Beloved: Growing in Pastoral Affection in 2021

2021 will not be a pastoral vacation. Much as we might like it to be, after the challenges of 2020! This last year has required a heightened level of vigilance and teaching and patience and endurance.  All of us feel the burden of caring for God's flock as we've faced challenges unique in our lifetime.  But January 1st will not magically remove the pastoral challenges that we have been facing this year.  Members will still need care for their own fears, help to understand the role of conscience in the Christian life, exhortations to love others who disagree with them in secondary matters, encouragements to prioritize the gathering of the church and the calling of evangelism as the Covid season continues. And these will simply be added to the normal list of ordinary Christian struggles and growth. 

Wisdom from above will certainly be needed.  How good to pastor on behalf of the One who gives generously to all without finding fault!   In the midst of our myriad of pastoral obligations, I'd like to remind us of one we easily forget: pastoral affection.   If we take our pastoral guide from the ministry of Christ and the epistles of the New Testament, then we must certainly be affectionate pastors! Below I've listed just a quick search of the English word beloved, in the ESV.  Consider how often the pastors and apostles of the New Testament communicated their love for their readers in the churches.  And as we absorb these passages, let's ask the question: How often are we saying to our congregation, "We love you."  

If we are fatigued from 2020, then surely our dear members are as well.  Let us encourage them by letting the affection of Christ flow through us to them. Pastoral affection is not unmanly, it is not superficial, it is not archaic, it is not secondary. It is essential.  Christ loves his sheep, and to shepherd for him means we must communicate affection on a regular basis.  

Let's allow these examples to motivate our affection in 2021.

Acts 15:25 - it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 

Romans 12:19 - Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”  

Romans 16:5 -Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.

---

Romans 16:8 - Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.

---

Romans 16:9 - Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.

---

Romans 16:12 - Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.

---

1 Corinthians 4:14 - I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

---

1 Corinthians 4:17 - That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

---

1 Corinthians 10:14 - Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

---

1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

---

2 Corinthians 7:1 - Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. 

2 Corinthians 12:19 -  It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved.

---

Ephesians 6:21 - So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything.

---

Philippians 2:12 - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

---

Philippians 4:1 - Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

---

Colossians 1:7 - just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf

---

Colossians 4:7 - Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

---

Colossians 4:9 - and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

---

Colossians 4:14 - Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas

---

2 Timothy 1:2 - To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

---

Philemon 1 -To Philemon our beloved fellow worker

---

Hebrews 6:9 - Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.

---

James 1:16 - Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

---

James 1:19 - Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 

James 2:5 - Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

---

1 Peter 2:11 - Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

---

1 Peter 4:12 - Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

---

2 Peter 3:1 - This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,

---

2 Peter 3:8 - But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

---

2 Peter 3:14 - Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

---

2 Peter 3:15 - And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,

---

2 Peter 3:17 - You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

---

1 John 2:7 - Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.

---

1 John 3:2 - 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 3:21 - Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;

---

1 John 4:1 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

---

1 John 4:7 - Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

---

1 John 4:11 - Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

---

3 John 1 - The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

---

3 John 2 - Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

---

3 John 5 - Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are,

---

3 John 11 - Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

---

Jude 3 - Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

---

Jude 17 - But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

---

Jude 20 - But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

 

 

The 2020 Gospel Test

 

2020 has provided a host of cultural and personal challenges.  Churches face division over preferences and perspectives about the right way to live in a shaking culture.  Political parties are simultaneously outraged and divided. The political, medical, and economic future of our country is uncertain, except in the perfect knowledge of our Lord. 

There are many issues that require Biblical teaching in 2020.  How does the Bible address death? Or race? Or loving our neighbors? Or politics? Or economics? Or government? Or issues of conscience? Or the end times? The wise pastor will not try to address every issue that the culture is facing, but will prioritize those issues most necessary for the faithfulness of his own congregation. These are issues that do need Biblical teaching. He is a fool who will not bring God's word to bear on the most challenging cultural and personal issues of his own church members.  But the wisest pastor will, above all, be determined to keep the gospel central and prioritized. Being a gospel pastor in times when the culture is largely placid is simple, unifying, enjoyable.  2020 has tested this determination.  It is one thing to talk about Christ and him crucified when few other topics shout for our attention. It is much harder when the culture and sectors of the church are demanding that we speak to many legitimate moral and theological issues.   

Being gospel centered means that whenever we address another topic, we discuss it in terms of its theological relationship to the gospel. We are determined to view our discussion of death, or race, or love, or politics, or economics, or government from a gospel centric perspective. In other words, we refuse to make these gospel implications the central point of our teaching, such that everything we teach begins to revolve around them.   Everything is not centered around health, or love, or race, or politics, or generosity--all of those topics are centered around Christ.

We are also determined to keep the gospel prioritized, so that our passion and our greatest effort and time is given to extolling Christ and him crucified and risen.  This means, of course, that we must be self-controlled in addressing other topics, however urgent or culturally central they are at the time.  We do not ignore them, but we do not apportion to them the height of our passion or the majority of our content.  Our highest goal in preaching and teaching and leading is that our churches would know Christ and him crucified.  Our desire is that the person and work of Christ would outshine, in our ministry, every other light, even as we allow those other lights to shine in right proportion to Christ. 

Let us test ourselves, pastor brothers, by the 2020 test. Are we preaching Christ and him crucified as the first thing, even as we navigate the many other needs of our churches in this tumultuous year?  I thank God for the many brothers who are, and I pray God will give me strength to follow their example.   And wherever we have not passed the 2020 test, may we resolve with fresh dependence to keep Christ first in 2021.

Prayer and Preaching

When I begin to lack fervency in prayer for my preaching, I should only return to Psalm 19:10.   Unless people love the Word more than much fine gold, enjoy it more than an incomparable dessert, my preaching still has far to go to reveal the true value of the Word.   Reading this verse, and considering my weak efforts, I feel (more appropriately, in my case!) Lloyd Jones sad admission that he felt he had never truly preached in his life.  My the Lord anoint his word, and use this broken farmer to sow his perfect seed. 

 More to be desired are they than gold,
  even much fine gold;
 sweeter also than honey
  and drippings of the honeycomb.
(Psalm 19:10 ESV)

The Spirit and Preaching

Without the eyes of the Spirit, the preacher cannot see the truth of the Word.

Without the heart of the Spirit, the preacher cannot feel the value of the Word.

Without the passion of the Spirit, the preacher cannot long for the impact of the Word.

Without the wisdom of the Spirit the preacher cannot trace the unity of the Word

Without the guidance of the Spirit the preacher cannot summarize the point of the Word.

Without the Spirit—the Word will not be preached, but only a man’s thoughts, worthless as a mist against a mountain.

But When the Spirit moves, the mountains may be throne into the sea.

Hope for Preaching

Hope for a Biblical message does not lie in rhetorical power, or vocabulary, or theological insight, or dramatic delivery, or brilliant illustration, or effective timing, or clear organization, or pastoral experience, or even empathy and discernment in connecting to the listeners, or in the ethos of internalization and the integrity of personal application.  The only hope for the success of a message is the Spirit of God.  Without the Spirit’s work, even the diamonds of preaching will easily be swept off the porch of our listeners’ minds as accumulating verbal dust or bothersome ideological cobwebs.  Worse, the listeners may be impressed only with the preaching.  But when the Spirit moves, our words of dust convey the light of eternal glory, shining undimmed into darkened souls.   The Spirit alone can reveal the diamond treasure of the glory of Christ. 

So, let us denounce false hope or false despair in looking at our words, and cry out with desperate confidence in the Spirit of God.  

Spirit of God, speak the glory of the Word of Christ to us.

Don't Canonize Your Structure

I love strategizing church ministry structures--deciding the most effective way to apply Biblical principles in our current church situation and cultural context.  However, a danger lurks in this expression of Biblical leadership.  Pastors can sometimes decide that their ministry structure--not the goals, the principles, or the practices mandated by the Bible--but their particular church schedule or emphasis, is as Biblical as the Bible itself.  We canonize our structure. 

Here's how it works:
Teaching is crucial to the people of God. People need to hear more of God's Word.  A church that doesn't provide mutliple teaching contexts a week is being unbiblical. 

Christians of every maturity need to evangelize.  Our teenage Christians need to evangelize.  A church that doesn't prioritize evangelism in their youth ministry structure is unbiblical. 

 Christians need to grow in their study of the Word. Non Christians should not be burdened with deep Biblical studies, they need to focus on the simple gospel.  Allowing non-Christians or young Christians to attend a discipleship meetings undermines transparency and sanctification or burdens unbelievers and is therefore unbiblical.  

Christian singles have extra time and energy to focus on discipleship.  Singles should experience the full life of the church.  A singles ministry that does not provide every aspect of the christian life is unbiblical. 

God created families. The gospel is for every generation.  A Church that creates ministries focused on specific seasons of life is unbiblical. 

Of course the examples could be numerous.  The tricky part is that we might never actually verbalize the italicized conclusion, even to ourselves. But functionally, relationally, we hold that conclusion with a grip that should be reserved for the Bible itself.  For a given church, in a given time in its own history and culture, to structure their ministries in accordance with the italicized accent could just be wise, discerning leadership.  But the leaders must carefully inform their own hearts and their people of the difference between a choice of accent and a Biblical structure.  Such as...

Biblical teaching is crucial for God's people. We've chosen to accent that priority by providing multiple teaching contexts in our church schedule.

Christians of every age need to evangelize. To highlight that truth, we've chosen to accent evangelism in our youth ministry.  

Christians need to grow in their study of the Word. Non-Christians should not be burdened with deep Biblical studies, they need to focus on the simple gospel.  We've chosen to provide ministries that focus on rigorous Bible study, better for mature Christians, and others that focus on the basic truths of the faith, better for non-Christians.

Christian singles have extra time and energy to focus on discipleship.  Singles should experience the fullness of the Christian life.  We've chosen to create a singles ministry that provides many of the aspects of church life with a schedule that conforms to Singles' typical availability.

God created families. The gospel is for every generation.  We've chosen to eliminate age-specific ministries to highlight the value of families worshiping and learning together. 

Of course, a wise pastor will recognize that every ministry structure is a choice to emphasize one accent rather than another.  There may come a day when a different accent may be needed in his church and in order to reach his culture. In that moment, the pastor that differentiated between legitimate accents and canonizing his structure will find it easier to lead his church toward a transition.

It's also important to recognize that some practices do receive priority in the Bible. We should make sure that those practices receive priority in our structure.  But we should be honest with ourselves. All of us have particular burdens and gifts and our structures (and Bible references!) normally tend in those directions.  This is part of God's sovereign care for his church.  But in order to serve the next generation and the next leader in his Biblical gifts and burdens, we should distinguish between accents and the Bible. We should not canonize our structure.








 

The Shuttered Window

If only experiencing spiritual joy were as easy as opening the window shutters.

One moment the room is gloomy, the next it is cheerful and bright.  But then again,  window shutters are a good reminder that my experience of gloom is not the same experience I would have if the sun suddenly disappeared. I may feel a certain darkness inside the house of my soul, I may not even have the strength to open the shutters, but the earth is still spinning in its orbit and I have not frozen to death in the darkness of a sunless space.  The Sun is still doing its job even when my soul is shuttered. 

And God is doing his job as well, however I may be feeling today. Shine on, Lord God, and sustain us by your grace, and forgive me for how often I define you by my current feelings.

Content To Be A Brick

Have you looked at a brick wall recently?  Very few individual characteristics stand out about each brick. You tend to notice the wall, the strength, the solidarity, the togetherness, and not each individual brick.

The Bible says that we are like living stones, built into a spiritual house for the Lord.  May we be content to be just one of those bricks, leaving to the Lord our individual reputation or our individual accomplishments, and glad to be a part of the larger whole of his Spirit indwelt church, his holy temple on earth. 

Of course, you would notice a gap, where a brick should be. 

Cain, Abel, Jealousy, and Jesus

The Cain and Abel story reveals the progression of sin in Genesis.  Sin, initiated by Adam and Eve's desire to contend for supremacy with God, progresses outward as human beings contend for supremacy with one another. Cain is angry because God has regard for Abel's offering, but not for his own.  Genesis 4 is a living parable of James' words in James 4:1, " What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder." 


Abel had God's regard, a commendation from the Lord, and Cain wanted it.  Of course to want such a regard was not a bad thing!  (There is even a place in the Bible for a godly jealousy that longs for righteousness and is angered when sin, Satan, or the world, consumes what should bring glory to God.)  But rather than produce humble self-reflection and an active mortification of his own sinful jealousy and hardheartedness,  Cain turned this passion toward his brother in a murderous rage.  The logic of his own heart seemed to be: "unless I can have what you have, I will destroy you."
Countless quarrels and fights in our own lives are reflected in the story of Cain and Abel.

"You took my parking space, so I mutter or scream at you."
"You took away the relaxing evening I wanted, so I withdraw from you in sullen anger."
"You received the recognition that I want, so I internally meditate on all of your failures."

All of our quarrels, internal and external, reveal that we haven't gotten something we desperately wanted--wanted enough to fight for it.   In some of these conflicts,  the other person has simply thwarted our desires.  In other fights, the other person has received (or taken!) the very thing we want so badly, and jealousy arises out of the heart.  "You have what I wanted!"--is the heart cry of the jealous person. Perhaps this is why jealousy conflicts are so full of rage, so emotionally charged, and why jealous people are willing to go to such lengths to punish the person or take back what they demand.

The objects of jealousy are legion--they could be attention, prominence, position, possessions, relationships, recognition, legacy, intimacy, and a host of other desires-become-idols.  In all fights of jealousy, the fundamental craving is the same:  "You have what I should have and I demand to have it back, or, if that is impossible, I demand that you not have it anymore."   The jealous person will fight to have their idol restored, and if denied, will simply begin to fight against the person who has it, looking to destroy anything, including the person, the object of the desire, and anyone else who gets in their way.  This is what happened to Cain.  This is also the story of the two women who came to Solomon for judgment--the jealous woman would rather the surviving baby be destroyed than that the other woman have what she could not have.  This is the story of the high priests and Jesus--they were willing to destroy him, willing for the people be deprived of his ministry, rather than see him have the popularity they wanted.  Jealousy is seen even in the original desire of Satan. Wanting to attain to God's throne,  he would rather destroy God's world and everything in it than that God receive the glory that he wanted.  Lets us be sobered by this: Fighting because of  sinful jealousy is acting just like Cain, just like that murderous mother before Solomon, just like the high priests, just like Satan.

Jealousy is so powerful the Proverbs writer even uses the danger of jealousy as an incentive against sin toward others: For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge. He will accept no compensation;he will refuse though you multiply gifts. Proverbs 6:34-35 In other words,  don't be foolish enough to make a person jealous against you because of sinfully wronging them!

Proverbs also says this about the power of jealousy: Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? Proverbs 27:4

Sinful jealousy burns like a fire. We must quench even the smallest flames of it in our heart lest it build into the conflagration that consumes us.  How do we do this?

Let us take our jealousy to the cross of Jesus Christ.  On the cross, Jesus gave up what he rightfully deserved to bear the punishment that we should have received.  Jesus suffered from the jealousy of others in order to pay for the jealousy in our hearts.  Even as he died for the raging, wrath-deserving jealousy of his people, he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  The blood of Christ speaks a better word than the blood of Abel: Abel's blood cried condemnation for jealous Cain, but Jesus' blood speaks forgiveness for the jealousy in our hearts.  Our Lord is indeed faithful to forgive us and cleans us of all unrighteousness.  Let us go to Him, and consider his death on our behalf. Views of the cross, with a heart watered by the Spirit, quench the flames of jealousy.

Let us see and tremble at the spirit of Cain within our hearts, and let us return in faith to the blood of Christ that has cleansed us from such sin, and pray continually for His Spirit to produce within us the humble, God-trusting, patient, enduring, servanthood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Tribute to My Love on Our Anniversary

Eleven years ago today,  my wife and I were married.  On that day we celebrated the grace of God in providing us to each other.  Today, after a decade + 1 of marriage, I am even more astounded at God's generosity to me in her.  Here are a few reasons why:

1.  Lory loves the grace of God.  One thing I know for certain about my wife:  she has no confidence in herself, and gladly declares that her salvation and her preservation, and every in between moment of loving her husband and family is a testimony of God's grace. 

2.  Lory is passionate about God's kingdom.  Lory has crossed the country with me three times, from Texas to Maryland to Arizona and back to Texas.  She does not consider this world her home, and she wants to invest our family in eternity.

3.  Lory is committed to building God's church.  She loves Biblical preaching, energetic worship, Biblical community, hospitality, ministry times, and testimonies of God using his people in the lives of one another.

4.  Lory is a conduit of God's Word to me.  She has spent 11 years bringing me Biblical truth--encouraging, challenging,  envisioning, motivating, convicting, reminding truth--in which I hear the echoes of God's Word hidden in her heart and his voice calling me to honor Him with my life.

5. Lory is a fun wife.  The Bible says that its possible for a wife to be like a"constant dripping"--so I am so grateful for how much fun Lory infuses into our marriage! She is funny and laughs hardest at herself; she notices the goofy moments that happen around us every day; she still loves watching Disney cartoons; she loves the childish sayings of our children; she celebrates the joy in the normal memories of being a family and being a couple. 

6.  Lory is a romantic wife.  Lory has never been satisfied with seasons in which we are partnering in our home more than loving each other.  She always notices when our attention has drifted to our responsibilities as parents and away from our affection as husband and wife.  She loves little tokens of affection and big romantic surprises. She would gladly get away together for three days or spend a quiet evening at home when all the kids are asleep. 

7.  Lory is a transparent wife.  She is determined to tell me her hopes and joys and struggles and needs and expects me to provide leadership and care and direction and protection.  She knows that I will need God to be a faithful husband to all that she is, she counts on it, and holds nothing back.

8.  Lory is an interesting wife.  She loves history and horses and food and cinema and travel and exercise and conversation and parties and culture.  My life could never be boring married to her!

9.  Lory is a fantastic mother.  She loves the kids, schedules the kids, reminds them, teaches them, trains them, corrects them, feeds them, cleans them, prays for them, envisions them, encourages them, plans for them, hopes for them, cries for them, warns them, waits for them, surprises them, comforts them, and faithfully releases them to the hand of the Lord. 

10.  Lory is my friend.  In heaven, (don't quite know how to anticipate this yet),  Lory and I will not be married, but she will always be my best friend.  There is no one I would rather walk through this pilgrimage with than you, love. 

11.  Lory is patient with me.  I'm putting this last, because as I look at the years of marriage ahead of us until death do us part, I am deeply aware of my need for God's patience to flow through her to me.  I will sin, forget, be critical, be harsh, fail to love, fail to protect, fail to honor, neglect, again and again, despite my best intentions to do the opposite.  I am so grateful that Lory is patient--that God's love is patient, and that Lory allows the patient love of God to flow from her to me.

To you my love, with all my gratefulness and affection.  I love you. 

God is Patient

What does it mean that God is patient?  It means he waits when he does not have to wait.  It means he postpones what he does not have to postpone.  It means he experiences what he does not have to experience. Of course sometimes we have to wait, postpone, and experience things because of actions outside of our control. Our patience is often more about whether we will respond with joy and peace when our desires are delayed.  I can't change traffic, but I can choose to respond with patience toward my fellow drivers. Sometimes,  we do have the choice to postpone, wait, or endure something or not. I can choose to be patient as my son slowly puts on his shoes or impatiently inform him that he's already taken too long.  Sadly,  we often prefer ease to patience. 

God is under no limitations or restrictions that come to him from the outside.  God never gets stuck in traffic. No force controls him, but himself. He never has to wait for anything.  He chooses patience.  He chooses to wait for our full glorification. He chooses to postpone the full vindication of his glory and power.  He chooses to experience the stumbling and foolishness of his people and the blasphemy of his enemies.  He chooses patience, not because he has to, but because he wants to.  He even chooses to be patient with impatient people. Why does he want to?

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.  1 Timothy 1:16

He chooses to be patient to display his mercy, to reveal his love, to give time for many to turn to him in repentance. He is patient again and again and again, days innumerable, until the end of time.

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty and marvel of your patience toward us.  You patience is truly a wonder to behold. 

Be Like David or Trust in Jesus?

Let us consider the David and Goliath story for a moment.  What is the main point of the story?  Are we to conquer our own Giants of Fear and Doubt just like David did?  Is courageous faith the main point of the story?  Such a summary neglects the main point of the Bible: the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Therefore,  it must be reformed. 


Ok, so the main point of the story must be: trust in Jesus.  Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed one, and the ultimate New Testament fulfillment of the storyline of 1 Samuel which reveals the value of a righteous, victorious, King-Deliverer.  David was this king temporarily. Jesus is this King permanently. We should identify with the cowering Israelite soldiers in need of an anointed Messiah, someone who could conquer the towering grim reaper of condemnation and death who was facing us.  Jesus is our Savior in an even greater way than David was the savior of Israel. Trust in Jesus.  Yes,  this is certainly the main point of the story. If nothing else is said about David and Goliath, this must be said.  Without this point, the David and Goliath story misses its mark.  Jesus is clearly the ultimate King-Deliverer of whom David was an anticipating shadow.

But then, what do we do with Hebrews chapter 11 verse 32.  And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gidoen, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, of David.....who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises...  

The author is clearly telling us to follow in the footsteps of these men, to imitate their faith.  Oh no!  Doesn't this take us right back to our first point--be like David?  Have faith like David? But isn't this just Old Testament moralism that neglects the primary purpose of the Scriptures of pointing to Jesus?
Here is an attempt at a solution.  The New Testament is very clear on several points that help us in interpreting the Old Testament.

1.  Jesus is the ultimate point of the Bible.  Trusting in Jesus as our Savior must be the ultimate goal of Old Testament interpretation.  David defeated Goliath means trust in Jesus.
2.  There are no works of faith or righteousness that we add to the finished work of Christ.  David defeated Goliath doesn't mean that you and Jesus save you together.  Jesus paid it all.
3.  In union with Christ we should strive to reflect his power over sin and Satan in our daily life. 

David defeated Goliath means that Jesus defeated your greatest enemy on your behalf and in Him you can fight against spiritual enemies in your life.  We do this as he empowers us by his Spirit, as he works in us to will and to work for his glory. In other words, it's not wrong to want to be like David, but a better way of saying it would be--seeing David defeat Goliath should make you Trust in Jesus and trusting in Jesus should make you want to be like Jesus in your daily life.  The "being like" doesn't save you.  The "trusting" doesn't negate the value of "being like."

Another way of describing this interpretation would be the phrase multiple fulfillment.  There are actually a number of examples of this interpretation in the New Testament.

For example:

Jesus is the new temple,  but in Christ we are a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the final, complete sacrifice, but in Christ we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices of worship to God.
Jesus is the only priest we need, but in Christ we are a priesthood of believers.
Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith, but in Christ we are to have faith until the end.
Jesus bears the only cross of our judgment and condemnation before God, but in Christ we are to take up our crosses and live for his glory.

This does not mean Jesus  +  our righteousness = salvation.   There is a primary and a reflective fulfillment here.  Jesus is the primary fulfillment. He is the main point.  But His glory is extended further as he continues to accomplish His work, through His Spirit, in His bride, the church.  It is no surprise, since we are united to Him,  indwelt by His Spirit, and His witness in the world, that our calling takes its definition in reflecting Him.

In saving us, His person and work are unrepeatable and complete.  In our calling, we reflect Him and in so doing continue to reveal His fulfillment of the Old Testament which anticipated the person and Work, and ongoing work, of the great King-Deliverer, Jesus Christ.

Trying to be like David without trusting in Jesus is legalism, and hopeless.  Trying to trust in Jesus without becoming like Jesus, and therefore like David in his better moments, is impossible, and unbiblical.  Trusting in Jesus for all of salvation, and seeking to be like him in grateful worship, is the right answer to our Bible question.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Refrigerators are very useful inventions–they’re vastly superior to salting our beef, buying ice in large blocks, and keeping cold cellars full of semi-perishable food stores.  However,  there is one serious downside to the refrigerated box sitting in my kitchen.


Refrigerators deceive me into thinking that I can store up for my needs for the future.  I am under the illusion that I already have enough resources to sustain my life, at least for the next few days.  The reality is very different. My existence is continually dependent on the Lord.  My every breath comes from him as does my daily bread.  Pulling food that I purchased a few days ago out of my fridge might subtly induce me to forget my daily, continual dependance on the Lord.  I’m guessing that the pre-modern cultures were a little more aware of this ongoing need than I am.  They were a little more in touch with the need for daily bread.

This realized dependance is all the more important because Jesus used bread as an illustration for his provision of salvation to his people.  He called himself the Bread of Life.  And my union with Him is not something I need occasionally–I can’t put my union with Christ in the crisper to be pulled out when I want it.  Though his Spirit I am continually relying on my union with him for the existence of my spiritual life, just as I depend on his sustaining power for my physical life.

So, the next time we open the fridge door today–let’s take a moment and declare our joyful trust in our Bread of Life, the one who provides for all our needs, the one by whom and through whom, and to whom are all things.

Give us this day, Lord, our daily bread.

Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament

Our church is preaching through the Old Testament book of Jonah right now.  After Jonah is completed we will begin a series through Genesis.  Based on the teaching of the New Testament, we believe that all of the Old Testament--narratives, poetry, law, wisdom, prophecy--teach us about the person and work of Jesus Christ.  These OT images of Christ are limited.  Not one represents him in his perfection, but they invite us to meditate on the fullness of his glory and to consider his complete fulfillment of God's plan of salvation.  

One way to walk through the Old Testament and see Jesus is to ask how the characters and patterns anticipate Jesus by comparison and how they anticipate him by contrast.  Similar to the negatives-and-pictures of the old film process, sometimes these people and patterns reveal what Jesus will be like and sometimes they reveal what he will not be like or how much better he will be.

Take Adam, for example.   Like Jesus, he is responsible to represent humanity before God. Like Jesus, he is called to  cultivate God's creation and to bring about God's perfect plan for mankind.   Like Jesus, he had to bear the curse of sin and be banished from God's presence. In Adam's call, we see God's call of Jesus.  In Adam's banishment, we see Jesus on the cross and in the grave. This is seeing Jesus in the positive comparison of an old testament character.  The ultimate reason for Adam's role was to anticipate the greater role of Jesus. 

We also see Jesus in contrast to Adam.  Unlike Jesus, Adam surrendered to the lie of Satan and disobeyed and disbelieved God.  Unlike Jesus, Adam sought to transfer responsibility for his role to someone else (Eve) and did not want to shoulder it himself.  Unlike Jesus, Adam was cursed because of his own sin rather than becoming a cursed exile only as a substitute for others. Frequently, when we see a character in the Old Testament showing contrast to Jesus, they are simultaneously revealing the need for Jesus' salvation that anticipates our condition as well. Like Adam, more than that, in Adam, we desperately need a Savior.

In comparison and contrast,  thinking about Adam helps us to see the calling and perfection of Jesus Christ and the prefect Savior he is for us.

A Christian reading Genesis 1-3 should not just be thinking, "What an interesting historical story..." or even "how should I be like or unlike Adam?".  Those thoughts are not wrong--but they should progress to the ultimate meditation:  "How should I respond to the picture of Jesus that I see here?"  

Feeling Emotional?

Americans view emotions as out of our control.  Emotions are like tornadoes--the best you can do is duck and run for cover.  The better your storm cellar of escapism or therapy or friends or accessible distractions, the less emotions will toss you around. But, as the popular assumption goes, no one actually controls their emotions--limiting the damage is the best you can hope for. 


The Biblical view of emotions is quite different.  God commands us to feel certain ways.  We are to "rejoice in the Lord always" for example, to be "content in all circumstances", to "not be anxious about anything."   Certainly these commands aren't a restriction from feeling sad at the prospect or the pain of suffering (consider Jesus in the garden), nor an expectation that feeling joy in the Lord will be a simple act of the will, like flipping an internal switch.  "Don't worry, be happy" may be in line with the Bible's call to those united to Christ, but its triteness guarantees its uselessness in moments of true temptation or trial.

Our own experience, and the Biblical testimony, indicates that our emotions are often more difficult to manage than our physical actions.  After all, the Pharisees were able to conform to a certain type of external discipline, while their love for God was cold.  And many saints in the Bible exerted great spiritual effort before they could force their emotions to line up with their beliefs.  Clearly, aligning our emotions with our beliefs requires extended spiritual exertion and ultimately the power of the Spirit.

However,  and here is the point for the American "we are the helpless victims of our emotions" mentality:  God calls us to command our emotions.  They usually obey slowly, they frequently obey our flesh rather than our new nature in Christ, but we are not free to throw up our hands and surrender to their latest spontaneous mood.  Here are a few questions we can ask of our emotional state to start the process of bringing them under the control of the Spirit.

1. Am I aware of my emotions through the week? When am I angry, happy, sad, joyful, passionate, apathetic--and what is motivating me to feel these ways? (Awareness of my emotions is the first step in bringing them into alignment with Biblical truth.)

2. Do my feelings right now reflect the truths of the Bible?  (In the midst of my sadness over sin or suffering, am I also feeling hope in Christ? Is my anger at God's providence or my joy in sinful pleasures in keeping with my gospel identity?)

3.  Do my feelings right now reflect the values of the Bible? (Intense emotion over the traffic or the line at the grocery store indicates that my value system is out of sync. Apathy at the preaching of God's Word followed by exuberance over a sports game reveals the need for a reversal of passions.)

Identifying emotional variance from our beliefs should lead us to prayer--asking God to change our hearts and make us feel as we should for his glory.  God made us to feel emotional.  God remade us, by his Spirit, to feel emotional in ways that demonstrate the authority of His Spirit and the newness of our life in Christ.

Feeling emotional?  Good--be as emotional as you can be, by the power of the Spirit, in keeping with your calling in Christ, for the glory of God.

Inheritance Day

You have been given an infinite inheritance in Christ, if you belong to him.  In our world, such an inheritance would mean that all of your financial needs are met, that you will never lack for any physical need in your life, that you will have power to accomplish your heart's desire. Of course, our full inheritance awaits the return of Jesus, and our entrance into heaven.  The heavenly inheritance means all this infinite provision and more--it means personal and unrestricted relationship with the infinite God. 



Your needs and wants today will ultimately find fulfillment in perfect, holy enjoyment of the inheritance of permanent relationship with the God of all glory and joy.  God will be the sun that shines away all of your gloom and the treasure that meets all of your needs. He will be the rock beneath your feet that will never shake and the fountain of water that keeps you in perfect health and refreshes your soul.  God will be all if all to you and your inheritance will never diminish, never fade, never be traded away, never be in danger.  The coming of Jesus will be our full inheritance day.  Let us live today in light of that day--letting all of our worries and anxieties fade in the light of his certain return--the Day of days, when the glory of eternity will shine into our hearts forever.

The Rest and Feast of Serving

Serving is a feast.  Serving provides rest.

Jesus said in John 4 “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. He said again in Matthew 11 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

In the process of serving the Lord restores our souls and gives us strength--he sustains us through the activity of serving.  Of course this doesn't mean that times of inactivity are wrong, or that God never calls us away from labor for a time of workless rest.  However,  for most of our lives, God's life-giving Spirit rejuvinates us while we labor in his service.  This means that one answer to the question "How can I feel more of God's strength in my life, since I feel so weak and needy right now?" is:  Serve.   If you want to rest, serve. If you want to feast, serve.  Again, it's not the only answer, but it certainly is one Biblical venue of God's provision. 

One caveat, from my own experience and I'm sure yours as well.  The kind of servanthood that provides rest and refreshing grace is joyful servanthood, not grudging work or bitter labor.   When we take the yoke of our master with joy, when we do the Father's will with gladness of heart, we find that our souls feast on his grace, and our hearts are lifted up by the rest of His Spirit. 

So...who would like to rest and feast today?

Even If

In the book of Daniel, three young men stand face to face with the emperor and dare him to carry out his threat and throw them into a furnace.   He has said that unless they worship his idol of gold, they will be burned alive.  They declare that God is able to save them from the fire, but even if God chooses to let them die, they will still be faithful to worship God and God alone. 



This strikes to the heart of my feeble faith, and at the core of the American prosperity gospel.  Even if.  Even if He does not save us from physical pain and even death? Even if He does not do what we want Him to do, what seems good for Him to do, what makes sense for Him to do? Even if He doesn't demonstrate His power and His favor over our lives or reward our faith right now?

Of course we will pray for the power and mercy of God to be on display in generous provision and miraculous protection.  We pray that God will reveal himself in keeping us from the fire of trial and suffering.  But...even if he does not, by the power of his grace, we will still worship the Lord and will only bow before Him.

Consider a few "even ifs" that bring the magnitude of this faith home to our ordinary lives.

• Even if my marriage doesn't improve...

• Even if my children do not turn to the Lord...

• Even if my son turns toward sexual sin...

• Even if my daughter won't reconcile with me...

• Even if my boss fires me...

• Even if my car breaks down...

• Even if my pastor lets me down...

• Even if my friend betrays me...

• Even if my health fails...

• Even if I see hypocrisy in Christians...

• Even if my society becomes anti-Christian...

• Even if my enemy prospers...

Dear Lord, please provide and protect and preserve and deliver, as a testimony to your infinite kindness. But even if there is no fruit on the vines, even if there is drought in my soul, even if the way of the cross looms before me, even if wickedness prospers in the land...yet I will hope in you by the power of your Spirit.  Receive the glory as I lay down every "even if..." at the foot of your cross and find that by trusting your goodness and sovereign wisdom I find true peace. 

The Hydration Test

Imagine two different people, both desiring energy.  Energy Ernie drinks exclusively highly caffeinated energy drinks.  Water Wayne drinks exclusively water.  In the first hour of their hydration experiment Energy Ernie would probably have much more energy; he would probably seem more excited, even vigorous, compared to Water Wayne.  How long would it take for this to change?  Two hours? Three hours? A full day?  Certainly by day two or three, probably far sooner, the energy levels would begin to reverse.   Energy Ernie would be anything but--he'd be feeling his lack of sustainable hydration, probably his health would quickly suffer.  Water Wayne, on the other hand, would feel refreshed and hydrated and his consistent water drinking would bring a noticeable benefit to his health.  His dependance on water would increasingly reveal the benefits of water hydration to him.

The Word of God, accompanied by the Spirit of God, is like water to our souls.  The entertainments and pleasures of this world are more like caffeinated energy drinks.  Sometimes we crave the immediate high, the quick emotional impact with little investment, that entertainment and worldly pleasures can bring.  We are disappointed when we don't feel a buzz from our latest 8 ounces of Scripture.   However,  as fun as a movie or a roller coaster might be, they can never attain or sustain the heights of strength and passion provided by a consistent intake of God's Word, energized by His Spirit. In a short time, temporary enjoyments leave us needing another experience.  Pursued exclusively, or for the purpose of providing ultimate spiritual hydration, these enjoyments actually begin to decrease our energy and spiritual passion. Before long, our capacity for energy suffers burn out. Furthermore, we begin to crave and take energy from those around us, who, of course, can never fully satisfy our thirst.

Not so the Word of God.  The more we take in, the more we drink of God's Word, the more our souls are truly refreshed, the more we look forward to more.  And more than the benefit to us, the Word that has refreshed our souls flows out of us to refresh others. We share that Word the way a fountain provides water to those who are thirsty.

Don't look to the pleasures of this world to provide the ultimate hydration for your soul.  Look to the Fountain--the Word that always satisfies, always energizes, always has more to give.

The Shortest Route to a Boring Bible

All of us struggle with ambivalent feelings toward the Bible at some point or another.  The pilgrimage toward heaven has seasons of light and glory and other moments when we feel trapped in doubting castle or wandering after the counsel of Mr. Wordly Wiseman.  However, we would do well to consider some of the easiest ways to make the Bible boring...and strive to avoid them! Here are some that come to mind--consider them as shortcut directions to a boring Bible experience.

1.  Spend more time thinking about how boring the Bible is than reading it.

2.  Consistently disbelieve or disobey what is read.  Irreverence for Biblical authority will lead quickly to Biblical apathy.

3.  Rarely ask a pastor or older Christian about passages that are hard to understand.

4.  Rarely turn Bible reading time into prayer.

5.  Read the Bible as primarily about our actions rather than God's actions.

6.  Rarely ask God to help you love the Bible.

7.  Read the Bible rarely rather than consistently. Expect immediate revelation and joy upon every reading.

8.  Look forward only to other things as refreshing (food, entertainment, friends) and the Bible only as a responsibility.

9.  Assume that current apathy toward the Bible reveals its potential and real value.

Hopefully none of us would celebrate these foolish directions boldly--however they are often the functional practice of our lifestyle and our inner thoughts.    Let's consider their reverse and make it a practice to run toward the value and joy of God's Word.

1. Spend more time reading the Bible than musing about how boring it is right now.

2.  Seek to obey and believe what is read.  Functional authority will lead to an experience of relevance.

3.  Consistently ask a pastor or older Christian to explain difficult passages.

4.  Consistently turn Bible reading time into prayer.

5.  Read the Bible as primarily about God's actions, especially in Christ, and only secondarily about our response.

6.  Always ask God to help you love the Bible.

7.  Read a little of the Bible consistently rather than a lot rarely.  Expect the Bible to become more exciting as you read it over time, rather than expecting an instant adrenaline rush with every verse.

8.  Look forward to God's Word as refreshing, rather than only finding refreshment in other things (food, entertainment, friendships).

9.  Assume that the Bible is truly valuable and exciting and that current apathy toward it is an inaccurate indication of its worth.

Lord, open our eyes to behold marvelous glory in your Word. Show us yourself and speak to us by your Spirit.  Enliven our hearts to love the Words of life you have given to us.