It is to the extent that we grasp the truth of the doctrine that the desire to be holy is created within us.  If I really believe that while I was 'dead in trespasses and sins' God quickened me, sent His Son into the world to die for me and for my sins that I might be saved form hell, and might be saved for heaven - if I really believe that, I must say 'Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all'.  It is logic, and it demands my soul, my life, my all.  I cannot resist such logic - I must!  

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Christian Unity p22

By the way, this was a whole sermon from Lloyd-Jones on Ephesians 4:1, just on the very first word.  "Therefore"  Only the Doctor could do that.

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart

The title of this book will make you pick it up and look at it, if nothing else, but the way that Summit Church Pastor JD Greear tackles a difficult topic will be the reason you stay with it to the end.

In the book, Greear relays his own difficulties in growing up in his particular brand of evangelicalism.  That is to say, one that practices extended altar calls, revivalism, and stresses personal moment of conversion.  This is a strand I am familiar with having grown up in it and now pastoring in a section of the country where that view is most prevalent.

Right from the beginning though, he makes his premise clear

"Salvation is not a prayer you pray in one time ceremony and then move on from; Salvation is a posture of repentance and faith that you begin in a moment and maintain for the rest of your life"

He continues on this trajectory for the rest of the book, chasing this theme, and tackling relevant and difficult passages regarding salvation, and the perseverance of saints until the end of their life.  

He goes through topics such as "once saved, always saved", re-baptism, doubting, and the link between assurance and justification by faith alone.  

For a lightweight  somewhat comical looking book with a attention grabbing title, Greear lays out a heavy theological work in an easy to understand language.  He begins with walking through what salvation is and isn't, moves on to assurance, repentance, and doubt.  The book is thoroughly biblical and relies on many heavy theologians, such as John Bunyan, CS Lewis, and others.

Below are some quotes

Belief in the Gospel is not demonstrated by never failing, but by what you do when you do fail.

Saving faith always endures  to the end.  Faith that fades, no matter how luscious the first fruits, is not saving faith.

Repentance is belief in action.

Belief in God:  Acknowledging that God told the trut about Jesus, namely that He is Lord and that He has finished for us forever the work of salvation. 

The gospel in four words:  Jesus in my place

I enjoyed the book, both as a pastor and christian, and found it helpful in both those areas as well.  I recommend you pick it up.  

The Choosing of the Seven: Where is the Gospel?

In Acts 6 there is a complaint that arises in the early church.  Murmuring is coming from the Hellenistic widows, saying they are being ignored in favor of the Jewish widows.  The 12 disciples act quickly and decisively, calling on the church to appoint 7 men, full of the Holy Ghost and of a good report to attend to this matter.  

This is a great passage, and full of wisdom from the early church and applicable to our churches today.  The choosing of the seven marks a significant turning point in the history of this early church, and forms the basis for many of the leadership structures in many baptist churches today, most notably the office of deacons.  

I prepared to preach on this as we were going through the book of Acts, and there are loads of insight that we could have covered.

• Growth in the church led to some problems
• Proper structure is necessary for growth
• Sterling character is required for seemingly low-profile jobs
• Congregation should have a say in leadership of the church
• Faithfulness in small things leads to rewarding in higher things (Stephen)

But where is Jesus?  Where is the Gospel?  For people who are returning to a job they hate, to unpaid bills, to sickness and dying loved one, to a hopeless world, what does this passage have to say to them>  Where is the good news? Information about how to structure a business meeting?  

But the answer for our world lies not in better organization, or even in better leadership.  It lies in only person, in Jesus Christ.  The organization is not the important part.  The heart of the seven of the 12 disciples is the part we need to focus on.  

But then in verse 4, the Holy spirit lays it out for us.  "But we will devote ourselves to prayer and teaching of the word."

Are the disciples saying "WE are above this, this clearing of tables, and getting things out to widows"  I don't think they are.  Scripture is clear that Jesus modeled servant leadership for them, and taught them that leaders must be last and must be servants.  But here they are saying that they can't serve, that they should pray.  So what gives?  What is the change?  

The disciples show value for things by setting up this structure

1.  Value for Prayer and Scripture:  They didn't think they were above serving, but rather that prayer and scripture called for full attention.  When you start to multi-task you always drop the thing with the least visible payoff.  They wanted to devote full attention to teaching God's Word and developing relationship with him.  They valued this above all else and didn't want it to drop.

2.  Value for Others:  They wanted all the widows to be treated equally, and didn't let any old bum who wanted something to do to "clear tables" and serve to meet this need.  They called to select men of good report and full of the Holy Ghost.  They valued the widows by the leaders they selected.  There is no unimportant ministry or committee in your church.  Everything in God's house is important, and deserves people to serve as leaders who are fully committed to the causes of advancing God's kingdom. Churches get in trouble because they let someone serve on a task or board or committee, because they think it is not a big deal.  People without the requisite character.  People who don't fully follow God.  Churches devalue people and tasks in the church when these positions are filled by people who don't fully follow after God.  Not perfect people, but those of good report, and full of the Holy Spirit.  

3.  Value for Their Calling:  The 12 disciples had a clear understanding of what God had called them for, and for what he had created them to do.  Not that they were more important than anyone else, but they had a clear calling for which they were created, for which Jesus had picked them and called them to do.  And they were going to do it.  

Presence

At the last church I served, there was some very dear friends of my wife and I that had a house fire.  They lost almost everything they had.  They were very involved members and in the community, and as I was there that night as the fire was being put out, many people came to offer support or help or whatever they needed.  Those people meant it, but the next morning as he returned to his house to survey damage, I was the only one there to help him sift out of the wreckage.

  I learned a valuable lesson, namely that many people say they will help, and they mean it sincerely, but no one asks for help.  This man was not going to ask anyone to follow him around and take notes as he dealt with insurance.  Nor would he ask anyone to sift through water and soot and ash and other things to look for the gun from his grandpaw.  But he needed someone to do that. The people who offered help meant it, and many would and did show up later on when recruited by some other people.  

I saw this play out again later on when another family had a fire.  Then again when another family had a fire.  Very strange 6 months.  Then again when man in the church took his own life, leaving a wife and 3 children.  Just to show up.  To be there.  Everyone needs help in those situations, but no one asks for it.  Most people aren't even sure what they need a day after tragedy strikes, so the ministry of presence is a valuable one.

As I type this I just sent off an ambulance to the hospital with a 94 year old woman in it who fell in her house.  Again, the lesson stands.  There is not much I can do, I can't bandage wounds, but I can be there, and so I will.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..."  I offer the ministry of presence, because Christ was there for me when I needed him most. But unlike the temporary things I offer, Christ offers eternal presence at the right hand of the Father, interceding for me.  To help not sift through temporary possessions, but to sift through the wreckage of my life, and to heal the broken places in my life. To guide me as I rebuilt my life on a firm foundation, with Christ as the cornerstone.  

Just another Sunday

I found this piece of short fiction I had composed a few years earlier.  I thought I would share it today.  

It was a just a typical end of a Sunday morning service. One that was acted out thousands of times across the world that day, in churches of all size and color. I was done with speaking the words God gave me, and so I turned to step down the stairs to the floor in front of the stage. As I prayed, I turned to look at the piano player, who softly begins playing. Just like riding a bike. It almost always went down the same way. But today was different. We sang the first verse and were starting in on the last one, when a man rose to walk down the aisle.

People had walked down our aisle for years, but this one was different. As soon as he got up, you could tell what was different about him. The way he walked and carried himself told you he was different. Then there was his outfit. Boy was that ever a dead give-away. I had been around enough people like him to know what was going on. As he walked down, people began to stare. Even with every head bowed and every eye closed, this man was hard to miss.

I knew that someday this was going to happen. We had been seeing in increase of this type of people. Although everyone has I guess. Just a sign of the times we live in.

I am a professional, and I could handle any situation, so as he came closer, I let my associate handle the end of the service. As I began to talk to this man about why he came forward, I just began to feel sorry for him. The way he talked, and the conversation we had just made my heart drop. Years of self doubt, self-hatred, and abuse led him to the path he was on. I told him that Christ could change him, wanted to change him, if he would give his heart to him. We talked some more, and bowed our heads for him to pray.

Now came the hard part. To stand before the church and ask for his acceptance into membership. The offering was over, people were reminded to pick up their salad bowls from the potluck, and I stood to address this church.

“This man has come forward today to accept Christ. He prayed to receive Christ, and I ask that we receive him into membership”

The crowd was as silent, until one woman raised her hand. That woman, the one that every church has.

“I don’t think we should allow someone like that in here,” she said as calmly as if discussing the weather. Many people shook their heads, some in agreement, and others in anger and disgust. “He is obviously living in sin,” she continued “and I don’t want someone like him around my children, they might pick up things from him.”

By now the crowd noise has gone from a murmur to a roar. Some people were already getting up to leave, not wanting any part of it. Others settled in their seats with popcorn and milk duds, getting ready to watch the show.

“Well, I think we need to examine scripture on this” I stated, trying desperately to stop the hemorrhaging, as I could tell she had many on her side. “Jesus says…”

“Jesus told them to go and sin no more,” someone else stands up and yells. We come here to be safe from the ways of the world, and I don’t want him around my children.”

“Jesus said to love our neighbors, and no sin is worse than another,” I countered. I felt my blood pressure rising, and the man standing next to me slowly turning his back on Christ, because of some stupid simple minded people.

“We don’t have to get cleaned up before we come to Christ, we just simply come, and trade our filthy rags for robes of righteousness. Christ hung out with lepers and prostitutes and tax collectors, and Christ would stand by this man today,” I thundered in my best preacher voice.

The room fell silent, and I spoke in a clear calm voice. “If this man is not accepted by this church, this man who though his sin and scars and pain may be very real, is a child of God. He is covered by his grace and righteousness, and is now my brother. If he is not accepted here, I can no longer be your pastor.”

The gasp was audible, from all members and my family in the front pew.

“Fine, someone shouted from the back. “Shut up”, some yelled back at them.

I ended up leaving that day. I could not take being around that hatred anymore. Christ died for all, no sin is worse than another. That man that day had a lust that consumed him, and he grew weary of trying to fight it. Society told him it was okay, that he was probably born that way. I know from talking to him that he tried hard to fight it his whole life. He didn’t want to be that way; it was hard for him to fit in with his friends, when he was so different. He would sneak out late at night, just to feed his lust. But Christ can help him. Just because someone walks with heavy labored breathing and a cane, or because they wear sweat pants and t-shirts, because that is the only kind of clothes they can find, does not mean we should shun them. God loves everyone, even the obese.

Christ and the Media

I recently finshed a book called "Christ and the Media", which is a series of 3 lectures given by Malcom Muggeridge. Muggeridge was a brilliant journalist and TV personality in England and for the BBC in the 20th century. The lectures were over the role that TV specifically plays in the shaping of culture and society, and of our values. The lectures were given in 1976, but like most timely words, they still stand true in our time today. I wondered what Muggeridge would say could he see our society now, and the effect that media and the internet play in our daily lives.

I put together a few quotes to share.

"News was endlessly analyzed, synthesized, liqudised, to form a single soothing brew- Newsak"

"More books published, plays produced, buildings erected in a matter of decades than heretofore in the whole recorded matter of time; the scene set for the greatest cultural explosion of history, a Venice or Florence on a continental scale. And the result? Instead of sages, philosopher-kings and saints, pop stars, psychiatrists and gurus. Looking for a Leonardi Da Vinci or a Shakespeare, the archeologists find only a Rolling Stone."

(This is from a lecture called the Dead Sea Videotapes where he imagines archeologists unearthing some video from our civilization in a few thousand years from now, and how they would analyze that)

"What passes for history is merely the propganda of the victor transcribed by different hands and described from different angles."

"Your principal maladies are pride, which cuts you off from God, and sensuality, which binds you to the earth, and have done nothing but foster at least one of these maladies" (this is actually Muggeridge quoting Pascal, but I thought it was worth repeating.

"Seek endlessly for God and for his hand in all creation, in the tiniest atom or electron as in the wide expanse of the universe, in our own innermost-being as in all fellow creatures. So looking we find him, finding him, we love him, and realise that in every great word ever spoken or written we hear his voice, as in every mean or sordid word we lose it, shutting ourselves off from the glory of his utterance."

"It is a fallacy of our time that we can usefully participate in whatever exists"

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh, not celluoid." Or pixels, as he might say today.

All in all a great book, and worth the read. Very thought provoking, and I encourage you to read it if you are able.

CP was, and will be, a long time coming

“Mr. President, Mr. President!” Three voices spoke almost as one. “Mr. President, do I have the floor?”
The president’s gavel hammered vigorously. “The Chair recognizes Brother Stealey.”
“Mr. President, we must settle this evolution issue at once,” Clarence Stealey said. “Let the messengers to this annual session of the Southern Baptist Convention vote now. It’s the most pressing matter before us in 1925. Brother Burts’s money report can come later.”
“Mr. President!” shouted Bronson Ray taking advantage of Stealey’s pause, “the editor from Oklahoma may think other matters are more important than money. But that’s because he doesn’t have the foreign missionaries looking to him for their salaries. He doesn’t have debts piling higher every month and precious little money coming in to pay them. I tell you we are in a bad way. This Convention must do something before it leaves Memphis...”
The gavel beat out an insistent interruption.
“Gentleman, Gentleman!” said President McDaniel. “Let’s get on with the order of business. Brother Charles Burts has been standing here for ten minutes now to give his report. We shall hear him now.”
Burts eyes moved over the big room, and then back to the paper in his hand. He read slowly, his voice lifting slightly as he accented certain words and phrases. His was the first annual report of the Future Program Commission, of which he was general director. The report set forth and named the new unified budget of the denomination.
“From the adoption of this report it shall be known as the Cooperative Program,” read Burts.
The report was adopted in routine fashion by messengers anxious to get on with debate on evolution. With that action, the the Cooperative Program was launched May 13, 1925 at the Southern Baptist Convention in Memphis, TN.
The Cooperative Program was almost overlooked in the beginning. State papers were concerned with debts and debate. Few messengers paid attention to it or caught its significance.

Our Cooperative Program By W. E. Grindstaff, Sunday School Training Course material 1965 Published by Convention Press

Such humble beginnings for something that most Baptist’s would be quick to praise now. Something that seems to be an indispensable part of Baptist life is less than 100 years old and got off to a slow start, as Grindstaff later discusses in his book. Grindstaff served as pastor of several churches in Oklahoma after attending OBU, and later served the BGCO and was director of Cooperative Program Promotion with the Stewardship Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, so this is an area he is well familiar with. There were several failed attempts at funding the work of Southern Baptist before this, such as the Judson Memorial Fund, and the many pleas made by agencies to churches every week across the country. Until the Conventions agencies paid off most of their outstanding debts with the “Hundred Thousand Club” from 1933-1943, the CP was slow in getting going.

Once it finally started rolling, it was a great plan that funded untold salvations, missionaries, block parties, and baptisms, among other things. Much has been made of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Reports, none of which I desire to rehash here. But as I read this book, by a man commissioned by the Southern Baptist Convention to write a training course to educate all Southern Baptists on the Cooperative Program, I was struck at the time it took them to reach the conclusion of the CP, and the time , again and again, it took to fine tune it. I know that we have now reached that time again, but I hope we don’t forget that there will not be monumental changes that take place in a few weeks in Orlando. It could start us down that path, but history tells we are at no guarantee to end up where we think we will. Obstacles arise, new ideas come forth, and we must do the best to continue to push the gospel, to our neighbors and the nations.

This story, and the book, reminds me that this will be a long process. There is no guarantee that the task force will get this right the first time. I want to get it right the first time as much as anyone, but this process of changing the way things are done, restructuring, and reorganizing, and refocusing must be done. We must take a big picture approach and trust that God is in control, and trust the men set in place to make these decisions. Each church ultimately decides what happens with the CP, and each pastor in the SBC gets to make a decision about whether or not to push the changes, or accept the old way, or go for something completely different.

I for one am glad for the CP, the work it has done, and the work it will do. I trust the messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention to make choices to continue to honor God in all areas of finances.

More Old Time Thinking

The church is the living family of the living God and as such cannot be a static institution, doting on it's past traditions. It must be a vital, aggressive, spiritual organism assaulting all the deeply entrenched evils of earth in the name of God.

This is from Studies in Timothy by C.A. Trentham. This was a book put out by the SS Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in the 40's and 50's. These books were used for training union purposes, and offer a great glimpse into the thought life of the SBC during that time.

This could have been written yesterday, but instead is 50 years old. "There is no new idea under the sun" Seems like I have read that somewhere...

Give me that old time Missional Thinking

This sounds like it might be from Ed Stetzers latest book, but I found it in Studies in Acts by William Fallis, which was put out by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1947. Southern Baptists had a leg up on being missional, according to this.

"Missionary work cannot be done in a vacuum- simply because the lost don't live in a vacuum. They have their own ideas about God and man, their own attitudes towards them. Whether they live in exclusive Heather Heights, or on an Indian reservation, whether they teach in a European University or farm in the African bush, they have some kind of religious inclination, some kind of world outlook.

The missionary on the foreign field and the soul winner in the local home church must become acquainted with the religion and world outlook of those whom they would win to Christ. Until the soul winner becomes somewhat familiar with the thought world of the lost person, he'll not have much success in bringing him to a saving faith in Christ. Christians who are committed to world missions, therefore, must be willing and able to encounter - as in a conflict- pagan culture and sin."


Although I am not so sure about the idea of relating it to conflict when we encounter culture, it is sound advice for all of us today.

Antithesis

One of the most interesting things about Easter to me is the times that scripture doesn't say much about. Imagine the disciples despair on the days between the death and his resurrection. They had followed this man around for years, hearing him talk about the coming kingdom, how he could destroy the temple and build it back. They saw Lazarus come hoping out of the grave. And then just like that it was over. They didn't get what Christ was about. They still didn't after he came back.

As Jesus is about to ascend into heaven, they ask if now is the time he will restore his kingdom. They were still looking for a mighty conqueror to come and set them free from the Romans. Then it hit me. That is what Jewish history was all about. Mighty men of war, valor, and stature, who set Israel free from bondage.

Abraham chased down the Amalekites to resuce Lot, and defeated them. He was a man of great wealth and stature, and a man of war. Moses led the Israelites out of the bondage of the great Pharoh, and defeated his great army. David killed the giant. Joshua conquered people after people as he led them into the Promised Land. Samson went through Philistines like straws. Gideon, Caleb, Othniel, and others.

Even some of the prophets got into the act. They boldy stood up to kings, called bears out of the woods, called down fire from heaven, and made the clouds dry up with their prayers.

Then there was Jesus. No home, no army. No mighty men like David had. Just a ragtag group of disciples and followers, who didn't understand him at all. Jesus was the antithesis of what they thought the Saviour would be like. They thought he would be a mighty warrior like all the others in the history of Israel. They thought he came to set them free from the Romans.

That is one reason people still have trouble with Jesus today. He is the antithesis of what the world think he should be. No great education, no great might. Couldn't even same himself from the cross. Scandalous. The Cross is a stumbling block to many, and Jesus is also. He is the opposite of everything the world says that he should be.

I hope that we can run to him, turn to him, follow him. Even when the world calls us foolish for following someone like that, I hope we still run to him.

The Law and Love

Lately I have been reading through Exodus. My reading for today was Exodus 22. Exodus is really exciting in the beginning, with the burning bush, plagues, Angels of Death, and all that is going on. The Ten Commandments are given in Exodus 20, and then Moses starts in on some of the law given to him by God. Some might call it boring, particularly chapter 22, which starts off with an admonition about what to do if a man is caught stealing an ox, and moves on to grazing animals, borrowed animals, and so on.

But then right in the middle of all of that is Exodus 22:21-27

“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. “You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.“If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. “If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest. “If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.

Right there in the middle of the instructions about stolen cattle and grazing land, is this warning from God for them to be kind to strangers, for they were strangers once also. "Don't forget where you came from" God is saying, and if you do I will know and stand up for those who have no one to stand up for them, like the widows and orphans. He then moves on to say not to take advantage of the poor when lending them money.

I love that this comes right in the middle of these chapters about the law. That's what grace often does. It sneaks up on us right when we least expect it. It also reminds that being kind to people and showing them grace is not just Sunday thing or a mission trip thing, but something we are to do throughout our normal weeks, dealing with cattle and work, and all the things that make up life. Too often we regulate serving God to being on Sunday, Wednesdays, and mission trips. But God reminds us here that looking out for others, standing up for them, taking care of those who cannot do so themselves, is something to be done all the time, in the middle of deadlines and budgets and cubicles and whatever it is you do with your weeks. Don't forget to look for opportunities all around you.

Finally

This is a repost of a short story from 2003. I remembered it as I was rehashing some of these same themes in my life again. Hope you like it.

"Go here", the man said, pointing at my map. "This will give you what you need." I had been looking for this place forever, and finally I knew I was on my way to the right place. I picked up my belongings and headed down the road. Boy was I tired. I had been on the road a long time. I had never wanted anything so bad in my life. I was tired, extremely weary, but my pace picked up as my excitement did about reaching the end of my journey. My heart began to burn within me as saw the place on the horizon. I had talked to many people, young and old about this place. I read stories of men and women of old who had been there. I sat in seminars and sermons that promised to show me the way. I had searched kind of half-heartedly for a while. Finally, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I left everything I owned, packed up what I could carry, and went on my way. I had been to the cities, teeming with people. Lots of them were on their journey also. I bonded with many of them. I had been in the middle of the forest, where the only light I had was the moon. I had been on top of the mountains, where it was cold and desolate. There was more than one occasion I thought I would not make it out alive. But here I was. I dropped some more of my belongings that were slowing me down on the way. The closer I got, the less I found I needed to carry.

There I stood at the door. Not what I had expected. Maybe that's why it took me so long to find it. Not much to look at. I was expecting a grand palace. But this was not. Not too small. Not too extravagant. Just enough room, it seemed, for everything to fit. And there it said over the door, CONTENTMENT. Yes, this is what I had searched for.

The door was small, it was clear I would have to leave what I still had in my hands to make it through. I pushed open the door. It acted like it had not been opened in a long time. I had to force it open with my shoulder. The door swung open and my eyes took a moment to adjust to the light. There were some people in there, all talking with each other. The chairs did not look comfortable, the floor was dirt, and the air was kind of musty. But I had never seen happier people in my life. Most of them were dressed in rags dirtier than mine, but they did not care. I recognized some of them. There was the couple that could not bear children from my old church. There was the woman who had lost her husband on the mission field. There was the man who God had called away from the woman he loved to the people who were lost. I was tad confused and nervous as I approached the man sitting behind the desk.

"Excuse me", I managed to get out. He turned to face me and his eyes pierced to my soul. His eyes were so kind, like they saw everything about me but did not care.

"Can I help you?" he replied.

"Is this contentment?" I asked, kind of ashamed to look at him.

"Yes" he replied. "It's not what you thought, is it? It never is." "But here with me, you will find everything you need."

I was told I would find it when I searched for with all my heart. I had given everything for it. And this was it? My indignation began to grow. Was this it? I had bled and cried for this? I nearly lost my life for this? I was tempted to give up on it and run back out the door, down the road. Maybe I could still find some of the things I had given up for this. Maybe I could get my life together. Maybe it was not too late.

He must have sensed my fear and frustration. "Child," he said. "You are free to run out that door and reclaim the things that you gave up to enter in. But please, let me help you. You came all this way. Let me heal your wounds from the journey. Let me help you."

Something in his eyes compelled me to stay. We went in the back and he bandaged up my wounds. He helped to ease my pain. I could have talked to him forever. I poured out my heart to him, and he healed the wounds of my heart also. I talked to him and to the others in the room. I did not know where my next meal would come from, or even if there would be one. I did not know if I was warm or cold. All we had to sleep on was the floor. But I did not care, I just wanted to be there with him, for I knew he had it all I under control. I did not want to ever leave. Sometimes I thought about my old life, but it just made me sick. But hearing his voice as he taught us, made me forget about it.

People came through the door, every now and then. Some stayed. Some ran back out the door. My heart would hurt for them. It still does. To think that there are people out there that do not know this joy. It pained my soul. We did everything we could to let the outside know what joy they could know, but they just did not believe it.

I never found what I was looking for. I found something better. I found something more fulfilling. I found something far beyond my wildest dreams. My prayer is that my old life will continue to make me sick. That I will despise it. That I will simply trust in him who provides all my needs. I love you, Jesus. Everything I need comes from you. If I sleep in my car, if I don't have a job. All I need is you. All I need is you.

Jeremiah 29:13 "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Jesus and Accountability

I'm at the Oklahoma Youth Ministry Forum, where Jerrod Jones is the featured speaker. He was talking about Jesus and his prayer life, and made the comment that when Jesus was tempted with sin, as we know he was, he turned to prayer. Scripture is clear that Jesus was tempted in every way like we are (Hebrews 4:15). His point was that when we are tempted many of us run to accountability partners or others to help us through, not a bad thing, but when we do that more than turn to God in prayer, that is obviously not good.

Now scripture is clear that accountability is a good thing.

As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17


Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22

And scripture is also clear that we are to imitate Christ.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:5



Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13



I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. John 13:15


And on and on I could go with those.

But it seems like when we see Jesus in scriptures making an important decision, calling His disciples, or facing temptation in the desert, or other things, he always turns to God in prayer. In fact, we never see Jesus seeking counsel from other men. I suppose that is the disconnect between being the God-Man, as Jarrod Jones suggested when I posed this question to him.

I just wander why if we are to follow Jesus as our example, we never see him doing these things, seeking accountability or counsel. I guess God the Father and the Holy Spirit serve as those things for him. And why would Jesus seek advice from stupid men, and the disciples proved over and over to be. I am not sure I would want their advice, prior to the filling of the Holy Spirit.

I am not really saying anything definitively one way or the other, just something I had never thought about before.

The Shantung Revival

I am always perusing used book stores every where I go for things that interest me. A nerdy hobby, but mine nonetheless. I came across this book somewhere, I don't remember where. It peaked my interest as it was a book about revival, by Southern Baptists. In fact, it quotes Dr. E.M Dodd, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, as comparing it to the Welsh Revival, and other famous revivals through out history. It was put out by the Home Mission Board, of the Southern Baptist Convention, in 1971. It is account by fomer missionary to China Dr. C.L. Culpepper. He recounts the tale of the revival that spread through China in the 1930's. Amazing stories of God at work. Dr. Culpepper was challenged by a Miss Monsen, a "Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran", whatever that means, as they prayed for his wife's eyesight, even at the Culpeppers hesitance, as "prayer for healing seemed unorthodox for Baptist people." There are varying accounts of this revival from different perspectives, as it was not one claimed only by Baptists, but by the Lutherans, Methodists, and generally anyone else involved.


You can hear Dr. Culpepper share his testimony himself, at Sermon Index. There are varying accounts of this revival from different perspectives, Such as here or here . It was not one claimed only by Baptists, but by the Lutherans, Methodists, and generally anyone else involved. I have a few other excerpts below.


A missionary wrote, "We have experienced a revival during the past week that would never have believed possible. I heard confessions of sin until my ears and heart hurt as I thought of them. My own heart was deeply convicted, and I was brought so low that I would have despaired if I hadn't had the blessed hope in Christ." A report from other regions as the revival spread.

"From this group I baptized 89 on one occasion. At another church I baptized 203 at one time. From that time on we had to baptize 20 or 30 every month.

One of the most amazing results of the revival was that it did what the word "revival" implies. It revived spiritually dead churches. Many church in China had stopped holding worship services, and others met only when the missionaries had time to visit them. Following the revival they began meeting regularly, and most of them even had prayer meetings during the week. When no preacher was available, laymen led the services.


My heart has been renewed by reading these accounts, I hope you take the time to listen to the account. It is about 50 minutes long but very much worth it.

That about sums it up

I have been reading through Daniel as part of M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan, and was doing some reading in Matthew Henry's Commentary about the prophecies concerning the 70 weeks, and the controversy that surrounds all of it, start dates, stop dates, etc. I came across this quote that I thought quite summed it up. What is amazing is that no matter how much I read on a subject, there is still more to do.

The learned Mr. Poole, in his Latin Synopsis, has a vast and most elaborate collection of what has been said, pro and con, concerning the different beginnings of these weeks, with which the learned may entertain themselves.

Three People

"There are three persons living in each of us: the one we think we are, the one other people think we are, and the one God knows we are."

Leonard Ravenhill Why Revival Tarries

What's on Your Mind?

As I was reading in Life of Christ by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, he made a point about John saying in 1 John that to say anything else besides Jesus Christ was the God-Man who died on the cross and rose from the grave is a lie. John was able to say this because he was there. He saw Jesus on the cross, he saw Thomas reach his fingers into his wounds in the upper room.

This idea really set me off in a good way. The New Testament was written by men who had been there and seen it all. A fact that we obviously all know but doesn't always register. When John wrote his letters to the church in 1,2, and3 John he was so passionate because of the reality that Christ was to him. That is why his words echo with such boldness in 1 John 2:22

"Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son."

I was there! screams John. I heard him scream "It is Finished!" I watched the skies grow dark and felt the earthquake afterwards. I saw him on the mountaintop conversing with Moses and Elijah. I remember the tension in the air when he called out "Lazarus come forth, and the seconds that seemed like eternity before he did. I remember running all the way to the tomb, looking in, and seeing those folded linens." These memories could be some of the things flashing through his head as he writes. But it doesn't stop with him.

When Paul wrote "I am the chief of all sinners", what images flooded his mind? The men and women and families that he tore apart and carried away to be killed? Stephen gazing into heaven as he stood idly by?

What about Peter as he wrote

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope the the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

or

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

Could it have been the tender conversation he had with Jesus after denying three times? Could it have been the love and forgiveness in the voice of Christ as he said "Feed My Sheep" Did he remember when the women breathlessly burst into the room and said "He is gone", and then running out the door to see for himself?

More importantly for me I think is this question. What is on my mind as I stand to preach Christ to those before me. "Is my fly zipped? Does my voice sound funny? Will people laugh at that joke? Do they like me? I'm hungry? Another day, another dollar?

Or is the depths of my sin and the heights of his glorious love on my mind? How he pulled me from the miry pit and set my feet on a rock. As a christian and a pastor these things must move to speak. I admit to standing to speak motivated by other things like duty, worry, obligations, and paychecks. I deeply repent of that.

"We cannot stop speaking the things which we have seen and heard" Acts 4:20

I pray that God reminds me of all the things He has done in my life, and that I will be so moved I cannot help but speak of them to all around me.

Bible Giveaway

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Madoff and Me

I watched with interest yesterday the reaction after the sentencing of Bernard Madoff, the man who bilked people out of billions of dollars in the greatest pyramid scheme in history.

I want to make it clear that I am in no way condoning the acts he committed or anything like that. What a way to start a essay! I heard and saw lots of people condemming him, saying the 150 year sentence he recieved was not enough. Many of the people who fell prey to his theft spoke about their feelings at his conviction. Some of them were personal family friends of the Madoff's and almost all of them lost most if not all of their retirement savings. He is the greatest thief in the history of the world, and he deserved the sentence he got.

My point in all of this is how quick we are to rank peoples sins. Madoff makes me feel better about myself because of how big and awful his sin was. My sins never affect that many people, never cost families their retirement, and never are reported on CNN. However, scripture is clear that all have sinned, that sin is sin, and is an offense to God no matter how great or small.

My sins seem less to me than Madoffs, although I am certain that words I have spoken to people can devestate their life just as badly as losing their retirement could have. My small sins can have just as great as impact. We are all jacked up, however some of us are in ways that everyone can see, like Madoff, or Jon and Kate Gosselin. Most of us are messed up in ways that only the closest to us can see and are impacted by.

I pray for myself that my heart is broken by my sin no matter how great or small, that anything that pushes me away from God hurts me as much as it hurts God. Don't let yourself get caught up in comparing yourself with the public people around you. The only standard we have to live up to is God's.

Inside a Cutter's Mind Review

I just finished the book "Inside A Cutter's Mind" by Jerusha Clark with Dr. Earl Henslin. This book is sub-titled "Understanding and Helping Those Who Self Injure", and I think that pretty much sums up the main ideas of the book.


As someone who works with students and people in all types and walks of life, self injury is something that has come up in counseling and has a all sorts of stereotypes surrounding it, some of which are true, and some of which are false.

This book seeks to take you into the minds of people who do self injure, and strives to give you a glimpse of the choices they make that lead them down this path. It goes into great detail medically speaking, concerning hormones, brain scans and the such. To be honest, I could have done without that part, as I just did not find it all that interesting, but it did lay the foundation for the fact that this is not just a made up problems, and can be a physical as well as a mental issue.


The book also seeks to walk you as a pastor or loved one of a person who self injures through some steps that you can take to help them this situation, and some signs to recognize when you need to hand things off to someone more equipped through education or experience to handle the situation.

I think it is an excellent book, a quick easy read, and should be read by pastors in particular, and is a helpful resource to check back into. It can also be a helpful book for those loved ones of those who self injure, giving them a glimpse into a world they might have trouble understanding. The book is biblically centered and speaks often of Christs redemption on the cross as a necessary help for working through these issues.

Below are few quotes I pulled out.


For many, self-harm acts as the "slap" that distracts them from the overwhelming circumstances and ferocious thoughts and emotions that threaten to spin them completely out of control.

Most self harmers don't want to kill themselves but something in themselves-pain, fear, anger, feelings of worthlessness, and so on.

Psycotherapist Jerilyn Robinson, who works at the S.A.F.E. Alternatives inpatient clinic in Illinois reports that her clients are as likely to have smothering parents as neglectful or abusive ones.

Relationships-not rules-hold lives together.

...childhood trauma is very likely the biggest indicator of future mental illness, even more than being born with two schizophrenic parents.

They exist in the perpetual and unpredictable fear both of being found out and never being found out.



This is a great book. Make sure and pick it up.

True or not?

Well, tell me pastors, teachers, preachers and so on, do you think this is true?

"...as a man goes on preaching this gospel, he finds he has to work more and more. In the early days of Christian ministry I was given sermons, but now I have to work harder, and it is like that in the Christian life." Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This is only part of the quote, but I am not taking it out of context. The idea being that the more you preach and teach, it gets harder instead of easier. That the gospel demands more of you, more of your thoughts, time, efforts and study.

Give me your thoughts!

Organic Fellowship

So it is quite inevitable in the matter of fellowship like this that though in a logical sense we persist in dividing up the aspect of fellowship into the two sides--Godward and manward--they are constantly intermixed and intermingled, because it is a sharing together, it is an intersection of the one upon the other. In other words, fellowship is never mechanical, but always something organic and vital.


Quite the statement, one echoed in many books and blogs today. Except that this was preached by Martyn Lloyd-Jones over 60 years ago. You should read every book you can find by him.

Life in Christ, Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Jesus as a Model of Discipleship

Everyone wants to speak of Jesus as the model of community. He lived and breathed and ate with the disciples. How community must be present in order for true discipleship. Very true. Very convicting.

However, if you keep reading in the gospels, you see that at the end of the 2-3 years, most of the disciples are not what you might be proud of. One denied him three times, to the point of swearing. Another one didn’t believe he rose from the grave, even though he had repeatedly prophesied that he would. Not to mention the one who betrayed him for a few dollars.

But after Jesus left, and the Holy Spirit came, these same men exploded. Why is that? What is the lesson here?


1.Keep Teaching

Even when it seems like they don’t get it, even when you know they don’t get it. Keep teaching.


“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted." (Matthew 28:16-17, ESV)




They saw him at the resurrection. But some doubted. THEY SAW HIM. But still some doubted. Even after Jesus telling them he would rise from the dead. Even after they saw him. They still didn’t get it.

Now, easy for Jesus to do, you might say. He knew the outcome. He knew that Peter would get it eventually. He knew what would happen in the early church. But he also knew that some would never get it. That some would walk away from his feet, because what he taught was a hard teaching. Knew that Judas would betray him. Still he taught, ate with, walked with, lived with them. He called Judas to be a disciple even when he knew what the outcome would be. The fact of the matter is that we don’t know how a person will respond, but we must keep doing what God has called us to do.


2.The choice is theirs not ours

Anyone who has poured out their heart to God in prayer, given everything they had within them to a person, teaching them about God, just to watch them walk away, knows the pain of this reality. I believe pastors feel this pain about every week. Additionally, any parent who has strived so hard to raise their children correctly, in the way that they should go, only to see them follow the desires of the flesh, knows this pain also. I think we can see this pain, hear it in his voice as Jesus interacts with Judas in the last days.

The truth is that there is no magic key, no secret formula, to get someone to follow God. That is not the way God made us. It is a choice. And the choice is all ours.


3.Holy Spirit makes the difference

Before you say “duh”, let’s think this through. We know that the choice still remains to the individual. I believe part of discipleship is presenting a person with the information they need to make the right choice. When I can show a student the reality of God’s greatness, the majesty of His glory, I believe that sticks with them. Even when we think it doesn’t. I’m not saying we remember every word of every sermon we’ve heard, but a part of it sticks with us. Then when the Holy Spirit comes, those things are ignited like kindling. Part of my job as a pastor is not to convince or persuade, but to provide the kindling for the Holy Spirit to ignite. So when we are faced with that choice that we all make, the choice is harder to make.

And not just salvation either. When temptation arises, I desire for them to know the truth about Christ, and about sin. That Christ is the only one who can satisfy. In order to choose temptation, I want them to have to walk past Christ and his truth and beauty. I want to make the choice for them as difficult as I can. I think that is part of what discipleship is. Making the choice more difficult. Not by wise or persuasive words, but by showing them Christ, the majesty and the glory. Not by just telling them how to live the Christian life, but why. Because Christ is worth it.

Life In Christ Lloyd-Jones

"The church has been doing that for many years, she has turned to what has been called the 'social gospel', and we have constantly heard about the social application of the gospel. General statements are made about life, addresses are delivered by archbishops and they are always recorded in the press, but still the situation continues. And according to the Bible, it must continue. What right have we to expect christian behavior from a world that does not believe in Christ. Why should the world apply Christian principles? Does it believe in Christ, does it acknowledge Him to be who He is? Does it accept Him as Savior?

Indeed, I do not hesitate to say that according to the New Testament it is rank heresy to recommend Christian behavior to people who are not Christian. They are incapable of it! Before people can live the Christian life, they must be made a new creation; if they cannot keep the moral law and the Ten Commandments, the ancient law given to the children of Israel, how can they live according to the Sermon on the Mount? How can they follow Christ? It is ridiculous! That is not our message, that is not what the church must say."

Martyn Lloyd-Jones Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John


So, what do you think. If you carry this to it's conclusions, it could call for some very different things that what we have been used to in Evangelicalism. Could this stance be used to advocate not standing against gay marriage, abortion, slavery, murder, public corruption, and on and on?

What Would You Say?

In perusing some old video of an major event I attended, I caught a glimpse of me in the crowd. Young nineteen year old Luke. Skinny Luke. I remember him well. As I was thinking about that, I thought about the path I had taken to get where I am today. And how young me had no idea about the trials he would face. I wondered what I would say to young me, to help set him (me) straight, and avoid some problems. Here is what I came up with.


The road less traveled is less traveled for a reason. It's not a good road.
Not everyone is out to get you.
You really can find satisfaction in God.
Everyone is capable of change, but must people won't.


So what would you tell yourself at nineteen? What lessons do you wish you had learned earlier in life?