Truth - Jeremiah's Vow

Lent 2023 | Day 26: The Gospel’s Truthfulness

The way God has woven his divine will and actions into the human story is itself miraculous.

Today we look at the Gospel’s truthfulness.

It may seem like an odd thing to consider. However, if we are going to place our eternal hope in the Gospel, we should consider if it conforms to what we know about the world. We can make the mistake of assuming something is truthful. But, if we consider the underlying presuppositions and discover them to be true, we can have greater confidence in what we believe.

Of the many remarkable realities of the Scripture, its historicity is one of the more phenomenal. The way God has woven his divine will and actions into the human story is itself miraculous. Time and again we see how key figures, locations, and events are confirmed through historical and archeological study.

The context of the bible’s unfolding revelation is seen in the ever-moving story of human events. The mechanics of how God has accomplished this is hidden from us. They simply escape our capabilities to understand. But what we can know is that it happened. When the seemingly impossible is confirmed through an investigative process, our doubts are minimized. As a secondary result, our capacity to believe increases.

In the same way, the Gospel’s truthfulness can be validated by the events surrounding Jesus’s crucifixion. Two classic works have made the case for the reliability of the historical record—Evidence that Demands a Verdict and The Case for Christ.

Both of these resources serve as explorations into the evidence surrounding the central claim of the Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. And in both volumes we are confronted with one unavoidable conclusion, Jesus is who the Gospel proclaims.

We all have to make up our own minds on the issue. We all have to investigate the claims of the Gospel and come to a decision. And it must be our decision.

When all is said and done, and we stand before God, we will give an account for our own lives. No excuse will be accepted or cause God to relent. We will be confronted with the question of what we did with the evidence we were given.

The Gospel is a truthful message because it declares events that happened and people who lived. What is left for us to do is decide if we will conform our lives to the implications of what the Gospel points to.

Lent 2022 | Day 35: Truth

The question asked by Pontius Pilate at Jesus’s trial is one of the most important questions ever asked of God. The question reminds us the truth is not merely some abstract or undefinable reality with no consequences.

³⁸Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
John 18:38a ESV

The question asked by Pontius Pilate at Jesus’s trial is one of the most important questions ever asked of God. The question reminds us the Truth is not merely some abstract or undefinable reality with no consequences. Truth is something that can be known. It is something that must be known. And within the context of the Christian faith, it is someONE we must build a relationship with!

Each and every day millions if not hundreds of millions of people wake up to repeat what they have done over and over again. This continuous and seemingly endless cycle can become monotonous. But for too many this process is a mindless repetition empty of any purpose. It is this feeling of senselessness that causes many to question whether there is anything beyond the present experience of life.

We cannot go into an in-depth defense of the Truth here. Much wiser individuals than myself have offered better answers to the question. However, what can be said in this limited space is that without the truth nothing else can maintain its integrity. The denial of truth is a self-defeating proposition.

The Truth serves as a binding agent to the experience we call life. Without the Truth, we can trust nothing we claim to know. Without the Truth, we can have no confidence that what we have learned can be of any benefit to us or anyone else. And without the Truth, we resign ourselves to a life of doubt and confusion.

It does not matter how far we try to run and hide from the Truth, the greater our descent into fear and chaos. We may think we can avoid this. We may even convince ourselves that we can escape the effects of living without the Truth to sustain us. But, eventually, that lie will catch up to us. We may never admit it to anyone else. What we will not be able to do is deny it to ourselves.

Those who claim that the Truth is relative undermine the very proposition they make with the declaration. There is no person who has ever lived who has ever been able to operate their lives according to the principle when they know something is a lie.

We can have philosophical arguments as to the nature of truth. We can have theological arguments about the reliability of truth claims. We can even have ethical arguments as to whether or not the truth can be employed indiscriminately. But what we cannot do, and at least maintain any semblance of sanity, is to deny that we all operate from the perspective that at least what we believe and what we claim is true.

It is this approach to life that reminds us that without the Truth we all are subject to the whims of others. We do not have to have delusions of grandeur or be seekers of power to understand the need for truth in our lives. But to reject truth as a form of escape from the difficult realities of life or the pains we have endured because of others is no reason to reject that the Truth exists.

As we continue our time of reflection and prepare for Easter morning we too must ask the question that Pontius Pilate asked: What is truth?

But rather than leaving the question hanging and not waiting for an answer, we should look to Jesus and see what he says on the matter. As we consider the importance of the question, and if we were to give it its proper weight, we would realize that without truth we all are truly lost. Not because we did not have lives we could enjoy but because we could have no confidence in anything that we attempted to do with our lives.

Lent 2022 | Day 28: Teach

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is the closing of chapter 7 of the Gospel of Matthew. As the final words concluding Jesus’s sermon on the Mount. What Matthew captures for us is the feeling of the people as they reflect on Jesus’s teaching to them.

²⁸ and when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹ for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 7:28-29 ESV

What was it about Jesus’s teaching that was so different from that of the scribes? On the surface, it is difficult to say exactly what it was. But I would guess that Jesus’s willingness to speak about difficult things with confidence and without hesitation was one of the clearest differences the people could notice. We know that because Jesus is God he spoke with the authority that only God can have. But the people at the time would not have known that. So what they saw had to of been something anyone could have seen.

The power of Jesus’s words can still be felt today. One of the principal reasons is because of the way Jesus’s words cut through to the heart of the topic under discussion. On more than one occasion Jesus was told that his sayings were difficult to accept. Not that they were difficult to understand. It was precisely because the people understood what Jesus was asking that made the sayings so hard.

This is one of the key attributes of faithful teaching. It is something we should look for in those to whom we submit for instruction. Good teaching is not about growing in the quantity of information we can accumulate. Good teaching produces in the listener the desire to be transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. This is how we know if we are growing. That when we hear teaching that calls us to a deeper obedience to Christ and a more consistent faithfulness to God we accept the challenge offered by such a teaching.

Over the course of the last few weeks, we have strived to speak to a variety of topics that may be taken for granted. Where we do not think to consider them as we could. God can oftentimes be most easily missed in the simple and ordinary moments of life. This is why we need times like the season of Lent to slow us down and see we can look again with fresh eyes where God may be active in our lives.

Over the next few days, we will continue our journey towards Easter morning. I would encourage you to maybe take a look at some of the previous devotional thoughts and think again about what it would look like to become more aware of that particular subject.

You can find all the Series Posts by clicking on the link below.

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Lent 2022 | Day 16: Honor

One of my favorite movies is The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise. It’s an interesting movie for several reasons. While I recognize that it is not an accurate portrayal of Japanese culture, it does have elements that point to key ideas that are true to the underlying philosophy of the samurai mindset. I base this assessment on reviews that I have seen and read since the movie came out.

But for the purpose of this post, I want to focus on a characteristic that was demonstrated by the other main character of the movie. The character Katsumoto is supposed to embody the ideal of the samurai’s spirit. There is a tranquility about his character that surprises Capt. Algren. So much so that Katsumoto’s demeanor and conduct begin to sway the captain’s outlook on life.

In the movie, the idea that is being played out on the screen is that of Bushido. This philosophical framework is beyond the scope of this post, but a shorthand for why it was practiced by the samurai is the idea of living a life governed by honor.

Sometimes it is helpful to see in other circumstances or events ideas that we are trying to make sense of in our own life. Because of the stark cultural and historical differences portrayed in the film, the idea of honor seems more poignant. And while this is a fictional and overly dramatized story the idea is still easy to grasp.

In a way, honor can be defined as the guiding principle by which the samurai conducted every aspect of their lives. And the lengths to which they went to achieve this ideal were through a complete dedication to those principles that advanced the discipline required to achieve them. We see this in a montage as Capt. Algren is familiarizing himself with the hamlet in which he is held captive. With nowhere to go he begins to see beyond the exterior, and physical expressions of the surroundings, to the motivations of the people themselves.

When we are able to accept the fullness of God’s grace, we honor the sacrifice of Christ by living a life consistent with the Father’s character.
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What is the connection we can draw between the example of Katsumoto in the movie and our journey towards Lent? For me, it is that living a life of obedience to the principles and truths of Scripture affords us the ability to become what God envisioned in the creation of humanity.

And so, while honor can be seen most often as an internal conviction that guides how we live, it can also be a choice we make as a way of acknowledging the worth or value of something outside of us. When we are able to accept the fullness of God’s grace, we honor the sacrifice of Christ by living a life consistent with the Father’s character.

And so in this instance, I think it makes sense to see and to talk of honor with this two-pronged understanding.

May we learn to live with honor as we strive to honor our Savior.

Lent 2020 | Day 27: “Heard”

You don’t have to be a religious person to have your belief system built up or destroyed. All it takes is for you to accept what someone says as being true for you.

In the midst of this global crisis, I have found myself looking and listening to voices that are focused encouraging others.

The Bible reveals a power principle related to the way that every person develops faith. Let me start by saying something about faith. We are too often tempted to define faith as only religious belief. This is not an accurate understanding of faith.

Faith is a fundamental aspect of the human experience. Every single person who lives on this earth is shaped by what they believe. And how to come to those beliefs impacts how they will behave.

You don’t have to be a religious person to have your belief system built up or destroyed. All it takes is for you to accept what someone says as being true for you.

Here is the principle: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Let’s take both sides of this in turn. First, Faith comes by hearing.

There is something about the way we are made that when we hear something we are not able to stop what we feel or think about it. The externality of the spoken word is received before we can restrict its entry. This is why what we say to one another can have such powerful effects.

Solomon said “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (Proverbs 18:21 ESV). Why? Because we can’t help but hear what someone says. Once those words escape our lips they will enter into another persons ears and mind. If we are constantly cutting people down they will eventually begin to believe they are worthless. But, if we are encouraging and building each other up, then we begin to believe that too.

I am not talking about saying things that are not true. We can’t lie to others or ourselves. If we do, when we are confronted with reality we will find ourselves wrecked by the lies we believed. And the reason we will be discouraged by those lies is because we will have based our lives on something that is not real or true.

The second part of the principle is that the hearing we do must be by the Word of God.

Let me say this simply. The Word of God is the surest and truest thing anyone can ever hear. There are no substitutes. And nothing is more potent.

To hear and believe the Word of God is to ensure that what you hear will correct and not crush; encourage and not cause to despair; to give life and not death.

As a Christian and a pastor I have to remember that my words, ideas, and concepts are not what give life to a hurting and lost soul. Only God’s word can do that.

As we draw ever closer to Easter morning, I want to ask you one simple question: What have you heard from God’s word today?

Lent 2018 | Day #33: Spiritual Health

Most people will readily understand the idea of growing spiritually, but far fewer understand how this growth is cultivated and sustained.

I will be borrowing heavily from the countless conversations, books, and teachings of my father, Pastor Luis R. Scott. He serves as the Senior and Founding Pastor of Ambassadors of Christ Ministries. If you would like a more in-depth discussion of Spiritual Health I commend his book, Healing the Broken Spirit, on the subject of Spiritual Health and Spiritual Injuries.

Spiritual Health is a concept that describes a holistic view of Christian growth and sanctification. Most people will readily understand the idea of growing spiritually, but far fewer understand how this growth is cultivated and sustained. In this post, I will not try to fully explain what spiritual health is. That is a subject that would require far more space than this post will allow. My goal is to paint a silhouette of the possibilities that God is calling us to.

There are two distinct features of Spiritual Health. The first is understand how transformation takes place. The second is learning how to engage in the process of transformation.

How Does Transformation Happen?

To understand how transformation takes place, we can look to one of the apostle Paul’s more interesting ideas. It is found in his letter to the Roman church.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

The part I want to focus on is this relationship between transformation and the renewal of the mind. Paul appears to make the argument that in order for there to be transformation something has to take place in the mind of the person. But the question is what exactly has to happen?

What I find interesting is that in verse 3 of the same passage Paul talks about making sober judgments. In the context, Paul is talking about understanding our own individual gifts, as given by the Holy Spirit. But, more generally, this verse provides a framework for transformation.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3)

What does it mean to have “sober judgment”? At our church we describe this idea in this way: Transformation can take place when we replace a lie with the truth. The goal is that for every lie that is replaced we become freer, and by extension healthier. The greater our health, the more opportunities we will have and see to engage in kingdom work.

Where does transformation happen?

The second feature of Spiritual Health has to do with how do we engage in the process of transformation. For my church, we teach our members—and anyone who will listen—that a disconnected Christian is an unhealthy one. What this means is that God has designed and appointed the Church to be the instrumental means of communicating the truth that transforms. Can it be found in other places? Yes, of course, it can. But every soul is guaranteed to find it in the Church.

Now, I fully understand that all churches are not as healthy as they should be. Some are downright sick. However, the failure of some to embody God’s purpose and design does not eliminate the goal and function of the Church in an individuals life.

We like to say at our church that there are three essential reasons for gathering with the church:

To hear a truth that replaces a lie.
To tune our ear to hear the voice of God.
To build lasting friendships with other believers.

These three reasons are how we engage in the process of transformation. If transformation happens when lies are replaced with truth and if the church is the place designed to disseminate God’s truth then we should connect with a local body to give ourselves the best chance at becoming spiritually healthy.

As we enter into Holy Week, I would encourage you to seek God’s truth and to engage in the process of transformation. Find a church that carefully and unashamedly communicates the full counsel of God. There really is no better time to begin to seek lasting Spiritual Health.

A Pastoral Reflection: Why we can’t just get along.

Our words and deeds should bring healing to those we encounter. And when they do not, we see the evidence that we have strayed too far from the path that has been set before us as the body of Christ.

I have wanted to comment on the recent events that have gripped the attention and conscience of our country. And, as is often the case, I struggled to find a way to make sense of what was going on. After some time to think and several conversations I have decided to provide some of my thoughts. Continue reading “A Pastoral Reflection: Why we can’t just get along.”

What would you believe if you heard this?

When the movie Risen originally came out I shared my thoughts right after seeing it. I continue to think that it is one of the most compelling retellings of a Biblical event I have seen.

There is one scene in particular that was particularly poignant. It was when Clavius, portrayed by Joseph Fiennes, is interrogating one of the guards he had left to watch over the tomb. I remember watching this scene and feeling so bad for the soldier. He had witnessed the incomprehensible and then was forced to lie about what he had seen. Couple that with the probability that no one was going to or even wanted to believe what he had experienced. I just can’t imagine the torment he felt.

The thought that comes to mind is this: The truth is inescapable.

Lent Day #6 | The Power of Truth

We are living in a world that is growing more and more disconnected from any idea of what truth is. It seems that truth has become personal rather than universal. It is a preference to have rather than a principle to be adhered to. As we walk on this earth we will be faced with a difficult choice. Will we uphold the reality of truth or will we cave to the pressure to remain silent?
Continue reading “Lent Day #6 | The Power of Truth”

Tact and Preaching: The Double Edged Sword

We are far too concerned with what the world thinks about us, rather than what God has commanded for us to do. Being a Christian is not a popularity contest.

I was having a conversation with my wife about three years ago regarding some of the thoughts and words that I was planning on using for a weekend sermon. I have been “accused” of being too direct, too passionate and to brash in the way that I communicate what I read in the Bible. I am still not sure how to take these comments even after having heard them several times over the last few years.

I want to share some of the thoughts that come to my mind when I hear these kinds of comments.

How can I be too passionate about being a Christian?
What bible are you reading when the brashness of the text does not strike you? (i.e., Romans 9:3, where Paul suggests that if it were possible, he would go to hell so that his countrymen might come to know salvation in Jesus. I don’t know how to make that sound nice!)
Why do people keep praying to know God’s will when the Bible IS God’s will, and they’re not doing that yet?
Why do some people get mad at me (who has read the bible) and argue about what it says when they have no basis for what they are saying, thinking, doing or wanting? It is pretty easy to know who has and who hasn’t been reading their Bible.

It’s things like this and a few others that just drive me nuts. My wife said that I just sounded angry. Well, to a certain extent I am.

Being a Christian is not a popularity contest.

I am angry about a church that claims to be obedient, but is not. I am angry about a person who claims to be a disciple of Jesus, and has never made one. I am mad about pastors that preach from the word, but for whatever reason, fail to preach the word itself. I know that this does not apply to everybody directly. This is definitely a generalization, but its true enough that most of us would have to agree to some degree. What scares me about this whole situation in the church is that there is not enough (in my opinion) concern about the direction of the church.

We are far too concerned with what the world thinks about us, rather than what God has commanded for us to do. Being a Christian is not a popularity contest. It is about conviction. As a member of the church, I find it concerning that the church wants to hold hands with the world and agree. The direction of influence must begin in the church and move out from there, and not the other way around.

Sure, we can go to conferences and get the pep talks and hear from the celebrity pastor or speaker, but what am I, the executive pastor of a growing, city church supposed to do? Many times I leave with a second wind in my sails, but with no clear sense of direction of what to do next.

The truth is not always palatable, especially when it calls us to holiness and difficult choices regarding how we live.

Is the truth supposed to be palatable, easy, comfortable or sensible? I just do not see that as I read the bible.

The truth is not always palatable, especially when it calls us to holiness and difficult choices regarding how we live. The truth is not easy, particularly when it challenges the assumptions that we hold onto so dearly. The truth is not comfortable because it forces us to change those parts of our lives that we may love, but are not in line with God’s plan or will. The truth is not sensible! My goodness, if the Gospel made sense everybody would be jumping on board. But, that is exactly what Paul said. The Gospel is foolishness. It is foolishness to who? To those who are perishing.

The balm of the Gospel is what brings healing through transformation. For some of us, that means we will have to endure some difficulties. We will have to address those areas of our lives that are not conforming to the image of Jesus. I want to see less tact and more truth. Less compromise and more conviction. Less concern for the world’s feelings and more consideration for the heart of God. Until then, we will tip-toe around the issues and continue to see the erosion of the churches influence with our neighbors.