Victor Scott - Jeremiah's Vow

A Wesleyan Moment | What is Prevenient Grace?

One of the distinctive contributions of John Wesley to the Christian world was a clearer understanding of what God was doing in the lives of all people. Wesley understood God’s grace to function in three distinct “movements” in a person’s life. The first movement is understood as being “Prevenient.” Historically, this was also called God’s preventing grace. The essential reality is that even before a person knew or understood or even desired God’s grace, God was at work in a person’s life preparing the way for them to hear and know Jesus Christ. (Look at Ephesians 1:4 and 1 Peter 1:20 for examples of this.) So what does this mean for you, the Christian, and for those who are not yet believers? It means that God is always at work. When you want Him and when you don’t. When you need Him and when you think you won’t. As we grow in our knowledge of what God is doing, our confidence in His love grows as well. What’s the bottom line?

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE!

Book Review | Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God

What makes Radical Together helpful is the way that you are confronted, comforted, and challenged to make the changes that need to be made.

If reading Dr. David Platt’s first book Radical was like getting a punch in the stomach, then reading Radical Together was like getting your teeth knocked in. Dr. Platt uses a simple and direct way of communicating the heart motivation that believers should have. And every time I read something that was not present in my life my heart was pricked by conviction. The Gospel is radically good news. It should change us and leave us wanting for more, but this is not always the case.

In Radical Together Dr. Platt moves the focus from the individual Christian to the corporate fellowship of believers. How should radically transformed believers live out their lives together? This is a powerful question that we have to take seriously. There are six areas that are covered in the book:

The tendency to be satisfied to easily

Misunderstanding what the Gospel is and does

A failure to trust the Word of God

The arrogance of favoritism

Our fear of what’s to come

Our prideful sense of our own worth

These are my takeaway’s from reading the book. It is difficult at times to come face-to-face with what you are doing, or not doing for that matter. What makes Radical Together helpful is the way that you are confronted, comforted, and challenged to make the changes that need to be made. It is not that you are doing these things on your own. I think that this really is the point. The combination of the church’s power and presence to facilitate these changes is invaluable and incalculable.

I would say that the book is worth the price of three pages found at the end of the book. As I read them I was so convicted that I had to re-read them as they spoke to my heart. Dr. Platt shares a personal story about sharing tracts to an unreached people group and thinking to himself that “God must be really glad to have me on his team.” He then quotes several paragraphs from A. W. Tozer‘s book The Knowledge of the Holy. As Dr. Platt puts it, he just so happened to be holding the book. This particular passage captures the essence of whole.

“An effective speaker can easily excite pity in his hearers, not only for the heathen but for the God who has tried so hard and so long to save them and has failed for want of support. I fear that thousands of younger persons enter Christian service from no higher motive than to help deliver God from the embarrassing situation His love has gotten Him into and His limited abilities seem unable to get Him out of.” (A. W. Tozer, quoted in Radical Together, p. 122)

This section alone is worth the price of the book! I am thankful for Dr. Platt’s faithfulness in sharing these insights and encouragements. I pray that the universal church would take to heart what God has called her to. I also pray that I would live a life worthy of the God who saves in such a radical way.

The Piper-Warren Interview

First of all, it was a refreshing and interesting interview. Two men with different approaches to ministry “jousting” about what they believe. Dr. John Piper picked the questions that he wanted to get clarification on and Dr. Rick Warren answered them in as candid a way as I have ever seen. While Piper was accused of giving in to the “Purpose-Driven” machine when he invited Warren to give a talk at the Desiring God Conference in 2010, there were not minced words in this interview. There is a genuine affection shared by these two men for one another. What made the interview worth watching was to see Piper dig deeply into Warren’s book “The Purpose-Driven Life” and to ask very direct and uncomfortable questions that Warren was quick to answer.

Interview on Desiring God’s website. (This is also available on Pastors.com, but the quality seemed to be better here.)

Here is an example of the questions that were asked. This is a very direct question by Piper to Warren on the nature of the atonement.

Book Review | Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy

Sometimes you read a biography because you want to know if what you believed about a person is true or not. This can also be a dangerous endeavor because the author’s perspective will color the light in which that person is seen. And with that reality comes the real possibility that your perception will be changed.

I was still relatively young when Falwell’s public life was winding down. At the same time his presence and influence could be felt in so many different facets of American culture. The evangelical community felt his influence because of the size of Thomas Road Baptist Church and the church’s influence in the trends that it set. The academic arena felt the challenge of a competing university that offered a liberal arts education, while maintaining a strong evangelical point of view. The political realm was forever changed because of the rise of the religious right and the formation of the Moral Majority. Jerry Falwell was very much a larger than life person, but that was not what motivated the man.

Falwell’s widow, Macel, lovingly and honestly provides the reader with an insider’s view of Who shaped the man and what made the man. The conviction of Falwell’s life was that God sent His son into the world to provide salvation to whoever believed. This was what led the young and inexperienced pastor of the newly formed Thomas Road to knock on one hundred doors a day, six days a week. This was what motivated him to start radio and television ministries before the idea of preaching in these mediums became popular. This singular conviction was what drove Falwell to attempt things that the “normal” pastor would have thought foolish or ill-advised. But, that was exactly what appealed to Falwell, dreaming so big that only God could make it happen.

If anyone knew what made Falwell tick it was his wife. And yet in many ways the picture that is shaped by her recollections is not inflated or exaggerated. The difficulties and the heartaches are described and detailed as only she could have done. Seeing into the life of a man that was portrayed according to the most public facets of his life only creates a caricature of the whole man.

One event spoke to the devotion and intensity with which Falwell followed the leading and prompting of God. Liberty University was, and will possibly be, Falwell’s greatest achievement. The lengths to which he went to bolster its success is captured by a difficult time in the school’s history. While enrollment and growth was increasing, the school was carrying too much debt. This caused Liberty’s accreditation to be jeopardized. So what does Falwell do? He fasts for forty days, calling upon God for a financial miracle. While this may sound extreme, Falwell did this twice within a eight month period. A liquid only fast, twice in one year. The miracle came. Falwell’s faith was vindicated and the university was spared.

I found myself moved by the faith of a man that many portrayed as close-minded, bigoted and extreme. I am glad that I read this book and would recommend it to you as a testimony of what God can to in a man and women that become single-minded in their trust and devotion to God. On multiple occasions my heart was touched to tears. Not so much because the man was great, but because God was great in this humble servant. I was convicted and challenged to surrender, not just more of myself, but all of myself to the will and work of God.

Reading List | 2011

My reading list for 2011. I have started already, but wanted to give myself some goals and keep myself accountable.

This list is accurate as of July 2011.

Book Information
Title: Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe Author(s): Mark Driscoll, Gerry Breshears Publisher: Crossway Books
Title: Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ Author(s): Dr. John MacArthur Publisher: Thomas Nelson (240 pages)
Title: What Jesus Demands from the World Author(s): Dr. John Piper Publisher: Crossway Books
Title: Man of Valor: Every Man’s Quest for a Life of Honor, Conviction, and Character Author(s): Richard Exley Publisher: WORD And SPIRIT RESOURCES, LLC
Title: Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy Author(s): Macel Falwell Publisher: Howard Books (272 pages)

Why Not Me?: Rethinking How and Why We Suffer | Part 3

When we don’t know what to do we do what feels right. The danger with this approach to life is that our feelings are never fully informed of all that is happening around us. So, when we rely on such an unreliable source of information we make decisions and entertain thoughts that are not congruent or consistent with God’s word and plan for us. Suffering, not pleasure, strengthens our faith. Suffering forces us to depend upon God to sustain us. Pleasure drives all of our attention and affections inward.

Why are we so surprised when we suffer?

I am not going to be looking at how the Bible, or the Christian faith for that matter, addresses the suffering of others. What I want to look at is what the Bible describes when it comes to the way that a Christian should suffer. Please understand that I understand suffering to be an expected reality as did many of the writers of the scriptures, including Jesus. I think that one of the more difficult thoughts that we have to overcome is that as Christians we can fall for the often told, or implied, lie that as Christians suffering will no longer be a part of our lives. And if it is, it is because of some moral failure, some lesson that we have to learn, or that it is something that just happens and God is somehow going to make things all right. I think that when we frame suffering in this way we are left with a deficient theology of suffering and in many ways we undermine God’s character. Not only that, but all are terrible alternatives to a Christian’s response to or understanding of suffering. I think that they are shallow, hurtful and inconsistent with the what the bible says. What makes matters more amazing is that we have not investigated deeply enough what God, Jesus, and the writers of the Old and New Testament have to teach us about suffering.

I have come to realize that many believer’s have a theology of suffering that is inconsistent with what the bible teaches. What this leads to is a self-centered view of suffering, avoidance of difficult circumstances and an unwillingness to be instruments of God’s glory regardless of what happens to us and in our lives.

Ridiculous Verses

The question becomes this: What does the bible say about how a Christian should suffer? I will not attempt to capture the whole of the scriptures witness on the issue of Christian suffering, but I would like to provide a representative sample so that we can begin to understand how Christian’s are supposed to accept, receive and understand suffering. And then, after entering into suffering how we should respond.

Joseph is standing in a position of power and his brothers, the ones that sold him into a life of misery are now standing before him. There would be no greater opportunity to exact his revenge. But that is not how Joseph sees the situation. Joseph has come to understand that God’s purpose for his life far different from what even his brothers could have known. Joseph looks at them and says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20, NLT). How could Joseph had said this? Joseph had come to understand that the circumstances of his life were the necessary steps of God will and glory to be seen in the world. For some, this is a very difficult pill to swallow. I can understand and appreciate that.

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. (John 15:18-21, ESV)

If there is anyone in the scripture that understood what Jesus meant about the animosity that the world would have toward Christians it was Paul. I want to share a few passages that are just mind-blowing odd, not because of what he describes, but in the way that Paul thinks about the suffering that he is enduring.

³ More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5, ESV)

¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:16-18, ESV)

Who talks like this? Seriously! How can you look at the suffering that you are enduring and not become bitter or hardened by it. Paul had become convinced of EVERY word that Jesus taught. There were no reservations. There was no doubt. There was nothing that could distract this apostle from the task that was laid before him. Peter in his first letter provides us with two helpful passages that put suffering for Christ in their proper context.

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. … ¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. … ¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Peter 4:12-14, 16, 19, ESV)

⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:9-10, ESV)

Suffering as a Christian is one of the marks and one of the evidences that we are pressing into the enemy’s territory. When we are satisfied with the way things are; when we are comfortable with the events that are taking place around us, we have not fully grasped the power and intensity of the Gospel. Why do I make such a statement? I say this for one simple reason, a reason that Paul himself offered up for his devotion and single-minded tenacity in spreading the message of Jesus: he believed that Good News was worthy of being spread to as many as would receive it.

³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Romans 9:3, ESV)

We have just hit the twilight zone of bible verses. I had read this verse so often and I had missed the full weight of what Paul was saying here. Paul is saying that when he looked at his countrymen, the Jews, his love for them was so strong that he was willing to forsake the single most precious thing that he had. To say it another way, Paul is saying that he would chose to endure the fires of hell and eternal torment “for the sake of” his countrymen! The longing of his heart; the depth of his love; the tenderness of his ministry was always for one thing, that others might come to know Jesus. If that meant being jailed, beaten, stoned, almost drown or chased out of town. The Gospel was such Good News to Paul’s soul and mind that anything and everything was worth enduring so that Jesus would be proclaimed.

Here are several other passages that continue to put suffering not in the category of a curse, but rather the blessed opportunity of every believer to make Jesus known.

⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ … ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death… (Philippians 3:7-8, 10, ESV)

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, … ¹² which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. ( 2 Timothy 1:8, 12, ESV)

¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ²² He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ²³ When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (James 2:19-24, ESV)

Opportunities Wasted

One of the thoughts that runs through my mind is wondering how many opportunities have I wasted, where I was faced with a difficult situation, and rather than turning to God to sustain me through it I blamed him for what I was dealing with. When we don’t know what to do we do what feels right. The danger with this approach to life is that our feelings are never fully informed of all that is happening around us. So, when we rely on such an unreliable source of information we make decisions and entertain thoughts that are not congruent or consistent with God’s word and plan for us.

Suffering, not pleasure, strengthens our faith. Suffering forces us to depend upon God to sustain us. Pleasure drives all of our attention and affections inward. When this happens we lose sight of almost everything around us. I guess the question becomes this: Why do we run from suffering so quickly? I am not advocating that we wallow in misery. What I am wondering is why don’t we see, or maybe we just can’t see, how God could use what is happening for his glory. The underlying assumption here is that God would allow this to happen. God will protect us from the world and its influences. I think that John’s words are a fitting end to this discussion. When we are convinced of this simple truth we will be driven to the Gospel, into the arms of our Savior, and we will no longer find our satisfaction in the small and dissipating pleasures this world offers.

¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. (1 John 3:13, ESV)

Additional Passages to Consider: 2 Corinthians 1:5-6; Galatians 6:17; Philippians 1:21, 29; Colossians 1:24; Hebrews 5:8; James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 3:14-17.

Why Not Me?: Rethinking How and Why We Suffer | Part 2

God does work things out for good, but not so that I can feel blessed. God works things out for good because He will not allow sin or human failure or demonic influence from deterring, detouring, diminishing or destroying His plan and purpose on the earth.

Under the Weight of It All

As I journey to better understand suffering I am confronted with an unusual and unexpected realization. I now see the way that suffering exposes, in ways that other circumstances do not, what beliefs and values I hold dear. Knowing that this is what happens during a time of crisis and pain gives me an opportunity to recognize that in the midst of all that is happening God is going to show Himself. Where seeing God’s hand becomes difficult is when you are so overwhelmed by what is happening that you simply are unable to make a distinction between what is happening and what God is doing to protect, guide and lead you.

Understanding the effect or effects that suffering has has provided me with some way of preparing for whatever comes. It is not a perfect preparation, but an emotional and spiritual work that I have taken more seriously in the past few months. What I have realized is that I do not like what has been exposed because it challenges what I read in the bible and what I have learned through experience. There is in an inconsistency that these circumstances expose that cause me to waver in my convictions about who God is and how He acts. This is not good, which is a mild understatement, I know.

I do not like feeling this conflicted. And, I don’t think that I am supposed to. So, I am left with a choice. Either change my conviction to conform to what I read in the bible. Or, change what I read in the bible so that it conforms to my convictions. If I could let you in on a little secret, this second option is a bad choice. Learning to conform and let go of convictions that are not in line with what the bible says is not easy or quick. It can be (and has been) painful at times and it will take time to unlearn many (if not all) of the incorrect, inconsistent and incoherent things that we may have learned over the course of our lives and in church.

What suffering awakens in me when I am confronted with some of life’s more difficult issues cannot just be dismissed. There are so many “answers” for why suffering exists. And many of them are NOT emotionally, psychologically or even theologically satisfying. So, it has become important to look at several questions that have come up for me like: What is the correct response to suffering? Can I even talk in this way? What do I do when there are no simple, or even just coherent answers to what I see happening around us?

It is this process of looking, thinking and even feeling my way through these experiences that should be entered into with out whole person if there is going to be any hope of understanding and accepting suffering in my life.

Suffering never feels like a “minor” thing. And it never should. We have to work diligently to feel the full weight of what we are talking about so that we can have an honest conversation (many times just with ourselves). And more to the point, until we are under the weight of suffering it is difficult to make an accurate evaluation of what we are talking about and the conclusions that we arrive at. So, rather than going over any of the potential answers that are given to suffering I want to look at some of the underlying assumptions from which some of these questions and answers come.

Is There Meaning In My Suffering?

The search for some sort of meaning in the middle of suffering has been the approach that many have taken. “Surely, there has to be some reason for this?” we ask ourselves. I understand that this is an important question, but it should not be at the top of the list. Suffering and its cousin, Evil, have a way of revealing the flaws in the armor of faith. We always seem to find ourselves trying to scrape together a coherent answer to what has happened. And, to be honest, right when something happens is not the right time to try and put two intelligible words together. Those responding to the suffering and those in the midst of it should not try to “see the good” in that moment. There will be time later, but not then. Many times all those kind thoughts only seem to add insult to injury and salt to an open and deep wound. I think that we have a lot to learn from Jesus’ response to the death of Lazarus. That famously short verse in John informs us as to how we should respond. It simply reads, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

The sheer wisdom of this is astounding. Jesus did not rush in to fix the problem even though he was going to. Jesus did not come sooner and take care of the problem as Mary and Martha wanted. Jesus waited four days, allowed Lazarus to die and then when he shows up he joins in the mourning. Jesus was not surprised by the death. He had predicted it. So Jesus’ weeping was not about surprise or guilt. Jesus wept because he saw and responded to the pain of loved ones who had lost a brother. Jesus knew what he was about to do, but he took the time to enter into the hurt of Lazarus’ family.

Only those that are willing to enter into the suffering of others are able to respond in this way. But, most of us do not do it. We just find ourselves offering these spiritually sounding platitudes that make us feel better or because we do not know what else to do. “He is better off with God.” “God needed another angel in heaven.” “Heaven is a better place because he is there.” When my brother-in-law died this past year I nearly came unhinged when I started hearing these statement. A reaction to what was happening that I was very surprised at!

I was not interested in good-intentioned phrases. I almost punched a lady because of what she was saying to my mother-in-law! (She was just too far for me to reach her.) I just wanted someone to cry with me. I just needed someone to know what I was feeling. Since that day I have not tried to say anything when I have encountered death. There is nothing to say. There is only love to see. I now know why Jesus wept. Death robs us of hope. And it is only in the comfort of the consoling that we remember that there is so much more to life. And, when this mourning happens among the redeemed of God this is a mourning that is different from that of the world (2 Thessalonians 4:13).

I have come to believe that my suffering has meaning only within the context of a relationship with Jesus. Because of Jesus I have a way of looking at and dealing with suffering that is different that what the world provides.

Does God Really Work All Things For Good?

I have long believed that suffering and evil are the greatest enemies to faith because they stand in our faces challenging us to question not so much the goodness of God, but rather God’s power. How could an all-powerful God allow this to happen? Because we “know” that an all good God would never allow some of the things that we are seeing if He had the ability to prevent it? Do you see what we have just done when we ask a question like this. We have assumed something about what we know that God knows. Or, if I were to say it another way, I am assuming that if I had all the information that God has, I would make a different (think “better” here) choice in the situation.

We have to be very careful with this kind of thinking. We have to guard against the impulse to second guess God’s abilities AND motives. At the root of this is a subtle implication that we are more noble, gracious and caring than God himself. Because if this is not what we are getting at then we would not say what we say! We have to take a hard look at what is the root of this thought.

Many of us have heard that God works all things out for good. But, I have a question. How do we know that? And what do we mean when we say that? This second question really gets to the heart of the issue. Too often we assume that the “good” referred to is the good of the one that is hurting. But, there is something wrong with the idea that God is tending to every persons sufferings in this selfish a way. When God is this attentive to us, WE become the most important thing on God’s mind. Which is not just untrue, it makes God an idolater! The most important thing to God is God.

It is very easy for us to focus on the that part of the verse where God is working all things out for good. But what is the reason that Paul says that there is a working by God for good? It is ultimately to accomplish God’s purpose (which is the reason that Paul provides). Our good is a secondary issue. Our good happens because we are found in the will of God which is good. When we align our lives and wills to that of God’s we become the beneficiaries of untold and incalculable blessings. Which, not incidentally, Paul points out as he closes Romans 8 from verses 29-39.

Our union with Christ is what makes the “good” make sense. When we lose sight of this we try to help by sharing a “promise from the Lord” only to undermine the very thing we are trying to do. Bad theology has continued the suffering of many because it does not heal the hurt that exists. If we do not get our theology straight we impugn the character of God, not so much because we want to, but because we are not left with another alternative. We are dazed and confused and because we don’t have a clear reference point we are set adrift on the sea of emotions.

I am thankful to Dr. John Piper of DesiringGod.org for the following questions (which I think I have stated correctly here): Do we make much of God because he makes much of us? Or do we make much of God because he frees us to make much of Him?

At the bottom of the first question is me. At the bottom of the second is God. If God’s motivation for action is to please me, God becomes dependent upon human activity. But if God’s motivation for action is to do His own good pleasure, then we, the creatures, will receive and experience the full measure of God’s blessings. This is why we have to be very careful when we are making statements like the one under discussion because we can create a situation where God becomes the servant.

When we consider suffering by looking at what is at the bottom of our theology we are better prepared to respond to the circumstances that will most certainly come.

Next Time: In Part 3 we will look at what the bible reveals to us about the Christian’s response to and in suffering.

Book Review | Chazown: Getting in God’s Zone

From the beginning the usefulness of Craig Groeschel‘s book is found in the short, compact and direct chapters. Each chapter gives you one thing to think about as Craig walks you through the process of discovering and articulating God’s vision for your life. For anyone that is truly searching to understand what God has designed them to do, but has been unable to put that idea or dream into words, Chazown would be a great resource to give out.

This is not about getting rich quick, or “5 Easy Steps to a Better Life.” Chazown requires hard work. Sometimes making you look deep within yourself, asking difficult and even uncomfortable questions so that you will be able to honestly interact with God in the journey to living out God’s vision for your life. American culture tries to convince the church and her members, that it is possible to achieve instant gratification. That is what they are selling. But Craig makes it clear, that you cannot make the changes required in a day. It takes the steady and persistent work of being self-disciplined.

Chazown in both encouraging, practical and entertaining. It is simple to read, and there is a ready progression from one topic to the next. Each building on the previous one and building the framework that you need to discover, achieve and live into your Chazown.

Why Not Me?: Rethinking How and Why We Suffer | Part 1

As I read the bible I find that there is a given assumption that suffering will be, and to a greater extent than is understood, should be an expected part of what I encounter as a Christian.

Reading Time: This post will take about 20-25 minutes to read.

This post is directed toward anyone that claims the Christian faith. If you are not a Christian or do not have religious leanings I hope that you might still be able to find the content helpful.

Learning How to Suffer: An Under-Attended Class

In the last several months I have had several reasons to do some thinking on the topic (and reality) of suffering. The reason for my writing began with the opportunities that these events have provided for me to do some thinking and rethinking of what I believe regarding this subject. What I am not trying to do in this and future posts is to make too much of the personal questions like, “Why is this happening to me?” or other questions that look at suffering as a force acting on me. I think that this kind of effort can be and is beneficial, but I wanted to take this a step further.

What I have been wondering about is what the bible has to say to me about my response to suffering. Does the bible have anything to teach me, in a practical way, about how I am supposed to respond when a tragedy hits my life directly (i.e., the death of a loved one)! And if there is something in the bible that helps me to better live in and live through suffering, what can I do to begin to do that so that I might better reflect the bible’s example and direction. And, also related, to experience some of what I read in the life of the apostles and the early church.

As I read the bible I find that there is a given assumption that suffering will be, and to a greater extent than is understood, should be an expected part of what I encounter as a Christian. Suffering should be expected as the rule and not the exception of the Christian experience (I will explain further in the next section). Just because society has “advanced” according to some standards and measures, the offense of the Gospel to the self-righteousness found in the world (and still many times in my own heart) has not changed. I think that we make a grave mistake in thinking that the world has grown in its desire for the things of God. I know that this may sound crazy to some. I am okay with that.

What I am thinking as I write these thoughts down is to try and investigate what the bible has to say about how I should experience and perceive suffering within my own heart and mind. Another thought, and possibly more importantly, what impression are those who do not hold my faith in Jesus left with, about my faith, when they see me dealing with tragedy and suffering?

Essentially there are two short questions here. They are:

How should a Christian suffer?
What will the world learn about Jesus when we suffer as Christians?

Suffering’s Two Tributaries Into My Life

I believe that suffering will come in two general ways to a believer. The first is that suffering will come because we are living in a world that as been contaminated and polluted by Sin. This means that there are events and circumstances that we cannot avoid just because we are now redeemed by Jesus’ work on the cross. I am not just saying that “stuff happens.” I am saying that we should not be surprised when it does. The blood of Christ is not a magic potion that makes us immune to the suffering of this world. The blood of Christ provides us a way through that suffering that will, or should, reveal the full measure of the Gospel in us to those who see us. (Here are a sampling of Paul’s own words as he discussed the issue of suffering in his own life: Romans 5:3, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 1:5-7, Colossians 1:24, Philippians 1:29, Philippians 3:7-10, 2 Timothy 1:8, 12, 2 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Timothy 2:8-10).

Connected to the presence of Sin in the world, I have in mind that even the Christian will have to deal with the consequences of their personal sins. Christ has taken away the penalty of sin, but in the same way that every action has a reaction, every sin has a consequence. These cannot be avoided and so we should not be surprised when we suffer for them. Peter tells us as much in his letter (1 Peter 2:20a). This suffering is justified and while God can use it God does want us to make a practice of sinning (1 John 3:7ff). This it is not what I am referring to when I talk about suffering. (Just want to clarify.)

The second way that we will suffer is due to our profession and demonstration of faith. [Aside: I am growing in my curiosity about whether or not an increase of suffering in our lives of this second variety is an indicator of our devotion to Christ. I will have to look at this further, but I am going to go on a limb and say, “Yes,” in response.] As we become convinced that Christ is who He said He was and that the life that he purchased for us is not speculation or wishful thinking, it will become natural for us to grow in our desire to conform our life to His. It is in this process of maturity that we will have our eyes opened to the inconsistencies that exist between our life in Christ and what this world has to offer. John does not pull any punches when he says the following:

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17, emphasis added, ESV)

It is the love of the world that creates in us the double-mindedness that James warns about (James 1:8). We have been born again, born from above, recreated, given a new nature, a new purpose, a new will, a new citizenship in a new city. We have a new king, a new family, a new language, new gifts and new clothes. Why are we so infatuated with things that will fail, places that will fade and people that will falter? Why do we find ourselves so willing to pawn the treasures of God for the cheap souvenirs of a place that we will forget faster than our last breath? I just do not understand this anymore.

Growing Restless With The Way Things Are

I find myself growing more and more restless. Not so much with the people outside of the church. They are doing what they are supposed to do. I grow frustrated with the people who claim Christ as their treasure. But even more than frustration, I grow increasingly fearful. Fearful of the lack of devotion to Christ. Not just commitment. There are a lot of folks committed to Jesus (as long as the dividend is high enough). But then “it” hits the fan and the fade begins. Look again at the attitude that Peter demonstrates in John 6 when Jesus starts talking about cannibalism (Jesus’ teaching about drinking His blood and eating His body).

⁶⁶ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” ⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, ⁶⁹ and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (emphasis added, ESV)

Oh God, that my resolve to follow you be converted into an unquenchable devotion to Your Son! “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!” This is not just poetic language. This is not brown-nosing. This is not an attempt at piety. This is the confession of a man that has truly “believed, and [has] come to know, that [Jesus is] the Holy One of God.” I am convicted of this almost everyday.

The Bottom Line: I Lost My Passport

So what is the bottom line? I think that we have not been assimilated to our new home in way that makes us long for it more than what we see around us. If it is true what Paul said that what is spiritual is more real than what we can see with our eyes, we have a long way to go when we long to keep what we have here over what God has for us (2 Corinthians 4:18)! Here is a question that I have been asking myself lately: Would I rather live life here on this earth? Or, do I want to be where Jesus is?

Anybody, especially any Christian, who thinks that this sounds morbid, to overly dramatic or even like a death wish has not, I believe, fully considered what God has given to us. I am a professional Christian, and I am only now coming to appreciate what the Gospel is offering to me, a lost and wretched sinner. I am sure that we can argue back and forth on this point, but I think that this question is at the very heart of why God has not completely eradicated suffering and evil. He does not want us to grow so accustomed to this world that we lose sight of what Jesus went to prepare for us in heaven. Remember, we should not love the things of this world (1 John 2:15-17).

A Sinful Silence on Sin

So where does this leave us? Why have we not kept our passports current? I think that is has something to do with a failure to feel the weight of Sin’s effect in our lives and in the lives of those around us. This world does not like for sin to be talked about and exposed. While this may appear obvious, the church has become remarkably silent on the subject. How many sermons in a given year directly and pointedly tackle THE GREATEST hindrance to having a relationship with God? We want to help people rather than heal them. We want to furnish our buildings rather than finish Christ’s work. We want to share our opinions rather than the Word of God. We want to placate the religious rather than to please the Father. Our priorities are so messed up we have grown doubtful that it will ever change. So what do we do? We start new churches that will get it right.

Please understand, I think we need more churches! As many as we can start as soon as we can start them. The concern that I have is that we may start churches that will duplicate and repeat the very thing that is not working – majoring on the minors of what it means to be a church. The church must return to the only mission for which she was created, to make disciples. (I will pick up this subject on another day!) Let’s back to the subject at hand.

Implications Precede Applications

It is now my conviction that the root of complacency in the early years of my faith was my failure to dig deeper and deeper into the implications of the bible. This led to laziness in my faith expression. The implications of the Bible must necessarily precede any applications that I might attempt to make. One example is God’s admonition for us to be holy as He is holy. While it might be easy to look at the first part of that phrase and make it the primary focus because it is about what I have to do, I would be wrong. That first part may be what I want to find out, but if I start there before I know the second I have put the proverbial cart before the horse.

But why is this a mistake? It is a mistake because the more important aspect of that statement is that God is HOLY. What exactly am I trying to be or become if I am supposed to imitate God in holiness? If I don’t have the clearest understanding of what God’s holiness is and demands I will be satisfied with whatever makes me feel better or just makes sense to me. The implication of God’s holiness will have a direct and radical effect on how I try to do what the command implies.

Let me press into this a little more. Follow me here.

God is Holy
God’s holiness requires holiness in everything else
Any failure for holiness requires punishment
Adam sinned and put the whole of creation under the curse of Sin
Any effort to “make it up to God” fails and I am left without escape
Only a holy person can stand in the place of the accused (but that person does not exist)
So, God comes in the person of Jesus Christ
Jesus fulfills the law I could not
Jesus receives the judgment of God for Sin
Faith in 1 – 9 gives God the right to count me righteous
Anybody that does not believe is still under judgment
And that judgment is eternal separation from God

Now this is just the implication!

The application of this is that we must live in a way that accords to this implication. Behavior will follow belief. I can not behave my way to a new belief. I have believe my way to a new behavior. This is not an act of the will, but a change in our affections. In other words, when I dig deep, what is the motivation that is driving me? Until I am able to articulate that motivation I will make decisions based in something that I am not as aware of as I need to be, or at least could be.

This is why the Gospel ought to become the most loved and cherished information and message that we have ever heard, and ever share! It is the Gospel that provides the greatest motivation for living because if we can apply what the Gospel implies we will keep our focus on what God is focused on.

Next time: We will look at the issue of suffering within the context of God’s will and God’s word.

The Reformed Wesleyan, Part 2

A Slip of the Tongue

I don’t know if you have ever been talking to someone and said something that you didn’t plan to say, but when you said it you were like, “I have to remember that.” OK, if you followed me on that, you now know where the idea for The Reformed Wesleyan came from. It was one of those moments when you say something and you realize that God has told you something out of your own mouth. It doesn’t happen all of the time, but this was one of those instances where I said it and knew that I was going to follow this line of thinking.

My youth group was hosting a Super Bowl party and we had kids from the “church across the street” over with us. We were all having a good time. The pastor of the other church was there and we were just talking about ministry and seminary. I had joked that he should let me come and preach at his church and that I would bring down the “Wesleyan hammer.” I was really just saying dumb stuff. The conversation shifted just a little bit to theology and I told him and the other two ministers there that I was thoroughly Wesleyan but added this qualifier. I said, “I am probably the most reformed Wesleyan they would ever meet.” That is how it actually happened.

Defining Terms

One of the dangers in choosing or using labels is that it creates ideas and pictures in the minds of the people that hear them. This is the case with this idea of being a Reformed Wesleyan. I am not trying to confuse the lines between these two theological systems. I am not trying to combine them together to make them fit in an unnatural way. The idea I have in my mind is cutting a path that captures what I understand as I read the bible.

The Wesleyan Part

As I have studied the life of John Wesley during my time in the Methodist church I have found a man formally trained and practically motivated. Wesley was trained in the best schools of his day for the ministry. What he found was that this formal schooling provided enough training to be a good minister, but it left a lot to be desired for practical ways of living out the Christian faith. But, Wesley was also practical. Not merely pragmatic. Because of this, he began a pattern of living to remove as much sin as he could in an attempt to draw closer to God. Wesley understood that people needed some way of “doing” the Christian life without robbing the whole effort of meaning and substance. This is where the “method” for Methodism comes from.

Wesley did come out of the Arminian theological position, but he modified it because he recognized that there were several areas in which the Arminian position did not reflect as clearly as he understood it the depth and breadth of what the Bible had to say. One of the main areas where this is seen is in the doctrine of Original Sin. Wesley wrote the following in his sermon on Original Sin:

II, 2. Hence we may, Secondly, learn, that all who deny this, call it original sin, or by any other title, are put Heathens still, in the fundamental point which differences Heathenism from Christianity. They may, indeed, allow, that men have many vices; that some are born with us; and that, consequently, we are not born altogether so wise or so virtuous as we should be; there being few that will roundly affirm, “We are born with as much propensity to good as to evil, and that every man is, by nature, as virtuous and wise as Adam was at his creation.” But here is the shibboleth: Is man by nature filled with all manner of evil? Is he void of all good? Is he wholly fallen? Is his soul totally corrupted? Or, to come back to the text, is “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually?” Allow this, and you are so far a Christian. Deny it, and you are but an Heathen still. [source]

Wesley, as I read him, was also influenced by the reformed understanding of Sin as the above example implies. This was the reason that personal holiness and seeking to increase in sanctification were so important to Wesley and his followers.

The Reformed Part

So, what does it mean that I am a Reformed Wesleyan? Or to say it another way, in what sense am I reformed? I would begin by saying that I begin with the same basic assumption with regard to how theology should be arranged when studied as a system. The reformed theological system begins with the presupposition that God is sovereign is his interaction with his creation. Now, this may sound simple, but the implications of this are profound and must be taken seriously. Where I deviate from the reformed camp is in the area of anthropology, or how God designed and created humanity.

I will summarize here what I mean by this. The reformed position, as I understand it, sees the effect of sin upon humanity to be total. That means that everything that a man does is incapable of pleasing God. The concept of total depravity is NOT that humanity is incapable of any form of good. The thrust of the concept is that nothing that humanity does is good enough to change God’s mind about us. I believe that humanity is totally depraved because of the effects of sin, as did Wesley. The issue I take here is that the biblical idea of “faith” has to be redefined so that faith itself has to fall under the sovereign control of God. The reason for this is that faith, within the reformed camp is understood as a “meritorious work.” Or, said another way, if faith originates in a person then this becomes an activity (a work) that compels God to respond with salvation. I do not think this is how faith is defined in the bible.

Faith is not a “work.” It is not something that when I “do it” makes God notice me. Rather, faith as it is displayed and demonstrated in the Bible is trust in what God has done. The emphasis is always on God. That means that God’s action was the necessary cause or source of faith. What this means is that as God acts and moves we are moved. This is connected to how God created humanity because as I understand it, we are created to respond to truth, which comes in the form of the Gospel. (That is why we have lie detectors and not truth detectors!) We recognize the truth and know it intuitively, but we fail to respond or refuse to respond to the Gospel because we have fallen in love with sin. The reason that God grounds the salvation event in the preaching of Jesus is because it is through the lives of the redeemed that sinners are confronted with truth in an incarnational way. So when Jesus says that He came to fulfill the law that is what he is pointing to. No one comes to faith without having come in contact with the church! (I will come back to this later on in another post.)

Several examples will help. Abraham, Moses, and the multitude that heard Peter on Pentecost exercised faith in response to God. Abraham looked at the stars of the sky and believed God when God said that Abraham would be a great nation (Genesis 15:1-6). Moses raised a bronze serpent in the desert and all who looked upon the serpent and trusted that it would do what God promised were healed (Numbers 21:4-9). Then there was the multitude that responded to Peter’s sermon after the Holy Spirit fell in the upper room. As Peter preached over 3000 agreed with Peter about the truth that he preached. Look at the response of the people:

³⁷ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:37-41, ESV, emphasis added)

If what Paul said in Romans 1:16 is true, that the Gospel is the “power of God unto salvation,” then we have to take into account what the responsibility of the hearer is in the exchange. This last issue is many times left unanswered, and even unasked. If God is the one who gives the very faith that a person needs to respond when the gospel is preached, as the reformed camp argues, then it cannot be avoided that God is the one withholding faith (for a reason in God’s own mind) from the hearer of the Gospel when there is no response. But, if faith is an attribute built into the design of humanity, if it is one of the characteristics that we were given when we were made in the image of God, then God bears no responsibility for our failure to respond to the Gospel when preached. This is the fundamental problem that I have with reformed soteriology.

Now What?

I have given a brief account of where the idea of The Reformed Wesleyan comes from. I have also tried to provide some insight into what I mean by this. As I continue to figure this out for myself I will address various issues along the way. I look forward to any comments about what I have said and for opportunities to clarify and dive deeper. Join the journey!

My Prayer: Father, thank you for your undeserved grace provided for us by Jesus Christ. Help me to never be ungracious to those that disagree with me and with those with whom I disagree. Help me to grow in love and in wisdom so that I may be a faithful and clear witness to your love. The Good News of Jesus will never be seen if I am unwilling to address the eternally terrible news of Sin. Continually remind me of what I have been brought out of so that I might enjoy your company forever. You are what will make heaven so enjoyable. When I make heaven about me I have missed it. Heaven is all about you and I should seek heaven because you are there! Keep me focused on you! Amen.