Odd, but Good, News
On a cold February night in Lake Placid, New York, a few thousand American men and women cheered hysterically in disbelief. So did Al Michaels, a man paid to be stoic and professional as he announced the broadcasted hockey game. “Do you believe in miracles?! Yes!” The United States National Hockey Team shocked the world and defeated the Soviet Union, the Goliath of hockey at the time, before going on to win the gold medal. Who would have guessed? John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two American revolutionaries, stood divided over how much of the federal government’s nose should be in the people’s business. Disparagement and muckraking ensued. But time healed these wounds, and Adams and Jefferson went on to become friends again, writing letters back and forth for over a decade. Their lives ended five hours apart from each other on the same day. That day was July 4—the very same day their country would celebrate its independence.
I sat down with my family to play a trivia game. The question read, “Which of these state laws is true?” There are four choices. I picked the answer that sounded the most ridiculous, one we all laughed at when we read it aloud, and I got it right. “It was too strange not to be true,” I quipped.
Sometimes, what makes the truth so believable is how unbelievable it is. This is why G.K. Chesterton said, “There is generally something odd in the truth.” It was a sense of oddness that saved my faith some years ago.
MY QUEST FOR TRUTH
At some point, every Christian deals with the reality of doubt in their lives. Maybe it’s a momentary thought or a season of spiritual depression, but we all have a time when we ask ourselves, “Is all of this really true? Is the Bible really God’s words? Is Jesus who he said he was?”
My moment was brief, but very real. It was more than an annoyance or a bother—it shook me. I felt like I was in a spiritual crisis. Would a few questions topple decades of Christian teaching I experienced? I began to read notable Christian apologists and secular New Atheists in tandem. My thought was to weigh the two sides, see which one holds more clout and makes more sense, then go with whichever one made more sense. That was not a foolproof decision, though. After all, my quest revolved around faith—a word contingent on mystery and trust. I soon realized that in order to profess or deny faith in Christ, one must come face-to-face with God’s Word itself and say, “Yes,” or, “No.”
So, I put down Richard Bauckham and Richard Dawkins and picked up the Bible. These words are different, claiming to be the self-professed words of God. They are their own apologist. If that was the case, then I could simply read these words and see what happened.
THE ODDNESS OF SCRIPTURE
As I began to read the Scriptures, I pleaded with God: “Help my unbelief!” And he did. One way he did was by pointing me to the oddity of it all. It was that same strangeness in the truth I had identified over a board game, the unnaturalness that made me say, “That must be the answer…” And I believed.
I read about Adam and Eve. As I read the opening chapters of Genesis, my eyes almost glazed over. Thankfully, the Lord stopped me in my tracks with a sentence I had never noticed before. “And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21).
I’m not sure why, but it stunned me. I began to wonder why. Why would God do this, especially to people who just spit in his face with their sinfulness? Why would the author include this detail? This is…odd.
I kept reading. I found more odd things.
I read about Noah, but from God’s perspective for the first time. Mankind had been nothing but a disgrace to his name. God has every right, as holy Ruler of all, to condemn them and go back to the drawing board. But he doesn’t. He gives a sin-stained race a second chance through the line of Noah.
I read about Abraham, who God blesses with a son in remarkably old age, only to ask Abraham to climb a mountain and sacrifice him before eventually preserving his life in the end.
I read that God appoints a man named Moses with a lisp to make one of the most important speeches in all of human history. God called him to go before King Pharaoh and demand the release of God’s people, and pronounce judgment if he fails to do so. This same man receives tablets with laws inscribed by God’s own finger.
I read prophecy after prophecy. I had hoped to catch a contradiction or an unfulfilled anecdote that all of church history skipped over. Nothing. The mercy of God litters chapter after chapter. What in the world? Even the genealogies are bewildering. God uses two prostitutes, an adulterous murderer, and a former pagan from Moab to pave the way for the promised King of all Kings.
Then I read about the birth of this King, whom the Bible calls “the Word made flesh” —Jesus Christ. It’s easy to miss just how odd this is when we’ve read it so much. God became man—that’s odd! He took on human flesh. He drank wine with the worst social class. He was a carpenter that travelled as a rabbi. He made blind men see. He slept. He became sin even then he knew no sin. He died on a cross for a stubborn, stiff-necked people. He was dead for three days, then came back to life. After he resurrected, he wanted some fish to eat. After all that, Jesus told his followers it was better for him to leave, but he promised he would send the Helper to remain with them in their hearts.
God has built His Church and preserved His Word over the course of human history. It’s the clear-cut, number one most widely-read, data-confirmed story in antiquity the world has ever heard, and the race for second is not even close.
I COULD NOT HAVE GUESSED
Little of this makes sense to my brain. If I was writing these stories,
- Adam and Eve would have been dismissed from the Garden naked and perpetually ashamed.
- Noah would have been drowned, too.
- Isaac would never have went to the mountain.
- Human error would have allowed for a prophecy here or there to be incorrect.
- God would have stayed where he was, and it would have been mankind’s responsibility to get their act together to get the benefits of heaven.
- Jesus wouldn’t have eaten a fish dinner.
The complexity, the oddness, of these events, rattled me. There was so much specificity, so much ugly, so much unlike what I could have imagined had I created this story myself. I began to realize that Scripture is not just this ancient set of tall tales, religious platitudes, and allegories. Instead of being old and dead, God’s Word is alive and active (Heb. 4:12). It is historical, and, therefore, visceral. It gets brutally honest and takes turns no one could have foreseen. We could have never written it. It is unpredictable, and therefore, worthy of our attention—but more than attention. If God is who he says he is in his Word, he becomes worthy of our worship.
C.S. Lewis sums this up in Mere Christianity:
“Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It is a religion that you could not have guessed. If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up. But, in fact, it is not the sort of thing anyone would have made up. It has just that queer twist about it that real things have.”
ODD, BUT GOOD, NEWS
The Miracle on Ice. The friendship of Adams and Jefferson.A state law in Alabama. God made man. Grace for sinners.
The story that God tells in and through His Word is truly unpredictable, not because God governs the world with haphazard hands, but because our minds can hardly fathom the truth of it all.
This year, Protestants everywhere celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, a time in which the commitment to Scripture alone was professed loud and clear. As one reads Scripture, he will find that God makes one invitation throughout the text to the reader: “Take me at my Word.”
Perhaps you hang in the tension of doubt and wonder what this means, if anything. Consider the uniqueness, the honesty, the earthiness of the biblical stories. Both Christian and secular apologists will give you everything they’ve got in terms of evidence, but at the end of the day your belief or unbelief will come down to your willingness to take God at His Word.
When you sift through the thin pages of a Bible, you will find a lot that is unlike anything you’ve ever read or heard. And that might be just enough to convince you.
Zach Barnhart currently serves as Student Pastor of Northlake Church in Lago Vista, TX. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University, and is currently studying at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, seeking a Master of Theological Studies degree. He is married to his wife, Hannah. You can follow Zach on Twitter @zachbarnhart or check out his personal blog, Cultivated.
Welcoming Singles In Your Church
The church has to engage and connect with singles. We’ve found this new resource from Gina Dalfonzo to be very helpful for showing the church a way to love, care, and serve singles within the church.
— The Team at GCD
If you're interested in helping single Christians to integrate more fully into your church — or simply in connecting with your single brother or sister in Christ in ways that will bless and build up both of you — here are some practical steps you can take.
Look.
Train yourself to see—really see—the single people in your church. Don’t ignore them as you make a beeline to talk to others who are just like you; don’t glance past them at the family walking or sitting just behind them. Make it a point to look for them and look at them. Practice this at every church service, every Bible study, every worship team or choir practice, every congregational meeting. Pay attention. The more you train your eyes to notice and your mind to recognize that they’re among you and they matter, the more they will matter to you.
Listen.
Don’t just stop at looking, of course—that would be pointless and a little creepy. When you notice a single person at church, make the effort to go over and talk. And to listen. You’d think the two—talking and listening—would automatically go together, but the truth is they don’t always. Ask questions, and really listen to and consider the answers. Remember that people can tell whether you’re talking just to hear yourself talk or you really want to also hear what they’re saying. Bob and Nancy were friends and mentors to me at my former church. I remember one time when Bob simply said to me, “How are you?” and I froze, lost for words, because I honestly could not remember the last time someone had said that to me in that way—a way that indicated they actually cared how I was. Be that person. Be the person who asks, and cares, and listens.
Learn.
This is, of course, very closely related to listening, but it goes deeper. To learn, you have to listen with your defenses down, or at least a little lowered. You have to be willing to acknowledge that there are people in your church who are different from you, who have experiences and memories and points of view that may be very different from yours—and that this is okay. We may pay lip service to that idea, but few of us are really comfortable with it when confronted with it head-on. You may feel an overwhelming urge to correct, to override, to corral the conversation and bring it back to where you feel safe. Don’t do it. Resist the urge to react. Even if you feel that you’re hearing something wrong or unfair or naive—and perhaps you are—practice the art of restraint. You can make your points or your arguments another time, perhaps after you’ve gotten to know the person better and established an actual relationship. And bear in mind that, on issues of singleness and marriage, yours is most likely the mainstream point of view in your church. The single person has already heard your point of view from the pulpit and from the congregation and from all over the church, but has anyone heard his or hers? Maybe you’ll be the first. Don’t squander the opportunity.
Love.
This is where you take what you’ve learned and put it into practice, both by reaching out in friendship to the single Christians around you and by helping the church incorporate their ideas and meet their needs. This is how you demonstrate the love of Christ for your single brothers and sisters in the church.
I’m not saying it’s easy; it’s not. It takes time and effort and genuine concern for their welfare. Why make that effort? Because of the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
Single people in church too often have been relegated to the role of “the least of these.” You can start to change that. In doing so, you can paint a truer picture of Christ, not just for single people but for the church and the world.
Gina Dalfonzo is the editor of BreakPoint.org (website of The Colson Center), as well as an occasional writer for BreakPoint Radio. She is also editor of Dickensblog and a columnist at Christ & Pop Culture. Her writing has been published in The Atlantic, Christianity Today, First Things, National Review, The Weekly Standard, Guideposts, Aleteia, The Stream and OnFaith, among others. She earned her BA in English from Messiah College and her MA, also in English, from George Mason University. Dalfonzo lives in Springfield, Virginia.
Content taken from One by One by Gina Dalfonzo, ©2017. Used by permission of Baker Books, bakerpublishinggroup.com/bakerbooks
Something Greater Than Disney
“You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me.” — John 5:39, CSB
I remember the day I missed meeting my hero.
As a 10-year old, I had posters and baseball cards of the greatest player of my childhood. The name Mark McGwire was spoken in reverential terms, hallowed among the Little League dugouts I live d in during hot, humid southern Missouri summers. Alongside his equally powerful "Bash Brother," Jose Canseco, we would imagine hitting home runs with the same power and distance. I was sure whenever the opportunity came for me to meet Mark McGwire and get his autograph, I would be ready.
Surprisingly, the meeting did occur. I literally ran into Mark McGwire. To my dismay, even some 30 years later, I did not recognize him. I was not ready with his rookie card in my back pocket and a Sharpie for him to sign it. I did not get to tell him how great his swing was or how I really wanted to be in the Oakland A’s dugout. Instead, I was distracted, focused on other things, not paying attention to where I was going as I walked through Disneyland with my family that fateful July 1989 evening.
The Major League Baseball All-Star game was in Anaheim that year, and the players were guests of honor at the evening Main Street Electrical Parade. Too overcome by all the magic and fun of a day at Disneyland, I was barely tuned into a scene where my favorite ballplayers were in the same location that I was.
As the spectacle concluded we wandered through the park wrapping up a day full of fun at the “happiest place on Earth." I don’t have a vivid memory of where in the park we were, except that it was dark, I was tired, and we were walking looking for one final, magical Mickey fix.
Distracted by all the activity around me, I plowed right into a rock-wall of a human being. I remember a chuckle, my embarrassment as I said "Excuse me," and walking along as if I had just run into an actual wall. As we moved on my dad pointed out that I had just walked into Mark McGwire. And yet, I had missed him.
Missing Great Glory for Just Good Enough
It may seem unfortunate that this happened to a wide-eyed 10-year-old , but the same thing happens to us often as we engage the Bible. We miss the greatest glory of the Scripture for side issues and lesser beauties. We miss the center of Scripture for the outlying artifacts that all point to the center itself. We miss the hero and focus on the attractions and events. We miss Jesus.
The religious leaders and thinkers of Jesus’ day were the chief violators of this reality. Day after day they would pore over the Scriptures. Bible study was their constant habit. They were masters of the Hebrew Bible, well versed in the story, law, poetry, and prophets. They won all the "sword drills," accumulated every Citation Award, and could recited every “Fighter Verse” written to date verbatim.
This pursuit of Bible excellence was commended. D.A. Carson points out, “Hillel affirms that the more study of the law, the more life, and that if a man gains for himself words of the law he has gained for himself life in the world to come.”1
Their Biblical mastery was superior, and from that superior position, it was assumed they possessed true life. In a way, they lived thinking he who memorizes the most verses wins.
Jesus, however, gave no satisfaction to this pursuit but rather condemned them for missing the point. Instead of seeing that the Scriptures were pointing clearly and explicitly to him as the Messiah, the religious leaders were unwilling to follow the signposts to Christ. Like a starving person focused more on place settings and silverware than the actual food that will save his life, these people cared little for the life offered to them in Jesus but rather wanted to parse, debate, and hyper-analyze the practices of keeping the religious law.
The problem wasn’t just one of Jesus’ day. Modern expressions of this kind of missing the point are commonplace within the church. Often I hear the Bible is talked about as an “instruction manual for life.” As if, by following the rules of the Bible we would be able to assemble the good life, much like following the instructions for IKEA furniture would lead to a completed Swedish apartment. This makes the Bible a moral sourcebook that misses the point of the greatness and glory of Jesus.
Another perspective is that the Bible is a "love letter from God." While it is true that the Bible shows us the love of God in Christ, the Bible's purpose is not to exist as a therapeutic resource to help lift our self-esteem. The purpose of God’s Word isn’t to wrap us in a warm, cuddly expression of how great and wonderful and loved we are because God finds us so valuable and worthwhile.
Yes, the Bible does include moral code and expressions of God’s affection for us. But life is not found in keeping the Law or in feeling affirmed and valued. When we use the Bible as a means to those ends, we miss the entire point, and we miss life itself!
If we look to the Bible to gain theological knowledge, validate our behavioral patterns, or affirm our bruised psyche, we exchange great glory for just good enough. And “good enough” won’t get us anywhere.
Don’t Miss Jesus!
For the reformers of the 16th-century church, the doctrine of sola scriptura wasn’t just about putting the Bible above the hierarchical structures of a corrupt, gospel-less church. Sola scriptura was about highlighting the source of life in the Scriptures, Jesus Christ.
For Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and other reformers, declaring that Scripture was the chief source of authority for the church was to declare that Christ is the center of the Scriptures and the source of life.
To that end, we must labor to see Jesus in all of Scripture and see his life, death, and resurrection as the source of life for us today. Let me suggest three questions we can ask when reading the Scriptures to keep Jesus central and avoid missing his great glory.
#1 – How does this passage point out my need for Jesus?
Often passages will expose our sin and brokenness. Especially, in reading the Law portions of the Old Testament, we find how deep our shortcomings really are. Yet even in the New Testament, we find over and over again we have “all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Bryan Chapell calls this the “Fallen Condition Focus” of every passage. Scripture shows us where we come up short, and in doing so, it shows us our need for life.
#2 – How does this passage show me the way of God’s grace in Jesus?
As each passage reveals our brokenness and sin, so also the Scriptures show us the remedy through Christ. The Old Testament points forward to Christ coming by giving us God’s promises to receive by faith. Scripture teaches how Christ actively won righteousness for us in his perfect life of obedience.
The Bible magnifies salvation through the suffering of the Messiah which we receive by faith. Grace abounds through the Scriptures and, when we look at how the Bible points us to God’s ways of grace, we see all Jesus has accomplished for us.
#3 – How does this passage lead me to love Jesus more and more?
Not only is the Bible a means for us to see Jesus, but it is a means for us to grow in love for Jesus. It shows us our need; it shows us Christ's redemption; it shows us his great grace!
A final question we can ask of the passage we are reading is: How can this text influence my life so that my love for Jesus grows? This is where our steps of faith-filled obedience are taken. We move forward in obedience to the call of Christ as we follow him out of the love he has poured out for us.
The Bible Bring us To Life, It Is Not Life
Much like missing my chance to get an autograph from Mark McGwire, we run through the Scriptures and fail to encounter Jesus as the source of life. We can stack up books about the Bible, memorize verses, develop or adhere to a theological system, and all the while miss the source of life that the Bible points to, Christ.
Instead of believing that Bible knowledge will save us, we should remember the gospel. We are justified by faith alone, in Christ alone, which we see in Scripture alone. The Bible, rightly engaged, brings us to Jesus. Don’t mistake the map for the source.
1. D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 263.
Jeremy Writebol is the Executive Director of GCD. He is the husband of Stephanie and father of Allison and Ethan. He serves as the lead campus pastor of Woodside Bible Church in Plymouth, MI. He is also an author and contributor to several GCD Books including everPresent and Make, Mature, Multiply. He writes personally at jwritebol.net.
You can read all of Jeremy’s articles here.
4 Weighty Attributes of Scripture
Shortly after getting married and returning from our honeymoon, my new bride and I took a trip to IKEA to furnish our first apartment. It was a sort of kid-in-a-candy-shop experience. The practicality and affordability of their products creates a double threat that makes it no surprise the newlywed IKEA trip is more universal than unique. It’s almost a rite of passage for those of us in the West to celebrate adulthood by bringing their products into our first home. I know our apartment wouldn’t have been complete without them.
In more ways than one, there is a parallel between IKEA and the Reformers of the 16th century. Just as modern technology has made it possible for IKEA to make functional and reliable furniture affordable, the technological advances preceding the Reformation made it possible to put the Bible in the hands of all people. It was the conviction of the Reformers, in the face of opposition from the Church of Rome, that—just like with home decor—no house was complete without a copy of the Scriptures in its own language.
The importance of the Bible for faith and practice in the life of a Christian cannot be understated.
The Scriptures are indispensable for those who would follow Christ, for apart from them we don’t know who he is. They speak with clarity to those who read them in faith with the aid of the Holy Spirit. They are enough to know all that is necessary to be made right with God. Most of all, they are the sole authority God has given to govern his church, the vessel used to dispense his grace in the world.
This pneumonic device, ICEA (how I’d love to add an “N” and make it “NICEA!”)—regardless of its shtick—can help us remember the fourfold attributes of the Bible.
Four Weighty Attributes of Scripture
#1 – Indispensable
One of the many grievances Martin Luther raised with the church of his day was the lack of emphasis on the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith.
By overemphasizing human works, through the sacraments and the sale of indulgences, there was a widespread loss of the means of salvation. Much of mankind, without access to the Scriptures, was being misled to believe that by jumping through hoops of performance laid out by the Roman Catholic Church they would be made right with God and earn salvation.
It was upon reading Romans 1:17—“the just shall live by faith”—that Luther’s eyes were opened to see that the means of salvific grace were not earned but rather received freely by faith. Just how does one respond in faith to God? That too is revealed in the Scriptures:
Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. – Romans 10:17
Here we see that the Bible is indispensable in matters pertaining to faith. In order to reconcile mankind to himself, God sent Jesus Christ to incur his wrath upon the cross. Jesus then rose from the dead miraculously, exhibiting his victory over sin and death. The mystery of Christ is revealed only through the Scriptures (Eph. 3:3-4).
Without hearing the words of Christ, contained in the Scriptures, mankind is incapable of hearing the gospel and responding in faith. Their importance cannot be understated.
The Reformation’s recovery of the indispensability of Scripture can be visibly seen in worship services today. Whereas the Roman Church places communion at the center of its worship, the preaching of the Bible is the center for those following in the Reformation tradition for: How are they to hear without someone preaching (Rom. 10:14)?
Saying the Scriptures are indispensable, however, isn’t enough. When we start to uncover the mysteries contained within, we might be inclined to think only a professional—a priest or pastor—is capable of comprehending them. But the Scriptures themselves tell us all believers are part of a “royal priesthood” and are called to proclaim (i.e. preach) the excellencies of Christ (1 Pt. 2:9). For this reason, the Scriptures aren’t simply indispensable, but clear.
#2 – Clear
Another key to IKEA’s success may be its instruction manuals which manage to be (mostly) helpful without being confined to the usage of written words. But anyone who’s ever assembled a piece of their furniture knows the frustration that ensues when you can’t comprehend the idea the little cartoon-mime is trying to convey. Praise God this can never be claimed about his Word!
When we say the Bible speaks with clarity on matters pertaining to faith and practice we bring three presuppositions to the table. First, we assume those turning to its pages for wisdom and guidance have trusted in Jesus for salvation and have been born again by his Spirit (Jn. 3:3); for his sheep hear his voice (Jn. 10:27) within its pages.
Second, when we say that Scripture is clear we don’t mean that everything contained within is easily understandable. We simply mean that God’s Word is not cryptic or meant to confuse its readers.
Finally, we do not mean we have the correct insight into the meaning of every sentence of Scripture. Some look at the differences in interpretation between different sects of Christianity as evidence the Bible is unclear and untrustworthy. I maintain that the things of ultimate importance in regards to faith and salvation are free from obscurity and those passages over which there are disputes are not what Paul calls “first importance” (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
After clearing these hurdles, we are left with a Bible that is clear and the only means God has left us with to discover truth about himself. Because the Reformers were convinced of Scripture’s clarity, they fought against a two-tiered Christianity in which only clergy were allowed access to the Word of God. Because Scripture’s clear and accessible to all who have received the Spirit of God, it should be placed in every Christian’s hands.
Here’s a few reasons why:
- For when we have insight into the revelation of God, we cannot be deceived by Satan, even when he is masquerading as a priest of the light (2 Cor. 11:14).
- It is the duty of every Christian to weigh what pastors and preachers teach by the light given in the Bible (Acts 17:11).
- The clarity of the Scriptures give us access to the only weapon (Eph. 6:17) we need for our spiritual battle (Eph. 6:12).
#3 – Enough
While saying that the Scripture is clear and indispensable, we have not yet grasped the totality of its importance. It is possible that by stopping here, we could view it as a good place to start, but later abandon it in search of some further revelation from God. However, Scripture is enough for the Christian life.
The totality of Jesus’s work in securing salvation for sinners is chronicled within the pages of Scripture. Jesus now sits at the right hand of God (Heb. 1:3) because his salvific work is complete (Jn. 19:30). The work now done by the Church is not done to secure salvation; it was already secured by Christ. The Church’s work, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is to spread the good news of what Jesus has already completed on our behalf.
For this reason, we should diligently guard the sufficiency of Scripture. We have all we need in its pages. When this truth is undermined by adding the sacraments to salvation or by lifting tradition or papal decrees to the same level as biblical canon, we must turn back to Scripture to correct false teaching (2 Tim. 3:16).
On the other hand, by saying the Bible is enough we confirm the Reformation mantra “semper reformanda” (“always reforming”). In other words, one of the living Church’s endeavors is not clever innovation, but bringing itself into further alignment with the teaching of Scripture.
The historical innovation of indulgences was to be refuted by Scripture during the reformation, and this same principle guides the Church and protects her purity today when “new” false teachings arise.
Because the Bible is enough, doctrinal novelty should never be sought. When a modern-day preacher or “prophet” presents some teaching that lies outside the clear instruction of Scripture, a Christian is under no obligation to believe or obey it. Scripture is enough, and its teaching is complete.
#4 – Authority
The Reformers believed that the truth claims of Scripture command nothing less than our total obedience. I’ve been careful thus far to avoid using the term “Protestant.” That is because it was not Luther’s intent to protest the Church at Rome, but to bring it into submission to the Word of God. Only after its refusal to hear his appeals, did it become necessary to break away.
As Luther famously stated during his refusal to recant, his “conscience was captive to the Word of God.” It was his conviction, like the Apostle Paul, that God would be true even if every man on Earth were a liar (Rom. 3:4).
One of the blocks that drove the wedge between the Reformers and the Roman Church was the question of Scripture’s authority. It was the fiery conviction of Luther that the Scriptures alone were the final authority on matters of doctrine and faith and stood above papal decrees or tradition.
The Roman Church fired back that the canon of Scripture itself was determined by the Church and couldn’t be separated from tradition. In contrast, the Reformers rightly concluded that the Church did not determine what writings were Scripture but simply recognized the clear voice of God within them (Jn. 10:27).
Peter, reflecting back upon his mountaintop experience with Jesus where he saw Moses, the author of the Law, and Elijah, the chief of the prophets, appear in all their glory, concluded that the Bible was more trustworthy (2 Pt. 1:19). In other words, even the most magnificent miraculous experience pales in comparison to the trustworthy authority of Scripture.
You Can Never Upgrade Scripture
As my wife and I became more financially stable we dispensed with our IKEA furniture, upgrading to something better. We can never do this with Scripture because it’s indispensable for the Christian life. Even the parts that we don’t fully understand now, we one day will have insight into (1 Cor. 13:12).
Sean Nolan (B.S. and M.A., Clarks Summit University) is the Family Life Pastor at Christ Fellowship Church in Forest Hill, Maryland. Prior to that, he served at a church plant in Troy, New York for seven years and taught Hermeneutics to ninth and tenth graders. He is married to Hannah and is raising an army of toddlers. He blogs at Family Life Pastor.
You can read all of Sean’s articles here.
Beating the Prayer Bluff
Can you and I take a moment to get real honest? I know this may come across as hypocritical since I am a Christian and a pastor and I am always sharing churchy exhortations online, but I want to be candid. Many times I have told someone that I would pray for them and I failed to do so. I bet you have done the same.
You have no doubt become the victim, or played the perpetrator, of the “prayer bluff.” Someone expresses their struggle with a circumstance or new issue peeks its head over the horizon, and our mind sends a message to our mouth: blurt out something about praying for them!
It all sounds genuine. But I fear, in my own life and in yours, that “I’ll be praying for you” has become nothing more than a religious platitude.
The Problem With Failing to Pray for Someone
I have felt a bit pessimistic about “I’ll be praying for you" for some time now, but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered its heartlessness. It happened when I was reading Numbers (yes, really).
Throughout the book of Numbers, the Israelites are on their way to Edom under the guidance of God and Moses. They complain. A lot. They take up their complaints with both of these faithful leaders, demanding an answer for why they were escorted to this dreadful wilderness. The food (when they manage to find some) is bland, and there’s no water.
God reacted to their ungratefulness and slander with judgment, sending fiery serpents among them. They came to their senses in repentance, or perhaps they feared the prospect of death. Regardless, here’s what happens next:
And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. — Numbers 21:7
Here’s the question that came to my mind as I read that: What if he hadn’t? What if Moses heard these pleas from the people and said, “Okay, I’ll pray for you,” then didn’t, and just went about his business? Wouldn’t we call Moses unloving? Lazy? Cruel?
Last I checked, none of us are asking others to pray for our deliverance from fiery serpents. But what does it say of us when we promise our neighbor to come before the Lord in prayer, forsaking our own selves for their sake, only to not follow through? Is this what it means to love one's neighbor?
We can beat the prayer bluff. There are three shifts we can make when it comes to being constant in prayer for those around us.
#1 – Believe your prayers matter to God
We would pray more if we believed our prayers mattered. At times, our confession of God’s sovereignty can mess with our thoughts on human responsibility. The truth is, a sovereign God doesn’t undermine the need for prayer; it intensifies it.
Only a sovereign God could do something with the prayers we offer Him. This should compel us all the more to pray, especially for those in need.
What’s amazing about Moses’s decision to truly pray for the Israelites is that it made a difference on their behalf:
And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. — Numbers 21:8-9
This does not mean that every time we make our requests known to God that it is bound to happen the way we expect it to. For example, God may not end up bringing healing to a physical sickness. Yet in our very act of earnest prayer, our faith is strengthened. Our hope in Christ’s return is renewed. Our love for another is expressed.
For at least those reasons, our prayers always matter, regardless of the outcome. When we begin to truly believe that our prayers mean something, we will begin to take the weight of “I’ll be praying for you” more seriously.
#2 – Pray in the moment
I know how convenient and tidy it is to notify someone you will be in prayer for them and be able to walk away. Instead of getting our hands dirty in prayer, we often go for the hand sanitizer (“I’ll pray for you”) and call it a day. But the road to Christlikeness is not spotless or expedient. Neither are relationships with one another, whether spouse, friend, or stranger. Rather than offering what is often a trite, meaningless response to one in need, what if we began to make a shift to, “Can I pray for you right now?”
I’ve heard many stories of people approached with this simple question who were brought to tears that someone would actually do this for them, in the moment. I have been a part of it myself, on both the giving and receiving ends. When I see with my own eyes that someone is no longer bluffing, but is actually laying their cards down to pray for me, I feel loved. I feel safe. I feel God’s comfort. You don’t have to offer a professional prayer with fancy words and Scripture meditations; only offer an authentic, heart-felt cry to God. It does wonders for them, and for you.
#3 – Make a list, then follow up
There are some who are tried and true people of prayer. They know their prayers matter, and they take initiative in praying in the moment with others. The rest of us need a strategy. Perhaps a final area we can continue to grow in is following up with those whom we have prayed for. It’s as simple as making a list. Maybe it’s that I’m a one-thing-at-a-time kind of guy, but I cannot bring myself to remember to pray for the seventeen people I know need it. I do better with reminders in front of me that are tangible.
There are many ways you can do this. Next time you go around the circle in small group with prayer requests, take time to write names and requests. Refer to this list throughout the week. Simple. For the more tech-inclined, put names or requests into an app or reminders list on your phone, even prompting yourself by using notifications. Discipline yourself to not take prayer for others with a grain of salt. And, most importantly, pray for them.
Take it a step further and reach out to those people after some time has passed to follow up. One of the most joyful feelings as a human is to be reminded that we have not been forgotten.
I’m glad Moses prayed for the Israelites that hot day in the wilderness. I’m also thankful when people pull me aside to offer words of life to me when I feel like I’m traversing my own wilderness. Let’s not think of Paul’s recommendation to “be constant in prayer” (Rom 12:12) as a dated, unrealistic expectation.
It’s simple: prayer matters, and so do people.
Zach Barnhart currently serves as Student Pastor of Northlake Church in Lago Vista, TX. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University, and is currently studying at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, seeking a Master of Theological Studies degree. He is married to his wife, Hannah. You can follow Zach on Twitter @zachbarnhart or check out his personal blog, Cultivated.
The Gospel in the Daily Grind
The sound of the rainforest drew me out of my sleep. It was actually a synthetic sound coming from an app on my smartphone. It’s supposed to slowly wake you up so that you don’t crash out of your sleep cycle into the daily grind. More gradual, less tired supposedly. At 5:20 a.m., I was always tired. I don’t how I survived that year without drinking coffee. I’d scrounge a quick bite to eat then zombie walk into the shower and get ready in the dark as my family continued their sleep.
Off to work. Eight hours of monotony. I answered phone calls and fixed broken technology. I repeated stock phrases thirty plus times a day. I’d try to make connections with people I never saw. I had worked in that kind of call center environment for eleven years.
For the first few years, I struggled finding value in my seemingly mundane tasks. If I’m honest, I loathed going to work a lot of days. I know I’m not alone because life in a call center creates camaraderie, and I’ve talked to countless people who share these feelings in and out of my industry. But then something clicked for me — something that gave me meaning in the mundane daily grind.
Jesus Works
The gospel starts from the very first pages of the Scripture. That truth changes the way you and I work in the marketplace and worship in the mundane of everyday life.
Most churches talk very little about work. They start their gospel presentation with the fall: “We are rotten to the core and in need of redemption” (Gen 3). If they do touch Genesis 1 and 2, it’s usually to discuss creation and evolution. We treat “in the beginning” as if Jesus wasn’t around yet. We function as modalists.
Paul tells a different story,
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. – Colossians 1:16
John tells the same story,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-5
This thread of Christological creation isn’t some gnostic truth. Paul elsewhere says we were “chose . . . in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4) and John calls Jesus, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8 KJV). Matthew reports Jesus’s words, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt 25:34). Peter says, Jesus “was foreknown before the foundation of the world” (1 Pt 1:20). Paul admonishes the Corinthians, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’” (2 Cor 4:6).
From the first words of Scripture “In the beginning, God” to the final curse of Revelation, the Holy Spirit shines a spotlight on the work of Jesus Christ. He isn’t hidden. And finding Jesus in the beginning completely transforms our understanding of the original creative mandate and propels our purpose in working.
Working with Purpose
First, Scripture teaches Jesus actively works from before the foundation of the world and in the world now. He is choosing, creating, and founding. He is holding all things together. He is advocating for us on his throne. When he creates man, it’s no surprise he says, “‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion . . . . ’ And God said to ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion’” (Gen 1:26, 28). Part of our createdness, built in the very fabric of who we are as humans made in God’s image, is the necessity of dominion and work.
God works. We work. Jesus creates. We create. We are sub-creators to his divine creative masterpiece, but we still image God when we work. We have intrinsic value in our work because it’s connected with who God made us to be. Part of Adam’s task was tending the garden and naming animals. Talk about mundane and routine, but, before the fall, Adam obeyed God and worked as his ambassador and found meaning in doing so. When we work in the workplace, we are also obeying this creative instinct to image God. Jesus Christ is the perfect image of God and the prototype of glorified humanity. We see that image clearly when we follow his lead in working.
Second, Scripture teaches this image of God is found in every human equally. In The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis says,
It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. . . . There are no ordinary people.
This fundamentally changes the way we work and the way we treat others who we work with and who may do jobs we might be tempted to turn our nose down at.
Each of those people when working and doing their job with excellence are, even if dimly, reflecting the original image of God. They are not ordinary. They are humans who were made very good. For those who lay hold of the promises found in Jesus Christ and believe, this image is even more visible (“transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another,” as Paul says). We should appreciate and encourage those who work skillfully. We should remind each other we are a picture of Jesus Christ who works. He has been working from the beginning and will not stop working until he’s brought us all the way home.
Fourth, Scripture teaches our work now images of the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. As noted earlier, the Holy Spirit inspired many allusions and direct references to creation and many of these directly point us to our spiritual redemption. The image of light and darkness is found throughout the Gospel of John. John also talks about the new birth (John 3). Paul in 2 Corinthians 4 compares God’s original divine fiat with his raising us from death to life. He says, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’” (2 Cor 4:6). As we work, we must not forget Christ’s work for us. It’s a daily gospel reminder in the daily grind of our work.
Fifth, Scripture teaches we please God. Jesus’s ministry starts with his baptism and God the Father proclaiming, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17). When regenerated by the Spirit, chosen by the Father, and redeemed by Jesus, we are united to Jesus Christ. All the promises and blessings found in him are ours. Jesus pleases the Father and so we please the Father. A robust understanding of common grace, also, suggests when we work well and create excellently it pleases him in as far we reflect his image well. This work isn’t salvific in any way, but it’s valuable nonetheless.
One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddell, an Olympic runner, says, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.” Meditate on that truth when your alarm wakes you up in the morning or when you repeat the same task for the hundredth time at your job remind yourself: “God delights in me when I work.” Feel his pleasure. Repeat, “When I ______, I feel his pleasure.” That’s not an insignificant truth.
Finally, Scripture teaches work will not always be laborious. Before the fall, the creation didn’t war against us as we created, tended, and worked. After the fall, God curses the ground and work becomes difficult. Paul says, “the whole creation has been groaning” as it waits for its full redemption (Rom 8:22). We are waiting for the new heavens and new earth—when God will makes all things right. We will be glorified and the earth will be redeemed from its sorrows. The reality of our ultimate rest in Jesus Christ doesn’t remove work. Jesus redeems work. The end of the story is an earthy ending. We live on the new earth in his eternal kingdom and worship God in all we do (Matt 5:5, 25:34).
We struggle now in the daily grind of the dirty now and now, but we look forward to the redeemed not yet of the new creation. So work well now. Struggle. Labor. Toil. Create. Do it all with excellence, purpose, and hope. But find rest in Jesus Christ in the not yet, while eagerly longing for the redemption of our bodies and this world. He will return and he will make all things new.
Mathew B. Sims is the Editor-in-Chief at Exercise.com and has authored, edited, and contributed to several books including A Household Gospel, We Believe: Creeds, Confessions, & Catechisms for Worship, A Guide for Advent, Make, Mature, Multiply, and A Guide for Holy Week. Mathew, LeAnn (his wife), and his daughters Claire, Maddy, and Adele live in Taylors, SC at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains with their Airdale Terrier. They attend Downtown Presbyterian Church (PCA). Visit MathewBryanSims.com!
4 Questions and Answers to Understand God’s Calling
If your heart has been gripped by the gospel, sooner or later you'll find yourself asking, "Where is God calling me to go?" That’s a normal question, because the gospel that saves is also the gospel that sends. That doesn’t make it an easy question, though, because it creates all kinds of follow-up questions. Does God want me to go overseas? Does He want me to quit my job and work for a ministry? Or does He want me to stay where I am when I thought it was clear I had to go?
The Apostle Paul knew that he was God's chosen instrument to reach the Gentiles, so he knew he would be going where the Gentiles were. Peter knew he was called to lead the church in Jerusalem, so he knew he would be going across the street and into his neighborhood. But that kind of clarity isn't the norm, either today or throughout the Bible.
More often, we are left with quite a bit of freedom for adhering to God's commands. While that freedom can be a relief, it can also cause incredible stress as we seek to live out God's will for our lives. We can get lost in our heads, playing out every possible scenario, and wind up paralyzed, not taking any steps toward going and making disciples.
If that's you, here are four questions and answers that might help you understand where God is calling you.
Four Questions to Help You Understand Where God Is Calling You
#1 – What did Jesus come to do?
Answer: To seek and save the lost.
When Jesus went to eat at the home of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, the religious people of the day scoffed, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner."
They were correct. That's precisely what Jesus was doing, because that's precisely why he came to Earth to begin with.
After Zacchaeus repents and is saved, Jesus provides a retort to the snide religious peanut gallery, telling them why he hung out with people like tax collectors. In perhaps the most glorious phrase ever uttered, Jesus, the God-man, said, "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10).
If Jesus had a vision statement, this was it. He came to seek and save the lost. That meant he was going to spend a disproportionate amount of his time and energy around people who didn't know anything about him. He would be going out among the lost to seek and save those who were without hope.
That's exactly what Jesus did throughout his ministry. And it's what you will do if you want to go where God has called you.
But what about today? How does Jesus seek and save the lost now that he's in heaven? That leads us to our second question.
#2 – How does Jesus seek and save the lost?
Answer: By sending us out as sheep among wolves.
We have one really good look at what it was like when Jesus sent out his disciples for ministry. It's recorded in Luke 10 where we see Jesus' instructions to 72 of his followers as he prepared them to go out on mission.
One of the most interesting things Jesus says here is that he is sending his disciples out like sheep among wolves (Luke 10:3). Have you ever thought about that? When a sheep fights a wolf, the sheep doesn't come out on top.
This is a sobering picture of what life on mission is like. Those who would follow Jesus and witness for his name are not promised a comfortable life (in fact, they're promised the opposite; see Luke 9:57-58). More specifically, this means that if we're really going to live the way Jesus calls us to, we'll live our lives among the wolves (the lost).
But before you think this is a recipe for being miserable, consider that when the 72 came back from the mission field they were ecstatic with what they saw God do. Yes, it was hard and exhausting and scary, but they saw God move in ways they never would have if they stayed among the sheep (believers). The same principle is true today.
We can spend our time among the sheep and still know God. But if we want to experience all that Jesus offers we have to live among the wolves. If you want to go where God has called you, there's no doubt that it involves a significant amount of time among wolves.
#3 – What are we supposed to do when we live among the wolves?
Answer: Go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded us.
Imagine seeing someone you love at their funeral, then being lowered into the ground at their grave. Now imagine that same person walked up to you on the street a few days later and had something to tell you. Whatever they had to say, you would listen. They were dead, but now they’re living. That gives their words authority.
This is the exact setting in which Jesus gives his disciples the Great Commission. He had been stripped, tortured, beaten, and murdered on the cross. His disciples knew he was then carried to an empty tomb with a Roman guard placed out front. . We know the importance of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, but miss how critical the beginning of verse 18 is:
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”
Jesus, the dead guy they had seen crushed and buried before their eyes, was now standing in front of them. That’s why Jesus leads his commission with the crowning authority he now possessed. The guy that conquered death has something to say, so it’s time for his disciples to listen.
What does he tell them?
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:10-20 ESV)
Here we have Jesus' last words, his last instructions for how to continue what he started. It was simple. Go all over the world; as you go, make disciples; then baptize them and teach them to obey all of Jesus's commands. That may sound simple, but it affects everything in a follower's life.
This command is for every follower of Christ. It is the primary thing each disciple is called to, before their career or anything else. It's not optional. It's not something some of us are called to and others of us aren't. First and foremost, we are disciples of Jesus of who make disciples of Jesus.
That's why the primary question associated with our purpose in life isn't what we are supposed to do, but where we are supposed to do it. The Great Commission makes it clear the “what” is make disciples. The only question, then, is where do we go to do that?
#4 – Where do we go?
Answer: To Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8 gives us another glimpse at Jesus' final words. Here we see Jesus giving specific instructions about where his disciples are to go once he takes his seat at the Father's right hand. The disciples already knew they were to make disciples, but now Jesus tells them where to go:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV)
Jesus is sending his followers to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. No corner of the world is outside of the Great Commission. Starting right where they were (Jerusalem), Jesus sent them out to continue spreading the Kingdom of God.
Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria are real places, and Jesus was actually sending them there. But beyond their importance at that time, those locations remain significant because they help us see where Jesus is sending us today.
Notice the progression. First, Jesus sends them across the street into Jerusalem. Next, he sends them to a place with a similar culture by sending them to Judea. Then, Jesus really ups the ante by sending them to a culture most of them would have hated — Samaria (Remember how culturally explosive Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan was?). If that wasn't enough, Jesus then sends them to the very ends of the earth.
This variety means that Jesus' disciples could obey his Great Commission by going to any of those locations, and the same is true today. As Ruth Ripken says, "Serving God is not a matter of location. It's a matter of obedience."
We don't all have to go overseas, though more of us should than are open to it. If we don't go to another country, we are commanded to go across the street (Jerusalem), to the community next door (Judea), or to the people we would never think to associate with before coming to Jesus (Samaria).
That leaves you with only one more question.
Where will you go?
Will you go across the street and tell your neighbors about Jesus? Will you go into the largest city near you to witness to the gospel? Will you build relationships with the refugees and immigrants that came to your community from unreached people groups around the world? Will you go to one of the 2.8 billion unreached peoples around the world?
The possibilities are limitless, but the mission is the same: go into all the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Where will you go?
Grayson Pope is a husband and father of three. He serves as Pastor of Community at his church in Charlotte, NC and is currently pursuing a MACS at The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Grayson’s Passion is to equip believers for everyday discipleship to Jesus.
Absorbed
But even in the much-publicized rebellion of the young against the materialism of the affluent society, the consumer mentality is too often still intact: the standards of behavior are still those of kind and quantity, the security sought is still the security of numbers, and the chief motive is still the consumer’s anxiety that he is missing out on what is “in.”
Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays
Of the many discussions I’ve had with people about comfort addiction, most inevitably land in what Wendell Berry calls the consumer mentality. While comfort in the form of emotional distance (chapter three) or everyday egomania (chapter two) may be easier to hide, comfort in the form of lifestyle choices is rather obvious. Identifying the materialistic among us is easy enough. It’s always someone whose lifestyle is more expansive than our own. At least that’s what I’ve always thought. Which may be why I once fancied myself part of the youthful rebellion Berry speaks of. The standard I had raised to measure materialism placed me well under the judgment bar.
Still, the what am I doing question prodded me over the years, inquiring about actions and motives I had excused in myself. Consumer mentality was alive and well in me, lurking beneath the surface of my life pursuits.
Awareness (and admission) of my consumer mentality was yet another result of The Shredding. The living conditions I saw in India reframed my previous definition of a normal life. I was forced to acknowledge the truth about my normal and the sort of life I was able to live. In light of that truth, I could see materialism as an iceberg of Majority World society: the tip you see is nothing compared to the girth below the surface. Even the rebellious youth who aren’t obviously materialistic are yet driven by an unseen force to seek comfort through consumption and maintaining the illusion of relevancy. None of us is immune.
Why are we so driven to consume and achieve? I think it’s because egomania and emotional numbness cannot provide the sort of lasting comfort we crave. When they don’t satisfy, but comfort addiction encourages us to feast on the opportunities before us to have, be, get, and pursue more. And here in the United States? There is always more to be had. Our society produces new ways to be “in” every day.
The painful truth is that I have been way too consumed by the consuming I do. That sort of addiction busies me with tending to the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I. That’s why in this third detox stage we need to put down our self-made measuring sticks. Becoming aware of the motives and values lurking below the surface is necessary if we are to find the true comfort our hearts crave.
THE DREAMER IN ALL OF US
The invitation was a surprise. A couple Mike and I knew only casually invited us over for a visit. Because it was one of the first social invites we had received after getting married, it felt significant. I tried to muster all the maturity I could from my insecure, recently married, twenty-year-old self.
Upon arriving we were welcomed into a cozy family room with overstuffed couches, where a few others were already seated. Greetings were extended. Refreshments were offered. And then a more formal introduction began for a man seated near a paper flip board. That’s when I realized the evening had some sort of agenda. In a flash I concocted a whole theory: Maybe they are Christians! We will get to bond over shared faith! They are going to share the gospel!
Icebreaker-like questions ensued. “What are your favorite things to do, outside of work? If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Do you like to collect things? What do you like to buy when you have extra money to spend? What sort of car do you dream about owning?” It was easy, energetic conversation. It felt a bit like making a Christmas list, something I had not done in years. Sharing these preferences was fun, and to be honest, my heart was all in. I was starting to dream about things and experiences. I figured that after we shared our answers the discussion would transition to finding true meaning and purpose through Jesus Christ.
I cannot explain my disappointment when the discussion leader promised that all our dreams were indeed possible. Not because Jesus had something greater for us, but because this guy was extending an exclusive invitation for us to get in on the ground level of an exciting and fast-growing business opportunity (AKA multilevel marketing). This was not about the gospel.
We did not accept the exclusive invitation that night. Looking back, I’m amused by my naive evangelism theory. But something else has stuck with me that isn’t as amusing: my ability to join the chorus of voices proclaiming all the stuff I want. Wanting things is not inherently wrong. Giving voice to our preferences is not wrong. Dreaming about what could be is not wrong. The bothersome part is how easy it was to conflate worldly based dreams with gospel hope. How could icebreaker questions about hopes and dreams lead to either the best news humanity has ever heard or the opportunity to join an MLM team?
Part of that answer lies in the very foundation of our society. At the birth of the United States, the founding fathers constructed a framework for our country’s values and pursuits. The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The pursuit of happiness is part and parcel to being an American. Comfortable living has been all but promised, since being unhappy is anything but comfortable. For centuries now people have equated the United States with the place where dreams come true. It’s where you are free to work hard, increase your wealth, and enjoy the good life. We call it the American dream.
The phrase “the American dream” was first used in James Truslow Adams’s 1931 book, The Epic of America. Adams says it’s “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” Part of what makes the United States unique is the freedom—theoretically open to every individual—to obtain a better, richer, fuller life.
More than eighty years later, talk of the American dream is still going strong (especially during election season). Although definitions vary by person, a core component of the American dream is wealth, as confirmed by a September 2015 article in TheAtlantic titled “Who Still Believes in the American Dream?” A reporter traveled the country asking people to share what the American dream meant to them. When kids were asked, they gushed about future happiness rooted in fame, glory, and fortune. The adults responded with much less enthusiasm. Many were discouraged by the lack of opportunity they had for achieving their dreams; few were hopeful for the life Adams described back in the 1930s.
Since the American dream has always been connected with prosperity, we have tied our happiness to our ability to collect material possessions and immaterial opportunities. It’s no wonder people are disillusioned and discouraged.
ALL IS VANITY
Despite the broken promises of the American dream, our society still runs on that founding premise. We adhere to its values of working hard and striving for more. We do this by participating in the agreed-on system: work, play, eat, sleep. Get a better job. Get a better house. Get better clothes. Get better gadgets. Then repeat. And repeat, and repeat again. The system tells us happiness increases as our creature comforts grow. Pseudo comforts beckon us to seek more of what we already have, because more is always better.
It takes a strong soul to stop the madness and call the futile cycle to the carpet. That’s exactly what Solomon did almost three thousand years ago. As the son of the most accomplished king on record, Solomon had everything—wealth, intelligence, and people. But the book of Ecclesiastes records the comfort his heart longed for:
Smoke, nothing but smoke. . . . There’s nothing to anything—it’s all smoke. What’s there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone? One generation goes its way, the next one arrives, but nothing changes. . . . There’s nothing new on this earth. Year after year it’s the same old thing. . . . Nobody remembers what happened yesterday. And the things that will happen tomorrow? Nobody’ll remember them either. Don’t count on being remembered. (Eccles 1:2-11 The Message)
Every time I read these words my chest tightens a bit. Solomon’s hopelessness is so complete, so brutal. All our attempts to achieve something meaningful result in nothing substantial. We gain no ground. The comfort we seek in life—at least, the kind that’s easy to get—is fleeting at best.
Eugene Peterson’s rendition of Solomon’s lament uses the phrase “Smoke, nothing but smoke” to signify the evanescent nature of life’s pursuits. Traditional Bible versions have, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity”—which I prefer, actually. Vanity has a weight of loss connected to it. A note in the ESV Bible explains, “The Hebrew term hebel, translated vanity or vain, refers concretely to a ‘mist,’ ‘vapor,’ or ‘mere breath,’ and metaphorically to something that is fleeting or elusive.” Vanity is what our hearts can sense when everything we are pursuing and consuming in life leaves us empty. Vanity is the fear that pounces when we are bored, unsure of what we should be doing with ourselves. The Question tries to jolt us out of vain pursuits, out of the consumerist cycle that leaves us empty despite all the filling.
Although Solomon wasn’t an American, his lament is fitting for those of us caught in the American dream today. We work hard to gain more. We follow our tired routines every single day. We look for amusement to stave off boredom. We seek power, status, riches, and accomplishments to quiet The Question, for if it lingers, we will face the same despair as Solomon: life is nothing but vanity.
But face this truth we must, if we are to rebel against the false comforts that have been on the prowl for centuries. The ones that Solomon denounced are the same ones we must denounce today.
Erin Straza is a contemplative writer, heartfelt speaker, and redeemed dreamer. She is managing editor of Christ and Pop Culture Magazine and host of the Persuasion podcast. As a freelance communications consultant, Erin helps organizations tell their stories in authentic and compelling ways. She lives in Illinois with her husband, Mike.
Taken from Comfort Detox by Erin M. Straza. Copyright (c) 2017 by Erin Straza. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426. www.ivpress.com
On Fire, But Not Consumed
The air is sticky right now in my home state, but I am already dreaming of fall, still months away. I am more than happy to skip over the heat, humidity and general mugginess of summer, and head straight for the crisp air, sweaters, and bonfires of autumn. If I could find a place on Earth where it was perpetually fall and all that goes with it, including Saturdays spent watching college football and the smell of hot apple cider, I would move there in an instant. It is perhaps, though, the changing of the leaves, like a changing of the guard, which summons the return of fall and reminds me why I love the season. Trees formerly a monochromatic green suddenly seem to burst into flames. Deep reds. Vivid yellows. Vibrant oranges.
As those hues shift, I have spent many an autumn whispering to myself, shaking my head somewhat in disbelief, "I swear, it is like they are on fire."
I fall into a trance, just staring, captured by this involuntary thought, followed by a moment of wonder, trying to memorize the colors on the leaves, marveling at the rich hues, wanting to linger in the moment.
While these leaves are the tell-tale sign of yet another season passing, I have often found myself in seasons of life wanting to pull a Heisman-like move and keep God at arm's length. It seems easier, safer that way.
Jennie Allen wrote in her book Anything about how she began praying the prayer, "Anything you have for me, God. I'll say yes to anything."
The book sat on the floor by my recliner for the longest time and I quietly kept avoiding it. I did not want to be confronted by such challenging words and such prayers. Because, quite frankly, I know I am not always willing to pray anything. Far too risky.
What if I am not ready for anything? What if God hands me anything and I fail miserably? What if everything spins out of control? And what if I no longer get to call the shots?
So at arm’s length he stays, as if I have control over God somehow. Isn’t it crazy the things we delude ourselves into believing, these warped and out-of-whack concepts of who God is?
Every time I see the leaves of fall, and see the colors bursting forth, I am reminded of Moses at the burning bush, found in Exodus 3:1-3:
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” (emphasis mine)
Far too often in our pursuit of God, we want to be just like that burning bush—on fire, but not consumed. We want the flames and we want to feel his heat, but not so strong that we find ourselves disappearing altogether in the blaze. We like to keep self intact, don’t we? We want to hold self close, making sure everything is manageable, tidy, orderly, just the way we like it.
That is what I find myself foolishly and selfishly wanting—to be on fire, but not consumed.
I want just enough of Jesus, to get just close enough to Him that I might look a little bit different — a little less impatient, a little more loving. I want to be a little less arrogant and a little more humble. I want to be a little less lazy, and a little more disciplined. I want to get just close enough to sound good and godly and holy.
But maybe—just maybe—when I am honest with myself and others, deep down I realize I do not truly want all of him. Because all of Him might require anything of me. And that feels terrifying.
As I stood staring at the trees one fall, I began thinking to myself, "You may want to be like the burning bush, on fire, but not consumed. But the reality is that God is an all-consuming fire. You don't get to be near him and not be consumed by him."
It simply does not work that way. You want to know him? You want more of him? You want his Word and his Spirit to change you? You want to look more like him? That requires you to be close to him. And being close to him means he consumes you. You—the foolish and selfish version of you—has to be consumed in the fire if you are ever to truly meet the God of the Burning Bush.
"For our God is a consuming fire," Hebrews 12:29 says.
Consuming. Not the kind of fire you warm your hands over; not the kind of fire you melt s'mores with; and not the kind of fire we all crave to keep us cozy in the depths of winter.
Those kinds of fires are safe within the confines of fireplaces and fire pits. Thoses kind of fires have boundaries and are easily manageable. But I am not talking about those kinds of fires.
I am talking the kind of fire that purges the dross, melts the mountains like wax, annihilates sin, and is meant to make you more like his Son. God is that kind of fire.
You do not want to be consumed? Then stay far, far away from him.
But maybe being consumed by the flames is exactly what we—what I—need more than anything. Maybe setting self ablaze is what we need most. Maybe letting God strike a match to our hearts and throwing gas on the flames is what we should long for. And maybe we will find on the other side of those flames a God who whispers through the blaze, "I was with you all along.”
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you — Isaiah 43:1-5 (emphasis mine)
Courtney Yantes spends her days as an event planner, coordinating events and conferences designed to inspire change and promote access for people with disabilities. She graduated from William Woods University with a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in business administration. She enjoys blogging, traveling, and generally organizing anything she can get her hands on. She is a lover of all things Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and relishes a life free of social media accounts.
From One Young Gun to Another
About five years ago I landed a dream job. Fresh out of seminary and with barely any experience, I became the Assimilation Pastor at a church with more than 1,300 weekly attendees. I was way out of my league. Seminary did a great job teaching me theology and exegesis, but I was vastly unprepared for a host of other responsibilities. I had to manage difficult personalities, tell people “no” when their ideas conflicted with the vision and mission of the church, develop elaborate processes for ministry involvement, and delegate key ministry roles. Now I’m starting over. As the senior pastor of a 200 year-old Presbyterian church facing issues of relocation and revitalization, I am facing a whole new set of issues for which I feel vastly unprepared.
Maybe you find yourself in a similar situation. Maybe you are realizing seminary only did half the job you thought it did. Or maybe your new ministry position is more complex than you ever imagined. God taught me some incredible lessons five years ago, and I’m re-visiting them again. Here are six things I’ve learned that helped me keep my head above water, and even begin to thrive.
#1 – Be a student of your surroundings
There’s a scene in Maverick where Mel Gibson promises to lose at poker for one hour. Why? An hour is a long time. What is he doing? He’s observing the other players. Who has an obvious tell? Who likes to bluff? Where can he gain an advantage? Mel Gibson is learning everything he can in that hour: He’s being a student of his surroundings.
In the same way you study a map before a road trip or let your eyes adjust to a dimly-lit room before walking in, you’ve got to take the time to study your surroundings. Unfamiliar territory requires some degree of familiarity before action. Do your best Maverick impression and spend time studying your surroundings.
I’ve been at my present church for just over four weeks, and already I’ve been asked a dozen times, “How are we going to grow the church? What is our vision? Our mission?” It has taken great discipline, but each time I’ve answered, “Give me six months.” Why? I once heard John Bryson say, “Guys never wish they had planted a church sooner, and they always wish they had waited longer.” In the same way, you’ll never regret learning too much context about your church and your community before you begin to implement a plan of action.
Learn the people. Learn the community. Learn the church. Study your context. Don’t jump into action, but take time to learn the rhythms of where you are. Don’t delay action forever, but, if you’ve done your homework, when it is time to act you’ll be more prepared to interact with your people in a healthy way.
#2 – Rely on relationships
Before you can sell somebody on a solution, you have to sell them on the problem. And before you can sell somebody on the problem, you have to give them a reason to listen to you.
In my previous church I was hired to help small groups play a more central role in the life of our church—to engage believers in spiritual formation beyond Sunday morning. Before I could do that, however, I needed help our people understand why that engagement was necessary. During my first three months in that new role, my wife and I had over 60 people to our home for dinner. Why? We were building relationships; getting to know the folks I’d be leading, and letting them get to know us. As time wore on, I continued to spend time with leaders and new faces over breakfast, lunch, and coffee. That time was invaluable, and relational capital is an investment you will never regret.
When we left our previous church we experienced the fruit of our relational investment. Our final Sunday was similar to Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:36-37—tear-filled embraces let us know we hadn’t merely implemented ministry programs, but had cultivated relationships and impacted lives.
#3 – Be particular with the process
Anybody can cast vision but saying something louder and more often isn’t going to affect change. What are the processes that will move your people from seeing the vision to living the vision? Put those processes in place, and then patiently shepherd your people through them.
Don’t plan a new evangelism initiative or offer a children’s ministry program as standalone events. How can you integrate them into other activities to achieve greater strategic impact? Consider a sermon series through the book of Acts and write small group curriculum to help your people realize their place in the Great Commission. Train your small group leaders to help their groups identify their own personal “Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.” Then, consider a “reverse offering” in which you give each small group a small budget to host a neighborhood barbecue or community VBS. Don’t just cast vision, but walk with your people and help them take the necessary steps in actualizing that vision.
Vision inspires change. Processes facilitate change. Habits sustain change.
Your vision will inspire your people, but it is incumbent upon you to establish the processes necessary to making that vision actionable, thereby helping form the habits to sustain that action.
#4 – Leverage the LOOGYs
In baseball, a LOOGY is a Left-Handed, One-Out Guy—a relief pitcher who only has one job: to come into the ballgame and get one out.
In your church there are a lot of LOOGYs who don’t know they are LOOGYs, and as a result they are going to give you a lot of advice on a lot of things. Don’t write them off. Instead, leverage them. Find their sweet spot and plug them in. Chances are they can be a boon to your ministry. Help them find their place and partner with them.
Maybe you’ve got somebody who is exceedingly organized and really wants to help lead a small group, but they can’t teach. They’d probably do a great job at follow-up. Perhaps someone always gives you new ideas for new ministries, but doesn’t have the ability to see them through. Ask them to pray for ministries the church is currently doing. You’ve got someone who is eager to help with your Sunday morning hospitality ministry, but you haven’t see them smile in five years. They’d do a great job emailing your first-time guests and keeping track of your new members. Find a way to leverage the gifts your people do have in a way that channels their passion for the health of your church.
#5 – Favor feedback
Feedback is crucial. You have to know if the processes you’ve put in place are achieving the goals you’ve established. So ask questions. Be objective. Invite criticism. Be humble and listen. Not every piece of feedback will be accurate or helpful, but it will start you thinking outside of the box.
A friend once told me, “We allow everybody to see us with our clothes on, we allow those we know well to see us in our bathing suits, and we allow our spouses to see us naked. As pastors we must have trusted companions who see us and know us to varying degrees of intimacy and vulnerability.” With degrees of appropriateness, seek out those with whom you can be vulnerable and transparent.
Proverbs 27:5-6 reads, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Ask the Lord to give you a heart willing to receive wounds from a friend, then seek out friends who will wound you in love. Cultivate this type of atmosphere among your staff. Model how to receive criticism well. Publically thank brothers and sisters who are honest with you.
Inviting criticism is frightening—there’s no doubt about it. Approach brothers and sisters you love, establish a framework for feedback, and trust the Lord to bear fruit in your soul.
#6 – Have joy in Jesus
Ministry should be fun, so love what you do! In certain seasons this won’t always be easy. In those tough times, hold fast to the Word of life and shine like a light in the world. Strive to proclaim with Paul, “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all,” (Philippians 2:17). When this is your heart’s disposition and your internal compass, those with whom and to whom you minister will rejoice along with you.
Rejoice in your relationship with the Lord and let that joy spill into every facet of your life. Your spouse, your kids, your friends, your co-workers, and those you minister to should all sense your passion for Jesus and your love for them. Devour the Word of God, cultivate sensitivity to the Spirit’s leading, commune with Lord in prayer, and never lose sight of the cross.
Chris is husband to Liz and daddy to Aletheia, Judah, and Evangeline. Chris is senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Reading, Pa and has a PhD in Organizational Leadership. Chris is happy to be back living in the north after five hot years in South Carolina.
What Does Hollywood Have to Do with Calvary?
What’s your all-time favorite movie? Think of just one. Why do you love that movie? I’ve asked that question of thousands of teenagers and college students over the years. Young people love movies, after all (so do I). I get all kinds of examples, from action movies (think The Avengers or Star Wars), to great epic tales (Lord of the Rings), or romantic comedies. We love movies and the stories they tell. What if I told you the very reason novels grip us and movies move us is directly related to the grand gospel story of the Bible? We live in a world that has lost the story of the Bible (and many in the church have as well). I have found explaining the gospel story helps unbelievers to see the big picture of God’s salvation, but it does more: it encourages believers to share this great story with others. Missionaries overseas have done this a long time with people who don’t know the Word. We tend to put the gospel in such overtly religious and ecclesiastical categories many lost people don’t see its beauty and wonder.
Stories follow plotlines. I want to review three popular storylines for you. We see these in books and film again and again, each told with its own nuances.
1. Man falls in a hole.
This storyline (often called Overcoming the Monster) starts off with the main character doing well, but he falls in a hole of some sort, that is, he gets into a predicament, he has some evil thing or person cause him distress, or he finds himself in some other version of calamity. He cannot save himself, so ultimately a rescuer comes to get him out of the hole and back to well-being. Think of the Die Hard movies, any of the Marvel films, or any other action adventure film. We love stories that depict the evil and brokenness we see all around us, but we love even more the rescue and restoration that follows. Good storytellers take that simple storyline and rivet our attention and affections with how they tell it.
A version of this story is Kill the Dragon, Get the Girl, where some evil creature or person wreaks terror among people but at the end a hero kills the creature and rescues the damsel in distress. My daughter, Hannah, and I loved the movie Taken with Liam Neeson, which followed this storyline.
2. Boy meets girl.
This is the classic romantic story, made extremely popular in recent days with romantic comedies like Hitch, The Proposal, Along Came Polly, and a host of other often-cheesy movies featuring actors like Ben Stiller, Will Smith, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, and others. (I’m not endorsing them; just saying.) It includes romantic dramas such as The Vow.
There’s a guy and a girl who somehow meet. A chemical reaction begins between them. Then you see two things depicted in these films. First, guys are dumb. Really dumb. The guy doesn’t get the girl’s hints, or does something dumb to hurt her feelings. They named a movie titled Dumb and Dumber about two guys, after all. Then you realize a second feature: girls are crazy. The girl overreacts, goes drama queen, and the movie continues with the two almost figuring things out, until the end when they actually do, and, to quote another movie in the genre, Love Happens.
3. Rags to riches. This is the story of Cinderella, or The Princess
Diaries, or the favorite of Hannah’s and mine from years ago, What a Girl Wants. Sadness ultimately leads to a rescue and restoration beyond the wildest dreams of the star of the story.
Why do I use these examples when talking about sharing the gospel? Matt Chandler, Josh Patterson, and Eric Geiger help us to see why through the eyes of two literary greats, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien:
A conversation once held between colleagues C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien speaks to this innate human desire for being part of larger-than-life stories, quests, and victories—the draw of our hearts toward “myths,” which Lewis said were “lies and therefore worthless, even though breathed through silver.”
“No,” Tolkien replied, “they are not lies.” Far from being untrue, myths are the best way—sometimes the only way—of conveying truths that would otherwise remain inexpressible. We have come from God, Tolkien argued, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they do contain error, still reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily toward the true harbor.
These stories touch us because they speak to us, albeit imperfectly, where the gospel has the power to change us, to move our hearts toward the one who truly rescues and restores. We want a life of joy. We know something has gone wrong. We love and admire a rescuer, and we want a happily ever after, a rescue and a restoration. These stories touch us because they relate our lives to “the greatest epic the universe will ever know—God reconciling all things to himself in Christ.”
You can see that sharing Christ is helpful when we relate the gospel to truth we can see every day, whether in the stories we love or the design we see. This is so vital for a culture that no longer knows the story of the Bible. We don’t need to choose between the specific, propositional statements of gospel truth and the glorious story of the Bible. But we do need to help people see both the truth of the gospel and the great story of God’s redemptive plan.
My friends at Spread Truth Ministries (spreadtruth.com) have developed a wonderful tool to help believers see the whole gospel story of the Bible and share the good news of Jesus with others. The booklet they created called The Story has been a helpful tool for me.
Read more about The Story at viewthestory.com or download the app.
A few years ago I began realizing in my own witness how people I talked to didn’t seem to get the point of the gospel. It seemed more “churchy” to them than a message that would impact all of their life. I wanted to help people—especially young adults I interact with a lot—to see the great big picture of God’s plan and how their life related to God’s glory. In recent years I’ve seen more unchurched young adults come to Christ through sharing the whole gospel story than with any other approach. The gospel story offers a guide to help explain the gospel based on where the person you are talking with is at the moment. I will be unpacking this throughout the book, but let me walk you through this here.
There are many wonderful tools and apps you can use to help you share Jesus more confidently. Unfortunately, sometimes evangelism training unintentionally focuses too much on doing the evangelism program just right, rather than really knowing the gospel so you can share it in a conversation.
If you are at a church that uses a certain tool, such as “The Gospel Journey” by Dare2Share Ministries, “Two Ways to Live,” any of the free tools from The Way of the Master Television, or the courses offered by Christianity Explored, for instance, the principles in this book can help you share Christ using any of these and more. I also use the Life on Mission: 3 Circles conversation guide from the North American Mission Board (SBC). It’s another way of using the gospel story through circles. I’ve often drawn the three circles on a napkin at a coffee shop, and earlier this month I led a young man to Christ doing just that. My friend Jimmy Scroggins first developed this excellent approach while reaching unchurched people in South Florida. I want you to learn the gospel is more than a tool, although tools that center on the gospel can help grow our gospel fluency. We all need a baseline of gospel understanding to have conversations about Jesus, and tools like these can help.
Knowing and Sharing the Gospel Story
When you put a puzzle together, you start with the border, since a framework makes the rest of the image make sense. The grand narrative of the Bible follows the plotline of creation, fall, rescue, and restoration, the framework of Scripture that “frames up” our world and our greatest need as well as God’s
Alvin L. “Doc” Reid serves as Professor of Evangelism and Student Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where he has been since 1995. He is also the founding Bailey Smith Chair of Evangelism. He is the author of several books including Gospel Advanced: Leading a Movement That Changes the World.
The Inaugurated Kingdom Empowers Missional Living
I'll always remember two of the most incredible moments of my life. The days that my wife and I discovered she was pregnant with our two boys were breath-taking experiences. With our firstborn, I was sitting in the bedroom of our first apartment; and with our second-born, I was sitting in the master bedroom of our current house. In both instances, my wife decided to sneak away into the bathroom to take a pregnancy test without telling me. And in both instances she exited the bathroom to surprise me with that infamous blue plus-sign. Tears of joy flowed, and the same life-altering thought that struck me the first time—"Wow, I'm a father!"—also struck me the second time, "Wow, I'm a father ... again!"
Indeed, in those very moments, though there were still many months of pregnancy and growth ahead of us, I was already a father. And although my newborn sons were yet to be seen in their fullness, the amazing process of human life and fatherhood had already been inaugurated.
These joyous events gave way to a newfound focus in our lives. For both pregnancies, the next nine months were shaped by preparation and excitement as we waited for our beautiful baby boys to be revealed. All other concerns took a backseat as our priorities naturally shifted.
As I think back on these precious memories, I cannot help but find them analogous to the Gospel age we presently live in. The age of the Great Commission must be shaped by preparation and excitement for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he comes in power and glory to consummate all things.
But how can the church effectively keep such laser-like focus?
One way is by recognizing that a truly biblical eschatology (the doctrine of last things) is not primarily concerned with a short period of time at the end of this age. Rather, the biblical writers, and indeed Jesus himself, repeatedly and consistently taught an inaugurated eschatology (sometimes called "the already and the not yet"). So, what does this have to do with discipleship and the Great Commission?
Here are three reasons inaugurated eschatology empowers missional living:
#1 – Jesus brought the kingdom.
One view that has gained popularity in America over the past century says that Christ's kingdom is distinctly future.
While many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ hold such a view, this perspective sadly overlooks the present reality and power of the kingdom. With brevity, the opening chapter of Mark portrays Jesus replaying the early journey of Israel by first passing through the waters of baptism (as the Israelites passed through the waters in the Exodus) and then by wandering in the wilderness for forty days (as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years).
However, unlike the Israelites, Jesus overcame Satan's temptation perfectly, proving himself to be the long-awaited king. On the heels of these events, Jesus declared, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). In the words of Herman Ridderbos, "In Jesus' person and coming, the kingdom has become a present reality."
Although not yet here in its consummate form, these inaugural events show that Christ's kingdom has indeed already broken into this world. This means that the Great Commission is not a call to invite people into a future kingdom, as if the church is a group of party planners for an upcoming event that hasn't started yet.
Rather, we are ambassadors sent to proclaim a present worldwide kingdom (2 Cor. 5:20) whose king is already reigning (Eph. 1:20-21). And we are to make disciples in every nation who will submit to the lordship of Jesus by the grace of God, through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.
#2 – Jesus bound the strongman.
Among the miracles Jesus repeatedly performed was casting out demons. Matthew depicts such an occasion, in which the Pharisees accuse him of working through the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. In response, Jesus says:
Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. – Matthew 12:25-29
Additionally, when Jesus sent out the 72 in Luke 10, he instructed them to heal the sick and tell them that,
The kingdom of God has come near to you. When they returned to Jesus they were ecstatic, and said to him: Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. – Luke 10:17-19
What empowering words for us during this present Gospel age! God used to allow "all the nations to walk in their own ways" (Acts 14:16), but at Christ's first advent ̶ in the breaking through of his kingdom and in the cataclysmic event of the cross ̶ Jesus restrained Satan from deceiving the nations any longer (Rev. 20:1-3), disarmed the evil powers at work (Col. 2:15), and commissioned his saints to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19), because "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to [him]" (Matt. 28:18).
There is literally nothing that Satan can do to stop the Great Commission from being accomplished, and nothing he can do to stop Jesus from building his church (Matt. 16:18)!
According to Geerhardus Vos,
“The kingdom of God is a kingdom of conquest ... The foes [Jesus] thought of as about to be conquered were Satan, sin, and deat h... In the dislodgment of Satan, the kingdom of God comes and exerts its inherent power of conquest ... The powers which will revolutionize heaven and earth are already in motion. While with reference to Satan and his kingdom this power is a disruptive and subduing force, it is towards the members of [Christ's] kingdom a life-giving and life-liberating activity.”
True enough (as I once heard a preacher point out), just as Al Capone still ran the streets of Chicago while in prison, Satan is still incredibly active and powerful in this present evil age, "prowl[ing] around like a lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). But his power has been severely curtailed for the sake of the growth of the Gospel and the expansion of Christ's kingdom on earth.
The lion of this world is on a leash because the Lion of Judah has conquered him! And as new covenant saints we've been empowered to "resist him" (1 Peter 5:9) by the resurrection power that raised Christ bodily and raised us spiritually, "seat[ing] us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6). Even if we are martyred on our mission, the Gospel will continue to grow, Christ's kingdom will continue to expand worldwide, and we will enter into truer life than we've ever known–as we begin our next phase of reigning with Christ in glory (Rev. 20:4) until he finally restores and unites all things in himself (Eph. 1:10).
#3 – Jesus is bringing the Eschaton by means of Gospel growth.
In the book of Acts, Luke writes to Theophilus that when the resurrected Christ appeared to his disciples, he spent forty days with them, "speaking about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). At the end of his time with them, the disciples asked him a question, which, like so many times before, showed their short-sightedness. They asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6).
Embedded in their question is also a locational assumption; namely, that the consummate kingdom would be physically located in Israel, even though Jesus had previously said that the kingdom of God will not be seen in a physical place (Luke 17:20-21), and that his heirs to the kingdom would inherit the whole world, not merely Israel (Matt. 5:5).
Thus, Jesus answers both their question (regarding timing) and their assumption (regarding location):
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:7-8
Jesus didn't want his disciples to concern themselves with timing, and he wanted them to see that the means by which God's kingdom will come in its fullness is through the Spirit-empowered growth of the Gospel.
As Tim Keller points out,
“In Acts 1:6–8, Jesus repairs their faulty vision of what he is going to do in the world. They were looking for a political campaign, and he tells them about the nature of the kingdom, which will spread through his disciples as they become his witnesses and ambassadors. The vision is that through our words we will bring people under the kingship of Christ, which will heal and repair all things.”
As the gospel goes forth, the kingdom will expand through all the earth, and the Great Commission will one day be fulfilled. This is the mission to which we've been called. As we faithfully pursue missional living and go forth to make disciples of all nations, we are given a gift: the opportunity to be part of the restoration of all things in Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah in his letter to the Romans by saying, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news” (Rom .10:15). Later he adds, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom 16:20).
What a glorious task! What a worthy endeavor! What an empowering promise!
Imagine if all Christians in all places spoke these truths to themselves on a daily basis. How might our decisions look different if we lived as though a present-day kingdom has power in the now, as well as the not yet? How might our missions be emboldened if we truly believed that the enemy has been restrained? How accelerated would our evangelism become if we grabbed hold of the fact that gospel growth is the vehicle en route to the end of sin and death?
Just as the inauguration of human life and parenthood at the moment of conception lead to a newfound focus and a shift in priorities until the birth of a beautiful new baby, inaugurated eschatology and all its implications should empower the church for missional living and discipleship as we await the second coming of Christ.
Indeed, all of creation is groaning with birth pains in eager anticipation of the final appearing of Jesus, when we can fully and finally proclaim that "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever" (Rev. 11:15).
Jon Nagle is the husband of Andrea, and the daddy of two young boys, Wes and Cohen. After spending a decade in sales and management he felt the call to pursue full-time vocational ministry. He's currently serving as a volunteer pastoral intern at his local church and attending Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and College while continuning to work full-time in sales and advertising management. You can follow Jon on Twitter @jonathan_nagle.
We Can Suffer Because Christ
“Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.” – Hebrews 13:13
The Hebraic audience needed to hear this. The author of Hebrews is ministering to them as who they are—societal outcasts, persecuted for their new-found faith in Christ.
The author of Hebrews knows their struggles. He knows this congregation intimately, and he is speaking to them specifically to encourage them not to give up; to hold firmly to their profession of faith to the end (Heb. 3:12-14). He is once and for all telling them to abandon Judaism and embrace wholly the Christian faith in spite of their present sufferings.
Most importantly, the Hebraic author is saying, “We can suffer and endure because Christ has suffered and endured.”
THE REALITY OF OUR SUFFERING
While our suffering as American Christians is different than what the early Hebraic church experienced, the exhortation to persevere in the midst of trials and tribulations remains the same.
Many of you reading this are suffering presently at no fault of your own as you deal with:
- Cancer
- The loss of someone you love
- An abusive relationship
- A strained relationship because of your commitment to Christ
- A commitment to a life of celibacy for the glory of God that leaves you feeling lonely at times
- A lost job
- A disability
Your trials can lead you to question your faith. It did for some of those in the Hebraic church, and they lived within the same generation as Christ. We live two thousand years removed from the time of Christ. How much more do we need to be comforted by his Word?
A LIFE-SHAPING ENCOUNTER WITH SUFFERING
I think back to my Grandma Janie. For most of her adult life she was confined to a wheel chair and cared for at a nursing home. She was unable to do many of the tasks I take for granted on a daily basis. Furthermore, she was unable to do many of the things a mother would want to do for her children. She died when I was 17, and I think of her often. I think of her not just because she was my Grandma, but because of how she endured her suffering.
In all my memories I have not one of her complaining. I have not one memory of her being angry or bitter or unpleasant. My Grandma was joyful, and not in a superficial way. Her joy came from deep within. It was the kind of joy that could be seen and felt by others. As a child, I didn’t pay much attention to it, but her life and legacy shaped the way I view suffering. You see, my Grandma Janie didn’t waste suffering.
My Grandma allowed her suffering to be used as a means by which she could rely more on God. Her intimacy with her Savior was evident. The memory of it is quite vivid to me. She prayed to him. She read the Scriptures. She communed with God, and that intimate communion was evident in her posture and speech. It was evident in the way she prayed for her children. It was evident in the way she suffered until her death.
What was my Grandma Janie’s secret? I believe she “went outside the camp” and looked to Christ. Her faithful legacy of suffering reminds me that we can persevere even in immense agony. And we don’t have to suffer timidly, barely hanging on. We can suffer with immense joy.
COUNT IT ALL JOY
James taught us this, didn’t he? He said, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (Jas. 1:2-4).
From a biblical worldview, no suffering is meaningless. God is working in the darkest shadows of our lives to conform us into the image of Jesus. God uses suffering so that he may build us up. Certainly, this is folly to the world, but Christians know that it is true.
Our joy isn’t contingent on God changing our circumstances. If that were the case, my Grandma would not have reason to be joyful. Our joy is found in knowing our Savior who suffered. Our joy is found in knowing the Holy Spirit is changing us through our suffering and making us new day by day.
FINDING COMFORT THROUGH THE SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit can minister to you as he did the Hebraic church. The Holy Spirit can minister to you the way he ministered to my Grandma. He is pointing you to your faithful Husband, Christ, who, “has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). The Word reminds God’s suffering church that, “For our sake he [God] made him [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Jesus endured the worst suffering of all. Every single sin his church would ever commit was laid on him—the sinless, spotless Lamb. And every ounce of God’s wrath was poured out on him.
There is no more wrath left for God’s church.
My brothers and sisters who are suffering: Look to Christ! What a treasure it is to suffer as a believer and to declare utter dependence on him!
Go outside the camp and bear the reproach that he endured. Persevere.
SEEK THE CITY TO COME
When we look to Christ and model his perseverance, we can, by the power of the Holy Spirit, seek the city that is to come even in the midst of our suffering.
“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” – Hebrews 13:14
There is much benefit in meditating on the city that is to come. My whole being aches for this day. This is the city where there is no more suffering or pain. This is a city where people are in awe and consumed for eternity by the glory of God and the supremacy of Christ over all things. This is what the Apostle Paul was looking forward to in Romans 8 when he states,
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. – Romans 8:18-25
Christian, you are not alone. God is near and a very present help in trouble (Ps 46:1). You are his possession. He chose you before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), and you can have confidence in your future inheritance as you joyfully suffer and wait to acquire possession of it (Eph. 1:14).
Joey Tomlinson lives in Yorktown, VA with his wife, Brayden and their son, Henry Jacob. He has served as a pastor at Coastal Community Church for over 10 years and is pursuing his doctorate in biblical counseling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also blogs over at Servants of Grace.
5 Ways to Pray For A Sermon
Prayer is a natural progression from the priming we just discussed. Any preacher would be foolish to preach a single word without first petitioning God to do what only He can do. While I never set out to make a recurring prayer list for Sunday morning, here are a few requests I pray regularly.
God, guard my speech.
I have a tongue that tends to run quicker than my mind, and I communicate for a living. This is a dangerous combination. A quick tongue and a faulty filter go together like fire and gasoline. Some of my greatest regrets are times when I’ve said something “off the cuff ” in the pulpit that was questionable. It may be an unplanned comment, a phrase that lacks clarity and causes confusion, or even something that may in some way lack godliness. I’ve prayed the heart of Ephesians 4:29 more times than I can count: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” That’s what I’m after. But to be honest, I have so much room to grow here. I need God to sanctify every part of me, including my speech. God forbid we ever speak even one word that is biblically inaccurate or pastorally insensitive. I need help in this area, so every Sunday, without fail, I ask God to guard my speech.
God, soak my heart in the sermon I’ve prepared.
I never want my sermon to sound like I’m trying recite lines I’ve written. Some preachers are so ill prepared or overly concerned with rhetorical precision that they end up sounding like a prepubescent boy trying to remember lines in his first juniorhigh play. It’s awkward, unnatural, and distracting. I want to prepare every word yet preach in such a way that it flows naturally, spilling from the overflow of my heart. This is why I ask God to soak my heart in the sermon. Each week, I ask Him to press the notes I’ve prepared deep into my heart and mind so I can remember what I’ve prepared. I don’t want to be buried in my notes when I’m preaching to people.
The first step is to get the sermon on the page. You may not write a word-for-word manuscript—though I do commend this to new preachers—but you should write out the vast majority of what you plan to say. Roughly 90 percent of my sermon is written on the page. The second step is to get the sermon in my heart so I can then preach it to others. Like everything else, I need the Lord’s help in this. Like a needy child, I ask my loving Father for help in this intensely practical and absolutely important aspect of my preaching.
God, protect my tone.
One of my great fears is saying the right thing the wrong way. I’ve heard my friend James MacDonald say, “If you’re wrong in the way that you’re right, you’re wrong even if you’re right.” This has major implications when it comes to tone in preaching. How you say what you say is as important as what you say. As I’ve said, it’s critical that our tone mirrors the text. Saying what God says but missing the heart from which He says it is as damaging as misrepresenting what God has said. For instance, the New Testament contains many hard sayings of Jesus, but He is not harsh. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle” (emphasis added). If we repeat a hard saying that Jesus said and say it harshly, we are misrepresenting His heart and character. Furthermore, if we are cold in the way we address sin or call people to repentance, we misrepresent the compassionate heart of God. Psalm 78:38 says, “Yet [God], being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath” (emphasis added). Faithfulness to the text is a non-negotiable for Bible preachers, and faithfulness to the text demands that we be faithful in our tone. To do this, we need God’s help, so we ask Him to protect our tone.
God, prepare the hearts of those listening.
The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 has to be one of the most humbling stories for preachers. It highlights that not everyone will be receptive to the word of the gospel when preached. No matter what you say or how you say it, some will respond and some will not. Paul reminds us that “neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7). And in John 6:44, Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” People’s receptivity to the gospel rests in the hands of God, not in the hands of preachers. This alone should drive us to our knees quickly and constantly. You can preach like a man on fire, and people may even clap and affirm your passion with an obligatory “Amen.” But no one other than the Spirit of God can open a heart to receive His Word. That’s why every Sunday I ask God to prepare people’s hearts in whatever way is necessary for them to welcome what God says and to leave changed.
God, grant me unction.
The word unction simply means “anointing.” The Puritans and Reformers understood unction to be the type of powerful and passionate preaching enabled by the Holy Spirit. As preachers, we are desperate for the Holy Spirit to rest on and work in and through us as we preach. Unction—the Spirit of God using the Word of God—makes preaching pierce the hearts of those listening. Unction is not about being inspirational or loud, and it’s far more than mere excitement about the topic or text being preached. Unction doesn’t comes from inside us. It comes only from God and thus demands that we beg Him for it. Charles Spurgeon put it this way:
One bright benison which private prayer brings down upon the ministry is an indescribable and inimitable something, better understood than named; it is a dew from the Lord, a divine presence which you will recognize at once when I say it is “an unction from the Holy One.” What is it? I wonder how long we might beat our brains before we could plainly put into words what is meant by preaching with unction; yet he who preaches knows its presence, and he who hears soon detects its absence.
I want this. Per Spurgeon’s point, unction may be difficult to define, but I know I want it. I want the Spirit of God to work through my preaching, because if He does not, what’s the point of preaching?
I can’t overstress the fact that this “unction” is from God and comes to us through prayer. Methodist minister and Civil War chaplain E. M. Bounds wrote,
This unction comes to the preacher not in the study but in the closet. It is heaven’s distillation in answer to prayer. It is the sweetest exhalation of the Holy Spirit. It impregnates, suffuses, softens, percolates, cuts and soothes. It carries the Word like dynamite, like salt, like sugar; makes the Word a soother, an arranger, a revealer, a searcher; makes the hearer a culprit or a saint, makes him weep like a child and live like a giant; opens his heart and his purse as gently, yet as strongly as the spring opens the leaves. This unction is not the gift of genius. It is not found in the halls of learning. No eloquence can woo it. No industry can win it. No prelatical hands can confer it. It is the gift of God— the signet set to his own messengers. It is heaven’s knighthood given to the chosen true and brave ones who have sought this anointed honor through many an hour of tearful, wrestling prayer.
The only true power a preacher has is that of the One preached. We need His help, His power, His unction. So let’s storm the throne of God and humbly ask Him to supply it.
Ryan Huguley planted Redemption Bible Church in Arlington Heights, IL in 2009 and served as lead pastor for seven years. In 2016 he accepted a call to become the senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Hickory, NC, a growing congregation of 1,000. Ryan has worked in church planting since 2001 and has a passion to help the next generation know Jesus and make Him known. He helps assess, coach, and train church planters and hosts a podcast called In the Room.
Taken from 8 Hours or Less: Writing Faithful Sermons Faster by Ryan Huguley (2017). Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission. www.MoodyPublishers.com.
5 Tune-Ups for Stuck Small Groups
Most churches focused on discipleship have an outlet for growing community through groups. We differ on the language—life groups, community groups, missional communities—but our goals in these groups are mostly the same, with some slight differences in emphases of course. Community groups traditionally emphasize study together, while life groups center on digging into relationships and community, and missional communities have more of an “outward” focus. But, at the end of the day, we all want it said of our group that we strived to make disciples and disciple-makers. We all want to study Scripture, fellowship with the saints, and serve one another.
All of these goals are well and good, but those of us who have been part of groups that have lasted for a significant amount of time know how they can drift and turn stale. Sometimes your group may reach the spot where you all just feel stuck.
Here are five small but significant steps your group can take to start getting un-stuck. I call them “tune-ups.” Like an out-of-tune trumpet, perhaps our small groups are still making music but feel slightly off-pitch. We don’t need a new instrument or new equipment, just some quick adjustments. To be clear, these won’t happen at the drop of a hat and without effort, but they may prove to be important shifts for your group to consider making.
Tune-Up #1 – Consider Theology
I recently sat around a table with fellow small group leaders, talking about what’s working and what needs improvement in our groups. A overwhelming majority of the group leaders said that they were struggling most of all with the content of their study time together. They all felt like their groups were sort of indifferent toward whatever it was they were studying.
It’s no secret that many small group curriculums feel cut from the same cloth—practical advice on marriage or finance, general Christian living, or surface-scratching Bible studies. Perhaps if your conversations are feeling less and less indepth these days, it’s time for moving on from milk to meat. There are infinite riches and depths in the study of God; it is hard to get “stuck” when studying theology. Here is a sampling of study recommendations for your group that will offer solid content and are sure to spark discussion:
- A study series on Romans 8. Check out John Piper’s “Look at the Book” video series on Romans 8, “The Greatest Chapter” (here).
- Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community (New York, HarperOne, 2009).
- Pearcey, Nancy, Total Truth: Liberating Christianity From Its Cultural Captivity, Study Guide Edition (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008).
- The New City Catechism Devotional: God’s Truth for Our Hearts and Minds, ed. Collin Hansen (Wheaton: Crossway, 2017).
- Wilkin, Jen, None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different From Us (and Why That’s a Good Thing) (Wheaton, Crossway, 2016).
Tune-Up #2 – Share Your Own Devotional Times
Many small group leaders feel the pressure to come up with a lesson for the group, and sometimes struggle to do so. One way to combat this is to ask a different couple each week to lead by sharing what they have been reading and learning lately in Scripture. We have had success with this in my own life group. It has been encouraging to see how God is speaking to each of us in our own rhythms and using those lessons to impact the group where they are. One week, I shared what had been on my mind in reading Isaiah. Another week, a couple shared from Exodus.
This tune-up gives everyone leadership opportunity. Not only this, but the bar to lead is low. No study must be prepared to lead and there’s no pressure to know the right way to facilitate. It is simply reflecting on time in the Word and hoping to offer some wisdom to others. It encourages each of us to be accountable to be in the Word on our own time. Last, it gives group leaders the opportunity spot other leaders who they can disciple and send out to leader other groups.
Tune-Up #3 – Don’t Always Study Scripture
Easy now. If you’re looking for someone that believes we cannot exhaust our study of the Scriptures, I’m your guy. While I do believe that studying God’s Word should be a fundamental component of our time together in community, perhaps what could help some groups that feel stuck is switching up the agenda from the normal mingle-Bible-study-prayer-mingle rhythm and do something new.
In my current life group, we love “Game Night.” We get together, sometimes with dinner, and we just play board games for the night. It’s obviously not all we do, not even what we mostly do. But it allows us to bond in ways that actually support our times in the Word together. And, believe it or not, some of our best gospel conversations happen in these moments. Have a cook out. Play yard games. Go do something out of the ordinary. Leverage these gatherings to make your time in Scripture together that much sweeter.
Tune-Up #4 – Pray for Your Heart, Not for Your Circumstances
I have a love-hate relationship with prayer request time in small groups. It is valuable. It’s one of the main reasons Christians should meet together (Acts 2:42, 12:12; Jas 5:16). But I often believe prayer request time turns into diatribe laments of the same old circumstances, or circumstances that really don’t matter. When circumstances come our way, the weekly update is often very much of the same, and our prayer time together can turn into the same song and dance.
We should work to re-tune our small group prayer times by focusing on our hearts and striving for repentance. For example, your job transition may be a weekly circumstance—but how’s your heart handling it this week? Are you angry you cannot get traction? Are you getting short with your spouse because of it? Are you struggling to trust in God’s leadership? Are you hopeful and confident in the Lord’s provision? The disciples in Acts, compellingly, prayed not for Peter and John’s protection from persecution but for their hearts to be bold and not lose faith (Acts 4:23-31). We can learn from their example. In these moments, groups can speak the truths of the gospel to one another and truly bear the burdens of their neighbors (Gal 6:2).
Also, maybe add times where we pray Scripture. I recommend working through some of the Psalms or using a book like The Valley of Vision that’s filled will gospel-rich prayers. Spending time focusing on God instead of our circumstances can be invaluable.
Tune-Up #5 – Find a Way to Serve Together
In gospel-centered circles, many pastors warn of not falling into pontificating or building “ivory towers” in our discussion of theology and faith. These are good warnings, but they do not only apply to academics. We are prone to isolating ourselves and building our own ivory tower if our small groups are always 100% inward-focused.
Finding a way to serve together is bound to give your small group some life. After all, the discipleship mandate in Matthew 28 begins with, “Go.” It doesn’t have to be extravagant. Maybe it’s committing to having a “block party” for the neighbors where you meet. Maybe it’s ministry of mercy toward those in need. Whatever it is, work with your group to find opportunities to do something.
The final thing to remember is that finding small group renewal is a Spirit work; no tune-up will work instantaneously and perfectly. But these are some of the ways your group could, with a slight adjustment, perhaps begin to get out of neutral and move in the direction they hope to go.
Zach Barnhart currently serves as Student Pastor of Northlake Church in Lago Vista, TX. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University, and is currently studying at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, seeking a Master of Theological Studies degree. He is married to his wife, Hannah. You can follow Zach on Twitter @zachbarnhart or check out his personal blog, Cultivated.
The Cataclysm That Is Conversion
Reelfoot Lake is a shallow natural lake, not far from Memphis, Tennessee, where I grew up. It is noted for its bald cypress trees and its nesting pairs of bald eagles. But it is perhaps best known as the lake that was formed almost overnight as a result of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1812, when the Mississippi River flowed backward for 24 hours to fill it. Based on the effects of these earthquakes, it can be estimated that they had a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale. The earthquakes were felt strongly over roughly 50,000 square miles. As a result of the quakes, large areas sank into the earth, new lakes were formed, and the Mississippi River changed its course. This is how Reelfoot Lake came into being. Where once there had been dry land, there now was a lake encompassing 25,000 acres and teeming with wildlife.
A Momentous Upheaval
The dictionary defines a cataclysm as “a momentous upheaval that brings about a fundamental change.” And while the formation of Reelfoot Lake certainly qualifies as a cataclysmic event, there are even more significant, more impressive upheavals that have occurred throughout history. One such cataclysm took place one day, around noon, in the heart a man named Paul. It’s recorded for us in Acts chapter 9.
In Acts 8, Paul was ravaging the church, breathing out threats and murder against Christians everywhere. Paul gives his own description of his efforts in Acts 26:10-11:
I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
Why was Paul so venomously opposed to Christianity? Because the salvation by grace that Jesus Christ taught would have made all of Paul’s own careful, law-abiding, pharisaical deeds useless and unimpressive. According to Jesus, salvation came freely by grace, through faith, not works. Paul would later post his list of legalistic accomplishments in Philippians 3:4-6:
If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
The idea that anyone—regardless of their ethnic identity, moral record, or religious heritage—who believed on Jesus Christ would have everlasting life was repugnant to Paul. And so he persecuted those of “this Way” (Acts 9:2), even pursuing them to Damascus, about one week’s journey from Jerusalem.
However, as he drew near to Damascus, Jesus met Paul in person on the road. Paul tells us that at midday he saw a light from heaven, brighter than the noonday sun (26:13), and that the others who were with him heard a noise and saw a light, but they heard no voice and saw no man (9:7; 22:9). Paul was struck blind by the light, but his eyes were opened to the reality of Christ. He heard Jesus speak, and Paul asked the wise question, “Who are you, Lord?” The answer—that he was encountering the resurrected Jesus Christ—changed his life fundamentally and forever.
A Delightful Surprise
God delights in surprising his saints; so much so that he tells us to expect to be surprised. Anything less is described as “little faith.”
Why is this? Because little faith forgets to ask the question: “Who are you, Lord?” Conversely, strong faith, right faith understands who God is, what he is capable of, and what he has promised to do. Thus, in Acts 9 we find strong faith in one of the most unlikely and surprising places imaginable—the persecutor Paul. His greatest fear has come true, yet he found it his greatest joy in the end. He shares his delight in Philippians 3:8: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
Paul wasn’t the only one who was surprised: the saints in Damascus, who had heard of and dreaded Paul’s menacing approach to their city, were shocked to find him the newest convert to Christianity. The persecutor had become an apostle! Paul is not alone in history either. John Newton was converted from the life of a slave trader to a hymn writer and preacher; C.S. Lewis was converted from devout atheism to become the foremost Christian apologist of the twentieth century; Chuck Colson was converted from thieving and deception to ministry and evangelism.
C.S. Lewis called this unexpected, irresistible act of grace being “surprised by joy.” He marveled afterward that he had discovered this vital truth: “necessity may not be the opposite of freedom.” In other words, being saved by grace does not mean you lose your freedom; it means you are delivered from inescapable bondage.
A Gracious Pattern
What lessons are we meant to draw from Paul’s miraculous, cataclysmic conversion? Is this just an interesting piece of Paul’s overall biography, or does it have greater implications?
Certainly he experienced a momentous upheaval that brought about a fundamental change. In the formerly dry, legalistic land of Paul’s heart God created a teeming lake of life and faith. But is this Reelfoot-like conversion a reflection of real life, or just Paul’s extraordinary-but-individual experience? Does it only happen once or twice a century, to gifted people like Paul, or Newton, or Lewis, or Colson?
Paul himself applies the lesson for us, telling us that this was a conversion, not just for Paul, but for all. In 1Timothy 1:15-16, Paul writes: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me…Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” Paul’s conversion was an example of what God is doing in everyone who believes in him. While we will not all have the exact same experience as Paul (some might!), every one of God’s children are saved by the same Spirit that arrested Paul on the road to Damascus. We each encounter Christ, through God’s grace, and we are all called to personal service and ministry.
In recording the cataclysmic conversion of Paul, Luke wants us to see the impossibility of Paul’s conversion, then the ease and completeness of it. The persecutor became, in a moment, the apostle of Jesus Christ. What encouragement this account brings to struggling sinners, who perhaps think their case too hard for God, or to discouraged disciple-makers, who perhaps think the case of others too hard for God!
In Galatians 1:15-16, Paul speaks of his conversion, that “when he who had set me apart before I was born” moved in Paul’s life, God “called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me.” This, we must remember, is a pattern for all who would, after Paul, believe on Jesus Christ for eternal life.
The marvelous truth of the gospel is that cataclysmic conversions are happening every day, around the world, as the Spirit of God moves to make children of God out of those whom he has separated from their mother’s womb. Reelfoot lakes of life and faith are formed in the hearts of awe-struck people as they experience the momentous upheaval of God’s grace in their lives. And by that same grace that caught Paul unexpectedly, we are surprised by joy.
Justin Huffman has pastored in the States for over 15 years, authored the “Daily Devotion” app (iTunes/Android) which now has over half a million downloads, and recently published a book with Day One: Grow: the Command to Ever-Expanding Joy. He has also written articles for For the Church, Servants of Grace, and Fathom Magazine. He blogs at justinhuffman.org.
Finding God in my Loneliness
Giving way to panic has proven helpful in a crisis—said no one ever. Yet panic is the natural response of those who fixate on their circumstances rather than on Christ. Didn’t Peter prove this when walking on water? So long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he made forward progress, but the minute he turned his gaze to the wind and the waves, he began to sink. Peter panicked (Matt. 14:22–30). We often do the same thing when the wind and the waves of loneliness threaten to sink us. If we aren’t fixed on Jesus—and if we don’t view life through a biblical lens—we’re going to try to fight those waves ourselves, and eventually we will go down. Panicked swimmers often drown.
Lie: Loneliness Is Pure Evil
Heightening the waves of loneliness is this myth: “Loneliness is a result of something bad, and therefore no one should have to experience it.”[1] If we believe that, we’re going to use everything we’ve got to fight against it. We will have no peace, no joy, and no delight in the Lord. And we will never find our way out of the water.
Let’s take a closer look at that myth. Is loneliness really the result of something bad? On one hand, God did say that it’s not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). So in that sense, yes, aloneness—and its accompanying loneliness—is not good. Yet we can’t escape the fact that it was God himself who made Adam and then put him in the garden all alone. Sin hadn’t even entered the world yet. In other words, Adam’s aloneness was God’s doing, and God did it so that Adam—and all human beings after him—would yearn for companionship. God went on to provide a wife for Adam; however, “he never designed marriage to fulfill the incompleteness or eradicate the aloneness. Rather, it more fully reveals our need for our ultimate destiny—to be in union with him.”[2] So from the beginning man’s aloneness wasn’t good per se, but that wasn’t the end of the story. No, God went on to provide the remedy for it. So there’s no need to panic. The emptiness that so often accompanies aloneness—loneliness—is meant to be filled to the full with Christ.
Lie: I Shouldn’t Have to Be Alone
So aloneness isn’t all bad after all. And since that’s the case, we can’t really claim that no one should have to experience it. To the contrary, since God designed us to yearn for connectedness, it stands to reason that we must experience loneliness. Apart from that, we’d be prone in our natural selfishness to isolate ourselves so we can have everything in life our own way, never having to bend to the wishes and needs of others. Without a biblical perspective, we will see loneliness as utterly bad, as something to avoid at all costs. And we will panic.
The voice of panic says,
I’m the only one who’s home alone tonight.
He’s less than ideal, but if I don’t marry him, I might never have another chance.
Being alone is going to ruin my health.
If God were truly good, he wouldn’t leave me in this lonely situation.
God says,
Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Josh. 1:9)
I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Heb. 13:5)
And Jesus said,
Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matt. 28:20)
What happens when we panic? Our heart races; we can feel the blood pound. A sense of desperation rises up in our throat—we can almost taste it. And then our mind scrambles to latch on to a way out, and at this point, any way will do. If you’re like me, those moments occur most frequently after sundown. Sometimes I dread the night. How will I make it through another one all alone? And why must I? That’s what it comes down to, isn’t it? Panic so easily morphs into rebellion. Once that happens, we’ve turned away from God rather than toward him. We reject God’s comfort and turn to whatever escape is nearby—television, Facebook, food, alcohol, sleep. We don’t want comfort on God’s terms, so we say, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Yet if we insist on life on our terms, we will only entrench our loneliness.
Lie: I Can Fix This Myself
Sometimes our escape methods are significantly more sophisticated. We don’t settle for that simple evening escape; we strategize a radical life-turnaround. And indeed there are times when undertaking a significant change might be a wise approach. God’s blessings often come to us by means of our own activity, and a pressing weight of loneliness might be the very thing God is using to redirect our path. But if the only available options for change are biblically questionable or if godly friends express reservations about our plans, then we are wise to reconsider. And even when it’s all systems go, there is no guarantee that our loneliness will be remedied as a result. The bottom line is, we can’t fix our loneliness; we haven’t been created with that capability. We can alter our aloneness, but not our loneliness.
The Light of Truth
So what’s our goal? That’s a good question to ask ourselves if loneliness is compelling us to consider a major life change. If we are believing the lies—aloneness is bad, I shouldn’t have to be lonely, and I can fix my loneliness—then those lies are going to drive us. That relocation we’re considering might open all kinds of new doors, but it won’t necessarily solve loneliness. Signing on with Match.com might result in a relationship, but there’s no guarantee it will remedy loneliness. The church across town has a lot more people, but leaving a small church for a larger one can backfire as a loneliness remedy. On the other hand, if we’re lonely because we have no Christian fellowship or Bible-believing church to attend, then making a change is a wise plan.
[1] Barnes and Bock, “5 Myths and Truths in Loneliness.”
[2] Ibid.
Lydia Brownback, author of several books and speaker at women’s events internationally, is passionate about promoting biblical doctrine with a high view of God. Lydia works on the editorial team at Crossway Books, and before that she served as writer-in-residence for Alistair Begg and as producer of The Bible Study Hour radio program with James Montgomery Boice.
Content taken from Finding God in my Loneliness by Lydia Brownback, ©2017. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187, www.crossway.org.
Take Delight in Growing Up
Kids want to grow up. We see the excitement on their faces when it’s “Show and Tell” day at school. Kindergarten classes across the nation create a special day for kids to dress up and proudly announce what the many years of school in the future will be in pursuit of. Consequently, three-foot-tall firemen, teachers, doctors, and athletes decked in costume from head to toe drag whatever props necessary and get to pretend their dreams have come true for a few hours. When I was a young girl, I gave myself an extra middle name. I proclaimed to everyone I met at the grocery store, doctor’s office, and my school that my name was Jennifer-Lauren-Big Girl-Cooper. This title proved my big-ness and so did my liking for coffee. I took on coffee drinking (and never stopped thankfully) and the reading of the newspaper in the mornings with my dad. Even more, I told every waiter I was too big for the kids’ menu and too big for a booster seat and too big for my britches—though I didn’t mention the obvious.
As I wanted to become more like my parents—the grown-ups, I watched, asked questions, and mimicked all while they smiled (or laughed) at my doing so. Likewise, my daughter instinctively (and with some practice) reaches milestones of development, and we, too, take much joy in watching while she, in turn, delights to see our joy. In a similar way, our Heavenly Father delights (yet infinitely more) in seeing his children grow, and we also have joy in learning everything about him and understanding his love for us.
But this desire to grow-up does not remain. One day, which seems like in the blink of an eye, we stop wanting to grow-up because we fear growing old. Better yet, we may get bogged down with the monotony of life. There’s nothing left to look forward to. Every day repeats itself. Wrinkles set in. Exercise hurts more. The good days are gone. The days of carrying around the Hello Kitty lunchbox without condemnation are gone. Growing up didn’t live up to its expectation (or so we think).
We Should Want to Grow Up Too
As Christians, many of us go through a similar season. A point came where we heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and put our faith in him—repenting from our sinful ways. We took great delight in his Word filled with promises, stories, and hope. We saw the more spiritually mature Christians (and hopefully Jesus) and wanted to grow to be like them. We wanted to read the Bible, memorize it, and live it. We graciously delighted in it, and our Father exploded with joy in the heavens. But we grew weary of growing and stalled, not because God is not faithful but because of our lack in perseverance. The everyday spiritual disciplines became a chore though they shouldn’t, and God felt like someone you knew too well (although he’s unsearchable).
I’ve gone through seasons of devouring the Word and seasons of fighting to desire the smallest piece of it. I’ve discipled girls who week in and week out justify how they didn’t have much time for God’s word. Sadly, I guarantee they took the time to eat three meals a day. They realized the importance of food for their body, and they want it, too. It’s delicious. It even brings comfort.
A few verses to illustrate:
“I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.” –Job 23:12
“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that ma does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” –Deuteronomy 8:3
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” –Psalm 119:103
“As newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” –1 Peter 2:2
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.” –Jeremiah 15:16
God’s word is more delightful than honey and dark chocolate and filet mignon and scalloped potatoes and sweet tea and dare I say—coffee! Oh, how we should feast on it and be filled!
Five Ways to Eat the Word
My pastor Dustin Cook and his wife have taught me these five ways to eat God’s Word through years of teaching, relationship, and mentoring. We eat Scripture by hearing it, reading it, memorizing it, meditating on it, and studying it. Below we will look at each:
– Hearing the Word
- We hear the good news of the gospel—either audibly through another Christian or from his written Word—in order to put our faith in Christ (Rom. 10:17).
- We hear pastors preach the Word (hopefully) and receive it with all eagerness while testing its validity according to the scriptures (Acts 17:11).
- We hear it in fellowship with other believers as they exhort, rebuke, or comfort us (Heb. 10:24-25, 2 Cor. 1:3-5, Gal. 6:1)
- We hear from God himself by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rev. 3:20, Is. 50:4).
– Reading the Word
- We read the Word every day so that we may fear God and obey him in humility (Deut. 17:18-19).
- We read all of the Word, Old Testament and New Testament, for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).
– Memorizing the Word
- We memorize scripture because God commands us to (Prov. 7:1-3, Col. 3:16, Deut. 6:6, Prov. 22:17-21).
- We memorize scripture to avoid sin (Ps. 119:11, Prov. 15:28).
- We memorize scripture to fight Satan (Matt. 4, Eph. 6:17).
- We memorize scripture to share it with others (1 Pt. 3:15, Jer. 20:9, 1 Thess. 2:13).
– Meditating on the Word
- We meditate on the Word by talking to ourselves, reflecting, pondering, and exercising our minds with the purpose to renew our fleshly mind into the mind of Christ and to better apply what we learned (Josh. 1:8, Ps. 1:2-3, Jas 1:25, Lk. 6:45, Phil. 4:8, Col. 3:2).
– Studying the Word
- We diligently study God’s Word to have a right understanding of it (2 Tim. 2:15).
- We study the Word to teach it (Ezra 7:10).
- We study the Word to recognize false teachers (2 Pt. 3:16).
All five of these ways to feast on the Word of God causes growth in the believer if put to practice. Scripture teaches that we should read the Word and be in God’s presence (Ps. 119:147-148). The final three methods of memorizing, meditating, and studying may call for specific times. We must put these into practice first. Then, share it with others. As result, we will grow and make disciples who grow as well..
Kids want to grow up. They delight in the process and even try to hasten it. We, too, should delight in the process towards spiritual maturity. What a privilege it is to grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ! May we feast on God’s Word and allow it to nourish us as God intended it to.
Jennifer Brogdon is a stay-at-home mom who ministers to college athletes and international students. She and her husband, Shane, live in Mississippi and are preparing to move overseas long-term. For more of her writing, you can check out her blog or follow her on Twitter.
Where You Go I Will Go
I boarded the airplane feeling like such an adult. I was all alone and heading to a new city for an awesome job interview. My arms and legs were electrified with excitement. I had complete assurance in what God had planned for me, so taking these steps seemed so easy. The young girl next to me turned and offered me a piece of gum which I kindly refused, but asked, “Are you from Nashville?” She said, “No, but my family is. I go to school in Virginia Beach. Are you?” I replied, “No, I’m actually just heading there for...” My throat closed. Water spilled out from my eyes. “Oh gosh, I am so sorry. I didn’t expect this emotion to come up right now, forgive me.” Humiliated, I took a minute to get myself together and finish our conversation. Grief. It’s unexpected, inconvenient, and heavy. It bombards our thoughts, our actions, and our hopes in ways that we can’t plan around. It is present with every heartbreak, every loss, and every transition.
I know transition all too well. The Lord knows my life has been full of them. When it’s time for a transition, I know how to process what I am leaving, and how I typically respond to the discomfort of newness. The frustrating thing is that it’s not any easier to grieve. The pit in my stomach still occurs. The tightening in my chest is just as consuming. The uncontrollable crying remains relentless.
I discovered most recently that I’ve learned how to deal with change by myself and with God. I can handle it if I can retreat, take my time, and then very slowly re-enter into normal life and relationships. This pattern is a well thought out way of dealing with grief the way I know how. But what if God has something more for me? What happens if I am so busy processing my own grief that I neglect the people around me?
I am moved by the story of Ruth. A woman whose faithfulness surpassed her grief. Her husband dies, her brother-in-law dies, and she turns to Naomi to say, “I will follow you.” Even when Naomi turns to bitterness, isolation, and inner turmoil, Ruth remains steadily focused on her purpose. It is absolutely crucial that we reflect on Ruth 1:14 because we miss the point if we miss this verse.
In verse 13, Naomi lays out the reasonable truth that the two girls really should return to their homes to find refuge after such a tragedy, and prepare for their next marriage and family. Anyone would agree that this is the wise choice according to every standard of the world. The Spirit then reports, “Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her” (v. 14). It is not that Ruth denies the tragedy or the real grief that came after. She feels the pain of loss. She lifts her face and shouts out cries of angst, and she unapologetically weeps. Notice it says, “they” lifted their voices. They expressed together. The difference is that after this outward expression of grief, Ruth doesn’t isolate into inward grief. She clings to her mother-in-law and conveys, you won’t do this alone- I’m going with you. I’m going to the deepest, darkest places with you. I’m going to share shelter, I’m going to share community, I’m going to share fellowship with God. Ruth responds with overwhelming humility. She refuses to take personal refuge, but insists on shared refuge.
God intends for grief to be healed both personally and in community, but it seems like our society has lost the humility it requires to share grief. Instead, we look like Orpah. We cry for a minute then get up, dust off our knees, and go home to take care of ourselves. We have lost Ruth’s beautiful depiction of humbly submitting ourselves to community. We have something to learn from her willingness to abandon herself and cling to someone. I want to be the person who can shamelessly cling to someone who knows my heart, is trustworthy, and is following God even through the pain.
I have seen my tendencies to isolate inwardly in this season. I am a nanny, and my life looks unbelievably different than it has for the past few years. It is humbling, it is exhausting, and it is also rewarding. I often feel hope, defeat, and loneliness in the timespan of an hour. One hour. When I have time to take for myself, I could easily retreat to process these things in the safety of my own home. I could find comfort within the small spaces of my own inner struggle. Or I could find fellow warriors who will be a support in this crazy transition. I could invite people into the process of grief, hope, and new rhythms. If I don’t do it now, then I may lose a lot of opportunities God has planned for me.
On my third day being a nanny, I was on the verge of a breakdown. My sweet little one ate something spicy and had a complete meltdown in the middle of the place we were eating. I made her plate, so it was clearly my fault. I was embarrassed, exhausted, and at the end of my rope. All I could think was, “Oh gosh, take me home.” After she calmed down a little, we began playing with toys, and she was recuperating from the meltdown, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t get myself out of the funk. I just wanted to escape home. In this exact moment, she curiously looks up at me and says, “Do you have a family?” Taken off guard, I replied yes. To which she said, “Can you tell me about them?”
The girl is three. She can’t know how this spoke to me. It was God saying, “Hey, it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling. It’s not okay to believe that you’re all alone.” The Spirit knows us in our grief, the Son knows us in our grief, and the Father knows us in our grief. Let’s allow God’s people to know us in our grief, too. We would experience fellowship in ways we’ve never known it. We will also experience disappointment, because people don’t know how to do this just like we don’t. No one is capable of carrying your grief, and we should never have the expectation that they can. Ruth didn’t carry Naomi; she just walked with her. Our lives would change if we humbly submitted to community. If we had the boldness to invite people to follow us into the grief.
The beautiful part about grief is that we share intimately with the suffering that Christ endured. He didn’t bypass the painful reality of sin and death, of loneliness and betrayal, but he took it on himself to feel deeply. He cried out to the Father in desperation. It’s my belief that when we grieve, we’re actually experiencing a deep union with Jesus that we can’t feel anywhere else. We get to know him and be known by him, and it’s a surreal thing when we can see a glimpse of that process in someone else. There’s a grace in patiently and quietly walking with someone in their process because we see God’s nature. It takes fearlessness and such trust to do this, and to prayerfully endure. It is so worth it when we get to see the Church walk in dependence first on God and second on one another. I hope the toil of our grief results in the fruit of our community.
Chelsea Vaughn (@chelsea725) is currently living in Nashville but has spent time in Texas, Thailand, and Australia. Obviously travel is a passion, along with hours in the kitchen or across the table from good friends. She does freelance writing, editing, and speaking for various organizations and non-profits. She hopes to spend her life using her gift for communication to reach culture and communities with the love of Jesus.
Small Towns Need Missionaries
This article is adapted from Aaron Morrow’s Small Town Mission: A Guide for Mission-Driven Communities. Get your copy today!
I grew up on a farm.
Tractors, cattle, crops, big machinery, freezing cold winters, too many cats, and a marathon bus ride to school every morning. That’s right, I grew up on a farm. And that farm was next to a small town that my family and I called home. I’ve lived in small towns for most of my life, even after I moved away from the herd of cats. The small towns I’ve lived in may not be as cool as Austin or have the trendy conveniences of Seattle, but small towns will always be a part of who I am. If you live in a small town, you might know what I mean.
According to the US census, just over half of our population lives in towns, boroughs, villages, and townships with fewer than 25,000 people or in rural areas. Meanwhile, thousands of Christian books are published every year and hundreds of these are about mission and reaching people for Christ. Many of them have insightful and helpful ideas about mission that can be applied anywhere, but many of their ideas don’t seem to work in small towns. We should be thankful for resources like these, but we also need resources written specifically for mission in small towns.
A friend at my church has said that books about reaching people in closed countries in the 10/40 window relate best to mission in small towns because residents often have hardened religious mindsets and impenetrable circuits of relationships. My friend is probably exaggerating the comparison, but I understand what he’s saying because mission in small towns can be incredibly difficult and complicated.
KEEPING THE END IN MIND
Mission is not the ultimate goal of our lives. Pastor John Piper writes,
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.
We are designed to be worshippers of Jesus who find our identity in him. Imagine if you found your identity in being on mission and successfully winning people to Christ. If that’s you, eternity will jolt you because there are no unbelievers in heaven. Let’s keep the perspective that being on mission is a temporary necessity. From now through eternity, Jesus should be the focus and goal of everything we do, including being on mission to reach people with the gospel. While mission isn’t the ultimate goal of our lives, worshippers of Jesus are on mission because it’s the indisputable by-product of worshiping him. My hope and prayer is that many people in your town will turn to Jesus and worship him with you.
REGULAR FOLK
Small towns are in desperate need of missionaries. When I say missionaries, I’m not referring to the pastor of your church or people who suffer for Jesus by building huts and preaching to native islanders. No, I’m referring to regular people. Small towns desperately need normal, everyday people like farmers, factory workers, teachers, secretaries, and small business owners who think and act like missionaries to reach their friends, neighbors, co-workers, and extended families for Christ. Pastors in small towns should be deeply respected for their incredible hearts to advance the gospel. However, the responsibility of mission is given to all believers, not just pastors. If you are a Christian, you are sent to be on mission regardless of where you live or what your job is.
BUILDING FENCE
Almost every resource about mission is based on a certain way of doing ministry. Some resources seem to take a self-righteous tone by telling us and our church how to do ministry in our town. That’s not my goal. We’ve all read books or articles like that and found them a bit off-putting. My goal is to help you better understand principles of mission in small towns instead of offering a rigid prescription for you and your church. In the matter of mission in your town, remember to follow the lead of your church’s leaders because Scripture is clear that they are the ones you must submit to (Hebrews 13:17). My hope is to come alongside your church, not to replace the authority of your church’s leaders.
One of my least favorite jobs on the farm was building fence. My dad always said he felt great satisfaction after making a well-built fence. I have no idea what he was talking about. If you’ve never built a wire fence, it’s actually much harder than it seems. But I did manage to learn that an important part of successfully building a wire fence is to have a series of anchor posts that will support the rolls of wire. Similarly, our study of mission in small towns requires a few unique anchor posts to support it.
– Anchor Post #1: Gospel-Centered
The gospel is the good news of God’s grace invading the darkness of this world. It is the grand narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation ordained by God and orchestrated through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel. His resurrection is the power of the gospel. His ascension is the glory of the gospel.
But what does it mean to be gospel-centered? When people talk about it, they’re often saying it in one of two ways. First, people use it as a lens to view all of our spiritual growth as dependent on the gospel. At the end of the day, all spiritual growth happens in the midst of our ongoing struggle with sin and our ongoing need for grace through Christ to invade the darkness of our hearts. Dane Ortland says,
This is why Paul constantly reminds people—reminds Christian people—of the Gospel (Romans 1:16–17; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 15:3–4; Galatians 1:6). We move forward in discipleship not mainly through pep talks and stern warnings. We move forward when we hear afresh the strangeness of grace, relaxing our hearts and loosening our clenched hold on a litany of lesser things—financial security, the perfect spouse, career advancement, sexual pleasure, human approval, and so on.
Second, people use it to refer to how the gospel shapes our outlook on everything in life and ministry. This would include how we understand politics, social action, ethics in the workplace and elsewhere in the public sphere, being on mission in a small town, and countless other related examples. In this sense, the gospel is actively forming how we look at and understand everything in our lives and the world around us.
Being on mission to reach non-Christians is obviously important because hell is hot and forever is a long time. But more importantly, we must be on mission in a gospel-centered way if we want mission to be healthy and sustainable. Growing in a gospel-centered way gives our mission authenticity and frees us from the burden of “do better and try harder.” Mission in light of the gospel is intrinsically found in God’s nature; knowing this helps us see mission as something to be naturally integrated into our lives as followers of Christ, as opposed to just another thing to add to our already busy schedule.
– Anchor Post #2: The Local Church
If we aren’t committed to a local church, that’s a big problem. It’s impossible to reconcile mission apart from the local church because the New Testament constantly emphasizes mission in the context of the local church, not makeshift spiritual gatherings. If we want to be aligned with the New Testament, we can’t be on mission to our friends, neighbors, and co-workers without also aiming to prioritize the flourishing of our local church. And even though some local churches are more challenging than others to be invested in, the Holy Spirit can empower us to be patient and loving to any group of people, just as he is with us! In the end, the gospel needs to form how we think and feel about the local church.
Furthermore, I embrace a missionary understanding of the local church. This doesn’t mean that mission is the only thing that a church does, but it does mean that mission must be prioritized. That’s because mission is an essential element of a local church’s identity as an outworking of the gospel.
– Anchor Post #3: Equipping People
Churches that are committed to seeing their people as missionaries should also be committed to equipping their people for being on mission. Equipping means discipling and training people to think and act like missionaries and sending them on mission in their spheres of influence (i.e., where they live, where they work, where they play, what their kids are involved in, etc). In Ephesians 4:11–12, the Apostle Paul says,
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
Pastor J. D. Greear has said that, in light of Ephesians 4:11–12, the day he became a pastor was the day he left the ministry because God gave pastors to the church to equip people for the work of ministry.
Greear is obviously overstating his point for effect, but I generally agree with what’s he’s saying.
The discipling and training process for sending people on mission is crucial for a church that wants to be on mission. It’s also worth noting that most churches who are committed to this process aren’t overly committed to getting non-Christians to attend the church’s programs and facilities. Granted, getting non-Christians to attend a church’s programs and facilities can be good and helpful, especially in small towns that are filled with non-Christians who have a more traditional mindset about how churches function. However, if this strategy isn’t accompanied by a primary strategy of discipling, training, and sending, the church will probably and eventually be filled with people who expect pastors and programs to do the work of mission for them.
– Anchor Post #4: Mission in Community
Ministry is meant to happen in the context of relationships because all of us, whether we realize it or not, have a deep need and desire to know and be known by others. We have been made in the image of God, who has eternally existed in community as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are designed to be in relationship and community with others. This is why we should do mission in the context of relationships and biblical community as much as possible.
Making disciples who are on mission together is (or should be!) one of the priorities of the local church. That’s why you should go through Small Town Mission with someone whom you want to be on mission with. This might include Christian neighbors, co-workers, members of your small group, or anyone you meet regularly with for discipleship. If you’re married you might consider going through it with your spouse, because married couples who follow Jesus are on a permanent mission trip together. Even if you’ve been married for thirty years or more, don’t underestimate what the Holy Spirit can do when it comes to aligning both your hearts and minds for the sake of mission.
After all, mission isn’t just something that must be prioritized globally and in big cities; it must also be prioritized locally and in small towns.
Aaron Morrow (M.A. Moody Bible Institute) is one of the pastors of River City Church in Dubuque, Iowa, which was planted in 2016. He and his wife Becky have three daughters named Leah, Maggie, and Gracie.