A Bitter Harvest?

    Forgiving is what we are specifically commanded to do by King Jesus. It is an act of faith. A forgiving heart is evidence of your election (2 Peter 3:1-11), of  living a life that is worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27), and of being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:29-30). In short, it is the hallmark of Christian living.

    For more of this, see Paul Tripp's blog at Desiring God :  A Bitter Harvest?. It is helpful and full of practical advice.

I Asked The Lord That I Might Grow

A poem by John Newton, author of "Amazing Grace" :

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, His face.

’Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He’d answer my request;
And by His love’s constraining pow’r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow’rs of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cried,
Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
“’Tis in this way, the Lord replied,
I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ,
From self, and pride, to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”

What You Celebrate as a Church Is Just as Important as What You Believe

    Churches, more often than not, emphasize distinctives. Differences in doctrinal positions, worship style,  leadership structure, cultural engagement, and many others are often cited and celebrated. Because this is emphasized so much today, we look for these things in churches and use it as a basis for making judgment on whether a church is good or not. Meanwhile, we forget that the church is called to celebrate and preach the gospel. This is the unique call of the church, commissioned by Jesus Christ Himself (Matthew 28:18-20). No other institution on this planet is called to do this, except for the church.

    What would happen if the preaching of the gospel and the living-out the gospel is what is celebrated and emphasized above all in churches? Think how this eliminates preferences that arise from self-interests. Think of how many worthless arguments and "church wars" would be avoided. Think about how it makes the church centered on Jesus Christ. Think of how faith, goodness, discipleship, fellowship, brotherly kindness, and love, would strongly manifest in all church activities. Think of a time when all Christians would boast of nothing of themselves but only on the cross.

This blog post from the Gospel Coalition is an excellent reminder on the calling of the church : What You Celebrate as a Church Is Just as Important as What You Believe.

What are you celebrating this Christmas - looking for pageantry and cool Christmas worship services? What are you celebrating in your church? Celebrate the gospel above all.

Diet and Exercise for the Glory of God

    I finally did something that I'd delayed doing for very a long time. I started meeting with a health coach! A healthy lifestyle has been an off and on again commitment for me. I realized that in order to succeed this time, I needed somebody to hold me accountable. He would work with me in setting attainable goals, meet with me regularly to see how I'm doing with meeting those goals, give me the tough message if I do not make the necessary effort to achieve what I committed myself to do, affirm me when I do accomplish them, and help me to raise the bar higher over time.

    So what got me to this point? Several reasons : mid-life, waistline, not liking what I saw in the mirror but ultimately, that Christ would be exalted in my body whether in life or in death (Philippians 1:20). God gave us this physical body that is useful for doing His will here on earth. So maintain it well. I also asked myself, "Would Christ be exalted in my dying if the reason for my death were heart and cardiovascular diseases that could have been prevented if I had paid attention to my health?"

    I will therefore go on a diet and exercise for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), as a means by which I will have the necessary energy and strength to obey him for His pleasure. On the other hand, health and exercise becomes unprofitable if it replaces Jesus Christ as my highest treasure and the foremost affection in my heart. According to Paul, "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8)."

     My health coach became excited for me when I explained my reasons for meeting with him. "That is a very strong motivation!" he said. And I pray that he will be receptive to the gospel as a result.

    The first goal is to lose weight. For the next two weeks, I will keep a food journal, walk 15-30 minutes a day, and go to the gym once a week. So far, I've been faithful. Enjoyed walking with my son last weekend and we discovered a pond about a mile and a half away from home. Tonight, I enjoyed walking with my wife around the neighborhood and got to see impressive Christmas lights put up in some homes.

    Live for Christ!

What steals your joy?




    John MacArthur's commentary on Philippians 1:12-18 is valuable for personal reflection and assessment of the condition our faith in Christ. He says this,

Now I have always believed that the measure of a person's spiritual character, the measure of their spiritual strength and the measure of their spiritual maturity is what it takes to steal their joy. At whatever point your joy breaks down, that's the level of your spiritual strength. You can find out how mature you are, how Spirit-controlled you are, how spiritually virtuous you are by finding the breaking point where joy is lost and bitterness and negativism, critical spirit, sullenness begins to creep in and take over your life. The measure of your joy is how you react not to things the way you'd like them to be but the things the way you wouldn't like them to be.

    A brief background on this letter to the Philippians helps us to understand it better. The apostle Paul is under prolonged house arrest in Rome and is chained to a Roman guard 24 hours a day (see Acts 28) while awaiting trial. There was the possibility of being sentenced to death but it did not break his joy in the Lord. Clearly, Paul's joy did not rest upon his present circumstances which is more dire than what many of us will ever experience in our lifetime. John MacArthur continues with the following point,

There should be no point in the life of a believer where joy is forfeited to sullenness, bitterness, negativism because of some things that aren't the way we'd like them to be. There's only one justification for the loss of joy and that is sin. And when you have fallen into sin, you will need to cry out with the psalmist, "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation." But nothing short of sin should steal our joy, certainly not circumstances. And yet typically, I mean typically for everyone, a sudden change in conditions, a sudden change in circumstances in our lives, great difficulties, confusion, trials, hard times, attacks, disagreements, unfulfilled ambitions, unmet desires, conflicts, strained relationships, unrealistic expectations unmet, all of these things can throw us off balance and joy is forfeited and bitterness takes its place.

    So how did Paul possess such an unbreakable joy? The answer might surprise you but it's clear in Philippians 1. It was because of his life's purpose which is the advancement of the gospel. Again, John MacArthur beautifully writes,

So, here is a man who has negative circumstances beyond our ability to understand them, chained to a Roman soldier. And yet he's a model of joy. Why? Because his joy isn't related to his comfort. His joy isn't related to his self-indulgence. His joy isn't related to his freedoms. His joy isn't related to his success. We'll find out it isn't even related to his reputation. It isn't related to any of those things. His joy is strictly tied to the advance of the gospel, so he has joy in his ministry, in spite of trouble, as long as the gospel is advanced, as long as Christ's cause is extended. His chains, in a sense, became an effective line of communication to these elite soldiers of the Roman empire. And if they were converted, they would carry the message to the rest of the city and for that matter, the rest of the world. And so he was rejoicing in the progress of the gospel.

Is that where you are? That's really the question. As you look at your own life, is your joy that sort of ebbing and flowing tide of earthly things? Does your joy rise and fall on your pleasure? On your possessions? On your prominence, your prestige, your reputation, your comfort, your fulfilled ambitions? Your almost unrealistic fantasies being realized? Is that where your joy is? If it is, you're going to ride the crest and sink to the depths. You're going to ebb and flow with the times of life, the changing times, the shifting sands. But if your joy is tied to the progress of the gospel and your life is committed to that end, then your joy is ever ever undiminished.

Paul's desire was to honor Christ with his body by courageously sharing the gospel. When we live to honor Christ, then our joy rests on a firm foundation and nothing can ever take it away.

For more on this : Joy in Spite of Trouble by John MacArthur.

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A Prayer For Thanksgiving

    Almighty Father, we thank you that all that we have and all that we are comes from You (Acts 17:28). Our health, our lives, our intelligence, and our abilities were knit together by You even before we were born (Psalm 139:13-16). Thank you, Heavenly Father, that You watch over us and care for us (Matthew 6:26-31). You are our peace and You make us dwell in safety so that we can rest (Psalm 4:8). Your word is powerful! In You, the universe is upheld, all things are sustained, and all things endure (Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:17). This world is not spiraling out of control for You accomplish all things according to Your will (Ephesians 1:11). Fire, hail, snow, frost, lightning, thunder, rain, and stormy wind are at your beckon (Psalm 148:8, Job 37:6-13). You use all things to fulfill your purpose - yes, even evil and suffering - for Your glory, and for our good (Romans 8:28, Proverbs 16:4). Human knowledge cannot fathom Your mind. We cannot counsel You about what's best for us nor can we blame You for our circumstances, because you are God from everlasting to everlasting, you are omnipotent, and you are the only All-Powerful, Almighty, Sovereign Lord.

    Yet, we easily forget your works and your abundant kindness (Nehemiah 9:26, Psalm 106:7,13). As we become satisfied, our hearts become proud and we forget You (Hosea 13:6). Forgive our forgetfulness and our ingratitude. We are not self-made people. What we have did not come from our own strength nor from the power of our own hands. It is by your power, Lord God, that we have this ability to create wealth (Deutoronomy 8:10-18). For what do we have that we did not receive from You?

    When things are going our way, we acknowledge your provision and care. Thank you, Lord, for your benefits. Yet, take them away when our pleasure and satisfaction rests on them. Teach us to be content with the wonderful things that we have already received in Jesus Christ. Remove our eyes from focusing on what we do not possess. We die from being dissatisfied of Your love and care and from these harmful desires for more riches. Godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6-10). Our pleasure and our satisfaction rests in You because You will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). You are most glorified when we are most satisfied in You.

    When we experience loss and setback, spare us from the temptation to murmur and grumble. You have the right determine our circumstances even if it means taking us down to nothing. As you give and as you take away, blessed be Your Name (Job 1:21). Like Paul, sanctify us so that we will be content in whatever circumstances we are in by knowing how to live along with humble means and how to live in prosperity (Philippians 4:11-12). For even in times of wanting and suffering, your grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) and we can do all things by Your strength (Philippians 4:13).

    In You, we have everything we need pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). We are not adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from You (2 Corinthians 3:5). So on this Thanksgiving Day, we rejoice in you Lord! And we do so endlessly, not just once a year. For it is your will that we give thanks in everything and in all our circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Amen!

A Most Lopsided Exchange

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

 - Luke 9:23 (NIV)

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

-Philippians 3:8-12 (NIV)

    The choice is on the table : gain what you can in this world or follow Jesus Christ. Both cannot be attained, just as you cannot have two masters. Trading the good life for Jesus Christ is the most lopsided exchange ever. It's like trading in garbage for gold.

Follow Me

    As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. 

-Mark 2:14 (NIV)

    I'm reading through Dietrich Bonhoeffer's classic book, Discipleship . While doing so, it is bringing me back to the simplicity of the command by Jesus Christ to every Christian, "Follow me." The simplicity eludes us. Nowadays, discipleship is treated as a program or as a curriculum. This practice, unfortunately, obscures the very essence of the call. The manner by which we follow is explained by Jesus Christ further in the gospels.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. - Luke 9:23 (NIV) 

    Following Jesus Christ is a call to self-denial. It is not a self-centered, self-satisfying, self-enhancing, self-helping, self-enriching, and self-fulfilling call. Jesus continues on to say, "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he's the one who will save it (Luke 9:24)." Would I truly abandon everything good about this life for the sake of following Jesus Christ? That's the question for you and me.

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”-Matthew 8:18-22 (NIV)

    Following Jesus is a call to give up comforts in this life. Would I stop following Christ if it means that I have to give up a comfortable lifestyle? That's the question for you and me.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple."       -Luke 14:26 (NIV)

    Following Jesus is a call to give up relationships in this life. For a disciple, the Lordship of Jesus Christ in his heart is far above his human relationships. Would I stop following Christ if it means that I have to put my family second behind obeying and living for Jesus Christ? That's the question for you and me.

Finishing the race and keeping the FAITH

 ¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

- Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

This is a post from my friend and brother, Jojo Carpio. These are his reflections on Hebrews 12:1-2. I realize is how easy it is for my eyes to wander. Faith is believing in the invisible, Almighty God and the temptation is always there to believe what is visible. Thanks Jojo, for the reminder.
  
    We have so many 'witnesses' that have gone on before us. So many men and women of faith (Hebrews 11) that are the examples the Lord has given us to follow. We are to lay aside every weight. Now, what are these weights? They are the things that bring about stress and worries. They are the things Jesus wants to carry for us! We also need to lay aside our sin. Sin is inevitable. Even the lives of the very witnesses spoken of in Hebrews 11 are fraught with sins and the remorse of sin! Even though we cannot be perfect by ourselves, we must lay aside our wants and desires and choose to follow the Lord (Romans 6:15). This is a hard thing to do, but we must run with patience.

    Jesus has given each of us a race to run. Each of our races are different, this means that we cannot compare our race with others. At times, our race is difficult. We become tired and worn out, but then God reminds us of how much we need Him! We are not running alone! We have the Creator of the world running beside us and He is willing to carry us when we cannot go on! In order to run and run well, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus.

    There are so many things that can take our gaze off Jesus! People. Circumstances. Difficult struggles. Self-pity. But as Peter learned, it is when you take you eyes off Jesus that you sink! In all that we do, no matter the circumstances, we need to keep our eyes focused on Him for He knows all things (Proverbs 4:25-27)! If we fix our eyes on Jesus, our paths are made straight.

     Jesus has endured the cross for us! We are the joy set before Him! He went through so much pain and shame, for us! Think about it, Jesus, the SON of GOD came to EARTH as a MAN and was crucified as a CRIMINAL!! What a humbling experience! We often do not recognize how much shame He went through for us! But now! Now He is seated at God's right hand! And He continually intercedes on our behalf!

A Perspective on Perspective

   This is my reflection from an interesting blog post by author and minister Tim Keller. In it, he refers to the concept of 'tri-perspectivalism'. This simply means that there are threefold distinctions or triads, found in the Bible, that help give us both knowledge and perspective about God and certain Biblical truth. One example is the doctrine of Trinity : God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.

    Let me make this clear that there is nothing mystical about the number 3 as if it has good luck or sacredness associated with it. 'Tri-perspectivalism' is simply a tool to help us to understand certain truths. Certainly, we can look at both sides of the coin (bi-perspectivalism) or sometimes even 4 or more (multi-perspectivalism). The bottomline is that Scripture often describes truth from multiple, inter-dependent, and complementary perspectives.

   Jesus describes his kingdom using several different parables (Matthew 13). Here's another example that, at first glance,  may seem like contradictory perspectives :

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

-Proverbs 26:4-5 (NIV)

    Actually, they complement one another. There are situations where we should not stoop down to any foolish pattern of thinking. There are also times when it is appropriate to tell someone that they're being stupid.

    Having perspective can be very valuable. Only God is infinite in knowledge and wisdom. We are finite and limited. Therefore we cannot know everything at a glance and our knowledge is limited to one perspective or another. Here is how theologian John Frame describes the benefits of looking at the perspective of others:

One way to increase our knowledge and our level of certainty is by supplementing our own perspectives with those of others. When our own resources fail us, we can consult friends, authorities, books, etc. We can travel to other places, visit people of other cultures. Even to get a good understanding of a tree, we need to walk around it, look at it from many angles.



It often happens that someone’s idea will seem ridiculous when we first encounter it; but when we try to understand where that person is coming from, what considerations have led him to his idea, then our evaluation of it changes. In such a case, we are trying to see the issue from his perspective, and that perspective enriches our own.


In one sense, of course, it is impossible to transcend one’s own perspective. Even when we move around a tree, or consult a friend, or travel to another culture, we are still viewing reality through our own senses and brains. Yet it is possible for the perspectives of others to change our perspective, to make us see differently.

    I must clarify that I am not promoting relativism. I believe that there is one absolute Truth that exists outside of us and we must find and understand this Truth. The only true perspective is God's perspective. God reveals his perspective in his Word. And his Word uses multiple perspectives as a tool that helps us comprehend this absolute Truth.

   John Frame puts it this way :

God’s perspective is independent in a way that ours are not, for God governs all perspectives. But even his knowledge, as we have seen, includes a knowledge of all finite perspectives. And all finite perspectives must, to attain truth, “think God’s thoughts after him.” So in one sense, all perspectives coincide. Each, when fully informed, includes all the knowledge found in every other. There is one truth, and each perspective is merely an angle from which that truth can be viewed. 

For more on this :  A Primer on Perspectivalism

The Good News That We Forget Part 4 : the gospel-centered life

Most people’s problems are just a failure to be oriented to the gospel–a failure to grasp and believe it through and through.

-Tullian Tchividjian

    The small group study titled the Gospel-Centered Life describes a common misconception about the gospel :

“Many Christians live with a truncated view of the gospel. We see the gospel as the “door,” the way in, the entrance point into God’s kingdom. But the gospel is so much more! It is not just the door, but the path we are to walk every day of the Christian life. It is not just the means of our salvation, but the means of our transformation. It is not simply deliverance from sin’s penalty, but release from sin’s power. The gospel is what makes us right with God (justification) and it is also what frees us to delight in God (sanctification).”

    Real change cannot come apart from the gospel. God intended for the good news to mold us and shape us in every way. The way we think, feel and live must be defined by the gospel. There's two ways that we live out a Christian life that is not centered on the gospel :

1. License –right or wrong is all relative. This is someone who does not recognize that there is an absolute moral truth that comes from God. This person downplays sin and moral depravity. Such a man emphasizes a forgiving, loving God yet does not repent from his sins. He minimizes sin and it’s effect in life. "I may not be perfect, but I’m basically a good person." he says. 

It’s a hokey way to live to say the least. According to DA Carson, it’s like committing murder and you stand in trial and this is what you say :

Members of the jury, I am not asking for mercy or pardon. I want justice. I am demanding a full acquittal. Yes, I committed murder of which I am accused. But I am not guilty. Members of the jury, you must consider all my good deeds – not merely as mitigating circumstances but as reason for exonerating me. The goodness of my other deeds outweighs the crime that I committed. My good deeds require a not guilty verdict. If justice is to be done, you must find me innocent.

In Romans 6:1-14, Paul says that grace is not a license to keep on sinning. We are dead to sin but alive in Christ Jesus. So sin no longer reigns in this mortal body, rather the body is now an instrument for righteousness.

2. Legalism or moralism – a legalist is someone who does all good works in order to be approved by God. This is the Christian who tries hard to be good by his own strength. His relationship with Christ is performance driven. The error of this approach to Christian living is that it is based on ignorance of the finished work of Christ. A Christian, who is saved by grace through faith, continues to live under the grace of God and walks in obedience because he loves God and therefore now wants to live for God's glory.

    Remember that our acceptance by Christ is based on what Christ has done for us – not on what we can do for Christ. By grace you have been saved through faith – not as a result of works – that remains true even when you are a believer in Christ. I think that sometimes our problem is that we are not used to “living under grace”. Our main problem is that we have not really comprehended the deep implications of the message of the gospel. We do not realize what we have in Christ. Some of us live in spiritual poverty simply because we do not know what we have in Christ- we try our best to live the Christian life and we fail miserably. We go straight to the how to’s (works) without thinking much about the basis of why we must live that way.

    The gospel-centered life is a life of daily dependence on God to have the strength to do good works and bear fruit (John 15:1-11).  Thanks be to the God who began the good work in us and will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ's return (Philippians 1:6). This is the gospel-centered life!

The Good News That We Forget Part 3 : What is cheap grace?

From Ed Stetzer's interview with Jon Walker :

Cheap grace is when we attempt to lower the standards of the gospel by ignoring the cost of the cross and down-playing the need for repentance. Cheap grace embraces an easy discipleship that requires little commitment. It assumes you can live in God's sanctuary, where Jesus fulfills the law, yet remain independent of the commands and desires of Jesus. Cheap grace justifies our sin. It is the thought that my sins are forgiven, so God will wink at me when I sin.

 Costly grace justifies the sinner. It demands that forgiveness be followed by obedience, that grace remain tethered to truth. When Jesus forgives the woman caught in adultery (John 8), he says, "Neither do I condemn you ... Go now and leave your life of sin." His grace, which is freely given, offers forgiveness for her sins, but it includes an expectation that her life will radically change.

Costly grace means we change our habits, thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, and relationships according to the will of Jesus. Nothing can remain the same because we are no longer the same: 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me' (Galatians 2:20). Bonhoeffer says grace is "costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."We are uniquely connected to the divine nature through Jesus and we no longer "live under law but under God's grace" (Romans 6:14 TEV; consider also Colossians 2:9-10).

Cheap grace, on the other hand, denies the incarnation and leaves the gospel abstract and impersonal. It allows us to give intellectual assent to the teachings of Jesus. Yet, the bloody death and resurrection of Christ is nothing but real and personal and it forces us to continually make the intimate choice of following the person, Jesus Christ, or following our own path.



The Good News That We Forget Part 2 : I Need The Gospel Daily

   The gospel really does define the Christian life. There is no alternative way to live in Christ. The Christian life that is lived without the imprint of the gospel is mere religion. The life that is soaked by the gospel is the abundant life that Jesus promised (John 10:10) In my previous post, I posed this question to help us think through how the gospel is applied to daily living.

How does the finished work of Christ (the gospel) satisfy my deepest daily needs so that I can experience the liberating power of the gospel every day and in every way?

   Here's a few examples,

1. A major theme in the gospel is forgiveness. Forgiveness satisfies my deepest longings for reconciliation with God and liberates my heart from bitterness that comes from unforgiveness. I am still being sanctified by Jesus Christ while I live this life here on earth. The fullness of my sanctification comes when Jesus Christ returns. This means that I can still commit sin.  Hence, I need to come to Jesus everyday to confess and ask that my trespasses be forgiven. Jesus Christ is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9). The gospel's offer of forgiveness liberates me to forgive others. Everyday someone will offend me in some way or fashion. Because I am forgiven by Jesus Christ, I can choose to freely forgive (Colossians 3:13) or overlook the offense.

2. Because of the gospel, I am able to comprehend how to love my wife as Jesus Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). In a wedding last week, I was reminded of the famous saying, "Happy wife, happy life". Well, the key to my wife's happiness is to love her like how Jesus Christ demonstrated his love for me.

3. Though Christ's finished work, I can count myself dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11). This is a profound change! It is arguably one of the Christian indicatives that I deliberately remind myself daily. Everyday, I am faced with temptations. The gospel spares me from falling into sin. The gospel beats down desires that lead to sinful acts.The finished work of Christ means that I have an escape hatch (1 Corinthians 10:13).
4. The gospel says that it is by the grace of God that I am saved as I come to Jesus Christ in faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and repentance (2 Peter 3:9). I stop being a moralist. A moralist is someone who relies on good works and moral living in order to be accepted by God. Many people fear living in grace. Grace is misunderstood. It is not a license to continue sinning. Rather, grace leads to true repentance which is a complete turning around from sin. Now I keep my eyes on Jesus Christ the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

The Good News That We Forget - Part 1

    The centrality of the gospel has been in my mind for a couple of weeks now. The gospel is the good news that we often forget. But the gospel has to be for every day living. Without it, we don't truly live and we have no hope.Tullian Tchividjian points out that the gospel is not just salvation for sinners. It is also necessary for spiritual maturity. I've extracted and made some slight edits on portions of his blog post that help to explain this further : 

All our problems in life stem from our failure to apply the gospel. This means I can’t really move forward unless I learn more thoroughly the gospel’s content and how to apply it to all of life. Real change does not and cannot come independently of the gospel. God intends his Good News in Christ to mold and shape us at every point and in every way. It increasingly defines the way we think, feel, and live.

Spiritual poverty in so much of our Christian experience is the result of inadequate understanding of the gospel’s depths. The answer isn’t to try harder in the Christian life but to comprehend more fully and clearly Christ’s finished work for sinners and then to live in more vital awareness of that grace day by day. The main problem in the Christian life, in other words, is not that we don’t try hard enough to be good. It’s that we haven’t accepted the deep implications of the gospel and applied its powerful reality to all parts of our life.


He asks this great question that we should take time to reflect on :
How does the finished work of Christ satisfy my deepest daily needs so that I can experience the liberating power of the gospel every day and in every way?


I've come up with several answers in head already. Will write them in the next posts. How about you, what is your answer? Feel free to reply in the comments.

Faith Vs. Unbelief

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

- Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)

Why is this so? I found this list to be helpful in making Hebrews 11:6 clearer.

From The Purple Cellar Blog by Lydia Brownback :

1. Faith believes the Word of God; unbelief questions it.

2. Faith sees God's promise to help; unbelief says, "How can that possibly be?"

3. Faith makes you see love in Christ's reproofs; unbelief imagines only wrath.

4. Faith helps the soul to wait; unbelief gives up if made to wait.

5. Faith gives comfort in the midst of fears; unbelief causes fears in the midst of comforts.

6. Faith finds sweetness in God's discipline; unbelief finds no comfort in mercy.

7. Faith makes great burdens light; unbelief makes light burdens heavy.

8. Faith helps us when we are down; unbelief throws us down when we are up.

9. Faith brings us near to God when we are far from him; unbelief puts us far from God when we are near to him.

10. Faith sees friendship with God; unbelief sees a hard taskmaster.

11. Faith puts man under grace; unbelief holds him under wrath.

12. Faith purifies the heart; unbelief keeps the heart polluted

13. Faith rests in Christ's righteousness; unbelief clings to the law.

14. Faith makes all our work acceptable to God; without faith it is impossible to please him.

15. Faith gives peace and comfort; unbelief gives trouble and tossing

16. Faith shows Christ precious; unbelief sees no beauty in him.

17. Faith gives life in Christ's fullness; unbelief causes spiritual starvation

18. Faith gives freedom from the law of sin and death; unbelief shackles us to them.

19. Faith shows us excellence in things unseen; unbelief sees only this world.

20. Faith makes all God's ways pleasant; unbelief makes them heavy and hard.



The Lord's Prayer Part 15: Warfare

“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

 - Matthew 6:13 (ESV)

    The last petition in the Lord’s Prayer is two-fold. The second part clarifies the first with the word “but” giving us an idea on how they are connected. A better translation is “deliver us from the evil one”. This, of course, is Satan. Together, this petition recognizes human weakness to sin and the strength of an enemy that entices us to sin. It is a prayer for God to deliver us from satanic attacks that we are not able to withstand.

    There are two dangers when dealing with the evil one. First, we minimize Satan’s importance by failing to recognize that he has real spiritual power. Second, we overstate his importance by becoming very afraid of his power. There is no doubt that he is a powerful enemy. His tactics include domination (Acts 10:38, 2 Timothy 2:26), temptation, accusation (Revelation 12:10), and deception (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). Jesus, however, has already won against him through his death and resurrection. We are dealing with a defeated enemy.

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son..."

-Colossians 1:13 (ESV)

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

- Hebrews 2:14-15 (ESV)

    Until Jesus Christ returns to take his rightful throne here on earth and Satan will be finally thrown into the abyss,  we will be dealing against this enemy daily. Thus we pray for our Savior to continue to keep us from falling into the enemy's schemes. We cannot have victory over Satan on our own. The battle is won through Jesus Christ.

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

-Jude 1:24-25 (ESV)



The Lord's Prayer Part 14: How to Pray About Temptation

“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” - Matthew 6:13 (ESV)

   The Lord’s Prayer truly covers all our needs. First, it covers our physical and material needs as we ask the Father to give us this day our daily bread. Our spiritual needs are addressed as we ask the Father to forgive our debts. As you recall, we incurred this debt through our sinfulness. The next petition also addresses our sinfulness but this time we ask the Father for protection from future sins. The phrase “lead us not into” can be understood as a plea for God to keep us from falling into the hand, power, and influence of sin as we are tempted.

    The word temptation can mean either testing or trial. Trials are part of the Christian life. God sometimes allows trials to come to our lives as a means to developing persevering faith that leads to spiritual maturity and godly character.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

– James 1:2-4 (NIV)

    It can also mean as an enticement to sin. Now one thing must be made clear, this petition does not imply that God will tempt us and cause us to sin.

   

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

– James 1:13-15 (NIV)

    Notice the progression, temptation arises from our evil desire which leads us to commit acts of sin. Temptation abounds in many situations. The temptation to be proud and feel self-sufficient arises from success. Lustful desires can be aroused while browsing the Internet in the privacy of our homes and the urge to peek at an adult website pops up. The temptation of unbelief will come during times of great suffering. The temptation of self-righteousness arises as we point out other people’s flaws.

    This is why we must pray this petition every day. We must acknowledge our human weakness. We must recognize this daily battle against the sinful nature. We must realize that sin is not yet completely eradicated from our lives (Romans 7:13-25). By praying, we recognize that it is Jesus Christ who rescues us from giving in to temptation. He knows our weakness for he himself was tempted.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.  

– Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)

    And indeed the Father will answer this prayer. The Bible assures us that there is a way out of temptation and that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

– 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

    The last thing to point out is that the heart of the one praying this petition must hate sin. The person who prays this also be doing all he can to avoid a situation whereby he is tempted. (Romans 6:1-2, Matthew 26:41). RT Kendall says, “You prove how strong you are not by how you cope when being tempted, but by seeing how far you can get from temptation.”

    Let this prayer of David be our prayer :

Who can discern his errors?  Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

-Psalm 19:12-14 (NIV)

Idols : we have them in our lives...it's just not what we think they are...

Extracted From Crossway Blog :

Surface Idols -

The more observable of the two types of idolatry, surface idols are often easily-seen offshoots of deeper, less obvious sins. Some examples include:


• Image idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I look certain way.

• Helping idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if people are dependent on me.

• Work idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I am highly productive.

• Materialism idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I have a certain level of wealth, financial freedom, and possessions.

• Inner Ring idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I am part of a particular social or professional group

• Ideology idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if my political party or social cause is in or gaining power.

Source Idols -

The more subversive idols are the ones that drive all the other types of idolatries in our lives. They include:

• Comfort idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I experience a certain quality of life or a particular pleasure.

• Approval idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I am loved and respected by ________.

• Control idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if I am able to get mastery in my life over a certain area.

• Power idolatry- Life only has meaning / I only have worth if have power and influence over others.

Beautiful in Its Time: A Story of Perception - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries

    What happens when a famous and brilliant violinist exchanges the concert hall stage for a small space in a subway station lobby? Will people recognize him? Will they stop and appreciate the beautiful music?

Here's some thoughts from Randy Alcorn :

Beautiful in Its Time: A Story of Perception - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries


Also here's the Washington Post story about the violinist and the results of this very interesting experiment.

Pearls Before Breakfast

Early and Modern Church History Heroes of Faith

    There is nothing quite like The Church History ABCs (Crossway) by Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard. For each alphabet, a story is told about a famous figure in church history whose name begins or ends with that letter - 26 heroes of faith from A to Z. The book is a mix of trivia, history, and vocabulary lessons, sprinkled with a dose of humor.

    My 9 year old son was at first attracted with the illustrations and started flipping through the pages. As he got to letter P (St. Patrick), he said "Oh, this is the guy in Veggie Tales!" That's about the extent of my son's knowledge in church history. I confess that I have not spent much time studying this subject either. So I only know little about these heroes of the Christian faith that have lived in early and recent church history. Certainly,a parent like me can learn from and do a lot with this book.

    The back contains a brief biography and details that help explain the sometimes odd illustrations. For example, Jonathan Edwards is drawn wearing a Native American headpiece and eating a Hershey chocolate bar. Why? And what's up also with the reference to spiders in his write-up? Answer is in the back of the book.

    The book's design and illustration is well-suited for 3 to 6 year olds. The stories and historical lessons in the write-ups are probably more suited for 7-12 year olds who are reading to learn rather than learning to read. My kids are in this age bracket so I used this book as a starting point for them to learn more about a famous figure in church history. The part about Jane Grey for instance, deserved a little more look-up beyond the book so we googled Jane Grey and learned some English history in the process. This is a unique children's book that would be a valuable addition in any home library. Supplementary activities can also be found at this website. More importantly, this book will help young hearts to know more about Jesus Christ and will spur discussions about faith.

    Until last weekend, I really did not comprehended the value of reading about church history and prominent church figures. Illumination came as I was listening to Burk Parsons during the Sunday morning devotional at the 2010 Desiring God National Conference. He shared his thoughts on this familiar passage in Hebrews :

 ¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.   -Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

    This great cloud of witnesses, aka heroes of the faith, serve as great examples for the living. Their stories tell about their own personal race and how they finished well. Following their lead, we must also throw away besetting sin that wraps itself on us, causing us to stumble. We learn how they endured suffering and persecution by focusing on Jesus who is the author and perfecter of their faith. So for me, the value in studying their lives is that it points my eyes to Jesus Christ and the cross and keeps my eyes off my sinfulness. Thus, Hebrews 11 points us to Abel, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and David, etc., but this great cloud of witnesses would surely also count Augustine, Hippolytus, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Patrick, John Newton and countless others among them.

Day 2 Conference Thoughts

Quick thoughts on Day 2:

1. From RC Sproul : For many centuries, philosophers have searched for answers on the question of life and why we exist. Ideas from Greek philosophers only resulted to idolatry - worship of false gods (Acts 16:17-21).  Life makes sense only when it's meaning is based on the objective reality that is God. When we eliminate God from the answer, nothing makes sense and the answers that man can conjure up only lead to falsehood. I believe that this remains true to this day. Modern answers to life questions also lead to idolatry.

2. From Thabiti Anyabwile :  It is crucial that we become good thinkers as we engage the world with the gospel. We are to be shrewd as snakes but innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). This is how we must deal with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and even athiests. Becoming shrewd with the world requires a lot of thinking. As we witness, we are not to fear men (Matthew 10:26) because when fear takes control, thinking stops and we cease becoming shrewd.

3. From Al Mohler : Our unrighteousness suppresses truth (Romans 1:16-32). It is not out of ignorance that men do not know God. It is out of their own will for the will is the engine of the intellect.  It is not what we do not know but what we will not know.  In other words, ignorance is not an excuse. So we have no excuse that God did not reveal himself to us. God gives us a conscience as a pointer to his existence. Our will can change what our conscience reveals. We only believe what we want to believe because our will warps our intellect. Sin is, in a sense, a state of intellectual emptiness.

4. From Francis Chan : Knowledge is important but not sufficient. If we possess knowledge but lack love, then it is empty (1 Corinthians 8:1-3). We can be right in theology but be very wrong in front of God because that knowledge does not lead us to a life that loves our brother. Francis, shared this verse that stuck to me:

Thus says the LORD:"Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."  - Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)

Lord, I pray that in my life I will know you truly and that you will know me.

Day 1 Conference Thoughts

Quick takeaways from the 2010 Desiring God Conference :

1. The theme was Think : the Life of the Mind and the Love of God. John Piper describes it this way,

"We often pit thinking and feeling against each other, especially when it comes to Christian experience. Glorifying God with our minds and hearths, however, it no either-or, but both-and. Focusing on the life of the mind will help you to know God better, love him more, and care for the world."

The mind is so crucial that it is a spiritual battleground. Satan puts our minds in darkness, but through Jesus Christ our minds (not our eyes) are able to see the glory of God. So the mind then must be brought into to obedience to Christ, must be conformed to Christ, so that the heart will follow Christ and find its delight and joy in God. So be thinking and pondering God and his Word all the time. Gain knowledge, not to be puffed up, but rather use it as a means know and love Christ truly.

2.  God reveals his glory and his personality through his creation. However, that is not enough to know God. God further reveals himself through words. In the gospel of John, Jesus is called the Word. Jesus, in his humanity, is God revealed before our eyes. According to author ND Wilson, this is so amazing that it's like a true fantasy novel. The big, poweful, Creator, stooping so low by becoming human in order to reveal himself and his glory to insignificant creatures. ND Wilson says for us to ponder on the sweeping story of the gospel. Know the heroes, the villains, the troubles and misery, and the glorious ending of God's redemption story.

3. Tullian Tchividjian says that the gospel is not just for people to come into faith in Jesus Christ. The gospel is also for Christians.  We err when our motivation to obey Jesus Christ is so that we can earn grace. Following Christ in obedience is an outcome of the radical grace that we experience through the gospel message.  

4. Rick Warren's message is summarized by the acrostic THINK.

Test every throught.
Helmet your head (with the helmet of salvation).
Imagine great thoughts (thoughts about triune God and his glory, dream what God dreams, vision)
Nourish a godly mind
Keep on learning

Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God

   I'll be attending the Desiring God 2010 National Conference this week. Looking forward to a great time of understanding the relationship between the head and the heart.  The keynote speakers are among the prominent Christian teachers, pastors, and writers of this generation : John Piper, Rick Warren, Francis Chan, RC Sproul, Al Mohler, Kevin De Young, Randy Alcorn, and Thabiti Anyawible. 

Husbands : Bless Your Wives By Sharing This....

    According to the Credenda Agenda, wives have a God-ordained practical authority. Do you agree?

The Wife as Ruler

The Lord's Prayer Part 13: The Most Difficult Prayer Request?

“…and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

- Matthew 6:12 (ESV)

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”  

    - Matthew 6:14 (ESV)

    This is the 5th petition in the Lord’s Prayer. It is a plea that God will wipe away the debt that we have incurred by our sinfulness. We know that God forgives (Psalm 130:4) and that Jesus Christ paid for our debt with his own blood (Isaiah 53:4-6).  We need to pray for forgiveness daily because we continue to be flawed people. As we grow spiritually mature over time, we sin less. What makes this petition difficult is the declaration, “…as we also have forgiven our debtors,” that is attached after the plea. We are asking for forgiveness from the Holy God in proportion to the forgiveness that we give to those who have offended us. Astounding!

    This is a dangerous prayer because many of us struggle with forgiving others. Cheap forgiveness abounds. We dwell on offenses by reliving them in our minds.  We withold forgiveness and make the offender suffer for a while by avoiding them, greeting them with an icy reception, or by ignoring them. We bring the offense back up again to the offender or we bring it up to others. Be warned. Unforgiveness is a serious issue to Jesus Christ. He even provides further commentary in v.14. He points out that by forgiving others, our Father will also forgive us.

    Forgiving others is like cancelling or paying a debt in full that is incurred by the one who offended us. We let go of the demand for the offender to pay it back. We forgive because Jesus forgave us (Ephesians 4:32). The standard by which we forgive others is clear: forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:13). If one cannot forgive, then Jesus is not ruler in that person’s heart. The problem with the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35) was that he did not reciprocate the mercy that was shown to him. Are we not like that all the time? An unforgiving heart cannot pray the Lord’s Prayer with authenticity.  The Lord does not withold forgiveness, rather he gives it freely.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."   -1 John 1:9 (ESV)

    So how do we so live so that we will truly reflect God’s forgiveness to us? Ken Sande, in his book The Peacemaker, says that when you say to someone, “I forgive you”, what you are really saying is that you will keep these 4 promises:   

1. I will not dwell on this incident.


2. I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you.


3. I will not talk to others about this incident.


4. I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship.

    How would our lives be like if God gave a cheap kind of forgiveness? There would be no hope for us. Praise God for his goodness and mercy. Forgiveness is central to the gospel. Christians are the most forgiven people in the world. Lord we pray, that we would become a people of grace, freely bestowing forgiveness to others.

Peacemaker Conference 2010 : Bishop Ef Tendero's Keynote Session

    All keynote sessions from the 2010 Peacemaker Conference are now available online. It was held in Washington DC last week and the theme was on forgiveness. Keynote speakers were Joshua Harris, Chris Brauns, Ken Sande, and Thabiti Anyabwile, and Bishop Ef Tendero.

    Bishop Ef is the head of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC). He talks about the power of forgiveness. Before his current role at PCEC, Bishop Ef was the pastor at my home church in the Philippines. Last May, Bishop Ef, his wife Sierry, and daughter Ellah visited us for a couple of days. He spoke at our church on seeing conflict as an opportunity to glorify God. It was a wonderful time of fellowship. I also enjoyed driving him around the bay area. 

 Bishop Ef's keynote session audio link: Tendero_Keynote.mp3

The Lord's Prayer Part 12 : How to Pray for Your Needs

 

Photo by Suat Eman

"Give us this day our daily bread..."  - Matthew 6:11 (ESV)

    The priority of the Lord's Prayer is the Father's glory. We pray that his name will be treated as holy. We pray that his kingdom, which is Christ's rule in the hearts of men, would be made manifest. We pray that his will be followed here on earth as it is in heaven. Is God's interest really our number #1 priority? It's clear in the Lord's Prayer that the Christian life should be primarily about delighting in God and living a life that reflects his true glory.

    It is only in the 4th petition that we begin praying for ourselves. We are asking God to give, which implies that he owns something that we do not have. It's similar to a beggar asking for charity. Bread symbolizes everything that is necessary for our survival. It is said that man's basic need is food, shelter, and protection. Yes, God is the source of all these things (Psalm 104). Even more amazing is that God knows our need even before we ask him (Matthew 6:8). God provides for the needs of his children (Matthew 7:9-11) and he gives good gifts (James 1:17).

    The motivation behind praying for our needs is very important. Do we pray for our self-interests? Do we ask out of a desire to be richly blessed materially? This cannot be the motivation behind this prayer request because it would be inconsistent with the first three petitions. How can one pray for God’s kingdom when there is a strong desire in us to expand the kingdom of self? Jesus said,

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. -Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

    When Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, he will meet your needs. That is the promise. It is true that many who do not follow Jesus Christ can meet their own needs and can be materially rich. This is the Creator’s common grace to his creation. However, the true Christian knows that attaining comfort in this world is not the ultimate goal. There is a much better life beyond this world and Jesus is the way through this life. For any profit gained in this world does not count for eternity.

“If we look like our lives are devoted to getting and maintaining things, we will look like the world, and that will not make Christ look great. He will look like a religious side-interest that may be useful for escaping hell in the end, but doesn't make much difference in what we live and love here. He will not look like an all-satisfying treasure. And that will not make others glad in God.”

- John Piper (Don’t Waste Your Life)

    We pray for our needs so that we can live for His glory. God is faithful and willing to provide everything we need so that we will have the physical, mental, and emotional strength to live our lives according to his purpose and plans.

I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. -Psalm37:25 (ESV)

    Another thing to note is the immediate extent of the needs that we are to ask for. “Give us this day” really means this coming day. In other words, at night we pray for our needs for the coming day. During the day, we pray for our needs for the coming evening. This is patterned after the Old Testament account of manna (Exodus 16:13-30). Manna was the food that God provided for the people of Israel while they were in the desert. This food came from heaven, was to be collected in the morning, and was to be eaten on that same day. When it was stored, it would spoil (except during Sabbath). The Israelites were literally depending on God day-to-day for their food. Those with refrigerators and pantries stocked with food that could last for weeks may not be able to identify with this kind of living. Yet, this petition reminds all of us to be thankful to God everyday because he ultimately is the source of all provision.

    Do we live to eat or do we eat to live? Food is for fuel; not to be full.

Forgiveness - one man's story

    When we forgive those who have hurt us, their immediate response might not be the outcome that we desire.  We expect an apology or repentance.  By forgiving, we do risk getting rejected instead. But watch the testimony of this brother on his struggles in forgiving his father and the victory in his life as he obeyed the command to forgive as Christ forgave him (Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:32). 

    From my own life experience, I've learned that forgiving others is good for my soul. For if I do not forgive, my relationship with Christ suffers. We don't often see it this way. Instead, we focus on the unfairness and the injustice of it all when we free the offender from the debt and penalty of his offense. Remember this: when we obey, God is faithful and willing to bring peace and reconciliation in our lives and in our relationship with others. (More on this in a future blog post on the Lord's Prayer).


Because I've Been Forgiven: Craig - Part 1 from Peacemaker Ministries on Vimeo.


Because I've Been Forgiven: Craig Pt. 2 from Peacemaker Ministries on Vimeo.

Review Roundup of Stephen Hawking's Grand Design

A skeptical reviewer says that Hawking overreached with his conclusions.

From the Economist (Full Review) :

The main novelty in “The Grand Design” is the authors’ application of a way of interpreting quantum mechanics, derived from the ideas of the late Richard Feynman, to the universe as a whole. According to this way of thinking, “the universe does not have just a single existence or history, but rather every possible version of the universe exists simultaneously.” The authors also assert that the world’s past did not unfold of its own accord, but that “we create history by our observation, rather than history creating us.” They say that these surprising ideas have passed every experimental test to which they have been put, but that is misleading in a way that is unfortunately typical of the authors. It is the bare bones of quantum mechanics that have proved to be consistent with what is presently known of the subatomic world. The authors’ interpretations and extrapolations of it have not been subjected to any decisive tests, and it is not clear that they ever could be.

It takes a lot of faith to embrace M-theory as the ultimate explanation on how this universe came into existence.

From the Observer (Full Review) :

"Our universe and its laws appear to have a design that both is tailor-made to support us and, if we are to exist, leaves little room for alternation," they state. "That is not easily explained, and raises the natural question of why it is that way." The answer, the authors say, lies with M-theory. (The M apparently stands for "master, miracle, or mystery". The authors are unsure which.) The vital point is that M-theory allows for the existence of 11 dimensions of spacetime that contains not just vibrating strings of matter but also "point particles, two-dimensional membranes, three-dimensional blobs and other objects that are more difficult to picture." Simple, really.



    Crucially the laws of M-theory allow for an unimaginably large number of different universes. Thus we exist because the laws of our particular universe just happen to be tuned to the exact parameters that permit the existence of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and other key atoms and which also generate laws that allow these entities to interact in ways that build up complex chemical combinations. Other universes are not so lucky.

    M-theory is the unified theory of physics that Einstein was hoping to find, state the authors, and if it is confirmed by observation, it will be the successful conclusion to a search that was begun by the ancient Greeks when they started to puzzle about the nature of reality. "We will have found the grand design."

Read more »

The Lord's Prayer Part 11 : A battle of the wills?

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

-Matthew 6:10 (ESV)

“I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." (King David)

- Psalm 40:8 (NIV)

"My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (Jesus Christ)

-John 4:34 (NIV)

    Let your will be done is the third petition in the Lord’s Prayer. It is closely related to the first two and what connects them is the ending phrase “on earth as it is in heaven”. The Lord’s name is treated as holy in heaven but not on earth. Jesus Christ reigns in heaven but his rule on earth is not consummated until his return. In the same way, God’s will is followed in heaven but is frequently violated here on earth.

    This begs the question then that if God is sovereign so that his will is always accomplished then why is it that his will is not fully followed by man? The answer lies in the way God’s will is revealed in Scripture.

1. God’s efficacious will is the eternal, unchanging purpose concerning all things that he has made. This is absolute and is always fulfilled. When God said let there be light, it was created. Jesus commanded Lazarus to rise from the dead and Lazarus lived again immediately.

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

-Isaiah 46:10 (NIV)

2. God’s preceptive will relates to his laws and commandments that he issues to regulate the behavior of his creation. This can be violated or disobeyed. For example, God’s will is that the ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) are followed but everyone has violated these commandments.

3. Lastly, God’s will is sometimes revealed as his basic inclination or disposition. He desires all men to be saved (2 Peter 3:9) for example, but this will not come to pass. There will be men who will go to hell.
    Going back to Matthew 6:10, it makes sense then that the prayer must be asking for the Lord’s preceptive will to be followed here on earth. It is a prayer that expresses the surrendering of our will and the commitment to walk in obedience to God’s commands. It is a desire to see others follow Jesus Christ.

    God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect (Romans 12:2). Furthermore, God’s commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). Lord, not my will but yours instead. This is not a fatalistic attitude but a strong desire to follow God's will all the time. Fatalism is resigned to the inevitable and is not of faith Real faith hopes in God in times of trouble. We are assured that the Lord works everything according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11) and that everything works together for our good (Romans 8:28).

Let Him Deny Himself - a warning and a promise

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

- Mark 8:34-37 (NIV)

    These are hard words from Jesus Christ. The Christian life is a life of denying my desires within me that lead me away from Christ. I say no to a pattern of living that seeks the most comfortable life possible that I can live here on earth. This is warning. People quit following Jesus Christ for 2 reasons: when following Christ leads to trouble and difficulty or they do not want to give up worldliness (Matthew 13:1-23).

   There is a promise, however, that whoever will lose his life in this world will save it. There is  immense profit to be gained! Following Jesus Christ, no matter how hard it can become, is really the path that leads us to the life that we long for. God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him. 

    Further reflections on this passage from the Desiring God blog : 

First, the Christian life is hard; sometimes agonizing. We shouldn't be surprised (1 Peter 4:12). It's hard because denying our fallen selves is hard. Any death is hard, some much more than others. But it's designed to be that way. Our lives are our most precious earthly possession. Nothing displays the worth of Jesus more than our willingness to give away our lives (in small and large ways) for his sake.

    Second, the only things that Jesus asks us to deny ourselves of are what will rob us of eternal joy. Like Moses in Hebrews 11:25-26, we are called to deny ourselves the passing pleasures of sin and consider the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the world's treasures. How? By looking to the reward! I'll sum it up in some lyrics I wrote in a song for my oldest daughter years ago:

There's joy beyond your wildest dreams if you will just believe.

This aching thirst for joy you feel God only can relieve.

And that eternal life is what's in store.

For all who will believe that only he's worth living for.

Of Faith and Football

   
    Football is here once again! Oh yes! Tonight, I just got finished watching the Super Bowl champs New Orleans Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings 14-9 in the NFL season opener. At this time of the year, optimism reigns for each long-suffering fan. I myself am hoping that this is the year that my Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl. The Eagles boast a potent offense with fast wide receivers who can make explosive plays at any time. However, they are young and are starting a talented but inexperienced quarterbak in Kevin Kolb.

    I came to love this sport when I was a child. Growing up, I lived near Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. When the Tennessee Vols had a game, I was able to watch thousands of orange-clad fans walking to the stadium. Sometimes we were able to get tickets and watch the game live. The experience of being with over 90,000 screaming and cheering people is something I will always remember. I also loved the marching band. The form a giant T and the crowd roars as the football players run trough the T and into the sidelines.



    I also watched all the NFL games on TV. Super Bowl XV was the first championship game I watched on TV. It was also the first time that I experienced heart break because my beloved Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Oakland Raiders by a score of 27-10. Since then, I've always followed football closely. Now, I have discovered that the game is a rich source of stories that pertain to the Christian life. So starting this season, I'd like to also blog about faith and football.

    This year's NFL #1 draft pick is Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, a former quarterback from the University of Oklahoma. He will start at quarterback for the St. Luis Rams. He faces a big challenge. The Rams are in the process of rebuilding and many are expecting them to have a losing year. They simply need to infuse and develop more talent in order to become perennial contenders. Bradford is also going against history. Many first round draft pick quarterbacks have turned out to be busts in the NFL. I'm hoping that the rookie succeeds and goes on to have a fine career. His faith and dependence on God have been the key to his success in the college game. God bless you Sam and hope that your debut goes well this Sunday.




Next time, I'll write on Tim Tebow....

  

THE LORD’S PRAYER PART 10: WHOSE KINGDOM?

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

– Matthew 6:10 (ESV)

    The second petition in the Lord’s Prayer is asking that Christ’s rule or reign will come here on earth. Whose kingdom? Christ’s kingdom, not my kingdom. Oftentimes, our attitude in prayer is that we tell God what we want and expect him to bless us by granting our desires. That is prioritizing our own interests above God’s interests.

    So what is this petition really asking for? More clarity can be gained when there is understanding in how the word “kingdom” is used in the Bible. In one example, it is used to describe God’s sovereign rule over all his creation. This is declared many times in the book of Psalms.

The LORD has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all.

–Psalm 93:1-2 (ESV)

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

-Psalm 145:13 (ESV)

    If the Lord’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom then why is it that we are to pray for Christ’s kingdom to come? The answer lies in the other use of the word “kingdom” in the Bible. Shortly after David became king over Israel, he wanted to build a temple for the Lord (2 Samuel 7). David sought the counsel of the prophet Nathan. The prophet thought that this was a good idea but that same night, the Lord told Nathan that David was not to build the temple but one of his offspring would be granted that honor. Then the Lord made a covenant with David that his throne will be established forever.

When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.

-1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (ESV)

    God made an unconditional covenant with David by promising that the Messiah would come from David’s lineage and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever. God indeed kept his promise through Jesus Christ. Indeed, Jesus spoke of this kingdom during his public ministry.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

 -Matthew 4:17 (ESV)

    However, this announcement was misunderstood by many including Christ’s disciples. Many thought that Jesus was giving to Israel the fulfillment of the promise made by God with David. They thought that Jesus Christ was going to establish an earthly kingdom on whose throne sits a descendant of David and this king would bring about the liberation of Israel from Roman rule. What Jesus said completely confused them because they were expecting that the Messiah would be a political leader.

 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

-Luke 17:20-21 (ESV)

    Instead, the kingdom that Jesus announced is the kingdom of grace established by his death on the cross and his resurrection. It is Jesus Christ’s rule in the hearts of those who have repented from their sins and believed in his name. This kingdom is not yet completely revealed. It will be made fully manifest when Jesus Christ returns and rules visibly on earth (see Psalm 2, Revelation 11:15-18, Revelation 19:11-18). This is the time when the King of Kings shall take his throne and reign over what was given to him as an inheritance by the Father. I heard a pastor once say that history is HIS STORY. We are now at the point of history were we await the coming of Jesus. The question is are you ready?

    In Matthew 13, Jesus uses parables to describe the nature of this kingdom as it exists here on earth. These parables are summarized beautifully in a sermon by John Piper. This is worthy of reflection and careful investigation because we will then understand why Jesus asks us to pray for this kingdom.

The Parable of the Sower


First, the parable of the sower: verses 18-19, "Hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom . . . " four different things can happen:


1. Satan can snatch it;
2. the heat of trouble can scorch it;
3. the thorns of care can choke it;
4. or it can bear fruit in good soil.


The mystery here is that the Word of the kingdom—the gospel of the kingdom, "Our God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7)—is not sweeping the whole world before it. It's here with power to save some—but three-forths of the kingdom preaching seems to be aborting. That was not expected to happen when the Messiah arrived to say, "The kingdom is at hand. Our God reigns!" This is the mystery of the kingdom.


The Parable of the Wheat and Tares


Then look at the parable of the wheat and tares in verses 24ff. "Another parable he put before them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.'" An enemy sows bad seed and wheat and tares grow up together. And Jesus says that's a picture of the kingdom. Sons of the kingdom (v. 38) and sons of the evil one side by side till the harvest—the day of judgment.


The interpretation is given in verses 37ff. Notice verse 41. At the end of the age it says, "The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire." This is the mystery of the kingdom—a kingdom existing for some time in this world with righteous (v. 43) and evil in it side by side until the consummation. This was not expected. The kingdom was to come with total power to destroy the wicked immediately and vindicate the righteous. But Jesus says it has arrived. There is fulfillment. But the consummation, the final separation waits for the second coming of the Son of Man (v. 41).


The Parable of the Mustard Seed


Look at the parable of the mustard seed in vv. 31-32, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."


The mystery of the kingdom is that the kingdom came in Jesus like a mustard seed and not a military coup. It will some day be a huge and mighty tree. But the mystery is that the kingdom has come into the world without the cataclysmic transformation most expected.


The Parable of the Fishing Net


Skip down to the last parable of the chapter, verses 47-50, the parable of the fishing net.


Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire.


The mystery of the kingdom, again, is that as the net—the power of the kingdom—draws men into its sway, it draws good and bad. Only when the net is up on shore at the close of the age will the good and the bad fish be separated.


Notice carefully: the separation described here is not between the fish which didn't get caught in the net of the kingdom and those which did. That's not the point of this parable. The separation here is between two kinds of people who are swept into the net of the kingdom. One kind is kept. The other is cast into the fire.


So the mystery of the kingdom is not only that the kingdom is at first limited in its scope and its effect in the world (it's a mustard seed), but also the mystery of the kingdom is that the people who come under the power of God's kingdom are, as we say, a mixed bag. Some are true disciples. And some are hypocrites.

    The 2nd petition in the Lord's Prayer prays for the success of this kingdom here on earth. When we become part of this kingdom, its advance becomes our priority. The passion for this kingdom comes from a heart that is fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ. We pray that the benefits and blessings of this kingdom will be enjoyed by others and by nations. We pray that the message of the Gospel will be preached to the whole world. We long for the hastening of Jesus Christ’s return.

    Lord let your kingdom come, not mine. Rule over my heart today and forevermore.

   Amen!