unfaithful.’ The Hebrew word also means to “feel repugnance,” and context supports translating this way, as do many other translations. It makes the most sense to think that this newly married couple ran into marital difficulties, so the Levite goes to her father’s house to speak tenderly to her and bring her home.

The hospitality that the Levite finds there is a stark contrast to the horrific scene that comes later. The Levite and all those with him finally depart. They cannot stop in Jebus as suggested by the servant because that is a place where the Israelites failed to follow God’s command and drive out the people who lived there (Joshua 15). As a result they travel on to Gibeah, a religious center where logically, it would be easy to find hospitable, God fearing Jews. Unfortunately we find the opposite of hospitality and the horrible crimes that are committed are reminiscent of the atrocities at Sodom and Gomorrah. After finding his wife dead, the Levite cuts her into pieces and sends her to the clans of Israel. This is a perplexing act from our perspective but has precedent in the ancient world. In 1 Samuel 11 Saul calls the Israelites to war by cutting up his oxen and sending them out with the message to the people, that if they did not respond and fight with him, this would be the fate of their oxen. This is what is happening in Judges; the Levite is calling his brethren to war with the warning of this fate if something is not done.

The closing chapters of Judges show that the Israelites come and war against the perpetrators (the Benjamites). Such a story makes us uncomfortable, disgusted and repulsed. This is the intended function. The story is not about hospitality or homosexuality; it is not an example of how to solve marital disputes or deal with the murder of a family member. It is a story about how offensive sin is to God and how offended His people should also be. It is the story of a people who have chosen to live outside of the kingship of Yahweh.

Reread the story in Judges 19 with these points in mind. Here are some things to think about as you meditate on God’s word:
- Where does this story fit in to the biblical plan of redemption? (Think about the book of Nehemiah and God’s desire to restore and renew his people. Reread the story of the exiles coming back and rebuilding God’s city.)
- How do we as Christians respond to sin today? How should we?
- Why do you think a story like this would be included in the Bible?
- How is it that Israel ended up so far from God’s plan for them?
- How does this story of human depravity shed light on God and his relationship to humanity? How will you respond to what you’ve heard from God through this story?

Finally, always remember that there is an answer to human depravity. We serve a living King who has conquered sin and death on the cross. Despite humanity’s odious sin, God has always been working to redeem and restore His creation. We serve a just and loving God. Let us echo the words of Paul in Romans 7:24-25: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Blessing in Christ,
Dave Stimers.

A good thought to start the week...

from a recent post on John Piper's Desiring God blog:

The link in Paul's mind is given in Romans 8:13.

If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

The word of God is the sword of the Spirit. The Sword is for putting to death. And by the Spirit we put to death our sinful deeds. So I conclude that the way we kill our sins is with the Spirit's sword, the word of God.

All temptations to sin have power by lying. The are "deceitful desires" (Ephesians 4:22). They tell us that the pleasure of the sin is worth it. The killing blow against these lies is the power of God's truth. Hence the sword of the Spirit, God's word, is the weapon to use.

As John Owen said, "Be killing sin, or it will be killing you." That is what swords are for, especially the Bible.

More soon...