God With Who?

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭57:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭66:2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“"On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,”

‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3:11-12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God is no friend of human pride.  Pride raises its fist in defiance against anyone or anything that would claim authority over me.  We see this continually in society.  The “occupy” demonstrations showed a lot of this attitude.

But there are other aspects of pride that aren’t quite as blatant.  There’s an independence about it, a declaration that, “I’ve got this.  I can handle it.  I can accomplish all things by my own energy, grit, determination.  Whatever I set my mind to, I can do.  I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.  I am the center of my universe.  All things exist - including God - to serve me.”  The height of Maslow’s hierarchy of “needs” is “self-actualization.”  The Christian version of this is the “fulfilled” self.  In either case, “self” is at the pinnacle.  It’s really all about me.  And this is pride.

God repeatedly says in His word that He is with those who are humble - or lowly - and contrite.  He doesn’t say he is with the powerful, self-confident or self-actualized.  In fact, the testimony of scripture is that He is against those people.  If we would truly have God “on our side,” humility is the requirement.

Humility recognizes my own insufficiency in myself, and my dependence on Someone outside myself for all things.  Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing,” and I think that was no exaggeration.  I have no control over my heart beating, my cells continuing to reproduce, my breathing.  Apart from God’s enabling, I can’t even get out of bed in the morning - or wake up, for that matter.  When I tackle a task at the office, or around the house, when I take on solving the problems of human society, when I seek to communicate with others, or influence others, I am utterly dependent on God’s enabling.  Humility recognizes and acknowledges this.

Contrition recognizes my attitudes and actions of independence from God, admits its failings, and seeks God’s forgiveness.  It also actively looks to Him for help in not following my own independent inclinations.  It runs counter to pride.  But it’s essential for those who would have God with them, for them, on their side.

This time of year we think of Jesus as “Emmanuel” - God with us.  The great wonder is that God would consdescend to be “with” and “among” us, and take on our human condition - even when pride dominates our thinking and behavior.  It is humbling to me to consider that God would seek me, would come to me, even though I ignorantly and willfully raise my fist in defiance of His authority over me.  How much more is it humbling to consider that He came, not just to guide, not just to teach, but to step between me and the just wrath of a holy God, absorbing that wrath, so that there is no more left for me.  Now that was true humility!

And THAT produces the humility I lack in myself.

In Memoriam

“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

1 John 3:2 ESV

Relatively few individuals in history have had as far-reaching an impact on the condition and direction of the ministry of the church as Dr. R.C. Sproul.  His books, study materials, lectures and radio broadcasts have influenced millions to think more clearly and biblically about the gospel of Jesus, and to live out of a faith informed - and reformed - by the great truths of the Reformation, truths hammered out over the centuries by individuals who, in many cases, validated those truths with their lifeblood.  

Yesterday afternoon, R.C. entered the very presence of the Lord he had served so long.  The world is so much the richer for his having lived among us, and the poorer for his having gone out of it.  I find it interesting that I was listening to his radio broadcast earlier in the day, in which he was teaching on the above-quoted passage.  He referred to what is being described by the Apostle John as the “beatific vision,” that is, seeing the resurrected, exalted Christ as He actually is, in all His glory.  Not a pre-incarnate “theophany,” not a vision, not a dream, but the actual Second Person of the Holy Trinity, seen with the purified, unveiled eyes of the heart.  He emphasized that, at the moment we who are in Christ actually see Him, our sanctification will be complete, and we will be “like Him.”  No more shades of sinfulness, no more wrestling with our flesh, no more impure, mixed motives.  No pain.  No more tears.  Complete holiness, complete joy, complete satisfaction - forever.

It is this reality that R.C. enjoys today!  Taught on it in the morning; realized it in the afternoon!  Though I am saddened at the visible church’s loss of this great man of faith and wisdom, I rejoice for him.  Though I personally have the sense of having lost someone whose teaching has so directed and strengthened my faith and ministry, I have the confidence of seeing him again - in much better circumstances.  In the very presence of Jesus.  Thank you, Dr. Sproul.  And thank you, Jesus, for giving this man to your people, and to the world.

Making Disciples Life to Life

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:22-26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

All my adult life I've been about making disciples of Jesus.  Over the years I've discovered that for many who have been Christians a long time, making disciples is a big mystery.  No one has actually taught them to do it, even though "make disciples" was the last command of Jesus' earthly ministry.  Most frequently, the default mode for those seeking to obey this command is, "I've got to quit my job and go to 'the mission field.' "  Or, "I need to go to seminary."  While one or the other of these responses - or both - are certainly right for some people, vocational ministry is not what Jesus has in mind for most of His followers.  But He still wants us to make disciples.

OK, many people, discerning that they are not called to vocational ministry, then assume that this command is not for them at all.  This is incorrect.  ALL Jesus' followers are commanded to make disciples.  A Jesus-follower is a disciple.  And according to Matthew 28:18-20, one of the commands for disciples is - make disciples! So what are we to do?  Many go from one new Christian book to another, forming a reading group and talking about what they've read.  They may even study the Bible together.  These things can be good, but they do not necessarily make disciples of Jesus.

Basically, making disciples is a whole lot like raising kids.

Whether we are discipling others or raising children, it is critical that we begin with the end in mind, and then stay on task.  It is so easy to simply follow some vague notion that we are to impart knowledge to another, and so look for the latest, greatest spiritual “product” to help us do that.  When we do this we open our disciplemaking to the influence of the current "climate," or the teaching of the current Christian poster-child.  Or, we become liable to get sidetracked focusing on political events or matters more or less interesting but mostly irrelevant to the goal of helping men and women - or our children - become faithful followers and representatives of Jesus.

I was talking with one disciple the other day who was getting besieged by others who wanted to engage him about the President’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem.  Of course, this matter is a political hot potato, and folks wanted to know his opinion - or argue with it - because they knew him to be a Christian.  But, frankly, this issue really doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things - over which God is sovereign, and Who is bringing all history to its ultimate conclusion, which we know from scripture will involve Jerusalem.  Whether men call it the capital or not, God is going to accomplish His plan.  Unless we are going to seriously study eschatology, I sure wouldn't allow my disciple making - or even child-rearing - to get sidetracked on an issue like that one.

My view it it’s better to engage people with discussions that matter - like the gospel and their response to it.  Or like how what Jesus death, burial and resurrection relates to what they personally are dealing with today.  The fact is, according to the passage above, people practically serve God or Satan, knowingly or unknowingly.  Paul says in I Timothy 1:5 that our goal should be “love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith,” as Paul says.  To that end we teach wisdom
and character, not just knowledge; faith, not just skills.  And those things are best passed on life-to-life, right where we are, in the middle of life's circumstances - not in classrooms.  They are best passed along by a mutual commitment to "do life together" as friends, as families.  And we need to watch getting sidetracked by anything less.

A Life-Transforming Invitation

I distinctly remember New Year’s Eve, 1974. As the dawn of a new year approached I sat with my 2-inch-thick New American Standard Bible, avidly reading from the prophet, Malachi, and from the book of Revelation. I was finishing up my first reading of the entire Bible in a year, and I admit I was a few days behind schedule. But I was determined to finish “on time.”

One year before, as a new Air Force second lieutenant, an older Christian did me the huge favor of sharing with me a one-year Bible reading program. In the months before that, God had done a great job of breaking down my independence, showing me my need of meeting with Jesus daily through time in His word and prayer. As a result, my friend's invitation found me willing to take on the challenge of reading through the entirety of the Bible.

Now, as I finished up the plan, I recall a certain sense of having “achieved” something great. But I also remember fondly the sense of peace and growing intimacy with God that attended those sweet, closing moments of 1974. As the New Year rang in, it brought with it a taste for the word of God that has never subsided. I had indeed “tasted” and seen that the Lord is good! 

Most years since then, I have continued the practice of reading through the Bible annually. How many times? I don’t really know; I’ve lost count. I know there were a couple of years I did something different. But it’s truly not about achievement any longer; that notion went away a long time ago. Now it’s just a desire to know Him, to learn to think like Him, to build into my brain and heart the truths that will strengthen me to live for Him in a broken world. I’ve learned I need this “soul-food” more than anything else. So this New Year’s Eve, as God permits, I will be reading Malachi 3 and Revelation 22 again. And on January 1st, I look forward to savoring the opening chapters of Genesis and Matthew new and afresh.

I would like to invite you to read through the Bible with me this year! 

You can use whatever plan you like (there are lots), but I’d recommend the app for your phone or tablet, called YouVersion. It’s a wonderful Bible app, and has a number of Bible reading plans that will help you stay on track. The one I’ve been using is called The One Year Bible. It’s published in the New Living Translation, a very good contemporary translation, but you can choose your own preferred translation each day. There are dozens of translations available through the app.

If you’re interested, just drop me a note, and I will begin praying for your perseverance, and that the Lord will meet you in wonderful ways as you seek Him each day.  Additionally, as you return here, you can read my personal commentary on things God is showing me from my own reading.

Here's a link to the app:

https://www.youversion.com/apps

The Star, Truth and Tax Reform

For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.

Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

III John 7,8

Yesterday, Rita and I went to see "The Star," the new animated movie about the Nativity.  It's a very cute film, imaginative, amazingly well-done, and follows remarkably closely the biblical narrative according to Luke - with a few innovations for entertainment's sake.

However, one thing bothered me.  I wish they had included Joseph's dream, in which the angel tells Joseph not to be afraid to marry Mary, and in which he tells him, "you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins."  The movie refers to Jesus repeatedly as a king, but I don't recall at any point there being any reference to His being the Savior, an omission that pretty well misses the point. 

The writers of the screen play seem to avoid mentioning the whole purpose for the eternal Son of God entering the world as a human being.  It’s a little like making a movie about Thomas Edison and leaving out the part about him inventing the incandescent light bulb. So the movie, while cute and wonderfully entertaining, presents only a partial truth concerning the birth of Jesus.  And a partial truth, when you’re dealing with something as earth-shattering as the incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, amounts to an untruth.

As we celebrate Christmas, as we gaze at the little baby in the manger, we don't often think of that day in His future, when He would stand before Pilate and say, "For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth."  Of all the things He could have said at the moment of his examination by the person holding sway over His physical life, it is telling that He says His purpose for coming into the world was to bear witness to the truth.  Apparently God thinks it is a big deal for humans to learn what's true.

And with Jesus, it was always "show and tell."  He embodied the message He came to tell.  It wasn't enough to tell people that they are sinners who need to repent.  Many prophets had come before Him and did just that.  It wasn't enough that He should die a martyr's death, in consequence of His giving them a message they did not like to hear.  Others before Him had done that as well.  It was not enough that He tell us how to live selfless lives of loving one another.  No, He embodied the truth of His message by laying down His life in our place.  The baby in the manger grew up to give His all, in order all to redeem His people from the just consequence of their sins.  He didn't just tell people the truth; He validated it with His lifeblood.

The Apostle John tells the readers of his third epistle that we ought to support those in service to the gospel, in order that we may be fellow workers with them...fellow workers for the truth.  Amazing as it is that Jesus came into the world to save His people from their sins, and to bear witness to the truth, it is equally as amazing that you and I get the opportunity to participate with Jesus as "fellow workers for the truth."  By supporting those He has called as laborers in His harvest, we can enter into the work of spreading the good news - the truth - about Jesus.  For this reason Rita and I give enthusiastically out of our means to enable missionaries to fulfill their ministry.  For the same reason, we also give to the ministry of our local church.  We want to be fellow workers for the truth.

I've been hearing that, as Congress works out the new tax reform package, they are considering removing the deduction for charitable giving.  Many think this will take away people's incentive to give, and that organizations and ministries that depend on donations will suffer.  Maybe for some that will be the case.  But when it comes to the work of the gospel, I confess I don't donate to it so that I can get a tax break.  As I said, Rita and I want to be fellow-workers for the truth, especially in a world that, more than anything, needs to know what the truth is.  And I'm pretty sure my fellow Christians feel pretty much the same.   The opportunity to work with Jesus get to the truth out there - Truth whose purpose is to populate heaven and depopulate hell - is enough incentive for us.

Overcoming Spiritual Gravity

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

‭‭
1 John‬ ‭5:4, 5, 21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Apostle ends his first epistle on an abrupt and somewhat puzzling note.  After offering assurances that those who have believed in Jesus are the possessors of eternal life, and making it clear that there is no such thing as universal redemption - that there are people who are not born of God as well as people who are - and urging faithfulness in employing the means of growth in the Spirit that God has provided, he  ends his letter with an exhortation concerning idolatry.  His words seem almost like an afterthought.  Until now, he has not mentioned idols or the worship of idols.  Here, he offers no elaboration.  And one wonders, to whom are they addressed?  Is he speaking parentally to his spiritual flock?  Or does he literally mean these words for “little children,” using the same words as in Chapter 2 of his letter?

In either case, John’s final words carry, not just Apostolic authority, but deep and serious import.  The entire kingdoms of Israel and Judah were laid waste because of idolatry, because of shifting their affections away from the God who created and delivered and established them, to the worship of senseless idols whose worship offered a religion that promised to be "easier," more in tune with their fleshly inclinations.  If it is true, as the Apostle Paul says, that the flesh and the Spirit are in daily and consistent opposition to one another, and that believers must therefore be careful to nurture the Spirit and “put to death” the desires of the flesh, then it must be that the allure of idolatry - in whatever form - is an ever-present danger.

Indeed, Calvin wrote that the human heart - even the regenerated human heart - remains an “idol factory,” that there is no end to our propensity to re-invent religion according to our own desires.  We are very capable of inventing or believing in "gods" to whom we look for comfort, pleasure and hope.  Therefore, we must, as John says, guard ourselves continually against idols.  And who is most susceptible to this inclination to idol-invention and idol-worship but little children?  Children are in the process of learning and establishing the patterns of life that will sustain them as adults.  So it is most important that parents protect and deliver them from the pull of the world.

The law of gravity works against the flight of a heavier-than-air vehicle of any kind.  In order to overcome gravity's pull, an airplane depends upon air, and upon wings in the shape of a dihedral, which will give it lift when it moves forward through that medium.  But it has to have forward motion, which is sustained by some kind of engine, which depends in turn on fuel.

John says we who have believed in Christ "overcome" the world and its downward pull toward idol-worship.  However, we know that in order to sustain our faith, God has given us means - like the airplane's fuel - to keep the engine of faith running so that we move forward in growth, not overcome by the spiritual gravity of the unbelieving "world."  What are these means?  Primarily prayer and His living word.  In order to keep my thinking - and therefore my living - in accord with what is real and in accord with God's design for life, I need to immerse myself in God's word every day.  I've learned over the years that there is just no substitute for "fueling" my relationship with God each day by spending time reading and praying over what God says is true.  The flight of my faith can get pretty shaky by Saturday if I am completely relying on "gassing up" once a week on Sunday.

So parents need to help our children "keep themselves from idols," by helping them to daily sustain their "flight" by "topping off" their faith-tank through the word of God and prayer.  When they are small, we will need to do this for them.  As they grow, we need to help them by doing it with them, with the goal of helping them sustain their flight daily, on their own. It's a beautiful thing when fathers, especially, take the time to have "quiet times" in the word and prayer with their kids.

With all the "gravity" being exerted on our faith these days - and on our kids' faith - we need to take seriously John's exhortation to "keep yourself from idols," that we might continue to fly high - and overcome the spiritual gravity of this world.

The Loving Unloved

“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:10-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Us and them.  The Apostle John takes pains to make it very clear that there are two - and only two - categories of people in the world.  I know that there is an element in modern evangelicalism who would like to embrace everyone as being “a child of God.”  Yet this does not square with the Bible, not does it account for the fact that some people love God, and some hate Him.  Some believe; some don’t.  Some love those who follow Jesus; some don’t.  As soon as we acknowledge these realities, we admit that people are not all alike - especially when it comes to matters of faith.  Broadly but specifically speaking, according to John, people fall into two groups: those who are actually God’s children, and those who are of “the world.”

In some ways, these two groups are like oil and water: they don’t mix well.  Or maybe they are more like opposite poles on a magnet:  they repel each other.  John says the difference can be seen in what each group loves.  Those who are of the world hate those who are of God.  They are the real “haters” in society, hating what is good and righteous and holy, along with all those who represent those values.  They mock at and misrepresent them, and attempt to paint people of faith and conviction in their own colors, saying that Christian believers are the narrow-minded “haters,” simply because of their choice of holiness over evil.  John says this is par for the course, and ought not to come as a big surprise.  Just the way it is; so deal with it.

How?  By loving the unlovely.  Even when we are unloved by the world, we are to love anyway.  By tapping into the love of Jesus, we are to overcome our natural tendency to be repelled by animosity and vitriol, and love anyway.  Why?  Because God first loved us, even when we were unlovely; because we know from Christ's example what love really is, and because we experience it on a daily basis.  Followers of Jesus are, first and foremost, people who love.  We love God.  W
e love what is good and right and pure and holy. We love God’s children.  And we even love those who hate us, who hate our Savior, and who hate His loveliness.  

Seems to me we need to embrace the reality that we are going to be loved by the world no more than the world loved Jesus, and stop trying to get the world to like us.  We need to stop trying to accommodate the spiritually dead by playing dead ourselves.  Deadness does not resurrect the dead.  Only love does - the love of Jesus expressed at the cross, and expressed through His people.

God's Oddball Children

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

                                                                   - I John 3:1-3

How clearly I remember, as a teen, how incredibly important it was to "fit in."  I worked hard at dressing "right," listening to the "right" music, using the "right" language, getting the "right" hair - in an all-encompassing attempt to find acceptance among my peers.  Early in my career as a junior high student I learned painful lessons in the social costs of "standing out."  Kids at that age can be pretty vicious.

I think kids react in a couple of ways to teenage peer pressure.  Some, like I did, work hard at blending in with the crowd.  Others rebel against the pressure to conform, and also work hard - at finding ways to be "different."  Most often this actually means becoming part of yet another subculture - the ones who "rebel together."  Never quite comfortable with being a complete solo act, they gravitate toward other kids who are the "fringe" element, maybe the ones most often grumbled about in the teachers' lounge, or found hanging out consistently in the principal's office (do they still send behavior problems there?).

How that all plays out in adulthood has probably been the subject of many a doctoral dissertation or masters thesis; beats me, I can only conjecture.  But I think the concern for social conformity stays with us, to a degree, all our lives.  One thing for sure is that the society in which we find ourselves today increasingly pushes back against those who pursue conformity to Jesus and His kingdom.  The world, frankly, does not "get" those who are the ones the Father calls His true children.

But then, according to the Apostle John, it never did, because it doesn't "get" Jesus.

He urges us to make peace with the fact that we are not like the world, and are becoming even more unlike it.  Christians - those in whom the Spirit of God is doing a transforming work - need to realize that to grow in Christlikeness is to become more of a social anomaly.  Rather than resist being something of an "oddball," John urges us to lean into it, to cooperate with the Spirit, to move steadily toward Christ - keeping our eyes fixed on the hope of becoming completely like Him - a hope that will be realized on the day He returns to collect His own.  In that day, the day faith becomes sight, God promises our transformation - our conformity to the only One who matters - will be complete.  

And somehow, I don't think it will be a big deal whether we have the "right" hair.