In this video, Hugh Halter offers some helpful suggestions about turning church consumers into people who live on mission for and with Christ. While this is a long video, in the current climate of American church culture, I found it worth taking the time to consider. I broke it up into viewing sections – watching 15-20 minutes at a time, making note of the point at which I stopped, and picking up again as I had time. While I don’t embrace all of Halter’s ecclesiology (i.e. ways we govern and do church), I am hungry to chew on any ideas in-line with the compelling mission of the gospel. Halter has proven to have both an appreciation of the gospel and good ideas for missional mobilization.
Spiritual Chrysalis
In preparation for this past Sunday message from Galatians, I again marveled at the insight and passion of Martin Luther concerning our Union with Christ:
“So far as justification is concerned, Christ and I must be so closely attached that He lives in me and I in Him. What a marvelous way of speaking!
Because He lives in me, whatever grace, righteousness, life, peace, and salvation there is in me is all Christ’s; nevertheless, it is mine as well, by the cementing and attachment that are through faith, by which we become as one body in the Spirit.
Since Christ lives in me, grace, righteousness, life, and eternal salvation must be present with Him; and the Law, sin, and death must be absent. Indeed, the Law must be crucified, devoured, and abolished by the Law—and sin by sin, death by death, the devil by the devil.
In this way Paul seeks to withdraw us completely from ourselves, from the Law, and from works, and to transplant us into Christ and faith in Christ, so that in the area of justification we look only at grace, and separate it far from the Law and from works, which belong far away…
But faith must be taught correctly, namely, that by it you are so cemented to Christ that He and you are as one person, which cannot be separated but remains attached to Him forever and declares: ‘I am as Christ.’
And Christ, in turn, says: ‘I am as that sinner who is attached to Me, and I to him. For by faith we are joined together into one flesh and one bone.’
Thus Ephesians 5.30 says: ‘We are members of the body of Christ, of His flesh and of His bones,’ in such a way that this faith couples Christ and me more intimately than a husband is coupled to his wife.”
~ from Luther’s Works, Vol. 26: Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4
Valley of Vision
Having spent the bulk of my years in ministry residing and serving in mountainous regions, this Puritan prayer, from which the Valley of Vision collection takes its title, has always carried deep meaning for me. For not only was it descriptive of my geographic and topographic surroundings, but even now that I am living a long way from any of the mountains I love, this prayer vividly depicts the state of my soul and reminds me of my hope.
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Lord, High and Holy, meek and lowly,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin, I behold thy glory.
Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter your stars shine;
Let me find your light in my darkness,
your life in my death,
your joy in my sorrow,
your grace in my sin,
your riches in my poverty
your glory in my valley.
Gospel vs. Legalism
What is the difference between legalism and the gospel?
- Legalism (or Moralism) says God looks at how well we keep the law.
- The Gospel says we are hidden in Christ. So God sees how well Jesus kept the Law (perfectly), all his works, and his death on our behalf. Consequently, because we are hidden in Christ, God sees the work of Jesus when he sees us. The gospel says that, because of God’s grace, all that Jesus is and did is credited (imputed) to us, through faith. (Colossians 3.3, Ephesians 2.8, Romans 5.2, Galatians 2.20)
So what is the difference between the gospel and legalism? It is the difference between Christianity and every religion in the world.
3 Requirements of True Discipleship
Discipleship requires at least three things or its not true discipleship:
1. Gospel centered
2. Empowerment by the Spirit
3. Authentic Community
Ministry Diagnosis Questions
As a pastor it is not only requisite to be a student of God’s Word, but it is also essential to be a student of the people to whom I preach and teach. This is true for any church or ministry leader. If we do not know the Bible, and sound doctrine, we have nothing to offer. But even if we have voluminous knowledge, if we do not know the people with whom we are called to share these truths, then we will not know how to apply these truths. It would be as ineffective as a medic possessing all the medicines but without enough biological understanding to make a valid diagnosis.
In a recent post, 9 Questions for Ministry Leaders, Paul Tripp identifies nine helpful questions to ask ourselves, and to discuss with the other leaders in our churches or ministries, as we attempt to become effective students and exegetes of our people:
- What are the cultural idols that are particularly attractive to my people?
- Where do they tend to buy into an unbiblical worldview with its accompanying hopes and dreams?
- Are there themes of spiritual struggle that I need to speak to?
- Where do they tend to get discouraged and need the hope of the gospel?
- What is the level of their biblical literacy and theological knowledge?
- How many of them are actively involved in service, and how many are “ecclesiastical consumers”?
- What do they tend to struggle with in the workplace?
- What do they wrestle with at home?
- What are they reading, watching, and listening to, and how are they influenced by it?
Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves Each and Every Day
C.J. Mahaney reminds us of the importance and benefits of preaching the gospel to ourselves each and every day.
5 Obedience Killing Lies
No doubt in my mind, it is one of the more difficult aspects of living in line with the gospel. Is it about grace, or is it about obedience? If I say “both” – which I do – then how does this not add a requirement of works to the gospel requirement of faith alone for our justification/salvation? If I say obedience is not necessary to our salvation – which I also say – then are we not very close to the precipice of anti-nomianism (lawlessness)? No wonder people scratch their heads, and then revert back to patterns learned or to personal instinct – both of which are often wrong.
To avoid confusion, I answered “Yes” to both grace and obedience for a reason. Let me clarify.
I must say that our obedience is not necessary to our salvation, because we are incapable of perfect obedience – and perfect obedience is what the Law demands. To add any measure of obedience to our justification would be to minimize the law and deny the gospel at the same time. Christ became like us, and lived in perfect obedience to his Father, and then died in our place, because we are not and cannot be perfectly obedient. And it we are not perfectly obedient, we are not obedient. But by faith, we are counted as righteous – credited with Jesus’ righteousness as if it were our very own. But part of what we must believe, as part of that faith is that we are disobedient. In a real sense the admission of being disobedient is requisite to be saved. How then could we say that obedience is required for salvation?
On the other hand, God does demand obedience – and he is worthy of our total obedience. But two things occur here, in some ways simultaneously. First, the demand for what we do not and cannot do highlights our brokenness and our dependence upon grace – the grace of a savior. The demand, coupled with our lack of obedience, drives us to either despair or to the cross. Those driven to the cross find, not condemnation, but forgiveness and love, through unmerited grace extended to us by God, because of Jesus. This breaking, because we become aware of our disobedience, is a necessary step toward healing and wholeness. But second, God’s demands are not a mere bait and switch. When he commands obedience, he means it. Inability it no excuse. He commands because obedience not only pleases him, we find that his ways are the ways the work, that lead us to the greatest joy. In short, we find in both obedience and our failures to obey that God’s commands are really a tremendous gift of his love.
While I hope the reader will see the dichotomy – the two distinct tracks – I also hope all will be able to see how these two tracks work together. Obedience cannot be required for salvation, because it denies both our reality and the necessity of the gospel. But in walking with God, obedience is expected – though we fail, and are reminded of our continual need of grace – but it is expected, demanded, because through obedience we are able to bring joy to both God and ourselves. Failure, or disobedience as a Christian does not cause the forfeiture of our salvation; but as Job discovered, we can forfeit the grace of joy that would otherwise be ours – and rob God of the joy that we would give to him. But if that drives us back to the cross, we find grace anew, and we are renewed in faith, strength, to experience the joy that comes through gospel-prompted obedience.
Because this can be such a dizzying subject, I was appreciative when I recently read a short piece by Brad Watson, titled 5 Obedience Killing Lies. Watson rightly notes:
Our ability to quit and become sidetracked is great.
I believe we get sidetracked by the confusion of the place of obedience, as well as by many other things that creep into our consciousness that hinder our pursuit of obedience. Watson focuses on the more practical issues, rather than the confusion of the relationship of Law vs. Grace. As he says in his article:
Our hearts are constantly being attacked by lies that keep us from persevering in faith. These five lies are particularly successful. They are deceptive and effective in killing our conviction to follow Jesus and trust in his work.
Galatians For You & Other Resources
In the present sermon series in our church I am working through Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Rather I should say “we” are working through the book of Galatians, as while I am preaching the bulk of the messages I am sharing the teaching with my Associate, Camper Mundy, and a couple of other pastors who are part of our church. But in my preparations for each message there are a few non-technical resources I am uising that would also be beneficial for anyone who is studying Galatians – whether a seminary graduate or a typical church member wanting simply to deepen his/her understanding of this letter.
One of these resources is Tim Keller’s Galatians For You. In the video above Tim introduces his intent in developing this book, and offers some suggestions of how it might be used beneficailly. And though perhaps to those hearing my message may assume seeming little of Keller’s words may be overtly expressed my messages, without question the depth of Keller’s insights has helped shaped my understanding of this book and how the message applies to us today.
Below is a short list of some of the non-technical resources I am reading (or re-reading) during this series, Freedom: A Study of Galatians.
- Galatians For You by Tim Keller
- Grace in Galatia by Ben Witherington
- No Other Gospel by Josh Moody
- Counterfeit Gospels by Trevin Wax
- Gospel Wakefulness by Jared Wilson
- A Scandalous Freedom by Steve Brown
- The Great Exchange by Jerry Bridges
Hurt People Hurt People
There is an old expression that has long stuck in my mind: “Hurt people, hurt people.” In other words, those who are hurting often lash out in some way and hurt others around them; and those who lash out are often themselves hurting on the inside. Sometimes the offending individual is self-aware, but often the hurt person who is hurting others is neither conscious of their own pain nor of how they are effecting others. It is a viscious cycle.
In this video, Derwin Gray, pastor of Transformation Church in the Charlotte area, and former Indianapolis Colt & Carolina Panther Defensive Back, touches on this very issue. The gospel addresses this issue, freeing the one who has been hurt from hurting others, and freeing those who are being hurt to understand and forgive.
Heaven Peeper Recants His Story
Not long ago I wrote expressing my skepticism about the claims depicted in the heart tugging film Heaven is For Real. I have no doubts about the reality of heaven, it is just the claims of the boy who claimed to have visited heaven that I found dubious. It is nothing personal about him. I am highly suspicious of all of those charlatans making claims of peeping into heaven. I think John Piper expressed it most succinctly:
“If books go beyond scripture, I doubt what they say…”
Interestingly, one of those who has been marketed as a heaven peeper, Alex Malarkey, has come out publicly with an open letter to LifeWay, criticizing the Publisher/Bookstore chain for selling his book. Malarkey, who was the co-author and the central figure of the book The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, has recanted his story, and ironically is challenging LifeWay to use better theological judgment in the materials they produce and promote.
To read the story click: Boy Who ‘Came Back’ Rebukes Christian Retailer
For those curious about Heaven – what God has revealed to us about Heaven in the Bible, I find Randy Alcorn‘s simple titled book, Heaven, to be the best I have read. I recommend it freely, and give it away often.
To Stop It or Not to Stop It, That is a Question
The ministry web site, ChurchLeaders.com, reported news of an unfortunate event in Colorado, and then asked the provocative rhetorical question: “How would you have handled it?” After a little thought I decided I would take a stab at taking the question, taking it beyond the mere rhetorical, and actually trying to answer it – albeit purely hypothetically.
Here’s the situation:
Pastors of a church in Lakewood, Colo., halted a funeral service in their church for a lesbian woman on Saturday, January 10, because the tribute video the family prepared showed photos of the woman kissing her partner. Fifteen minutes after the service was to begin, lead the pastor canceled the event when organizers would not edit the footage out of the video. Mourners, which numbered more than 150, then re-loaded the casket into the hearse, gathered the flowers and proceeded across the street to a mortuary, where the service continued.
Whether this account gives sufficient accurate details, I do not know. Assuming that it does, I still think I would have reacted differently than the pastor of the church. But lingering questions also make my response conditional.
First, I would want to know if the deceased woman was a member of the congregation or not. It would make a difference. I am assuming that she was not, since there is no mention of any connection with the church. And what is stated would seem to suggest she was not; that this was simply a business arrangement the church had with the local funeral home.
New Hope Ministries was chosen for the memorial service because of its location – close to where Collier and her friends grew up, friends said.
So my first thought is that, to the degree it us up to me, I would not likely have voted to approve the service at our church in the first place. However, since the service had been approved, I am uncomfortable with the decision of the pastor to stop the service in progress.
Someone might be curious as to why I would not have voted to approve the service in the first place. Perhaps there may even be an assumption of my motives – whether one would be inclined to agree with or chafe at those presumed motives. But my answer is in one sense simpler, and in another more complex, than might be assumed.
I would not have voted to approve the service, not because of the sexual orientation of the individual, but simply because it would require an unusual circumstance for me to vote to use the church building for a service for someone with no connection with the church. I would not say never, but rarely – and only with very good reason. This is both a practical and communal issue. Practically, funerals and weddings take a lot of manpower. I would prefer to respect the time demands upon the deacons of our church, and our other volunteers, and not embrace a service for mere commercial reasons. If, however, it is someone who is part of the church family, well then I think every reasonable effort ought to be made to honor the person and support the family.
Would sexual orientation have any effect on my decision? No, not really. At least not to do what the pastor in this situation reportedly did.
Why Do People Find the Gospel Unbelieveable?
Why do people find the gospel unbelievable? That’s the question Jonathan Dodson askes.
There is a sense in which people find the gospel unbelievable because it is incredibly good news that boggles the imagination. And yet I suspect that it is probably not this that makes much evangelistic desire and effort unfruitful.
Dodson offers his thoughts, which have to do with both the substance and the presentation. Give him a couple minutes, and consider if what he suggests has any merit.
Bob Newhart: Just Stop It
During the NCAA Championship football game last night, between Oregon and Ohio State, comedian Bob Newhart unexpectedly began trending on Twitter and Facebook. Likely this was because of the games referee, who had an uncanny resemblance to Newhart – a much more buff Bob Newhart. When I first noticed this resemblance I did not say anything, assuming the association was probably in my mind only. Not long after another guy in the group shared his observation, and several others agreed. Before long one of the guys checked Twitter, and lo and behold the trend.
As a kid I watched The Bob Newhart Show on many a Saturday night. In fact, it was because of that show I briefly thought becoming a psychologist, and counseling for a living, might be an interesting career. But that idea soon faded. So it seems a little ironic that, as a pastor, a fair amount of my time is spent in counseling.
While have posted this video before, several years ago, because Bob Newhart is back in vogue – at least for today – I thought I would post it again so that those who never had the opportunity to see The Bob Newhart Show, or those who have forgotten, can see the master at work. Of course this video is not from the actual TV show, but rather is a comedy sketch. Nevertheless, it is Bob Newhart counseling a client. His approach here in not one I would intentionally employ, but I do have to admit there have been times it would be tempting.
New City Catechism
Over the weekend I spent some time reviewing the relatively new New City Catechism. While it has been around for a couple years now, and I had heard about it even prior to it’s original publication, I had not really given it much attention, until now.
I was impressed by the combination of depth and simplicty this catechism posesses. Broken into just 52 questions, it is a fairly comprehensive introduction to the substance of the Christian Faith, and yet it manages to avoid being verbose in any of it’s questions and answers. I am now giving thought to ways we might make use of this tool in our church.
The video above is an Introduction to the New City Catechism from Knox Seminary. The New City Catechism web site not only has the Q&A’s, but for each of the 52 Questions there is a tab with accompanying scripture support, a short commentary, and even a brief video explanation by a variety of renouned pastors and theologians.
Check out: New City Catechism
GRACE & PEACE 