Proclaim it from the Housetops

I have never sat under John Piper's ministry. I have read his books and listened to his messages for years now, and what I can say is that I have never been more challenged and encouraged in my walk with Jesus by any other man that I have never met.

Last year I posted the following on another blog and have been thinking this would be a good time to share it again.

My desire this morning is that God would use my words to inspire you with courage in the cause of truth. My prayer is that he will grant you to overcome all fear of speaking the truth of Scripture, and that you will have the boldness to speak it openly and clearly when it is unpopular or even dangerous.

There are at least two reasons I feel this burden this morning. One is that Paul had this burden for his younger apprentice, Timothy. Paul said in 1 Timothy 4:3, "The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth." In other words, "Timothy, it is likely that you are going to have to say some unpopular things that do not scratch where people itch. I want you to know this in advance so that you are not shaken when the truth you preach is rejected. It will take courage to press on in the face of that opposition, Timothy. So be courageous and take your share of suffering for the truth (1:8; 2:3; 3:13-14)."

The other reason I feel this burden this morning is because subjectivism and relativism permeate our culture and threaten to destroy churches and schools and denominations and movements. By RELATIVISM I mean the assumption that there is no such thing as absolutes. What is true or right or good or beautiful for you may not be for me. It's all relative. By SUBJECTIVISM I mean the assumption that in this relativistic atmosphere I, the subject, have the right to determine what is good and bad, right and wrong, true and false, beautiful and ugly for me without submitting my judgment to any objective reality or any objective authority outside myself. This is the air we breath in America today.

Which means that it is extremely unpopular today to take a strong stand on anything except tolerance. The claim that you know a truth that everybody should believe or that you know a behavior that everyone should avoid—that claim is enough to earn for you the name, Ayatollah or Facist or Ceaucescu.

If you commend a truth with confidence, and make a case for it on the basis of objective evidences, and call on people with urgency to change their minds and believe it, you will be viewed by the average American as arrogant and even dangerous. But if you avoid talking about truth or give the impression that truth is unattainable, and if you avoid words like "should" and "ought" and "must," then you will signal to people that there is no objective truth and there are no moral absolutes. And then people will see you as humble.

Confidence that you know some things that all people ought to believe is seen as the essence of arrogance today. On the other hand, a sense of uncertainty about what is true and about how one ought to live, accompanied by a kind of open-ended ethic and an absence of judgment on controversial issues is seen as the essence of humility. This is one of the primary ways today that people with itching ears gather for themselves teachers to suit their own liking. It is not easy to be called arrogant and dangerous, and it feels very good to be liked as humble and open and inoffensive. And therefore the temptation to lose your theological and moral nerve is tremendous and the need for courage is immense.

The text for my exhortation is Matthew 10:24-31. The aim of Jesus in these verses is to give us the courage to speak the truth of God's word with clarity and openness no matter what the cost.

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.

The main point of this text is plain from the three repetitions of the command not to fear. Verse 26, "So have no fear of them." Verse 28, "Do not fear those who kill the body." Verse 31: "Fear not therefore; you are of much more value than many sparrows." So Jesus' aim here is to overcome fear and instill courage.

But courage to do what? Can we make the point of this passage sharper? We can. The point is made very sharp in verse 27. Jesus has something very specific in mind that is threatened by fear and advanced by courage. He says in verse 27: "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear . . ." In other words the real danger of fear in this passage is the fear to speak clearly (in the light) and openly (on the housetops) when that speaking might get you in trouble.

So here's the point of the passage: Don't be afraid to speak clearly and openly what Christ has taught you even if it costs you your church, your friends, and your life. Or to put the point positively, Be courageous to speak the truth of Scripture clearly and openly for all to hear even if it is unpopular and dangerous.

The rest of this text is motivation: five reasons are given for why you and I should have courage to speak all that Jesus taught—the popular parts and the unpopular parts—no matter what. Here they are (far too quickly, I regret):

1. First, notice the "so" or "therefore" at the beginning of verse 26: "So (therefore) have no fear of them." In other words, fearlessness flows from what Jesus just said, namely, "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more (will they malign) those of his household." Therefore have no fear of them. Does that help make you fearless?

It should. I think the sense is this: Jesus is saying, "Your mistreatment for speaking the truth clearly and openly is not some unexpected, accidental, random, meaningless experience; it's just the way the way they treated me, and so it's a sign that you belong to me—you are part of my household (cf. Heb. 13:8). So don't be afraid of the names they call you when you speak out plainly, those very names bind you and me together."

2. Second, notice the word "for" in the middle of verse 26 (the NIV often drops these important words): "So have no fear of them; FOR (here comes the second reason not to be afraid) nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known." How does that help us overcome fear and be courageous in the cause of truth?

It helps us by assuring us that the truth we are speaking will triumph. It will be vindicated in the end. People may reject it now. They may call it the word of Beelzebul. They may cast it out. They may try to bury it and hide it from the world and pretend that it does not exist. But Jesus says, "Take heart in the cause of truth, because in the end all truth with be revealed, all reality will be uncovered. And those who spoke it with clarity and openness will be vindicated. Do not fear.

3. Third, Jesus says, Fear not, you can only be killed! Verse 28: "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." In other words, the worst thing your opponents can do to you when you speak the truth is to kill your body. And that leaves the soul untouched and happy in God for ever and ever.

But if you keep silent, if you forsake the path of truth and fall in love with the praise of men you could lose your very soul. And that you ought to fear. But don't fear what man can do to you. All he can do is dispatch your soul to paradise. Fear not.

4. Fourth, don't fear to speak the truth, but be courageous and speak clearly and openly because God is giving close and intimate attention to all you do. Verse 30 means at least that much. Jesus says, "Even the hairs of your head are all numbered." In other words, the suffering you may undergo in speaking the truth is NOT because God is disinterested in you or unfamiliar with your plight. He is close enough to separate one hair from another and give each one a number. Fear not; he is close; he is interested; he cares. Be of good courage and speak the truth come what may.

5. Finally, fear not because your Father will not let anything happen to you apart from his gracious will. The logic of Jesus is plain and precious. Verse 31: "You are of more value than many sparrows." Verse 29: "Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will." The courage-giving conclusion: No harm will befall you but what God mercifully wills. As the young missionary Henry Martyn said, "If [God] has work for me to do, I cannot die."

So I appeal to you, don't yield to the spirit of the age. Love the truth. What you learn of Christ in the closet speak in the light. What you hear in the Scriptures proclaim from the housetops. And do not fear the face of any man. Amen.

A Call for Courage in the Cause of Truth

A Wonderous Cross

The classic hymn by Isaac Watts never wears thin (When I Survey The Wondrous Cross),

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

It Was Love

Nails were not enough to hold God-and-man nailed and fastened on the Cross, had not love held Him there. ~Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

It wasn't for fame, it wasn't for prize, it wasn't for principle, and it wasn't for honor.

Jesus could have just as easily gotten down off that mean-brutal-blood-soaked tree as he could have had the very ones nailing him to it fried to a crisp, but he didn't. Why?

It was love that held him there.

Relevance that Counts

If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point. ~Martin Luther

There is a time and a place to be relevant, but it isn't an easy-soft place.

HT: George Grant

Clever Myths

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ~2 Peter 1:16, ESV

With a casual glance at the best-selling "Christian" book list spanning the last how many years you'd sure wonder. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ that the writers of the new testament contended for, why do we insist on promoting myths?

A Short Primer on Limited Atonement

I understand that the doctrine of "limited atonement" can be highly controversial, but that doesn't mean it's one we should avoid.



Thoughts, comments?

Forget Jesus?

16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ~1 Corinthians 9:16, ESV

Do we preach the gospel with the kind of passion and urgency with which Paul did, or are we more concerned with making a favorable impression and larger crowds when given the opportunity to proclaim Jesus? Paul reminds his young protege to Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal (2 Timothy 2:8-9a, ESV).

How prone we are to forget Jesus when he should be the cornerstone of any gospel presentation since he is essentially the gospel.

The reality is that we haven't preached the gospel if we have treated Jesus merely as a side bar—that is, preaching Jesus as a clever get rich quick scheme, a role model on steroids, a perfect big brother, or a hip dude. Jesus must be the way, the truth, and the life—otherwise we haven't preached the gospel (John 14:6). Now, I am aware of what we might call the social gospel. I'm all for acts of compassion, mercy ministries, and causes which promote and protect justice, but that isn't to replace the preaching of the gospel which Paul was willing to suffer for. Only Jesus can save a man's soul. And to be sure, we haven't preached Jesus if we have preached condemnation either (John 3:17).

If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on Paul advising us to go and join the circus or to take up a career in marketing if we are not committed to preaching the gospel, no matter how popular we are.

The Value of My Life

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. ~Paul the Apostle (Acts 20:24, ESV)

If only I can say the same.

D.A. Carson: Making the Cross Peripheral

This one gospel, this message of news that was simultaneously threatening and promising, concerned the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the long-awaited King, and included something about his origins, the ministry of his forerunner, his brief ministry of teaching and miraculous transformation, climaxing in his death and resurrection. These elements are not independent pearls on a string that constitutes the life and times of Jesus the Messiah. Rather, they are elements tightly tied together. Accounts of Jesus’ teaching cannot be rightly understood unless we discern how they flow toward and point toward Jesus’ death and resurrection. All of this together is the one gospel of Jesus Christ, to which the canonical Gospels bear witness. To study the teaching of Jesus without simultaneously reflecting on his passion and resurrection is far worse than assessing the life and times of George Washington without reflecting on the American Revolution, or than evaluating Hitler’s Mein Kampf without thinking about what he did and how he died. Second, we shall soon see that to focus on Jesus’ teaching while making the cross peripheral reduces the glorious good news to mere religion, the joy of forgiveness to mere ethical conformity, the highest motives for obedience to mere duty. The price is catastrophic. ~D.A. Carson

Carson strikes a chord for me, ...to focus on Jesus’ teaching while making the cross peripheral reduces the glorious good news to mere religion, the joy of forgiveness to mere ethical conformity, the highest motives for obedience to mere duty. The price is catastrophic.

And yet, we continue to make the cross peripheral.

A Full Strength Gospel

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ~1 Corinthians 1:17-18, ESV

If we are going to recover a full strength gospel we have to be willing to start talking about the cross as if it were life or death (because it is), and quit talking about everything else peripheral as if it were central. Others of us might just do better shutting up altogether and let the cross do the talking.

You may wonder what I mean by a full strength gospel? First of all, it's important that we understand that there is a diluted gospel that is emptied of its power and then there is the undiluted gospel which is mighty to save (which Paul clearly speaks of here). And secondly, when the cross is presented as the gospel's centerpiece it should be noted that it will become a stumbling block of unparalleled proportions for those who refuse it—last I checked the words of Jesus, there was a narrow gate and a wide one (see Matthew 7:13-14 if you have any questions, judging by much of the content of what passes as modern preaching today, you might just get the opposite impression if you aren't careful). The cross is like a needle delivering a cure to those who are terminal, not a bunny rabbit passing out goodies to all takers.

In other words, when you preach the cross, your messages are guaranteed to hurt people's feelings and maybe even rattle their overinflated sense of self-esteem.

So, why do we water it down and try so hard to make it more palatable? Why are we ever trying to smooth out its jagged edges? Why do we do everything on the planet to make everything but the cross paramount? Why do we strip references to the cross out of our conversations? Why do we talk as though the cross were an afterthought? The gospel is powerless when preached as a bubble bath. The cross isn't suppose to be cotton candy to those who are perishing, unless I have totally misunderstood Paul's text here.

Now, I will agree that we can add our own offense to the cross in a variety of ways that ought not be there (2 Cor. 6:3, 1 Cor. 8:9), but we are never to make that a crafty excuse for removing the offense. There will always be offense taken when we preach the cross as it was meant to be preached, it's worth noting that Paul doesn't add as a caveat, "sometimes there will be offense". It's not we who are to be offensive, the message handles that just fine.

I just have to borrow a comment at this juncture that hits the nail on the head from Bill Streger on Jared Wilson's recent post, Preach the Gospel Only When In Season?

From observation, I've noticed that the American church really likes to change "seasons" about every 4-6 weeks. So while it may be acceptable to have a "gospel/cross season", we can't let it last too long. After all, we have to make way for:

* God's plan for your finances season
* How God wants you to have lots of good sex season
* Getting ahead at work season
* Get behind the vision of our church season
* Give more money to our church season
* Why aren't you in a community group yet? season
* Parenting without losing your mind season
* We need more volunteers for the easter egg, drop ipods from the sky season
* Let's dominate the city by elevating our innovation season
and last, but certainly not least...
* Lessons of morality from popular summer blockbuster movies season

I mean, if we just preached about Jesus, the cross, and the Gospel all the time the direct mail postcards would get a little redundant.

Amen.

When we remove the offense of the cross from our preaching we just become a Christian alternative to Oprah and Dr. Phil—no one gets converted and no one's feelings get hurt. Nice. What's the sense? Maybe a paycheck? We certainly can't claim to be doing anything close to what we have been set apart to do. At least they don't claim to be gospel preachers (I know, we like the term communicators better).

I know it's not popular to preach the cross, but when did having more campuses than any other church in a city become the calling of a pastor? My conversations with friends and strangers about Jesus—namely his claim to be God, his crucifixion, his resurrection, (and dare I say it, their sin, which the cross exposes like a naked streaker)—haven’t always been happy pleasant exchanges. No, they are often difficult to spit out and hard for the hearer to swallow. But it's the cross they need most! What kind of person keeps the cure to cancer under wraps?

I won't use the term here.

If our only message is "Jesus loves you, Jesus loves you, Jesus loves you... and he has a wonderful life for your plan and your best marriage now"—that's not the gospel of the new testament. For all most people care, Santa Claus loves them too, and he bothers to deliver bundles of toys.

We need to see to it that the cross is never secondary in our preaching and refuse to apologize for the offense that follows; and we must be prepared to explain why the cross is absolutely necessary and why it is flawlessly sufficient.

To take the offense of the gospel out of our message isn’t merely diluting the gospel, it is to take out the gospel entirely. There is hope though, and the hope is that we recover a gospel that truly is gospel.

Gospel Stew

11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. ~Galatians 1:11, ESV

Gospel stew continues to remain a favorite dish on the proverbial evangelical menu. Ingredients include: A dash of Gnosticism, a teaspoon of religious pluralism, a pinch of universalism, a sprinkle or two of Pelagianism, a cup of biblical relativism, an ounce of antinomianism, and the kicker—a pound of good old fashioned justification by anything other than faith. Oh, and how could I forget, no meal is complete without the occasional sugar coated reference to the gospel mixed in—we wouldn't have gospel stew without it!

And there you have it, a warm pot of gospel stew.

A perverted gospel is as simple as one, two, three. You can even heat it up in the microwave if need be. Beware though. When you serve the gospel as nothing more than salt and pepper sprinkled over a rancid steak you haven't fed God's people, you have only fooled them until later on of course, when they get sick and vomit.

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:6-9, ESV

I think Paul said the same thing twice there, which might just indicate he's dead serious.

Need I say more?

The Gospel of Great Grace

Now herein lies the grand peculiarity of the Gospel. It pronounces the utter insignificance of all that man can do for the establishment of his right to the Kingdom of Heaven; and yet, he must somehow or other be provided with such a right ere that he can find admittance there. Ah, grace. Great grace. ~Thomas Chalmers

HT: George Grant

Gospel Deficiency

The McClatchy Newspapers reported the following a few days back,

WASHINGTON—The biggest bedbug outbreak since World War II has sent a collective shudder among apartment dwellers, college students and business travelers across the nation.

The bugs—reddish brown, flat and about the size of a grain of rice—suck human blood. They resist many pesticides and spread quickly in certain mattress-heavy buildings, such as hotels, dormitories and apartment complexes.

Couldn't help but think of the current crisis sweeping the church here in the West when I read the words above. With a brief glance at a majority of what passes for gospel preaching, you'd be hard pressed to find much of anything that resembles the gospel (and I'm not calling out the countless "Christian" educators who long ago sold out and have subsequently done their due diligence in attempting to neuter the gospel of its intent, or the crafty "Christian" television miracle workers who preach a gospel devoid of our helplessness and sinfulness—or even "Christian" psychologists that for the most part spoon feed us large doses of psycobabble that passes as sound-biblical advice).

I'm calling out so-called gospel preachers here.

Jared Wilson writes in a post titled, "Dude, Where's My Gospel?",

Gospel deficiency is the biggest crisis of the American church. It has been replaced by many things, most commonly a therapeutic, self-help approach to biblical application. Bible verses are extracted to enhance calls to self-improvement and Jesus is preached as moral exemplar (which of course, he is, but then again, so is Mother Teresa). The result is a Church that, ironically enough, preaches works, not grace, and a growing number of Christians who neither understand the gospel nor revel in its scandal.

If that isn't an accurate assessment of the growing crisis here in the West I don't know what is. "Gospel deficiency" as Jared calls it, is epidemic.

Repackaging the gospel and redefining its radical implications is the equivalent of taking a prescribed anti-biotic and adding 99 parts water to one part medication and pouring the remainder of the medication down the drain, and then expecting the concoction to work it’s wonders of cure. Insane we’d say. But that’s what we do when we mix and mingle the gospel message with any other message that doesn’t support it’s outrageous claims, glorious freedom, inescapable hope, and amazing grace.

How does it come to pass that, with open Bibles before them, men and women should be wrong not so much about certain details with respect to the gospel, but about the whole thing?—wrong about its foundation, wrong about its central message, wrong about its objective, and wrong about how one comes into relationship with it. ~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Kingdom of God

It was forty-five years ago Lloyd-Jones offered that assessment concerning the evangelicalism of his era. Not much has changed I'd say.

Isn't it time we who identify ourselves as gospel preachers reclaim a gospel that is potent for the healing of men's souls?

Stop and Smell the Roses

The world exists, not for what it means but for what it is. The purpose of mushrooms is to be mushrooms, wine is in order to wine: things are precious before they are contributory. It is a false piety that walks through creation looking only for lessons which can be applied somewhere else. To be sure, God remains the greatest good; but, for all that, the world is still good in itself. Indeed, since He does not need it, its whole reason for being must lie in its own natural goodness; He has no use for it, only delight. ~Robert Farrar Capon

The Gospel Alone Deserves Top Billing

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. ~1 Corinthians 1:17

It’s not for our becoming culturally relevant that our Lord Jesus suffered and died.

It is reported that some one sent to know whether Luther thought it was permissible to use warm water in baptism. Luther is said to have replied, "Tell the blockhead that water, warm or cold, is water."

Methodology isn't the gospel. Methods come and go, while the gospel alone deserves top billing. I've been preaching and writing (although its been light years since I stood in a pulpit) for over two decades now and I have seen every latest and greatest tactic under the sun, each employed in the name of being relevant of course.

The clear and present danger we young communicators of the gospel message face isn’t that we lack relevance in our approach. If anything, the pitfall we must guard against is getting hung up on being too relevant—there is such a thing. It's called putting the cart before the horse, bowing to the golden calf known as pragmatism instead of throwing ourselves at the foot of the cross and preaching from there. It’s an over-emphasis on being cool at the expense of being biblically sound and faithful. In other words; being relevant at any cost seems to have replaced doing our darndest to somehow be true to the gospel message.

We have been charged with a mandate to unwrap and present the riches found within the pages of scripture—not to spearhead a campaign to canonize the latest fad book. Our high calling isn’t to memorize the most up-to-date book on modish terminology—or even stay on top of the latest trends. God’s as impartial about whether we dress grunge, preppy, or indie style—as he is about our favorite baseball team winning the World Series this year (sorry Cubs fans). Heaven forbid our jeans aren't from Buckle. Billy Graham never got sidetracked by things less than primary such as methods and style (there are those who may disagree), and he reached a few people with the good news.

Now, in no way am I suggesting that we shouldn’t attempt to be aware of the culture about us or that we need to try and be a geek (too late for me)—I would argue that being relevant is both wise and of tremendous value. However, there are grandpas and grandmas who are about as happening as a Kool-Aid stand in Jonestown, but these gray panthers end up reaching the lost with the unconditional love of God while us hip whipper snappers are too busy scrambling around trying to put the gospel in just the right package.

Is it our holy must as gospel preachers (or is that concept too old-school nowadays?) to serve as conduits through which the truth is conveyed—or are we merely aiming to pass along just another neatly put together sermon-in-a box? Do we live and die as communicators of a scandalous gospel or do we settle for something much less?

I say as long as our methods don't take away from the gospel than as far as I am concerned they'd fall into the permissible file, but as soon as our methods compromise the gospel we are spinning our wheels and defiling our calling. A pragmatic approach that finds its justification in results may fill an auditorium, but it’s sure to compromise the gospel message. How we share isn’t paramount—it’s what we share that counts. Poison can look tasty. Ask Eve. Having a polished message means nothing when the offense of the cross has been craftily and conveniently taken out.

J.I. Packer noted some years ago now:

Our business is to present the Christian faith clothed in modern terms, not to propagate modern thought clothed in Christian terms. Confusion here is fatal.

I wonder sometimes if all we are is just one more voice presenting modern thought clothed in modern terms. If it wasn't for the steeple on the top of our building or the word "church" we use you wouldn't know the difference (many of us have removed the crosses that used to hang in our hallways and sanctuaries, oops, I mean auditoriums).

In closing, for all I care you can serve the gospel message with vanilla ice cream and put Hershey's chocolate syrup on top of it, go ahead, just don’t alter the message.

It's the message that matters.

Cursing the Lie

Besides the fact that Bono sings some of the best music on the planet, he's also been known to say a thing or two over the years that hits you square between the eyes.

It's not enough to rage against the lie... you've got to replace it with the truth.

HT: The Thinklings

Our Mighty Fortress

My very favorite hymn is by Martin Luther (should come as no shock to those of you who know me). I'd only been a Christian a couple years the first time I remember the hymn making an impact on me. It was a sunny day in Dallas some twenty years ago now and I was a young college student, the hymn was sung and accompanied by bagpipes played by men in kilts--one of my very favorite professors had died unexpectedly and was being laid to rest, leaving his sons and mother and the rest of us to mourn.

I've mentioned to those close to me that I want the masterpiece played at my funeral if they decide to have one for me.

A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevaling.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabbaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours,
thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.

Kenneth W. Osbeck writes in his book, "Amazing Grace: Illustrated Stories of Favorite Hymns":

"A Mighty Fortress," which became the rallying cry of the Reformation, was composed by Luther, who surprised many with his songwriting skills. The exact date of the hymn is unknown, but it's generally believed to have been written for the Diet of Spires in 1529 when the term "protestant" was first used. "A Mighty Fortress" is loosely based on Psalm 46, which praises God for His deliverance from adversity and trial.

In 1853, Frederick H. Hedge translated the hymn into English from the original German. It endures to this day as one of the great anthems of the faith.

Atonement 101

Nails were not enough to hold God-and-man nailed and fastened on the Cross, had not love held Him there. ~Catherine of Siena

I've never really entered the ring when it comes to the debate about atonement. Besides, there's more terms these days about the doctrine than I can sort out. The emergents have new ideas that leave my head spinning, the charismatics have a tendency to use the atonement for personal gain, my Calvinist brothers (who I most identify with) spend a considerable amount of time explaining the finer details, and the rest us Protestants are left asking questions about the differences.

When I was a bible college student several years ago now, there was a joke about all of the varied positions on the Tribulation. Of course the three views were Premillennialism, Amillennial, and PostMillennialism. However, a fourth emerged that I favored called Panmillennialism; the belief that it will all "pan out" in the end. To this very day, I still favor the later and it was supposed to be a joke. Go figure. So much for my reading up on all of the differing theories. I think often times we overdue it in our quest to have the most polished argument and end up missing Jesus altogether.

My sentiments on atonement are similar.

Atonement is God's idea, not ours. So I believe in it wholeheartedly.

The raging debate is counter productive in too many ways to count if you ask little old me. But even if the need arose for one more voice among the fray, I'd have to pass.

First, I am a better negotiator than a debater.

Secondly, I don't understand why there is a debate.

And thirdly, I believe the bible is so clear on the issue, that to enter the debate, even if I felt like it, would be nonsense to me.

If you don't understand the concept of atonement I'd recommend a book I am currently reading that I wish I'd have read 20 years ago when it was first recommended to me, "The Cross of Christ", by John Stott.

If you'd like to read post that breaks it down in short order I'd say see Jared Wilson's post "Accomplished Atonement".

Stumbling Block

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ~1 Corinthians 1:20-25, ESV

Do we present the stumbling block or dance around him?

A Pseudo Grace

Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace. ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Grace is the sweetest song in the world for the soul that knows its tune, but there is a grace that is anemic. It's the difference between the "cheap grace" and "costly grace" Bonhoeffer identifies.

I was meditating on the words of Bonhoeffer earlier this afternoon trying to get my head around the crux of what he meant when he spoke of "cheap grace".

Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate ("The Cost of Discipleship").

Preaching a grace that makes people feel better about themselves isn't the idea. Frequently I write and talk about God's amazing grace with people and it's like I am a hero until the conversation takes a turn and I begin to mention why we need that grace (i.e. our total depravity), and why Jesus is so absolutely essential in order for that same grace to be possible. I get the feeling the person on the other end of the conversation who viewed me two sentences ago as an angel from heaven all of a sudden considers me a minion of Satan himself when all I have done is state the gospel truth.

You can talk of grace, just don't let anyone know why they need it because they actually might put less trust in man and end up feeling better about Jesus instead of themselves. Imagine that!

10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. ~Acts 15:10-11, ESV

Paul paired the two constantly, it's not be chance he spoke of grace and Jesus together.

20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. ~Romans 16:20, ESV

Basically, cheap grace boils down to a kind of pseudo grace that massages our egos rather than centering in on Jesus and his cross.

Supporting Our Troops Isn't a Pass into Heaven

I got another one of those mass emails the other day that is sure to have made it to China by now and back, 283 times. Since it was about Tiger Woods and I am a fan it got my attention.

Okay, I am all for appreciating and honoring our troops and our veterans. I never served in the military but some good buddies of mine have, therefore I kind of understand all they sacrifice on our behalf, at least I try to. Some soldiers even lay their lives down for love of country. So, the last thing I am attempting to do here (and I need to be clear because I have been misunderstood and called everything short of a communist before), is to slam our troops. I thank God for America and for those who protect her.

The following is someones anonymous response (something someone is not willing to put their name on but they'll send it the far corners of the earth) that I received by email the other day) to Tiger Wood's two minute speech at the Inauguration this past January titled "You'll Never Walk Alone", which highlighted his experience growing up the son of a special operations officer (for kicks I watched the speech yesterday over at YouTube, it seemed sincere as far as I could tell and very classy).

Since I don't think I could do the email justice I will just post it here.

I have never been more proud of Tiger Woods than when I heard his 2-minute tribute to the military at the Inaugural Celebration in Washington DC . You know he was greatly pressured to be there. Liberals have been mad at him for a decade for not joining their ranks. You know he didn't want to be there. So instead of paying homage to Obama, he paid tribute to our soldiers. Not one time did he mention Obama, the inauguration or the new administration. He knew beforehand that his love for America , and appreciation for our military men and women would anger them further. But Tiger is his own man; his father taught him to be his own man.

Somewhere over that cold, gray Washington sky, old Earl Woods was smiling down on his beloved son. And there will be one more crying hug waiting for Tiger when he passes through the pearly gates into God's arms.

Like I said, no one puts their name on these emails and it's no wonder why.

Unbelievable.

I held the elevator open for an elderly couple a few weeks back when I accompanied my dad to the hospital for his twice a decade colonoscopy, maybe it's safe to assume my going with my dad or my nice deed for the day means I'll be passing through the pearly gates too? And maybe in the final tally my good works will outweigh my boatload of sins?

I thoroughly enjoy watching Tiger Woods golf. I am sure he is a fine individual and anyone who follows golf from a distance knows he is a fierce competitor. That being said however, I am not sure it is safe to assume that Tiger Woods knows Christ. God knows that, we can only speculate. But to insinuate that he is going to walk through the pearly gates because, one, he wouldn't oblige the liberals, or two, he honored the men and women in uniform who protect our liberty, is theological nonsense.

9...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ~Romans 10:9-10, ESV

Does anyone believe in justification by faith anymore?

A Parable of Grace

1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' 5So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' 7They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' 9And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' 16So the last will be first, and the first last." ~Matthew 20:1-16, ESV

It dawned on me last night as I was getting ready to call it a night, how much this parable is the equivelent of brittle finger nails on the chalkboard for us believers in the West. Could the reason that many of us don't very much care for the parable above (or that we butcher and misinterpret it), be that we don't get grace?

How many times I have heard it said that "it's just not fair" that some people go to heaven and some go to hell. We're especially ticked off about guys like the thief on the cross next to Jesus getting to skip through the pearly gates. There are those of us who despise deathbed conversions after all.

I think it was R.C. Sproul who pointed out the wrongness in this approach. Isn't the fact that one wayward son is welcomed home something we should be rejoicing about rather than splitting hairs about why God doesn't just save the whole lot of us sinners? Isn't the fact that God shows mercy to one single soul a miracle in and of itself?

The more immersed I become in God's good grace the more I learn to appreciate the parable of the workers in the vineyard. It's when I get tripped up by my works and fail to see them as nothing more than made possible by God's grace that the parable begins to leave a sour taste in my mouth.

What Jesus is clearly and empatically saying is that God gives each of us (his) servants what he wants to and what he gives us isn't based on merit.

That is the gospel of grace.

Make me a man of grace Lord.

Hunches and Pet Doctrines

In the 1995 movie "Heat" (which I do recommend if you appreciate a good film), Robert Deniro plays a "tragic bank-robber" (who I actually found myself feeling sorry for). He is chased the entire movie by Al Pacino, who plays a dedicated and tired cop who has a wreck of a personal life to show for it. I watched the 3 hour movie with my dad one night laying flat on the couch recovering from hernia surgery.

One anynomous blogger from England commented about the character Deniro plays, "a man of philosophical merit who realises he's stuck in a life of crime he doesn't want to lead." There are several scenes in the movie that remain etched in my memory, but one in particular is a scene towards the tail end of the flick. Deniro has decided it's time to leave his life of crime behind and run off with the girl. As he drives out of town under the city lights he breaks his one cardinal rule and turns around to complete some unfinished business. To make this short and sweet I'll just say his turning around doesn't end too well. It was his swift undoing.

There are some beliefs I hold that I refuse to sweat over. There are entire passages of scripture I don't think mean the same thing I used to think they meant. There are even other teachings I have turned my back on. But justification by faith alone isn't one of those hunches or pet doctrines.

Could it be so simple, so cut and dry, so free of charge, so undeserved? The answer is a resounding Yes!

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. ~Romans 1:17 (KJV)

There are times to turn around, there are times to stop, and there are times to keep our foot on the gas.

Our Approval Addiction

One reason why the Church does not impress the world more may be because we are too much bent on impressing it, more bent on impressing than on confessing. We labour on the world rather than overflow on it. We have a deeper sense of its need than of our own fulness, of its problems than of our answer... We are tempted to forget that we have not, in the first place, either to impress the world or to save it, but heartily and mightily to confess in word and deed a saviour who has done both, who has done it for ourselves, and who is doing it every day. ~P.T. Forsyth, ‘The Soul of Christ and the Cross of Christ’. London Quarterly Review 116 (1911), 193.

HT: Jason Goroncy