Generosity & Contentment

Editor's Note: This is a repost of How the Gospel Makes Us Generous and Content with Our Money. It appears here with the author's permission. ---

The danger of wealth has been a prominent theme in the teaching of several pastors in recent years. John Piper's chapter on money in Desiring God has shaped me and many others to a great degree. More recently, authors David Platt and Francis Chan have championed a similar message with their books Radical and Crazy Love.

Their message has met considerable resistance with counter warnings against embracing a “poverty theology.” Should we not rejoice in what God has given? Shouldn’t we want to take care of our families and provide for them? Shouldn’t pastors be paid well so their wives don’t have to work and they are not continually stressed out with financial pressure?

I'm afraid the framing of this discussion leads us to ask the wrong questions. Like the junior high boy who wonders "how far is too far" with his girlfriend, we are quickly caught up in questions about how rich is too rich, how poor is too poor, and the like. Where is the line? Do I feel guilty for having too much? Do the kids have enough? What does “enough” even mean? Should I feel guilty about not giving as much as so-and-so? If I give more, does that mean I am more spiritual? The hamster wheel of comparison, propelled by our spring-loaded legalism, keeps spinning unto exhaustion. We are all tempted to be prideful about what we give or feel guilty about what we don’t. Neither response befits the gospel, which crushes pride and erases guilt.

Financial Peace

Still, the question remains: how should we handle money? I've learned a lot from Dave Ramsey, an extremely popular radio host, author of The Total Money Makeover, and speaker who teaches people how to manage money so they can attain “financial peace.” He is also a Christian who loves to motivate people to cease being a “slave to the lender” Prov. 22:7 and manage their money so that their money doesn’t manage them.

Ramsey markets his successful 13-week program, Financial Peace University, to churches, schools, military institutions, and others all over the world. My wife and I used his program a few years ago to pay off all her graduate school debt and our minivan (total: about $50,000) in roughly four years. We have lived in the past with big debt. Now we are living with zero debt, as we rent a house. The debt-free lifestyle has given us freedom and removed the stress of money from our our marriage, even when times are tight.

When counseling young couples, we plead with them to obtain a plan for their money. If we would have heard about Ramsey when we were 22 instead of 30 years of age, our financial outlook would be much better today. But there is a point of grave danger that I always communicate when we talk about Ramsey. If you follow his principles, most likely you will have more money. You will perhaps get really rich. In fact, Dave emphasizes this every day on his radio show when he regularly says, “Debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has replaced the BMW as  the status symbol of choice.” Is it wrong to be rich? No, but it IS dangerous.

When I read the Bible I don’t see the pursuit of riches as a worthy goal to pursue as an end in itself. I don’t think Ramsey believes this, either, but I wish he would state this clearer and more often.

Think of all the warnings from Jesus about money:

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. - Matt. 6:24

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” - Luke 12:15

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. - Matt. 13:22

Even so, we shouldn't respond to these warnings by resolving to be dumb with our money to make sure we remain poor. Rather, pursuing a biblical perspective involves three things: 1) financial wisdom, 2) contentment, and 3) generosity.

Seek Financial Wisdom

Said plainly, I would get Ramsey’s book and do what he says to get out of debt and manage your money. You might not agree with everything he says, but most of us need a much better financial plan.

Pursue Contentment

Contentment is a more biblical goal than getting rich. Paul writes about this 1 Timothy 6:6-10:

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

This is where I have a problem with Ramsey’s emphasis on getting rich. It doesn’t seem to square with what the Bible teaches. Is it wrong to be rich? No, and “rich” is a very relative term. No one thinks he is rich, because everyone knows someone who is WAY wealthier. Ramsey is a millionaire many times over, but his wealth doesn’t hold a candle to Bill Gates or Michael Jordan. So what is “rich” anyway? Who knows, but however you slice it, the Bible tells us to be content with what we have and pursue simplicity (Heb. 13:5). The goal needs to be freedom with contentedness, not a yearning for more stuff.

Be Generous

To Ramsey’s credit, he frequently emphasizes the joy of extravagant giving. Look at how Paul exhorts the rich in 1 Timothy 6:17-19:

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

If you have the ability to make lots of money, maybe you should. But as you do, be sure to constantly check your heart along the way. Jesus’ words cannot be trifled with. Be constantly on the lookout for how you can be a blessing and how the kingdom of God can be furthered in our day through your resources.

Gospel Emphasis

Rather than debating between "radical" living for God and the dangers of "poverty theology," we learn from 1 Timothy 6 that contentment and generosity should be our emphasis in light of the gospel.

God has already provided all that we will ever need (Rom. 8:32). He cares for grass (Matt. 6:28-30) and birds (Matt. 10:29), so we can be content with or without stuff. God has been infinitely generous with us in Christ so, rich or poor, we can be joyfully generous in a way that makes our neighbors scratch their heads and say, “Who are these people?"

Generosity is not a poverty theology. Contentment with thankfulness is not a prosperity theology. The gospel motivates us to be generous and gives us ultimate contentment.

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Zach Nielsen is one of the pastors at The Vine Church in Madison, Wisconsin, where he serves in the areas of preaching, leadership development, and music. He is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and Covenant Theological Seminary and blogs at Take Your Vitamin Z. Twitter: @znielsen

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For more resources on thinking through the implications of the gospel in our everyday lives, check out Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson. It is now also available in print.

For more free articles on the gospel and money, read: Against Transactional Sanctification by Bill Streger and 8 Ways to Fight Consumerism by Hugh Halter.

The Witness of the Church in Hurricane Sandy

This week at the 20^th anniversary celebration of Hope for New York, Redeemer’s non-profit created to organize Christians to serve the city, Dr. Tim Keller spoke on the value of mercy and justice for the church in an increasingly secular society. His words came in the wake of the worst natural disaster to ever strike our city.

One of the striking statements that he made was that the church must become famous for mercy and justice. He was articulating the seamlessness of word and deed in communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dr. Keller is one of most famous preachers in our day but said that when an increasingly secular society hears him preach, they may hear it as intolerant and narrow-minded; but when they see the church serve their city, society finds it attractive and becomes open to the word connected to the deed.

I watched this firsthand in New York City last week when Sandy caused devastation and destruction through flooding and power outages. The response of the church declared the gospel of Jesus Christ and demonstrated a concern for His name to be lifted high and represented rather than the name of any church.

Church Unity in Proclaiming our One Savior

In John 17:20-23, Jesus prays for the unity of the church in order that our oneness would demonstrate to the world that we know Him. Now, what constitutes unity is always debated, but what I’ve seen in New York City for a while now and demonstrated beautifully recently is exactly that - church unity.

In New York City, pastors, deacons, and parishioners from different churches have been praying together regularly for a while - praying for one another in need and praying for each other’s churches. This praying together has led to celebrating one another and last week it led to serving side by side for the good of our city.

When the power went out in lower Manhattan, the ocean washed away many homes and lives in Staten Island, the South Brooklyn shores and the Rockaways here in New York City, the reflex of the church was to give until we had no more to give and then to repeat the effort the next day. There was confusion for the first couple of days in all of New York City with many not knowing what could or should be done to help, but churches from around the country and locally sprang into action to help however they could.

I live in Manhattan, so I saw many different churches serving together to feed thousands of people in the Lower East Side and East Village. Churches rallying together to organize the distribution of goods, to identify elderly and disabled stuck in their apartments in high-rise buildings, and to clean up places ruined by the storm and its aftermath. The same story was happening in Red Hook, where a church convinced a community center to open and be the primary hub for organized distribution of goods which enabled the local health clinic to maintain its operation. They not only convinced them to open their doors, but were the leadership for the distribution. A number of Brooklyn churches joined them, even rallying older congregations who had not joined the efforts later in the week.

In Chelsea and around the city, government agencies required a mandatory evacuation of the projects, the location of our city’s most vulnerable. Many in the projects refused to evacuate because of past experience and the lack of easy access to shelters. This left them without power and water as well as without assistance as the local government aimed to serve the shelters first. I served alongside five other churches and a few relief organizations, watched as members of the broader church convinced restaurants to feed hundreds for meals costing only $2 (in New York City!).

It’s moving to watch the church be unified in mission and mindset. In mission, to see the church rally to the needs of the city and in mindset to be concerned only that Jesus received the credit. The relief efforts are far from over, FEMA and the National Guard remain throughout the city to help as they can, but the church has the opportunity to provide the long-term relief well after the government is gone. This is one of many opportunities for the church to become famous through demonstrating the love of Christ in order that they may declare the good news of Jesus Christ.

Deeds of Mercy Paving the Way for the Message

The aim of the church was to extend the tangible love of God as we met the tangible needs of those suffering in our city. Leading with this desire and praying for those suffering opened people’s eyes to the message of Christ in new ways. In a city that has aimed to ban churches from meeting in public schools, the church is paving the way for the message of Christ not by protesting, but by posturing ourselves as servants.

This is not merely a disaster relief story, but has been the repeated pattern of mission history, the combination and seamlessness of word and deed being the full declaration and demonstration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Dr. Keller spoke of this as the future reality for the church, it was clear to me that this has been its present and past need.

Dr. Keller cited Portland, OR where churches have organized over 20,000 volunteers and approached the city government and mayor asking where they can do the most good for the city. Can you imagine if churches around the country and the world organized to simply bless their city, not for the agenda of the church, but to demonstrate of God who loves the people of their city?

Our message is good news, and justice makes people feel it as well as hear it.

The Journey of a "What's Next?" Missionary

One of the things that we knew up here in Seattle is the cultural rhythms... it wasn't hard being that we, meaning my wife and I, have lived up here most of our lives. We ended up creating a yearly calendar because of it and have lived on this calendar as a missional community since we started over three years ago. Not only do we look around to see what we can join that the community already does well, but also what needs to be redeemed. Here is what our yearly calendar looked like: June - September:

• People are outside because the weather is somewhat nice. That made it very easy to connect with people in the neighborhoods. We used this time to have BBQ's in our front yard with an open invite to all.
• July 4th: People in Seattle, and specifically our neighborhood, love the 4th of July.  We used this time to create an event in our neighborhood so people didn't leave the neighborhood - a wiffleball tournament, cook-off, live band, and lots of fireworks.

October - May: 

• This is the rainy season for Seattle. People stay inside because of it and don't go outside to do any sort of general association with others. It's lock-down mode. Knowing this, we used this time to have Saturday morning breakfasts at our house. This caused people to see each other, stay in touch, etc.
• January: Knowing people usually start new things in January, this is when we started the 10-week "Story Formed Way" with our neighborhood.  This gave us a chance to dive deeper with the neighbors who were interested in seeing the fullness of why we live the way we do in our neighborhood.

Joining and Redeeming

One of the first things we knew needed redeeming was the bedroom community feel of our neighborhood. Everyone played and worked away from our city, and they only slept and sent their kids to school in our city. We wanted the understanding of community redeemed for our neighbors. I think that has definitely happened. Actually, one of the ways you can pray for my family is that we speak clearly the good news to our neighbors before we leave. We have 6-9 months before we move, so be praying that the Spirit gives us opportunities with those we have yet had the chance to speak clearly with. I've been praying for "what's next?" with a few neighbors and the Spirit is telling me to look for how the good news is good news to their story.

We've joined, a little, with a single mom's home in the area that were taking care of those in need and doing a very good job with it.  Because we only have 6-10 families (depending on when you ask) in our missional communities, we didn't have the man power to join too many other works.

Now on to Arizona

Because I know that one of the major things we'll be doing as missionaries to Arizona will be to understand the cultural rhythms - where to join and where to redeem - we have started the process of speaking to those who are already living there. Why start from scratch if you don't have to? I have talked to men from Church of the Cross and other churches. Some are in the city, some are in the 'burbs, some are pastors, and others are businessmen.

Here is what I know so far:

• Summer is hot. Meaning, no one does things outside in the summer. This is a complete change from Seattle. We'll need to figure out how to engage the neighbors during this time. I am thinking that the breakfasts will happen during the summer months.
• The fall through spring is amazing. It seems as though BBQ's, pool parties, and other parties will work the best during this time.
• Phoenix is one huge suburb. Many have told me that this is why Phoenix is a difficult place. I have heard for years that making disciples in the 'burbs is near impossible. Yeah, whatever. The Spirit won't fail, we just have to be patient and love people because God loved us, and not want anything in return from people because of our love. This is playing in my favor and the gifting of the Spirit in my life.
• Not only this, but few are from Phoenix as most have moved there and have little family. That is something that needs redeeming, to show people what true family looks like.

As you can see, because the weather is far different than we are used to and many don't have close family nearby, which is not the case in the NW (for the most part), some things will have to be thought through in regards to our rhythms and the rhythms of our new culture.

Here are some things you can think through where you are at, as we are also thinking through these things currently for AZ:

• What does the culture like to celebrate? Is it 4th of July, Christmas, Halloween, Friday night pub nights, etc.?
• What needs to be redeemed in the culture God has sent me to? How can I be the feet of Jesus to show them that the good news is redemptive to those needs?
• What is the story of the culture I am sent to? Then, what is the story of the specific people I am interacting with? Where does their story - both the culture's and the people's - point to Jesus, and then where does it need to be pointed to Jesus?
• How can I show love to the culture that I am sent to? How can I do this so that they find it as actual love and not judgment?

On Gospel Amnesia & Building a Sister Up

Editor's Note: This is a repost of On Gospel Amnesia and Standing Before Your Own Master by Luma Simms, which appeared originally at Domestic Kingdom. It appears here with the author's permission and is adapted from a section of her forthcoming book to be published by GCD Press. ---

A few weeks ago a few friends and I were bantering back and forth about what our children watch on TV. It was a playful exchange. At one point I realized how two years ago it would not have been friendly or playful at all. My mind would have been full of criticisms, and my heart would have stood over that conversation with judgment.

You see, my heart used to be very sick. I was a Christian, but I had set aside the gospel as something just to get me into the kingdom. I set my heart on other things at the expense of cherishing Christ: becoming a “godly” wife and woman, being content in domesticity and doing it well, offering unparalleled hospitality, keeping my children as far away from worldliness as possible, homeschooling because it was the only truly “godly” way of educating children, healthy whole-food eating because that meant I was in line with a more “biblical” agrarian type of living, and on and on … you get the picture.

I had “gospel amnesia,” big time.

From Gospel Amnesia to Grace

You don’t need to have full-blown gospel amnesia like I did to despise other women, tear them down, and pass judgment on their choices. When we forget the gospel and turn away from the charity and grace we are called to have for one another we can turn into women who look sideways at each other.

Grace. I’ve learned so much about grace from Romans 14:1-4:

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

On its face, Romans 14:1 says there are Christians with stronger and weaker faith, and that the one with stronger faith should welcome the one with weaker faith and not quarrel over things that are a matter of opinion. Paul assumes here that there are indeed things in the Christian life that are a matter of opinion and not of primary salvific importance.

So, from the first verse we know that we need to welcome each other; we should not snub each other, or refuse or avoid fellowship with each other; and we should not quarrel over matters of opinion. If we apply the principle here to any type of secondary matter (e.g. children’s entertainment choices, education choices, diet choices, diapering/clothing choices, birth choices, etc.), we see that the Christian with stronger faith has a broader acceptable spectrum, whereas the Christian with weaker faith has a narrow understanding of what is acceptable or right.

From Condemnation to Charity

When it comes to secondary (non-sin) issues we are tempted to strain gnats and swallow camels (Matt 23:24). But Jesus said:

“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ ...” (Matt 9:13)

“And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.” (Matt 12:7)

I grieve in my spirit when I remember how I have condemned the guiltless.

One of the most important manifestations of gospel living is treating each other with grace and charity. Scripture says that a gracious woman gains honor (Prov 11:16). Nitpicking at each other and judging each other's choices will not make us women of honor. In the end, we will make a mockery of the grace of Christ when the world sees our lack of graciousness.

May we who love Jesus and cherish his gospel look on each other with a tender grace that seeks to build each other up with sisterly affection rather than tear each other down by rendering our personal standards as the watermark of sanctification.

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (1 Peter 3:8).

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Luma Simms (@lumasimms) is a wife and mother of five delightful children between the ages of 1 and 18. She studied physics and law before Christ led her to become a writer, blogger, and Bible study teacher. Her book Gospel Amnesia is forthcoming on GCD Press. She blogs regularly at Gospel Grace.

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To go deeper into the gospel, read Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson.

For more free articles on gospel identity, check out Justification & Hope in the Gospel by Jason Garwood and Rethinking Devotion by Matt Manry.

Permanent Impermanence

Reality shows come in all shapes an sizes. Some involve risk and danger, some involve competition, some involve talented musicians, and others involve somehow-famous thirty-somethings. I'll admit that I often find them entertaining and occasionally inspiring. Reality shows are not sinful in and of themselves, but they do cause a dangerous unrest in our culture, particularly in the realm of "romantic" relationships. There appears to be a general unrest amongst younger people due to their desire to be like these reality stars - brave, macho, talented, attractive, rich, etc. Because of this, there is a significant amount of singles that I meet and know who cannot be satisfied with what God has blessed them with and impose these sanctions on potential spouses. Of course, reality shows aren't the only factor, but speak largely about the cultural shift we are experiencing. People always want a better job, a nicer house, a more precise talent, and a better-looking spouse. For those who do not know Christ, we can expect this at some level; for those who know Christ, there must be greater wisdom.

As culture teaches young single folks that they can never be satisfied with their "lot in life," there must be a ferocious battle against stagnation. We must trust Jesus with what we have and what we may or may not eventually have. Younger Christians should seek older Christians who are willing to invest in them, gleaning invaluable advice in the process. Do not let the pleasures of this world press upon your pursuit of joy in marriage.

If I could give a few pieces of advice, I would plead with the singles of this generation in the following ways:

MEN

1. Take Responsibility - Look, we all know that video games can be fun and even a rare form of male bonding, but the fantasy has to take a backseat to reality. I have known so many guys who will play sick so that they can skip work in order to play their new game. Additionally, there is a propensity to stay up too late and not be prepared for work, school, or another appointment. Just because you aren't out late getting drunk or staying the night with a woman doesn't mean that you are being responsible. Take everything you do seriously and with real preparation not because of men, but because of the One who provided you the task (Eph. 6:6; 1 Cor. 10:31).

2. Seek a Bride - Notice the order of these tips - responsibility, then seek a bride. The Bible is clear that singleness is a gift from God, so if you are called to singleness, don't waste ladies' time. For the rest of you, join them in not wasting ladies' time unless you are seeking a real covenant with them. I am not a hardcore proponent of "kissing dating goodbye" but I also am not a supporter of "dating for fun." God did not create inter-gender relationships to have some ethereal scenario that is beyond friendship but less than marriage. If it is not leading anywhere, kill it. God has something much bigger for you than temporal attention. Seek a woman with the heart of Christ out of your own heart for Christ. Marriage is a beautiful picture of the gospel (Eph. 5:22-31) and we should not play games with that.

WOMEN

1. Be the Standard - This may sound weird coming from a guy who so elevates male leadership in these things, but here's the point: you will attract a certain type of man based on your actions. There will always be sleazeballs with poor intentions, but a good Christian man will notice a good Christian woman. When the gospel informs decisions, things tend to come together. When I started dating my wife, the criteria that got her a first date was not that she was pretty (even though she is), smart (even though she is smarter than me), or even her particular personality (which is a perfect balance to mine); I was attracted immediately to her open love for Christ and reputation among those whom I respect and love. Let your integrity be of utmost importance, portraying the wife that God calls you to be (1 Pet. 3:1-4) and let God bring the right man when the time is right.

2. Lower Expectations - Most women have an innate desire for security, and rightfully so. However this plays itself out in two ways: 1) "I'm going to work hard and make money 'cause I don't need no man!" or 2) "I'm going to wait for a man who is on a trajectory toward wealth so that I will always be taken care of." The truth is, God has called your husband to be a leader and he should be able to provide, but financial security causes even the best of people to make bad decisions (Prov. 23:4). I know many Christian men who are working hard at work and pursuing Christ earnestly who struggle weekly to pay bills. Is this an ideal situation? Of course not! But do not let living paycheck to paycheck be a deterrent when you find a man who loves Christ.

Mission Is Where You Live

“I just don’t know any lost people.” “I find it so hard to meet people that don’t know Jesus.” “Sharing my life and faith with unbeliever is so difficult. Apart from going to a bar I don’t know where they are at.” These are all excuses I’ve made for my failure to know, bless, and share Jesus with unbelievers. I hear these statements regularly among other Christians as well. It’s as if unbelievers are actually physically lost, and finding them is like finding a unicorn or a white elephant--exceptionally rare. Underneath these excuses is a common reality: I haven’t really been present in the locations where I've lived. Recently, it occurred to me that I’m not really thinking about the whole concept of mission and evangelism in a clear light. A friend asked me a pointed question once that brought me to repentance and helped me rediscover an important tool in living a life “on mission.” The question was this: how could I live in the same house for over three years and not know the stories and situations of the people that lived within 100 yards of me? Several answers were apparent (lack of love, disobedience, etc.) but the real answer that stood out was that I wasn’t really present in my neighborhood.

Oh sure, I was physically there. I ate, drank, slept, played, worked, laughed, cried, and did everything a physically present person would do. However, none of my neighbors would have known it or cared about it. To them I didn’t exist. And they didn’t exist for me either. So when I said, “I don’t know any lost people,” I was technically right. I had failed to live my life in their life. And this was the beginning of the awakening for me. How did I come to know God? He actually came and lived in my life. How can I find lost people? Live my life, where I am at, in their life.

I’m willing to bet that if you are reading this, you have a similar situation. Most of the world lives in highly dense, urban areas, surrounded on all sides by neighbors. Over eighty percent of Americans live in what is classified as an urban area. All of that to say the lost are out there; you probably live next to them. But do you really live in their lives? Would they be able to affirm your existence?

God is Everywhere---God is Here

As a parent my kids often ask me questions that have stumped philosophers for centuries. One of the questions my kids would ask early on is, “Where is God?” This always gives me an opportunity to talk about the character and attributes of God. One of the things I share with them is the “omnipresence” of God; God is present fully everywhere at all times. For creatures that are limited to seeing only the physical, trying to comprehend a being who is everywhere all the time and fully, is a recipe for making your brain explode. Most Christians would affirm that God is everywhere just the same as they would affirm that the lost are everywhere. The only problem is “everywhere” often means “no where.”  We can’t see God, so we really wonder if he is here. We don’t know the lost, so we really wonder if they exist.

But the Bible gives us a greater perspective regarding the presence of God. Not only is he everywhere and present at all times, but he has uniquely and clearly disclosed his presence with his people all through history. The story of God’s presence with his people begins in the garden. God made a good place for his people and dwelt with them (Genesis 2). The Scriptures tell us that God lived in the presence of our first parents. As sin entered the picture the relationship broke. No longer was humanity in the presence of God. Instead, distance and separation from the place of God was the consequence of rebellion against him (Genesis 3:23-24). Though God evicted Adam and Eve from the temple of his presence, he continued to be present with his people as the story of redemption unfolds. Through burning bushes, the ark of the covenant, pillars of cloud and fire, tabernacle tents, and temple buildings, God effectively, but not fully, displayed his presence with his people. Until, that is, he lived in our lives.

Jesus, fully present

John’s introduction to his Gospel brings this aspect of the presence of God fully into view. Jesus, as John writes, became flesh and dwelt with us (John 1:14). God with us. Jesus is the one who fixed the break between God and man. He is the presence every shadow-symbol of the Old Testament points toward. As John put it, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he [Jesus] has made known” (John 1:18). God became a man and lived among us. He lived in our lives. God with us.

Not only is God with us, but he is God for us. Jesus came not just to hang out in our ghettos (as compared to heavenly realms, that is); he came to live the life of righteousness we failed over and over again to live. He came to die the wrath-deserving death we were entitled to because of our rebellion (Galatians 3:13). He came to live again so that the reality of rebirth would be ours and his power would be shown to encompass all things.

Now push-back is natural here. Where is this Jesus? How is “God with us” because I don’t see him in my living room or across the street? These are honest questions. The reality, however, is not that God has once again left our lives. No, the reality is that he has doubly reinforced his presence in our lives. He has given us two ways of seeing his glory and knowing him on a daily basis:

1. We’ve been given the promised Holy Spirit. The fullness of God dwelling within us daily. By virtue of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, he has sent his very presence and nature to be our Helper, Comforter, and Advocate (John 13:15-17). He has given every believer everywhere his life to live in ours. Paul confessed this by saying, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives within me” (Galatians 2:20). Christ lives in our lives through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
2. He’s also given us the church. Jesus has given us community in himself. As believers, we have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit in order to live the life of Jesus in the lives of others. We are the tangible, physical demonstration of the invisible God (John 13:24-25). We are the reflection of his glory to the lost world. The story is being written right now. To the lost, God’s existence is debatable unless they’ve seen the life of a person inhabited by the Holy Spirit lived in front of them. As the church lives its life, it must live in the life of the world (1 Peter 2:12). This is how the presence of God is made real and manifest to the world.

Living In the Lives of Others

My neighbor, Herb, walks his dog up and down our street daily. Usually in the early evening right before dusk, I see Herb plodding along with his dog. Does Herb know I exist? Would he care?

If we see that God has not abandoned us, and has not withdrawn his presence from us, but actually has done the exact opposite and inhabited our world, then we can begin to see how to live among our neighbors. Herb knows I exist, but that’s because I’ve gone out to Herb. I’ve lived in his life. I’ve invited Herb into my life. When Herb walks his dog, he stops and talks and tells me his story. As I learned how God has always placed his presence in the midst of His people, I began to see how I can meet and befriend and know lost people. I must live in their lives.

This might sound daunting. It certainly is, mainly because we don’t want to give up our comfort. Going outside and walking with Herb while he walks the dog and talks doesn't always feel normal. But it happens. Inviting my neighbors into my home can be risky. Letting my children meet people that probably don’t share the same values as we do is dangerous. Yet this is exactly what our Savior has done. He has lived in our lives.

So how do we live in the lives of our neighbors? How do we inhabit their world so that we can show them a God who has inhabited our lives?

1. Be present in your neighborhood. For so many, especially in the suburbs, it’s easy to come home after work, pull into the garage, and disappear into our homes. We must be intentional to be outside our homes. Use every opportunity to leave the garage door open, be in the front yard, out in the open amongst your neighbors. Talk with them, learn their names, invite them into your space, go to their space.
2. Bless your neighborhood. It used to be that when a new person moved into a neighborhood, a few neighbors would go visit the new neighbor and bless them with some cookies or pie or something as a way to meet and get to know the new folks. I’ve moved into three different houses in the last seven years and have yet to see a plate of cookies. I use this as a small example to challenge us to live in a neighborhood intentionally to bless and give. You don’t have to take cookies to the new neighbor, but do something to bless a neighbor. Walk over and give in some way, bless and be kind to them.
3. Bring in your neighbors. When was the last time you invited a neighbor over for dinner or barbecue? We can live in the lives of our neighbors by inviting them into our homes, into our spaces, and letting them see our lives up close. How will our neighbors know what the love of Jesus is like if they don’t see the love of Jesus lived in our homes and families. What would happen on your block or in your apartment complex if you invited a neighbor over for a meal on a frequent basis?

Being, blessing, bringing are three simple strategies toward living in the lives of our neighbors. As we pursue Christ and bear the image of a God who has lived in our lives by living in the lives of the lost we will find the lost.

Try It---It works

Not too long ago we hosted a block party for our neighbors. We did it with our missional community because we want to reach the neighborhood of Wichita where I live. Several neighbors we didn’t know stopped by, had a hot dog, and did something I thought was unexpected. They stayed in my front yard and talked. For hours. As they talked, I began to learn their stories, hear some of their griefs, laugh at their jokes, live in their lives. As my wife and I were cleaning up, she looked at me and said, “I finally feel like I know lost people in my neighborhood. I finally feel like I know my neighbors.” We rejoiced and praised God that for once “the lost” were real people that we could put names and faces to. And they’ve now put a name and a face with “Christians.” We’re praying that they become the disciples of Jesus we are seeking to be.

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Jeremy Writebol is the husband of Stephanie, daddy of Allison and Ethan, and lives and works in Wichita, KS as the Community Pastor at Journey the Way. He is the director of Porterbrook Kansas and writes at jwritebol.net.

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To go deeper into living a gospel centered life in your neighborhood, read Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson.

For more free articles from Jeremy Writebol about missional living, check out Discipleship in the Sporting-Life and Redeeming Fantasy Football.

Redeeming Worship

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. - Ephesians 5:15-21

When we gather as a church, we demonstrate our worship of God in a number of ways. Some of us worship through setting up for our gathering. Some of us worship by teaching in Kids Life. Some worship through playing music. Some worship through greeting visitors. In our missional communities, some of us worship by leading the discussion. Some worship by preparing food for the group. Some worship by coordinating our group’s service projects in the community. These are all great ways to demonstrate worship through gratefulness to God by serving one another.

In Ephesians 5, Paul specifically addresses our singing as a church. I want to reflect on why singing enables us to demonstrate worship through gratefulness to God and service to one another. Paul gives us three ways that we are to live out our worship through gratefulness and service to one another, addressing one another with songs, hymns, and spiritual songs; giving thanks to God; and serving one another. Another way we could look at these is: worship of God that results from the Gospel is expressed horizontally (to one another) and vertically (to God) as a redemption of our time together. Let's begin by looking at how we worship God through song.

Vertical

Singing is a gift God has given us to better know him and experience him. In Colossians 3:16, Paul tells the church to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another is psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” How does singing allow the Word of God to dwell in us richly? It allows us to express the truth of the Gospel and our grateful response to the Gospel in ways that are more emotive and meaningful than if we just said them. For example, in church we often sing hymns or spiritual songs. The song can be incredibly emotional. It is often a sort of battle cry of commitment to God for us to sing as a church. When I just recite the words to most hymns, it's not very inspiring. It sounds like I’m planning a carpool. The melody of the songs connect to what we are called to: following God on his mission, remembering what Christ has done, worshiping God. Songs allows us to express all these things in a way that is much more heartfelt.

The music also helps us remember God’s goodness and truth. Chances are you can recite the first verse of “Amazing Grace,” but if I asked you to recite the first four sentences of this article back to me, you couldn’t (even though this article is so much like poetry). Singing is a great way to learn the truth about God. What we sing gets stuck in our heads. What we sing works its way into our hearts. Like everything in life, music can either draw us into deeper fellowship with God or draw us away from him and toward our desires. That’s why - as worship leader - I strive so hard to only sing songs that accurately represent the truth and beauty of God. God has given us music to help us internalize and embody his truth. What we sing forms us as followers of God. In the early church, there was a heretic named Arius who taught that Christ had not existed eternally but had been created by God, and so was not equal to God.  And one of the ways he attempted to spread this very false doctrine was by writing catchy songs that contained his heretical theology. This worked for a time, until Ambrose of Milan countered by writing equally catchy songs that reflected the truth of God.

Music helps us remember and hold to the truth of God because our songs about God combine both the intellectual truth about God and our emotional response to those truths. Singing about God gets his truth stuck in our hearts, and as it dwells there richly, it draws us into deeper communion with him.

But many of us have a hard time with singing. We see the command to “make melody to the Lord with our hearts,” and it seems weird. “Making melody” is not an everyday occurrence for most of us. When your boss asks you why you took an extra fifteen minutes on your lunch break you never say “well I got caught up making melody in my heart”. You'd get some strange looks.  Men often have a hard time singing with the church. It is an act closely tied to emotions, and we are not known for being very good with those. Some of us are timid to sing with the church because we feel like our voices aren’t good enough. Maybe someone told us we weren’t good singers and now whenever we attempt to sing, all we can hear is that person’s voice in the back of our head telling us how bad we sound. But the Gospel frees us from all of these hang-ups.

Men, Jesus wept for you, he was in anguish for you so deep that he sweat blood. If Jesus is the ultimate man there is no shame in showing sorrow for your sin. Jesus has already cried harder than you ever will over your sin. But men, sorrow wasn’t the only emotion Jesus showed. He showed anger over injustice and the manipulation of the poor when he trashed the tables of the priestly charlatans in the temple. He showed joy as he raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. Men, the Gospel compels us to express these same emotions. We should rage at our sin. We should weep at the brokeness of our world. We should rejoice in the conquering of our sin by Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. And our singing is a great place to begin to express these Christ-like emotions. Our singing is a great place to express the worship of God.

For those of us who do not feel that we sing well enough, and so we sing quietly (if at all). The Gospel frees us from our fear as well. We sing because God has shown us favor in spite of our abilities. We don’t sing to earn God’s favor. Your ability to be pitch perfect cannot save you! Your voice cannot get up on a cross and die for you, and it cannot get out of the grave and conquer death for you. That has already been accomplished by Christ, and that is why you are called to sing! So don’t think that your voice needs to be good enough in order for you to sing with the church. None of our voices are good enough for God. Christ has been good enough for you, so sing out of joy for what he has done and who he is. We sing because we have been loved and served so perfectly in Christ. Singing is not about us.

One last thought on why some of us may struggle with singing. I live in the Live Music Capitol of the World, and here everyone is a musician. Everyone has an opinion. We are used to having whatever kind of music we prefer available to us. And here in Austin some of us pick what church we join based on the music. Some of us choose not to sing certain songs with the church because we don’t like that particular song.  I’ve been guilty of this. And I don’t think this practice is unique to Austin. When we decide what church family to be apart of based on our music preference, we place ourselves at the center of the gathering instead of God. We substitute our preferences as our motive for singing in place of worship of God. We are not the center of our singing. There is only one time a year when you are the center of the song, and that’s on your birthday. The Gospel frees us from this self serving mode of singing. Instead of trying to serve our musical needs and tastes, we sing because we have been loved and served so perfectly in Christ. Singing is not about us.

Horizontal

While singing is not about us and our individual tastes, it is about one another. In Ephesians 5 we are told to address one another with Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Again addressing one another with songs in person is not something we often do. When you meet a friend for coffee you don’t greet them by singing “Hey, we are getting coffee, and that is neat.” Yet the Gospel inspires us to encourage one another in song. Do you ever think of singing on Sunday that way? Do you ever think to yourself, “I’m going to sing this song not just because I need to hear it, but because other people need to hear it?”

Sadly many in the church don’t view our time together singing as a chance to serve one another. Often we view it as an “intimate” time between “me and Jesus.” We have the lights down low, our eyes closed, the music so loud we can’t hear our voices, and we don’t consider one another when we gather. And if we aren’t considering one another, if we aren’t listening to one another when we sing together, whats the point? Why not just put my headphones on and go sing in my closet? Parking would be easier.

To display the fullness of the gospel in worship, we need each other. We need the testimony and the encouragement of hearing one another sing the truth about God. We need to be formed by the Word of God dwelling richly in all of our hearts, and we need  to hear it from one another. We don’t gather because we need more music. We gather because we need more of Christ through one another. I know I can think of many times when I have been encouraged, convicted, and refreshed by singing with the church. We need each other when we sing.

When we view singing as an act of service to one another, we are given even more Gospel reasons to sing. Men, your wives and kids need to hear and see you sing. The need to see a leader who unashamedly embraces the truth and emotions the Gospel inspires. You are given an awesome opportunity to teach your family the Gospel in song. You are given an awesome opportunity to show your son what it looks like to feel powerfully about the Gospel. You are given an awesome opportunity to show your daughters that a godly man feels powerfully about the Gospel. So sing all the time, as weird as it may feel! Sing around the table, sing on the way to school. Take the opportunity to get the Gospel stuck in their heads and hearts. For those of us who don’t feel that we sing well enough, singing as an act of service frees us from the fear of what others will think about our voices. It frees us because we are no longer singing (or not singing) to gain the approval of people. We're singing to share the good news of the Gospel with one another. For those of us who struggle with singing based on our preferences, or base what church we join on our musical preferences, the Gospel frees us to worship God by serving others through our singing.

This is why we sing together, to worship God, and to serve one another. Singing is one of the ways we fulfill what Jesus called the greatest commandment: To love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

Redeeming the time

Finally, worshipful singing is one of the ways the church learns to “redeem the time.” Said another way, how we act as a family shapes how we act when we are out on our own. Think of a newly married couple. They have individually learned all sorts of habits, quirks and expectations from their families, and they bring those to their marriage. For example, in my marriage, my wife and I have conflict over the placement of the hand towel in our kitchen. In my wife’s family, they hung the towel over the handle of the oven. In my family, we hung the towel over the counter in front of the kitchen sink. My wife would really prefer it if I would hang the towel over the oven handle. I don’t have a preference, but because I am so used to doing it the way I did it growing up I cannot for the life of me remember to hang it on the oven.

There are millions of different ways we are formed by our biological families. In the same way, we are formed by how we act together as a church family. Singing out of gratefulness to God and in service of one another forms and trains us to live like Christ out in the world. It trains and forms us to worship God, to place him at the center of our lives, when we are apart. It builds us up through encouragement, it teaches us through the truth we sing, and it disciplines us for service by giving us ample opportunity to serve one another through song.

Worship is all because of what God has done for us in Christ. We are freed from sin by his life, death, and resurrection. This is what inspires our gratefulness. The Gospel of Christ frees us from our fear of man and releases us into serving one another. It frees us from our consumerism, because Christ rightly puts himself at the center of our gatherings and our lives. This is how worship redeems our time - because in our singing, in our gathering, in our service, in our work, in our marriages, in our families, in our hobbies, in our hopes, in our fears, and in our struggles God is at the center. Because of Christ we have a reason to celebrate. Because of Christ we have hope. Because of Christ we have life. Because of Christ we worship.

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Matt Oakes lives in Austin with his wife Joanie and two daughters, Isabella and Imogen. He serves as the Music and Arts Director at Austin City Life. He graduated from Corban University with a B.S. in Worship Arts and is currently working on an M.Div at Redeemer Seminary. He enjoys guitars, smoking meat, and loving the city with his church family. Twitter: @rubatomovement Blog: www.mattoakes.org

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For more reading on the significance of worship, check-out Winfield Bevin's A Beginnger's Guide to Family Worship.

For more free articles on worship, read: The Harmony of Community by Greg Willson & Seeking God's Vision for Marriage by Gloria Furman.

Justification & Hope in the Gospel

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.Romans 8:1

I grew up with this understanding that discipleship happened in a classroom in front of a flannelgraph and that the only way to grow as a follower of Jesus was to sign up for Bible studies, attend Sunday school, get your kids to VBS, don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t have sex and be good. Rules, rules and more rules. It was a cyclical pattern of condemnation. I could never be good enough.

When Jesus commissioned us to make disciples he certainly desired for us to engage the world. We are to go to the nations, teach them to observe what Jesus said, baptize them, and then do it again—all with the gospel Story as the center. But what I was missing was real life-on-life, Spirit empowered, Story-formed community.

It’s not, “Come to Jesus, join our church and then get discipled.” It’s, “Here is the gospel. Here’s what Jesus has done for you. Repent and believe, and live a life on mission with the Church through the power of the Spirit as you learn to make disciples who make disciples. Your life, which is not your life now, is to be gospel-saturated and set on fire for the mission. Now go.” The gospel Story tells of freedom from condemnation. If freedom to live a life on mission comes with the gospel driving your life, what holds us back? Let's take a look at a couple of all too familiar scenarios.

Condemnation Scenario One

We sat in my office, and I listened to her story for nearly an hour. She was in tears as anger, bitterness, frustration, anxiety, depression, and uncertainty all plagued her. She had moved out of the house away from her husband, and things were not going well. I had a couple of meetings with the two of them, but we never seemed to be able to get anywhere with the situation. They had both been married before and now this marriage was about to crumble. Again. She couldn’t live with herself if another marriage fell apart. Not this time.

She talked a lot about the problems in their marriage, but the common, underlying theme in all of her analysis was condemnation. How could God still love me? Why would God allow this to happen? I still feel ashamed of my past. I still feel distant from God. There is no way I can live like this and still have a relationship with Jesus.

Condemnation Scenario Two

Steven (not his real name) is not a Christian. He had been coming to our worship gatherings for quite a while now, and sat in the back curiously looking around. If he as a not-yet-believer was likened to anything, it would be that of a window shopper. He enjoyed browsing the flurry of activity that was a Sunday morning. He was here each week and was engaged with everything, especially the sermon. He was here each week and was engaged with everything, especially the sermon, though he didn’t necessarily care for our music. Almost every week, I would stand in the back of the auditorium and greet him, and he thanked me for my message each time.

Steven and I got to know each other as he took the initiative to come meet with me. I had previously given him a Bible and he had been reading it every single day. As far as I could tell he’d read the New Testament a couple of times over. Steven was searching.

One day he sat on the couch in my office and told me his story. His background didn’t shock me, for I had worked in the social work field in inner-city Philadelphia during seminary, but I was blown away by the fact that he was still alive. Steven interrupted me that day (which was highly unusual because he was normally quiet and reserved) and said, “Pastor Jason, I understand why Jesus died. I understand my sin. I’m not ready to become a Christian yet.”

What in the world do I do with this, I thought. The man had heard the gospel over and over again, was reading his Bible, talking with me, praying with me, and had a better attendance at our Sunday gatherings than most everyone else. What gives? Then he told me, “I don’t understand how God could accept me.”

Justification in the Gospel

Both scenarios I laid out above are about shame; both have guilt. Both are desiring to be accepted by God. One is a believer struggling with identity; the other is not yet a believer struggling with identity. But both require the same approach to discipleship: the gospel. This gospel says that you are accepted, not because of anything you have done or will do, but because of what Jesus has done. You are accepted now!

The Apostle Paul was intoxicated with the gospel. He was stunned by Jesus and penned the greatest theological treatise ever written. In the Letter to the Romans, Paul’s entire premise hinges on this all-important doctrine of justification. He says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

This word, “therefore,” is the crescendo of all things gospel-centered. It is a powerful word especially because of where it is in chapter eight. Paul has just laid out in the previous chapters the doctrine of sin and justification and in Romans 7:23-25 says that we have an impressive victory won “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Backing up even further, Paul says in Romans 7:6, “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”

Don’t miss this statement. Paul is giving us a new grid to work with, and it is that of the Spirit’s working in our life because we died with Jesus. This is a significant part of Paul’s robust doctrine of justification. We are free from the law of sin and death! (Romans 8:2). And “now” we have this status—this right-standing-before-God status that was inaugurated by Jesus, and because of what he has done we have been united with him. Justification is always connected to our union with Christ.

Paul says that the condemnation is gone. It’s finished. Obliterated. Never-to-return. The fruit of sin is death and because we have peace with God, because of what Jesus has done, we are acquitted. Sin and death were condemned on the cross. Their verdict was rendered “finished” by Jesus’ substitutionary death. The Spirit in our life points us back to that reality over and over again, to drink deeply from the gospel well. The future verdict of “not guilty” has been given to us now. We’ve been adopted (Romans 8:15). We’ve been changed. We’ve experienced the gospel.

Gospel Identity through the Trinity

At the center of all things discipleship is an identity crisis. Finding hope with the doctrine of justification requires that we look deeply at our identities. At our church I use something I call “The Trinitarian Story” with our people. The Father, Son, and Spirit are all at work in the mission of God. Each Person plays a role during the life of the believer. The Father is our heavenly father and we are a family. The Son is Lord and came to serve us, so we worship him as servants. The Spirit was sent by Jesus to shape us as a community on mission, and therefore we are missionaries. Each of these identities are connected to the gospel. Each of these give us a profound sense of worth, dignity, and value. Notice that we don’t give ourselves this worth; it comes from God.

Taking it a bit further, I’ve heard fellow Soma Communities pastor Jeff Vanderstelt and others talk about four key gospel-fluent questions for whatever you find yourself dealing with in life (be it success, problems, sin, or trial). I have framed them this way:

1. Who is God?
2. What has God done in Christ?
3. Who does that now make me?
4. What’s next, Holy Spirit?

The key to growing in holiness by the power of the Spirit is to learn to appropriate the gospel and do so by connecting it to our identities. We must learn to allow the Spirit the opportunity to help us revisit this, over and over again.

Hope in the Gospel

My counsel to these two? No matter the circumstance, trial, or tribulation, you can find hope. Paul says that nothing can separate us from Jesus (Romans 8:35-39). Nothing. Do you believe it? Now let's try the gospel-fluent questions:

Questions 1: Who is God? He is Righteous, therefore he is Judge.

Question 2: What has God done in Christ? He has offered his Son Jesus as a substitution for our sin. Jesus bore the wrath of God on himself in our place, and in doing so was crucified and raised on the third day. Scripture says that this Christ event is what gave us justification.

Question 3: Who does that now make me? A justified sinner, saved by God’s grace, who’s condemnation is null and void. My guilt has been destroyed, my shame put to death. I can now be a joyful person because Jesus has taken my punishment.

Question 4: What’s next, Holy Spirit? Rest in my justification, praising God for the gospel. I can find hope because Jesus stepped in my place to get me.

Counseling and discipling in these situations is incredibly difficult. It takes time. It takes us remembering the gospel and learning to listen while making fresh applications of what Jesus has done. By God’s grace, there is hope. May we spur on our efforts of disciple-making by the power of the Spirit for the glory of God, resting in what Jesus has done to justify us.

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Jason M. Garwood (M.Div., Biblical Theological Seminary) serves as Lead Pastor of Colwood Church in Caro, MI. Jason and his wife, Mary, have two children, Elijah and Avery. He enjoys theological banter, good pizza, tinkering around on the iPad and fighting for joy. He blogs at the Storied Jesus. Connect with him on Twitter: @jasongarwood

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To go deeper into the gospel, check out Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson. 

For more free articles about realizing your gospel identity, read The Love of Our Father by Jake Chambers and Rethinking Devotion by Matt Manry.

The Noetic Effects of Sin and Discipleship of the Mind

Matt Capps is an ordained Baptist minister and a pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in North Carolina. Matt is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and is currently a student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (D.Min.). Matt blogs here.  

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“In spite of a clouded memory, the mind seeks its own good; though like a drunkard it cannot find the path home.” - Boethius[1]

The scandal of the evangelical mind is that the evangelical mind is darkened by the noetic effects of sin.[2] Hoekema argued that “…sin has poisoned the very fountain of life [therefore] all of life is bound to be affected by it.”[3] Sin cuts through all aspects of our being, and even has consequences to our cognitive faculties. This is true of Christians and non-Christians alike. This is not to say that human depravity has darkened the mind to the extent that human intellect is incapable of knowing truth, beauty, and goodness. The fall did not destroy human reasoning faculties all together. John Calvin asserts, concerning earthly knowledge:

Shall we deny that the truth shone upon the ancient jurists who established civic order and discipline with such great equity? Shall we say that the philosophers were blind in their fine observation and artful description of nature? What shall we say of all the mathematical sciences? Shall we consider them the ravings of madmen? No, we cannot read the writings of the ancients on these subjects without great admiration.[4]

Van Til makes a similar point in arguing that we are well aware of the fact that all humans, by virtue of common grace, have a great deal of knowledge about this world which is true as far as it goes.[5] However, concerning spiritual knowledge Plantinga has argued that if it were not for our sin infested noetic structure, human beings would believe in God [thus the gospel] to the same degree and with the same natural spontaneity that we believe in “…the existence of other persons, an external world, or the past”, but because of our sinful condition faith seems to difficult and for some absurd.[6] Moreover, as Bavinck has labored to show us, relying on human reason alone to ground faith will always disappoint.[7]

Humanity sees through a glass dimly because of the effects of sin. One of the most baffling characteristics of sin is that it is usually masked and elusive, and is especially hard to recognize in ourselves. For this reason it is important to understand the noetic effects of sin and its implications for the discipleship of the mind. Moroney argues that sin disturbs human thinking in some areas more than others, more so when it comes to matters related to God.[8]

The Origin of the Noetic Effects of Sin

In one sense, the fall of mankind occurred because of noetic rebellion. What the serpent proposed in the Garden of Eden was nothing less than a line of thinking diametrically opposed to God’s good and designated order. Essentially, Adam and Eve questioned God’s truthfulness and reliability and decided that autonomous reasoning would reign supreme as the definitive mediator of truth. After the fall God declares that “…the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.”[9] In other words, man wanted to be like God in determining for himself what is true and good, and became, as it were, his own god. As a result of the fall, sin has become universal; except for Jesus Christ, no person who ever lived, or ever will live, on this earth has been free from sin.[10]  Therefore all have inherited sinfulness along with its noetic effects.[11]

The Noetic Effects of Sin and the Good News of Jesus Christ

Thankfully, the gospel is the power of God for salvation. According to Paul salvation includes the renewal of the mind.[12] As Goldsworthy puts it, “…it stands to reason [nice play on words there] that, if the fall involved an epistemological disaster, then salvation must include epistemological redemption.”[13] As mentioned earlier, Jesus Christ is the only one who has ever lived with a sinless and pure mind. A robust account of salvation includes redemption of the mind through the perfect mind of Christ our savior. According to Paul, all believers are given the mind of Christ.[14] At the same time, all believers still experience the effects of sin until the new heavens and new earth.[15] Until then, believers are conformed to the image of Christ in the process of sanctification. Our noetic sanctification is the fruit of our justification in Christ. Simply put, the Christian mind is renewed at conversion, but it continues to be transformed throughout the life of the believer. Goldsworthy describes this process of noetic sanctification as follows:

It is the gradual formation within us of what we have in Christ through faith. The renewal of the mind is an on-going process by which our thinking is conformed more and more to the truth as it is in Jesus.[16]

Towards a Discipleship of the Mind

Apart from regeneration, reason is in bondage to sin.[17] Even the Christian mind is not sequestered from the reality of sin. Our natural tendency, inherited from Adam, is to seek and love the wrong things, or seek and love the right things in an inordinate manner. This is why Paul commands that Christians need to be continually “transformed by the renewal of the mind.”[18] The renewing of the mind is a common theme in the writings of Paul.[19] While the transformation of the mind is an act of God, there is also responsibility upon the Christian concerning their intellectual life.

How then is one to take all thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ? At the heart of this discussion is revelation of, and faith in, the gospel of Jesus Christ, through which noetic salvation is granted by the grace of God. Anselm and Augustine’s “faith seeking understanding” approach to knowledge is helpful here since it implies that faith for the Christian is always striving to understand and apply what has already been believed. By his grace God has provided means through which noetic sanctification can be spurred on in the life of the Christian.

First, humanity has been given God’s word, the cannon of Scripture. When it comes to distorted minds because of the noetic effects of sin, God is not passive but intentional in clearly revealing and communicating divine truth to humanity. God’s self-revelation through works in the unfolding drama of revelation is made clear to darkened minds through his word. Moreover, all Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is himself the focus of divine revelation. As Paul argued, it is God who shines light into the darkness of our minds to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. God’s word is the perfect treasure of divine instruction through which the Spirit shapes our mind to the mind of Christ.[20] Understanding and passing on the deep treasure of Scripture is the task of all intellectual theological endeavors and catechesis in the church.

Also, God has provided the Holy Spirit as the indwelling helper in the fight against the noetic effects of sin. Luther distinguished between the magisterial and ministerial uses of the mind. The magisterial use occurs when reason stands over and above the gospel and judges it based on argument and evidence. The ministerial use of the mind occurs when the mind submits and serves the gospel. While much of the gospel-centered movement today focuses on believing right propositions as the aim of fighting idolatry, one cannot forget the ministerial role of the Holy Spirit in enabling and shaping our minds to the truths of the gospel. Without the Spirit, one is powerless to believe in the gospel.[21] There must be a prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit to treasure God with all one’s mind.

Lastly, God has ordained the church as the context of spiritual formation. “The church is to be a learning a teaching fellowship in which the passing on of what we learn becomes a regular part of the service we render to each other.”[22] The church is God’s ordained context in which persons will grow in their godliness through instruction, teaching, nurture, and formation. Biblically grounded and Spirit empowered community life is vital in conforming the believer’s mind to the truths of the gospel. Often one cannot see their own need for transformation because of sin. However, others in the context of Christian community become instruments through which God’s grace is made known. Just as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another.[23]

Concluding Thoughts

Noll has recently argued that knowledge of Christ provides the most basic possible motive for pursuing the task of Christian learning.[24] Concerning discipleship of the mind McGrath has contended that “Christian theology is one of the most intellectually stimulating and exciting subjects it is possible to study, rich in resources for the life of faith and the ministry of the church.”[25] Considering the riches of knowledge in Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and the Christian community, one cannot help but be thankful for God’s gracious provision concerning the fight against the noetic effects of sin. Let us be diligent in the transformation of our minds until the coming of our Lord, when our minds will finally be free of the noetic effects of sin and we will finally see Him as He is! As the Apostle Peter reminds us, prepare your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.[26]

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[1] Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, 49.

[2] The term ‘noetic’ includes all aspects of the mind, including the will, and is therefore a wider category than ‘knowledge’.

[3] Anthony Hoekema, Created in God’s Image, 172.

[4] John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, II.ii.15.

[5] See Cornelius Van Til, Introduction to Systematic Theology, 26ff.

[6] Alvin Plantinga, Reason and Belief in God, 66.

[7] Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, Abridged, 115.

[8] Stephen Moroney, The Noetic Effects of Sin: An Historical and Contemporary Exploration of How Sin Affects Our Thinking, 37ff.

[9] Genesis 3:22

[10] 1 Kings 8:46; Job 14:4; Psalm 130:3, 143:2; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; John 3:3; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:3; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8, 10.

[11] Romans 1; 1 Corinthians 2:14.

[12] Romans 12:2,

[13] Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, 60.

[14] 1 Corinthians 2:16.

[15] Romans 7:13-25.

[16] Goldsworthy, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, 61.

[17] Colossians 1:21; Romans 1:18-28; 8:5-7; Ephesians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 3-4.

[18] Romans 12:2.

[19] Ephesians 4:17-24.

[20] I Corinthians 2:16.

[21] Galatians 5-6.

[22] J.I. Packer and Gary Parrett, Grounded in the Gospel, 15.

[23] Proverbs 27:17.

[24] This seems to be the primary argument throughout his book Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind.

[25] Alister McGrath, The Passionate Intellect, 7.

[26] 1 Peter 1:13.

Dear Christian: Making Money is Good (So is Workplace Dignity)

Do you ever think about the dignity of work, and the humanity of workers?  Christians have a powerful stake in this conversation.  The saving gospel transforms all of our lives, including the way we work, we are employed, we employ. This article, “Productivity and Grace: Management and Labor at a Denver Manufacturer,” is about a Denver manufacturer whose leaders treat their employees with kindness and dignity.  From Christianity Today‘s This Is Our City project, it’s an inspiring piece by Chris Horst, and I commend it to you.  Much to chew on here.

Sandwiched between rail lines and a tire depot, the Blender Products factory hides in a quiet neighborhood in Denver. The nondescript warehouse looks from the outside as nondescript as most warehouses do. But the way Steve Hill and Jim Howey lead inside the building is unusual in an industry known for top-down hierarchies of management.

“The metal fabrication business is extremely cutthroat,” says Hill. “Workers are given a singular task, and maximum output is demanded. They’re simply a factor of production. As a general rule, they have no access to management. There is very little crossover between guys on the floor and guys in the offices.”

Hill and Howey aim to subvert the us-versus-them mentality. Many days they walk the shop floor, engaging their workers as peers. Employees on the floor are treated as importantly as the managers, undermining the adversarial culture simmering in many manufacturing businesses.

Here’s the whole shebang.

I am not one who would advocate for unions as a general rule.  But as I read up on progressivism, the history of American labor, and the captains of industry–an ongoing reading project involves the Industrial Titans of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries–I am keenly aware of the way some manufacturers and industry leaders of the last couple centuries have failed to treat their workers with appropriate dignity.  A figure like Andrew Carnegie, for example, shows us both the tremendous ingenuity of the capitalist and the shameful inhumanity every person is capable of.  Carnegie built libraries for his workers, but they had precious little time by which to visit them.

Christians who believe in the rightness of the free market nonetheless must also be known for their application of the doctrine of the image of God to labor and capitalism.  We don’t only care about making money in order to flourish domestically and societally (and globally); we also care about workers, people, those whom God has invested with meaning and purpose and talent.  The Blender Products leaders, Steve Hill and Jim Howey, clearly get that.  It’s beautiful to read their story along these lines.

With the above stated, don’t misread me.  I’m fundamentally for big business (and medium and small businesses), I generally trust the free market, and I think it’s intellectually facile to think wealth and wealthy people are bad.  The best program of social uplift I know of is one that involves marriage, hard work, and earning money, and there should be absolutely no shame in such things (contra what we are encouraged to feel today). But the Bible seems to be pretty clear about the need to be fair and even kind to others who need to earn money (see 1 Timothy 5:18).

In fact, let’s sharpen the point: Christian employers should be widely known for how well they treat their employees.  Failure on this point is not a small matter.  In the broader world and the political-cultural realm, we should be known not only for our belief in meaningful work and money-earning, but for our advocacy on behalf of the weak, including employees who are mistreated and who need appropriate representation. (By the way, for more resources on the goodness of work and much more, check out the Center for Faith and Work, affiliated with Redeemer Presbyterian Church of Manhattan–cool conference on this subject coming up in early November 2012.)

The image of God means that we can work, create, be entrepreneurs, be day laborers, be manufacturers, homemakers, bosses, ad consultants, teachers, and so much more.  The gospel creates a love for such work in Jesus’s name, and a desire to bring others to the flourishing and spiritual life they can never find outside of the workplace of God, the kingdom of Christ.

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Cross-posted from Owen's personal blog.

What to Do with Halloween?

For all the saints who from their labors rest,Who Thee by faith before the world confess, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia!

I am the proud dad of three little girls and recently they have been invited to several Halloween parties, not to mention their schools’ annual Halloween bash. So what are we as Christians to do with Halloween? I am not alone, many Christians are baffled.

Halloween's Roots

A good place to start is to take a look at the history of the holiday we commonly call Halloween. The modern celebration called Halloween is a yearly holiday observed by people around the world on October 31st. The origins of the holiday has a complex history that is rooted in paganism and Christianity. Its pre-Christian origins incorporated traditions from the pagan harvest festivals and festivals honoring the dead in Scotland and Ireland.

Halloween is also thought to have been heavily influenced by the Christian holy days called All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day. These holy days were a time for the church to honor the saints and pray for departed loved ones who had not yet reached Heaven. The earliest record of this holiday is in 837 when Pope Gregory IV ordered its church-wide observance. By the 12th century, it had become widely observed by Christians throughout Europe.

Over time, strange ideas and practices began to be connected with the holiday, such as ringing bells for souls in purgatory and wearing masks and costumes to disguise oneself. These practices eventually evolved into the modern-day Halloween activities that include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, and attending costume parties.

Christian Responses

Not all Christians embraced this holiday. During the time of the Reformation, Halloween came under attack by Protestants who denounced purgatory as a “popish” doctrine. Puritans in New England were strongly opposed to the holiday and banned its practice in the new colonies. However, Halloween gradually made its way to North America through the mass Irish and Scottish immigration of the 19th century. It quickly took hold. By the 20th century it was celebrated across the United States by people from all backgrounds.

It is important to say that Christians' attitudes towards Halloween are very diverse and that we can and do disagree over what to do with Halloween. In some traditions such as the Anglican Church, Christians celebrate the All Hallow's Eve through special worship services that include prayer and fasting.

Many Protestant churches celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, to remember the Protestant Reformation. Others celebrate with Harvest Festivals or Reformation Festivals, in which children dress up as Bible characters. Still other churches embrace the holiday by providing events such as Trunk-or-Treat where families can come and get candy in a safe, Christian atmosphere. Many Evangelical Christians reject the holiday because they feel it celebrates or embraces the occult and paganism.

What to Do with Halloween?

I may have explained a little bit about the history of Halloween, but you’re probably still wondering, "What should I do with Halloween?" Here are a few things to take into consideration as you discern how you, your family, and your church should handle Halloween.

1. Don’t be a Freak So many Christians are just downright freaks when it comes to Halloween. What I mean is they retreat from the world, lock their doors, turn off their lights, and get under the covers on Halloween night. Worse yet, they judge other people by whether or not they celebrate Halloween. I think some Christians can and do turn nonbelievers off by their attitudes about Halloween.
2. Be Missional I think Halloween is one of the best opportunities to be missional in the year? My family and I get together with some other families for a meal. Then we go through a small kid-friendly neighborhood together to collect candy. It is very innocent. Every year I have a chance to talk about Christ as we walk through the neighborhood. Don’t miss the moments and opportunities the Lord may be giving you to share and live out your faith.
3. Set Boundaries I am not advocating a wholesale celebration of Halloween. Much of it is dark and can introduce your children to the occult. I encourage you to use discernment, prayer, and set boundaries as needed. There are times when we can and should say no if it is going to compromise our faith in Christ. I can’t tell you what to do in every situation; how that plays out depends entirely on you and your context.
4. Talk to Your Children Tell your children about the history behind Halloween, and warn them about the dark side that can and does so often get associated with the holiday. Children are smart, and Halloween can be a teaching time to share with them and others the gospel of Christ.
5. Don’t Judge Others Lastly, don’t judge others when it comes to celebrating Halloween. Good Christians can and do disagree on this issue. Some Christians feel very strongly about not celebrating Halloween while others have no problem with it at all.  I believe that it is an open-handed issue, that each Christian must seek the Lord and obey his or her conscience. You have to decide what is right for you and your family when it comes to celebrating Halloween.

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Winfield Bevins serves as lead pastor of Church of the Outer Banks , which he founded in 2005. He has a doctorate from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary  in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He lives in the beautiful beach community of the Outer Banks with his wife Kay and two daughters.

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For more free articles about missional living, see Mission: Suburbs by Casey Cease, and Satan in the Suburbs by Seth McBee.

The Problem with Proselytizing

No exaggeration, there was a time when I took Deuteronomy 6:7 to mean that the only form of truly godly education was home-education:

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. - Deuteronomy 6:7

D.A. Carson is known to say, “My father used to tell me that a text without a context becomes a pretext for a proof text, so when I was still quite young I learned to look at the context." In my insistence on homeschooling, I was not applying Carson's piece of solid wisdom. I justified my view. I claimed that flowing from this verse a case is made for homeschooling only. Later, I expanded my view to include classical Christian schools or homeschooling only.

During those years I invested a lot of my time recruiting for these two methods. At one point, I gave a friend a book the premise of which was basically “homeschool at all costs.” I was so black and white about homeschooling that I offended my friend deeply.

As I've looked back on it over the years, I remember talking a lot about being more “godly.” It was always about becoming “holy” and being more “godly.” The things I had in mind to accomplish this holiness/godliness was a long list of what we used to call “distinctives.” Besides homeschooling or classical Christian school, this list included: no youth groups; no Sunday school; no church programs; women can read books together but not Bible study; singing Psalms and hymns only and preferably in 4-part harmony; communion every week (and must be with wine); healthy natural diet. I best stop here. The list is very long. It even contains things that are good, but upholding them as I did - especially in prideful opposition to brothers and sisters in Christ - was the opposite of holiness and godliness.

Believe me when I say I was able to justify all these things from Scripture, and to top it all off - as if this wasn't enough - I had a healthy dose of mockery and scoffing for those who were not “like-minded.” Maybe you have your own list.

I have tried to unravel what coalesced in my thinking and brought me to that point.

What are we sharing?

Over the last year or so I realized how much easier it is for people to become excited about something that works for them or has been a blessing in their lives. We want to share it with everyone we know. Except sometimes it's not just a simple sharing. There's pressure to go with the particular brand/idea/method that we're advocating.

In my experience, we are so often more excited and more pushy and more willing to talk about all kinds of things (e.g. cloth diapers vs. disposable, organic eating, natural baby birth, parenting and education methods) rather than sharing the gospel or talking about Jesus. I'm not casting blame. I had to confront this in my own heart.

There was a time when I was convinced that speaking theological truths to each other was actually out of bounds for godly, obedient Christian women. My rationale was that women should only learn the Scriptures from their husbands and spend their time with other women concentrating on being better keepers of their homes. Obviously, with this mindset, participating in organized women's Bible studies was out of the question, and I imagined that “sharpening” would come through organic relationships. I find it beautiful that in God's mysterious providence he has now put it on my heart to teach and lead Bible studies for women. I now long for women to make their greatest treasure Jesus and the Scriptures.

The Problem with Proselytizing

I understand that not everyone falls into, or has fallen into, this way of thinking. You don't have to take proselytizing to the extremes that I did to stumble in this way. Why do we find it more palatable, or even preferable, to spend more of our time “sharing” or talking each other into things that fall into the category of freedom in Christ, instead of investing our precious time with each other talking about the depths of the gospel? This is the problem with proselytizing.

In Unbelievable Gospel Jonathan Dodson has some hard truths to say about proselytizing versus evangelizing. These things can be just as easily applied to a group where all are Christians—proselytizing, instead of sharpening one another according to Scripture, instead of discipling one another.

Dodson sets up this convicting contrast:

“Proselytizing is motivated by recruitment. Those who proselytize try to recruit people to different things... The proselytizer puts faith in rational arguments and in social networks. Whatever is of greatest value to us motivates our proselytizing. Depending on your values, Christianity may have its strongest expression in a political party, a moral code, a view of the book of Revelation, form or denomination of church, or doctrinal stance. Notice that none of these are focused on Jesus. We all recruit to what we think is most important. Men recruit to sports teams; women recruit to fashion trends. In the case of the proselytizer, he recruits to faith in a messiah and lord other than Jesus. On the whole, faith is placed in the messiah of church and the lord of doctrine. This false gospel goes something like: 'If you join the right church and get the right doctrine, then you can be saved.' The true gospel simply says: 'If you join Jesus through repentance and faith, then he will save you.' Quite different.” (emphasis added)

And here's where it really hurt:

“The proselytizer’s good news is that you can swap out your inferior beliefs and community for her superior beliefs and better community (which is offensive).”

The Opportunity for Evangelizing

In my opinion, Dodson nails it. You can substitute any of your hobby horses for the examples he gives. The bottom line is that for one reason or another we all at times would much rather “recruit” someone in order that they be more like-minded with us, then to help them have the mind of Christ. In our prideful shallow hearts, we are all about our “kingdom of one,” rather than the kingdom of God, as Paul Tripp puts it.

It's helpful to ask how and why sincere Christians fall into the trap of proselytizing rather than evangelizing unbelievers or sharpening fellow believers in Christ. Here is a short list of what I learned when I searched my own heart. (There will be different rationales for different folks):

1. I insulated myself and my children as much as possible from unbelievers, and from believers whom I considered to be not as mature of Christians as I would prefer. Obviously this led to absolutely zero evangelistic opportunities. It also led to a lack of discipleship. I didn't want to take the time with people who I considered to be less sanctified than I was. I only wanted to be around people who were “like-minded” with me and living their lives the way I thought “godly” people should. My reward for this type of living: gospel amnesia, isolation, lack of grace and compassion, judgmentalism, self-righteousness, and rigidness.
2. I preferred to proselytize women to what I believed to be the high watermarks of sanctification defined by what I had read or heard instead of the actual Scriptures. This caused me to be more willing and excited to give out books that I believed would convince others of my view. (Of course I was operating out of blindness since I had not taken the time myself to read widely and compare these authors to the Scriptures and to other authors.)
3. I was more excited about our life choices then I was about my Lord and Savior. That made it easier to talk about all the things we can “do” to be “better” or “godly.”
4. I was more willing to recruit women to the things I was excited about because I sincerely believed that these were the things that could change their life for the better. Because I was not washing my soul with the gospel, daily, I put my faith and hope for transformation in something else—something other than Christ.
5. I was more willing to recruit women to my way of things because it made me look like I had all the answers.

We need to take this Scripture to heart and not think it was just for all those foolish Pharisees two thousand years ago:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. —Matthew 23:15

Why would Jesus give such a rebuke? Because they were proselytizing in order to turn people to their way of living and being “clean” instead of seeking to turn the hearts of people toward God himself. As John Piper has said in God is the Gospel, even the blessings of God are not to be what we desire. Yes, God is the gospel! We are to desire God himself.

It wasn't until God opened my eyes and brought me face to face with Jesus again that I was able to start “gospeling” instead of recruiting—discipling and sharpening instead of proselytizing. The friend I gave that homeschooling book to forgave me for my pushy, immature offensiveness. But our relationship was never the same again. I had gone too far. We were able to say goodbye as sisters in Christ when I moved away, but I have thought about her often over the years—so many things I would take back if I could.

I am grateful that through the convicting and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, I am not that woman anymore, but these habits are hard to break. I need Jesus! I need a deep full-orbed understanding of the gospel. I need books like Unbelievable Gospel to wake me up. And I need loving brothers and sisters in Christ to model true evangelism and communal sharpening for me.

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Luma Simms (@lumasimms) is a wife and mother of five delightful children between the ages of 1 and 18. She studied physics and law before Christ led her to become a writer, blogger, and Bible study teacher. Her book Gospel Amnesia is forthcoming on GCD Press. She blogs regularly at Gospel Grace.

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For more insights on authentically sharing the gospel, check out Jonathan Dodson's Unbelievable Gospel. We're now offering a Print Edition.

For more free resources on gospel centered living, read: Stephen Witmer's Psalm 127 & 3 Ways to Live or Ben Connelly's A Child's Gospel.

When Love Refuses to Affirm

*Editor's Note: This was #2 on our Top Posts of 2012. _

There are times when your love for people trumps your desire to stay away from potentially offending them. This is one of those times.

I recently stumbled across a theological statement of The Vision Church of Atlanta which proudly boasts Bishop Allen and his life partner, "First Gentleman" Rashad. Included on the page is a horrific handling of Leviticus, the Law, and Jesus's views on such things, but that's probably a post for another day. Here is the particularly gut-wrenching section that I want to focus on here:

We believe that God’s love is inclusive and welcoming to all. We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ cuts across all barriers which fragment and divide us. We are called to love, affirm and welcome all regardless of race, gender and/or affectional orientation, class, or life situation. As Christ-centered Christians, we are to be known for our inclusiveness, reconciliation, and liberation for all who are oppressed. The church has too often allowed particular aspects of a person to place them out of the faith. Therefore, we emphasize the “whosoever” in John 3:16. We are also called to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves” (Mark 12:29-31), and “love our enemies” Luke 6:27.

So much can be said about this section, but what troubles me most is that the drafter of this explanation (likely the bishop himself) uses the love of Christ as a springboard for the "love equals affirmation" hermeneutic. I totally agree much of this presentation, everything from the power of the barrier-crossing gospel to the call to love our neighbors and enemies. Any Christian would quickly and rightly say "amen!" to that.

Where the logic totally falls apart is assuming that the inclusiveness of the gospel allows for no standard of right and wrong. The gospel is indeed the power of God to save the Jew, Gentile, man, woman, child, black, white, etc. But that's not all. It is also a proclamation that sin has been conquered and that God's righteous reign is supreme. His glory is paramount. In short, the implication by The Vision Church is that because the gospel is not a sectarian message in its reach, tolerance is the highest form of love. In fact, love is often the opposite.

What's Love Got to Do with It?

When defining love, we must be extremely careful not to confuse it with affirmation. I love my wife whether she commits adultery or not, and I would forgive and reconcile with her if that were to ever happen (God forbid), but I would not condone nor endorse her to do it again. Christ's death on the cross would cover that sin, but he would also command repentance and I rightly would expect the same. The beauty of the gospel is not that we get to sin freely, but that we are free to sin no more. We have so individualized everything in our culture that "what works for me is best for me" has firmly seeped into much of today's Christian thought. Repentance and dying to self flip that script entirely.

Jesus clearly spent much of his ministry teaching and modeling love. As mentioned before, he said that we must love our God, our neighbors, and our enemies. Indeed, John says that "God is love" in his first epistle (1 John 4:8). However, we should also pay attention to how Jesus loved. His interaction with the woman caught in adultery in John 8 is a striking example that comes to mind. After saving her life from those who sought to condemn and marginalize her, he said this:

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

What a beautiful picture of grace! He could have easily judged her (as the true Judge) and yet he told her, "I do not condemn you." Now, we could stop there, but we can't. Why? Because Jesus didn't stop there. He then says, "Go and sin no more." See that? Love is not just the forgiveness of sins, but also the pointing toward something better. When Christians, exercising real humility and gentleness, tell a homosexual or alcoholic or adulterer or gossip queen that what they are doing is a sin, they are exercising the love of Christ. It is not loving to leave people in their sin or simply offer hollow acquittal. Jesus pardons sin and points us in the right direction.

At the Cross

In reflecting on the aforementioned theological averment that promotes a choose-your-own-lifestyle therapy, it is grievous that the gospel is weakened to such a nebulous ideal. What's more, this kind of thought is being broadcasted as the true teachings of Jesus. Jesus becomes nothing more than a naïve mother who accepts all of her children's flaws. This flies in the face of the cross, where God in the flesh died the most gruesome form of execution ever created to gain victory over sin. He hung there because sin is that hideous and offensive. Paul lists a very particular set of sins in 1 Cor. 6:7-10 that range from the greedy to the homosexual and in verse 11 says, "that's what some of you were, but you were sanctified and justified in Christ." In this transferred vindication, we walk away from those things and into the newness of life.

The cross indicts every one of us but there is hope on the other side of an empty tomb. We cannot trust our own hearts. We cannot think of our own preferences. We cannot be defined by those things which God clearly warns against. We must be washed in the blood, sent out of the grave and into the world. There can be no reconciliation where sin is not only accepted but endorsed. It pains me to see people so blinded by their own fragmented hearts, but I can pray with joy and hope knowing that no one is out of the reach of God's saving hand.

Thinking and Feeling

John Piper has written a powerful book on the life of the mind entitled Think. Piper is easily my favorite writer, and this is possibly my favorite book of his. Here is an excerpt from the book on why our head and our heart should both be stimulated in our faith:

God has given us minds and demanded that we use them in understanding and applying his Word. And God has given us emotions which are equally essential and which he has commanded to be vigorously engaged in his service.

If we neglect the mind we will drift into all sorts of doctrinal error and dishonor God who wills to be known as he is. And if we neglect the heart we will be dead while we yet live no matter how right our creed is.

Often I run across people who are either more logically-driven or more emotionally-driven in regards to their faith. There are problems that can arise if we focus too much on one or the other.

Thinking Too Much

This can lead to 1) an issue of intellectual pride, and 2) legalism. One problem that exists in theological circles is that people tend to feel that they have so logically figured God out that they frown upon or belittle anyone who does not “get it.” This mindset drives us into idolizing something other than God and causes us to focus on the dogmatic and not the spiritual. Over-thinking makes us a sort of mindless robot, going through the motions but not taking seriously the supernatural, unexplainable work of God. We must be able to live in the tension of our finite minds and God's infinite mind, understanding that we cannot fully grasp his endless wonders. This realization should cause great humility and admiration of our matchless King.

Feeling Too Much

The main issue here is that people get so caught up in their last emotional high that they are disappointed when that high fades out. The Christian faith is not always crying during worship or an insatiable desire to read the Word; often times it is gut-wrenching and plain exhausting. You will not always “feel like” living obediently or dying to self. This is where sound, basic theology of who God is and what he has done can carry us through the dryness of life in a fallen world. We must be able to use our knowledge of God to remind our hearts that his glory is worth fighting for and that he has not lied or drawn us to himself in vain. Emotional reactions to circumstances have led me to a tainted view of a good God.

My prayer is that God would not only tune my mind to him, but tune my heart as well. The gospel frees us to take both our thoughtful doubts and heart-led burdens to the throne of grace. He is there, he promises to provide. If our minds and hearts are both in rhythm with God - albeit imperfectly - we will be a grave danger to Satan’s work in this world.

Patience & Discipleship

There is a virtue that has quickly become endangered in our practice of discipleship today. Few might notice the decline of this species, and it certainly hasn’t happened overnight. Slowly but surely, patience, our grandparents's virtues, has become virtually extinct from our modern mindset regarding discipleship. This virtue is a mark of Holy Spirit vitality in a church and in a people. And it’s something I am not. What I am is an impatient person. Ask people who know me well and they will confess to you that waiting, enduring, and sticking at something long-term is a chore for me. I would prefer instant gratification in regards to just about everything. When it comes to spiritual transformation in myself and in the lives of others I like to say I’m eager for change. The reality is however, that I am impatient. Somewhere in the back of my mind I believe our churches should grow faster, we should see more missional communities develop, and that lost people should get saved right now. Christians should get over their besetting sins today not tomorrow and certainly not next month. Unbelievers on our street should come to Jesus right now, next week is too late.

Pastors are clever and cloak this lack of patience in what we call “urgency.” Somehow the spiritual fruit of urgency is more valuable than the spiritual fruit of patience. Yet only one of those two qualities made the list of spiritual fruits in Galatians 5:22, and urgency isn’t it. Patience is the endangered species we desperately need to recapture in our talk and practice of discipleship.

The Fruit of the Spirit Belongs to the Church

There are countless articles, books, and materials in publication these days on what constitutes a healthy church. Many of these resources are helpful for thinking through the functions and practices of the local church. I have yet to see one, however, that measures the health of the local church on the vitality of the Spirit’s fruit in our midst. Instead of measuring our church health and growth in terms of physical numbers, dollars, and  downloads, shouldn’t we look to the biblical paradigm for health? Could it be that we have failed to understand what makes us healthy and vibrant, and exchanged the Spirit’s work among us for what we can largely manufacture and measure ourselves?

It’s my belief that the list known as “the fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5 is more than just a personal checklist of character traits for the Christian. These qualities should not just be embodied by individuals that make up the church, but are the very qualities the church, as a communal entity, should embody. When we look at the local church, as a whole, we should see a people of love, joy, peace, patience, etc. Things like love, joy, and patience should be prominent traits in healthy missional communities and healthy churches.

To truly say there is a movement of the Spirit among us, we must look for the signs of the Spirit. Those signs are not necessarily rapid growth, large budgets, and cultural influence. We can grow things and call them “spiritual” and understand that the Spirit had nothing to do with them. Nor can we look at small bastions of fundamentalism and “holiness” and concur that they are spiritually healthy either. Chances are that many of these groups are just as deeply mired in the “works of the flesh” that Paul speaks of (like divisiveness) before unpacking the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-21). What we must look at as a real measure of true Spirit-led, Spirit-filled healthy churches are the fruit of the Spirit. Do we see love, joy, and so forth as growing and evident as a culture in our churches? This is how we know the Spirit of God is actively at work in our midst.

Patience As Gospel

So what is this thing we call "patience?" Our modern notions of patience often revolve around waiting, delaying gratification, and boredom. Patience is passé if not downright dull. With conveniences like fast food (or quick-service, if you prefer), instant digital downloads, pre-approved loans, and express checkout at your nearest grocery store, the concept of patience is almost foreign to our world. Who wants to wait for a church to grow? We are far too prone to believe that practicing the right methods will convince God to bring in the masses by the thousands. If that doesn’t happen in our church we can become depressed and wonder if we haven’t done it right. We don’t like to wait.

Patience is more than waiting. I like the word that some of the older English translations use for this concept of patience: longsuffering. It is the idea of bearing with someone, enduring the hurt and pain of their failure and sin. Longsuffering calls us to take some hits, get messied-up with failure, endure disappointment. It calls for a long-term commitment. This isn’t our weekend life-improvement project that resolves itself at 6pm on Sunday evening before we head back into a routine week. This is the day-in, day-out grind of shared-life. Longsuffering calls for endurance. We can’t give up at the first failure. We stick with it, we endure the sin, we pray for change, we love the offender.

If anything, patience is a picture of the gospel. The holy God who created all things for his glory has an incredibly long-term view on humanity. Over six-thousand years of the recorded history of grace is evidence of God’s concept of longsuffering. From our first parents' initial rebellion in the garden God has been enduring our mess of sin, failure, rejection, rebellion, and apostasy. And he has suffered because of it. Jesus, the eternal Son of God took on flesh and was patient with humanity day-by-day as they misunderstood, rejected, and failed him.

He was patient with sinners to the point of enduring the suffering of death on the cross. And as the resurrected King he is longsuffering now. Where scoffers would mock his coming and say, “God has forgotten you,” they misunderstand his slowness for what it really is--longsuffering so that they will repent (2 Peter 3:8-9). The gospel is good news of a patient God who is longsuffering with his rebellious people, to the point of actual suffering and death so that we might be restored and rescued from our impending doom.

Patience As a Corporate Culture

If the gospel is a gospel of patience, and the spiritual vitality of a church and people is measured not necessarily by their numerical size but by Holy Spirit fruitfulness, then what place does patience have in our communities? Patience is a corporate culture we’ve largely ignored and forgotten about. We need a perspective change, and I am thankful that the Scriptures give us that change. Where the church in America is commonly compared to or envisioned as a business model, we need to look at farming to understand spiritual vitality.

Last summer my wife and daughter planted a garden in our back yard. They purchased some seeds and starter plants for tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and strawberries. After planting them and initially watering them, my then three-year old wanted to know when we could eat the strawberries. I had to explain that it takes time for these to grow. She was frustrated. She had done all the right things; planted in good soil, watered, fertilized, but the results were not immediate. Even the first “crop” of strawberries were small and not really tasty. Yet as the summer moved on and the plants continued to be watered, nourished, and given proper care, the harvest was good. Even James uses the imagery of the farmer to describe patience (James 5:7-12).

So what does this look like for the church? Practically the idea of patience bears itself out in how long we will endure sinners. I don’t use the term sinners in the sense of “everyone is a sinner.” I mean how long will you, your church, your community group put up with someone who is sinning against you? How long will you bear the blows of a sinner against your life? How long will you endure the frustration of someone who “just doesn’t get it?” How long will you continue to invite over, hang out with, and witness to your unbelieving neighbor before you give up on them and move on to another personal evangelism project? How long will you pray for your spouse to change and grow before you decide they are beyond the effort of grace? How long will you be kind to and love the grumpy elderly man who frumps around at your church gatherings each week? How long will your community group love and serve someone who continues to lose their job and, by the world’s standard, is a social failure? How long will you as church leaders call and pray and meet with the sinner in your body before you give them a letter of dismissal and never see them again?

We need patience as a church in evangelism. We need patience as a church in discipleship. We need patience as a church in repentance and discipline. We need patience in our preaching. We need patience in our giving. More than anything we need patience in our expectations of the pace of justification and sanctification in the lives of other people.

Pastors, let us not put patience on the back burner of spiritual growth and love for the false idols of urgency and influence. Let us love our people well with longsuffering. Christians, let us not treat unbelievers as evangelism projects that expire at the end of thirty days, but let us be longsuffering evangelists to them. Churches, let us not drink from the broken well of immediate gratification and think that only twelve-week programs are discipleship. Let us take the long road of shared-life and endure the sins and offenses of life-on-life because this is what our Savior has done for us.

Is patience endangered in your life? Is it rare and hard to find within your church and missional community? We need the Holy Spirit to produce what he says he will. We need to measure health in our lives and churches by the things the Holy Spirit says are healthy. Patience is the fruit of a Spirit-led, spiritually vital church. Let’s ask God to give us that, and not the modern gruel of fast-food discipleship.

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Jeremy Writebol is the husband of Stephanie, daddy of Allison and Ethan, and lives and works in Wichita, KS as the Community Pastor at Journey the Way. He is the director of Porterbrook Kansas and writes at jwritebol.net.

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To go deeper into living a life filled with the Holy Spirit, read Holy Spirit by Winfield Bevins.

For more free articles about gospel centered discipleship, check out Laying the Foundation for Spiritual Growth by Robert Dukes and Street Grace by Jake Chambers.

Satan in the Suburbs

Satan. Lucifer. Beelzebub. The devil. Whatever you want to call him, most of us treat the adversary as though he is a biblical fairy tale. Historically, it seems as though Satan gets too much play or none at all. We either blame everything (including burnt toast) on him, or nothing. Rarely have we dealt with him in the middle, knowing he's against us, but understanding our Father is greater. For my life, I've mainly dealt with the devil as an afterthought. I have believed in Satan because as the song goes … the Bible tells me so, but I have never believed that he influences my everyday life.  He’s there, but don’t mention him.

Here is what I have found out, practically, about the devil as I have tried to live out the mission of making disciples in my suburban neighborhood:

1. Satan attacks disciple making.
2. Don’t be surprised when he attacks.
3. God is glorious, so we don’t have to fear others, including the devil.

Satan attacks disciple making

What I have found out is that Satan is present among disciple makers who are actually doing the enemy's will masked in God's favor. What do I mean by this?

For years, I never made disciples of Jesus. Did I make disciples? Yes. Everyone makes disciples, it’s either of yourself or of Jesus. This is one way Satan attacks discipleship. Although I believed I was making good little moralist people whom God would be so glad to have on his team, I was actually drafting soldiers that were fighting well against the gospel--making the gospel seem unnecessary. I was doing Satan’s work for him.

A little over three years ago, the tides changed. Stripped of my moralism, the good news was finally … good news.  Although I grew up in the church my whole life, not until the law was shown to be subject to the Savior instead of the savior itself, did I see how beautiful the news truly was. When this happened, everything changed.

I stopped making disciples of  myself (or at least did my best to stop that kind of self glorifying work). I started to do whatever I could to show others Jesus and what he was like. Instead of expecting sinners to come to me, I started to go to them. Instead of expecting sinners to clean themselves up so they could come to the church, I realized I was as filthy as anyone, and that I am the church only because of grace. And because of that grace, I could go to people where they were and show them and tell them the good news in a way that would really be good news to them. To bring the gospel in a way that made an impact on them where they were in that moment.

As my family started to live this out, everything seemed to be going well. Very well. Neighborhood events, dinners, people seeing and hearing the good news in many different ways. Within this picture of gospel community, Satan made a vicious attack on us--spiritually. He attacked us with the very people we were reaching out to.

We have lived in the same neighborhood for eight years. For the first five years, we never did anything to make disciples of Jesus. For the past three, we have done everything we could to self-sacrifice for the sake of making disciples of Jesus.  Have we done this perfectly? By no means. It’s interesting that we were left alone for the first five years, but now during the last three, Satan has been on the prowl like a roaring lion.

Instead of attacking us by physical illness, something Job-like, it came as a knock at the door. It was a neighbor we had been tirelessly reaching out to, trying to show Jesus to his whole family. He came on a Friday, when he knew I wouldn't be home. For twenty minutes, he cussed at my wife, saying he had put up with her for eight years, but in reality had hated her the entire time. He then listed off ways in which he found her to be disgusting. These things he listed--these charges that weren't grounded in reality--though they hadn't really happened, they were the four things my wife had been trying deeply to rid herself of since leaving our previous church where we were once the good little moralists. The only people who knew the depth of these four struggles were myself and my wife. Our MC (missional community) knew most of them, but not the depth of the hurt these four things had caused our souls. God knew everything, and we came to find out, so did Satan.

Shortly after, my wife called to let me know what happened. As a husband, I was furious. I had to decide if I’d go to jail, or respond to my enemy in love. Would I disciple my family and the neighborhood to Jesus, or to myself?

I gave him a call, we spoke, and I called out his lies where they needed to be called out. In the end, I told him we’d respect his wishes for our families not to interact further. I did my best to show him love, all the while wanting to take him to the wood shed. We live literally ten feet apart.

Don’t Be Surprised When Satan Attacks

We are told many times that we’ll be hated, attacked, and despised for living a life of hope and peace. We need to be ready to be attacked. Peter even says don’t be surprised by the fiery ordeal amongst you. Jesus says to know that we’ll be hated because they first hated him.

When my wife was attacked by our neighbor, our first thought was, “Why?”  If I listed all the ways we’d loved this family, you’d think I was making it up. Again, a reminder that we should never be loving others for what we’ll get from them, but only because of how much our Father has loved us.

On the question of why Satan attacks, he attacked us because of what was happening in the neighborhood. We have had so many people see Jesus and hear about Jesus in the last three years in our neighborhood that Satan could not take us being on his turf any more. If he is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, who is a lion going to attack? A lion attacks for food or for protection of the herd. I believe he was attacking here because he was trying to protect his herd against his enemy: Jesus.

When you are on the mission field, doing the work of Jesus, Satan will attack to keep the eyes of his herd closed to the glories of Jesus. Instead of merely attacking the work, he attacks those that are doing the work to nip the work in the bud.  If he can rid the neighborhood of us, then he can rid the light from the darkness. Not because we are special, but because we are the workmen of Jesus being used by the Spirit to show off who he is.

Why my wife? Peter tells us to love our wives like a weaker vessel, put in our vernacular, like a prized vase that you take great care of and keep from breaking. Satan figured that if he could take out my wife, she’d crumble and our disciple making would be over. Satan has not only attacked my wife through our neighbor, but he has also shown up in visions and dreams of demons surrounding her, trying to show her his strength against her. I’ll add something to this a little further down.

So, why did this neighbor attack my wife, or really us as a family? This neighbor knows us pretty well, as our family is very open and honest about our struggles and our lives in general. He knows who we trust and the hope and peace we have in Jesus. When you live in such a way where you have an honest hope and trust in something greater than yourself, and there is no explaining it away, you end up showing others that they actually don’t live in true peace and hope. We believe in the end, this neighbor started to see that his life was being threatened by us. He had a view of what Christians were, namely hypocrites that don’t look like Jesus in any way. Now he had people living ten feet away from him, loving him without restrictions, without any strings attached, and I believe it crushed his view of not only Jesus, but of his whole life, which he thought was peaceful and hopeful. When that crashed around him, he attacked because he didn’t know what else to do.

This isn’t some “look how great we’ve been to our neighbor” act, but it is the reality of the Scriptures. Think through this.  Why was Jesus hated? Because he showed the people that their deeds were evil (John 7:7; John 15:18-23). Why will we be persecuted? Because we live godly in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:12). When we do these things, we are discipling people to Jesus, and this kicks against not only the individualistic American Dream but against Satan himself.

So, as you prepare to live a life on mission to show off Jesus … be ready. Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. That someone is you.

God is glorious, so I don't have to fear others, including Satan

The beautiful thing about all this is that God is glorious; he is greater than all things and beings and is in complete control. Therefore, we fear nothing or no one, including the devil.

After this happened to my wife, I told her that it was time for us to rest and allow God to defend himself in this matter, and that we didn’t need to defend ourselves. We told no one, besides our MC, as we didn’t desire to spread rumors or slander against our neighbor. During this time, many emotions bubbled up. This was not a time where we were perfect, nor handled it like stoics. There were times of fierce anger, lots of screaming about the situation and asking God why he was allowing this to happen. After the incident on the porch, another time the family attacked my nine-year-old’s character. They were persistent. We didn’t know if we’d ever reach out to our community again because the hurt to our family ran so deep.

We didn’t hide these emotions from each other, God, or our missional community. One beautiful thing about this was the wisdom and insight we received from God through our people. Two women had visions and dreams about our neighborhood and the attack that was happening. One described it as demon possession and that much prayer needed to happen for the family. Not only that, but this woman and her husband offered us up a place to stay if we desired to flee from the devil and his schemes. It was a beautiful time for our MC family. Another woman said that God gave her a vision of not only the army of darkness that surrounded our house, but that God confirmed for her and us that the army of God was protecting us and would one day send us to proclaim the good news again.

One of my elders spoke to us telling us that Jesus had many people that hated him, and he still partied in their midst. Jesus literally was at parties where his enemies were and they would scorn him in front of others. This elder reminded us of the good news of who God is and our calling to love others for the sake of the glory of God.

As we prayed, my wife was given a vision. It was in the middle of the night and she woke in terror. She saw demonic beings up and down our walls seeking to attack her. I was leaving to speak at a conference, and Satan was telling her that when I left, he was going to attack her. That was when another beautiful thing happened: my wife felt comfort. Terror left her. Fear was gone. Peace and joy filled her as she told Satan:

"My husband is not my protector. He is not my savior. He is not the one who ensures my safety. The only one who can protect me, save me, and ensure my safety is the God of the universe. And I call him Daddy.

Through all of this attack, although our emotions were up and down, Satan failed. Jesus won. Our Jesus allowed this to happen to bring us closer to him and to understand why we are on the mission field. It is not about ourselves or what we’ll get from it. It’s not so we can grab attention or get anything from those we serve. There is only one reason we are on the mission field--to show off who Jesus is.

As we show off who Jesus is, the God who is all glorious brings us along in his power and protection so that we’ll press more into him and the understanding of his glory and might and not our own. Satan thought that by trying to break my wife, he’d win. What he did instead was to press my wife even further into the loving arms of her true Savior, her true Protector, her true Salvation. And by doing this, he strengthened my understanding of what it means to love my wife and trust that my Heavenly Dad loves her far more than I do.

When we begin to understand this, we can press even further into the mission of making disciples who make disciples, knowing that Satan is ready to attack, but that our Protector is there and ready at our defense for the sake of his glory.

It’s his mission. It’s his power. It’s for his glory.

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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 as well as a missional community leader, preaching elder with Soma Communities in Renton, Washington, and executive team member of the GCM Collective. Twitter @sdmcbee

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To go more in depth into the gospel centered life, read Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson.

For more free articles about spiritual warfare, read Spiritual Warfare Prayer by Winfield Bevins.

Rethinking Devotion

For the longest time I believed Christianity was all about becoming a better person. I thought the only way to gain acceptance before God was by doing more and trying harder. Boy was I wrong. These thoughts led to a lot of internal focus on my struggles, flaws, and weaknesses. It was all about me. My thoughts were consumed with whether or not I was becoming a “better Christian.” Because that is what Christianity is all about, right? That’s what I thought.

Many of us grew up in the church feeling this burden of performance. I thought that devotion to God looked like rigorous effort and righteous improvement, but we don’t have the ability within ourselves to be fully devoted to God.

Say what?

For performance freaks like myself, we love to convince ourselves that we have the ability do it! We can be devoted to God if we just try harder! But the truth is that the more I try, the more it becomes about me and the less it is about Jesus Christ.

Backward Devotion

We can try all we want, but we will never be fully devoted to God until we are in his presence spending eternity with him. Don’t get confused - we must strive to be devoted to God in our lives; however, we must strive to do so by looking at Jesus Christ and not by focusing on our own personal progress.

Where I fail in being devoted to God every day, Christ succeeded in being devoted every single moment of his life. We are justified by faith in the substitutionary death and perfect life of Christ Jesus. Jesus was completely devoted to his Father. He followed his will perfectly. Jesus Christ loved fully and was always loyal. He was, and always will be, the only man to ever walk on planet Earth who was completely devoted to God. We cannot get it backward.

Outward Devotion

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you - unless you believe in vain. - 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Reading through 1 Corinthians one night, I recognized the gospel of Jesus was something that we as Christians had received (past tense), something that we stand on (present tense), and something by which we're being saved. This verse revolutionized my thinking. I felt like my eyes had been open to the now-power of the gospel.

But what did this mean for me? I had already been a Christian for a few years, and I thought my Christian walk was about becoming more devoted to Christ. Well that’s true of course, but the way to become more devoted and sanctified in Christ is the tricky part. The gospel of Jesus Christ hit me like a ton of bricks that night and I realized that true spiritual growth was about focusing less on myself and more on Christ. This meant that the gospel essentially turned me outward away from myself and toward Christ and others.

At church, my focus was able to be on God and others because I was covered by the righteousness of Christ. In my family life, I was able to focus on their needs because I knew that all of my needs had been provided for by Christ. Within my community, I was able to love others freely because of the unmerited love I had received on the cross of Christ. The gospel changed everything.

Over time the view of myself diminished and my dependence upon Christ increased. My daily walk with Christ changed dramatically because I spent more of my time focusing on his finished work for me and less on my performance for him. I was able to be more devoted to Christ because my focus was solely on him. This is what gospel-driven devotion looks like!

Rethinking Devotion

The truth is that we are often more concerned with becoming “devoted Christians” then with becoming devoted to Christ, himself. Philippians 3:14 says, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Our eyes must be focused solely on the work of Jesus and the eternal fellowship that we have gained with God through his death and resurrection our behalf.

The gospel must be our motivation to become devoted to Christ. The gospel is all about the work of God done through Christ! To progress as a Christian is to be grounded in the gospel. The message is completely about Jesus!

This truth freed me from thinking about myself constantly and opened my eyes to the need to look to my sufficient Savior as I progressed in sanctification. I developed an outward outlook and was able to forget about my insufficiencies, my failures, and my flaws. My daily walk with the Lord could now be centered upon loving God and loving others. My eyes were on Jesus and not on myself.  As Tim Keller writes, “Blessed self-forgetfulness!”

After his conversion, the Apostle Paul became one of the most devoted men to Christ throughout Scripture. However, it is interesting to notice that Paul referred to himself over the course of his Christian life as the least of the apostles (1 Cor. 15:9), the very least of all saints (Eph. 3:8), and the foremost sinner (1 Tim. 1:15). Because Paul kept his eyes solely focused on Jesus he was able to admit his lack of devotion to Christ and rest upon the saving grace of Christ Jesus. Paul understood that devotion to Christ was less about him becoming better and more about placing his faith on an unchanging Savior.

Gospel Focused Devotion

If we focus on the gospel and realize that we have already been transferred into the Kingdom of God (Col. 1:13) because of our faith in Christ Jesus, we are able to pursue becoming and strive to become more devoted believers. This is what the process of becoming more like Jesus is all about. Your identity is sealed, so you are able live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel. When gospel truth intervenes in your life, difficult circumstances can be looked at in the light of Christ.

For example, when Christ’s work becomes the center of what you focus on during the day, that horrible job you complain about all the time becomes work you gratefully do for God. Christ has blessed you with it. It means that stay-at-home moms who despise being cooped up in the house all day with three infant kids who are just craving some attention can persevere through their circumstances and rest in the arms of a Savior who whispers, “In you I am well pleased.” It means that students who are being bullied and struggling with depression can find immeasurable peace and hope in knowing they have nothing to prove. Christ has proven everything.

This is what keeping keeping Jesus Christ at the center of our devotion does. We are set free. We become more devoted to God by focusing on the glorious good news. With your identity in Christ sealed, you are able to overcome life’s hardships and suffering because he has overcome! The only truly Christian way to freely pursue devotion to God is with your eyes focused on Jesus.

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Matt Manry is the Director of Students at Life Bible Church in Canton, Georgia and a student at Reformed Theological Seminary. He blogs regularly at gospelglory.net Twitter @matt_manry

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For more resources on devotion, work through Winfield Bevin's primer on the Holy Spirit.

For more free articles on all the particulars of devotion, check out this amazing series about Meditating on God's Word by Tony Merida.

Public Discourse and the Weight of Freedom

*Disclaimer: This post is not in reference to any particular person but rather in response to the innumerable social media updates that daily ridicule those who engage in public discussions. ___

Over the past few weeks, the presidential and vice presidential debates have predictably turned social media into a public debate forum for expounding conservative and liberal viewpoints. Indeed, social media is today's largest and most widely-accessible form of open dialogue. Anyone can own a Facebook or Twitter and offer their opinions without worry of legitimate retribution. Social media is, in just about every sense, the new public forum.

In the midst of this, people are spending equal amounts of time complaining about the aforementioned dialogue on their social media accounts. While many use social media to publish their ideas and convictions about politics and social issues in general, others take to the Internet their desire to banish the conversation and keep their Facebook or Twitter feeds free from bureaucratic exhortation. In both instances, people are exercising their God-ordained and government-allowed freedom to have their voice heard.

Freedom isn't Free, But it is Priceless

As I said in a previous post, people from all over the world flee to America in search of freedoms that they do not experience in their own countries. In many citizens' eyes, these immigrants are a threat to our country because they take American jobs via cheap labor, mooch off welfare, engage in criminal mischief, and are resistant to completely adopt American culture. While there are certainly cases of such behavior and concerns are legitimate, the underlying issue is the simple fact that freedom is priceless. (This would make a great MasterCard commercial, wouldn't it?)

When you reflect on the lives lost in search of American ideals, the weight of freedom is a heavy load to shoulder. People die every day escaping tyranny while others are taken captive in their own countries for owning a Bible or tweeting a negative comment about their government. In the U.S., it is a crime to discriminate based on religion and naysayers unabashedly draw disgusting cartoons, post grotesque pictures, or attach shameful subtitles to photos of our leaders just because they can. Yes, I recognize that this example reveals that there is a severe disconnect between the right to freedom and the abuse of it, but that's an argument for later in the post.

So, how does all of this relate to online political discussion? Let me explain.

A Case for Public Discourse

Elementary education, local news, Time magazine, ESPN, and 140-character tweets all have one thing in common - they provide the opportunity to absorb information and consider others' opinions. I fear that Americans have become inoculated to this precious treasure. As the general population either openly debates or complains about open debate, the irony is that everyone involved is applying the identical principle of freedom of speech. Sarcasm and snarkiness over Internet-based mediums only enhance my point: Americans are free to express themselves. And it's a beautiful thing. People now know your opinion and can assess for themselves whether or not there is a valid proposition to consider. This leads to healthy self-examination of one's own presuppositions and/or assumptions.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, "Without Freedom of Thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as Public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech." There are quite possibly a million theological avenues to go down in this discussion, but for the sake of brevity I want to make two very basic statements about the importance of public discourse based on this quote:

1. "Without Freedom of Thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom" - Do you know why you know anything? Do you know why you have an opinion about anything? Precisely because you are in a free society that allows public discourse. We have opinion television shows on every channel at every second of every day at some point. Your very conscience in many ways is directly affected by the freedom of thought. As Christians, we believe that God's wisdom is true wisdom,and even that cannot come very easily without the freedom for someone to share it with you publicly.

2. "No such Thing as Liberty, without Freedom of Speech" - There are a plethora of countries around the world in which people cannot express their opinion freely. Do we take it for granted in America? Absolutely! But as with anything else in life, one does not throw the whole idea out simply because it is abused. At the foundational level, freedom of speech is a liberty that cannot quantified and it should be promoted at all costs. Having a personal conscience and a right to be an individual is one of the most paramount rights as a human being. Even as Christians are one unified body under Christ, God in no way made us clones. We should embrace diverse people with a heart to learn from them, whether or not we get annoyed at their (perceived) ignorance to a topic.

Give Me Freedom or Give Me Death

Perhaps those who connect with myself and millions of others on social media are not fond of our love for open dialogue. That's fine. Again, we both have the right to feel a certain way. What we cannot do is stifle the public forum. It may sound like an overstatement and implausible, but if people begin to be afraid of ridicule by participating in public discourse then liberty is immediately compromised. I have learned more from dialogue with others on social media than from any other medium of news transmission. I'd prefer to go ahead and meet Jesus in the clouds rather than live in secrecy and seclusion from others' conclusions.

Grief and the Gospel - Part Two

How do I grieve? Evidently, it matters how we grieve. Paul mentions a godly grief and worldly grief (2 Corinthians 7:10). Believers are not to grieve “as those who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Grief and the Gospel - Part One was on open invitation to align our hearts with the heart of God through the grieving of sin. The gospel tells us that sin grieves God, so it should grieve us, too (sin committed by us, sin committed against us, and the various effects of sin). It also tells us that because Jesus is a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, we are not alone in our grief.

But how should we grieve? And more importantly, what should be the outcome of our grief? While social scientists continue to debate the merits of various approaches to grief, the gospel shows itself to be a more than sufficient guide through the process of grief.

Agree with the Father's Grief

The gospel begins with God, therefore grief (along with everything else in life) must begin with God. Remember that sin grieves God, so it should grieve us, too (Ephesians 4:30). Whether you are grieving sin committed by you today, sin committed against you twenty years ago, or the effects of sin committed by Adam at the fall, I believe it’s important to hear the Spirit affirm what we know to be true according to the scriptures.

Ask the Father to speak through the Spirit concerning the particular situation. There’s not adequate space here to do a full treatment on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, but note that the Spirit is sent by the Father in Jesus’ name (John 14:26). The Spirit proceeds from the Father (John 15:26); and the Spirit leads us to the truth about our adoption as God's children, by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” All of this adds up to the fact that the Spirit reveals the heart of the Father to us. When we ask the Father how he feels about sin, his response will always include, “This grieves me.” After hearing this (or at least being reminded of Ephesians 4:30), we can freely grieve along with him. The Greek word that translates as “confess” in 1 John 1:9 means “to say the same thing as another; to agree with.”

Burying our emotions under a pile of self-protection is a common way of dealing with pain. But the gospel invites a much more honest approach. Simply agreeing with God about the grievous nature of sin will be freeing for many. Saying: “That sin committed by me, that sin committed against me, grieves me. It breaks my heart. It’s not the way God designed the world to work.” This is the beginning of confessing our sins. Then we must move on by “agreeing with” the Father’s next thoughts concerning sin, that it is not in line with his holiness, and that it must be dealt with. This is the path to the forgiveness promised in 1 John 1:9.

After simply agreeing with God about the grievous nature of sin, I believe the gospel leads us to pour out our hearts to him. Again, our grief must be about God, or it will become an opportunity for self-obsessed navel gazing and pity parties. 1 Peter 5:5-7 says, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Fixating merely on the hard circumstances of life -- past or present -- is driven by pride. Effectively, we are casting our cares on ourselves. Casting them on God requires humility, an acknowledgment that life is not ultimately about us, but is about him and his glory. The trials of life can cause us to tell our stories with our eyes pointed downward into our cupped hands, looking at our circumstances as if they were an unintelligible pile of garbage. It’s a line with two fixed points --us and our pile of stuff.

The challenge is to humbly bring your pile to the Father, to hold your cupped hands out and lift up your head, gazing not on your circumstances but on the one who is sovereign over them and present in the midst of them. The line becomes a triangle with three points -- us, our pile of stuff, and our perfect Father.

Learn from the Grief Psalms

Many of David’s Psalms are a gripping example of someone pouring out their heart to God, of acknowledging the grievous nature of their circumstances, but doing it in a way that keeps God in the center.

Listen to the words of Psalm 22, which paint a vivid picture of a man who is enduring extreme suffering:

• “I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people.”
• “All who see me mock me…”
• “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within me.”
• “For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. They look and stare at me.”

David has been oppressed, victimized, abused, and mistreated. We don’t know the exact details behind some of David’s references, but it’s clear that he’s been sinned against in tremendous ways.

But how does he frame his lament? Where are his cupped hands?

The Psalm 22 begins this way:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel."

And he says this near the end:

“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!”

In all of David's lament psalms (which we could also call grief psalms), he follows this same pattern:

1. he fixes his gaze on God, affirming his sovereignty and presence;
2. he pours out his heart to God without holding back (“This is terrible! This grieves me!”);
3. then he reaffirms his great faith in God and his determination to worship him no matter what.

Your prayer may sound something like this:

“God, I know you are here! I know you are powerful and present. I know you’ve always been present. You know what I did yesterday, and you know what happened to me years ago. And it grieves me! I know it grieves you, too! When I was mistreated and abused, when people made fun of me and hurt me, when I sinned sexually and spoke hurtful words to others, you were there and you were grieved. And it was terrible. I hated it. It made me want to die. But I know you were there, and I know you are in control, and I know you actually do care. I am in pain, and I still choose to worship you. Heal my broken heart.”

Embrace Gospel Grief

If this all reminds us of Jesus (except for the part about confessing sin), it should.  Matthew makes at least four references to Psalm 22 (27:35, 27:39, 27:43, 27:46), providing us with another clear example of how we should grieve even the most unjust suffering we may endure.

According to the gospel, grief is not about morbid introspection. Gospel grief is about accepting the invitation to pour out your heart to your perfect Father in heaven.

One of the most misquoted verses in the Bible is Romans 8:28:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Often, this verse is quoted when people are experiencing great difficulty. The idea is that God is up to something, that he’s in control, and that he’s going to bring something good out of this mess. While that’s certainly true, it’s not helpful to send a hurting person out on a wild goose chase for some random “good” that may come of their broken circumstances. We must have verse 29 in order to make sense of verse 28:

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Now we know what the "good" is that God is always working toward in the lives of his adopted children. He is always, through good circumstances and bad circumstances, through blessing and through trial, conforming us into the image of his Son. That’s the plan he determined to accomplish in our lives before time began. And in his amazing power and sovereignty, he does in fact bring something good out of the mess. Somehow, he uses sin to accomplish this conforming work. I will never grasp the manner in which he carries this out, but I have experienced his transforming work most powerfully in the midst of sin and trial.

So what’s this got to do with grief? Grief informed by the gospel comes full circle when we can say, like Joseph, “You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good.” Sin is never God’s first choice. Sin is evil, pure and simple. When people sin against us, in some ways there is a plan for our destruction being carried out. But God’s plan trumps that plan, and actually uses sin -- committed by us and against us -- to accomplish a greater, life-giving plan. Your abuser intended it for evil, but God intended it for good.

Embracing this reality, acknowledging the good, Christ-forming work that has been accomplished in your life as a direct result of sinful choices made by yourself and others, is an essential part of grief. Only then do we see that our pain can actually be redeemed -- “bought back” to accomplish God’s purposes.

Jesus has taken the grievous moments of our lives, paid the penalty for the sin that caused them, and redeemed those moments for his purposes. “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…” (Isaiah 53:4).

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Abe Meysenburg and his wife, Jennifer, live in Tacoma, WA, where he serves as a pastor and elder with Soma Communities. In 2001, Abe helped start The Sound Community Church, which then became a part of Soma Communities in May 2007. Twitter: @abemeysenburg

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To read about how the Holy Spirit reveals the heart of the Father to us, check out The Holy Spirit by Winfield Bevins.

Also, read the first free article in this series by Abe Meysenburg, Grief and the Gospel - Part One.

Five Ways to Define Revival

Nathan Finn serves as Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He's a husband, father, elder, baseball enthusiast, and Broadway musical fan.

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On two different occasions, I’ve taught courses on revival and spiritual awakening at Southeastern Seminary, including a PhD seminar. One of the interesting things about the study of revival and spiritual awakening is that nobody can agree upon standard definitions for these terms. In fact, folks can’t even decide if revival and spiritual awakening are synonyms or reflect different (but related) concepts. And what about renewal, resurgence, reformation, etc.? Historians, sociologists, pastors, and other popular writers are all over the map, even within their specific disciplines.

David Bebbington, who has given us the oft-discussed “Bebbington’s quadrilateral” for defining evangelicalism, has also demonstrated at least five different ways that scholars and other students of revival have defined the phenomenon.

1. Revival can mean a personal spiritual awakening experienced by an individual, frequently after a season of spiritual backsliding (think a spiritual “rededication”)
2. Revival can mean a planned series of meetings held by a congregation or a group of congregations (think spring revivals or city-wide crusades)
3. Revival can mean a spontaneous spiritual event that affects a congregation, resulting in greater spiritual vitality and conversions (think Jonathan Edwards’s Northampton church in 1734–35)
4. Revival can mean a spontaneous spiritual event that affects a group of congregations or even an entire region (think the Welsh Revival of 1904–05)
5. Revival can mean a spiritual movement that affects culture at large, spreads to other regions, and lasts for a more extended period of time (think the Transatlantic awakenings of 1739–48 and 1857–1861)

I think this sort of list is helpful. If you’re like me, you’ve heard all (or at least most) of these experiences referred to as revival and/or spiritual awakening. Four of them are various types of spiritual experiences, while the fifth (planned meetings) can be instrumental in bringing about one or more of the other four experiences. In fact, it’s possible that all five of these phenomena could converge into a single, larger experience.

Perhaps we should think of revival as a time of spiritual renewal and numerical growth that can manifest itself in a number of different ways. It can be totally spontaneous, or it can be sought intentionally though various spiritual disciplines (prayer, repentance, etc.). When revival is manifested in a corporate context, it is often a catalyst for innovation and creativity, which is well-received by some and rejected by others. It often, though not always, includes both an element of revitalization and an element of conflict, especially between those with different perceptions about the experience and/or its repercussions. Revival isn’t a permanent phenomenon, but it eventually ebbs, creating a sense of longing and expectation among those who wish to experience it anew. Historical revivals and their results (good and bad) have fundamentally influenced how various evangelicals think about conversion, spirituality, Christian maturity, worship, evangelism and missions, cultural engagement, and just about everything else. Revival movements are having similar effects among evangelicals, especially continuationist evangelicals, in the Global South.

For my part, I’ve experienced the first type of revival and participated in many instances of the second type of revival. I’ve personally witnessed the third type of revival on at least one occasion, though not in a church of which I was a member. I’ve not been a part of the fourth and fifth types of revival, though I study them regularly, both professionally and for my own edification. I pray for revival in my church, in my city, and among American evangelicals in general and Southern Baptists in particular.

For more on Bebbington’s views of revival, including his discussion about various revival definitions, see David W. Bebbington, “Revivals, Revivalism and the Baptists,” Baptistic Theologies 1.1 (Spring 2009):1–13, and idem, Victorian Religious Revivals: Culture and Piety in Local and Global Contexts (Oxford University Press, 2012).

(Image credit)

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Cross-posted from Nathan's personal blog.