Silence!

The book of Hebrews begins this way,

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"

This verse clearly is teaching that God has spoken in the past to our fathers by the prophets and to us by His Son. As the Old Testament people were to hear and obey the words of God's prophets, we today are to hear and obey the words of God's Son! God has revealed Himself and His will in His Son.

What we almost miss here is that between God speaking through the prophets and God speaking again through His Son, there were 400 years of silence. Four centuries where God said nothing, revealed nothing, and commanded nothing--nothing but silence.

Have you ever earnestly prayed for some need to only be met with silence. You expect God to answer any moment but each day only brings more silence. Each night you go to bed with hope that God will speak tomorrow but then tomorrow only offers more silence. Silence is discouraging. Silence is depressing. Silence is demanding.

But learn from this passage that while God chose to be silent for 400 years between His prophets and His Son, he did speak again. He had not forgotten nor forsaken His people. The silence did not mean that God would not speak. His silence did not negate his speaking again through His Son.

Today's silence does not mean tomorrow's silence. This week's silence does not mean next week's silence. This month's silence does not mean next month will be silent. Be faithful, be patient, be obedient....he will speak to your heart. His silence is not final. He will speak to you again. And how glorious it will be when he does.

Disturbed!

Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, who advised Barrack Obama on gay issues, offered his prayer during the inauguration ceremonies this morning. Besides the obvious problem of the lifestyle of the man who offered the prayer there was one part of his prayer that particularly caught my attention. He offered this petition,

"Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world."

There are two problems that immediately jump out at me. Firstly, there seems to be the implication that there is either a plurality of Gods or that all religions, although vastly different in their beliefs, address the same God. None of the three major religions would believe that. All three would hold to a single God and would not agree that all ways lead to the same God. Jews would place the essential emphasis on the law and natural descent. Muslims would place the essential emphasis on Muhammad. And Jesus would be essential for Christians.

The second, and more troubling statement says that God will judge us "by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community." The truth of the matter is, God will not judge us by how we have treated each other but how we have treated God. Our sins, while certainly having implications on humanity, are offenses against a holy, gracious, and righteous God, first and foremost. It is not forgiveness from our fellow man that is of primary importance, but forgiveness of God. It is not the salvation from the wrath of man that we need but saving from the wrath of God. It is not the pleasing of men that is vital but the pleasing of God.

How can a man who is given the responsibility of sharing the Word of God, give such a humanistic viewpoint? It is disturbing. It will only add to the countless number of people who go about doing good deeds for humanity while ignoring the need to have their sins forgiven by God.

There is nothing here about God being angry, God being offended, or God punishing the sinful. Just a good works based salvation, that makes us feel better about ourselves but unable to help us one bit with God. May we search the scriptures and see that our sins have alienated us from God, his wrath hangs over our sinful heads and eternal punishment is our destiny unless we receive the free gift of his Son as the substitutionary sacrifice that appeases God's wrath against us.

Lukewarmness!

I am currently reading "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God" by Francis Chen and in chapter four he is dealing with what we call "lukewarm Christians." In America, lukewarmness is not only accepted but is the norm in Christian churches. It is almost the preferred state among Christians. But while we marginalize lukewarmness, God does not. God would rather you be hot or cold and lukewarmness makes him sick. Actually "lukewarm Christians" is an oxymoron--there really is no such thing. Churchgoers who are lukewarm are not Christians and they will not be in heaven. God wants all (hot) or nothing (cold). What "Crazy Love" does is to challenge the reader to examine themselves and to see if they are good soil and not just assume they are. This is done by describing what these lukewarm, halfhearted, distracted partially committed people can look like. As you read these, search yourself and take a honest look at your life. Not who you want to be one of these days, but who you are now and how you are living today.

1. Lukewarm People attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe "good Christians" do, so they go. (Isa. 29:13)

2. Lukewarm People give money to charity and to the church...as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? (1 Chron 21:24, Luke 21:1-4)

3. Lukewarm People tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. (Luke 6:26, Rev 3:1, Matt 23:5-7)

4. Lukewarm People don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don't genuinely hate sin and aren't truly sorry for it; they're merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful like. (John 10:10, Rom 6:1-2)

5. Lukewarm People are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for "extreme" Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call "radical" what Jesus expected of all His followers. (James 1:22, 4:17, Matt 21:28-31)

6. Lukewarm People rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. (Matt 10:32-33)

7. Lukewarm People gauge their morality or "goodness" by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren't as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. (Luke 18:11-12)

8. Lukewarm People say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him as section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn't allowed to control their lives. (Luke 9:57-62)

9. Lukewarm People love God but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn't really possible for the average person; it's only for pastors and missionaries and radicals. (Matt 22:37-38)

10. Lukewarm People love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective and generally comes with strings attached. (Matt 5:43-47, Luke 14:12-14)

11. Lukewarm People will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give. (Luke 18:21-25)

12. Lukewarm People think about life on earth much more often then eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today's to do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation. Rarely, this, C. S. Lewis wrote, "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this." (Phil 3:18-20, Col 3:2)

13. Lukewarm People are thankful for their luxuries and comforts and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible. They are quick to point out, "Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is." Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel "called" to minister to the rich; very few feel "called" to minister to the poor. (Matt 25:34-40, Isa 58:6-7)

14. Lukewarm People do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be "good enough" without it requiring too much of them. They ask, "How far can I go before it's considered a sin?" instead of "How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?" They ask, "How much do I have to give?" Instead of "How much can I give?" They ask, "How much time should I spend praying and reading my Bible?" instead of "I wish I didn't have to go to work, so I could sit here and read longer!" (1 Chron 29:14, Matt 13:44-46)

15. Lukewarm People are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God. (1 Tim 6:17-18, Matt 10:28)

16. Lukewarm People feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a "Christian nation." (Matt 7:21, Amos 6:1, Luke 12:16-21)

17. Lukewarm People probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren't very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn't be more wrong. (Matt 23:25-28)

May we obey 2 Corinthians 13:5 and examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith. On to chapter five.

Incomprehensibility!

One responsibility of the under shepherd is to scout future feeding opportunities for the sheep under his leadership. While we are currently feeding on The Gospel According to Mark on Sunday mornings and evenings and Ecclesiastes on Wednesday nights, there must be some work done on where we are going next. The book of Hebrews could be the next Wednesday night study. And I am beginning work on a needed series on the Attributes of God for either Sunday morning or Sunday evening. I don't want to make it a long series covering all the attributes at one time but a series that covers several of them each year. So we may cover 3 or 4 in a series this year, 3 or 4 more next year and so on. All that is up to the providence of God, of course.

In a pursuit to know God, the first truth to come to grips with is that you can't know God. Philosophers say that God can't be known so that all we can know about God is what he is not. Gnostic's claim that God is absolutely unknowable and we should be silent. What I mean is that God cannot be known--fully. We cannot know God in his essence. Every description or name for God is inadequate, for human language struggles even to say what God is not. Theologians call this limitation the incomprehensibility of God. While God certainly and infinitely surpasses our understanding, imagination and language we can know him in terms of what and how he has chosen to reveal himself to us. Through the gift of revelation we can have some knowledge of God. We know God through his works and in his relation to us, his creatures. And this knowledge of God is relative and finite rather than comprehensive. God can be known but only as he reveals himself to us and only by the means he reveals himself to us.

Worship!

I have come to see that there are two types of worship. There is vertical worship and there is horizontal worship. Further, I have learned that a person's theology determines what type of worship they find attractive.

Many are interested in worshipping on a horizontal level. Horizontal worship is centered on man and his relationships. It is worship that involves worship that somehow leaves us feeling good about ourselves. We come together, we fellowship, we share, we sing songs about our experiences, and we hear sermons about us: becoming better fathers, better mothers, better husbands, better wives, better children, better employers, better employees, ... better whatever. It centers on what we are doing and not doing. It is worship that is primarily about US and our relationship with God.

Other people are interested in worshipping on a vertical level. Vertical worship is centered on Christ and his greatness. It is worship that speaks of Him, emphasizes Him, treasures Him, sings about Him, speaks on what He is and what He has done and we hear sermons that instruct us about Him. It is a worship that centers and focused on GOD! It is not making much of us but it is a making much of Him.

Horizontal worshippers think that vertical worship is boring and vertical worshippers think that horizontal worship is superficial. These two kind of worshippers rarely can co-exist together over any length of time. So we must decide not what worship appeals to us but what worship type is commanded in Scripture and what kind of worship brings glory to Him?

How To Pray For Your Pastor!

1. For my Pastor to love God’s Word and have a desire to meditate on it continually (Psalm 119: 97)

2. For my Pastor to preach nothing but Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2)

3. For my Pastor to proclaim God’s Word with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power (1 Cor 2:4-5)

4. For my Pastor to comprehend the realities of God’s presence; the appearing and judgement of Christ Jesus, and in that light ‘preach the Word.’ (2 Tim 4:1-1)

5. For my Pastor to patiently and carefully correct, rebuke and encourage via the instrument of the Word of God, whatever the hostile climate to sound doctrine (2 Tim 4:2-3)

6. For my Pastor to boldly proclaim the gospel (Eph 6:19-20)

7. For my Pastor to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18)

8. For my Pastor to be clear in his proclamation (Col. 4:3-4).

9. For my Pastor to prepare God’s people for works of service through the teaching of the Scriptures (Eph 4:11ff)

10. For my Pastor to see some fruit for his preaching and teaching: some becoming wise unto salvation by the Scriptures (2 Tim 3:15), others being sanctified by the truth (John 17:17)

Choices!

Due to the strife that had risen between them, Abram presented Lot with a choice. The choice was which direction he would go? He had the option of going any direction he wanted to and Abram would go the opposite way.

We are told what it was that influenced his decision. Lot looked and saw a well-watered land that reminded him of Egypt. To Lot it was a direction of ease, of comfort, and of plenty. The other directions did not carry with them the potential of this way. Even though this way was the way where great wickedness was being manifest. Abram let Lot choose for himself and he chose the wrong direction. This choice would eventually cost him his wife and would bring he and his daughters into a terrible sin.

Abram on the other hand went the opposite way and he and his family were blessed by the Lord. Although the way he took did not look like it would be prosperous or easy, the Lord made it so for him.

We need to be careful that we make wise and Godly choices this year. We should not look to taking the easy route, the comfortable road, nor the way that gives us the greatest advantage. The hard way, the uncomfortable way, the poor way is the best way if God choose to bless it. My God help us with our decisions in 2009.

Listening!

Genesis 3 details for us the fall of Adam and Eve and in consequence the fall of all humanity. We are all affected with depravity because of the disobedience of the first man and woman. How did this happen? Created, placed in paradise, and in fellowship with God on a daily basis-how did this tragic thing happen?

It began, it seems, by listening to wrong voices. God had spoken to them specifically concerning this tree. He had plainly told them to not eat of this one tree. All other trees were in play but not this one. But Eve listened to a strange voice. It was the voice of the serpent, which was in reality the voice of Satan. Notice that his voice always casts doubt, "Did God really say you could not eat of the tree?" Then he distorts the Word of God, "God said don't eat it and don't touch it." Of course, this just brings confusion to Eve. Then finally, he just straight out deceives her, "If you eat of this tree, you will a God."

Eve never looked at the tree the same way again. She viewed it with new desires in her heart. Desires that moved her to disobey God and eat of the tree. As a result Adam listened to the voice of his wife. He clearly knew the boundaries that God had set, yet willingly stepped over them and sinned.

Sin always begins by listening to the wrong voice. It manifests itself in some action or thought but it begins by listening to a wrong voice. Instead of listening and obeying God we entertain other voices that muddy the waters and stimulate fleshly desires and before you know it there we are standing with a piece of fruit in our hands and a bitter taste in our mouths.

As we begin 2009, let's be careful what voices we listen to.

Beginnings!

As I began reading Genesis 1 and 2 yesterday, I was struck afresh with the Sovereignty of God. In the creation account we see God commanding things to be and they are. He separates things from each other, and he gathers things together. All things submit to his power and do whatever he wishes them to do. There are no arguments, no reluctance, and no hesitation. He begins His Word and His world with the truth that He is the designer and He is the sustainer of all that is.

May we begin our year this way, as well. All things this year will be according to his design and all things will continue to exist because he causes them to endure. Everything we will face in 2009 will be subject to his power and his will. As our world began with thoughts of Him, so too, may our new year begin with thoughts of His greatness.

Resolutions

David Pawson has defined resolutions as a "coming to a firm and determined decision to do something, to behave in a certain manner, to abide by certain principles." There are certainly a number of changes and determinations that we should make as we begin this new year. Things that need removed and other things that need added. Of course, weight-loss and exercise tend to top most people's lists of New Year Resolutions but one we should should determine to do is to read the Bible through this year. There are a number of plans that encourage us do this and we will post readings from the OT and NT on this blog each week. I can not think of a more needed resolution in our churches than those in the pew becoming more familiar with God's Word and in the process becoming more familiar with our great God.