Mysteriously, this has been left out of virtually all systematic theology texts... enjoy!
Coffee as a Means of Grace
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Iron sharpening
My walk with God has been greatly enhanced over the last few years as I have learned more and more about the truths of the exchanged life. I'm sure that I've only begun to scratch the surface in understanding the depths of God's grace and His love towards us. I praise God for authors such as Watchman Nee, Steve McVey, Bob George, David Needham, Bill Gillham, Charles Solomon, and others who have written of their struggles to walk with God in their early years as believers - only to realize that God, in this marvelous New Covenant economy, desires for us to live a life of rest as we trust Him by faith to do His work in and through us. The books that these men of God have produced have been a great source of encouragement to me. They have challenged me to dig deeper into the Scriptures and discover these amazing truths for myself, and as I have done so, I have found God to be faithful in leading me to a greater dependence on Christ as my life source.
When I began to share the New Covenant message with other believers, I usually found that it was received with astonishment, although that took various forms. Either they were so 'astonished' that they became overwhelmed with joy and wonder at our great God, or they were 'astonished' that I would buy into such a 'heretical' teaching! I was initially shocked at how polarizing the grace message could be... and of course, in fleshly arrogance and pride, I often found myself thinking, "They just don't get it!" There were some, to be sure, who flatly rejected the message; however, upon delving deeper with some others who were more open-minded, I found that they did indeed have some legitimate theological concerns. I have learned much (and grown a bit more humble!) in discussing these issues with them over the years, and it has proved to be an excellent iron-sharpening experience for all of us.
Through these experiences, I have become increasingly more aware of the need for those of us in the Exchanged Life movement to make sure that we are theologically honest and that we are able to clearly communicate what we believe. There is indeed a great deal of misconception out there as to what we actually teach, and I can't help but think that a great deal of this confusion is unnecessary. If what we believe is indeed true, then it will certainly stand up to scrutiny under the lens of Scripture. I have found no reason thus far to reject these teachings, but I always want to be sure that I am first and foremost committed to the inerrancy and authority of the Scriptures, not to a particular man-made creed or system of theology. Eventually, these all fall short to some degree.
With that in mind, I invite you to check out the link below. It is a critique of Exchanged Life theology, co-authored by a professor and PhD student from Dallas Theological Seminary. I will say from the outset that I do not agree with all of their conclusions and feel that there are other aspects of Exchanged Life theology that should be examined in detail before any firm conclusions should be drawn (perhaps I will elaborate in a later entry). However, I do appreciate the pastoral concern and fairness with which the critique was presented, and recognize that they do indeed bring up some legitimate concerns.
http://www.robertpyne.com/pyne/PyneBlackmon%20Exchanged.pdf
I look forward to some feedback regarding this article. Blessings to you all...
When I began to share the New Covenant message with other believers, I usually found that it was received with astonishment, although that took various forms. Either they were so 'astonished' that they became overwhelmed with joy and wonder at our great God, or they were 'astonished' that I would buy into such a 'heretical' teaching! I was initially shocked at how polarizing the grace message could be... and of course, in fleshly arrogance and pride, I often found myself thinking, "They just don't get it!" There were some, to be sure, who flatly rejected the message; however, upon delving deeper with some others who were more open-minded, I found that they did indeed have some legitimate theological concerns. I have learned much (and grown a bit more humble!) in discussing these issues with them over the years, and it has proved to be an excellent iron-sharpening experience for all of us.
Through these experiences, I have become increasingly more aware of the need for those of us in the Exchanged Life movement to make sure that we are theologically honest and that we are able to clearly communicate what we believe. There is indeed a great deal of misconception out there as to what we actually teach, and I can't help but think that a great deal of this confusion is unnecessary. If what we believe is indeed true, then it will certainly stand up to scrutiny under the lens of Scripture. I have found no reason thus far to reject these teachings, but I always want to be sure that I am first and foremost committed to the inerrancy and authority of the Scriptures, not to a particular man-made creed or system of theology. Eventually, these all fall short to some degree.
With that in mind, I invite you to check out the link below. It is a critique of Exchanged Life theology, co-authored by a professor and PhD student from Dallas Theological Seminary. I will say from the outset that I do not agree with all of their conclusions and feel that there are other aspects of Exchanged Life theology that should be examined in detail before any firm conclusions should be drawn (perhaps I will elaborate in a later entry). However, I do appreciate the pastoral concern and fairness with which the critique was presented, and recognize that they do indeed bring up some legitimate concerns.
http://www.robertpyne.com/pyne/PyneBlackmon%20Exchanged.pdf
I look forward to some feedback regarding this article. Blessings to you all...
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Left of center
While I'd much rather spend my blogging time extolling the riches of our inheritance in Christ and praising Him for who He is and all He has done... I will undoubtedly have times like this where I feel the need to 'vent' a little. If there is any downside to growing deeper in the message of God's grace and the New Covenant, it is that the chinks in the armor of the church at large become more and more obvious to you.
With that said, I now offer an example. The following is from a weekly bulletin published by a large church in my town... in fact, it is the church I grew up in. While their denominational heritage is for the most part Christ-centered and Bible-believing, they have unfortunately drifted away from their moorings. Here goes...
A new professor at ___ awhile back sent me an e-mail asking for information about our church. It occurred to me that you might be interested in seeing what I wrote to him about our church:
Dear Dr. ______, thank you for your e-mail inquiring about ______ Baptist Church. I believe that we have a wonderful warm-spirited church and we would be delighted to have you and your family come and visit us and see first-hand what our church offers.
Our church has a proud heritage of openness, freedom, and flexibility, and we seek to maintain an atmosphere of biblical freedom within which all persons may grow, serve and express themselves under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We encourage our folks to worship God through faith in Jesus Christ, without having to be measured, tested, or approved in some binding dogma, or by some other persons’ credo.
We have been especially interested in providing women every opportunity to serve God. Women at _________ minister in all capacities, including serving on our Councils of Deacons and Trustees. Also, one of our primary staff members, _________, is an ordained Baptist minister.
Ministries to children and youth are also very important to us, and we maintain a full and active program for all our children and young people.
Our style of worship is blended, with a leaning toward the classical and traditional. My preaching is more topical than expositional, though they are strongly based in the Bible. We do not expect our people to leave their minds at the door when they come to church here.
Another important facet of our ministry here is our mission outreach. We are dedicated to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ locally and throughout the world.
A fellow teacher at ___ is Professor ______, one of our fine church members. Please feel free to ask him about our church. We warmly invite you to come and be a part of God’s work here----the fellowship, the joy, the ministry that is ______ Baptist Church.
I find this rather disturbing for several reasons. While I am certainly an advocate of freedom within Biblical bounds, I question whether or not the 'freedom' being advocated here is a healthy one. In fact, it seems as if theological 'freedom' and the types of programs offered are more important than what the true mission of the church should be. Case in point: one of the first things mentioned here is the ordination of women. No mention of the Gospel of Christ until nearly the end of the letter... it's almost as if Jesus just makes a cameo. "We believe in openness, freedom, the ordination of women, this type of worship style... oh and by the way, we minister Jesus!" Tell me... if the church is not about Jesus first and foremost, than what is it about?
We as a church (speaking of the church at large) have been given SO much in Christ. Our sin debt has been paid in full. We no longer have to work to earn God's favor... instead we place our faith in the work of Christ. We have been given the Spirit who lives inside us. We have been freed from the Law and placed into the economy of grace... the glorious New Covenant that the Law and the Prophets spoke of! We have been made holy and righteous in our spirits. We are able not to just go to heaven someday, but to experience the life of Christ NOW, flowing in and through us as we trust Him by faith! I could go on and on, but my point here for all of us to consider is this: why is it that the church so often emphasizes peripheral issues, preferences, issues, programs, strategies, etc. over Christ? When we consider everything that He has done for us and that we truly have such a minute grasp of it all... why waste time doing anything else? We could spend many lifetimes mining the deep riches of these truths and NEVER come to grips with it all. My prayer is that God will awaken the church from its slumber and take its focus off of all these other issues and put it back where it belongs... on Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior... and LIFE!!
OK, that's enough venting for now. I promise that I won't turn into one of those bloggers that only rants and raves about everything they see wrong with the church. My intent with this blog is simply to discuss the amazing grace of God and the riches of the New Covenant that Jesus has ushered us into. Lord willing, next week's post will be more along those lines. Thanks for indulging me!
With that said, I now offer an example. The following is from a weekly bulletin published by a large church in my town... in fact, it is the church I grew up in. While their denominational heritage is for the most part Christ-centered and Bible-believing, they have unfortunately drifted away from their moorings. Here goes...
A new professor at ___ awhile back sent me an e-mail asking for information about our church. It occurred to me that you might be interested in seeing what I wrote to him about our church:
Dear Dr. ______, thank you for your e-mail inquiring about ______ Baptist Church. I believe that we have a wonderful warm-spirited church and we would be delighted to have you and your family come and visit us and see first-hand what our church offers.
Our church has a proud heritage of openness, freedom, and flexibility, and we seek to maintain an atmosphere of biblical freedom within which all persons may grow, serve and express themselves under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We encourage our folks to worship God through faith in Jesus Christ, without having to be measured, tested, or approved in some binding dogma, or by some other persons’ credo.
We have been especially interested in providing women every opportunity to serve God. Women at _________ minister in all capacities, including serving on our Councils of Deacons and Trustees. Also, one of our primary staff members, _________, is an ordained Baptist minister.
Ministries to children and youth are also very important to us, and we maintain a full and active program for all our children and young people.
Our style of worship is blended, with a leaning toward the classical and traditional. My preaching is more topical than expositional, though they are strongly based in the Bible. We do not expect our people to leave their minds at the door when they come to church here.
Another important facet of our ministry here is our mission outreach. We are dedicated to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ locally and throughout the world.
A fellow teacher at ___ is Professor ______, one of our fine church members. Please feel free to ask him about our church. We warmly invite you to come and be a part of God’s work here----the fellowship, the joy, the ministry that is ______ Baptist Church.
I find this rather disturbing for several reasons. While I am certainly an advocate of freedom within Biblical bounds, I question whether or not the 'freedom' being advocated here is a healthy one. In fact, it seems as if theological 'freedom' and the types of programs offered are more important than what the true mission of the church should be. Case in point: one of the first things mentioned here is the ordination of women. No mention of the Gospel of Christ until nearly the end of the letter... it's almost as if Jesus just makes a cameo. "We believe in openness, freedom, the ordination of women, this type of worship style... oh and by the way, we minister Jesus!" Tell me... if the church is not about Jesus first and foremost, than what is it about?
We as a church (speaking of the church at large) have been given SO much in Christ. Our sin debt has been paid in full. We no longer have to work to earn God's favor... instead we place our faith in the work of Christ. We have been given the Spirit who lives inside us. We have been freed from the Law and placed into the economy of grace... the glorious New Covenant that the Law and the Prophets spoke of! We have been made holy and righteous in our spirits. We are able not to just go to heaven someday, but to experience the life of Christ NOW, flowing in and through us as we trust Him by faith! I could go on and on, but my point here for all of us to consider is this: why is it that the church so often emphasizes peripheral issues, preferences, issues, programs, strategies, etc. over Christ? When we consider everything that He has done for us and that we truly have such a minute grasp of it all... why waste time doing anything else? We could spend many lifetimes mining the deep riches of these truths and NEVER come to grips with it all. My prayer is that God will awaken the church from its slumber and take its focus off of all these other issues and put it back where it belongs... on Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior... and LIFE!!
OK, that's enough venting for now. I promise that I won't turn into one of those bloggers that only rants and raves about everything they see wrong with the church. My intent with this blog is simply to discuss the amazing grace of God and the riches of the New Covenant that Jesus has ushered us into. Lord willing, next week's post will be more along those lines. Thanks for indulging me!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
A Masculine Perspective on Ephesians 5:21
The following was a writing assignment for a seminary course... Marriage/Family Counseling, which I just completed a couple of weeks ago. The assignment was to write a devotional based on Ephesians 5:21, from the perspective of your gender. Hope it blesses you...
At first glance, the command to ‘be subject to one another’ can feel like an affront to the male ego. After all, doesn’t the next verse say that wives are supposed to be subject to their husbands? If it is true that God has given us males the responsibility to ‘manage our household well’ (1 Tim. 3:4), which implies a definite role of leadership… then isn’t this idea of ‘being subject’ rather contradictory? In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth, as we will see.
For me, the best example that comes to mind is the account of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples (see John 13:3-17). In those times, the task of footwashing was reserved for the lowliest of servants. The disciples could not comprehend why Jesus, whom they rightly called ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ (v. 13), would do such a thing for them – they certainly would not have done it for each other! His answer was simple, but has profound significance for us today – if He, being God, was willing to lay aside His position and authority to wash the dirty feet of His disciples, then how much more should we be willing to do the same for others? Keep in mind that Jesus, in His authority, could have commanded the disciples to wash His feet, but He chose to wash theirs instead, as an example for us.
This example has profound implications for us as husbands when we consider the idea of ‘being subject to one another’, as there are many ways to work this out on a practical level. Most of all, I believe we as males should make a sincere effort to be sensitive to the needs of our wives. I know from experience that it can often be difficult to temporarily set aside your own needs to attend to your spouses, but in Christ’s power it can certainly be done. Perhaps she is feeling discouraged and needs a hug, or for you to pray with her. Maybe she is worn out from dealing with the kids all day, and needs to just relax while you take care of the dishes and kids that night. Or maybe she would like for you to get a sitter one night and take her out on a date. An exhaustive list of examples would be impossible, but do take these to heart and ask Father to show you some specific instances where you could be more attentive to your spouse’s needs.
Verse 21 also gives us the means by which this is to be done – “in the fear of Christ”. The word for ‘fear’ could also be translated as ‘reverence of’. To have a ‘reverence’ for Christ naturally implies that we will seek to not only do His will, but that we will draw on the power of His Spirit to accomplish what He has commanded. Jesus Himself said that He could do nothing of His own initiative (John 5:30); rather, He sought His Father’s will in all things and drew strength from Him. This is essential for us in all things, including the marriage relationship. Unless we allow Christ to love our spouses through us, we will resort to using our fleshly resources, which is always a recipe for disaster.
PRAYER: Father, we thank you for the wonderful gift of our wives. You have blessed each of us immensely through them, and we are eternally grateful for that. As we seek to live out the role You have assigned to us as the head of our household, may it not be done in a domineering, despotic manner. Rather, teach us to abide in You at all times and help us to be sensitive to the needs of our spouses. We ask simply that you love our wives through us. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
At first glance, the command to ‘be subject to one another’ can feel like an affront to the male ego. After all, doesn’t the next verse say that wives are supposed to be subject to their husbands? If it is true that God has given us males the responsibility to ‘manage our household well’ (1 Tim. 3:4), which implies a definite role of leadership… then isn’t this idea of ‘being subject’ rather contradictory? In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth, as we will see.
For me, the best example that comes to mind is the account of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples (see John 13:3-17). In those times, the task of footwashing was reserved for the lowliest of servants. The disciples could not comprehend why Jesus, whom they rightly called ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ (v. 13), would do such a thing for them – they certainly would not have done it for each other! His answer was simple, but has profound significance for us today – if He, being God, was willing to lay aside His position and authority to wash the dirty feet of His disciples, then how much more should we be willing to do the same for others? Keep in mind that Jesus, in His authority, could have commanded the disciples to wash His feet, but He chose to wash theirs instead, as an example for us.
This example has profound implications for us as husbands when we consider the idea of ‘being subject to one another’, as there are many ways to work this out on a practical level. Most of all, I believe we as males should make a sincere effort to be sensitive to the needs of our wives. I know from experience that it can often be difficult to temporarily set aside your own needs to attend to your spouses, but in Christ’s power it can certainly be done. Perhaps she is feeling discouraged and needs a hug, or for you to pray with her. Maybe she is worn out from dealing with the kids all day, and needs to just relax while you take care of the dishes and kids that night. Or maybe she would like for you to get a sitter one night and take her out on a date. An exhaustive list of examples would be impossible, but do take these to heart and ask Father to show you some specific instances where you could be more attentive to your spouse’s needs.
Verse 21 also gives us the means by which this is to be done – “in the fear of Christ”. The word for ‘fear’ could also be translated as ‘reverence of’. To have a ‘reverence’ for Christ naturally implies that we will seek to not only do His will, but that we will draw on the power of His Spirit to accomplish what He has commanded. Jesus Himself said that He could do nothing of His own initiative (John 5:30); rather, He sought His Father’s will in all things and drew strength from Him. This is essential for us in all things, including the marriage relationship. Unless we allow Christ to love our spouses through us, we will resort to using our fleshly resources, which is always a recipe for disaster.
PRAYER: Father, we thank you for the wonderful gift of our wives. You have blessed each of us immensely through them, and we are eternally grateful for that. As we seek to live out the role You have assigned to us as the head of our household, may it not be done in a domineering, despotic manner. Rather, teach us to abide in You at all times and help us to be sensitive to the needs of our spouses. We ask simply that you love our wives through us. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
Still alive, my old friend...
In case you happened to surf over here and notice (correctly) that I haven't updated my blog in a while... stay tuned, because my postings are about to become much more frequent. I am in seminary now (since January really) and since I am now forced to write far more than in recent years... well, since college really... I look forward to sharing what God has taught me in my studies. At the very least, hopefully what I have to share will stimulate some interesting discussions. I plan to post on at least a weekly basis, so do check back soon!
Why am I in seminary, you ask? The answer is simple... I believe that I have been called by God to minister the truth of the 'exchanged life'... Christ in us, our hope of glory! I am not sure what form that will take at this point... I have considered many options. Perhaps Father will lead me to pastor a congregation, or into a counseling ministry, or to join a missions/parachurch organization... I have thought and prayed about these, and other possibilities. I would appreciate your prayers as I continue my studies and seek His direction for my life and ministry. For now, I look forward to fellowshipping with some fellow bloggers!
Why am I in seminary, you ask? The answer is simple... I believe that I have been called by God to minister the truth of the 'exchanged life'... Christ in us, our hope of glory! I am not sure what form that will take at this point... I have considered many options. Perhaps Father will lead me to pastor a congregation, or into a counseling ministry, or to join a missions/parachurch organization... I have thought and prayed about these, and other possibilities. I would appreciate your prayers as I continue my studies and seek His direction for my life and ministry. For now, I look forward to fellowshipping with some fellow bloggers!
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Advanced Discipleship Training
Advanced Discipleship Training
I recently finished the Advanced Discipleship Training course at my church... if you are familiar with Grace Ministries International, it's the same course they use. I must say, it was quite intense. I learned quite a lot about myself, the fleshly living patterns I tend to fall into, my failure to depend upon Jesus as my source of life, etc... but most of all, I came away with a much greater appreciation of what my Lord accomplished for us through His death, burial, and resurrection. It truly is all about Jesus, and not about us.
Below is the final paper I wrote for the class...
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I recall a fascinating analogy regarding the issue of law and grace from Bob George’s book Classic Christianity. He tells the story of a restaurant owner who discovers a homeless man sifting through his trash bin in search of something to eat. The owner invites the man inside and shows him the massive buffet of food that is served. He tells the homeless man to eat whatever he wants, as much as he wants – it is on the house! The man marveled at the sumptuous spread that was before him – steak, chicken, ribs, potatoes, fruits, vegetables… and of course, the dessert bar! “So, I can truly eat anything? Anything I want?” said the homeless man. The restaurant owner assured him that yes, he could have whatever he wanted. The man then asked this question – “Sir… can I please eat some garbage??”
George’s point is well taken. While it may seem ridiculous to think that someone would actually desire to eat moldy pizza crusts and rotten vegetables out of a dumpster, may I suggest that something very similar happens in many Christian circles today. Not the consumption of actual, physical garbage… but rather spiritual garbage. We’ll explore that idea in a little while… but first, allow me to share a brief bit of testimony so you know where I’m coming from. I was raised in a very traditional Southern Baptist church, pipe organ and all. I walked the aisle and was baptized at the age of 14, but never really had any desire to grow in my walk with the Lord until late in my college career… but when I got serious, I got serious! I started reading my Bible a lot more, praying a lot more, and was in church just about every time the doors were open. Oh, and of course… being Baptist, I was a faithful tither and would never think of ‘robbing God’ by not giving the Lord His portion! I did the activities I was expected to do, and even attended seminary for a short time. However, the joy I had experienced upon first coming to Christ had long since faded, and it just seemed like all that I was doing “for” God was really just a performance.
If I have taken away anything from this discipleship class (and I feel that I’ve truly taken away a lot), it is the understanding that much of my previous Christian experience, with the exception of my time here at GLF, was dominated by the consumption of spiritual garbage, leaving me extremely malnourished and disillusioned. This begs the question… why in the world would any of us consume this type of garbage, and then, having tasted it, would continually come back for more? I believe there are several answers. First of all, when you are truly hungry, it goes without saying that you will eat just about anything. So, in that sense, garbage does provide some satisfaction in that, while it might not taste very good and you may experience some, uh, difficulties later, it does at least temporarily stave off your hunger. Plus, every now and then, you may just come across a tasty morsel, much like George Costanza eating the éclair off the top of the trash heap in that classic Seinfeld episode. But, as George’s soon-to-be ex-girlfriend informed him, whether it’s buried in the can or just sitting on top… it’s STILL garbage!
There are, I believe, some other reasons why we consume garbage. Perhaps that is simply all we know… or we just think that’s all there is. Perhaps we simply can’t imagine that there could be anything better… or maybe we believe we don’t deserve anything better. That is where I found myself at one point… after wearing myself out on the religious treadmill, part of me had come to the conclusion that perhaps I had done something that preventing me from growing. Perhaps I had made a wrong choice way back when and was out of God’s will… or perhaps there was some sin that I hadn’t confessed… or maybe I hadn’t shared my faith with enough people… you see where I am going. And now, I am able to clearly see the error of my old ways… I had placed myself under a system of law, and had allowed others to keep me in it. Not law for salvation, mind you… I knew better than that… but definitely for sanctification. I had received enough of God’s grace to change my destination, but not enough of it to change the way I lived in the here and now – nor did I have any idea that anything other than my own fleshly resources was even available. I was convinced that it was up to me to maintain a right standing with God, so I gritted my teeth and offered up my own puny works as fig leaves to God. After all, it looked so good and felt so right – that’s what everyone else around me was doing!
So what exactly did I, and so many other do still, experience while wallowing in the garbage heap of self-righteousness? Let’s take a look at what the Scriptures say. First of all, those who continue in this system will experience certain death. Again, not physical death, but certain spiritual death. Romans 7 states clearly that, although there is nothing wrong with the Law (it is holy, righteous and good), there is clearly something wrong in me – that is, in my flesh. Further, 1 Corinthians 15:56 states that the power of sin is in the law. So when I try to live out of the law system, the holy, righteous, and good Law will actually stimulate the power of sin in my flesh and my “life verse” will accordingly be Romans 7:24 – “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
Secondly, those who live in this system will probably not receive what they are looking for from anyone else around them. I think it is true that we as humans tend to seek out fellowship with those who are like-minded. So, if you are one of those who are seeking to grow in Christ through legalism and rule-keeping, you will most likely be attracted to those who hold similar beliefs. And it should go without saying that what you will continually experience is death and condemnation. You will probably hear constantly from the pulpit that you are indeed a sinner and you had better keep yourself right with the Lord (if you are a preacher, you can get a lot of successful altar calls that way!). You will be constantly told that you just need to try harder in your efforts to defeat sin… to ‘rededicate’ your life to God! After all… He died for you, the least you could do is to live for Him! This will lead to what one writer calls the ‘consecration-condemnation-rededication’ cycle… and a vicious cycle it is! You are never able to find the victory you so desire… the abundant life that Jesus promised. But perhaps, the particular garbage you eat is a bit more subtle and disguised. Perhaps it is merely disguised at ‘principles’ to live by. This is probably the most common type of garbage that is out there… one week it’s “The 10 Principles of Godly Finances”, the next week you get “The Seven Steps to a Godly Marriage”. Mind you, they may be good, Biblical principles… but let’s just imagine that you get just 5 principles or steps a week. In a year’s time, that is more than 250 steps! No wonder so many are discouraged and disillusioned in their pursuit of religion. This was certainly my experience.
I could go on and on with many more examples, but time and space do not permit me to do so here. For now, I would rather spend some time discussing the nature of true spiritual food… the kind that Jesus truly offers us. And it’s very simple! Instead of a constant experience of death, He offers us Life – His own Life! In John 6, Jesus gave us the great analogy of Himself as the bread of life. Whoever eats of Him… that is, whoever places their faith in Him for their salvation, will in fact never die! What a great promise… eternal life in Heaven with the Lord Jesus! However, that is not the whole story… later in John 6, Jesus states that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood abides in Him, and He in them. That is… whoever continues to eat of Him… in fact, to feast on Him… will have life in the here and now. That is an amazing concept… indeed a revolutionary one! Not digging around for leftover scraps, but a veritable eternal feast… of life, righteousness, freedom, and joy! His life is freely offered and can be freely received… if we would only lay hold of it by faith. No more striving, no more rule-keeping, no more offering of fig leaves, no more rededication and failure… just the simple reception of a free gift. He has indeed promised to be all that He is to all that we need… what a powerful concept, once we understand that! That it is not about us and what we can do for God, but it is all about what He did, and what He will do in our lives if we would just allow Him to.
So, as we lay hold of this incredible feast that the Lord Jesus offers, what then will it produce in our lives? First of all, it will be a life characterized by freedom and grace. Not freedom as in licentiousness (for that is not really freedom at all, but slavery to the flesh), but freedom to be all that He has called us to be… not shackled by the chains of religion. John 14:15 says that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments… and indeed that will be our natural desire… because as Ezekiel 36 says, He has given us a new heart and has given us His Spirit… and He will cause us to walk in His statutes! Not us gritting our teeth and trying to do it in the power of the flesh, but rather He will do it as we lay hold of Him!
Secondly, we have a new identity… not that of a sinner as the church frequently tells us, but that of a ‘saint’… a holy one… a righteous child of God! Over 50 times the New Testament refers to believers in this way… if we would only lay aside our pride and false humility and receive what Scripture says of us. It is true, as Proverbs says, that as a man thinks within his heart, so is he. If we constantly call ourselves dirty, rotten sinners and allow ourselves to think that way… then that is exactly what will be produced in our life. But, if we would just receive our new identity of ‘saint’, and get that truth ingrained in our minds… just think of what that will produce!
Finally… Jesus offers us a life of true rest. Hebrews 4:9-11 puts it so well (read that passage here). No more fruitless labor, no more wood, hay and stubble… as we labor to rest in Him, the works that will be produced will indeed be lasting ones, because they are built on the solid foundation of the finished work of Jesus Christ. And as Matthew 11 says, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light… and if we come to Him, we will find rest for our souls. That is his eternal promise to us, His children.
I am eternally grateful that I have been able to be a part of this great fellowship, and particularly this group, as we have learned together of the real life that Jesus offers to us. My prayer is that all of us here would continue to ‘labor to rest’ in Him, and find Him to be all that He is, to all that we need. And finally, I hope that you, my fellow disciples, will all join me in saying that… ‘it’s time to take out the trash!’
I recently finished the Advanced Discipleship Training course at my church... if you are familiar with Grace Ministries International, it's the same course they use. I must say, it was quite intense. I learned quite a lot about myself, the fleshly living patterns I tend to fall into, my failure to depend upon Jesus as my source of life, etc... but most of all, I came away with a much greater appreciation of what my Lord accomplished for us through His death, burial, and resurrection. It truly is all about Jesus, and not about us.
Below is the final paper I wrote for the class...
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I recall a fascinating analogy regarding the issue of law and grace from Bob George’s book Classic Christianity. He tells the story of a restaurant owner who discovers a homeless man sifting through his trash bin in search of something to eat. The owner invites the man inside and shows him the massive buffet of food that is served. He tells the homeless man to eat whatever he wants, as much as he wants – it is on the house! The man marveled at the sumptuous spread that was before him – steak, chicken, ribs, potatoes, fruits, vegetables… and of course, the dessert bar! “So, I can truly eat anything? Anything I want?” said the homeless man. The restaurant owner assured him that yes, he could have whatever he wanted. The man then asked this question – “Sir… can I please eat some garbage??”
George’s point is well taken. While it may seem ridiculous to think that someone would actually desire to eat moldy pizza crusts and rotten vegetables out of a dumpster, may I suggest that something very similar happens in many Christian circles today. Not the consumption of actual, physical garbage… but rather spiritual garbage. We’ll explore that idea in a little while… but first, allow me to share a brief bit of testimony so you know where I’m coming from. I was raised in a very traditional Southern Baptist church, pipe organ and all. I walked the aisle and was baptized at the age of 14, but never really had any desire to grow in my walk with the Lord until late in my college career… but when I got serious, I got serious! I started reading my Bible a lot more, praying a lot more, and was in church just about every time the doors were open. Oh, and of course… being Baptist, I was a faithful tither and would never think of ‘robbing God’ by not giving the Lord His portion! I did the activities I was expected to do, and even attended seminary for a short time. However, the joy I had experienced upon first coming to Christ had long since faded, and it just seemed like all that I was doing “for” God was really just a performance.
If I have taken away anything from this discipleship class (and I feel that I’ve truly taken away a lot), it is the understanding that much of my previous Christian experience, with the exception of my time here at GLF, was dominated by the consumption of spiritual garbage, leaving me extremely malnourished and disillusioned. This begs the question… why in the world would any of us consume this type of garbage, and then, having tasted it, would continually come back for more? I believe there are several answers. First of all, when you are truly hungry, it goes without saying that you will eat just about anything. So, in that sense, garbage does provide some satisfaction in that, while it might not taste very good and you may experience some, uh, difficulties later, it does at least temporarily stave off your hunger. Plus, every now and then, you may just come across a tasty morsel, much like George Costanza eating the éclair off the top of the trash heap in that classic Seinfeld episode. But, as George’s soon-to-be ex-girlfriend informed him, whether it’s buried in the can or just sitting on top… it’s STILL garbage!
There are, I believe, some other reasons why we consume garbage. Perhaps that is simply all we know… or we just think that’s all there is. Perhaps we simply can’t imagine that there could be anything better… or maybe we believe we don’t deserve anything better. That is where I found myself at one point… after wearing myself out on the religious treadmill, part of me had come to the conclusion that perhaps I had done something that preventing me from growing. Perhaps I had made a wrong choice way back when and was out of God’s will… or perhaps there was some sin that I hadn’t confessed… or maybe I hadn’t shared my faith with enough people… you see where I am going. And now, I am able to clearly see the error of my old ways… I had placed myself under a system of law, and had allowed others to keep me in it. Not law for salvation, mind you… I knew better than that… but definitely for sanctification. I had received enough of God’s grace to change my destination, but not enough of it to change the way I lived in the here and now – nor did I have any idea that anything other than my own fleshly resources was even available. I was convinced that it was up to me to maintain a right standing with God, so I gritted my teeth and offered up my own puny works as fig leaves to God. After all, it looked so good and felt so right – that’s what everyone else around me was doing!
So what exactly did I, and so many other do still, experience while wallowing in the garbage heap of self-righteousness? Let’s take a look at what the Scriptures say. First of all, those who continue in this system will experience certain death. Again, not physical death, but certain spiritual death. Romans 7 states clearly that, although there is nothing wrong with the Law (it is holy, righteous and good), there is clearly something wrong in me – that is, in my flesh. Further, 1 Corinthians 15:56 states that the power of sin is in the law. So when I try to live out of the law system, the holy, righteous, and good Law will actually stimulate the power of sin in my flesh and my “life verse” will accordingly be Romans 7:24 – “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
Secondly, those who live in this system will probably not receive what they are looking for from anyone else around them. I think it is true that we as humans tend to seek out fellowship with those who are like-minded. So, if you are one of those who are seeking to grow in Christ through legalism and rule-keeping, you will most likely be attracted to those who hold similar beliefs. And it should go without saying that what you will continually experience is death and condemnation. You will probably hear constantly from the pulpit that you are indeed a sinner and you had better keep yourself right with the Lord (if you are a preacher, you can get a lot of successful altar calls that way!). You will be constantly told that you just need to try harder in your efforts to defeat sin… to ‘rededicate’ your life to God! After all… He died for you, the least you could do is to live for Him! This will lead to what one writer calls the ‘consecration-condemnation-rededication’ cycle… and a vicious cycle it is! You are never able to find the victory you so desire… the abundant life that Jesus promised. But perhaps, the particular garbage you eat is a bit more subtle and disguised. Perhaps it is merely disguised at ‘principles’ to live by. This is probably the most common type of garbage that is out there… one week it’s “The 10 Principles of Godly Finances”, the next week you get “The Seven Steps to a Godly Marriage”. Mind you, they may be good, Biblical principles… but let’s just imagine that you get just 5 principles or steps a week. In a year’s time, that is more than 250 steps! No wonder so many are discouraged and disillusioned in their pursuit of religion. This was certainly my experience.
I could go on and on with many more examples, but time and space do not permit me to do so here. For now, I would rather spend some time discussing the nature of true spiritual food… the kind that Jesus truly offers us. And it’s very simple! Instead of a constant experience of death, He offers us Life – His own Life! In John 6, Jesus gave us the great analogy of Himself as the bread of life. Whoever eats of Him… that is, whoever places their faith in Him for their salvation, will in fact never die! What a great promise… eternal life in Heaven with the Lord Jesus! However, that is not the whole story… later in John 6, Jesus states that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood abides in Him, and He in them. That is… whoever continues to eat of Him… in fact, to feast on Him… will have life in the here and now. That is an amazing concept… indeed a revolutionary one! Not digging around for leftover scraps, but a veritable eternal feast… of life, righteousness, freedom, and joy! His life is freely offered and can be freely received… if we would only lay hold of it by faith. No more striving, no more rule-keeping, no more offering of fig leaves, no more rededication and failure… just the simple reception of a free gift. He has indeed promised to be all that He is to all that we need… what a powerful concept, once we understand that! That it is not about us and what we can do for God, but it is all about what He did, and what He will do in our lives if we would just allow Him to.
So, as we lay hold of this incredible feast that the Lord Jesus offers, what then will it produce in our lives? First of all, it will be a life characterized by freedom and grace. Not freedom as in licentiousness (for that is not really freedom at all, but slavery to the flesh), but freedom to be all that He has called us to be… not shackled by the chains of religion. John 14:15 says that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments… and indeed that will be our natural desire… because as Ezekiel 36 says, He has given us a new heart and has given us His Spirit… and He will cause us to walk in His statutes! Not us gritting our teeth and trying to do it in the power of the flesh, but rather He will do it as we lay hold of Him!
Secondly, we have a new identity… not that of a sinner as the church frequently tells us, but that of a ‘saint’… a holy one… a righteous child of God! Over 50 times the New Testament refers to believers in this way… if we would only lay aside our pride and false humility and receive what Scripture says of us. It is true, as Proverbs says, that as a man thinks within his heart, so is he. If we constantly call ourselves dirty, rotten sinners and allow ourselves to think that way… then that is exactly what will be produced in our life. But, if we would just receive our new identity of ‘saint’, and get that truth ingrained in our minds… just think of what that will produce!
Finally… Jesus offers us a life of true rest. Hebrews 4:9-11 puts it so well (read that passage here). No more fruitless labor, no more wood, hay and stubble… as we labor to rest in Him, the works that will be produced will indeed be lasting ones, because they are built on the solid foundation of the finished work of Jesus Christ. And as Matthew 11 says, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light… and if we come to Him, we will find rest for our souls. That is his eternal promise to us, His children.
I am eternally grateful that I have been able to be a part of this great fellowship, and particularly this group, as we have learned together of the real life that Jesus offers to us. My prayer is that all of us here would continue to ‘labor to rest’ in Him, and find Him to be all that He is, to all that we need. And finally, I hope that you, my fellow disciples, will all join me in saying that… ‘it’s time to take out the trash!’
Friday, August 12, 2005
Welcome, one and all, to my little corner of cyberspace!
I have to admit, I’m having a bit of a struggle coming up with some meaningful insight as to why I felt the need to start a blog… so for now I’ll just share the meaning behind the somewhat paradoxical name of the blog.
From the book of Hebrews:
4:9 Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God. 4:10 For the one who enters God’s rest has also rested from his works, just as God did from his own works. 4:11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience. 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.
I have to admit, I’m having a bit of a struggle coming up with some meaningful insight as to why I felt the need to start a blog… so for now I’ll just share the meaning behind the somewhat paradoxical name of the blog.
From the book of Hebrews:
4:9 Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God. 4:10 For the one who enters God’s rest has also rested from his works, just as God did from his own works. 4:11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience. 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.
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