Living with Eyes Forward to That Day

“I just can’t beat it,” he said with his hands in his hair. He had been confronted with the reality of indwelling sin. “I’m just a guy. I’ll never break this porn habit.” I sat across from this man entranced by pornography’s mystical pull. As I look into the eyes of my brother, I want to say so many things. I begin, “You’re not alone” and go on “If I’m honest—the only thing that broke my porn habit was living in a van with three other guys when I was a traveling musician. There’s just not much room for porn when you can’t even change clothes in privacy.” Most of all, though, I want to ask him this question: “Can you imagine the Day when you will be physically unable to sin?”

Sometimes we are so overcome with our sin and so quick to make excuses we are in danger of overshadowing one of the most glorious truths of Scripture—one Day we will be made gloriously new, like our risen Savior.

Where the Discussion Starts

Without a robust understanding of depravity, we cannot have a correct understanding of the gospel. Recognizing sin as “within” rather than “without” must be the fuel that drives our desperation for redemption. In other words, we are not saved from the scary things out there; we are saved from God’s just wrath toward our own sinful nature.

This discussion is not new. Augustine argued in his own time that human free will is bent toward sin, and apart from a divine act of grace, humans freely choose evil. This is total depravity. The Reformation principle of unconditional election was founded on the same notion that man is totally depraved—nothing in any of us merits the gracious election of God from before the foundation of the world. We don’t bend toward him. He graciously condescends to us.

I’m all in on the discussion of total depravity, especially in light of today’s Evangelical climate—which for some can be summed up as simply, “You can do it.” Well, actually, you can’t. I can’t. That’s the point of grace. And without this understanding, when indwelling sin surfaces, we have no category by which to cry out for grace.

Where the Road Forks

However, there are two ways to frame the discussion of total depravity, as if we stand at a great fork in the road of Christian experience—one sign reading “slavery,” and one reading “freedom.” The first road is our default mode. It is a man-centered view of total depravity. Claiming to be wise, we show ourselves foolish when we declare, “wretched man that I am,” without also boldly proclaiming our redemption in Christ (see Paul in Rom. 7:24-25). Is that not the heart of what Luther was trying to communicate when he wrote to Melanchthon, “Let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger.”¹

The second way to frame this discussion must be God-centered. Here are the questions we need to ask: How long will God allow totally depravity to continue? What has he done to enter into our depravity and redeem it? What is the end of all this?

Where the Scriptures Meet us

And in the weeds of that discussion, we often find ourselves camping on this. Is this a post-Genesis 3 world, or is it a pre-Revelation 21 world?I completely understand that every fiber that God has intricately woven into his creation has been affected by man’s fall into sin. Total depravity is just that—total. However, as I look to the Scriptures, I see them more often pointing forward to a different world. I sense the longing of the prophets and the apostles for a time in which the effects of total depravity will be wholly reversed and when the redeemed of God will always choose righteousness.

When I read articles or hear sermons about the distortion of this post-Genesis 3 world, I want to scream out, “BUT A DAY IS COMING!” And I don’t think I am alone in this . . .

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. –Romans 8:18

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. –Philippians 3:20-21

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. –Isaiah 11:6

Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. –Revelation 21:3-4

Here’s what I don’t see—excuses. I don’t see Genesis 3 being used as a crutch by which we might cry, “I wish I could do better . . . but I just can’t.” That notion is just not present in the Scriptures. To be fair, neither is the notion that we can do better, at least on our own.

This beautiful doctrine floods the pages of Scripture—we will be made new. In fact, everything around us will be made new. And, characteristic of the gospel of Christ, this is all by grace! None of it hinges on our own earning. Rather, God will make all things new at the consummation of his redemptive work in Christ.

Also characteristic of the gospel of Christ, this truth is compelling. It compels us, or drives us, to holiness. Or at least it did so for the biblical authors.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. —2 Peter 3:11-13

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Back to the young man in my office across the table, sulking over his porn habit and hiding behind a cup of coffee. When I asked him whether he could conceive of a time when he will be physically unable to sin, he answers honestly, “No.” I completely understand. I have no idea what that will feel like either. But here’s what I preach to him (and myself), “Don’t be driven to despair over your addictive habits. Look to that Day.” On that Day we will see our Savior face to face and be made new. We will simply be unable to sin. The physicality of the new earth should push us towards living holy now.

Christian, who does your depravity drive you to look? To yourself or your Redeemer? Where does your help come from? Are you looking back in despair, or are you looking forward with hopeful angst? Are you living in a post-Genesis 3 world, or in a pre-Revelation 21 world? Look to that Day, to your Redeemer.

^{1. Let Your Sins Be Strong: A Letter from Luther to Melancthon. “Letter no. 99, 1 August 1521. From Wortburg (Segment).” Translated by Erika bullman Flores. From Dr. Martin Luther's Saemmtliche Schriften. Dr. Johannes Georg Walch, Ed. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.), Vol.15, cols. 2585-2590.↩}

—

Alex Dean (@AlexMartinDean) is a pastor in Lakeland, Florida. Holding an undergraduate degree from Dallas Baptist University, Alex is currently completing his graduate work at Reformed Theological Seminary. His book, Gospel Regeneration: A story of death, life, and sleeping in a van, is available on Amazon, iBooks, and other online retailers. Follow his blog at www.GospelRegeneration.com and follow him on Twitter.

The Secret to Making Kingdom Citizens

What is the Gospel? Some may wonder why I’ve started with such a simple question. Isn’t the gospel that we are justified by faith alone? Isn’t the gospel about personal salvation and faith in Jesus? Isn’t the gospel about how we can go to heaven when we die?

These are common answers to the question, but what if none of these are fully correct definitions of the gospel? What if these are true but minimize important aspects of the gospel needed to make disciples?

I want to contend that much of what we mean in evangelical Christianity by the word “gospel” is not how the word is actually used in the New Testament. Again, I’m not saying the emphases above are not true. They absolutely are! We are justified by faith alone; Jesus does give us personal salvation; and we will live forever with Jesus (in a resurrected body in a new heavens and earth). However, they cut short the full definition of the word “gospel” presented in Scripture

Allow me to explain what I mean. We often use the term “gospel” to mean one of two things:

1. Justification by faith – In this definition, the “good news” is that you don’t have to earn salvation.

2. Personal salvation – In this definition the “good news” is that you personally can be saved and escape punishment (usually by “inviting Jesus into your heart”).

3. Going to Heaven – Here, the "good news" is that your soul can go to heaven when you die. (Though people unfortunately forget about the Bible's teaching about bodily resurrection).

Now, some might respond with a possible fourth definition, which is much fuller than the other three presented, which is that the gospel is Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. This answer is absolutely true (1 Cor. 15:1-5) and it strikes at the heart of the gospel. However, even it must be understood in a larger theological context. Even the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus must be understood in light of the larger gospel theme of the “Kingdom of God.”

How the word “gospel” is used in the New Testament

Allow me to give just a few passages from the New Testament that show the above definitions of the gospel don’t work on their own:

Galatians 3:8 - And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

What message was preached to Abraham in the Old Testament that Paul calls the “gospel” in this passage? Was it a message of personal salvation for Abraham? Was it a message of justification by faith? It is true that Abraham was justified by faith, but here the gospel message is that all the nations would be blessed by his seed and that “kings shall come from your own body” (Gen. 35:11).

Mark 14:9 - And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

What is the gospel according to this passage? Is it justification by faith? Is it personal salvation? I often like to tease my students and ask how many of them mention this woman’s story when they share the gospel with their neighbors. Jesus seems to think that her story will be proclaimed wherever the gospel is preached. Here the term “gospel” seems to be related to the entire ministry of Jesus and his program to renew the world.

Luke 9:6 - And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

In this passage, the disciples must preach the “gospel,” yet they didn’t preach justification by faith. They didn’t preach personal salvation. And, just to add a spark of controversy, the didn’t even preach about Jesus’ death and resurrection! They preached a message of the Kingdom of God breaking into their current situation and demonstrated the Kingdom coming by healing people and casting out demons. This is a message about the Kingdom of God and Jesus calls it the “gospel.”

Galatians 2:11 & 14 - But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned . . . [his] conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel.

This is a fascinating passage because Paul had to rebuke Peter because he forgot the gospel. Now, what did Peter forget? Did he forget that Jesus saves people personally? Did he forget that Jesus died for our sins? No, he actually forgot that God’s Kingdom is meant to go forth to all nations and that withdrawing from fellowship with Gentiles was tantamount to denying the gospel.

Then what is the gospel?

We have seen some of the definitions above don’t work on their own with the way the New Testament uses the word “gospel.” What is a better definition of the gospel? The way the gospel is described in the New Testament is a message about the Kingdom of God. It is a message about how God is reestablishing his perfect rule (Kingdom) over the cosmos and reconciling the world through himself by defeating his enemies and reversing the effects of the fall through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of his Son, King Jesus. To give the best definition of the gospel I can, allow me to quote G.K. Beale:

“The Old Testament is the story of God, who progressively reestablishes his new-creational kingdom out of chaos over a sinful people by his Word and Spirit through promise, covenant, and redemption, resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to advance this kingdom and judgment (defeat or exile) for the unfaithful, unto his glory. Jesus' life, trials, death for sinners, and especially resurrection by the Spirit have launched the fulfillment of the eschatological already-not yet new-creational reign, bestowed by grace through faith resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to advance this new-creational reign and resulting in judgment for the unbelieving, unto the triune God's glory.” –G.K. Beale

Wow! What a robust definition of the gospel!

Yes, justification by faith is true. Yes Jesus saves individuals and yes it is good that we don’t have to be condemned when we die. Yes the gospel is absolutely the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Yes and amen to all these things. However, these must be related to the larger gospel message to make any sense and to truly preach the “gospel” the way the Bible does.

Why is this important for discipleship?

Discipleship flows from the gospel message. Until we teach this larger Kingdom message we will never make the kind of disciples we were meant to. In fact, the reason the church produces converts and not disciples is because we preach a gospel that produces converts and not disciples—we preach an individualistic gospel of justification by faith instead of a holistic gospel of God’s Kingdom.

We often wonder why someone who claims to be a disciple of Jesus comes to church and reads his Bible but is also looking at porn and not serving the poor, not evangelizing his neighbor, and divorcing his spouse, and not studying theology. We often wonder why someone who claims to be a disciple of Jesus can so easily separate their “spiritual” life from their “secular” life.

We have preached a gospel that deals merely with personal salvation so once someone is “saved” there is not much else to think about. They “prayed the prayer” and now it is “mission accomplished.” However, if we realized that the gospel is not just about our “spiritual” lives but about Christ redeeming everything that has gone wrong in the universe it breaks down this sacred/secular divide.

Jesus isn’t just the “Lord of your heart.” He is the Lord of the universe. He is the Lord over your finances. He is the Lord over your sex life. He is the Lord over your marriage. He is the Lord over your hobbies. He is the Lord over your kids. He is the Lord over turtles, and chocolate, and electricity, and quasars, and grass, and everything that exists!

Before maturing disciples, we must teach the gospel in its fullness. A Kingdom gospel will produce Kingdom citizens.May King Jesus give us grace as we seek to love and obey him more.

—

Zach Lee is Associate Home Groups Minister at The Village Church and is married to Katy.  Follow him on Twitter: @zacharytlee.

3 Fundamental Reasons to Recover Fasting

Recently I was asked to preach on fasting. Better yet, I was asked to preach on fasting on Super Bowl Sunday. In my mind I was being asked to preach on a super spiritual topic to the super spiritual people in our church who would actually show up to our services. Because I’m still being trained for ministry and never turn a preaching opportunity down, I pursued this  curious assignment with excitement. As I studied and tried out what I was learning, I began to realize what a normal and important practice fasting was for believers in Jesus’ day, and more importantly I experienced why.

We talk a lot about spiritual disciplines (rhythms of grace, or whatever term you want to use for personal disciplines that help line our lives up with all that we have in the gospel) in the church today—and rightly so, because we need them. But for some reason we treat fasting as this abstract discipline reserved for only the spiritual elite, removed from normal, everyday Christian life and discipleship. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus only talks about three spiritual disciples (giving, prayer, and fasting), and treats them with equal weight (Matt. 6:1-18). In Matthew 9:15 Jesus explicitly states that he expects his disciples to fast.

So what is fasting? And why does Jesus treat it as important and normal in the Christian life? Fasting creates hunger to experience more of God.

Creating hunger

Creating hunger means we take something out of our lives for a period of time that will hurt. Usually this is food, but it can also be other morally neutral things that are staples in our lives and would hurt to go without (like Facebook, email after work hours, TV, shopping, etc).

To experience more of God

We are not ascetics that just enjoy pain. The hunger we create is so we can feast on something greater. So fasting involves not just the cutting out but adding in—you have to fill that space with something. Use the time you would have spent consuming food or something else with feasting upon God. It’s for this reason that fasting in the Bible is always tied to prayer.

Why fast? Here’s three ways we specifically see this play out in our lives:

1. To plead with God/seek guidance.

This is one of the most common ways we think of when we think of fasting. For me, it was the only way I had thought of fasting before this sermon. Some examples include the Jews when facing annihilation (Esther 4:3) and the church at Antioch considering whether or not to send out Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2-3).

In this way, fasting creates space for us and reminds us to pray. It helps align our soul with an appropriate seriousness and tunes us to hear from God. Martin Lloyd Jones says it this way, “One any important occasion, when faced with any vital decision, the early Church always seemed to give themselves to fasting as well as to prayer.”

2. To help fight besetting sin.

Just as we might train in a gym for a big triathlon, so God calls us to train ourselves for godliness (1 Tim. 4:7). Fasting is one of the ways we do this. When we say no to bodily urges in the form of food or something basic, we are exercising the muscle to resist in other areas (i.e., sexual temptation).

Fasting trains us to not just gratify our bodily urges. This strength to resist will transfer to other areas where we fight against sin. Martin Luther says, “Of fasting I say this: it is right to fast frequently in order to subdue and control the body.”

3. To remind us of God’s presence.

Have you ever gotten through a day and realized you forgot about God all day? Me too. It’s madness! You know when this doesn’t happen? When you’re fasting. The hunger pains serve as a reminder that there is more going on beyond what we can see. Fasting tunes us to a deeper and truer reality. The sovereign King of glory is with us, in spite of how we are doing, and this is where we find true life in the midst of our crazy circumstances.

As I got up to preach this sermon to my church family, I was really preaching to myself all that God had been teaching me . Fasting is not something we must add to our lives in order to earn God’s love, rather fasting is a gift to help us live more awake to the undeserved love of God in Christ and to stay clear of distractions that numb and take our life .

If we’re serious about walking in the joy, freedom, and life of the grace of God, how can we neglect fasting? Incorporating fasting as a regular discipline into my life has taken me into much more vitality in my walk with the Lord .

What do you need to take out of your life, where do you need to create a hunger, to help you tune your thoughts, affections, and energies toward God?

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Chad A. Francis (@chadafrancis) serves as the Ministry Coordinator at Garden City Church, where he is being assessed and trained for future pastoral ministry. He’s obsessed with grace and passionate about being a waker where complacency exists. You can read more from Chad at www.chadafrancis.com.

5 Easy Ways to Develop Gospel Habits

Can you say that you are truly satisfied with the way you live, or the habits you have formed? If we’re honest, most of us can’t answer that question with a positively. We often live from crisis to crisis, from reaction to reaction, or from bad habit to bad habit. The opposite of reactionary living (responding to the circumstances life brings) is intentional living (having a plan and being disciplined enough to stick to it).

There will be times in life when you are hit with a fast-pitch curve ball, and things will happen that we least expect to happen. Even then, though, we can live intentionally in how we respond. The Bible teaches us that there is a war going on—not against flesh and blood—but against the spiritual forces of this world (Eph. 6:2).  We are at war everyday with our own flesh (Gal 5:17). What you want to do, you don’t do, and what you don’t want to do, you find yourself doing (Rom. 7:15).

We live this way primarily because of sin, but also because of the bad habits we have formed. We don’t necessarily live each day from decision to decision, but from habit to habit—whether positive or negative, good or bad.

For example, when you’re at a restaurant, you might habitually order a coke instead of water. Or you might wake up in the morning with just the right amount of time to shower, jump in the car, and leave for work—with no wiggle-room for morning devotions or a morning workout . . . or any morning routine.

Even though you might have formed the habit of waking up late (or just being late everywhere you go), the habit you’ve formed the night before effects the habits you have in the mornings.. Think about it this way: You stay up late watching a movie, and then you sleep late. From here, you find yourself in a hurry to get to work on time, drive a little too fast to work, and then yell at a co-worker because you’re tired and grumpy. It all started the night before when you chose to stay up late and watch a movie instead of go to bed at a reasonable hour to be rested for the next day’s events.

At this point, you may be asking, “How is this a gospel issue?” When we talk about using our time well, we are talking about stewardship and dominion-taking issues. Taking dominion over your life also involves how you spend your time—how you redeem your time. It’s a Genesis 2-3 issue, redeemed in Christ. When we understand that Jesus changes everything, the gospel will affect all areas of our lives.

So, again, we all want to live with healthy, gospel-centered, and life-giving habits, but how can we do so? Here a few ways to go beast mode:

 1. Plan out your week—every bit of it.

 Here’s what this looks like for me. On Sunday evenings, I sit down with my computer and plan out my week. I sit down and plan out these things:

• Days and times I will exercise
• Breakfasts and lunches
• Doctoral work
• Other writing and work endeavors
• What I’m reading and learning that week
• Date night with my wife
• Daddy-daughter date (every Friday morning)
• And more . . .

Also on Sunday night, my wife and I have a “family council.” At this scheduled weekly meeting, we plan out our meals for the week, our calendar, our evenings at home, our date nights, our budget, relational nights with friends and family, etc. We want to be intentional about our week, not reactionary. This helps monumentally with communication.

On Mondays, I pretty much meet with people all day (from 9am to 5pm), but I prepare for those meetings before I go into them, because for me, they effect the rest of the week.

2. Plan for the next day the night before.

Before I go to bed each night, I plan out the next day. I look at my schedule (both morning, work, and evening) then get ready for the next day.

For instance, my Monday schedule looks like this on most Mondays:

• 5:30am | Wake up and Bible Reading
• 6am | Morning routine and get ready to leave
• 7am | CrossFit
• 8am | Allergy Shots (I’m literally allergic to the world), Kroger (for the weeks essentials), and get ready at the office

Work Schedule at FC

• 9am | Check-in meeting
• 9:30am to 1:00pm | Executive Tactical Meeting and Executive Lunch
• 1:30pm to 2:45pm | Student Ministry Team Meeting
• 2:45pm to 3:45 | Family Ministry Team Meeting
• 4pm to 5pm | Staff Workout

Home

• 5:30pm | Family Time
• 9:30pm | Nightly Routine
• 10pm-ish | Read and bed

Call me weird, but if I don’t plan accordingly like this, then I start to become reactionary over my time. I am prone to wonder . . . be lazy . . . procrastinate . . . be selfish with my time . . . get lost in entertainment. Planning out my days like this allows me to be disciplined, develop healthy habits for my life, and use my time in a redemptive manner.

3. Keep track of your tasks and plan them out accordingly.

It doesn’t matter if you’re relationally-oriented or task-oriented, you need a system for keeping up with everything you “have to get done.” Some people use a moleskin notebook, while others use a task-management app on their computers and phones.

Find what works for you and stick to it. The last thing you want is to be known as someone who lets things fall through the crack because you aren’t intentional about writing things down and getting them done.

I use a task management system that allows me to schedule tasks out into the future.  This allows me to plan accordingly, as well as know exactly what I need to get done that day, without having a million other things looming. I put the tasks in my system, plan my upcoming days, then go about my current day as planned.

4. Let your calendar serve you. Don’t serve it.

Here’s the deal with this—don’t be such a stickler that you can’t let unplanned things come up from time to time. Processes, procedures, task management systems, and calendars should serve us. We don’t serve them.

Try something out for a few weeks. If it doesn’t work, change it. Don’t do what I do. Do what works for you and allows you to develop good habits in your life.

5. Be disciplined enough to stick to it!

This is actually the hardest part of developing healthy habits for your life. The first four points are somewhat easy. The hardest part is actually being disciplined enough to live the way you want to live.

Again, the point is to not live reactionary. Live intentionally. Take ownership over your life. Redeem the time. Take stewardship over your week. Go beast mode.

When you do this, I promise you will look back in a month and you will see a mountain of gospel-centered, healthy habits you have developed because of your intentional planing and sticking with it.

When I plan this way, I am able to develop healthy habits in these areas of my life:

• Bible reading and devotional times
• Prayer time
• Date nights
• Work schedule
• Intentional times with family and friends
• What I eat
• When I exercise
• Morning routines
• Evening routines
• Healthy family routines
• Financial budgets for giving, savings, and spending
• And more . . .

Again, it’s all about living intentionally. When we do this, Christ becomes more of your life as you become less (Jn. 3:30). And when you live this way, then healthy, gospel-centered habits begin to form and become second nature.

—

Greg Gibson (@greggibson86) is married to Grace and is the father of Cora and Iver. He serves as an elder and family ministries pastor at Foothills Church in Knoxville, TN overseeing birth through college and marriages. He is the author of Reformational Manhood: Creating a Culture of Gospel-Centered Warriors and serves as Executive Editor, CBMW Blog, and Communications Director. Greg also writes often at ggib.me.

Why Does the Church Ignore Jesus?

If you missed part one in this series, check out “How to Ignore Jesus While Accepting Your Christianity.” We ignore Jesus because discipling takes a long time and it is very hard to measure. We’ve become a people who care more about measuring things rather than the hearts of Image Bearers.   We have become a church that looks more like American Business, than the church found in Acts 2.

American business has to count things because that’s how we get more business. We count profits, employees, customers, etc. If I showed you everything I measured in my business it’d make you dizzy. I don’t see much difference in the American Church.

The church has a CEO (which isn’t Jesus) that puts out the vision and directives then has the employees carry that vision out. If the employees start to question those things or the CEO, or if they get in the way, or they are struggling in certain areas of their lives, they are sidelined. Why? Because we have things we must count—attendance to our events, the amount of services we have, money in our coffers, and the size of our staff and buildings. If these things are growing, we are a success; if these things are stagnant or going backwards, then we are failing.

The problem is discipleship is very difficult to measure. Not only that, but many of those things that can be measured within discipleship will take years to measure their effectiveness and don’t fit nicely on a spreadsheet.  Because of this, many churches have taken discipleship from the mission of the church to a program of the church. That way, we can measure it in the way that makes the church in the West more comfortable.

Think of it . . . if you have a 12 week discipleship class, you can measure how many people are going through that class. You can determine success or failure.

Actual discipleship takes a lot of time and moves very slowly. Not only that, but people’s muck rises to the surface and might make the church look bad to many because of all the actual issues that are being dealt with. But, because the church is more like a business than the New Testament church, we don’t delve into those issues. We cover them up or just keep our church people at a surface level so that when you ask “How are you doing?” everyone answers, “Good.” Now we can move on to more important things . . . things that can be measured. This is why most churches like to count baptisms. Again. What’s interesting is that Jesus says, “Make disciples of all nations . . . baptizing them.” Baptizing is a byproduct of discipleship, not the other way around.

How Do We Change?

We are talking about a paradigm shift. We’ve been caught in this business mentality in church life for far too long. We are now attempting to u-turn the titanic, not a speed boat.

We must ask ourselves, “Is making disciples our very reason for being on this earth?”

Not only that, we must also ask, “Are we willing to be the first one to say ‘I need to be discipled’ and make our ‘Up’ relationship the primary in our lives and the lives of others?”

If we truly desire to make disciples who make disciples, then we have to . . . let me say this again . . . WE HAVE TO make it primary, no matter the cost, time, or sacrifice.

Are we willing to make everything else secondary to making disciples of selves, our family, our church, our neighborhood, our city, our nation, and our world?

To do this, we have to start asking, “What do I need to change to make this happen in my own life?” I need to lead change, not merely talk about it.

What in our lives, our churches should be kept, changed, or dropped for the sake of making disciples who make disciples?

For me. I have stopped putting multiplication first. I have stopped trying to put a timeline on when my missional community will multiply. Instead, I have decided to focus on a few and live a deep life with them until the Spirit releases them with his power to start another missional community.

I believe by doing this, I’ll be setting up a blueprint for what church life looks like and can say as Paul did, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”

By no means will I do it perfectly, but I’ll be doing it relentlessly asking how can I effectively be a disciple who’s primary reason to live on this earth is to make more disciples of Jesus. Period.

New Measurements

My friend Ben Hardman recently reminded me of this: What gets celebrated is what gets repeated. If we are going to try and change a paradigm so that discipleship is the central reason the church exists we have to change how we measure our “wins.”

I’ll give you one example that I’ve given before, in my article “Why I’m Tired of Church Planting.” Many of us know the parameters of success – the three B’s: butts, budgets, and buildings. If you measure the success of the church based on the fruit that only can be provided by the Spirit you will kill your church and its leaders. What do I mean? I think we should measure what we can actually control, standing amazed at the greatness of our God and the indwelling Spirit when we are blessed with witnessing the fruit that God allows us to see with our own eyes.

What if we measured the success of our churches by asking this question: How many people’s stories in your context do you know so intimately that you know exactly where they need the good news?

The reason that this is such a good measurement tool is that this gives everyone a fighting chance. This kind of measurement would require your people to be doing the work we’ve been called to do: to shepherd people to the only hope we have. It requires us to be involved with people. It requires us to invest deeply into a few people instead of too many on a surface level. In the end, if we have this as our measurement tool, we can see people being discipled instead of merely “making a decision” or just showing up to a church service.

We might see them actively bringing all areas of their lives under the lordship of Jesus by the power of the Spirit through the good news. This is discipleship! After this, you baptize. After that, you teach them everything that Jesus has commanded, but not before they have entered into a deep discipleship relationship with you.

The church could feel freed to do the ministry to which we’ve been called if we didn’t measure success through programs, conversions, attendance, and baptisms. These might all come, and we should be thrilled when they do, but statistics are not what we are primarily called to do. We are called to make disciples.

The Question

Here’s the question to end all this: How would you define yourself? What is your primary identity?

No matter how you answer this, anyone who is reading this needs to know, your primary identity that will never fail you is simply this: You are a son/daughter of the Creator God.

Whether you believe this or not is another question.

But, if we are sons and daughters of the perfect Creator God who loves us, is patient with us and has literally done everything in his power to show off who he is then there is only one thing we are left with: We GET TO show off who Dad is like to others around us. In other words . . . we GET TO disciple others.

That’s what we get to give our lives to. Everything else in our lives should pale in comparison. What in your life is above your identity as a son or daughter of God?

What do you need to start/stop believing about God so that you can be freed into the life of discipleship?

What needs to be added to/taken away/enhanced in your life so that you can make disciples who make disciples?

Who is discipling you and who are you discipling? Meaning . . . who are you living with so closely you know exactly where their idols are and where they need to hear the good news of redemption? And they know the exact same things about you . . . and you both speak up in these regards and are actively pursuing the power of the Spirit to bring these under the Lordship of Christ so you can be freed of them into the good news of Jesus.

—

Seth McBee is the adopted son of God, husband of one wife, and father of three. He’s a graduate of Seattle Pacific University with a finance degree. By trade. Seth is an investment portfolio manager, serving as President of McBee Advisors, Inc. He is also a MC leader/trainer/coach and executive team member of the GCM Collective. Seth currently lives in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Stacy and their three children: Caleb, Coleman, and Madelynn. He is also the artist and co-author of the wildly popular (and free!) eBook, Be The Church: Discipleship & Mission Made Simple. Twitter: @sdmcbee.

How to Ignore Jesus While Accepting Your Christianity

Jesus was straightforward with his mission when he left. And he gave us the Spirit to accomplish it. He didn’t mince words; he didn’t hide it in the book of Numbers (knowing most of us wouldn’t dare read that). He was and is clear on our mission: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. If it is that clear, why do we ignore Jesus and pursue other things so far down the list of “to-dos”?

Bottom line: we don’t know how to make a disciple and/or we ignore how Jesus made disciples.

I haven’t written an article in a long while. I’ve been honestly rethinking everything I know about the missional “movement” and asking why aren’t we seeing more missional community churches multiplying missional communities to saturate a city? To ask this question though, I couldn’t just point fingers. I had to ask this of myself. I have multiplied missional communities and trained many leaders to do so, but the number of disciples made now making disciples is embarrassing low in my life.

However, I have found a way to surround myself with some pretty smart dudes that don’t mind me ranting and being honest about the missional community movement and my own lack of disciple making. But, now, I think I’ve figured out in my head and heart why this is and am starting the process of working it out with my hands.

The Cart Before the Horse

Think about that saying for a second. How stupid. Why would anyone put the cart before the horse? The reality is that most don’t know that is what they have done, because (I hope) they wouldn’t purposely put a cart before the horse. I know I didn’t, but that is exactly what I did for the past 8 years in this missional life.

For me, the cart was multiplication. For others it could be a church building, a church service, prayer groups, budgets, people showing up to an event or some sort of service, etc.

Let me focus on my cart. Multiplication. Like most of the things listed above, multiplication is healthy and a good thing . . . but it’s not the ultimate thing. With discipleship you will get multiplication, but just because you multiply doesn’t mean you necessarily get discipleship.

If the focus is on multiplication, we will do whatever we must to raise up new leaders and send them out. The focus becomes on what they do, instead of who they are and what they believe. This is a huge distinction for discipleship.

Training and our lives becomes: “How can I quickly give information to someone so that they can go do this themselves?” instead of “How can I disciple people so that they are bringing every area of life under the Lordship of Jesus and go to show off how great our Dad is?”

What’s even more crazy is when we put the mindset of multiplication first. When that happens the one thing that will really irritate you is when people don’t get it, or when they question things. When multiplication is made ultimate what happens when major, deep issues that are lording over people’s lives come up that need you to stop and take time to work through? In reality, when multiplication (and many other things) become our primary priority, then people aren’t seen as the Imago Dei, but a tool that helps you “win.” When it’s not primariy, discipleship gets in the way. Some discipleship may still happen, but becomes shallow instead of deep and life transforming submitting every area of life to the Good News.

I believe this is exactly why we see Peter and the other disciples saying some very stupid things while living with Jesus. Jesus desired discipleship over all other things, knowing this is exactly how others would see who his Dad truly was. They knew they could say whatever they desired to Jesus. He was with them, one of them and desired the best for them. They didn’t feel like a tool to be used or a project to be converted. They felt they were a person to be loved.  A person to be believed in. A person to be discipled. A person to be more like Jesus, so they could taste and see that the Lord is good.

Breakfast with a Beard

As I was downloading some of this information with a good friend of mine, Zac Gandara, over breakfast, he started to drop some knowledge on my head.

We’ve both learned a lot through our relationships with 3DM. Zach drew the familiar triangle with UP, IN, and OUT listed at the points:

He told me, the following. Seth, you will never have issues making friends with outsiders. You naturally have many relationships with many who are not yet believers. You will naturally have the “in” relationships found in community with like minded people who desire to make disciples . . . but what I don’t hear from your mouth is much of Jesus or Dad. Because you are so focused on the OUT portion of the triangle, you have really started to ignore the most important part of the triangle and the one that Jesus focused on primarily: the UP relationship with Dad. When that part is missing, true discipleship will not happen. Something is happening because you’ll always have many relationships, but the good news will not be at the center of these relationships. If that is missing . . . so is discipleship.

He then went on to show me the life of Jesus and how Jesus continually concentrated on his relationship with Dad (which informed his identity as God’s Son), which then informed his relationships with his disciples and the world.

Nailed it.

When we focus on our identity in Christ (the “Up” relationship), the “In” and “Out” will be informed and formed by the gospel . . . the good news.  If our “In” and “Out” relationships are informed by our “Up” relationship then discipleship will flow out of that.

Jesus’ Discipling Culture

Jesus wanted to fill the world with disciples who would show off his Dad in heaven. He did this by gathering twelve of the weirdest people he could have. Notice that he didn’t gather the smartest people, the ones with the most competency, but he gathered those that would actually follow him. He gathered the ones that would show up (a whole book could be written on this). What did he do with those twelve? He lived with them for three years before he ever released them on their own to multiply. Jesus knew that if multiplication was going to happen that would be like the original group, he would have to go deep with a few, instead of shallow with a lot.

To go deep with a few, Jesus knew the only way this was going to happen was to live life with his disciples and to teach them holistically where the gospel was hitting every area of their lives. In essence, Jesus knew he’d have to teach them head knowledge, heart knowledge, and hand knowledge . . . they’d have to know what Jesus was teaching, believe in what Jesus was teaching, and do what Jesus was teaching.

Jesus refused to put anything ahead of discipleship. He wanted those twelve men to have full access to him so they could see what he required of them. This meant these men were allowed into Jesus life at a very deep level, every day, and completely unchained. We see this was happening because of how comfortable these men became with Jesus. They yelled at Jesus on the boat when the winds and waves came. Peter said many things that got him in trouble. James and John asked their mom to make sure they could sit next Jesus in heaven. I could go on. Why do we see this? Because they were being discipled and when this happens all our muck and crap comes to the surface where the good news needs to be applied so we believe the good news and its power to set us free instead of being chained and enslaved to sin and guilt and shame.

Through 3DM and Launch, I’ve learned four stages of leadership development.

• I do you watch
• I do you help
• You do I help
• You do I watch

You can also use the MAWL method

• Model
• Assist
• Watch
• Leave

Here’s the big difference between us and Jesus. Jesus was willing to spend three years of life with the few in stages 1 and 2. He knew if he did when the disciples were sent out they’d look a lot like him instead of a muddy image of the original.

We want to hurry through the first two stages so we can send out more people, or we want to spend all our time in stage 1 so that we become a functional savior for people and they are never released.

David Rhodes showed me that if you look in the book of Acts you notice something pretty awesome. Look at what the dispcles are doing. They are preaching, taking care of the poor, praying, healing, being family, and suffering. What you’ll notice is when you cover up who is actually doing it you’d assume it’s Jesus. The “copy” or the multiplication that happened, looks almost identical to the original.

Why? Because Jesus actually discipled deep with a few, instead of shoveling information down the throat of many.

To be continued . . .

—

Seth McBee is the adopted son of God, husband of one wife, and father of three. He’s a graduate of Seattle Pacific University with a finance degree. By trade. Seth is an investment portfolio manager, serving as President of McBee Advisors, Inc. He is also a MC leader/trainer/coach and executive team member of the GCM Collective. Seth currently lives in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Stacy and their three children: Caleb, Coleman, and Madelynn. He is also the artist and co-author of the wildly popular (and free!) eBook, Be The Church: Discipleship & Mission Made Simple. Twitter: @sdmcbee.

Tools for Making War Against Spiritual Warfare

If we are going to make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus Christ then we must equip our soldiers with appropriate tools to do battle. Soldiers who are unequipped or even ill-equipped with no tools, or faulty tools, will do great harm to themselves and others. If we as disciples who make other disciples (this is, after all, our commission) are going to win the battle against the flesh and the enemy, we must make war.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Ephesians 6:10-20:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Apostle Paul is not saying that we wrestle only against rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers, but that those powers are the bigger picture. This passage is a call to arms—a call to do battle against the enemy. Like a general getting his soldiers ready, so Paul wishes to get the Church ready for war. The entire metaphor is built around the Spirit’s work of providing protection for us on our way to glorification.

First, he says that we are to be strong “in the Lord.” There is much in the world to drive us to despair, so we need strength in God, not in self or anyone else. Christ has called us to do good works (Eph. 2:10), and we have access to the Father by the power of the Spirit through the work of Christ (2:18). The road won’t be easy, since we have to walk as wise people, not unwise people (3:15), knowing that evil abounds (3:16). There’s much at stake in this battle of sanctification. The enemy is real.

Part of what the Apostle Paul is getting at in this passage is that, yes, strength resides in the Lord (vs. 10), and because of that truth, we can be strong in His might, and stand firm (vs. 13). “Strong,” “strength,” “might,” “stand against,” “wrestle,” “armor”—these are all words that Paul uses to paint the picture. So what is the armor the helps us do those things?

THE WHOLE ARMOR

Paul says to “take up the whole armor of God” (vs. 13)—not part of it, not some of it . . . all of it. A soldier who leaves behind part of his armor will be vulnerable. Paul starts the metaphor with the belt of truth because the word of truth is the gospel (Jn. 17:17). The gospel takes central stage because, like a belt, you need your armor to fit together properly on your body. Nothing works unless connected to the gospel. The belt holds everything together. More broadly, the belt holds the sword. Our confidence, then, is in the truthfulness of God’s word; we can rely on it with complete faith, knowing that it will sustain us during war.

Paul goes on to describe these tools by telling us to having a breastplate of righteousness. The devil is a slanderer and wishes to inflict harm on our hearts. Because of the imputed righteousness of Christ (Rom. 4:6-11; Phil. 3:9), Christians can believe the truth of what the gospel teaches instead of the lies of the Liar who wishes to stab you in the heart with a false identity. What Paul is getting at is that because of Christ’s righteousness given to us, we can withstand the attack on our identity by relying on the truth that our pursuit of righteousness is driven by Christ’s righteousness given to us. The breastplate prevails against any effort of the enemy.

The next tool of the trade are shoes of peace. Paul has already alluded to Christ being our peace (2:14), Christ’s work as the fulfillment of the temple sacrifices, thus making peace for us with the Father (2:15), and Christ’s preaching of peace to those far off (Gentiles) and those near (Jews), in fulfillment of Isaiah 57:19 (cf. Eph. 2:17). Peace is central to the gospel, for Christ’s work on the cross brought reconciliation to sinners who were at enmity with God (2:1-3). Paul’s allusion to shoes is certainly Isaiah’s concern (52:7), and the apostle quotes that very verse in Romans 10:15. Like a Roman soldier with tightened straps on his sandals, so is a Christian who walks in the peace of God offered in the gospel. In battle, we need this stability in our feet.

Paul goes on to tell us to take up the shield of faith (vs. 16). In the ancient times, particularly for the Romans, the shield was big enough to cover the entire body. Faith does that for the Christian. Faith covers everything as it works to defend any attack from the opposing army. Though the enemy will send flaming darts, a shield protects against those attacks. The apostle John says it best:

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. —1 John 5:4

J.C. Ryle says that, “Habitual lively faith in Christ’s presence and readiness to help is the secret of the Christian soldier fighting successfully.” Faith overcomes.

The helmet of salvation is our next piece of equipment (vs. 17). Paul understands the past, present, and future nature of salvation (2:8; cf. 1 Thess. 5:8). The penalty has been paid, the power of sin is currently being subdued, and the future of the gospel at work will be a complete removal of sin from the planet. Salvation protects the head from thinking that any attack from the evil one will result in a change of mind. We have been given the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). Protect it with the assurance and security of our salvation (Eph. 1:14).

It is impossible to win a battle when always in defense mode. Offensive strikes must take place if a Christian is going to make war on sin. Thus Paul tells us to take up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (vs. 17). The word of God is sharp enough to cut to the bone (Heb. 4:12). Its precision is unmatched; its immutability unwavering. The word of God destroys all attempts of the enemy. When tempted by the Liar, Jesus uses Scripture to attack him (Matt. 4:1-11). Memorizing, studying, reading, contemplating, speaking, and learning God’s word is absolutely essential for the war. Use it often.

THE FINAL CALL

The equipment has been issued. The final call to battle is a call to militant prayer. Prayer is God’s means to shape His warriors. Prayer is a call to keep alert and persevere (vs. 18); praying for your friends, so that the gospel can be proclaimed boldly (vs. 19). Prayer is an admission that you are powerless to uphold and control your world. Militant prayer is for those who are needy—needy for the Lord of Glory to fight for us. These are the tools of the trade. If we are to make war on sin, we must prayerfully use this equipment.

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Rev. Jason M. Garwood (M.Div., Th.D.) serves as Lead Pastor of Colwood Church in Caro, MI and author of Be Holy and The Fight for Joy. Jason and his wife Mary have three children, Elijah, Avery and Nathan. He blogs at www.jasongarwood.com. Connect with him on Twitter: @jasongarwood.

Adapted with permission from Be Holy.

5 Integral Reasons Mature Disciples Sleep

We all have seasons of life where we might get less sleep than we should, but the right amount of sleep is integral for being a mature disciple. Mature disciples get sleep. D. A. Carson explains the importance of sleep:

Doubt may be fostered by sleep deprivation. If you keep burning the candle at both ends, sooner or later you will indulge in more and more mean cynicism—and the line between cynicism and doubt is a very thin one….If you are among those who become nasty, cynical, or even full of doubt when you are missing your sleep, you are morally obligated to try to get the sleep you need. We are whole, complicated beings; our physical existence is tied to our spiritual well-being, to our mental outlook, to our relationships with others, including our relationship with God. Sometimes the godliest thing you can do in the universe is get a good night’s sleep—not pray all night, but sleep. I’m certainly not denying that there may be a place for praying all night; I’m merely insisting that in the normal course of things, spiritual discipline obligates you get the sleep your body need. (Scandalous p. 147)

So why should mature disciples sleep? Here are five integral reasons.

1. Sleep allows us to be fully present in our home, work, and third places.

Being fully present means being ready to engage fully in whatever location you are. In Everpresent, Jeremey Writebol describes the importance of place:

“God has created this very place where I am writing. He has created the very place where you are reading. He has created it by his will. He has created it for his glory. Now, you might challenge that statement because you know some architect drew up the design for this building and a contractor came in and had carpenters, builders, electricians, and plumbers actually make this place. But under God’s authority, using the agency of humanity, he created and holds all things together (Col. 1:15). Place matters because God made it matter. You might feel indifferent to this place right now because it isn’t where you want to be or because it is somehow broken and in disrepair. This place might be a comfortable, quiet place for you right now. It might be a place that doesn’t belong to you; you are a visitor in it for only a season. Whatever the situation, because God has made it and made it for his glory, you are suddenly in God’s place.”

You cannot be fully present if you are half asleep. Mature disciples know this and get enough sleep.

2. Sleep allows us to work with excellence.

Springboarding off the point above. You cannot work with excellence when you are tired. Web MD says,

If you have a demanding job or are trying to get ahead on your responsibilities, you might be caught in a vicious cycle of skimping on or skipping sleep altogether to work longer. But it often tends to backfire, says Sean P.A. Drummond, PhD, director of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and Mood Disorders Psychotherapy in the Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System. "You're just not as productive when you lack sleep."

The article lists four ways lack of sleep affects your work:

• Attention and concentration
• Reaction time
• Decision-making
• Memory

You cannot do work that honors God and represents you well if you are tired. Because most of us spend a good chunk of our day at work, it’s also a primary sphere for missional endeavors. If you are constantly tired and doing bad work, it will make it hard to have a gospel witness and build strong relationships with co-workers.

3. Sleep makes this world our home.

God rested after six days of creating and ordering the world. In The Lost World of Adam and Eve, Dr. John Walton says God rested to make the world his home. As God was doing his creation work, the world was just a house, but when he comes down to rest in it—it’s his home. That backdrop should inform our rest. If God has commissioned our work to imitate his, then we must also imitate his rest. It’s one way we can honor God in the sacred spaces he has placed us in. They’re not just impersonal places. The world is our home. God has given us a certain number of hours in each day and its arrogant to assume we can fulfill the culture mandate as image bearers (Gen. 1-2) and gospel mandate as disciples (Matt. 28:18-20) without following God's ordering of creation.

4. Sleep allows us to demonstrate humility and dependence on God.

Sleep also shows dependence on God. We cannot do the work he has commissioned us to do on our own. We do not know better than him. We need sleep. We sleep to demonstrate humility and dependence. Furthermore as a parent, I have to remember I’m responsible to ensure my children get the proper sleep. They are disciples under my care. Douglas Wilson says, “Remember their frame (Ps. 103:14). Don’t skip naps, keep them up until 11:30, withhold a real dinner, and then paddle them for falling apart. Someone should paddle you for pulling them apart” (“Mechanics of Fatherhood”). Making sure our children get enough sleep prepares them to be mature disciples and teaches them dependence on God. Mature disciples get enough sleep and ensure those they shepherd get enough sleep as well. Humility and dependence starts in our beds.

5. Sleep promotes balance in life

Nothing is more practical than sleep. I have battled depression for most of my life. I had a break through 5-6 years ago—a good night sleep and a regular routine covered a multitude of sin. Several recent studies have linked too little or too much sleep with depression. Get the right amount of sleep. There will always be exceptions or a busy season, but the rule should be sleep is a priority. Sleep just keeps our bodies in good working order. Not everyone struggles with depression, but we all have our own issues. Doctors have made a connection between sleep and our overall health. 90% of people with insomnia have other major health issues. “[L]ack of sleep,” shows one study, “doubled the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.” Yikes! A good night’s sleep will help your entire life balance and that will help you as you stay on mission as a disciple of King Jesus. So don’t neglect sleep.

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Mathew B. Sims is the Editor-in-Chief at Exercise.com and has authored, edited, and contributed to several books including A Household Gospel, We Believe: Creeds, Confessions, & Catechisms for Worship, A Guide for Advent, Make, Mature, Multiply, and A Guide for Holy Week. Mathew, LeAnn (his wife), and his daughters Claire, Maddy, and Adele live in Taylors, SC at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains with their Airdale Terrier. They attend Downtown Presbyterian Church (PCA). Visit MathewBryanSims.com!

Tired of Yourself? Jesus Will Never Tire of You

We crave affirmation and praise. This is so because we are made in the image of God, who is both the object and source of love, adoration, praise and wonder. Yet we are haunted because there is much about us that invites shame more than it does admiration. We miss the mark and we miss the boat, failing not only to measure up to God’s standard, but also our own. To make matters worse, instead of facing our deficiencies head-on, we self-medicate with cover-up strategies to make ourselves look OK even we are not. We clean the outside of the cup while leaving the inside untreated. We are imitators of Adam and Eve after they got caught. Rather than humbly owning and repudiating our quest for independence and obsession with self, we become defensive, shift blame, and avoid relationships that might expose us. We hide the worst in ourselves at every cost. But the “safety” that comes from hiding also comes at a cost. We become alienated because every self-protecting cover-up erodes intimacy with God, other people, and our actual selves. Rather than live free, we schlep through life carrying the cargo of vague guilt and shame-induced anxiety. If we are somehow awakened to our condition, we will cry out for healing from these painful realities. We need help—a kind-hearted rescue from outside ourselves. We can’t get there alone.

rescue from outside ourselves

Enters Jesus.

Although we are exposed and found lacking, Jesus moves toward us as a living hope and ambassador of peace. It is his peace—the declaration that through him, all hostility between heaven and earth, the infinite and the finite, God and humanity, has been demolished—that makes us rich in the truest sense. His peace resources us with an emotional wealth that lets us face our deficiencies more honestly, and in a way that does not crush us. In Jesus, all negative verdicts against us have been reversed. Our vague sense of shame, both illegitimate and legitimate, the shame that comes from outside of us and the shame that comes from inside of us, has been neutered.

We are fully known and fully loved.

We are exposed and not rejected.

We are seen and embraced.

No need to run for cover. In Jesus, there is nothing left to fear, nothing left to prove, and nothing left to hide.

Several years ago, the American Music Awards featured an arrangement of the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” but with one very significant revision of the lyrics—“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved someone like me.” Perhaps you identify with the revision because you find the original lyric (“a wretch like me”) offensive. Non-religious people especially resist the idea that there is a wretched tone to the human condition. To err is human, but deep down all people are basically good, the assumption goes. Believing in the inherent goodness of people, a non-religious person might counter the vague sense of shame by denying that shame exists. Live and let live. Or, as Billy Joel famously sang, “I don’t care what you say any more. This is my life. Go ahead with your own life. Leave me alone.” The problem, however, is that in this scenario, shame is suppressed and denied, but it is not healed.

There is also a religious form of denial. Some call it self-righteousness, others call it hypocrisy. In Luke 18:9-14, for examplee, a religious Pharisee hides behind a résumé of good deeds. He prays about himself, or, according to the original text, he prays to his own soul, “Thank you, my God, that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers, tax collectors. No! I am a devoted religious man! I fast twice a week! I give away a tenth of my income! I attend church!” In this prayer he mentions God only once and himself multiple times. Strangely, his “prayer” neither sees nor savors the grace, truth, beauty, goodness, glory, and magnificence of God. Instead, it is a narcissistic moment of self-congratulation. In truth, the self-congratulation is also a self-salvation strategy, a desperate attempt to medicate a shattered and terrified ego.

Not only does the religious man rehearse his own virtues as he sees them, he also uses his virtue as a basis for looking down on other, “lesser” people with contempt. Rather than humbly confessing his weakness and need before God, he separates the world into “good people” and “bad people,” assuring himself that he is one of the good people. What ensues is a counterfeit feeling of superiority that makes him feel, at least for a time, that his shortcomings are not nearly as serious as the shortcomings of others. The problem, however, is that the vague sense of shame is merely suppressed, but not dealt with in a healing way. In the end, his “I’m good, they’re bad, I’m right, they’re wrong” posture corrupts worship and kills community.

Jesus Gives Graces

But Jesus doesn’t separate the world into good people and bad people. He separates the world into proud people and humble people. What’s more, he opposes the proud, and gives grace to the humble.

The Jesus gospel, unlike the false “gospels” of the non-religious and religious, assures those who believe that all is well, and that we are OK, not because we are superior to others or because we have accrued an impressive moral record, but because of Jesus’ self-substituting love for us. Jesus lived the perfect life that we were unable to live. Then, he transferred the merits of that perfect life to our account. Because of this, God “reckons” every Jesus person as a perfect person, not because we have lived perfectly but because Jesus lived perfectly in our place.

What’s more, Jesus absorbed the horrific, alienating punishment that was due to us—death on the cross and the removal of God’s smile. Now, because of Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross, God looks at every Jesus person with pleasure. He hasn’t a shred of disappointment or shame toward us, because Jesus took the fall in our place. He has taken every negative verdict toward us and turned it into a “Not guilty.” He has released us from our own, self-imposed prison and told us we can live free. He has shown mercy to those once called, “No Mercy.” He has said to those once called “Not My People” that “You are my people.”

Because of Jesus, everything that’s true about Jesus is true about us in God’s eyes. He leaped over the bar of God’s law in our place, then got crushed by the bar of God’s law in our place, so that the burden of both would be lifted from our shoulders. Now, we who trust in Jesus are embraced by God as radiant, beautiful, lovable, and guilt-free, all of the time, on our best and also our worst days.

Because it’s not about what we do for him.

It’s about what he has done, and continues to do, for us.

He who began a good work in us will faithfully complete that work.

What better reason to start getting honest about our lives—that we are incomplete works in progress on the way to being made complete—without fear of being rejected or dismissed?

Take heart. In Jesus, you are loved. In Jesus, there will always be a seat for you at the King’s table. Jesus, your Elder Brother, is not ashamed of you.

—

Scott Sauls is senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who are Tired of Taking Sides. You can connect with Scott at scottsauls.com or on Twitter at @scottsauls.

Originally published at scottsauls.com. Used with permission.

3 Easy Ways to Find Out If You’re Feeding Your Idols

In the summer of 1984, I accepted the idol of success into my heart. I remember clearly. I was ten years old, sitting on a ratty plaid couch, watching the LA Olympics. The gymnastic competition and the track and field events were mesmerizing. The athletes power, confidence, and dedication were contagious. I had goosebumps watching their tears flow at the medal ceremonies. In that moment, my heart divided and I invited self-made greatness to make its home in my heart right next to Jesus. Obviously, that arrangement was not going to cut it. And so a 25 year battle launched for the allegiance of my heart. Perhaps you are like me and are prone to let the idol of success rule your heart. Maybe your thoughts, like mine, war between two extremes—dreaming about your next achievement and the reality that your life is not yours to spend. It is an ongoing and confusing tug of war.

On one hand, God wants us to be good stewards of the gifts and talents he has given us. Yet, on the other hand, the temptation for self glorification is always lurking. For example, as I write this article, my desire is to write a great article to display Jesus’ glory and grace, testifying to his work in my heart. Yet, on the other hand, I'm tempted with self-affirmation and the resume booster.

So, how do we guard our hearts from dethroning Jesus as we work? How can we discern when we have turned from stewarding our gifts to feeding our idol?

Here are three questions to ask yourself as you dream, set goals, and make plans.

1. Have I switched roles with God?

As you dream, are you acting like God? Are you telling God what is best? Are you treating God as if he exists to serve you and support your dreams?  If the answer is yes, or kind of, then you are feeding your idol and not stewarding your gifts.

Several years ago I dreamed about becoming a physicians assistant. I believed it would be a great use of my gifts. Having a successful career was being a good steward. Of course, I humbly told God all the reasons why and how it was going to happen. Then I was mad, when God said no. I obviously knew better. At the time, I could have sworn I was honestly seeking God’s will. Now I know. I was feeding my idol. After all, I did have two small children and we were planting a church.

2. Who's story am I the most concerned with right now?

As you set and accomplish goals, ask yourself, is this about making my story a success? Or am I being strategic with my talents to promote God’s grand redemptive story?

This can be tricky. You may start with a noble goal, honing your talents for God’s glory, but then your motivation quickly becomes self-glorification. You know you have crossed the line and started feeding your idol when insecurity and worry take over.

This last year my goal was to publish a book. My motivation was to proclaim the good news of Jesus and make his story known. Yes, that was a noble goal. But, every time I moved forward, I became anxious about rejection and failure. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit would intervene and remind me of my role in the greatest story ever told. The story where the Creator-King of the universe is ultimately glorified.

3. How is my attitude towards God in a win or a loss?

When your plans don't go your way. Do you find yourself angry and bitter or trust in a loving heavenly Father? What if your plans succeed beyond your expectations. Do you treasure the warm glow of your achievement or praise God for the opportunity to use your talents for his glory?

My husband recently chose to shut down a plan that would have been a big win for him. It was hard for me to watch him grieve the loss but, I was encouraged by his surrender and confidence in the Lord. As we talked I heard him say, "God always does what is good and right and perfect." In this case my husband was holding his talents loosely, allowing God to decide how they should be used.

To those who succeed at making something of themselves, the world promises fulfillment. This message appeals to us because it offers to fill our longing to find our purpose, significance, and self-worth. But, we must vigilantly resist this temptation by focusing on the gospel—which reminds us why we live differently.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:5-11

Friends be grateful and encouraged! God appoints us gifts and talents to be used in his grande redemptive story. It is amazing God uses flawed humans like you and me to spread his glory and fame. Please join me in persistent prayer for a pure heart. A heart that stewards talents for his glory.

—

Tracy Richardson (@alaskagospelgrl) serves at Radiant Church in Fairbanks, Alaska as the Church Planters Wife. She loves to study scripture, throw parties, and run trails. She has a B.S.S. in Fine Art and Literature. She is also Mamma Bear to two wild cubs.

How to Multiply Disciples Like Jesus

Although mentorship is meaningful, we can’t expect for it to change lives the way Jesus did with his disciples. The disciples walked with Jesus through crowded streets, witnessing people be healed, abandoning their comfortable lives to learn from Jesus. They learned from Jesus so that they could continue his mission. That is a true disciple. And it is the model we should follow. Meeting once a week for a life update doesn’t lend itself to trust and accountability. We can discuss theology and talk through our struggles and heartaches without ever really experiencing life together. My prayer is that we would disciple by inviting people into our daily lives, schedules, meetings, marriages, and families—like Jesus did. Discipleship must push people towards their calling and mission.

Often the older generation doesn’t trust the younger generation because we have a very independent, entrepreneurial reputation. This reputation implies, “We don’t need you.” The reputation, assumptions, and demoralization is easier to look down upon than correct. Instead, the younger generation needs to be shepherded and empowered. The older generation can do this by opening up their lives as an example, and they should say, “Follow us as we follow Christ.” In this relationship, we are responsible to hold one another accountable to live in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Paul Disciples Timothy

1 Timothy 4:11-16 deepened my understanding of Paul and Timothy’s relationship. Paul approached Timothy with trust, allowing Paul to disciple him with boldness. Paul trusted Timothy because he witnessed the prophecy of Timothy’s gifting; he witnessed Timothy stewarding that gift; and observed the elders laying hands on and praying over Timothy. He knew God had plans for Timothy, so in their relationship, Paul drove him toward his calling and the Lord

Also, Paul’s trust in Timothy affected his approach to teaching. He trusted Timothy to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). He treated Timothy as a fellow pastor capable of sharing the gospel with the same passion and conviction he had. For example, Paul wrote this in his second letter, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). Paul had faith in Timothy’s gift to teach because he trusted his character, conviction, and passion to share the gospel.

Not only this, but Paul labored in prayer for his disciple.

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. —2 Timothy 1:3-7

We experience abundant life when we walk as the beloved bride of Christ, and we see the riches of his grace in this intimate place. In my own life, God has used discipleship as a way to reveal the great depth of my purpose and worth. The women who disciple me know my gifts and my calling, and they train me to live in a way that fulfills this calling. If they notice me failing to use my God-given ability, then they admonish me to examine myself and reprioritize. Most importantly, they fervently pray for me asking for the favor of God to be upon me. These women trust me, and they invest in me because they believe God has gifted and called me with special purpose.

From the Bible, Into Our Lives

This kind of discipleship is not normal, expected, or comfortable. I invite one of the girls I disciple to spend time with me in my workplace, with my friends, and in my home. I ask her to partake in more than a coffee date (although we have those, too). I’m not responsible for the fruit she bears or her rate of growth, but I am confident that God will work faithfully as we seek to make disciples like he did.

If you have a family, ask your disciple to help you cook dinner for your family. If you are a businessman, ask your disciple to help you prepare for a meeting. If you’re a student, ask your disciple to help you study for your next exam. The opportunities for mission, instruction, and purpose are endless when we’re doing life on life discipleship. Trust that the person you disciple has been gifted and called by God in a unique and intentional way. Pray like Paul, and receive wisdom concerning how to best steward your relationships.

This kind of discipleship will shift a demoralized younger generation into mature disciples of Jesus Christ who will go out to make, mature, and multiply more disciples. I eagerly expect a revival through the restoration of prayer and discipleship. May we boldly disciple the younger generation in faith—just as Paul did Timothy (2 Tim. 3:10-16). May we boldly ask God to fan the flame of our gifts, through prayer and devoted discipleship.

—

Chelsea Vaughn (@chelsea725) is a graduating senior at DBU and the executive director for Internal Relations at INITIATIVE. Chelsea spent her childhood overseas in Thailand, and her parents currently live in Australia. She knew God during these formative years, but truly grew into her Christ-given identity as a senior in High School. The influence of diversity and rich culture in her life has been transformational and a beautiful launching pad for her ministry in Dallas with INITIATIVE and Movement Day. She does freelance writing and editing for various non-profits, and hopes to spend her life using her gift for communication to reach culture and communities with the love of Jesus.

How the Gospel Comes to the City Through Community

Our cities remain the gathering place of culture, human capital, and change. Suburban flight is a reality as young educated creatives flock to cities for the opportunities and lifestyle they offer. All this comes on the heals of the American church surrendering property and influence in the urban core while finding its place as the religion of the suburbs. Evangelical Christianity doesn’t have a literal or cultural place in the city, we gave it up decades ago. Now, we’re trying to reengage in a context divergent from the orderly and homogeneous context of the suburbs the church has made its home. Cities need both worship gatherings and missional communities to intersect the people and needs of the city. This article will focus on the need for missional communities in the city. The gospel shines brightly, speaks clearly, and welcomes sojourners with questions and doubts in the context of relationships.

Good News in the City

Oddly, the first step forward isn’t toward cutting edge strategies or culturally relevant events. It’s pressing into the gospel—the thing of first importance. The gospel is the good news that Jesus has defeated sin, death, and evil through his own death and resurrection and is making all things new, even us. This is good news in the city and for the city.

The city is where death, evil, and destruction is obvious to all. The affects of sin, whether it is acknowledged as sin or not, is exposed in every neighborhood. The city is where the abused gather together. Where the enslaved, broken, and downtrodden end up. It’s where schools fail to keep kids safe. The city is where injustice is present on almost every corner. Where isolation from community, family, and others is rampant. Cities are settling grounds for fugitives and refugees. They gather orphans.

The city is also a place for hope. It’s where we hope in our humanity, ingenuity, non-profits, and creative solutions. The city is a place of beautiful artwork, music, and cuisine. Cities gather ideas. The city is where humans, created in God’s image, thrive in expressing some of God’s most beautiful attributes: compassion, mercy, creativity, and justice.

Despite the high volume of humans, each made in God’s image, our hopes and solutions always fall short. Despite the population density, we need loving community. Despite the creative capital, we need justice and healing. Despite the plethora of opportunities, we need lasting satisfaction, joy.

The gospel of Jesus is good news in the city. He defeats sin, death, and evil through the cross and empty tomb. Jesus isn’t just defeating he is recreating, making all things new. This is good news in cities of unfulfilled promise and expectation of complete restoration. This good news is what every mayoral candidate promises, but only Jesus delivers—not only a new city, but a new humanity. The gospel offers redemption, restoration, and renewal.

Community and Mission in the City

The gospel saves us from sin and death toward something: unity with God, unity with his people, and the ministry of reconciliation the gospel of Jesus offers. In other words, Jesus calls us to himself, to his community, and to his restorative mission. The gospel is the starting place. The cause for the gathering and scattering of his people on mission.

I’ve never been around a community that was centered on the gospel that wasn’t on mission. A gospel-centered people is a missional people. I’ve never been around a community that loves one another, that doesn’t have Jesus at the middle of everything they do. A gospel-focused people is a missional community. If the truth of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection isn’t woven into the fabric of everything a community does, it has no purpose outside of its own will to make their cities better. Without the gospel at the center, the community has no reason to endure and bare all things together other than its consumeristic pursuit of ideal community. This is no different in the city.

Our cities need the gospel to be made visible and audible. This is certainly accomplished on Sunday mornings in worship service throughout the city. However, the gospel must pervade the city through God’s scattered people. The city needs gospel communities on mission nestled into every crack of the city.

What is a missional community? The space of this article does not allow me to get into the depths and nuances of a missional community. But simply put, gospel communities are a group of people learning to follow Jesus together in a way that renews their city, town, village, hamlet, or other space. They aren’t fancy. In fact, they are almost always a messy community of everyday citizens who are devoted to Jesus, one another, their neighbors, and their city. This means they invest in each others’ lives, calling one another to repent and behold Christ daily. A missional community reorients their activity to center not on themselves, but on Christ. They struggle forward as in process sinners redeemed by the unconditional and infinite grace of God. They share meals, step humbly into the injustice in their city, welcome others into community, and take care of each other.

How to Become a Missional Community

Every missional community has three natural ingredients: qualified and called leaders, a clear purpose, and committed participants. These three elements are where you must begin as a leader. After these components are brought together your first task is laying a biblical foundation for missional community.

Qualified and Called Leaders

As you dream about starting a community, you must ask these important questions about leadership and prayerfully consider them:

• Am I qualified and called to lead a missional community? Do I have capacity to be a leader? (See this article on leadership roles and calling)
• How do I need to grow as a follower of Jesus? (See this template of personal development as a leader)
• Who will lead alongside you? How will you invite them into leadership? How do they compliment your gifts?

The Purpose of Your Community

Before you start making phone calls and sending out invitations to start a missional community, take some time to think about why missional community. Why do you want to start one? Be honest with yourself. How would you describe a missional community in your own words? It’s important you describe it well as you invite people to participate. Your definition of a missional community should include: shared life, the gospel, care for the city and neighbors, and making disciples.

Think through what you are passionate about and who you are passionate about. Is it a neighborhood, a group of people, or the specific names and faces you interact with everyday? What would a community that proclaims and promotes the gospel to them look like? What would it look like to welcome your neighbors into that kind of community?

A Committed Core

Begin to pray for the people God will bring into that community. Pray for people to come alongside you and help. Pray for co-leaders and for God to connect you with others who have a similar passion. Pray for God to bring names to mind. Think through the specific people in your life you want to join your new missional community. They’ll need to live or work close to you since its hard to commute to community. You aren’t looking for all-stars or elite Christians—they don’t exist. Instead, you are praying for people who will commit to the process of becoming a community. Who will be teachable, humble, and honest in faith and repentance?

As you invite people, give them a picture of gospel-shaped community alive in God’s mission. As you describe what you are prayerfully starting, avoid making your invitation tailor-made to each person, where you sacrifice your convictions. For example, you really want your friends who are struggling in marriage to join, so you tell them it will be a group that fixes marriages. Invite people into a community that isn’t centered on their needs, hobbies, or passions but the gospel of Jesus and his mission.

Start by Laying a Foundation on the Gospel, Community, and Mission

Spend the first chunk of your time as a missional community growing in biblical understanding of what these large topics are. You cannot move forward without laying this foundation. However, your community’s foundation will be the composite assumptions and ideals of each individual member. It is painfully difficult to lead a community that doesn’t have a biblical foundation on the essentials. You can do this a variety of ways.

• Study a book of the Bible by asking these questions: what does this teach us about who God is, what he has done, who we are, and how we ought to live in our city? I would recommend Ephesians, Colossians, or 1 Peter. This helps a group of people see the connections between the gospel, community, mission while developing an understanding of the Scriptures.
• Go through an oral telling of the grand narrative of Scripture. This gives your community an understanding of the gospel and God’s mission for his people. It helps root a community in the big picture. An excellent version of this has been put together by Soma Communities.
• Use a Missional Community primer or curriculum. There are several options out there by the various missional community tribes. Jonathan Dodson and I recently released our eight week guide that spends considerable time unpacking the gospel, community, and mission.

Be Committed to the Process and Your City

Missional community is a mess and a process. A community leaning into this process is the ideal missional community on this side of new creation. A community that engages the journey of being conformed into the image of Christ is a dynamic picture of the gospel the city needs. Your calling is to start where you are and take steps forward, through prayer, study, shared meals, showing up to serve, inviting others in, and becoming increasingly present in your city. A great missional community is one that regularly asks: how are we allowing the gospel to shape us? What is God calling us to? How is God challenging us to be conformed into the image of Christ? This is the whole deal.

—

Brad Watson (@bradawatson) serves as a pastor of Bread&Wine Communities where he develops and teaches leaders how to form communities that love God and serve the city. Brad is the author of Raised? and Called Together: A Guide to Forming Missional Communities. He lives in southeast Portland with his wife and their two daughters. You can read more from Brad at www.bradawatson.com

The Painstaking Way Jesus Empowers New Life

NEW MISSION: MAKE DISCIPLES

Matthew 28:18-20 is what Christians call the Great Commission, the dominant marching orders for all who have faith in resurrection. It can sound a bit militant: Take God’s authority and make disciples.” But remember, these orders are from the one who has laid down his life to save his enemies. Ironically, our orders are to invite through imitation. Our mission is to make disciples through our words and actions. Or, as Jesus said, “teach and obey.” In fact, it is when we experience the riches of renewal through Christ that we become, as Eugene Peterson says, “God’s advertisement to the world.”1 We make disciples by living resurrected lives and telling people about the resurrected Christ.

“There’s not a hint of coercion here. It’s a life of love. Jesus wants us to spread the gospel throughout the world by spending our lives for the sake of others. The power of the resurrection doesn’t end with us; it travels through us. Our commission is invitation. We invite others to join God’s redemptive agenda to restore human flourishing and remake the world. We are sent into the world to share the good news that Jesus has defeated sin, death, and evil through his own death and resurrection. Jesus is making all things new, and he calls his followers to participate in his work of renewal.

Distinctive Discipleship

Part of what makes this command such a “great” mission is its scope—all nations. When Jesus spoke these words, he was reorienting a primarily Jewish audience to a distinctly multiethnic mission. The Greek word used here is the same word that gives us the English word “ethnic.” It refers to the nations, not modernist geopolitical states, but non-Jewish people groups (Gentiles) with distinct cultures and languages. Our commission is not to Christianize nation-states, but to share the good news of what Jesus has done with all ethnic groups. Christ does not advocate what is commonly called Christendom, a top-down political Christianity. Instead, he calls his followers to transmit a bottom-up, indigenous Christianity, to all peoples in all cultures.

We should also note that this command is to make disciples of all nations, not from all nations. The goal of Christian missions is not to replace the rich diversity of human culture for a cheap consumer, Christian knock-off culture. Dr. Andrew Walls puts it well:

Conversion to Christ does not produce a bland universal citizenship: it produces distinctive discipleship, as diverse and variegated as human life itself. Christ in redeeming humanity brings, by the process of discipleship, all the richness of humanity’s infinitude of cultures and subcultures into the variegated splendor of the Full Grown Humanity to which the apostolic literature points (Eph 4.8 – 13).²

What we should strive for is distinctive discipleship, discipleship that uniquely expresses personal faith in our cultural context. Disciples in urban Manhattan will look different than disciples in rural Maehongson. These differences allow for a flourishing of the gospel that contributes to the many-splendored new humanity of Christ. Simply put, the message of Jesus is for the flourishing of all humanity in all cultures.

Jesus informs our resurrected life. He gives us a new and gracious authority, a new identity, and a new mission. With that in view, what does it look like to participate in this task of renewing the world? Where do we begin? Jesus has painted for us a great picture of the new life. Let’s turn now to the daily implications of resurrection life.

IMPLICATIONS: RISKING FOR HUMANITY

If Jesus did, indeed, rise from the dead, we have nothing to fear and everything we need. All that we strive for is fulfilled in Jesus. All that we seek to avoid has been resolved by him. For example, if Jesus rose from the dead, we no longer need to strive for acceptance because we are now accepted by him. If Jesus rose from the dead, we don’t need to fear death, because it has been defeated. This means that we are free to smuggle medical supplies into Burma, even at the risk of death, knowing that our eternal fate is already sealed. We can move to distant countries to invest in development and renewal because Christ did the same for the world. Like the early Christians, we can care for the poor and marginalized in our cities. If we have resurrection life, we will have courage to take risks in the name of love. . . .

This is the power of the resurrected life. Serving others is a sacrifice, yes. But that sacrifice is filled with joy. You won’t be able to imagine living any other way.

Why?

Jesus tells those who follow him to leave all they have behind, to give their lives to the poor, to love their enemies, and to be a blessing to the world. Let’s not pretend this is easy to do. Following Jesus will require your whole life. Not just part of it. Not just your leisure time. Not just some of your budget. No, it requires your whole life. It will feel like death and suffering at times. It will feel that way because you are laying your life down. That’s what the resurrection looks like in daily life. We do not hold anything back—our talents, possessions, or time—because we live with the certainty that death and sin have been defeated.

There is no sugarcoating it. You will lose your life. In its place you will find a vibrant, full, and eternal life. By dying to ourselves we become alive to the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead empowers us to live a life for Jesus. His death and resurrection have become our death and resurrection. Our old life is gone, and we now experience a new authority, identity, and mission. This is why we give, celebrate, and serve: we have died and have been raised again to experience new and abundant life.

—

Jonathan K. Dodson (MDiv; ThM) serves as a pastor of City Life Church in Austin, Texas. He is the author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship, Unbelievable Gospel, and Raised? He has discipled men and women abroad and at home for almost two decades, taking great delight in communicating the gospel and seeing Christ formed in others. Twitter: @Jonathan_Dodson

Brad Watson serves as a pastor of Bread & Wine Communities in Portland, Oregon. He is a board member of GCDiscipleship.com and co-author of Raised? His greatest passion is to encourage and equip leaders for the mission of making disciples. Twitter: @BradAWatson

(Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Raised? by Jonathan Dodson and Brad Watson available from Zondervan. It appears here with the permission of the author and publisher. For free resources and preorders, visit raisedbook.com.)

^{1. Eugene Peterson, Practice Resurrection (Grand Rapids: Eerd- mans, 2010), 13 – 14.↩ 2. Andrew Walls, The Missionary Movement in Christian History (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1996), 51.↩}

Why the Meaninglessness of Life?

Have you ever been struck by that feeling of pure meaninglessness? That deep down feeling in your heart of meaninglessness. Perhaps it occurs when you are at work or when you are alone. Does it happen occasionally or constantly? Some may not have any idea what I’m talking about. That’s ok. I must admit I have experienced this meaninglessness a number of times throughout my life. It’s never been fun, but honestly this meaninglessness has taught me something that is extremely important.

A Universal Issue

Scientist and atheist Richard Dawkins says,

“In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.”

From continent to continent, meaninglessness seems to reign supreme. At first glance, it might not be easy to recognize because we tend to mask meaninglessness with busyness or pleasure. But it is there. We toil and strive to find meaning in this cold, dark universe every day of our lives, and if we are honest with ourselves we rarely find meaning. Sure, there are times when we might experience pure bliss and euphoric sensations, but that existential angst is still lives.

The Void

We all experience meaninglessness—a hole within our soul. This is what encountering the void is like. The void within our souls has been a part of the human condition ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen. 3). This deep chasm of meaninglessness that we all find within ourselves searches constantly to be filled. This is why our search can sometimes seem like it’s complete. We temporarily fill the void with a number of earthly goods (relationships, sports, alcohol, work, drugs, etc). We may feel like there is no void within ourselves when we are intoxicated by earthly pleasures. Nevertheless, as time passes, the void will make itself more known. It is inevitable. You cannot escape it.

The Absurd

Albert Camus, philosopher and journalist, says, “Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.” The reason he could make such a statement is because he was willing to admit the absurdity of life. You might not know, but it was some of Camus’ views that contributed to the formation of a philosophical position that came to be known as absurdism.

The absurd is all about a conflict. The conflict is between (1) the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life and (2) the human ability to find any.1 Isn’t that our struggle today? Don’t we wake up and face this absurd reality every day? So what is the solution to man’s perennial problem?

The Solution

C.S. Lewis once said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” Perhaps this thought is just simply too good to be true. But just maybe, Lewis was right. I have never heard a Darwinian explanation that accounts for man’s constant search for meaning. How can unguided Darwinian naturalism account for our innate subjective desire to find meaning in life? How can Darwinism account for the desire that human beings deal with every day as we driven to find our place in this world?

This is where C.S. Lewis provides a solution to this problem facing humanity. When faced with the reality of living in a meaningless universe, experiencing the void daily, and facing the absurd constantly, man seeks meaning with something outside of oneself. Something to fully satisfy. Something that will make man feel alive.

The Answer

Perhaps you think that Christians are just wishful thinkers. Intellectually inferior people who must believe in some personal deity who cares for them because they can’t handle meaninglessness of life. Perhaps this really is the way world is. But maybe it isn’t. Maybe the one called Jesus was who he said was (Jn. 14:6). What if he did descend from his heavenly kingdom to redeem humanity (Jn. 6:38)? If he is who he claimed to be, it changes everything. It changes the way we view the universe, the void, and the absurdity of life.

Of course, I am not naive. If you come and drink from the living well, it doesn’t mean you will never struggle against meaningless in life (Jn. 4:14). I am a Christian pastor and I struggle with this almost daily. Even the most faithful Christians have struggled in this life. There’s little doubt that you would too. The ramifications of sin stretch deep and wide.

But Jesus is the answer to the absurdity of life. Why then do I feel like he’s not so often? Perhaps this is because my lack of faith. However, we must boldly and daily approach God and confess, “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mk. 9:24). We must cling to the gospel during our darkest days. We must remember the promises of God. Maybe one day in the new Heavens and the new Earth we will all understand why we had to struggle. Until then, the struggle is real, and the feeling of meaninglessness still lives. Keep holding on, friends. You are not alone in this battle. We struggle together in Christ.

—

Matt Manry is the Director of Discipleship at Life Bible Church in Canton, Georgia. He is a student at Reformed Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary. He also works on the editorial team for Credo Magazine and Gospel-Centered Discipleship. He blogs regularly at gospelglory.net.

6 Essential Ingredients for Repenting of Pornography

Recently a new survey commissioned by a nonprofit organization called Proven Men Ministries and conducted by the Barna Group took a national representative sample of 388 self-identified Christian adult men. The statistics are alarming and paint a picture of the serious problem of pornography. The statistics for Christian men between 18 and 30 years old are particularly striking:

• 77 percent look at pornography at least monthly.
• 36 percent view pornography on a daily basis.
• 32 percent admit being addicted to pornography (and another 12 percent think they may be).

The statistics for middle-aged Christian men (ages 31 to 49) are no less disturbing:

• 77 percent looked at pornography while at work in the past three months.
• 64 percent view pornography at least monthly.
• 18 percent admit being addicted to pornography (and another 8 percent think they may be).

Even married Christian men are falling prey to pornography and extramarital sexual affairs at alarming rates:

• 55 percent look at pornography at least monthly.
• 35 percent had an extramarital sexual affair while married.¹

These statistics are alarming; in fact, they are downright discouraging. The porn addict lives in a world where they go through a cycle of feeling sorry for what they did, but never coming to see the gospel seriousness of what they have done. The statistics show we must help porn addicts understand the seriousness of their sin, the nature of true biblical repentance, and turning away from sexual sin to Jesus Christ. The great Puritan author, Thomas Watson, once said there are six ingredients for true repentance.

First, sight of sin

A person comes to himself (Lk. 15:17) and clearly views his lifestyle as sinful. If we fail to see our own sin, we rarely, if ever, are motivated to repent.

Second, sorrow for sin (Ps. 38:18).

We need to feel the nails of the cross in our souls as we sin. Repentance includes both godly grief and holy agony (2 Cor. 7:10). The fruit of repentance is showed in genuine, anguishing sorrow over the offense itself, not just the consequences of it. Sorrow for sin is seen in the ongoing righteous actions it produces. True repentance lingers in the soul and not just on the lips.

Third, confession of sin.

The humble sinner voluntarily passes judgment on himself as he sincerely admits to the specific sins of his heart. We must not relent of our confession until all of it is freely and fully admitted. We must pull up any hidden root of sin within our heart. “Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit” (Deut. 28:19).

Fourth, shame for sin.

The color of repentance is blushing red. Repentance causes a holy bashfulness. Ezra says, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens” (9:6). The prodigal was ashamed of his sin that he did not feel he deserved to be a son anymore, but the Father wouldn’t have him back as a servant. He was his son (Lk. 15:21). Sin brings us low trying to shame us to despair, while godly shame drives us to repentance and moves our hearts toward gratitude to Christ. John Owen provides us an example in his On Mortification:

What have I done? What love, mercy, what blood, what grace have I despised and trampled on? Is this the return I make to the Father for his love, to the Son for his blood, to the Holy Spirit for his grace? Do I thus requite the Lord? . . . What can I say to the dear Lord Jesus? . . . Do I account communion with him of so little value? . . . Shall I endeavor to disappoint the [very purpose] of the death of Christ?²

Fifth, hatred of sin.

We must hate our sin to the core. We hate sin more deeply when we love Jesus more fully. Repentance begins in the love of God and ends in the hatred of sin. True repentance loathes sin.

Sixth, the turning away from sin and returning to the Lord with all your heart (Joel 2:12).

This turning from sin implies a notable change—“performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20). “Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols and turn away your faces from all your abominations” (Ez. 14:6). We are called to turn away from all our abominations, not just the obvious ones or the ones that create friction with others. The goal of repentance is not to manufacture peace among others with perfunctory repentance, but rather to turn to God wholly and completely. This repentance most importantly is not just a turning away from sin. It also necessarily involves a turning in “repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Here is the joy found in repentance. “It is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance” (Roms. 2:4). We rejoice that Christ has done so much for us and continues to do for us.

By understanding the seriousness of sin and biblical repentance, we can come to understand that the captives have hope and freedom in Jesus Christ. He came to set them free. While we live in a world that is full of bad news, in the midst of the bad news of our sin there is hope and healing from sexual sin. In the midst of your struggle look to the beauty of Jesus in the cross. Gaze at the wonder of the cross.

Look to Jesus—he is the cure for sexual brokenness. Jesus is in the business of setting the captives free through his finished work. No matter your sexual history, Jesus alone can make you pure again. Turn to him, and trust in him. He is all you need.

I urge you to heed the words of J.C. Ryle who wrote,

Look at the cross, think of the cross, meditate on the cross, and then go and set your affections on the world if you can. I believe that holiness is nowhere learned so well as on Calvary. I believe you cannot look much at the cross without feeling your will sanctified, and your tastes made more spiritual. As the sun gazed upon makes everything else look dark and dim, so does the cross darken the false splendor of this world. As honey tasted makes all other things seem to have no taste at all, so does the cross seen by faith take all the sweetness out of the pleasures of the world. Keep on every day steadily looking at the cross of Christ, and you will soon say of the world, as the poet does—

Its pleasures now no longer please,


No more content afford;

Far from my heart be joys like these,


Now I have seen the Lord. As by the light of opening day


The stars are all concealed,


So earthly pleasures fade away


When Jesus is revealed.”³

^{1. For more on these statistics please go to http://www.provenmen.org/2014pornsurvey and www.covenanteyes.com/pornstats/↩}

^{2. Quoted by Timothy Keller, Romans 8-16 For You. The Good Book Company, 2015. 24.↩}

^{3. J.C. Ryle, The Cross of Christ, accessed January 5th, 2015. http://www.gracegems.org/23/Ryle_cross.htm↩}

—

Dave Jenkins is the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He and his wife, Sarah, are members of Ustick Baptist Church in Boise, Idaho, where they serve in a variety of ministries. Dave received his MAR and M.Div. through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. You can follow him on twitter @DaveJJenkins. Find him on Facebook or read more of his work at servantsofgrace.org.

Adapted from Servant of Grace. Used with Permission.

Why You Should Care for Creation Now

Gnosticism was at the heart of much of the New Testament writers’ objections. At its root, Gnosticism argued that the material world was bad, and the spiritual world, or realm, was good. The majority of Gnostics, then, practiced a mix of asceticism and even philanthropy as they tried to divest themselves of material goods in an attempt to pursue knowledge through the spiritual world. The New Testament writers wrote in detail about the danger of Gnosticism, and we consistently affirm their objections, but when it comes to the underlying theology in Gnostic thought, I wonder if the church isn’t guilty of embracing its premise? Since I was a small child, I have been taught that our time here on earth was limited. All of history points to the return of Jesus Christ when he would call his children home to his eternal kingdom. Earth, then, is a temporary holding place—a place for us to live in such a way so we honor God, but a temporary home, none-the-less. Popular songs have been written for decades now celebrating this truth. The chorus of the old Southern Gospel song, “The Old Gospel Ship” seems to embrace that philosophy.

I'm a gonna take a trip In the good old gospel ship I'm goin' far beyond the sky I'm a gonna shout and sing Until all the Heavens ring When I bid this old world goodbye

I’m not trying to pick on musicians, but the church has been celebrating both the badness of this world and the goodness of some other, better, world for a long time now. We like the spiritual world off in the distance, and we diminish, or even discredit, this world—this physical world. Fundamentally, though, when I look at scripture I see a couple of things pointing to this being a thoroughly Gnostic—and thoroughly non-Christian—approach.

This World Is Not Our Home?

First, any theology viewing this world as bad and abandoned by God, conflicts with Scripture’s testimony that the world was created before the existence of sin. God declared of his created world, “It is good.” The created world is God’s good plan intended for our good and his glory. When we dismiss this world as temporary, we do violence to the biblical text. Scripture teaches God’s plan involved this good creation from the beginning.

Secondly, viewing the world as inherently bad and soon to be destroyed or abandoned is to ignore Romans 8 and its thoughts about God’s future plans for his creation.

For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. —Romans 8:19-21

Note creation itself is groaning for Christ’s return because it will be set free into the same kind of freedom that God’s children will experience. The point of the text is God moves toward the resurrection/restoration of his creation, in the same way he moves towards the resurrection/restoration of his children. When we treat this world as if it’s temporary we treat it in a way God himself doesn’t treat it.

I hear one primary objection to this. Some might say scripture indicates God will “burn up” the earth, as some translations describe it (see 2 Peter 3:10). However, seeing this text in context, we understand this burning not as destructive, but cleansing. 2 Peter 3:6 tells us this burning was foreshadowed in the flood of Noah, so indicates God’s use of fire to purify his creation—ultimately leading to its resurrection/restoration.

In light of all this, what are we to make of it, and why does it matter?

The Welfare of Our World

First, in light of God’s work to restore this world, we would do well to treat it as if it’s not just our temporary home. God is working to resurrect not only his people, but all of his created order. Secret agents that sneak into a country, accomplish their mission, and then get snatched up by a black helicopter to take them home makes for a great action movie, but for a bad gospel story. Let’s embrace the world around us as part of God’s good plan for his people.

Second, our behavior in this world, in this life, should model and foreshadow God’s work of ultimate resurrection/restoration. As current residents of the kingdom of God, whose allegiance lies with King Jesus, we are called to live now as we will live then—when his kingdom has been fully culminated. We are called to work in such a way so we model his work of restoration. This is why, for instance, creation care is a deeply biblical concept.

Finally, let’s be cautious of embracing any theology that encourages us to escape the world, rather than embrace it, love it, and work to see God’s order restored in and among it. As God reminded the Jewish exiles in Babylon in Jeremiah 29, our call is seek the good of our culture, not to isolate ourselves from it, or try to escape what’s around us. Instead, let’s recognize God has placed us here, in this place and at this time, to declare and display his gospel, working to bring his blessing—his shalom—to the places we call home, modeling in this time and place the ultimate restoration he will fully bring about in the day of his return.

—

Micah Fries is the Vice President of LifeWay Research. He has served as a Senior Pastor in Missouri and a missionary in West Africa, prior to coming to LifeWay. Connect with Micah on Twitter.

5 Vital Ways to Seek the Welfare of Your Neighborhood

I have spent my entire life living in two inner city neighborhoods of Chicago (Humboldt Park and West Garfield Park). It is easy to believe that God has abandoned these two communities due to the poverty, crime, lack of education, absence of fathers, and hopelessness. While many would want to avoid these two communities, I have come to understand God’s sovereignty in determining the boundaries of my dwelling place. God has invited me to be his presence for those seeking him. God has invited me into his mission for those feeling their way towards him.

“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:26-28)

Has God abandoned the hood? Of course not! Have Christians abandoned the hood? Sadly, in many ways we have. We have abandoned God’s mission for our momentary well being. We have focused on our desires before other people’s needs. We do not realize that our well being is tied up in the well being of those around us. We do not realize that we actually find life through death to our individualism.

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you…and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7)

Following are five simple ways that you can seek the welfare of your community (whether it’s an inner city neighborhood or not). This is not an exhaustive list, but my prayer would be that it sparks believers to understand God’s purpose for us in the exact places that he has sovereignly placed us.

After reading the five steps, feel free to give additional ideas that you may have. Let’s grow together as urban missionaries!

Step 1: Pray daily for your community

Take ten minutes each day to pray for the families on your block. As you see your neighbors, be purposeful in asking for prayer requests and then follow up with them on those requests.

Step 2: Spend time in your community

In today’s day and age when we jump in our car to go from here to there, this will take some intentionality. But let yourself be seen. Be friendly. As opportunities arise, get to know people. Walk your community, play basketball at the local park, shop at the local stores, eat at the local restaurants, volunteer at a community center or nursing home, worship at a local church.

Step 3: Asset map your community

Map out the resources available in your community and city. These resources might include job training programs, GED programs, sports leagues, after school programs, day camps, tutoring programs, and church service times. Include as much info as possible (Contact name and number, cost, address, etc). Print these lists out and distribute them to people in your community.

Step 4: Beautify your community

Pick up trash. Help your neighbors plant grass on their lawns. Begin a community garden that the block can own and enjoy together. Recruit skilled labor to do a service day in your community.

Step 5: Open your home to your community

Invite people over for dinner. Host a game night. Lead Bible Studies. If you have an extra room, invite someone in need to live with you.

—

Brian Dye is a servant of Jesus Christ. Husband of Heidi Dye. Elder at Legacy Fellowship. Mentorship Director at GRIP Outreach for Youth. Director of Legacy Conference. Follow him on Twitter @VisionNehemiah

Originally published at Vision Nehemiah. Used with permission.

How to Shine the Light of the Gospel Into Public Schools

I’ve had the honor of writing a lot on evangelism, gospel-centered ministry, and spiritual awakenings. I’ve probably never been more excited about a project than a book that just released called Get Out: Student Ministry in the Real World (Rainer Publishing). Why? Because I wrote it with our son Josh, himself a student pastor now. It's a follow-up to my missional, gospel-centered student ministry book As You Go (NavPress). Filled with real-life examples from effective student ministers, this book challenges the church to get outside the church building into the community, and particular to impact the public schools with the gospel. The following is adapted from the Introduction to the book. The Western Church faces a significant change in culture in our time. Student ministry is in the heart of the vortex of change. “The combined impact of the Information Age, postmodern thought, globalization, and racial-ethnic pluralism that has seen the demise of the grand American story also has displaced the historic role the church has played in that story,” Researcher Mike Regele observed, continuing: “As a result, we are seeing the marginalization of the institutional church.”¹ Just because your student ministry has been effective in the past featuring events and personalities does not mean it stands ready to face the challenges to the gospel in our time.

Christianity in the West has been increasingly marginalized in our culture; many of us simply refuse to see it. We certainly have not lost all our influence, but on many issues that were once in the center of American society (protecting the unborn, the sanctity of marriage, heterosexual marriage only, to name a few) have now been pushed out of the mainstream of cultural norms. How do we respond? We must think less like Christians enjoying a home field advantage and more like Christians living as missionaries. In their excellent book Everyday Church, Chester and Timmis argue for a shift in ministry focus to meet the challenges of our time, and this shift especially relates to the front line of student ministry: “Our marginal status is an opportunity to rediscover the missionary call of the people of God. We can recover witness to Christ unmuddied by nominal Christianity.”²

Student Pastor Spencer Barnard summarizes how things have changed in student ministry on most public school campuses today:

I'm the Lead Student Pastor at The Church at Battle in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Campus Ministry is a huge part of what we do on all of our campuses. In my 16 years of doing student ministry my strategy has changed a lot. Just in the last five years things have drastically changed. The days of showing up at lunch with pizza for students are over in most places. You have to earn the right to be on a campus. There needs to be a reason for you to be on a campus. Where a lot of student pastors go wrong is that we show up and say we are there to hang out with students. We could do that in the past, but when 30-year-olds or even 20-year-olds show up on a junior high or high school campus, it’s just weird in this culture today.  It worked 10 years ago, but in most places it just doesn’t work any more. There needs to be a reason we are there: we should be there to serve and support the administration. Our role is to be there for the school, and not expect the school to be there for us. With that in mind we have to be careful to follow all the school’s rules and present ourselves in a respectful way.

Here are some of the ways we serve schools:

• We take food to the teacher’s lounges and teacher in-service days. One of the best things that has happened for us is the government cutting funds for the schools, because it gave us the opportunity to meet their needs first hand.
• We make our facilities available to them for meetings and banquets. We hosted 10 different sporting banquets this last year and it has earned us a great reputation with our schools and also showcased our facilities to students and parents.
• We talk with coaches and teachers about leadership training or become Chaplains for sporting teams. We found out that many coaches loved the extra help.
• We take drinks to the band, cheerleaders, and sporting teams.
• We are on the Substitute Teacher list. Also, some schools need volunteers to monitor testing.

Getting to know the Principal and the office staff has been huge as well.  We will take with us some Starbucks gift cards or Chick Fila cards to give away as we meet teachers, coaches, or administration.

The final thing we do, and probably one of the biggest connecting points for us with schools, is FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes.) FCA has a great reputation on all of our campuses. We have developed a great relationship with them and because of it they have allowed our staff to become huddle leaders at eight different campuses around our city. This gives us a huge opportunity to connect with students who normally don't attend church at all. We have seen our student ministry grow by about 50% over the last eight months and I would attribute it to how our team has shifted our work regarding campus ministry.

The public school campus is arguably the greatest mission field in America. With so many challenges to the Christian faith in the West today, we need to be reminded that the best way to respond to darkness is to turn on the light: the Light of the Gospel!

^{1. Cited in Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Everyday Church: Gospel Communities on Mission (Crossway, Re:Lit: 2013) Kindle Edition, 14.↩}

^{2. Chester and Timmis, Everyday Church, 10. Italics added.↩}

—

Alvin L. Reid is husband to Michelle and father to Josh and Hannah. He is a professor of evangelism and student ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as a popular speaker and author. He has written numerous books on student ministry, evangelism, missional Christianity, and spiritual awakenings. Follow him on Twitter: @AlvinReid.

Alvin L. Reid and Josh Reid, Get Out: Student Ministry in the Real World Rainer Publishing, ©2015. Used by permission. http://rainerpublishing.com/

3 Reasons We Must Not Forget the Psalms

A few weeks ago, someone asked me, “How can I be a disciple if I must endure highs and lows, faith and doubt, trust and fear? I feel like I must doing something wrong.” If someone had asked me that question a year ago, I would have responded with a solution and a relevant quote. But that day, I suggested we read the Psalms. This was not my relationship with the Psalms twelve months ago. Before this past year, I only read the Psalms to complete my Bible reading plan. I decided that I was too left-brained to enjoy the Psalms and that maybe they were only helpful for the more creative-types.

Then, as I was reading and studying, I started to notice a recurring theme—almost everyone I admired was into the Psalms from George Muller to J. Hudson Taylor to Eugene Peterson to Tim Keller. As I was reading the gospels, I noticed Jesus was into the Psalms as well—quoting or alluding to them in hillside teachings, temple courts, and from the cross.

The same thought kept nagging at me—if I am learning to live like Jesus, how can I ignore the Psalms? I began to realize that true gospel-centered discipleship requires us to become friends with David, Asaph, Solomon, the Sons of Korah, Moses, Ethan the Ezrahite, and the dozens of other unknown Psalmists.

In response, I started reading and praying the Psalms as an integral part of my own discipleship. Before long, the Psalms influenced the way I discipled others—especially in the way the Psalms validate our emotions, shape our imaginations, and teach us to pray.

1. The Psalms Validate Our Emotions

From the cross Jesus cried out Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Not only did Jesus have the Psalms so rooted in him that they were his words in the most agonizing moment of his life, he experienced abandonment—a feeling shared with the author of Psalm 22.

When I started ministry, people (including my wife) would approach me with emotions they were experiencing. I made the rookie mistake of subtly (and not so subtly) downplaying the truth of their emotions. “Sadness and abandonment didn’t line up with the truth of the gospel,” I would tell them. The more time I spent in the Psalms, though, the more I realized that the gospel is roomy enough for all human emotions.

As a pastor to young adult, I’ve seen how liberating it is for their emotions to find a home in the Psalms. In a letter titled “On the Interpretation of the Psalms” Athanasius writes, “You find depicted in [the Psalms] all the movements of your soul, all its changes, its ups and downs, its failures and recoveries.” You cannot read the Psalms without seeing delight (Ps. 1:2) and depression (Ps. 42:5), gratitude (Ps. 100:4) and grief (Ps. 42:3), and nearly every other emotion (John Piper has a good list). The Psalms teach us that it’s okay to ask God why (Ps. 10:1) or how long (Ps. 13:1-2) and to be honest with how you feel.

The Psalms don’t leave our emotions as they are though. They shape our emotions and give them proper context. I had professor in college who said, “The Psalms provide direction for our emotions without repressing them or giving full vent to them. The Psalms help you learn how to feel.” Each of the Psalms has its own rhythm. We enter these through our emotions and are carried into deeper emotions. Although this rhythm may be compressed into a few verses in a Psalm, our experience may last days or even years.

2. The Psalms Shape Our Imaginations

If we want to live like Jesus, our imaginations must be flooded with what he knew about life with God. What we believe and how we think about God are critical to living the gospel-centered life. Where, then, can we learn to think and believe like Jesus? The Psalms.

The Psalm writers were deeply familiar with God, his plans, and life in his kingdom. Here are just a few examples of how the Psalms shape our imaginations:

• That life with God is the good life (Psalm 1)
• That God is our refuge and safety (Psalm 16)
• That God always provides what we need (Psalm 23)
• That God is full of grace for sinners (Psalm 51)
• That God’s heart is for the nations (Psalm 96)
• That God is always present with us (Psalm 139)

The Psalms train our imaginations to chew (Ps. 1 “meditate”) on truth about God. Jesus saw the world through the lens of the Psalms (e.g. Ps. 37:11 & Mt. 5:4, or Ps. 8:2 & Mt. 21:16). And in the long history of the church, the Psalms have been one of the primary resources for the “renewing of the mind” (Rom. 12:2). In my own experience, the Psalms have dramatically altered the way I see the world in daily life.

As growing disicples, we often draw conclusions about God based on what we are enduring (especially when things aren’t going well). I’ve often heard things like, “I’m suffering . . . so God must be mad at me.” When we let the Psalms shape our imaginations though, we see how suffering are a normal part of life on fallen earth and God will redeem it for good (Rom. 8:28, Ps. 73).

3. The Psalms Teach Us to Pray

In The Contemplative Pastor, Eugene Peterson writes, "The great and sprawling university that Hebrews and Christians have attended to learn to answer God, to learn to pray, has been the Psalms.” This was a strange for me. Although I knew the Psalms were written as “sung-prayers," I had difficulty seeing how praying someone else’s words would be a helpful practice. It seemed inauthentic.

Then I hit a season of life where I struggled to pray. Prayer had been easy and natural, but now I didn't know where to start. So I began praying the Psalms—sometimes line-by-line and sometimes just one line for a half-hour—and God began to shape the vocabulary and tone of my prayers into something new. In his Letter on the Psalms, Athanasius also describes this, “In the case of all the other Psalms it is thought it were one’s own words that one read; and anyone who hears them is moved at heart, as though they voiced for him his deepest thoughts.” It’s possible praying the Psalms might be one of the ways that the Spirit intercedes for us (Rom. 8:26-27).

The Psalms teach us how to confess (Ps. 51), how to hope (Ps. 42 & Ps. 43), how to plea (Ps. 69), and how to worship (Ps. 100). Now when I am helping new disciples learn how to pray, I guide them through the Lord’s Prayer and through the Psalms.

The Psalms & Discipleship

As I have discovered the beauty of the Psalms and their practical benefits for gospel-centered discipleship, I’ve started a few new discipleship habits.

First, I’ve started reading through a few Psalms each day. In the morning, during lunch, before dinner, and before bed, I’ve let the Psalms interrupt whatever happens in my mind and surroundings. Sometimes I’ll read a Psalm and get back to work while other times I’ll read a Psalm and chew it over for the entire afternoon. Sometimes I read five Psalms and sometimes I read one.

Second, I often read a Psalm when I get together with other disciples. This subverts our discipleship in important ways. I love the unplanned conversations or listening to the way someone prays differently. If you’re reading a Psalm with a new disciple, the writer often provides fodder for a discussion about theology they might not be familiar with (which is something I learned from Justin Buzzard’s “Discipleship 101: How to Disciple a New Believer”). The Psalms are filled with good news about Jesus.

Returning to the story I started with, after reading through some Psalms, my friend realized life is messy and that’s okay. Highs and lows are normal. Faith and doubt exist together. David, amidst his enemies, summarizes this tension when he prays, “Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors” (Ps. 27:11).

—

Austin Gohn (@austingohn) serves as the young-adults minister at Bellevue Christian Church in Pittsburgh, PA. He holds a B.A. in intercultural studies and never intended to be a pastor. He’s been married to Julie for two years and you can follow him on twitter @austingohn.

How Christians Should Mortify Sin

Hostile To God

Romans 8: 7 is simple and stark: “The sinful mind is hostile to God .” The mind is not neutral ground, and cannot love one preoccupation without rejecting the other. A mind “that is set on the flesh” (ESV translation) must also be treating God and the desires of his Spirit as an enemy. This is why our minds are, naturally, unable to deal with sin. We may realize that a particular impulse is unhelpful, or that a certain course of action is destructive. We may even decide to cut it out, and may do so successfully. But the root of sin is still implanted in the mind— hostility to God. So sin will still grow unchecked in our lives.

And that hostility makes us incapable of pleasing God. Verse 8 is an equally striking statement : “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” Left to ourselves, we are totally unable to live in a way that causes our Creator to approve of us. Why? Because the mind that drives the actions is acting out of hostility to him. The person controlled by their own flesh is able to have a thought that is good, or perform an action that is right. But it cannot please God, since it is thought or done in enmity toward him.

Here is a helpful illustration: a man in a rebel army may look after his comrades, may keep his uniform smart, and so on. Those are “good”— but they are done in hostility to the rightful ruler. You would never expect that ruler to hear of this rebel’s conscientiousness or generosity and be pleased by his conduct in rebellion!

But none of this needs to be, or ought to be, the way “you”— Christians— live (v 9). Every Christian is “controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit,” since the Spirit lives in anyone who belongs to Christ. When we received Christ and became righteous in God’s sight, the Holy Spirit came in and made us spiritually alive. The Christian has a body that is decaying (v 10), yet also enjoys a spirit, a mind, that is alive.

And, Paul says, not only must our spirits/ minds not follow our flesh now, but one day our flesh will follow our spirit. In Greek thought, the physical was bad, to be rejected and hopefully one day to be left behind; the spiritual was good, to be embraced. Verse 11 overturns all this: ”He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Someday, even our bodies will be totally renewed and made eternally alive by the Spirit. There is no dualism (body bad, spirit good) here— one day, both will be perfected.

For now, though, there is still within us the remaining sinful nature, which is hostile and inimical to our growing spiritual life. And even as we look forward to our bodies being given life (v 11), we must “put to death the misdeeds of the body” (v 13—the end of this verse is best seen as the end of a sentence, unlike in the NIV). As John Stott argues, Paul is still likely referring to an experience of life, and death, now— not in the future. Paul says here: If you let the remaining sinful nature alone— if you allow it to prosper and grow— there will be terrible trouble. Instead, you must by the Spirit attack and put it to death. The more you put to death the sinful nature, the more you will enjoy the spiritual life that the Holy Spirit gives— life and peace (v 6).

Mortification

This process of “putting to death” is what earlier theologians used to call “mortification.” They got it from the old King James Version translation of the verse: “If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (v 13).

So what do verses 12-13 tell us about what mortification is, and how we do it? First, it means a ruthless , full-hearted resistance to sinful practice. The very word translated as “put to death” (Greek word thanatoute) is violent and total. It means to reject totally everything we know to be wrong; to declare war on attitudes and behaviors that are wrong— give them no quarter, take no prisoners, pull out all the stops.

This means a Christian doesn’t play games with sin. You don’t aim to wean yourself off it, or say: I can keep it under control. You get as far away from it as possible. You don’t just avoid things you know are sin; you avoid the things that lead to it, and even things that are doubtful. This is war!

Second, it means changing one’s motivation to sin by remembering to apply the gospel . This process of “mortification” goes deeper than merely resisting sinful behavior. It looks at the motives of the heart. Verse 12 says: “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation— but it is not to the sinful nature.” This is a critical statement. “Therefore” refers to the statement before, in which Paul tells us we have been redeemed by Christ’s righteousness and will someday be totally delivered from all evil and pain in the bodily resurrection. Then Paul turns and says: “Therefore ... we have an obligation…” Some translations express it differently: “We are debtors, not to the flesh” (NRSV). Paul means that if we remember what Christ has done and will do for us, we will feel the obligations of love and gratitude to serve and know him.

Paul is saying that sin can only be cut off at the root if we expose ourselves constantly to the unimaginable love of Christ for us. That exposure stimulates a wave of gratitude and a feeling of indebtedness. Sin can only grow in the soil of self-pity and a feeling of “owed-ness.” I’m not getting a fair shake! I’m not getting my needs met! I’ve had a hard life! God owes me; people owe me; I owe me! That’s the heart attitude of “owed-ness” or entitlement. But, Paul says, you must remind yourself that you are a debtor. If you bathe yourself in the remembrance of the grace of God, that will loosen, weaken and kill sin at the motivational level.

Therefore, “put to death” (v 13) is just a sub-set under “mind the things of the Spirit” (v 5). Mortification withers sin’s power over you by focusing on Christ’s redemption in a way that softens your heart with gratitude and love; which brings you to hate the sin for itself, so it loses its power of attraction over you. In summary, then, we kill sin in the Spirit when we turn from sinful practices ruthlessly and turn our heart from sinful motivations with a sense of our debt to love and grace, by minding the things of the Spirit.

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Tim Keller is senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Manhattan, New York, and author of numerous books. He is also co-founder and vice president of The Gospel Coalition. For more resources by Tim Keller visit Gospel in Life. You can follow him on Twitter.

Timothy Keller, Romans 8-16 For You, The Good Book Company ©2015. Used by permission. http://www.thegoodbook.com/