Comparsion, Mickey Mouse, and the Holy Spirit

Comparing myself to others can be a good thing.  We look at the lives of the godly and mature around us and attempt to imitate them in our own life.  Inevitably this involves comparison.  To say that all comparison is wrong is to fall into the trap of Mickey Mouse Theology--i.e., I'm great exactly the way I am and I never need to change or let anyone tell me how to live my life.  Not a Biblical idea at all.

However,  comparison frequently becomes a great spiritual chain that we freely wrap around our hearts.  We constantly assess others as better or worse than us in any number of different areas.  He's more fit than I am. She's less attractive. They eat less healthily, more organic, with higher salt, or less fat, than we do.  He knows more than I do. She might have a great mind but she has a terrible personality.  I'm the funniest person in this room.  On and on and on.  Instead of humbly using our weaknesses as an occasion to ask for help and using our strengths as an occasion to celebrate grace, we turn to self-exaltation or self-pity.  Two sides of the same coin of pride. 

So, how do we know the difference between valuable comparison and the chain?  Two of the easiest indicators are peace and gratefulness.

Helpful comparison that cultivates godly conviction is accompanied by peace....not frantic self-improvement anxiety.   I truly want to become more like the godly examples I see around me, not frantically, not anxiously, but trusting in the peaceful conviction and power of the Spirit.

Helpful comparison that reveals a "strength" leads to gratefulness...not self-exultation.  Seeing certain weaknesses in others that I don't share to the same degree reminds me that all that I have comes from grace and that all good fruit comes from the Holy Spirit. Not a token "there but for the grace of God..." facade, but a true, heartfelt, humble gratefulness for God's faithful work in our lives.

The Spirit uses the examples of others to show us our weaknesses and to reveal how much work he has accomplished in us.  Anxiety and self-confidence are not fruit of the Spirit but of the flesh.
Let us ask ourselves the question the next time we are comparing ourselves to others.

Am I feeling peaceful conviction and humble gratefulness right now?

When the Sunlight Comes

Have you ever been sitting in a darkened room, perhaps in the early morning or on a cloudy day?  Do you remember that moment when a shaft of sunlight breaks through and catches your eye?  The whole room, sometimes the whole day, suddenly feels different.

This is how I view a sudden gift of hope from the Holy Spirit.  Our day may be darkened by doubt or temptation or the slow creep of condemnation. Suddenly, perhaps requested, perhaps surprising, the hope of eternal life and our union with Christ breaks through.  Nothing changes, but everything changes.

Lord, break into our life with your eternal hope today. Show us the gleaming inheritance of eternity.  Give us a glimpse, Lord, of the greater light to come. 

Preach Grace in Sight of the Cross

All reformed preachers love to preach the free grace of the Biblical gospel.  We love declaring that salvation is accomplished solely based on the eternal love and undeserved favor of God.

Occasionally, the message of God's grace begins to sounds similar to mainstream American optimism, in which all people receive a second chance from "the Man upstairs." 

What is the difference? 

Biblical grace is purchased grace. It is costly grace.  It is free for the sinner, completely free, utterly free.  Yet it is infinitely costly.  The favor of God, grace, toward sinners, was paid for by the atoning blood of Christ.  God could not, would not, fulfill his eternal plans for grace toward us without the definite plan of payment for our sins at the cross of Christ. 

If our preaching of grace begins to sound like a moralistic payment plan--be righteous and God will give you a hand out--we've denied the freedom of grace.

If our preaching of grace begins to sound like American second chance optimism--we have muted the eternal chorus declaring the worthiness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain.

Many people love to hear that something is free.  They're uncomfortable when the price of that freeness is highlighted before their eyes.  But the price of grace is the cross of Christ and the cross of Christ is detailed in the worship of heaven. 

Therefore, for his glory, we must preach grace in sight of the cross. 

Owen Strachan on the Church

I love the following excerpt by Owen Strachan about the church.  Quoted on www.9marks.org

But what is the local church, then? Well, first and foremost, it’s a group devoted to worshiping the living God according to his inerrant Word, the Bible. It’s an outpost for weary people burdened by sin to meet God and be transformed by him. The church building may not look exciting from the outside, or it may be an aesthetic masterpiece. Whatever the building looks like, though, I can assure you that the local church truly is exciting, because when it’s devoted to God’s Word, it is the body of Christ. It’s a tangible, visible sign that God is real and working and moving in our world.

You could say it this way: the church is created by the gospel, and the church is edified by the gospel. God loves the local church. He made it, after all. It’s his brainstorm. God is super-creative. He’s the ultimate aesthete. He loves beauty and full-orbed, surround-sound faith. He wants all our senses and emotions to be engaged in weekly worship. So we pray, sing, hear the Word read and preached, eat the bread and drink the wine, and share fellowship together.

The Lord wants these blessings for us. We experience them when we join local churches (see 1 Cor. 5 and its discussion of those “outside” and “inside” the Corinthian congregation). What’s called “church membership” is very important in Scripture. Our redeemer wants every born-again Christian to be in fellowship with others so we can build one another up in the faith. He wants us to be baptized as our public declaration that we’ve passed through the waters of judgment and have risen from spiritual death through Christ. He wants us to partake of the Lord’s Supper to remember Jesus’ death on our behalf.

I didn’t grow up in a massive congregation. I grew up in a small church on the coast of Maine. There weren’t many believers around. But I was trained to see the church as an inherently dignified gathering regardless of how many people attended on Sunday. My father was steadfastly committed to the First Baptist Church of East Machias. He went every week to prayer meeting; he and my mother were faithful to the church even through troubled times. They modeled covenantal commitment to their church. I am grateful they did.
It made a mark on me.

Church was a natural part of my youth; without really knowing it, I was formed in the worldview we’re discussing here. I was being trained in the holy rhythms of a Godward life. I heard the preaching; ate the tiny little communion crackers barely visible to the human eye; sang in the Christmas choir. We weren’t a large body, but we were devoted to the Lord.

More important, he was devoted to us.
He is devoted to every church, to every local expression of the global people of Christ, however humble, however popular. So should we be.

Owen Strachan is Assistant Professor of Christian Theology and Church History at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky and the Executive Director of the Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood.

Christmas is a Birthday Party

Have your kids every gotten jealous at someone else's birthday party?  Mine have. Little brother is opening his present and the older sibling desperately wants to have a present too.  The birthday girl gets lots of attention today, but its our turn to simply wait and be happy for her.  For some reason I always feel disappointed in my kids when they aren't excited about a celebration for someone else.

But....that's actually the way I am most of the time during the Christmas season.  I think about presents and decorations and Christmas movies and Christmas treats--mostly in terms of how much I enjoy them for myself.  Nothing against any of these joyfully anticipated Christmas traditions--I'm looking forward to them again this year! However,  last night I was talking to my son and felt the urge to tell him that Christmas is really big birthday party for Jesus. Even as I said the words I realized how much I needed them as well.

We should enjoy all the celebration--the gift giving and songs and feasting--just like we do at a regular birthday party.  But we enjoy it with him at the center of our attention.  Its his birthday we're celebrating---the birth of God in human form. Heaven on earth. The Messiah condescending to save.

It's your birthday Lord Jesus.  We'll be feasting and singing and giving and receiving in your honor.

Anti-Legalism Legalism

"What a weird blog title!  Isn't that like a double negative...a not, not, cancelling itself out???"

Wait, wait, let me explain.  A lot of blogging space has been used recently to defend the importance of grounding our ongoing growth in the gospel.  This is a cause I resonate with--as I said in a recent message,  we simply do not grow apart from our union with Christ.  Only gospel grounded growth is growth in true maturity, growing up into Him who is the Head, into Christ. We also must always guard against making our progress or lack of progress in maturity the center of our meditation, the basis for our approach to God, or our hope of eternal life.

My worry is that in an attempt to preach the gospel of freedom in Christ, both for justification and as the source of our growth, some language that is used can create an unbiblical restraint, a "you'd better not" where God says "yes."  This happens when the commands, or imperatives, of the Bible (even the NT ones) are questioned or even dismissed as unhelpful in our view of Christian growth. If our teaching about growth makes it sound like it is dangerous for Christians to meditate on or seek to obey the commands that the Bible intends to give Christians, we are creating anti-legalism legalism. 

Of course this is not the intent of the teaching--the goal is to free Christians from extra-biblical rules and especially from a works centered spiritual experience.  However,  if Christians walk away from our warnings about commands and the danger of rules with the thought that truly spiritual, truly gospel centered Christians grow without ever focusing on the Biblical calls for godliness issued to Christians--we have placed a fence around part of their identity in Christ.  We have cut them off from part of the good pasture of God's Word, opened to them in Christ. To be in Christ is to be under his headship, to embrace his Word, all of it, with freedom, fueled by his Spirit.  We are not free to misuse his Word in any way, nor are we free to make it sound as though Christians should be able to grow only using part of their Bibles.  This is anti-legalism legalism, and it will produce the same death and condemnation that it is our goal to fight against.

Who is United to Christ?

The man or woman united to the Lord Jesus Christ is one with Him in their legal standing before God.  They are one with Him in their spiritual newness of life. The righteous obedience of Christ and his perfect fulfillment of God's law is credited permanently to their account. The willing death of Jesus Christ absorbed the full punishment of God for every one of their sins. The Lordship of Christ is their rule and authority.  The Spirit of Christ is their lifeblood, their new life and vitality.  The sonship of Christ is their new family identity, in which they can freely call God Father. The character of the Lord Jesus is their standard of living.  The inheritance of Christ has been granted to them, which is their hope of glory. 

Who is United to Christ?  A person who has been given all of these blessings in full, irrevocably, freely, by the grace of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

*Originally posted at Redemption Hill Church

The Worst Lie of Legalism

Yesterday I posted about Paul’s admonition against legalism in the second chapter of Colossians. Legalism is a ready danger for every church and every Christian.  It takes many forms, certainly including the following:

1) Embracing consistent low grade guilt as a way of self-atoning for past sins.

2) Believing that I must obey certain religious rules that are not commanded in the Bible.

3) Believing that Jesus gets me into the kingdom, but my ongoing righteousness is my hope for making it to heaven in the end.

4) Believing that my good deeds make up for my bad deeds.

5) Believing that God’s love for me fluctuates depending on my faithfulness.

What do I believe is the worst lie of legalism?  The worst lie of legalism runs through all of these forms and infects Christians and non-believers alike.  The worst lie of legalism says that Jesus righteousness and death were not enough to reconcile us to God and give us eternal life.  It lies that our basis for acceptance before God is our own righteousness and our own self-atonement, rather than the righteousness of Christ and his death in our place.  It lies that God’s love toward us and gracious disposition to us is dependent on our current, or past, or future righteousness rather than on the unchanging person and work of Christ.  The antidote to this poisonous lie is the truth of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  All my sins are paid for in Him. Perfect righteousness covers me before God.  God accepts me with the same Fatherly affection that he has for His Son.  Nothing a Christian does can change this status before God.  Legalism lies, but the truth of Jesus Christ and his gospel will destroy the lie of legalism and leave us amazed and grateful for what He has done for us.

*Originally posted at www.rhchurch.com

Union with Christ and Legalism

This last Sunday I preached from Colossians 2:16-23.  It is a power packed passage in which Paul is warning the church against false teachers looking to ensnare them in a legalistic view of the Christian life.  These teachers were judging the Colossians for falling short of ultimate spirituality and were looking to point to themselves as examples of all that Christians were meant to be.  Paul points them back to their union with Christ and reminds them that every Christian has all that he or she needs through their connection to the Head, the Lord Jesus.  In preaching that passage for our church I drew out three common tendencies of legalism that we must all guard against, either from false teachers or from dangerous thinking in our own hearts.
1.  Legalism Misuses the Bible
Legalistic teaching rarely abandons the Bible entirely, but rather picks certain passages or commands and applies them without reference to their Biblical context or other Scriptures that provide a balancing perspective.  For example, in the Colossian situation, the false teachers were apparently emphasizing the calendar and dietary laws of the Old Testament, but without referencing how the coming of the Lord Jesus had fulfilled and transformed those particular regulations.  Almost all legalism will make use of Old Testament commands without discussing how they are impacted by the coming of the Lord Jesus, or New Testament commands without celebrating how they are fueled by our union with Christ.  We must not be impressed by a teacher who can merely quote a Bible verse, but rather look for a person who can interpret the entire Scriptures in connection to the person and work of Christ.

2.  Legalism Misrepresents Maturity
For the Colossian false teachers, maturity was defined by rigorous practices of humility, transcendent spiritual visions and experience, and the worship of angels–all without a central focus on union with Christ.   Most legalistic teachings will reference some aspect of Biblical maturity, but will neglect to mention the source of true maturity in Christ and will also smuggle in false practices or exaggerated emphasis in the midst of their teaching.  Humility is good.  A longing for powerful spiritual encounters with God is good.  Defining maturity by an exaggerated description of these commands and neglecting the priority of union with Christ is deadly.

3. Legalism Manufactures Restrictions
In this passage Paul quotes the slogans of the false teachers–”Do not handle”, “Do not taste”, “Do not touch”–as a way of summarizing their commands.  The Bible is not reluctant to issue commands, and even commands about very practical issues of real life–but legalism seeks to manufacture additional commands and apply them with Bible-like authority in the church.   Legalism assumes that true maturity is more stringent than the Bible in some area or other.  We must believe that God knows what He is doing and that He finds pleasure when we enjoy his gifts just as he does when we refuse to idolize them.

As an additional note, legalism is no respecter of sectors of Christianity–extra-biblical standards can be manufactured regarding dietary choices and community life,  social action and devotional habits, evangelistic expectations and domestic routine. All of us face the temptation to manufacture commands that become a legalistic snare.

As an additional, additional note, legalism can also creep into the passionate pleas of the anti-legalist.  Some anti-legalistic teachers can make it sound as if true maturity is a race away from the imperatives of Scripture.  This is forbidding what God has given his people to enjoy–the freedom to obey His Word. It informs Christians who still struggle but who neglect the study of Biblical commands that they “just don’t get the gospel enough”–leaving them condemned for their insufficient view of Christ. Yet God gave Biblical commands as a gift of grace that all Christians should benefit from. Failing to encourage Christians to enjoy this gift is manufacturing extra-Biblical restrictions. This too is legalism.

Legalism will always lurk in the path of the Christian.  Like a landmine, it strikes indiscriminately against mature Christians and new believers.  Its greatest damage is done when it turns us away from confidence in Christ and toward confidence (or condemnation) based on our character or discipline. We must be watchful for the characteristics of legalism in our own thinking and in the teaching we receive.  Ultimately, rejoicing in our union with Christ and the submitted freedom that we have in him is our safety against legalistic landmines that will always border our path.

Biblical Community

How does a church become a community? How does a community become a family? These questions have challenged many pastors and church leaders. I don't pretend to know a better or more all encompassing answer than any others.  (This should decrease your confidence in me as a leader!)  However,  I do know that God's Word is very clear that Christians are expected to live in community together, to function as a spiritual family.  God chose this purpose for his people intentionally.  I also know that God is a gracious Father, a generous King always willing to provide what his people need.  Based on God's vision for the church and his gracious character,  I do have confidence that we will be given all that we need to build our church into a community, a spiritual family, envisioned by his Word and sustained by his power.  Here are a few thoughts we should have in mind as we begin this journey:

1.  Biblical Community is a gift and need, not a demand.  Salvation would be endlessly glorious without a company of fellow believers. The gift of a spiritual family should produce gratefulness. Seeing the New Testament picture of community should make us grateful, hopeful, humble, and eager, not demanding, reproachful, and resentful, whatever our current experience of community is. We don't want to be like the little child who complains that his Christmas gift isn't big enough.

2.  Biblical community should be....Biblical.  Our relationships together should reflect the specific calls to community that we see in God's Word.  Like all Biblical commands,  the community commands and patters of the Scriptures will never be fulfilled perfectly, but this does not allow us to start with a different paradigm.

3.  Community should embrace all of life.  Our community should not spurn practical care or denigrate a normal meal together, nor should we resist theological discussions or accountability.  Our goal is not to isolate a certain portion of our life and call it "Biblical Community". Rather we are asking how we can eat and drink and do whatever we do for the glory of God....together.

This worth expanding upon.
A life should include a healthy diet, rest, and exercise.  We don't feast on medicine, and we don't stay in bed 24/7.  Steak isn't usually good for an afternoon snack, and an apple alone isn't a balanced diet.  Our spiritual life together should be the same. Biblical community should include growing in theology, simple encouragements,  practical care for each other, the warnings of accountability, serving together,  praying and worshiping together, joyful enjoyment of God's blessings in all of life, and earnest exhortations to believe the good news.  All of these together constitute healthy spiritual life and we should not assume that some are unnecessary.

4.  Community, like family, should include infants and grandparents.  A biblical community should find a way for the spiritually mature and the spiritual newborns to enjoy each others' company.  The mature should not feel that they have to hide their experience in the faith or their theological depth, the infants should not feel that they are disqualified from genuine spiritual fellowship.

5. Community requires hard work.  We must not assume that we drift toward Biblical community, since we don't drift toward anything good in this fallen world. The New Testament describes normal Christian growth as a battle between the flesh and the Spirit.  The desire to be selfish must be overcome by the desire to serve. The desire to be stingy must be overcome by the desire to be generous.  Bitterness must be overcome by forgiveness, conflict by peace, deceit by honesty, self-righteousness by humility.   The point is, honoring God in his call to community requires sowing to the Spirit.

6.  Community is.   Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes this point brilliantly in his little book "Life Together." Without neglecting the command to "build" community--we have to start by recognizing that through our union with Jesus Christ we have already been decisively built together as a community in Him.  Our job is to function in that union, not create something out of nothing.  This should build our faith for the future of our experience of community and our love for those Christians that are around us, since we share the same Savior and derive our spiritual life from the same Spirit.

That's all for now.  Our church will be announcing our first two small groups on November 3rd.  Our first small group meetings will be the evening of November 17th. That night the gathering will be a whole family get together, complete with dinner and fun.  Can't wait to continue the journey of building community together at Redemption Hill Church.

*Originally posted at www.rhchurch.com 

Small Group Ministry

This last Sunday we announced the launching of our small group ministry. In November, small groups will form together for the purpose of treasuring, reflecting, and proclaiming Christ together.  Small group ministry has been a staple in evangelicalism for a number of decades now. This history is a positive in that it is a not an abstract concept, something difficult to grasp for those that have joined our church plant. However, within this familiarity lurks a potential danger. Everyone has their "Best and Worst" stories of former small groups.  Everyone has their own preferences for how small groups should be organized, led, focused, scheduled, and multiplied.   These differences open up the door for tremendous expectations and potential disappointments as we move forward with this ministry.    How do we avoid this negative outcome? 

Certainly some protection comes from learning from previous "small group mistakes."  Other safeguards are found in communicating a clear, Christ-centered vision on a regular basis.  It will also help for our pastoral team to be consistently hearing from our members about how the small groups are helping them to grow in Christ, and refining and adjusting our vision for greater fruitfulness.   There is another element to consider, however.

I believe that one of the greatest keys to a successful small group is frequently overlooked, despite its profound simplicity. It is a culture of brotherly love.  Small groups are opportunities for us to express the love of the gospel to one another--those that God has brought into our body, those who are one with us in Christ.  Loving one another is a key expression of the reality of our faith in Christ, yet it is impossible to communicate a Christ-like affection in tangible, persistent ways to every other member in the body of Christ.  A small group of people gives us an opportunity to pour out on others the love we have received.   

With love, our study of the Bible becomes an opportunity to celebrate the insights of others and to point out the gift of God's Word to them.
Without love, our study of the Bible can become a knowledge contest or an occasion for using Bible quotations as verbal sword thrusts.

With love, our fellowship is an opportunity for encouraging each other in the promises and good commands of the law of Christ. 
Without love, our fellowship is a self-righteous investigation into the failures of others.

With love, our relationships together are full of patience for the weakness and failures of others.
Without love, our impatience with others leads to selfish cliques and circling the wagons with "comfortable" friends.

With love, our discussion of evangelism becomes a consistent encouragement to help each other proclaim the faith.
Without love, our discussion of evangelism is a battle ground between those more gifted in outreach and those more gifted in discipleship.

Loving one another requires a consistent reflection on the gospel of Christ.  Only as we consider his sacrifice will we be eager to love others as He has loved us.  The good news is that because of his death, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit whose fruit of love is present in the heart of every Christian.  Cultivating and encouraging that fruit, and mortifying the fleshly selfishness that still lingers in us,  is crucial as we build with a small group of our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

*Originally Posted at www.rhchurch.com

Colossians Review

For the last three weeks our church has been studying the book of Colossians on Sunday morning.  I thought a review of our study in the book to date would be helpful.
Sep. 22nd–Colossians 1:1-8
This passage incorporates Paul’s greeting and praying of thanksgiving for the the church.  Paul is celebrating the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout these first 8 verses and inviting the Colossians to do the same.  The outline of these verses was as follows.

Celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ
vs. 1-5a.  Rejoice in Gospel Blessings
vs.  5b-8  Remember Gospel Progress

Sep. 29th–Colossians 1:9-14 
This passage continues Paul’s lengthy opening prayer and transitions to Paul asking God to transform the church for His glory. I encouraged the church to echo this prayer for our own lives, recognizing our need for God to make us what he wants us to be.  The outline for these verse was as follows:

Ask God to change you for His glory
vs. 9-11 Pray for Transformation
vs. 12-14  Rejoice in Redemption

Oct. 6th–Colossians 1:15-20
Paul modulates his tone to communicate one of the most majestic descriptions of Christ in the New Testament. This passage invites us to come and see the glory of Jesus Christ.

Come and See the glory of Jesus Christ
vs. 15-17 Glory over all Creation
vs. 18-10 Glory over the Church

These messages and more can be found on our sermon’s page.

May the Lord continue to illuminate the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ as we continue to study this marvelous letter together.

*Originally posted at rhchurch.com 

Echoes and Shadows

A few Sundays ago I mentioned that our passage for the morning, Colossians 1:9-14, was filled with Old Testament echoes.  Due to time we couldn’t  consider all of the references, but let me list a few more transparent examples.

“bearing fruit…and increasing” (vs. 10)–This language echoes the command of Genesis 1 in which God commands Adam and Eve to “bear fruit and multiply”–a reference to having children and proliferating the image of God on the earth.  The transition of this language to Colossian christians is profound.  As people are born again into the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are born in the image of Christ, who is the “image of the invisible God” (vs. 15).  The new creation is receiving the same command to increase through spreading the seed of God’s Word and raising up spiritual offspring after the image of their Savior.
“who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints”(vs. 12)–  To have an inheritance is a reminder of Israel’s promised inheritance in Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey.  But this new inheritance is not in any portion of fallen earth, but rather with the saints in the land of light.  This new creation is illuminated by the presence of God himself, in which neither sun nor moon is required.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness”(vs. 13)–to be delivered from an evil power is an echo of the OT language of deliverance with its primary referent of the evil Pharaoh of Egypt and his murderous oppression of the Israelites. God’s miraculous works of deliverance, enumerated in Exodus, produced salvation for his people through the process of judgement.  This same process of deliverance by means of judgement echos forward to this passage, where the judgement on Christ has produced deliverance from the oppression of sin and Satan.
“Transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption”(vs. 13)–God’s people were not brought out of bondage only to be left in the wilderness to die alone. God brought them into the promised land and established a kingdom led by a man after his own heart.  Now, we have been delivered from the prison of darkness in sin and condemnation and into the domain of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, before whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess.  In the Old Testament passages, the price of their redemption was visited on the Egyptian people–first born Egyptians died in the night of the Passover–or on substitutes–flawless lambs died in place of Israelites.   This echo now finds expression in the perfect Substitute–Jesus Christ–who is our passover lamb and redemption price, purchasing us for new life in his eternal kingdom.

Echoes and Shadows--If we are considering this passage in terms of the chronology of the Bible, “echo” is the right metaphor.  The Old Testament events did happen BEFORE the coming of Jesus Christ.  However, there is an even more profound vantage point to consider.  Since God is above all time and has always had the intention to bring ultimate glory to his Son, the original events themselves may be viewed as “shadows.”  Like shadows, they were not the ultimate Object, but did reveal His outline and indicate His contours. God’s ultimate and original plan was to exalt the glory of his Son Jesus Christ, the King Redeemer.  His plan happened BEFORE the Old Testament events. Shining his light of sovereign power on to his Son created history shaping shadows, which we see in the events of the Old Testament.  From the standpoint of history, we see Old Testament patterns culminate in the ultimate fulfillment of the Son. From the standpoint of God’s eternal plan, the original, objective goal is Jesus Christ, and all the events of Biblical history were flickering shadows revealing his Person and Work.   Whichever way we are looking at the story, the glory of Jesus Christ and the unfathomable wisdom and power of God are displayed.

From Him and to Him and through Him are all things.  To Him be glory forever.

*Originally posted at Redemption Hill Church

Welcome

What does it take to build a welcoming church?  Most Christians would say they desire to be a part of a church that welcomes guests and new members.  But just saying we want to be welcoming and actually getting it done are separated by faithful vision casting and hard work.   Here are some spiritual values and practical tips I hope to build into our church so that we continue to pursue this goal of welcoming newcomers into our midst.

1) Preach the gospel of God’s welcome in Christ.   This is first on the list because it’s first in importance. Exhortations hold little permanent sway over hearts that are not amazed by grace.

2) Set an example.  Leaders in the church must be willing to welcome newcomers into their homes and into their hearts.  This doesn’t mean that everyone becomes everyone else’s closest friend (actually an impossible goal). It does mean that the pursuit of new friendships should be a consistent part of my life.

3) Don’t give in to laziness with new friendships.  Old friends often take less work since we already know of common interests and we have become familiar with our quirks and weaknesses.  New friends require lots of questions, the occasional awkward conversation, the “getting used to each other” phase, and the willingness to learn to love in spite of the discovery of new weaknesses.  We must never, ever become lazy and unwilling to do this work of building new friendships.

4)  Be appropriately transparent.  This is not a call to share everything with everyone.  Certainly our deepest struggles and fears should be reserved for a couple well-selected and trusted brothers and sisters in Christ. However,  acting like we “have it all together”, that we live in perpetual exhilaration without suffering or struggle, does not invite others into the reality of our lives.   Humility will always communicate welcome and commonality, making it easier for others to feel that they don’t have to be perfect to be our friends.

5) Learn to celebrate mercy and forgiveness.  Building friendships means intentionally being around people that will sin against us.  At some point these new friends will be rude or crude or forgetful or critical or…something else that seems like a betrayal of our friendship.  To be truly welcoming means that we welcome sinners, knowing in advance that we will need to forgive them just as they will need to forgive us. Forgiveness of others must become a joyful act of worship if our church is to be a consistently welcoming family.

May God make us a welcoming church.  May he give us grace to persevere with old and new friends and cause us to reflect his welcome of us by the power of his Spirit.

Grateful for Lifegate Church

   

Last week our church plant team joined Lifegate Church in Seguin, Texas for their Sunday meeting.  We are so grateful they invited us to be with them!  Pastors Bob Odom and Josh Jordan desired to communicate their support for our church plant and wanted our churches to get to know each other and be envisioned for our partnership in Central Texas.  They asked me to preach on a vision for church planting and then hosted us to a fabulous Texas brisket lunch.  The morning was filled with new friendships, prayer, encouragement, and much joy and hope for all that God will do with our churches in the future.  The highlight for me was at the end of the meeting, when Josh invited our church plant team to gather at the front of the stage and took time to pray for our church plant, with all of the Lifegate congregation joining in.  

Many, many thanks to our dear friends at Lifegate Church.  We count your support a gift from the Lord and we are rejoicing to be honored with such a partnership as we launch Redemption Hill Church. 

Do I Believe in Revival?

Psalm 19 says that the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.  In other words, when people come into contact with God's law, God's authoritative word, God will empower his word to bring about new life in dead or slumbering hearts.

Therefore, it seems impossible to doubt the reality of revival and believe in the inerrancy of Scripture.
I also believe in the providential wisdom of God, such that I do not know when or how many people will be revived by the Word in a given time or place.  But I do know that the Word, faithfully proclaimed or read will result in revival, in God's perfect time.  

I believe in revival--in dead hearts coming to life, in dark souls seeing the light, in dying men  receiving the promise of eternal life.

I believer slumbering churches can be brought to vigorous action and watchfulness, that decaying communities can be restored to health, that churches without baptisms in recent memory can suddenly see conversions through their witness.

I believe in revival as I believe in Biblical miracles, in irresistible grace, in the gospel which is the power of God.

I have been motivated to pray for the reviving power of God's Word as we plant Redemption Hill Church especially as I've been reading When God Comes to Church by Ray Ortlund, Jr. Here is one great quote.

God is not limited to our past experiences, our traditions, or what we think the church’s next step should be. We must leave room for divine mystery, for surprise. God never acts out of character but he does exceed our expectations. (31) 

Amen.  Attend your Word with Reviving Power, Lord Jesus. 

Church Planting and Prayer

Every day I am reminded of how much work is required to establish a church.  We have to connect with our new neighbors, get to know our new church plant team members, find our way around a new area, start planning for the new responsibilities of pulling off a meeting every week.  I have to work on messages and website content and outreach strategies and team building plans.  We need a structure for children’s ministry, the worship team, the set-up team, the tear-down team, the greeters, the ushers, the small group ministry.  And we’re not even trying to do a lot of programs right now!
There is a lot of work to do.  Actually most of life is like this, whether on a church plant or not.  For me, the one calling that gets lost in all the to do lists is prayer.  But without prayer all of these other efforts may as well be wasted time, wasted planning, wasted work.  I need the Lord to build this belief into my restless soul.  I need Him. I need to pray. We need to pray. We need communion and dependance and worship more than we need plans, strategies, effort.  So, I say with the disciples.
“Lord, teach us to pray.”

*Originally posted at www.rhchurch.com 

When God Comes to Church

"For those of us who have been Christians for a while, it becomes easy to think that we've pretty much exhausted the possibilities of the Christian life. WE can settle into a routine of activities at church and in our small groups and Bible studies, with little expectation of anything new. The familiar becomes the predictable, and everything from here on out will be more of the same. We dip our teaspoon into the vast ocean of the living God. Holding that teaspoon in our hand, we say, "This is God." We pour it out into our lives, and we say, "This is the Christian experience."

God calls us to dive into the ocean. he calls us into ever new regions of his fullness, his immensity, his all-sufficiency. there is more for us in Christ than we have yet apprehended. Let's never think that we have figured out or that we've seen all he can do. the Bible is not a guidebook to a theological museum. It is a road map showing us the way into neglected or even forgotten glories of the living God. "

                                                                         --Ray Ortlund, Jr., When God Comes to Church

Why Do I Need Forgiveness?

We all like the word forgiveness. Somehow it feels refreshing to say, liberating to see in print.  But why do I need it? Why do you need it? We are all very familiar with having things we don’t need–my garage is always filled with stuff I can’t seem to get rid of, but I’m not sure I really need. Perhaps it makes me feel good to see stacks of stuff ready for deployment–even if I don’t really need it.  Is that how forgiveness is? It’s available…if I ever really need it? Like that odd tool in your garage that you only need once every few years, but in that moment,  sure is nice to have.

Let me list a few reasons why I need forgiveness, not as a random tool, but as a declaration over every moment of my life.

God made me and He owns me.  A hard concept, especially in our country, but absolutely true.
God requires obedience to His Word and love for His Person all the time.
God is aware of every act of disobedience and disloyal affection.
God has the right to hold judgement over me for my failure to be what he made me to be.  God is not blameworthy or capricious in this; He is simply being God.

Forgiveness is God’s decision to not judge me for my sin, to count my punishment fulfilled in the death of his Son, and to remove the barrier of sin in our fellowship.  Nothing outside of God compels him to forgive.  Nothing inside of me compelled him to forgive.  He simply chose to forgive.

I need forgiveness, not as an abandoned garage relic, but as the dawning sun, as my daily bread, my water, my constant companion.  I need forgiveness because without God I am dead. But I cannot have God, unless I have His forgiveness. And in Jesus he forgives all my trespasses and remembers my sins no more.

*Originally posted at www.rhchurch.com

Church Planting in Austin Texas

       I’m sitting in a coffee shop about 35 minutes north of central Austin.  I’m surrounded by people that live here, work here, and call Austin, Texas, home. These people are the reason I’m here.  Two months ago you might have found me sitting in a coffee shop about 35 minutes east of Phoenix, Arizona.  I loved the people in Phoenix and especially the members of my home church, Sovereign Grace Church of Gilbert, AZ.  But our church felt that God was calling us to look outside the borders of our community and answer the New Testament call to plant churches.  So over the last few months a team of 22 people from Arizona have moved away from their familiar surroundings, their offices, homes, neighbors, and church to come to this new city.  We have also been joined by a number of people here in the city that have heard of our church plant and are excited about participating with us to found this new church. Because of God’s work in all of these team members, Redemption Hill Church is about to begin. By the grace of God, in just a few months, we’ll have our launch Sunday on September 15th, at 123. E Old Settlers Road, in Round Rock.  We are praying that people in our area, perhaps even some of the people sitting in this coffee shop now, will become friends and that some of them will join the church.  We are praying that God will lead us to our new neighbors that do not know the gospel, but would be willing to hear our testimony about the Lord Jesus Christ.  May the Lord give us boldness, kindness, and opportunities.  It’s good to be here.

*Originally posted at www.rhchurch.com 

We're Here

I haven't posted in a long while--many apologies to any readers who came back hoping for a new post!

But we did have good reason--we have now
arrived in Round Rock, Texas, North of Austin!  The move represented a lot of hard work and even some unexpected challenges on the road, but the Lord was faithful to bring us across Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas safely.  We were greeted by an amazing moving team of servants, some of whom left AZ ahead of us and some who were here in North Austin waiting for us to arrive.  These are some of the families that will comprise our initial church plant group.  We are so grateful for them!! 

Now, the real adventure begins--and we are looking forward to all that God has planned for us as we meet our neighbors, figure out where our grocery stores and gas stations are located, and pray for the Lord to establish the work of our hands. 

Thank you Lord for bringing us to Austin!

In the Grave He Lay

How can it be that the eternal God lay entombed in a grave on that day we commemorate today?
How did the eternal light lay in darkness?
How did the life of heaven submit to death?
How did the Word of Power bow his head to the silence of the grave?
How did the Overseer of the Church close his all-seeing eyes?
How did the Warrior King surrender His soul?
How did the blazing sun of glory lie cold and lifeless on a slab of stone?

Today is the day of mystery, of light and life concealed in darkness and death. 

Amazing love, how can it be
That you, my Lord, should die for me?

Love in Hopeless Places

Have you ever cared for a friend who felt hopeless all the time? Have you ever come across a person suffering severe depression or frequent bouts with despair?  Those are the moments when truth seems trivial, when advice seems callous. Grand depictions of God's glory come across like diatribes and sermons about hope are receive as hype.

What do you do when you come across a friend in the dark?  Tell them you love them. Tell them you'll be there for them no matter what happens, that you won't leave, that you'll be glad to hear their deepest fears and their most depressing doubts.  Tell them you want to hear about their pain until you understand it a little better.  Enduring love increases the capacity to hear truth.

And when you do speak, lace your words with small phrases of Scripture.  Don't overload the depressed person with four chapters, or a dense systematic argument.  Give them small sips from the fountain, a few words with a gentle tone.  God is faithful. Their spirit will get the taste for the Word and thirst for another drop
before long.

Gospel Comfort

My latest sin was covered by the blood of Christ.
My greatest sin was punished in the wounds of Christ.
My greatest need is provided by the righteousness of Christ.
My greatest dreams are fulfilled in the promises of Christ.
My greatest loneliness is ended by the invitation of Christ.
My greatest sadness is reversed in the inheritance of Christ.
My greatest ambition is provided in the glory of Christ.
My greatest calling is found in the voice of Christ.
My greatest identity is found in union with Christ.
My latest day is determined by the wisdom of Christ.


Hallelujah, All I Have is Christ 
Hallelujah, Jesus is My Life --Jordan Kauflin

Grateful for Sovereign Grace

Why am I grateful for Sovereign Grace, the family of churches I have enjoyed for the last two decades?

1. Sovereign Grace loves to proclaim and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Other values are important, but none eclipses Christ and him crucified.   We want to know it, proclaim it, treasure it, share it, advance it.

2. Sovereign Grace loves exegetical preaching.  Exulting in the whole counsel of God for our doctrine and our standard of life is our privilege.

2. Sovereign Grace loves Biblical community.  Genuine friendships, Biblical fellowship, encouragement, practical care, and love is what we are seeking with one another.

3. Sovereign Grace loves the Holy Spirit. For over thirty years we have rejoiced in the new covenant blessing of the indwelling Spirit, empowering us for worship, service, and witness.

4.  Sovereign Grace loves humility.  We're not humble--anyone who has met us can easily find that out--but we are seeking to grow in humility, to understand where we can humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God.  Our leaders have dared to make humility a value--knowing that none of us will ever live up to the standard.

5.  Sovereign Grace loves the doctrines of grace.  Sovereign Grace is more than a name, it is a celebration of our dependance on God's grace for all things, from existence to salvation to eternity.

6.  Sovereign Grace loves church planting.  I have grown up into a movement that was planting churches before planting churches was cool--I am so grateful for the heritage, for the church planters who built that heritage, and for the model that we now enjoy for raising up new lampstands for God's glory.

7.  Sovereign Grace loves the reforming grace of God. Anyone who has traced our history over the last thirty years knows that we have reformed--sometimes in small areas, sometimes in major areas, sometimes smoothly, sometimes not.  Yet the historic and current leadership of Sovereign Grace has been willing to hold up our practice and theology to God's Word and change what we need to change.  This gives me so much gratefulness for the past and hope for the future.

8.  Sovereign Grace loves Biblical pastoral ministry.  We want pastors of courage and gentleness, of conviction and grace, and we want those pastors to be encouraged, envisioned, challenged, and equipped for the faithful care of God's people.  Anyone who has met a Sovereign Grace pastor knows we are not perfect!  But as a family of churches we love raising up men who will faithfully shepherd God's people. 

9. Sovereign Grace loves the glory of God. We want to know Him, love Him, and worship Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This has led to a history of passionate singing and dedication to growth in godliness in our personal lives, our families, our community.

10. Sovereign Grace loves to believe in God's good purposes for His people into the future.  Whatever difficult moment we are in, whether individually, or as church, or as a family of churches, we love to talk about the perfect, sovereign plan of God.  We know that His plan for us cannot be thwarted by the power of hell or the schemes of man, that God will build His church, and that His people will be transformed into His image until He returns.

I am so grateful for the many churches and church movements that are also celebrating these values in our day.  But, for me, God has used this family of churches--the men and women and pastors and leaders of Sovereign Grace.  Of course God could have used someone else to transmit all of the values above, but for me He used Sovereign Grace. I am so grateful that He did.

I'm Not Ashamed of You

We are too often ashamed of fellow sinners. 
We love people when they're growing, when they're strong, when they're transparent, when they're popular. 
We love them when they love us, when they admire us, when they serve us.
But we're easily ashamed when they fail us, disappoint us, neglect us, or embarrass us.
When their popularity wanes, our affection cools.
When they fall into shame, we keep our distance. 
Perhaps we will help this failing person, if we are understood as the superior, the evaluator, the doctor with a patient, the policeman with the criminal. That kind of association is safe. 
But this is not gospel love. 
Gospel love gladly delights in the image bearer, even when they are broken.
Gospel love gladly embraces the prodigal, even when they smell of failure.
Gospel love gladly associates with the despised, even when they deserve their shame. 
Gospel love calls the sinner away from sin, but gladly calls them friend throughout their journey. 
No one's reputation is worse than my own--a sinner against a holy God, forgiven through atoning grace.
Every Christian should be ashamed of me, but so many of my brothers and sisters have not been.
If God is not ashamed of me, then fellow brother or sister, I must never be ashamed of you. 

Levitical Memories

Leviticus 23-25 describes God's plan for keeping his glory in continual commemoration among his people. In the Bible, forgetfulness of God is failure.  God's people are called to remember his holiness, his glory, his judgement, and most importantly, his salvation. God set up the calendar of the Israelites to reflect this priority.  Annual celebrations as well as daily practices were meant to keep God at the forefront of their minds and hearts.  His name is to be honored continually (24:10) and his image bearers protected (24:17).

The section culminates in the magnificent once-a-generation celebration of the Sabbath year (25).  In this year, property is to be restored to its original owners and the land itself is to take a rest.  God's people are to be restored to their inheritance.  No matter how far down the economic ladder some of the people had fallen, they would always know that in the end their inheritance was guaranteed to return to them in the Sabbath year.  God's inheritance might be neglected, it might even be forgotten, but it would be restored.  On the sabbath year, God's salvation leading to a promised land and a promised rest would be remembered again.

How are we doing keeping God's name and salvation in remembrance? Does our calendar commemorate his glory and his preeminence in our hearts?  Are we consistently celebrating our great redemption?  And do we believe that we have an inheritance, glorious, eternal, unfading, kept in heaven for us? 

Levitical Character

Leviticus 18-22 outlines the character God expects from his people.  Their sexuality, worship, love for one another, obedience, treatment of their children, and priesthood should all reflect their position as the holy people of God.  They have been set apart among the nations by God and their character is to reflect their new holy status.

The same is true for us.  We are not only delivered from hell and headed toward heaven. Every aspect of our lives should reflect the holiness of our God. We are a holy people.  A chosen nation. We are called to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  We offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord.  As the Lord is holy, so we are to be holy in all that we do.   Actually the Levitical character should be even more apparent in us, since the law of Christ has been written on our hearts.

A Faithful Pastor

Who is a Faithful Pastor?

He believes the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He fights for personal holiness.
He leads and loves his wife and children, if God gives him a family.
He proclaims the whole counsel of God.
He loves all of God's people.
He pursues growth in pastoral skill in private and in public. 
He shares the gospel and seeks an evangelistic church.
He loves new believers, old believers, doubting believers, and unbelievers.
He denounces the evils of the age. 
He is willing to care for a small church or a large church.
He is willing to care for a weak church or a strong church.
He is willing to be known or unknown for Christ.
He is willing to listen to criticism and he loves his enemies.
He is unwilling to sacrifice convictions for popularity.
He rejoices in those with greater and lesser gifts than himself.
He may or may not be an eloquent speaker, but he clearly teaches truth.
He may or may not be a brilliant counselor, but he clearly counsels truth.
He may or  may not be be a creative genius, but he loves creative Christians.
He may or may not be an administrative powerhouse, but his church is ordered by the Word.
He may or may not be well loved, but he loves the Savior.
He may or may not be remembered, but he will receive the crown of glory.
He may or may not consider himself a faithful pastor, but he will hear "Well Done."

Levitical Atonement

Leviticus 16 is perhaps the most famous chapter in Leviticus--the prescriptions for the Day of Atonement. God warns Aaron against coming into the most holy place of the tabernacle, except for once a year, and only when fulfilling the atonement requirements. Aaron must offer a sacrifice for himself and then present two goats as a sacrifice of atonement for God's people. One goat will be slaughtered before the Lord, the other sent off into the wilderness.  The two goats represent the double need of God's people--sin must be punished by death and it must be removed far from God's presence.  Leviticus 17 specifies that such sacrifices to the Lord may not be presented at any other place than the tabernacle of God's presence, and that the Israelites are to preserve this fundamental image of blood atonement by not eating any blood in their normal diet.

To repeat: No priest could approach God without offering a sacrifice for himself. Access to God's presence was limited to once a year.  The day of atonement had to be repeated yearly.

Let me say this more personally. Even if I were an Israelite in those days, I could not approach God on my own. I would be dependent on a human, sinful, weak, imperfect priest to atone for his own sins before he could atone for mine.  Atonement before God's presence would have to be repeated, again, and again, and again, lest I be consumed by my nearness to God's tabernacle. 

Reading Leviticus makes the new testament sing.

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Heb. 9:24-26

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith Heb. 10:19-22

My priest is divine, eternal.  I can approach God in Him at any time, anywhere, by faith. His atonement is perfect, final.   I will dwell in the unveiled presence of God forever. 

Clean Forever

Leviticus chapters 11-15 deal primarily with being "clean" and "unclean".  God details what causes a person to be "unclean" before the Lord, unfit to stand near God's presence.  Deliberate actions can cause uncleanness in God's people, but what is striking about these chapters is how pervasive, how commonplace uncleanness will be in Israel.  The ordinary course of life will inevitably cause the Israelites to be unclean, unfit for God's nearness, in need of cleansing.

Based on these chapters, it would be impossible for a person to be permanently clean before the Lord. This, indeed, is the point.  Mankind is dirty before the bleached-white holiness of God.  This pollution is not only on the basis of deliberate sins, not only the result of scandalous acts of depravity.  To be unclean is to be normal, to be human.  In our pluralistic culture, we sneer at the standard of ritual cleanliness presented in these four chapters.  But it's actually easier to be "Levitically clean" than to be spiritually clean before God.   By God's standards, every human, walking a "normal" course of life, is unclean, dirty, unfit, unworthy, in need of cleansing.

This background makes the New Testament sing.

And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  Matt 8:1-3

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. 6:11

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Heb. 10:22

that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,  Eph. 5:26

For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 2 Peter 1:9

The Lord Jesus has cleansed us, rendering us clean in the sight of God.  No matter how unclean we are in our past or present sins, in him all of our guilt and shame is washed away.