The random technotheolosophical blogging of Reid S. Monaghan
The Church Audio from the Desiring God National Conference is now up at Desiring God's new web site. The page is ready - the "exerpt" by Piper is great. DG is also podcasting John Piper's Sunday sermons.
Biblical View of Women - Grace Driscoll has an article at the newly designed Acts 29 web site on the Biblical view of women and its application in our culture
Quote Fest - Quotes from David Wells, Voddie Baucham, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, DA Carson...very strong quotes from men with chests.
Now that John Piper has declared publically that he does not like the term missional because it sounds trendy...too funny. It is good to see there is a robust discussion of the missional church/life in this month's 9 Marks News Letter because more than trendiness is at hand.
To put it bluntly there is a bunch of bad schmack out there running under the bannder of "missional" - you'll find that over at the Emergent Village. However, the term is also an adjective, to describe something to do with being on mission. The important issue then is just what mission we are on. If it is to connect and communicate a biblical gospel and the saving work of Jesus Christ to people in a way they can hear it...To proclaim the unchanging word in a changing cultural setting...then jump on the missional bandwagon for it is indeed the Biblical mandate for the sent people of God.
In the 9 Marks Letter Eric Simmons does a great job giving pastoral advice for leading people in a missional life. Additionally, Jonathan Leeman, offers a good history and helpful critique of the missional movement because, in his words:
I have offered the five critiques above not because I think he (referring to Dr. Ed Stetzer) and others are on the wrong path, but because I think they are on the right path. They inspire me. My critiques are offered in the attempt to help the cause.
I would only say Amen - this is the right path. Theologically driven, gospel (meaning adoption through propitiation, atonement type) centered, culture engaging, justice seeking, in the world not of the world, set apart people of God on mission type of path.
The conference this weekend held by Desiring God was a great step to uniting the clans to this end. The audio from the weekend is now up at Desiring God and Justin Taylor has direct links to each session.
Discipline. What to make of it? We know its value, but seldom like to submit to her rule. The cyclist who wins multiple titles in the Tour de France knows her well. The artist who has taken years to develop his craft is a sure acquaintance. Whether a Lance Armstrong or a Leonardo Da Vinci, discipline is the constant companion of human progress wherever it is found. Yet there is a mood in our generation which despises the mere mention of the word discipline. We are a “me-centered”, get it now, don’t want to wait, self-obsessed, hope it all comes real easy sort of people. This is the cultural air we breathe and the water in which we swim. Some of you reading this may think this essay is too long to read; you may become lazy and quit a few paragraphs in. Don’t. For a lack of discipline creeps into our spiritual lives as followers of Jesus and the result is a dead and boring faith. Knowledge and relationship with the infinite God and just bored; well that just sort of sucks, so please keep on reading.
It may be a little obnoxious to say, but it is real easy to forget that the word discipline and disciple are very close relatives. They actually both come from the Latin word disciplina which means teaching or learning. To be disciplined means to be dedicated to learning and a disciple is a learner, a follower, one who believes his teacher knows what the heck he is talking about and then gets in line accordingly. To follow Jesus, to follow our teacher, to be his disciple, requires what we sometimes would rather avoid – it requires discipline. To say yes to him, to love him, to choose him daily, to not be swept away by the currents of the world is a pretty big mountain facing us. In fact, without his power in us, we dare not start the ascent. Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said “Follow me” or “If you love me you will keep my commandments” or “He who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for service in the Kingdom of God.” This requires us to be disciplined followers.
Paul, an early Christian leader, once told Timothy, a young man he was mentoring, that he was to train himself for godliness (1 Timothy 4:7,8). Training requires discipline. It involves following Jesus; it requires walking the paths God has given us which lead towards his purpose for our lives. Why? God really desires to transform our lives, to change us for the better. He really does. Christian philosopher Dallas Willard articulates this well.
It is we who are in danger: in danger of missing the fullness of life offered to us. Can we seriously believe that God would establish a plan for us that essentially bypasses the awesome needs of present human life and leaves human character untouched? Would he leave us even temporarily marooned with no help in our kind of world, with our kind of problems: psychological, emotional, social, and global? Can we believe the essence of Christian Faith and salvation covers nothing but death and after? Can we believe that being saved really has nothing whatever to do with the kind of persons we are? In order for us to change, we must enter his school of training; yes, our joy depends on it.
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy : Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, 1st ed. (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998), 38.
Training to be like Jesus
Christians are people that through faith in Jesus and his death on the cross have come to know God. One would guess that such an encounter with someone like…GOD, would change us. And such is reality; he really does a work in and through us. We know that God’s purpose with us is to transform us to be more like Jesus. To make us more like him in character, more like him in what we love, more like him in the way we go about our business here on the earth. Yet many just want to say a prayer, have an experience, get a spiritual buzz and “poof” – we become instant, mature, spiritual people. No sweat, no work, no struggle. After a while we find out that this just doesn’t work. The Christian faith is not a magic trick; it is daily discipleship to our Lord.
When we begin to ask some questions: How do we change? How does God train us, transform us, and make our lives different? The end of the journey we know is to love Jesus, be in relationship with Jesus, worship Jesus and end up becoming like Jesus. It is joy in a relationship, a dynamic love affair with the living God that we are after. Yet the path to that end is often not known, at the very least it is a road less traveled. So in this paper I am going to recommend something very old, very simple, which has been around for a long stinking time. That God not only ordains the end for our lives, becoming like Jesus, but he also has designed the means to that end. He has designed the very paths which we walk towards that reality.
If we neglect these paths we will be robbed of joy, robbed of God while looking for him in all the wrong places. It is easy to see that you don’t go out into the dessert to go surfing, you don’t drink light beer to quench your thirst, you don’t go to the NASCAR race to hear a reading of poetry, and you don’t go looking for God in a choose your own adventure book version of spirituality. You can bang your head into a brick wall thinking you will become spiritual; you’ll just go home with a headache and a little uglier than you were before. So just what are the paths marked out for us to train to be like Jesus? Historically, people have used different descriptions. Some have chosen to call them the means of grace, others the spiritual disciplines. Either way, they are the biblical patterns of life by which God moves upon believers to transform them into the image of Christ. They are the aqueducts by which the water of the Spirit flows into our lives. And it is to those disciplines we now turn.
The Spiritual Disciplines
Much could be written about the different ways God has designed for us to grow; many are so simple, so well known, that to some it may sound like an oversimplification of things. Yet God has not made knowing him and pursuing him to be exceedingly complex. It is not an easy path to walk; but it is not like trying to solve some obscure puzzle. Yet unless the Spirit of God himself moves you, empowers you, gives you a love for Jesus, even these disciplines can become a dead work leaving you empty. But when God grabs you by the neck, lovingly embraces you, smacks you around a bit so you come to your senses, puts your feet on a rock and puts you in a new race, you’ll find that these disciplines will place you in the direct flood of the work of God. There is no better place to be. Yet just before we check out a few of the disciplines, let me first comment on the nature of the disciplines. Are these disciplines for the individual, FOR ME, or are these paths to be for the corporate body, FOR US?
Our culture is overly individualistic; we focus on self at times almost exclusively. We are concerned with self-worth, self-esteem, self-image, self-actualization, self-help, blah, blah, blah. Yet in the Scriptures we see that God works in and through a people, a community, not simply individuals. Yet we cannot throw out babies with our cultural bath water. God has indeed made us unique, distinct, individual souls. Designed for community, yes, but we are created as individuals no less. God neither wants us to exalt our individuality at the expense of others, nor to obliterate it into some blobish oneness of being where no one is valued as unique. So it is no surprise that God has marked out some disciplines for the individual, for me, and others for the community, for us. Let us a look at a few of each. Some of these rightly overlap; others more often to happen in the solitude of your soul before our God.
Disciplines of the Soul
The psalmist once echoed a cry uttered by followers of Jesus throughout history. When can I go and appear before God! (Psalm 42:2) God calls his people to an audience with him. We are called into a relationship with our maker; where God speaks to us in his Word and calls us to interact with him in the place of prayer. Many of the spiritual disciplines are given by God as means to be fed by him, spiritually commune with him, to come to have the soul fixed upon God in worship amidst the rat races of the world around us. Some of these are simple; but their practice often left undone. The Holy Scriptures Much can be said about the Bible, the Word of God, and the importance it has in our lives as followers of Jesus. Author Donald Whitney is blunt and to the point in stating:
No Spiritual Discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There is simply no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture. The reasons for this are obvious. In the Bible God tells us about Himself, and especially about Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God. The Bible unfolds the Law of God to us and shows us how we’ve all broken it. There we learn how Christ died as a sinless, willing Substitute for breakers of God’s Law and how we must repent and believe in him to be right with God. In the Bible we learn the ways and will of the Lord.
Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 1991).Jesus tells us the importance of the Bible in quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 – “Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The Psalmist eloquently tells us about the treasure of the Word of God:
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psalm 19:7-10 ESV
The most desirable possession we have been given are the very words of God. The Bible is the solid food for our lives which align us with the heart of God. He speaks through the Scriptures, which the author of Hebrews describes as “living and active sharper than any double edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12) Paul told Timothy that the inspired Scriptures are useful for “teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness” to prepare our lives for everything God will call us to do. The importance of the Bible cannot be overstated. If we love God, we will love his Word; we will realize that without a word from God we would wither away spiritually and die.
The believer therefore will desire to be intimately involved with the Bible. She will want to hear it taught and preached regularly. She will want to memorize it, hiding it in her heart. She will want to meditate, think deeply upon, and ponder the wisdom of the Word of God. She will want to read it daily for encouragement and study it deeply so to grasp its truth. She will want to know the Word in order to know God and thereby be able to lead others to the same fountains to drink. The Word is foundational in the life of the believer and is intimately connected to other discipline and paths God has for us. In God’s Word he speaks to us, in our time in prayer we enter an intimate conversation with the Almighty. To prayer we turn our thoughts
A Life of Prayer
Perhaps the greatest privilege you have as a believer is that of prayer. The fact is the creator of the universe desires for you to intimately communicate with him each day. Prayer can be viewed as simply talking with God, sharing with him your thoughts, concerns, and desire to walk closely with him. In prayer we can find help, guidance, and strength to face life’s many tough challenges. In prayer we also find that the very one who made all things desires an audience with you; for you to worship him, to confess your sins to him, to thank him for all things, and to petition him with your needs.
But to be honest, most of us get too spazzed out in life to have any real prayer life. The cell phones ring, TVs buzz, instant messenger, e-mails, reading blogs, etc. make us a rather distracted people. I know I personally struggle to carve out time to pray during the day. Peter reminds us of a very important aspect for a life of prayer when he writes, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7). We must be self-controlled, mindful of eternal realities, and focused on the coming of Jesus. This is precisely why we so need to sit our butts down to be alone and pray. How it dries up the soul to run around all the time without quiet, peace, and the company of God. In prayer we can find the mercy and help we need in every struggle (Hebrews 4:16), we see God align our wills to his own (Matthew 6:9-13), we find grace and forgiveness for sin, and we enjoy the presence and nearness of God. Oh how we all need to make time for prayer.
Finally, there may be times when you just don’t feel like praying. In these times I have found an acrostic from John Piper to be greatly helpful. First, we ask God to “Incline” our heart towards Him (Psalm 119:36,37), then to “Open” our eyes to his truth (Psalm 119:18), to “Unite” our passions and desires in Him (Psalm 86:11), and to “Satisfy” our hearts with good things (Psalm 90:14, Psalm 107:9). Beginning prayer with these I.O.U.S. can kick-start your conversation with God. (I found this helpful acronym in John Piper, When I Don't Desire God - How to Fight for Joy (Wheaton: Crossway, 2004), 151-153.)
One final note on prayer; it is amazing how many Americans know the Lord’s Prayer. I knew it growing up, not from the Bible, but because our public High School football team used to say it before going to battle on Friday nights. Right before we would scream “Lets kick their $#^@&#*!” we would bow the knee for the “Our Father” prayer. What we seldom realize is that Jesus gave us this prayer in answer to a request from his guys. It was a simple request: Lord, teach us to pray. If we want to know how to pray, we need look no further than the life of Jesus. In his prayer habits, in his words captured in the Lord’s Prayer, we find a modeling of the heart and posture of prayer for us…for all time.
So You Want me to be a Monk?
Some disciplines which are in the Scripture simply sound weird to us hustle and bustle people. For instance, when you hear the words fasting, solitude, and meditation, you may get pictures of hooded dudes chanting in Latin or Buddhist guys in orange garb going about with their begging bowls. But we may miss something if we ignore certain Biblical disciplines by dismissing them to the cloister. We’ll just look at these in a really brief way, but these ancient paths, combined with the Word and prayer, lead to a place of intimacy and much glory; even the throne of God.
Fasting
Fasting has long been a part of the lives of the followers of Jesus, but is many times it can be misunderstood or altogether neglected. Put very simply, fasting is the abstention from something for spiritual reasons. Richard Foster has defined it this way: Fasting is the voluntary denial of a normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity.(Quoted in Whitney, 160) In the Bible people would abstain from food, at times water as well, and married couples from sex for times of prayer (really, see 1 Corinthians 7:1-5). Fasting is a way to express the worth of God over temporal things, to seek him in concentrated prayer, to confess sin and show contrition of heart. Both the Old and New Testament show believers fasting. We’ll take just a quick peek.
In the Old Testament Moses fasted before receiving the law of God (Deut 9:9), the Jewish people fasted for Queen Esther before she went before a king (Esther 4), King David fasts and prays when his son is stricken ill (2 Samuel 12), and the nation of Israel fasts corporately on several occasions to show repentance, consecrate themselves to God and ask his favor (2 Chronicles 20, Joel 2, Nehemiah 9). Additionally every Jew would fast on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31) as the people went to God for atonement for sin. Even the Ninevites fasted to show repentance at the preaching of Jonah. In the New Testament, Jesus implicitly assumed his followers would fast when he said to them:
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18, emphasis added).
Jesus expected us to fast in certain seasons for dedicated times of spiritual pursuit, where we say before God, “You are more valuable to me than my normal needs and schedule.” On point of emphasis needs to be made; we should always fast to seek God himself, not as a way to manipulate his hand to give us what we want. It is a declaration that what we desire is in fact our God, not the gifts he may give to our lives…be they food, drink, marital intimacy, or even television.
A good fast in modern times is to give up media (iPod, internet, movies, TV) for a period of time to intentionally seek the Lord. These things can be good thing for our enjoyment, but you would be surprised at how the Lord would speak to you if you set aside time to be alone, in silence, with his word, for prayer. I commend such fasts to you today. Many helpful books have been written recently to assist the church in fasting. I would recommend John Piper’s A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting. In fact it is available free online.
Solitude
Being alone is a lost art in our culture where we are constantly surrounded by noise and lots of people. But the example of Scripture is clear; women and men need be alone with God in order to focus on him, reflect on our lives, and being silent before him. Many know the injunction to “Be still and know that I am God,” (Psalm 46:10) but it takes intentionality to actually pull away from life. Many examples can be seen in the Bible of people taking the path to be alone with the Father. Moses spends time alone in the wilderness before God called him to service. Elijah is alone on a mountain top in 1 Kings 19:9-13 when God speaks to him in a still small whisper. The apostle Paul spends time alone in Arabia after his conversion; God preparing him for the journey ahead. Jesus is perhaps our greatest example of one who consistently sought solitude with the Father. Even a cursory read of the gospels will see that he consistently pulled away for time alone to pray (Matthew 4, Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42). One final thought on solitude – we do not seek to be completely alone, but alone before God. Before our maker with nothing to hide and without distraction; God is powerfully seen and savored in such moments of solitude and silence.
Meditation
Meditation today is a concept which has almost been completely hijacked by a conception of the word found in Eastern philosophies. Eastern meditation, of the Hindu and Buddhist varieties, is a practice in which a person attempts to empty the mind, even obliterate the self into the oneness of being. It is a looking inward towards nothingness with the mind completely disengaged. Biblical meditation is a completely different sort and it is lacking today in the lives of God’s people.
Meditation of the Biblical species is a contemplation of God and his works. It is a filling of the mind with wonderful thoughts of God; his work in saving us, his works in creation, his works in history and in the world today. It is allowing the Word of God to dwell, to linger, to simmer in our souls deeply. Colossians 3:16 encourages us to Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. The goal of biblical mediation is to arouse the Affections, to still the heart and to set it aflame. Mediation should lead us to prayer; something which meditation will help us find a little easier to do. Here are a few practical suggestions to incorporate Biblical meditation in our lives; I think we will see how the disciplines are beginning to combine together in our times with the Lord.
Practical Suggestions for Meditation
Evangelism – The Great Privilege of Ambassadorship
Evangelism is as neglected a Christian practice as any in our day. Sharing Jesus with others scares the mess out of folks for some reason. Yet, God desires to get our eyes off ourselves so that we might extend his love and grace to others. In fact, being a friend to someone who does not yet know Jesus is a great experience. Being used by God to lead another to the cross of Christ has been one of the highlights of my life. In 2 Corinthians 5, the apostle Paul uses a great term to describe our role in the world. He calls of Christ’s ambassadors, people who make an appeal on his behalf to others. What is our message and ministry? It is to declare that God has reconciled sinners to himself in Christ; to urge others to be reconciled with God. A great book in learning to talk to others about the Savior is Randy Newman’s Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did.
With the Scriptures ever in view, connecting with God in prayer, combined with periodic fasting, getting alone with God in solitude, mediating on God, his word, and his works, with a regular outflow to others in evangelism, we will live in the ways of God and find a great delight in our souls. Jesus is a very personal God who desires to meet with each of you; in fact he has arranged the date. Show up! Yet follow the directions so you end up in the right place. Through the Bible, prayer, fasting, solitude, mediation and evangelism…Show up, he will…and don’t be late.
Connective Disciplines for the Body
As we have looked at some paths for our personal lives, we now will turn briefly to the disciplines of the community. There are many regular paths and patterns which God has given to “us” – to the church, the local community of faith. These practices and disciplines we do together, knitting us in community as the body of Christ, and bringing all of us closer to our God. These are not to be neglected and are given by God for “our” edification, building us up together. Many of these are extensions of the individual disciplines which are now shared in a congregational setting; one is very unique and only can be celebrated as a family. We will begin with the most central of these, that of Holy Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper.
Communion
Jesus established the Lord’s Supper, or communion, for his people as a lasting sacrament and ongoing ordinance of the New Covenant. A covenant is a promise from God; the New Covenant is a promise sealed in Jesus’ own blood. It represents a promise that in Christ, God has purchased his people for himself, forgiven them, reconciled them to himself, and made the right in his sight. In Communion this promise of the gospel is celebrated and displayed in the church. In Communion we do many things together. We remember and celebrate his body and blood which were broken and shed for our sins. We also meet with Jesus is a special way, as he indeed is present with us at his table where he ministers to us by the Spirit. Communion is a time for confession, repentance, and rededicating our lives together before God. It is a time of declaring our allegiance and dependence upon Jesus for all things; it is also a visible picture to the world that the eternal is mingled with our present and that Jesus is still calling people to become his own. It is not to be minimized or sidelined in the churches as it is a central and unique aspect of Christian worship. It marks us as his people and is an intimate time for the bride of Christ before her Lord.
Hearing the Word
Just as the Word is savored in the life of the individual, the Scriptures, the very Word of God, are to be proclaimed, taught, heard and obeyed by the people of God together. The Bible is meant to be read publicly (1 Timothy 4:13) and heard as well as read by people in the church. The Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and will change us as we hear it. A preacher’s duty is not only to bring “how to” seminars to people with spiritual themes, but rather to bring God’s very word to their ears so that they are changed by it. Christians are exhorted to keep getting together regularly (Hebrews 10:24, 25) to gathering as the church. In part, this is for us to participate in the practice of Communion and hearing the Bible read and preached.
Corporate Prayer
Prayer is also something we do together as well as alone. Times of prayer and confession are appropriate for all believers. Life in Christ is full of celebration, but it is also full of trials and many burdens. A church which does not pray is a church that is operating without dependence upon God. Prayer truly declares that we need Jesus, love Jesus, and know that he alone is the source of our life and peace. The church ought to gather to adore God, confess sin, thank God for blessing and suffering, as well as ask him for our needs.
Giving to God
Finally, God has called his children to be stewards, people responsible for the resources he gives us. Giving is a central part of Christian worship by which we joyfully return to God a portion of what he has given us. Christian giving should be regular (1 Corinthians 16:2), in all circumstances (2 Corinthians 8:2), in proportion to our means (2 Corinthians 8:3), generous and patterned after Jesus’ self giving in the incarnation (2 Corinthians 8:9). By giving, a believer says that money/things are not his god. By giving a Christian declares God’s ownership of all things. By giving a Christian helps the poor and those in need. By giving Christians worship and rejoice in the giver of all good things. Giving is not to be done out of guilt, reluctantly, under compulsion, or in order to get something in return; the TV guys begging for money not withstanding. Rather the Bible teaches us that God loves a cheerful giver; one who gives without tension in his soul for he knows that in generosity he is worshipping his Lord. As we close this brief treatment on corporate disciplines, I wanted you to read something from a Justin Martyr, a 2nd (around 150 AD) century writer describing the gathering together of Christians. I do pray you see the family resemblance. We are called together in the same fashion today:
And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.
Justin Martyr, The First Apology, Chapter Lxvii.
Wait a Minute!!! – I Want to Love God, Not “Disciplines”
As we close I want to answer one objection. Some may say “I want God, I want relationship” I do not want disciplines. To that I say “Amen!!! Me too!” and I would only add one small secret. God desires that we have him, and love him, and be in relationship with him. And he has designed the paths, means, ways, and the disciplines to take us on the journey from our heart to his. These disciplines are great gifts of God to know him, to love him, and commune with him. If we neglect these paths we will not grow in our intimacy and love for God. The following picture is designed to show that there is an unbroken connection between knowing God and the disciplines. You do not have one without the other.
There is another great risk that many of us run; that we would turn these disciplines into a “to do” list devoid of life and relationship. We do not need our Christian to-do list, we need God. We do not need a heart that says “just do it” when we read the Bible, but rather a heart which cries out, with full emotion, “I’m looking for Jesus.” We are not looking for gold stars to pin on our shirts to award ourselves for reading the Bible and praying everyday. No, we want nothing of that sort. We only desire to go deep with our Lord and be changed, so we joyfully walk in the disciplines he has given and designed to this end. To know Jesus, that is the point, to become like the one you worship, and to love him more deeply in communion, deeply spiritual communion. And this happens along the paths where God blesses. In summary, we do not know God apart from the disciplines, but the disciplines are only a means to the end of knowing God. They are married forever; God designed it this way. It is true that we can experience God in the every day, in every detail, in everything we do. But we cannot neglect food in life; and God has set the table before us with the Spiritual Disciplines. These paths are the way we waste time with God and find life and satisfaction in Him. (The phrase “Wasting time with God” is taken from the title of Klaus Issler, Wasting Time with God: A Spirituality of Friendship with God (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2001).)
One Final Comment on Community Groups
These disciplines we live as disciples together in community. As we live the disciplines in community, we might desire to walk more intimately with him individually. As individuals walk in intimacy with God they bring life to their sisters and brothers around them. This is how a body works…each its own individual part, all one unit together. Your time with the Lord will give life to our community; by God’s grace our community will spur you to intimate times alone with the Lord. In our community, we do not wish to slouch towards legalism, but love for one another under the gospel of grace. We reject a works based spirituality by putting ourselves under to flood of God’s Word because we desire Him. We also reject the idols of sloth, self, and egotism for a life of discipline, love of God, and service of others. Your joy depends upon it – don’t be stupid enough to think you will find life by obsessing about “me time.” That is being tried by countless masses of Americans in our day and the therapy bills, broken lives, and constant anxiety alone show that life simply ain’t there. Together, let us choose a different path; let us learn to waste a little time with God.
A Complete PDF of this paper is available
Bibliography
Issler, Klaus. Wasting Time with God: A Spirituality of Friendship with God. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2001.
Martyr, Justin. The First Apology, Chapter Lxvii.
Newman, Randy. Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did. . Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2004.
Piper, John. A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting. Wheaton: Crossway, 1997.
________. When I Don't Desire God - How to Fight for Joy. Wheaton: Crossway, 2004.
Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 1991.
Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy : Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God. 1st ed. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1998.No, that is not the title for a goofy Christian knockoff of MySpace - though there is not doubt one of those in the making. Rather, VoxPop, a communication ministry of Mars Hill Church in Seattle has a helpful entry on representing Christ in digital spaces in our culture (blogs, wikis, myspace, facebooks, etc)
If you blog, have a space, etc. There is wise counsel found in this short post.
Justin Taylor has a great quote by Carl Trueman about "prosperity" teaching in the churches whose heritage is the reformation. It is worth repeating for we need to hear this in our day:
Carl Trueman on the prosperity problem:
"What always challenges me about prosperity doctrine is that many of us who repudiate it in theory still practice it in reality. Every time we suffer a minor setback and are tempted to curse God in our hearts, that's practical prosperity doctrine. Every time we measure our success by the size of our churches, or the near-eschatological importance of our conferences by the number of attendees and the calibre of the speakers, or our self-worth by the Reformed megastar names we can drop in conversation, we make ourselves vulnerable to accusations that we too are committed to a form of the prosperity doctrine, more subtle and all the more deadly precisely because of that subtlety.
"We are what we are in Christ, nothing more, nothing less. And in his final hours, Christ was friendless, an embarrassment to his disciples, with the fair weather followers and even his closest friends having long since abandoned him; and then, to cap it all, he was crucified. We shouldn't be complacent about the prosperity doctrine; it's not just a problem for 'them'; it's a problem for us too."
In no way am I immune to this, I pray that my heart would be Christ - that I would boast only in him and in his cross. How impossible this seems in a place like America - God help us...
There is a fantastic article by Tim Keller entitled Evangelistic Worship over at The Resurgence. Keller tracks through the various issues surrounding contemporary services, traditional services, and carving out something different which is more than a mere blending.
Highly recommended for pastors.
It would not be right, however, for us to stay upon such low ground, for we preach the gospel, and not the law; we are bound, therefore, to rejoice because we feel the power of the blood of Jesus upon our own consciences, giving us peace and pardon in Him. Our joy will give life to our message. We have also tasted of the honey of communion with Jesus: we have not, perhaps, feasted upon handfuls of it, as some of our Samsons have done; but we have at least, like Jonathan, dipped the end of our rod into it, and our eyes have been enlightened, so that our hearers can see them sparkle with joy while we tell them how precious Jesus is. This gives emphasis to our testimony. When we speak as ministers and not as men, as preachers instead of penitents, as theologians instead of disciples, we fail; when we lean our head too much upon the Commentary, and too little upon the Savior's bosom; when we eat too largely of the tree of knowledge, and too little of the tree of life, we lose the power of our ministry. I am myself a sinner, a sinner washed in the blood, and delivered from the wrath to come by the merit of my Lord and Master;—all this must be fresh upon our mind. Personal godliness must never grow scanty with us. Our own personal justification in the righteousness of Christ, our personal sanctification by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, our vital union with Christ, and expectancy of glory in Him, yea, our own advancement in grace, or our own declension; all these we must well know and consider.
9Marks Ministries has a great grouping of articles about the Emerging Church, its influences, and practices.
I highly recommend the following:
THE EMERGING CHURCH
An Emerging Church Primer
by Justin Taylor
Pastor's and Theologian's Forum on the Emerging Church
The Emerging Consequences of Whose Ideas?
Book Reviews: The Radical Reformission & Confessions of a Reformission Rev
by Mark Driscoll
Reviewed by Mike McKinley
Book Review: Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith
by Rob Bell
Reviewed by Greg Gilbert
In cases where criminal activity happens among Chrisitan clergy and leaders public authorities should and must be brought in. No crime is to be hidden when the law has been broken (see Romans 13).
In the case of petty squabbles, political infighting and power struggles...it is to our shame that this is paraded in the streets of the world. An aquintance sent me this article today - it breaks the heart to see...
We appeal to our brothers to settle their affairs in humility for the good of the gospel, for the sake of our Lord's name. Let not his name be blasphemed because of us...
6:1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
ESV Bible Online: Passage: 1 Corinthians 6Praying for all of us...that we would have the same mind as Christ - that of a humble slave.
Mark Dever has a good entry over at Together for the Gospel about the theological and missional implications of the message and methods of gospel ministry. He is recommending the Desiring God National Conference for those desiring to live out these important matters in our world today.
I sent in the following comment, that I wanted to share with the readers of POCBlog.
Anyway, if you can make it to Minneapolis for the Desiring God National, I'll be there...and hopefully at a good Irish pub for dinner on Saturday night...
Resurge - Listen to this series of messages from the recent Resurgence Conference on Missional Theology. Put it on the pod, computer, or wherever - you can find it on all the Resurgence web site.
Mainline Fun - Can't walk the Labrynth to be "centered" (you know this is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible) on your own. No worries, you can do your own virtual finger Labrynth! Your soul be delivered! You can even turn on the icons, text (read the text...kind of sad), and spooky sacred tunes...(HT - Challies)
Girly-Church - Where are the men? Here is a link which highlights the laments and comments on the feminization of men in the church. Dudes arise and reject the sissy gospel! My favorite link title here - The Modern American Evangelical Church: (a.k.a. the Evangelical Church of American Women Who, At Times, Bring Their Soft "Nice Guy" Husbands and Sons Says Murrow) (Source - JollyBlogger)
I subscribe to the e-newsletter of 9Marks ministry, a minsitry dedicated to seeing churches find biblical health. Mark Dever leads the ministry, and I am somewhat of a fan. The confessional, gospel-centered, nature of Dever and 9Marks are a needed balance to other influences in my life. They point me to the Scripture and the glory of God - I love that. Additionally, I really like the book "9 Marks of a Healthy Church." The cover design (to the right) looks a bit like a For Dummies book, but trust me it is not.
Anyway, I am not a 9Marks hater, so when I read a quote on their recent newsletter, which seemed a bit of an overreach, I wanted to say something about it.
In the article Plexiglas Preaching, The Devastating Consequences of a Watered-Down Message, Pastor John McArthur lists his 15 reasons against the sermon-light, theologically wimpy, non expositional teaching and how this is bad news for the church. For the most part, I found some of his assessments helpful. But, #7 gave me some pause. I'll explain why after reading it and hopefully reach a middle ground and a good place to stand:
7. It prevents the preacher from fully developing the mind of Christ. Pastors are supposed to be undershepherds of Christ. Too many modern preachers are so bent on understanding the culture that they develop the mind of the culture and not the mind of Christ. They start to think like the world, and not like the Savior. Frankly, the nuances of worldly culture are virtually irrelevant to me. I want to know the mind of Christ and bring that to bear on the culture, no matter what culture I may be ministering to. If I’m going to stand up in a pulpit and be a representative of Jesus Christ, I want to know how He thinks—and that must be my message to His people too. The only way to know and proclaim the mind of Christ is by being faithful to study and preach His Word. What happens to preachers who obsess about cultural "relevancy" is that they become worldly, not godly.
John McArthur, Plexiglas Preaching, The Devastating Consequences of a Watered-Down Message, 9 Marks Minsitry Web Site - available at www.9marks.org, Accessed July 27, 2006. Emphasis added.
Here is the rub. Obviously if the pastor is too concerned about culture at the neglect of the word, then he is amis and is perhaps ready to be taken captive by the world. Point taken. Yet, if the preacher learns deeply the Bible, seeks in Scripture the mind of Christ, teaches the Bible expositionally, etc. and knows nothing of the people he is trying to reach, or equip the church to reach, the result is, let me say, NOT GOOD. For instance, everyone agrees that we should preach in the language of the people - in doing so, care is taken to use words, grammar, and sentences recognizable by the people. In preaching, the pastor must choose idiom, illustrations, etc as he expounds God's Word and makes the meaning known to the people. To not know the stories of a culture, the questions of a culture, the art of the culture, the things that make a people tick, or ticks a people off, is to not be able to bring the Word to bear on THAT people in THIS time. Everyone knows this must be the case.
So I take this quote as a corrective to the over immersed cultural Christian who is worldly, who does not know his Bible, who does not study to seek the mind of Christ in Scripture. But if some people take this exhortation to mean "ignore the culture" and just read your Greek Bible, I fear the results will be some pretty terrible preaching that does not connect the mind of Christ, the teaching of the Word, with the people sitting/standing in front of the preacher. I think the nature of McArthur's language - Frankly, the nuances of worldly culture are virtually irrelevant to me, will lead some down this path. In doing so, he is helping someone remain blind to his own culture, and perhaps putting a stumbling block before someone's preaching. Culture is not all powerful, nor all determining; God is. Yet if our goal is to have "worldly culture to be virtually irrelevant to us," I think this is an egregious mistake and we will grow more and more impotent to connect the unchanging word to the changing peoples and cultures everywhere in the world.
Paul's example in Acts shows us he did not eliminate the message to any audience, but rather he choose different modes and ways of communicating the same message. Whether speaking to the Jewish people of the synagogue, the common man of Lystra, or the intellectual on Mars Hill, his message is strong and consistent. The death, burial, and resurection of Jesus - and a call to repentence...the way he brought this message was different, and this is recorded in the Bible. So when we communicate to someone today, I think we ought know something about them...in other words, we better know their culture and yet we better not be captured by it.
Our consciences are chained to the Word of God and we become all things to all men for the sake of the same Word. This is a hard path to find and maintain. May God help his people be faithful to both callings - into and out from the world.
If you have not subscribed to the 9 Marks Newsletter, you can do so here. As I said, I am somewhat of a fan.
There are some excellent video interviews rolling out over time from several of the speakers from the upcoming Desiring God National Conference - Above All Earthly Powers - The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World.
Today in my Missiology Class at the seminary, I was exposed to some culture. Not growing up around church sometimes I get a little confused by some of the conversations I am privy to. Today the prof began to talk about handbells. At first I wasn't sure if he said "handbills" but obviously these had something to do with worship. I sheepishly asked the question: What exactly are we talking about? Apparently hand bells are a big deal in Southern Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches. Heck, it sounds like they were once, and still are a staple in the Christian World.
Well, I then realized that I had heard such bells on some Christmas commercial on TV - ding, ding, ding-ding, ding, ding, ding-ding...
From this Wiki, I seem to be out of touch, this handbell thing is big:
Handbell performance
A handbell choir or handbell ensemble is typically armed with a fuller set of bells, as it aims to ring recognizable music with melodies and harmony, as opposed to the mathematical permutations used in change ringing. (There is some ambiguity regarding the phrase "handbell ensemble," as some in the handbell world use "ensemble" in reference to smaller groups than a typical handbell choir — four ringers playing three octaves of bells, for example.) The bells generally include all notes of the chromatic scale within the range of the bell set used. While a smaller group uses only 25 bells (two octaves), the sets are often larger, ranging up to the eight-octave set used by Westminster Choir College. The bells are typically arranged chromatically on foam-covered tables; these tables protect the bronze surface of the bell, as well as keep the bells from rolling when placed on their sides. Unlike an orchestra or choir in which each musician is responsible for one line of the texture, in a bell ensemble each musician is responsible for particular notes, sounding his or her assigned bells whenever that note appears in the music.
Handbell techniques have changed very much over the years. Donald Allured, founding director of Westminster Concert Bell Choir, is credited with fully realizing an American "off the table" style of ringing that includes many non-ringing sound effects including stopped techniques such as plucking the clapper with the bell on the table. He is also credited for promoting precise damping or stopping of the bell sound by touching the bell casting to a soft surface, in the service of more musical results.
In the United States, handbell choirs have become more popular over the last thirty years. They are often associated with churches, although the past decade has seen a dramatic rise in the number of community groups. Most community groups use larger sets of handbells than an average church handbell choir. Twelve to fifteen members is a common size for a four- or five-octave choir.
Well-known U.S. handbell choirs include the aforementioned
Westminster Concert Bell Choir in Princeton, N.J.; Sonos in the San Francisco area; The Raleigh Ringers in North Carolina; Cast of Bronze in Dallas, Texas; The Agape Ringers in the Chicago area; and Los Angeles' Campanile, which is no longer regularly performing.
I keep an idea file for stuff I want to think about implementing in the local church. I think it would be cool to have a church meeting in an urban night warehouse with a church bell outside the door...I just couldn't bring myself to add "Handbells" to the file.
But those who love the white gloves and can ring those bells to the glory of God. All power to you. I hear it is a beautiful sound to take in...maybe I'll see them live some day soon. Who knew?
When I read the sermon of the new leader of the American Episcopal Church, I thought "Oh Brother" but then again I guess I should say "Oh Mother"
The Episcopal Church seems to be seated before a big hot bowl of confusion. First, it has consecrated an openly gay bishop who left his family for a man. Now, the new female leader of the denomination, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, seems like she has been to a few too many milk and honey ceremonies.
I always thought Mary was the holy Mother - not Jesus. Who knew? Here is an exerpt from Jefferts-Schori's homily:
That bloody cross brings new life into this world. Colossians calls Jesus the firstborn of all creation, the firstborn from the dead. That sweaty, bloody, tear-stained labor of the cross bears new life. Our mother Jesus gives birth to a new creation -- and you and I are His children. If we're going to keep on growing into Christ-images for the world around us, we're going to have to give up fear.
The entire context of the homily is available here: Episcopal News Service
Al Mohler had a great comment on the sermon:
This idea of a "Mother Jesus" giving birth to creation is precisely the kind of gynecological theology that biblical Christianity opposes. Creation is not birthed from a divine womb --- it is spoken into being by a divine Word.
Mark Driscoll also makes a good observation about the tragic Episcopal situation:
Second, the far-left wing of the Episcopalian Church is, like Judas, in the process of hanging itself. The worldwide Episcopalian communion is widely diverse, with most Anglicans rejecting hard feminism and homosexuality. Additionally, membership in the American Episcopal Church, as in other mainline Protestant groups, has been declining for years and has remained predominantly white. More than a quarter of the 2.3 million parishioners are sixty-five or older.
When Christians punt the gospel, reject the Scriptures, and leave Jesus - well, he doesn't seem to hang around. And without Jesus, associations of people playing "church" do not last. People would just rather play golf than go to a church without beliefs, and unwilling to stand for the gospel.
It grieves the heart that many have historically departed from the gospel for bowls cultural faddage.
Pray for the American wing of the Anglican communion. Pray that the African Anglicans who love the Scriptures and the Gospel may convince their western sisters and gay brothers of their departures from the faith. Pray that the Bible believing Episcopalians in America would find homes to love and serve Jesus - God the Son - and be free of this Mother silliness and get back to the important work in the world for the Kingdom.
Not coming to faith in Christ until I was 19, I really don't get some of the stuff that seems to captivate people in some churches. I guess as cultures shift and move some people just get all shook up. Well, here are a couple of interesting reads:
First, is an artitcle about a non religious authors research into "Christian Rock" - You can find that here: The Kingdom of Rock Is at Hand
Second, is about the Baptists and Booze. Note, I am not a Southern Baptist, but I do attend a Southern Baptist seminary as an extension student...and no, I would never drink on the campus! It is against the rules.
There are couple of relevant links you may want to check out. One from the Raleigh News and Observer entitled Baptist dogma: Avoid alcohol - Some Baptists find no biblical basis. Here are a few little ditties from the article:
At their annual meeting this week in Greensboro, Southern Baptists again took a stand against alcohol. A resolution talks of "total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing and consuming of alcoholic beverages.
Indeed, Southern Baptists have a tradition of reaffirming their opposition to alcohol. In the denomination's 161-year history, it has done so in 57 resolutions, most recently in 1991.
If that leads to buffudlement and head scratching, then check out Justin Taylors post on the SBC and Alcohol. It sounds like one could get a cold one with Taylor.
Is this Bud for you? Or not?
Here is a review of Brian McLaren's most recent book...I think he has punted to the gospel.
To the writer of the review I would only add: "Missional" is only a description of one "on a mission" - a word to describe the life lived by one who is a missionary. Missional Christianity is one who is sent in gospel mission into the world. It is not antithetical to preach the gospel of the salvation of sinners AND reach out to serve the least of these. One need not compromise the gospel to care about issues of justice. Preach the true saving work, death, ressurection of Jesus - to all. And that means in the cities, with the poor, in the suburbs, in all places and cultures that God sends his people. But I agree - I think McLaren has gone out to lunch long ago. His message is just neo-Liberalism with a gospel devoid of the saving power of the Cross. We preach Christ and him crucified...doctrine and mission are not at odds - they ought be forever married in the church.
Here is the review: The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren :: Book Reviews
Tim Dees over at Triumph of the Lackadaimonians makes some good comments about the two books for Christians in Suburbia. A few quotes:
So that's the plan. 8 steps, buy the more expensive coffee at Starbucks, and all is well. What if Christ actually operated this way? It might have looked like this:
Jesus: "Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."That is, my friends, hilarious...and a bit of hyperbole. I think that the book was saying "Follow me, byyyyyyyyyy using dolphin-safe tuna nets" - I think that may be funny (in a different way) as well.
Disciples: "Jesus, we're really slammed, and this fishing thing is really taking off."
Jesus: "Ok, well how about this. Don't worry about following me, but at least use dolphin-safe tuna nets."
Disciples: "Done deal, Jesus!"
(high fives ensue)
Christ did not die on the cross because he bought fair-trade coffee or shopped in locally-owned stores. I think sometimes we skip right over the verse where it says that God will not be mocked. Indeed, he won't. The call of Christ is the upending of our lives, or it is nothing.
Now my dear brother Dees, I agree with you. But slow down a tad and admit it - it would be cool if a 2500 sq ft house was purchased rather than a 5000. A 250K one rather than a 400K one...and the rest of the wealth given to the poor and the Kingdom. But I feel you brother, but maybe there is helpful practical advice for those following Jesus as Lord in the burbs. It is at least hypothetically possible, no?
Afterall, for some strange and mysterious contours of divine Providence...he did ordain that the suburbs be. Now, dear Jesus, Sovereign Lord, please help us to escape the burbs!!!
Appreciate you Tim
Lauren Winner has an interesting essay for suburban folks over at Books and Culture. It reviews a couple of books, one by David Goetz, a former editor at Leadership Journal, and another by Albert Y. Hsu, an editor at InterVarsity Press, which desire to ponder what Christian faith and spirituality can might look like for faithful surbanites.
Some good warnings and exhortations are in this article. A few of my favorites:
Suburban life, if pursued unheedingly, "obscures the real Jesus," writes Goetz in Death by Suburb. "Too much of the good life ends up being toxic, deforming us spiritually." But if obscured, Jesus is there somewhere, and Goetz's book aims to help suburbanites find him in the ocean of lattes, in the aisles of Pottery Barn, and in the bleachers at the soccer field: "You don't have to hole up in a monastery to experience the fullness of God. Your cul-de-sac and subdivision are as good a place as any."
"My church is the problem." Goetz has no patience for Americans' pernicious church-hopping: "Only in relationships that permit no bailing out can certain forms of spiritual development occur." Rather than switch churches because your pastor said something you disliked or the new church plant down the street has a livelier youth group, practice the discipline of "staying put in your church." This manifestly countercultural advice cuts to the very heart of America's restless anomie.
A basic guideline for simple living, says Hsu, is "to live at a standard of living that is below others in your income bracket. It you can afford a $400,000 house, live in a $250,000 one instead. Or, if you can afford a $250,000 house, live in a $150,000 one."
Here is the link: God of the Latté - Faith in the suburbs.
Links to the books:
 | Death by Suburb : How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul |
 | The Suburban Christian: Finding Spiritual Vitality in the Land of Plenty |
Nope, it is not even a wonderful theological piece...rather practical advice for men in ministry who want to make it long term...
