Loving the "Unloveable"!

"If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same...But love your enemies and do good..."

Luke 6:32-33, 35

We are called to love the "unlovable". But is there anyone who is truly "unlovable"? Difficult? Unruly? Belligerent? Mean? Sour? Scornful? Perhaps. But "unlovable"? I doubt it. Here's why: my love for them is not, in any way, supposed to be contingent upon their behavior towards me or another. Jesus makes that point very clear! So let's be careful not to label someone "unlovable". To do so is to attempt to negate the teaching of Christ and belittles the equipping power of the Spirit. I am simply called to love everyone, friend and enemy alike, for the sake of Jesus Christ and the witness of the gospel. No excuses. Think about it.

Innocent People?

"Suppose you were to ask me, 'What happens to the innocent guy in the middle of Africa who dies without ever hearing the gospel?' My confident answer to you, based on the authority of God's Word, would be, 'I believe he will undoubtedly go to heaven. There is no question in my mind.' Now, before some label me as a heretic (and others label me a hero), read back over that last paragraph. Look especially at the hypothetical question: 'What happens to the innocent guy in the middle of Africa who dies without ever hearing the gospel?' The reality is, the innocent guy in Africa will go to heaven because, if he is innocent, then he has no need for a savior to save him from his sin. As a result, he doesn't need the gospel. But there is a significant problem here. The innocent guy doesn't exist...in Africa or anywhere else. I am always amazed at how we bias this question concerning people who have never heard about Jesus...There are no innocent people in the world just waiting to hear the gospel. Instead there are people all over the world standing guilty before a holy God, and that is the very reason they need the gospel."

David Platt, Radical

The "Nones"...Nothing is Something!

This morning, thanks to the USA Today, I learned that the "Nones" have now become the second largest religious category after Catholics. That's after Catholics, so we do mean "Nones", not Nuns. The "Nones", those that claim no religious identity, now outnumber the nation's largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. While this demographic does include atheists and agnostics, consider that, among this group:

*68% believe somewhat in God or a higher power
*41% say that they pray
*23% think religion is at least somewhat important in their life

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, offered a warning, "This is a wake-up call. We have an incredible challenge ahead for committed Christians." I agree. But I am afraid that most of the Amercian church, while cringing at such statistics, will respond in its usual way. That means we will likely take our "let's-just-hope-it-goes-away" stance while trying to convinve ourselves that things are going just fine. But that's unacceptable. Jesus has not called us to be observers of His Kingdom work, but active participants. So for those who love Jesus and want others to love Him, too, what do we do? I don't have all the answers and I know that I need time to really process this latest information. But I do know this: the gospel is sufficient to meet this challenge! So let's pray for the lost. Let's take the Good News to them, where they live, work, and play. Let's tell them about Jesus. Let's show them Jesus in the way we live and interact with them. Let's love them and serve them with the heart of Christ. They may be called "Nones", but that doesn't mean they're nothing. They are made in the image of God; they are sinners that need a Savior. And that's something. A really big something.

Odds and Ends...

Wow! Time does fly. I haven't posted in over a month, so...allow me to catch up on some "odds & ends":

*We are in week 6 of our Radical Discipleship Study at our church. Here's a startling point from this past week. Consider: the American church spends $10 billion annually on buildings. In America alone the amount of real estate owned by institutional churches exceeds $230 billion. Should we discuss priorities? The conversation isn't as simple as you may think, but it is a conversation that needs to be had.

*The college football season is in full swing. My beloved Tennessee Vols need prayer. They're 3-2 but could easily be 3-5 by the end of the month. We need some help on ol' Rocky Top!

*I am beginning a short sermon series this week entitled The Church: God Gathers. God Sends. Let me clarify. The series will be short...the sermons will not be. Anyway, as I am preparing I am finding that our practices and definitions of "church" are, at times, remarkably unbiblical. I pray that our hearts will be recaptured by the scripture's picture of the church.

*"If God promises something, then faith must fight a long and bitter fight, for reason or the flesh judges that God's promises are impossible. Therefore, faith must battle against reason and its doubts."

Martin Luther

Radical Thinking 2

Tonight is the second session of the Radical study at our church. On the inside cover this David Platt book, Greg Matte, pastor of First Baptist Church of Houston, writes: "Radical will cause you to bounce on a spectrum between two words: ouch and amen. Tough truths do that." I couldn't agree more. In chapter two of Platt's book, the chapter being covered tonight, he addresses the practices of reciting the "sinner's prayer", walking forward to answer a public invitation, or simply "accepting" Jesus. Plenty of ouches here, especially when considering that many of the devices used today in evangelism leave out the essential explanation of the gospel. That's not to say that people can't be saved through such tools and methods. God saves us in spite of ourselves! But that doesn't give us an excuse to complicate and cloud the biblically obvious: we are called to repent and believe in Jesus. My faith isn't in a prayer. Or in the fact that I "went forward", whatever that's worth. My faith isn't in a methodology or persuasive tactic. I was called to faith in Christ Himself; and that's how I am to call others needing His grace. Just something to think about...

Praying for Sight

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.'"

John 3:1-2 ESV

Notice Nicodemus' use of the plural pronoun we. Although he is engaging Jesus in a personal conversation, he references the observations and beliefs of his brotherhood. Nicodemus states plainly that they know Jesus has come to them from God! Yet they do not relate to Jesus as such. They do not receive him as the fulfillment of God's covenant promises. How can they know what they know and believe what they believe and not open their lives to Jesus and receive him as Savior and Lord? Why can't they see? Because their hearts are hardened. They can't see Jesus for who he really is. What is the remedy? Being born again. That is why Jesus' declaration in verse 3 is crucial: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." God must supernaturally change the sinner's heart. As we consider the spiritual condition of those around us, we need to pray with absolute dependency on the Holy Spirit, recognizing that only God can cause a Pharisee to really see.

Radical Thinking!

"When someone asks, 'Where is your church?' we point them to a building or give them an address, and everything centers around what happens at that location. When we gather at the building, we learn to be good. Being good is defined by what we avoid in the world. We are holy because of what we don't participate in (and at this point we may be the only organization in the world defining success by what we don't do). We live decent lives in decent homes with decent jobs and decent families as decent citizens. We are decent church members with little more impact on the world than we had before we were saved. Though thousands may join us, ultimately we have turned a deaf ear to billions who have never even heard his name. Discipling is much different. Whereas disinfecting Christians involves isolating them and teaching them to be good, discipling Christians involves propelling Christians into the world to risk their lives for the sake of others. "

David Platt, Radical

We are beginning a new session of Discipleship Study at our church this month, using the book Radical by David Platt as our resource. Periodically, I will share a quote from his writing or a point from our lesson and discussion. While we may not agree with David's points on everything, his passion for Christ is evident in his writing and he does force us to think about things we would like to ignore. So let's tackle the hard things together, as brothers and sisters in Christ!

Chandler on the Gospel

"The idolatry that exists in man's heart always wants to lead him away from his Savior and back to self-reliance no matter how pitiful that self-reliance is or how many times it has betrayed him. Religion is the tool the self-righteous man uses to exalt himself. Again, this isn't new; the apostle Paul lays out in Philippians 3:4-9 his religious pedigree and practice as an example of what a man can accomplish with discipline and hard work. In that passage Paul states that all his religious effort, exhaustive checklist of all his accomplishments included, amounts to nothing compared to the surpassing greatness of Christ. He goes a step further and even calls it 'rubbish' or 'dung'. Think about that: all your church attendance, all your religious activities, your Sunday school attendance medals, your journals, having a 'quiet time', reading the scriptures-it's all in vain if you don't have Christ. When you read Paul's texts together, you get a feel for his attack on the Christian, moralistic, therapeutic deism of his day. We are saved, sanctified, and sustained by what Jesus did for us on the cross and through the power of his resurrection."

Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel

Relying on the Word!

"All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

II Timothy 3:16-17

Most Christians have some level of familiarity with the above verses. And while it is beneficial that these verses be understood in the broadest context, it is equally beneficial that we understand the immediate application of Paul's description of God's word. Ask yourself: why did Paul include these sentences at this point in his letter to Timothy? Why did he say what he said and why did he say it when he said it? Begin reading in verse 10 and read through to 4:8. Here we find some reasons. Paul has set an example for others...because of God's word. Paul has endured great afflictions for Christ...because of God's word. Paul is honest in his assessment of present and future hardships...because of God's word. Paul declares that we may know about the gospel...because of God's word. Paul warns of the coming judgment...because of God's word. Paul encourages the preaching of sound doctrine...because of God's word. Paul is certain that all sacrifice will be richly and eternally repayed...because of God's word. See the pattern? Paul is making certain that we understand that scripture is not the invention of men. It is not limited in its usefulness or power. It has not been pulled out of "thin air". It is not the product of religious minds. It is from God himself; scripture is God-breathed! Therefore, we may build our lives on its content, knowing that God himself will always, without fail, honor His word. Paul desired for Timothy to carry this conviction into his ministry. Let us carry this same conviction into ours.

Don't Be Naive!

Last Sunday, while preaching from Acts 16:16-33, I warned our congregation against the casual dismissing of the demonic in both the biblical storyline and our present world. Many will simply deny the fact that scripture clearly attributes various personal afflictions and oppressions directly to demonic influence. Others, wanting to uphold the truth of the Bible, will affirm the stories as accurate and trustworthy. But, they explain that somehow, in the advance of the past two thousand years, demons have simply vanished. Both views are wrong. We still live in a fallen world where the demonic is ever-present. That's the bad news. The good news is this: We have authority over the enemy in the name of Jesus! Don't be naive. Demons are real and present...right here...right now. But don't be afraid. Remember the words of Jesus: "Be courageous! I have conquered the world."

Goodbye Andy!

I just received word that actor Andy Griffith passed away this morning at the age of 86. Although his career was marked by various successes, he will be best remembered as Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry. The Andy Griffith Show will forever be remembered as an icon of American television. And deservedly so! I still laugh out loud when watching the exploits of Andy, Barney, and the Mayberrry citizenship. Several biblical principles come to mind when considering The Andy Griffith Show. They include:

*Simplicity. It's the simple things that can make us the happiest. Simplicity makes contentment shine.
*Family and Community. The people around us are gifts from God. Granted, some require diligent patience and care, but, at some point, we are all on that list. That's why the rule of love is so important. 
*Laughter. The Bible tells us that laughter is a great medicine. That's why The Andy Griffith Show is such a great prescription. How can we watch Otis or listen to Floyd and not laugh?
*Resolution. At the end of each episode, life was seen as back to normal in Mayberry. Problems solved. Relationships mended. Criminals jailed. Barney humbled (sometimes). While life is not a sitcom with convenient and quick resolutions, we trust that in the end everything will be O.K. Why? Because God said so! And like Andy and Barney on the front porch at the close of the day, we can share the same peace and tranquility knowing that all is well because of Jesus. Thanks, Andy, for the fond memories. We will miss you.

p.s.- For laughs courtesy of Mayberry, check out some of my Mayberry Monday entries from the first year of this blog.

Attitude Adjustment

Today is Monday; need an "attitude adjustment"? If so, this post is for you. If your attitude is fine today, then read this and store it away for future reference. At some point you'll likely need it! It's taken from James MacDonald's book Lord, Change My Attitude. MacDonald writes:

"Looking a little closer at Numbers 11:1, it's hard to miss the fact that we choose our attitudes. That's a short sentence and you might be speed reading, so let me say it again: We choose our attitudes! Oh, yes, we do! They don't choose us; we choose them. You should see the looks I get when I teach this truth publicly. People get all uptight and angry looking, like they're going to storm the platform, and I understand why. Nobody wants to be told 'Your attitude problem is in the mirror'-but it is. Until we embrace as fact the idea that we choose our attitudes, we will never be able to choose differently, and life will always be like a wilderness. Notice what Numbers 11:1 says: the people! They couldn't point the finger anywhere but at themselves...Back to God's word: 'The people became like those who complain.' Why did they become like that? Because they had to? Because someone forced them, because of the way they were brought up? No; they chose. They had good reasons not to complain; they had more than enough reasons to be thankful. Instead, they chose the attitude of complaining. God's final judgment on their attitudes clearly held them accountable for their choosing."

I'm Back!

I have had extensive difficulty with my blogger/post connection. It now seems as though things have been remedied. Thanks for your patience. Here is a great little story from Henry Blackaby. Hope it makes us think!

"The story is told of a godly man who sought to read his Bible and pray every morning for an hour before he went about his other chores and responsibilities. He generally spent this time with the Lord in the privacy of his own bedroom before joining others in his family for breakfast. The man was faithful in his discipline, but sometimes found that he became sidetracked when his cat wandered into his room and began to purr loudly as it rubbed against his pant leg. The solution to this problem? He leashed the cat to one of the bedposts while he spent his time reading and praying.

The man's son witnessed the behavior of his father. He grew up admiring his father's devotion and as he became an adult and moved out on his own, he sought to copy his father's discipline. He bought a cat and tied it to the bedpost just as his father had done, and then spent a little time reading his Bible and praying-unless, of course, he was running late. On most days, he spent only a few minutes in his devotional time, but he never failed to leash the cat to the bedpost.

That man, in turn, had a son who also admired his father and sought to be just like him. When he became an adult, he purchased a cat and faithfully leashed it to the bedpost each morning as he was getting dressed and ready for the day. When his little boy asked him why he was doing that, he replied, 'I'm not quite sure, but my father always leashed his cat to the bedpost and he was a good man who loved God. I think maybe tying the cat to the bedpost was a part of his faith ritual. So I tie the cat to the bedpost, too.' Is there something in your life that has no real spiritual meaning, but which you regularly do?"

Learning To Listen!

Listening to a sermon can be a daunting task. There can be major distractions, everything from screaming babies to snoring neighbors (don't laugh-this really happened to me). Granted, there are many things that occur during a sermon that we simply can't control, including the preacher himself. But there are many things that we can control, at least to a point. This is the first in a series of posts concerning how to listen effectively to a sermon. For a more complete reading on the subject, find a copy of Christopher Ash's booklet Listen Up! He has some great ideas and thoughts, some of which I will cover in the coming posts. I hope these are a help to you. Enjoy.

L2L (Learning To Listen) Point #1:
PRAY. PRAY. PRAY. This one is so simple, yet probably the most overlooked aspect of listening to a sermon. And it might be the most important.  Honestly, how often do you ask God to allow you to hear the things you need to hear? And after you hear them, how often do you ask God to let those things be received into your life and applied in tangible ways? How do you deal with those things that are shared with which you initially disagree? How about those things that are particularly tedious/challenging/convicting? I cannot effectively listen apart from communicating with God. The quality of my listening, and the results that should follow, are contingent upon prayer. So...start praying now for Sunday's message, lifting up both speaker and listener to the Lord. Praying people make better listeners.

An Upside-Down World!

Tomorrow I am going to begin a short posting series that centers on the topic of learning to listen effectively to your pastor's sermon. For today, here is another excerpt from the book Die Young: Burying Yourself In Christ. In the upside-down world of Christianity, everything is different. Less is more. Death is life. And weak becomes the new strong. Consider:

"In the Christian life, unlike the world around us, weakness, not strength, is a valuable commodity. We have access to the throne of God, not because of our brute strength or steady determination to obey every minute detail of the law, but because of the confession of our inability to do any of it on our own. It is through weakness that we first utter the words, 'Dear God, save me.'"

Not Intimidated!

I recently completed a seven-week sermon series taken from Paul's letter to Titus. From our inferences from Paul's writing, coupled with historical accounts, we can safely say that the people of Crete were quite the challenge to disciple. But Paul reminds us that the gospel is truly sufficient for all things...and for all people! We may have tendencies to be become intimidated by others, particularly by those that we view as, well, intimidating. The gospel, however, is "God's power for salvation to everyone who believes." And Paul instructed Titus in relation to the gospel. The Cretans, as hardened as they were, needed the message of Jesus. Paul was confident that this message was sufficient enough to do all that needed to be done among the Cretans: establish and care for local churches, ensure sound teaching, correct wrong doctrine and behavior, lead people into good works, keep a godly focus, and support the cause of the gospel elsewhere. So what do we learn from this? If the Good News was all that was needed for the people of Crete, that is all that is needed for the people of today. Whether they be the people of our own churches, the people that live across town, or the people a thousand miles away, the gospel is all-sufficient in saving them and supplying their needs. Unleash it and let it do its work. 

Desiring Less to Have More

"Part of the death that leads to righteousness (Romans 6:16) as you die young is learning to die to your desire for stuff-the definition of stuff being anything other than God. And while stuff isn't inherently evil, the position we give it in our hearts can be. Face it-less isn't something most of us are excited about getting, unless it's less of something bad. 'Dear God, give me less good stuff' has probably never been your prayer."

Hayley & Micheal Dimarco, Die Young: Burying Yourself In Christ

Prayer Challenge: Ask God to reveal something that exists in abundance in your life. It may be clothes, shoes, tools, money, toys, furniture, books, etc...Anything, really. Then ask God what He would have you do with those things that you could be a blessing to someone else. Remember: Having less is actually more! Learn to let go of "stuff".

Christ Changes Everything!

We recently began a new session of Discipleship Study at our church, using the book by Haley & Micheal Dimarco Die Young: Burying Yourself In Christ. I love the chapter titles. Among them: Death Is the New Life, Less Is the New More, Slavery Is the New Freedom, and Red Is the New White. The authors continually challenge the reader by reminding him/her that Jesus really does bring about a radical change in life. Our reasoning is to be different than that of our worldly counterparts. Our speech is to be different. Our attitudes are to be different. Our motivations are to be different. Our behavior is to be different. While some changes may be sudden and dramatic, and others subtle and painstakingly long, make no mistake: Christ is at work in the life of a believer! How is He working in you? Do you notice Him leading you on the "road less traveled"? Consider these words from the Dimarcos:

"When you die to everything that this world suggests is necessary for a 'good life', when you reject everything that they say is essential for happiness, peace, or even life, you choose the road less traveled by natural man but well-traveled by the spiritual man. It is a narrow road that leads to life and few will find it (Matthew 7:14) because few are willing to accept the paradigm shift that faith requires. This shift says that life isn't about you but about your God. This may mean taking the worst seat at the table (Luke 14:10), going the extra mile (Matthew 5:41), or forgiving someone for the same thing over and over again (Matthew 18:22). All of these the world would consider a step down in life and most definitely not a step up."

Considering the World to Come!

"How then, should we view this world and our existence in it? The Puritans would answer, sub specie aeternitatis- 'in the light of eternity': we must 'consider' (Romans 8:18) things as they will be rather than they are now: I see a world in decay and trouble. I consider a renewed, perfect world to come. I watch my body deteriorating. I consider my new body. I can make no sense of things here. I consider a world where all is integrated. I am tempted to sin here. I consider a world of perfection to come. I see in part now. I consider a time when I shall see Jesus. This is our calling: to gaze deliberately and see things as they will be rather than as they are. Did you notice that Paul suggests that this deliberate gazing is what creation itself is doing? Creation 'waits with eager longing' or, as J.B. Phillips so marvelously rendered it, 'The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own.' Creation stands on tiptoe. Are you?"

Derek W. H. Thomas, How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home

Say What?

In this month's edition of Christianity Today magazine's Quotation Marks segment, you will find a hilarious flub from noted atheist Richard Dawkins. When asked publicly for the full title of Charles Darwin's famous book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, Dawkins struggled. His exact reply:
"On the Origin of Species...uh...with...oh God." Sounds like a confirmation of Romans 1, but I'm sure Dawkins would disagree! Maybe he should stick with books that have simple titles, like, say...the Bible.