A Dash of Salt

Weekend Wonderings

I have not been able to be out and about on the Web much this week (I've been hiding under a huge rock called "Greek 4"), but here's a smattering of a things I thought were interesting...

Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know by Joe Carter.

Tomorrow (April 1st) is National Atheist Day, according to James Wilson.  (If you're not sure why that particular day was chosen, read Psalm 14:1.)

More information about The Secret from Al Mohler. (HT: Justin Taylor)

A humorous and necessary post on Cell Phone Manners by Jessica Robinson.

Wise words from Waco.  Jim Martin's thoughtful post on bad thinking, "Have You Ever Been Stuck?"

What do you think about having the Bible taught in the public schools?  TIME Magazine's David van Biema has put together a balanced article, "The Case for Teaching the Bible."

Making Well-Rounded Disciples

"Whom we preach by warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom in order that we might present every man complete in Christ, for which I am also laboring, struggling according to his working which is working in me with power." (Colossians 1:28-29)

More thoughts about how Paul went about making disciples...

His message was Christ Jesus.  His methodology included declaring the gospel far and wide (katangello), with special emphasis on reminding (noutheteo) people of who Christ is and what He expects from them, and instructing (didasko) them how follow Him.  To preach Christ this way requires loving confrontation and patient explanations.    

His audience was "every man," i.e. all people (not just males).  Paul was convinced that the gospel could transform anyone and everyone!  He job was simply to declare it clearly and persuasively.  The purpose of Paul's ministry was to "present every man complete in Christ."  The idea here is that Paul wants to help as many people as possible become spiritually mature and Christlike. We must beware of making disciples in our image!  The goal is to lead them to become like Jesus.

So what what does Paul mean by "complete in Christ"?  The picture I have in my head when I think of "completeness" (teleion), is someone who is well-rounded, only the measure of well-roundedness is Jesus Christ, not society.  Some Christians are really interested in Bible prophecy, others are fruitful in evangelism, others are big on fellowship or worship.  In some ways when we focus only on the interesting parts of following Christ, we're like a guy who lifts weights on only one side of his body while allowing the other half to atrophy. 

For Paul, his goal was that each follower of Christ would grow fully mature in every area of their lives and in so doing become completely Christlike.  They would excel not just in those parts of the Christian life that interest them, but in all aspects of their thoughts, words, and actions.

Are you becoming like Jesus in all the different parts of your life?  What areas of your life lack the presence of Jesus in all his fullness?  Next time we'll look at where Paul got his energy to keep on making disciples.

Hard Sayings of Jesus (4)

Sometimes God's grace is more annoying than amazing.  Jesus' view of the grace of God is much different than mine, and it's his understanding of grace that sometimes bugs me.  Don't get me wrong; I truly am grateful for the grace of God in my life.  I certainly need it!  But what makes me mad is when people whom I think don't deserve God's grace get it, like in the story Jesus tells in Matthew 20:1-16.  Using this parable about the owner of a vineyard, Jesus explains what he means by his statement that "many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first" (Matthew 19:30). 

The annoying thing about grace is that it's unfair.  It sure seems unfair that the laborers who worked for only an hour received the same pay as those who toiled all day.  But that's what makes grace gracious.  Philip Yancey writes, "God gives gifts, not wages." 

According to Jesus, God is gracious because He is good.  He can do as He pleases with what belongs to Him.  The confusion is not because God's unfair; it's just that we're envious of other's good fortune.  The vineyard owner chose to pay the workers a day's wage which they didn't deserve, simply because he desired to do so.  It cost the owner to be gracious.  If anyone got cheated by the owner's grace, he cheated himself.

When it comes down to it, you and I ought to be mighty glad that God's grace is unfair.  If we got what we deserved, we'd suffer eternal punishment.  The fact that God gives his grace without merit to those who don't and can't deserve it means that we can all receive it freely.  Because God's grace is so unfair makes it amazing!

You can listen to the message, "Sometimes Grace Is More Annoying Than Amazing" by clicking on this link: Download sermon03.25.2007.mp3.  Message notes: Download HardSayings4grace.doc.

When you and I realize how gloriously unfair it is that we have received the grace of God through Jesus, we can't help but praise Him!

Leadership according to the Best Shepherd

Funerals and hospital visits are usually the only occasions when Psalm 23 comes up in conversation.  These six verses bring great comfort in their message that "the Lord is my shepherd" even in our darkest of hours.  They also show how the Lord gives us both spiritual fuel and spiritual leadership, as one of my fellow elders at church describes the passage.  At our elders' retreat this past Saturday we reflected on Psalm 23 and what it says about how God shepherds us and the lessons we can learn from it concerning how we should lead others.  If David is saying, "I have the best Shepherd!," then we ought to pay attention and follow the Lord's example.

Psalm 23 teaches a lot about how leaders should lead.  It offers not only a message of comfort but also one of challenge for us to be shepherds of others who are like the Lord Jesus as He shepherds us.  Psalm 23 teaches us how to lead the church well by doing at least four things:

Present the "Word" -- David's shepherd made him lie down in green pastures and drink from still waters.  He restored and rejuvenated David's weary soul and guided him to apply the truth by leading him to walk down the paths of righteousness "for his namesake."  A shepherd of the church feeds his or her flock with God's Word.  They help them understand and act on it in their daily lives, and offer encouragement to keep on going.  The Lord's reputation is on the line; that's why they guide others to live rightly "for his namesake."

Be "With Them" -- The sheep need to sense the presence of God in the lives, and often the awareness of Him being with them comes through godly leaders being close at hand while they encounter hard times.  David did not fear whenever he was on the verge of dying because he knew the Lord was with him. When I was a newly minted youth pastor, my college president, George Miles, told me that the most important thing I could do was "be there" with my teens.  Leaders need to be with their people no matter how trying the situation.

"Watch Out" for them -- David recognized that his Shepherd carried both a "rod" and "staff" to comfort him.  The rod was a defensive weapon a shepherd would use to fight off predators.  A godly leader needs to vigilantly guard his or her flock from spiritual attack from false teachers and deceptive philosophies.  The shepherd's staff was more of a corrective tool used on the sheep to prod them in the right direction.  If a lamb was going astray, the shepherd would reach out his staff and pull the erring sheep back in line.  Whether your flock is a church, a small group, a Sunday school class, or your family, you as a leader must seek to restore the brother or sister who wonders away.

Remember their "Worth" -- The Shepherd "prepared a table" for David in the presence of his enemies.  No matter how dangerous the situation, David was confident of God's sustaining fellowship.  David's head was anointed with oil by the Shepherd.  Some Bible teachers insist that shepherd did this to keep irritating insects out of a sheep's face, but it may simply mean that God had chosen David, blessing with him spiritual gifts for significant service.  Every child of God has been anointed; they've been chosen and anointed with the Holy Spirit for God's service.  Leaders in the church need to help their people find and use their spiritual gifts in ministry. 

One more aspect of the "worth" of our sheep: Leaders need to bless their followers.  David boasted that the Lord's mercy and goodness chased him every day of his life.  Does my flock think of "goodness" and "mercy" when they think of me?  Does my leadership aid them in feeling at home in God's presence?  Am I leading them to commit to being in the "house of the Lord" and remaining in fellowship with Him day by day?  Our leadership should be of such a selfless and Christlike nature that those who follow us have cups that overflow with God's blessings.

In Christ we all have The Best Shepherd.  Do our people have the best shepherds they can?  May Jesus help us lead others with the same love, courage, and grace He uses as He leads us.

Hard Sayings of Jesus (3)

Are you having a hard time forgiving someone who has hurt you? 

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus challenges us with one of his most difficult sayings regarding forgiving someone whom we think doesn't deserve it.  All of us struggle at times with letting go of our anger and hurt when we've been offended.  Peter did, so he asked Jesus if there was a limit to how often he had to forgive.  To explain what He meant by the hows and whys of forgiveness, Jesus told the familiar story of the unmerciful servant whose huge, impossible-to-pay debt the king compassionately canceled.  Sadly, this man went out and refused to forgive the much, much smaller debt owed him by a fellow servant.  After assaulting him, he had the fellow servant thrown into prison.  (It's been estimated that the first owed the king around $2.5 Billion in today's currency, while the fellow servant only owed $4,000!)  When the king heard of this injustice, he ordered the first servant turned over to the torturers until his debt was paid in full, which most certainly would be never!

Jesus uses hyperbole in this story to emphasize his lesson: You and I need to forgive others not because they deserve it -- they don't -- but because God has already forgiven us infinitely more in Christ Jesus.  To forgive someone who has hurt us means to release them and no longer demand justice against them.  It's a choice, not a feeling.  It's not about forgetting or ignoring what has happened.  Forgiveness is all about letting go and entrusting the situation to God.  Since God has forgiven me so much, how can I refuse to forgive others?  That's Jesus' point.  I can't; I've got to forgive them. That's why Jesus then warns us at the end of his story with its moral: God the Father won't forgive us if we don't forgive others from the heart. 

Last week I wasn't able to post the audio of the message "Why Forgive Someone Who Doesn't Deserve It?" due to a technical glitch.  That has been somewhat rectified, and here it is "as is."  It's a digital recording off of a cassette tape, so the sound quality leaves something to be desired.  Just click on it and you can listen it through Windows Media Player or whatever program you prefer.  I hope it'll be an encouragement to you.  There's also a print-out of the sermon notes available.

Audio: Download sermon03.18.2007.mp3   Message notes: Download HardSayings3forgiveness.doc

Is there anyone you need to forgive?  Is there anyone whose forgiveness you need to seek? If you're grateful for God's forgiveness, then pass it on to others.

Grace Like Rain

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9, NIV)

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7, NIV)

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  (2 Timothy 1:8-10, NIV)

Responding Wisely to Unjust Criticism

Probably sometime in your life you have been unjustly criticized.  How did you handle it?  Here's an interesting post from Curtis "Voice" Allen, who was invited to perform as a Christian hip-hop artist at John Piper's Bethlehem Baptist Church this past October.  When the blogosphere heard about this, Curtis received a tremendous flood of criticism, and this from Christians!  Read about how he responded with gentleness and grace.  There's a lesson here for all of us.  If you go to Justin Taylor's blog, you can watch a very cool video of Curtis's performance.  World Magazine published a balanced article on the controversy about Curtis's ministry at Bethlehem Baptist.

The Secret...Revealed

"...the Word of God, the mystery which has been hidden away from the beginning and from the generations, but now has been revealed to his saints (holy ones), to whom God desired to make known what (is) the riches of the glory of this mystery in the gentiles, which is Christ in you (all), the hope of the glory." (Colossians 1:26-27)

Millions of people have bought a book called The Secret.  When Oprah devoted two of her shows to promoting it, sales went through the roof.  The book claims to offer the secret found in all the great world religions to getting and achieving anything you want.  What's The Secret?  Simply focus your thoughts on your desires.  If you can imagine it, then you will get it.  One observer dubbed this process "mental magnetism." 

To me, all this just sounds like wishful thinking.  Mel Lawrenz at Elmbrook Church has written a thoughtful critique of The Secret, and it is worth your attention. (Hat tip: Scot McKnight)  The Secret offers nothing new.  Over the ages, many religions and philosophies have promised their followers "the secret" to life.  The authors of this book are merely others in a long line of charlatans preying upon the gullible.

The Secret is nothing new.  During the days of the early church, the gnostic teachers claimed to know the secrets of the mysteries to finding enlightenment, happiness, and perfection.  Paul was fully aware of their empty boasts.  He tells the Colossians (and us!) that the real secret to receiving both glory and godliness is revealed in Jesus Christ. 

A mystery, like the one Paul writes about in Colossians 1:26-27, involves something that was previously hidden, but now has been brought out into the open.  Paul is quite emphatic about this as he writes.  The mystery that had been concealed as now been revealed!  In fact, later in Colossians 4:3, Paul is going to ask for prayer that he can keep on revealing it to as many people as possible. 

The focus of the mystery is Christ living in us -- the indwelling presence of Christ.  Rather than a mantra repeated over and over for self-enlightenment or a magical incantation uttered in order to manipulate the invisible forces around us, the secret of the New Testament is that Christ lives inside his followers, the Church.  It reveals the secret that Jews and Gentiles together comprise the Church (Romans 11:25, Ephesians 3:5-6).  This is what makes the mystery so beautiful: its secret is for everyone, not just the initiated or elite few. 

Knowing this mystery changes us.  Instead of serving ourselves, we learn to serve God and others.  We gain a meaningful reason for living that goes beyond satisfying our own selfish desires.  And we confidently anticipate being glorified in God's presence one future day, all because Jesus lives inside us now. 

God's secret that Christ now lives within us may not guarantee worldly success in this life, but it certainly does provide us with hope for time and eternity.  That's something The Secret can never give.

The Sweet Smell of Forgiveness

Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]. And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.  (Ephesians 4:31-5:2, Amplified)

Weekend Wonderings: Good Missionary Training

An ancient model for post-modern mission work: St. Patrick.  Read this informative bio on Ireland's patron saint written by Eric Hurtgen.  "So, this March 17, while everyone else is celebrating all things Irish by decking themselves out in green, drinking only the darkest Irish beer, or tuning in to Public Radio's celebration of Celtic music, let us be challenged by the sacrificial life of St. Patrick, looking for opportunities to turn our enslavements into blessings, speaking the message of the gospel message in a way that respects the culture of those around us while challenging them to change."

Have you ever used Operation World by Patrick Johnstone?  This remarkable book highlights every country of the world, focusing on prayer needs relevant to spread of the gospel and the growth of the church.  Now this helpful missions tool is online!  Mr. Johnstone has compile a massive amount of information on each country, including its religious, political, economic, and ethnic climates and how they affect missionary work.  Read Operation World to improve your geographical knowledge, expand your vision of God's work around the world, and pray about things that matter for eternity.  Visiting this site each day and praying for a few minutes for a country will do much to advance the kingdom of God.  (HT: Justin Taylor.)

You can also come to my house today and help me shovel the 8" of snow we received yesterday (Friday).  Just kidding, but it definitely is GMT...should God ever call you to Greenland.