"If we are to preserve the balance of scripture, our definition of God's anger must avoid opposite extremes. On one hand, there are those who see it as no different from sinful human anger. On the other, there are those who declare that the very notion of anger as a personal attribute or attitude of God must be abandoned. Human anger, although there is such a thing as righteous indignation, is mostly very unrighteous. It is an irrational and uncontrollable emotion, containing much vanity, animosity, malice and the desire for revenge. It should go without saying that God's anger is absolutely free of all such poisonous ingredients...The wrath of God then, is almost totally different than human anger. It does not mean that God loses his temper, flies into a rage, or is ever malicious, spiteful, or vindictive. The alternative to 'wrath' is not 'love' but 'neutrality' in the moral conflict. And God is not neutral. On the contrary, his wrath is his holy hostility to evil, his refusal to condone it or come to terms with it, his just judgment upon it. In general, the wrath of God is directed against evil alone. We get angry when our pride has been wounded; but there is no personal pique in the anger of God. Nothing arouses it except evil, and evil always does."
John R.W. Stott
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
A Good Point...from an Atheist!
The following quote, from Penn Jillette, is found in the book The Trellis and the Vine by authors Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. Jillette is one-half of the famous comic-illusionist act Penn and Teller and a self-described atheist. But give his words close consideration; they will prick your heart. Here is the passage from the book:
"We have to conclude that a Christian with no passion for the lost is in need of self-examination and repentance. Even the atheists have worked this out. Penn Jillette is an avowed and vocal atheist...He was evangelized by a polite and impressive man, and had this to say about the experience:
'I've always said, you know, that I don't respect people who don't proselytize. I don't respect that at all. If you believe there's a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell, or getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that, well, it's not really worth telling them because it would make it socially awkward...How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed beyond the shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didn't believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that...'"
"We have to conclude that a Christian with no passion for the lost is in need of self-examination and repentance. Even the atheists have worked this out. Penn Jillette is an avowed and vocal atheist...He was evangelized by a polite and impressive man, and had this to say about the experience:
'I've always said, you know, that I don't respect people who don't proselytize. I don't respect that at all. If you believe there's a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell, or getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that, well, it's not really worth telling them because it would make it socially awkward...How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed beyond the shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didn't believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that...'"
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Where are the No-Shows?
As with yesterday, today's post deals with a disturbing statistic. It is taken from the writing of Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Here are Dever's own words:
"American evangelicals are in pretty desperate need of rethinking and reconsidering this topic (membership), especially in our own fellowship of churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. According to one Southern Baptist study a few years ago, the typical Southern Baptist church has 233 members with 70 present at the Sunday morning worship service. My question is this: where are the other 163 members? Are they all at home sick, in a rest home, at college, or on vacation, or in the military? Maybe some are, but all 163 of them? What does this convey about Christianity to the world around us? What do we understand this to mean about the importance of Christianity in our lives? And what is the spiritual state of these people, if they've not been at church for months, or even longer? Is their non-attendance really any of our business?"
First of all, this is not just an issue for the SBC. As a non-denominational pastor that has frequent conversations with other pastors, this is truly a universal problem within the church today. Next, let me stave off the entire slate of "But-going-to-church-doesn't-make-you-a-Christian" objections. I agree-going to church doesn't make you a Christian! I have preached that message repeatedly, often to jeers and frowns. And I am not assuming that all of the missing members are genuine believers. The reality is that some aren't. These things being said, I have several questions:
*Valid reasons for continual missing aside (employment obligations, health issues, pressing family responsibilities), why would someone born again not have a desire to regularly gather with God's people?
*Why do some churches allow those that haven't darkened the door in years, for no valid reason, to participate in matters of church business such as budget approval or voting for/against the calling of a pastor? Without referencing denominational procedure and guidelines, how can such activity be biblically allowed? Would Paul have approved such a notion? Absolutely not!
*Have we made church membership an inconsequential matter? Are we failing to convey the true meaning of membership to prospective and current members? Do they understand the ministry of membership?
*Are we carrying the "rugged individualism" of American thinking into our ideas of membership? In other words, are we dealing with a people that don't want expectations placed on their behavior and refuse to submit to any personal accountability to the corporate good?
This is in no way an exhaustive list of inquiries concerning the no-shows among our memberships, but hopefully it's a start. I welcome your comments and further questions. Be watching for more about membership in the coming days. Thanks in advance for your time.
"American evangelicals are in pretty desperate need of rethinking and reconsidering this topic (membership), especially in our own fellowship of churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. According to one Southern Baptist study a few years ago, the typical Southern Baptist church has 233 members with 70 present at the Sunday morning worship service. My question is this: where are the other 163 members? Are they all at home sick, in a rest home, at college, or on vacation, or in the military? Maybe some are, but all 163 of them? What does this convey about Christianity to the world around us? What do we understand this to mean about the importance of Christianity in our lives? And what is the spiritual state of these people, if they've not been at church for months, or even longer? Is their non-attendance really any of our business?"
First of all, this is not just an issue for the SBC. As a non-denominational pastor that has frequent conversations with other pastors, this is truly a universal problem within the church today. Next, let me stave off the entire slate of "But-going-to-church-doesn't-make-you-a-Christian" objections. I agree-going to church doesn't make you a Christian! I have preached that message repeatedly, often to jeers and frowns. And I am not assuming that all of the missing members are genuine believers. The reality is that some aren't. These things being said, I have several questions:
*Valid reasons for continual missing aside (employment obligations, health issues, pressing family responsibilities), why would someone born again not have a desire to regularly gather with God's people?
*Why do some churches allow those that haven't darkened the door in years, for no valid reason, to participate in matters of church business such as budget approval or voting for/against the calling of a pastor? Without referencing denominational procedure and guidelines, how can such activity be biblically allowed? Would Paul have approved such a notion? Absolutely not!
*Have we made church membership an inconsequential matter? Are we failing to convey the true meaning of membership to prospective and current members? Do they understand the ministry of membership?
*Are we carrying the "rugged individualism" of American thinking into our ideas of membership? In other words, are we dealing with a people that don't want expectations placed on their behavior and refuse to submit to any personal accountability to the corporate good?
This is in no way an exhaustive list of inquiries concerning the no-shows among our memberships, but hopefully it's a start. I welcome your comments and further questions. Be watching for more about membership in the coming days. Thanks in advance for your time.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Don't Be A (Negative) Statistic!
The late Bill Bright, founder of the Campus Crusade for Christ, would always state that only 4% of evangelical Christians ever verbally share their faith in their lifetimes as believers. Think about it. Only 4%! How can we possibly align this rebellion of silence with the teaching of the scriptures? We can't. If we are silent, we are wrong. I know it's not easy to begin these conversations and it's certainly not any easier to navigate through them. But we must verbalize the gospel. Don't be a (negative) statistic. Share your faith today.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Celebrating God and Race
Today is the national commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. In celebration of Dr. King's vision and ideals, I would like to share the following from John Piper:
"When you put this teaching of Genesis 1 (that God created the first man in his image) together with the teachings of Acts 17:26 (that God made all the ethnic groups from this first ancestor), what emerges is that all members of all ethnic groups are made in the image of God. No matter what the skin color or facial features or hair texture or other genetic traits, every human being in every ethnic group has an immortal soul in the image of God: a mind with unique, God-like reasoning powers, a heart with capacities for moral judgments and spiritual affections, and a potential for relationship with God that sets every person utterly apart from all the animals which God has made. Every human being, whatever color, shape, age, gender, intelligence, health, or social class, is made in the image of God."
And may the church say, Amen! But not simply with our mouths, but our hearts.
"When you put this teaching of Genesis 1 (that God created the first man in his image) together with the teachings of Acts 17:26 (that God made all the ethnic groups from this first ancestor), what emerges is that all members of all ethnic groups are made in the image of God. No matter what the skin color or facial features or hair texture or other genetic traits, every human being in every ethnic group has an immortal soul in the image of God: a mind with unique, God-like reasoning powers, a heart with capacities for moral judgments and spiritual affections, and a potential for relationship with God that sets every person utterly apart from all the animals which God has made. Every human being, whatever color, shape, age, gender, intelligence, health, or social class, is made in the image of God."
And may the church say, Amen! But not simply with our mouths, but our hearts.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
MacDonald on Hardship
Next Tuesday, we are beginning a new session of Discipleship Study at our church. We are using the James MacDonald book When Life Is Hard as our study resource. MacDonald centers the teaching on finding God's hope in the midst of adversity and suffering. Considering the topic, it will certainly be a timely discussion. Adversity and suffering know no season; they are continual reminders that we live in a fallen world. But we can find hope. Right here. Right now. Here is a small excerpt from the book:
"God knows the way that you take. He wants you to succeed in the testing you are experiencing. Considering His great love for you, do you honestly think He would let you go through more than you can handle? No...God is near you when your heart is broken, and saves you when your spirit is crushed (Psalm 34:18). God draws near to you during a hardship unlike at any other time in your life. Maybe this is why the desperate need comes. Maybe this is the very moment that God is seeking to engineer-the moment of your turning as never before to Him. If this is your moment and you don't know how to pray, God even knows that. Romans 8 tells us that God's Spirit prays for us when we don't have words. Just start praying and sharing your heart. Thank God that He knows the way you take."
"God knows the way that you take. He wants you to succeed in the testing you are experiencing. Considering His great love for you, do you honestly think He would let you go through more than you can handle? No...God is near you when your heart is broken, and saves you when your spirit is crushed (Psalm 34:18). God draws near to you during a hardship unlike at any other time in your life. Maybe this is why the desperate need comes. Maybe this is the very moment that God is seeking to engineer-the moment of your turning as never before to Him. If this is your moment and you don't know how to pray, God even knows that. Romans 8 tells us that God's Spirit prays for us when we don't have words. Just start praying and sharing your heart. Thank God that He knows the way you take."
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Go Broncos!
As I bask in the excitement of the Denver Broncos' victory over the Pittsburg Steelers, may I simply share one word: TEBOW! See my April 23, 2010 entry for more details. I thank God for Tebow and his continued public faithfulness to Jesus Christ. Win or lose on the field, Tim has proven himself to be a winner off the field. And that counts most in the Kingdom. But hey! I'd still like to beat New England.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
You Might Be A Preacher If...
I know this is a tired old line, but I ran across these and thought that they were funny. Hope they bring a smile to your face this weekend. With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy:
You Might Be A Preacher If
...you talk in other people's sleep.
...you've ever stood by a grave as two drunken veterans try to fold an American flag.
...you have seen an ugly bride.
...you say, "It's Sunday, but Monday's coming!"
...you've ever wanted to fire the church and form a congregation search committee.
...you're often asked what it's like to only work one day a week.
...you get your second wind when you say, "...and in conclusion".
...you actually know how many committee members it takes to change a light bulb.
...you thank God every day for Caller ID.
...you've secretly wanted a Gatorade bath after a particularly good sermon.
...people think you were born again last night.
...you've had roast for Sunday dinner.
...you've been roasted for Sunday dinner.
...you think everyone loves preaching.
...you suffer weekly from P.M.S. (Pre-Sermon Syndrome)
...you've ever checked your fly as you stood for the opening hymn.
...you've ever fantasized about "re-baptizing" a certain deacon.
...you can pronounce names like Jeshishai, Mephibosheth, and Quirinius.
...despite all the struggles, you couldn't imagine yourself doing anything else.
You Might Be A Preacher If
...you talk in other people's sleep.
...you've ever stood by a grave as two drunken veterans try to fold an American flag.
...you have seen an ugly bride.
...you say, "It's Sunday, but Monday's coming!"
...you've ever wanted to fire the church and form a congregation search committee.
...you're often asked what it's like to only work one day a week.
...you get your second wind when you say, "...and in conclusion".
...you actually know how many committee members it takes to change a light bulb.
...you thank God every day for Caller ID.
...you've secretly wanted a Gatorade bath after a particularly good sermon.
...people think you were born again last night.
...you've had roast for Sunday dinner.
...you've been roasted for Sunday dinner.
...you think everyone loves preaching.
...you suffer weekly from P.M.S. (Pre-Sermon Syndrome)
...you've ever checked your fly as you stood for the opening hymn.
...you've ever fantasized about "re-baptizing" a certain deacon.
...you can pronounce names like Jeshishai, Mephibosheth, and Quirinius.
...despite all the struggles, you couldn't imagine yourself doing anything else.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
How Do You Feel?
"Our common tendency is to habitually begin with the internal, the subjective, the experiential, then use those feelings and impressions to determine what we'll accept as being objective fact. We let our feelings tell us what is true, instead of letting the truth transform our feelings. For most of us, this isn't something we practice only when reading a book or listening to a sermon. We explain our choices by saying, 'I feel good about it.' It's the fundamental mindset with which we approach practically everything. It's how we live. We're conditioned to this approach not only by our sin but also by our culture, which incessantly entices us to 'follow your heart' and do whatever makes us feel good-along with the flattering assurance that nonstop feeling good is something we absolutely deserve! It would be fine to follow our feelings if we could always be sure they're faithful to reality. But they aren't; their perspective on reality typically has huge blind spots. As a result, our emotions are flighty, fickle, and far too easily dominated by any number of influences-spilled coffee at breakfast, a traffic stall when you're running late, a cutting comment from a coworker. Our feelings simply can't be trusted."
C.J. Mahaney, Living the Cross Centered Life
C.J. Mahaney, Living the Cross Centered Life
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Dear Abby!
Dear Abby:
I am a middle-aged woman who is a Baptist by faith. I believe that when I die I will go to heaven. My problem is, if going to heaven means being reunited with my parents and other family members, then I don't want to go! The idea of spending eternity with them is more than I can stand, but I don't want to go to hell, either. Any thoughts?
Eternally Confused in Mississippi
Dear Eternally Confused:
Yes. When you reach the pearly gates, talk this over with St. Peter. Perhaps he would be willing to place you in a different wing than the one your parents and other family members are staying in. And in the meantime, discuss this with your minister.
The above letter really did appear in the Dear Abby column this past November. As is. My mom cut the column out and saved it for me. Oh, to be Dear Abby for a day! Or this lady's minister. I hope she did talk with her pastor; and I pray that Jesus would remove the bitterness from her heart and would allow her to value heaven for His sake alone.
I am a middle-aged woman who is a Baptist by faith. I believe that when I die I will go to heaven. My problem is, if going to heaven means being reunited with my parents and other family members, then I don't want to go! The idea of spending eternity with them is more than I can stand, but I don't want to go to hell, either. Any thoughts?
Eternally Confused in Mississippi
Dear Eternally Confused:
Yes. When you reach the pearly gates, talk this over with St. Peter. Perhaps he would be willing to place you in a different wing than the one your parents and other family members are staying in. And in the meantime, discuss this with your minister.
The above letter really did appear in the Dear Abby column this past November. As is. My mom cut the column out and saved it for me. Oh, to be Dear Abby for a day! Or this lady's minister. I hope she did talk with her pastor; and I pray that Jesus would remove the bitterness from her heart and would allow her to value heaven for His sake alone.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Whitfield on Walking with God
"Walking with God not only implies that the prevailing power of the enmity of a man's heart be taken away, but also that a person is actually reconciled to God the Father, in and through the all-sufficient righteousness and atonement of his dear Son. 'Can two walk together, unless they be agreed?' Jesus is our peace as well as our peace-maker. When we are justified by faith in Christ, then, but not till then, we have peace with God; and consequently cannot be said till then to walk with him, walking with a person being a sign and token that we are friends to that person, or at least, though we have been in variance, yet now we are reconciled and become friends again. This is the great errand that gospel ministers are sent out upon. To us is committed the ministry of reconciliation; as ambassadors for God, we are to beseech sinners, in Christ's stead, to be reconciled unto God, and when they comply with the gracious invitation, and are actually by faith brought into a state of reconciliation with God, then, and not till then, may they be said so much as to begin to walk with God."
George Whitfield, preaching from Genesis 5:24
George Whitfield, preaching from Genesis 5:24
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Welcome to 2012!
"Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. Who can declare the Lord's mighty acts or proclaim all the praise due Him? How happy are those who uphold justice, who practice righteousness at all times. Remember me, Lord, when You show favor to Your people. Come to me with Your salvation so that I may enjoy the prosperity of Your chosen ones, rejoice in the joy of Your nation, and boast about Your heritage."
Psalm 106:1-5 (HCSB)
Psalm 106:1-5 (HCSB)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)