Loving Should Be Like Breathing

The Bible Is Not *Just* Our Foundation

If the Bible is merely foundational in our lives, then we will read it as a guide to a better, healthier, safer, and more moral life.  On the other hand, if the Bible is the one thing that saturates our lives, then we will read it as the primary way to know and love our great God and Savior and it will fuel our desires to pray, worship, evangelize, and disciple. 

In 1 Peter 2:2, Peter writes, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation.” He isn’t saying that these Christians are like “newborn infants.” Instead, the focus is on the longing they should have to know God’s word. How important is it to long for the truth of God’s word? He says “by it” we will grow up to salvation. This doesn’t mean we get saved by reading the Bible, but it means that we grow in our relationship with Jesus after we are saved when we know what he teaches us in the Bible.  It means that when we are saturated with the pure and basic and deep truths of the Bible, we will begin to see God more for who he is in all his glory. 

Don’t make the Bible foundational. Blanket yourself with it. Filter every thought, action, and attitude through it.  Don’t stand on the Bible as your foundation.  Let the Bible richly saturate every facet of your life. 

Love One Another Earnestly From a Pure Heart

In 1 Peter 1:22, Peter writers, “Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”

This “purifying” is not initial saving faith. The New Testament never speaks of people playing an active role in their conversion. The Greek word for “purified” is hagnizo which means “moral cleansing.” Peter already assumes that these people are converted (vv. 1, 3, 10, 18, 19, 21), so it is more likely that this purification is simply sanctification. Christians play a much more active role in sanctification (cf. James 4:8; 1 John 3:3). As Christians, we are more and more sanctified when we are obedient to the truth. When this happens, we are becoming more like Christ.

Now, the phrase “for a sincere brotherly love” may lead us to think that the purpose of sanctification is to sincerely love people. Sincere brotherly love is more a result of sanctification than a goal. The goal of sanctification is Christlikeness, and brotherly love is certainly a component of that.  However, if that were the goal of sanctification, there would no doubt be many private sins that never harm others that would not inhibit sanctification.  But we know that this certainly is not the case in our Christian journey. 

Since we have been born again (vv. 1-21), are now joining God in the sanctification process (v. 22a), and understand how to have sincere brotherly love (v. 22b), we are to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart” (v. 22c).  Romans 12:10 says, “Love one another with brotherly affection.”  Hebrews 13:1 says, “Let brotherly love continue.” We are to love with earnest from a pure heart. The word “earnest” in Greek is ektenos that comes from a verb which means to “stretch out the hand,” thus it means to be stretched out — earnest, resolute, tense. We are to be intentional, bold, and heartfelt with others. We are to be the stiff, strong arm that reaches for someone to hold on to in hard times.  We are to be the stalwart rock for people, like Jesus is for us, so they can see that Jesus is the true rock of defense when they are in dire straits.

I want to love people like this.  Lord, help me. 

God Tends to Use Failures to show His Greatness

God is so merciful and gracious to provide his Son Jesus as the atonement for our sins.  Certainly, God could have written us a Bible with one statement that said, “It’s your fault you are sinners, so get back on your feet by yourself.”  I’m so thankful he doesn’t say that.  For those who have faith in Christ as the payment for their sin, they are perfectly accepted by the Father.  Romans 8 says that “nothing in all creation” can separate us from God’s love if have been justified by Jesus’ death. 

The body of Christ is made up of people who fail all the time, in order that God’s grace may be praised all the more.  I love the Switchfoot song “Beautiful Letdown” that reminds us this: “[We are] the church of the dropouts, the losers, the sinners, the failures, and the fools.  We are a beautiful letdown.”  Sadly, so many people still try to do good things and earn acceptance through hard work, religion, or managing sin.  Some of these people call themselves “Christians” and say, “I read my Bible.”  I wonder, though, do they actually pay close attention to the people in the Scriptures they are “reading” about?

Had God wished to communicate to us that our acceptance hinges on our goodness, he would have chosen another sort of person than those he most typically uses in the Bible to reveal the basis for our faith. But then he would have revealed himself to be a different kind of God.

- Bryan Chapell, Christ Centered Preaching

Weekly Spurgeon

This is a day early, but due to the situation that we are dealing with here in Lincoln, I thought I’d post this today.  This is Spurgeon’s meditation on May 3 from Morning and Evening.  How appropriate is this mediation in light of what happened yesterday.  God is still good.  “Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling (Ps. 46:2-3).”

“In the world ye shall have tribulation.”
- John 16:33

Art thou asking the reason of this, believer? Look upward to thy heavenly Father, and behold Him pure and holy. Dost thou know that thou art one day to be like Him? Wilt thou easily be conformed to His image? Wilt thou not require much refining in the furnace of affliction to purify thee? Will it be an easy thing to get rid of thy corruptions, and make thee perfect even as thy Father which is in heaven is perfect? Next, Christian, turn thine eye downward. Dost thou know what foes thou hast beneath thy feet? Thou wast once a servant of Satan, and no king will willingly lose his subjects. Dost thou think that Satan will let thee alone? No, he will be always at thee, for he “goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Expect trouble, therefore, Christian, when thou lookest beneath thee. Then look around thee. Where art thou? Thou art in an enemy’s country, a stranger and a sojourner. The world is not thy friend. If it be, then thou art not God’s friend, for he who is the friend of the world is the enemy of God. Be assured that thou shalt find foe-men everywhere. When thou sleepest, think that thou art resting on the battlefield; when thou walkest, suspect an ambush in every hedge. As mosquitoes are said to bite strangers more than natives, so will the trials of earth be sharpest to you. Lastly, look within thee, into thine own heart and observe what is there. Sin and self are still within. Ah! if thou hadst no devil to tempt thee, no enemies to fight thee, and no world to ensnare thee, thou wouldst still find in thyself evil enough to be a sore trouble to thee, for “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Expect trouble then, but despond not on account of it, for God is with thee to help and to strengthen thee. He hath said, “I will be with thee in trouble; I will deliver thee and honour thee.” 

How You Can Bless Your Pastor

Listen to this short audio clip from John Piper on how you can bless your pastor. 

As someone who desires to be a pastor, I find this so helpful and encouraging.  The common demoninator in it all: don’t waste your life.  Live life in a way that shows you have saving faith.  Be holy, as God is holy.  Love Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Do those things, and you will bless not only your pastor, but those brothers and sisters around you. 

Brian McLaren and Willow Creek: A Match Made in…

Brian McLaren spoke at a youth conference at Willow Creek in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. For those who aren’t familiar, McLaren is the spearhead for the Emergent Church movement in America. Despite what he says, his theology is ultra liberal and simply non-biblical. At the conference, McLaren said that Christians should put less focus on eternity and more on achieving justice in the here and now. In fact, one writer says that McLaren’s message is “serpent-sensitive worship.”

Just one question I will ask as a commentary on this: Why in the world would Willow Creek invite Brian McLaren to speak at their conference? It just makes me wonder how committed to sound, biblical doctrine Willow Creek actually is.

I Have Nothing, Yet I Posses More Than I Could Ever Imagine

We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

- 2 Corinthians 6:8b-10

As I was reading 1 Peter 1:5-7 this morning, Peter said, “In this [the living hope we have], you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in prise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  The Christians to whom Peter was writing were joyful, yet sorrowful.  They were exceedingly glad that God has elected them, caused them to be born again to a living hope and eternal inheritance, and that they are being guarded by God’s power.  Still, they were sorrowful for going through trials and tribulations.

With this dichotomy from 1 Peter on my mind, I flipped over to 2 Corinthians 6 to read about how Paul described himself and the apostles.  Two of the clauses jumped off the page: 1) “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” and 2) “as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” 

The first one is for the obvious reason that it related to 1 Peter.  Is there ever true, undefiled rejoicing in this world without some sort of pain and sorrow attached?  Of course not.  We need to live on the fine line of knowing how to rejoice amidst pain and suffering.

The second for reasons that have become so much more evident to me over the past nine months.  I work for Campus Crusade in Nebraska.  I’ll be in Africa this summer for a month and then again for a year starting in January.  I have to raise financial support.  I don’t make much money.  People in my own family think that I am wasting my life and time with what I’m doing.  Others on the outside hear “ministry” and they think that I’m just some religious nut who will never be able to mortgage a home because I make peanuts for a living.  In the world’s eyes, I have nothing.  I buy clothes from Target and Wal-Mart.  Eating out means going to Subway.  Truly, I have nothing — in one sense.  But in an altogether different sense, I have never been richer in my entire life.  I have seen people go from death to life, darkness to light, and from a purposeless life to a living hope.  I have developed deep, meaningful relationships that will continue throughout my life.  I have grown with the Lord in mighty ways so that I now truly taste and see that he is good.  I might not have a large bank account in this world, but my savings account in heaven is no doubt growing by the day. 

God deserves all glory and praise and honor.  How blessed is it that he invites us undeserving people to be a part of what he is doing in the world.  For those in the economy of God, though we appear as if we have nothing, we are really more wealthy than could ever be imagined.

Oriented to the Kingdom

This morning at Grace Chapel, Pastor Mike Hsu gave a sermon called Oriented to the Kingdom, (it should be upload for listening in a few days) from Genesis 1:26-28. The central theme of the message was that we, as sons and daughters of God, have been entrusted with the responsibility of seeing the will of heaven enforced here on earth. In the Garden of Eden, work, worship, and holiness were an integrated and continuous whole. Because of sin, that is no longer the case. Mike gave three applications for how to make this happen - by God’s grace - that I’d like to reflect on.

• See our work as calling. So often people think that if they aren’t a pastor, missionary, campus ministry worker, or even a God-blogger, that they are, for some reason or another, not as significant in the Kingdom. We know from 1 Corinthians 12 that the whole body is essential to properly function! How glorious that God has designed his church to work together for the ultimate goal of his glory. This happens by everyone doing whatever they do for the glory of God. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera.” Christians have somehow developed this idea of leaving the material world - whether in the occupational sense or otherwise. We should redeem that which can be redeemed in the material world. Let me say, lest someone call me materialistic, hedonistic (in the worldly sense), wicked, or blasphemous, that there are some things are impossible to redeem. For example, we cannot have Christian porn or Christian strip clubs.
• See our worship as integrated. Worship is more than just singing a hymn or going to church on Sunday. It’s more than simply reading the Bible and praying. Mike pointed out that so many Christians struggle with deep, abiding joy because we don’t seek the Lord daily, even hourly! So many Christians do not read the Bible and pray to God. Our worship culminates on Sunday morning as we fellowship with Christ’s body in church. Yet, during the other six days of the week, we should trust the Lord to feed our own souls through Bible reading and prayer. And when we do this, by the Spirit’s power, we will see that everything is worship. We can worship Jesus at work, class, on the sports field, and in our homes with family. Worship is whatever glorifies God and as we saw from Colossians 3:23, that can be whatever we are doing.
• See our holiness as a chief goal. When sin creeps in our lives, we are distracted from these first two applications. The Westminster Confession’s first question is, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is “To glorify God and enjoy him forever.” John Piper has adapted this to say, “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever.” When we do these things, it is the fruit of striving for holiness and trusting God to kill our sins. John Owen said, “Be killing sin, lest sin be killing you.” Notice that Mike did not say holiness is the chief goal. It is one of the many goals that will bring about the ultimate goal: God’s glory. When we are living life like it is a war, we are constantly prepared to use the Bible as our sword to put to death our own wickedness, the devil’s schemes, and the world’s fads. When we live life with a peace-time mindset, however, we get caught off-guard and grow complacent. This will cause us to neglect personal holiness and therefore forget that any work we perform is the Lord’s calling and that worship is an integrated, all-inclusive, life-long adoration toward God in all we do.

 

Steak, Laundry Detergent, and Confession

A great post from my sister about what the Church should look like.