Christ Exalted in Suffering

Paul is not shy in speaking about his sufferings and imprisonments. When writing to Timothy he even makes a point of telling Timothy not to be ashamed of his imprisonment (2 Timothy 1:8). He makes much of the encouragement that he received in prison visits from Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:16-18) and Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-30).  There is no doubt that Paul suffered in prison and was greatly comforted by the visits from his brothers in Christ and the help from the churches. It is also a reality that suffering only increased Paul’s love for Jesus and found his Savior only greatly exalted through his hardships. 

In his letter to the Philippians, we see this reality in words that sound like a man contemplating the end of his life.

1. Paul is encouraged that his imprisonment has meant a greater spread of the gospel.

Philippians 1:12-14 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Can you imagine this testimony, even to Roman soldiers, that this man is so confident in his Christ that he is willing to suffer and die for him? Paul surely must be greatly encouraged to know that what may be a sense of shame to some people is a great confidence boost to others. He must surely be greatly encouraged to know that his whole purpose to expand the spread of the gospel is even happening through his imprisonment. How could this do anything else other than give him cause to praise the Lord who called him into this great work.

2. Paul has such a close grasp on Christ that he debates about whether life is better than death.

Philippians 1:18-23 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

These words sent to Philippi in a letter are not thoughtless expressions. You can imagine that Paul has had much time languishing in a Roman imprisonment contemplating his possible outcomes. For this man to be so content with the prospect of his death, we can only imagine how prison has increased his endearment to Christ. I wonder, how much more fervent were his prayers? I wonder, how much more precious were his memory of the Scriptures? I wonder, how much more intimately he realized the presence of his God?

3. Paul has found a big grasp on the realities of life.

Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

As he thinks on his life, Paul realizes that none of his accomplishments or former zeal matter. The only thing in his life that can possibly matter is knowing and loving Jesus. Where would this truth be more apparent than sitting under guard at the mercy of Rome? Where would Christ’s glory be more needed than in the worldly shame of imprisonment?

Paul is not the only man who found that suffering and imprisonment increased the wonder of his Savior. We find many people throughout the centuries have experienced the very same. Contemplate this as you listen to the words of the great John Bunyan about his prison experience as he wondered if he would soon meet the gallows.

"I never had in all my life as great an inlet into the word of God until now.  The Scriptures that I saw nothing in before are made in this place to shine upon me.  Jesus Christ was never more real and apparent than now. Here I have seen him and felt him indeed. I have seen that here that I am persuaded I will never while in this world be able to express.  I never knew what it was for God to stand by me at all terms and at every offer of Satan to afflict me as I have found him since I came in hither. As being very tender of me, he has not suffered me to be molested, but would with one Scripture and another strengthen me against all. In so much that I have often said, 'were it lawful, I could pray for greater trouble for the greater comfort sake.'"  John Bunyan.

Who else but Christ could receive great exaltation when we face greater suffering?

Our High Calling to Suffer Well

It seems paradoxical to relate suffering to glory and blessing, but so often the Scriptures do just that. Jesus told us that we are blessed when we suffer for the sake of Christ. He said that the persecuted shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:10-12). Paul told Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony of Jesus but to join him in suffering for the gospel (2 Timothy 1:8-10). Peter writes to the churches telling them that when you are insulted for the name of Christ, the Spirit of glory rests upon you (1 Peter 4:14-16). These are just a few examples where the New Testament authors encourage us to endure suffering for the sake of Christ because it is a great blessing that brings glory. While we are not told to proactively find opportunities to suffer, we should look at the right type of suffering (suffering for the gospel) as a glorious reality of the Christian life. So, what is it about suffering that is so glorious?

The author of Hebrews gives us some great hints as to why suffering for Christ is spoken of so positively in the Scriptures. He discusses suffering in the context of a beautiful section about assurance of faith.

Hebrews 10:19-36.

1. Enduring suffering for Christ’s sake is a proof that our assurance of hope is found completely in him.

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

2. Our endurance of suffering happens as we remind each other that Christ is our glorious and ultimate goal.

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

3. The endurance of suffering reveals that we are most serious about holiness before God our great judge.

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

4. Suffering for Christ brings out the compassion of his family and our desire for his kingdom over the material things of this world.

 32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

5. Suffering for Christ encourages us to most value the prize of God’s promise.

35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

6. The endurance of suffering for Christ reveals the strength of our faith to stand before him on the last day.

 37 For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

In all these wonderful truths, suffering for Christ simply proclaims the exaltation of Christ in the most powerful possible action. We say to the world, only Jesus is worth it.

The Strength of Weakness

It is never lost on me that Paul is often writing to encourage and embolden others from a jail cell. Especially in his last letter to Timothy, we find that Paul is expecting that his final day is closing in on him (2 Tim 4:6). One would think that Paul is most in need of encouragement in such a gloomy situation.  We will never know the extent of visitors, letters, and words of encouragement that Paul may have received. What we do know is that Paul was thinking less of himself and much more about those who needed encouragement to go on with the work of the gospel seeded in the work of the Apostles. Timothy was one of those pastors commissioned with the task of continuing the ministry of the gospel on the backs of the Apostles.

Timothy does not seem like the kind of pastor that many church pastoral search committees may be comfortable to employ. Timothy was seen as youthful to the degree that some in the congregation may not see the need to respect him as an elder (1 Timothy 4:12). He may have had the capacity for youthful distraction (2 Timothy 2:22). His health may have been in question (1 Timothy 5:23). He was not the sort of brother who would instantly inspire engagement (1 Corinthians 6:10-11). Paul wrote to Timothy remembering Timothy’s tears (2 Timothy 1:4). We don’t know what those tears were about, but as you read through the letters of 1 and 2 Timothy you realize that there was no shortage of hardships in the Ephesian church for this young pastor. Paul also reminds Timothy that God has not given him a spirit/(Spirit)of fear. Timothy was a young, timid, possibly unwell pastor who may have to overcome a bias against him in the church. Next candidate please.

There may have been cons to Timothy but there also were certainly pros. In Acts 16:1-2 we are told that when Paul met him, he came with a good reputation from other brothers. He travelled extensively with Paul and was directly trained by the Apostle. Now he looks like a much better candidate. Even so, Timothy still seems to have a timid character as we come to Paul’s last words to him.

Paul loved Timothy with an intensely affectionate love for his beloved child in the faith. There was something in Timothy that was worth encouraging. Let me put it to you that it was humility. Paul tells Timothy that his strength and courage would come from the examples around him and the gift that God gives him. 2Ti 1:5-6 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  In an age where we are constantly told to believe in yourself and promote yourself and trust yourself and back yourself, Paul tells a timid Timothy to gain his courage elsewhere. Timothy is not encouraged look to self, but he looks to God, the promise of Christ, the example of Paul and his mother and grandmother as they have lived out their faith in Christ. His strength is in Christ and in seeing the testimony of Christ in others.

Paul says that God has not given Timothy a spirit of fear (vs.7). That’s not because Timothy needs to grab onto his unrealized potential, but because he has an awesome God with a powerful life-giving message. Timothy’s courage comes from much greater than himself.

2Corinthians 4:7-14 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

To The Praise of God's Faithfulness

Psalm 89 is among the great Psalms proclaiming the everlasting throne of David. Of course, we know that mortal King David lived and died, and his throne passed to the next in line. We also know that God promised him that his throne (kingdom) would become an everlasting one through his Offspring. There was a greater David yet to come who would establish an eternal throne and kingdom and bring his reign into this very world with us. All through the New Testament, we read the fulfillment of this in Jesus.

Psalm 89 recounts this covenant promise to David. “I will establish your offspring forever and build your throne for all generations.” (Psalm 89:4). The certainty of this promise is cause for praise. The Psalmist himself begins the Psalm by saying, “I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever, with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 89:1-2).

The Praise attributed to God in Psalm 89 is because God is perfectly faithful to his promises.  While the Psalmist sings his own praise to God’s faithfulness, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he also gives us a glimpse of praise that happens beyond the realm of our sight and understanding. In the heavenly realm, God is praised for his faithfulness.  

Psalm 89:5-8 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! 6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, 7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? 8 O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?

These few verses give us cause to wonder and perhaps even imagine what this might look and sound like. Notice that the Psalmist speaks not just of a few heavenly beings but the assembly of holy ones and the council of holy ones. Just as the church is called an assembly, it seems the angels and heavenly beings also assemble as a council together. We cannot imagine the splendor or power of an assembly of the angelic host. What we can know is that even in all their splendor, God is greatly feared and awesome above all who are around him (vs.7).  There is none like God. In the glory of the heavenly host, nothing compares to the majesty of God.

In the wonder and even transcendence of this glorious scene, the Psalmist proclaims the attribute of God being praised. O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?  This is where we can be reminded that this entire Psalm is about the establishment of the everlasting Kingdom promised to David through his Offspring. God will keep this promise and it will be to his eternal glory. The King to come and reign on David’s throne will do it in a way that will secure the reign of his kingdom in power and might forever and ever. God will keep his promise to David, and it will be as certain as God’s majesty that infinitely exceeds the glory of the heavenly host.

The host of heaven praise God because his faithfulness is all around him. We might ask, ‘Why is God’s faithfulness all around him?’ Surely it is because God’s faithfulness is intrinsic to the nature of his being and is an attribute of his surrounding glory. Not only this, but the heavenly host, even more than any mere human, understand that God has always been true to his perfect character in the history of his providential working in creation. They have witnessed God’s work in his creation from the very beginning. The host know that the future is but a formality waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled. They know that the moment God declares his will, it is a certainty.

If this is the praise given in heaven to God for his faithfulness, surely this gives us cause to put aside our doubts about our future and join in the angelic chorus. Surely if we are part of this forever kingdom loyal to our ruling and reigning King, we can be sure that God’s eternal promise is also certain for us.

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

The Consuming Fire with Us

What is the first picture that comes to your mind when you think about the concept of Immanuel, God with us? I propose, especially at this time of year, that it is the image of a baby in a manger surrounded by straw, animals, Mary, Joseph and maybe a bunch of shepherds. It is indeed a beautiful image and a warm reality that God came in human flesh, born of a virgin, and lived a human life from the very first experience of a needy baby. The baby we celebrate is Immanuel, God with us. That warms the heart of every believer as we contemplate that our great God came into this world to save his people from their sins. Does it encourage us as much to recognize that this God is described in the book of a Hebrews as a Consuming Fire? (Heb 12:29).

When we consider that God is a consuming fire, we think of utter transcendence.  We think of his unimaginable power and authority to judge and bring infinite, eternal wrath upon the unrepentant. Do we consider the baby in the manger to be this? Can we find any comfort in the fact that deity becoming humanity means that the manger contained a Consuming Fire?

The prophet Malachi spoke of the coming of Jesus and his introduction by John the Baptist. Malachi 3:1-3 "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Jesus did not grow into the God/man to become the Consuming Fire, he was the Consuming Fire from eternity who came into humanity. He is the One who refines and purifies away the dross from the precious metal.

One passage that has always inspired long moments of meditation for me on this subject is found in Matthew 3:11. At the baptism of Jesus where John is preparing the way for Jesus, the subject of fire again surfaces. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” What can this possibly mean? The ministry of Jesus and his power of his salvation is associated with both the Holy Spirit and fire. There is a purifying and burning intensity in the power of regeneration. When we come into Christ, the transformation effect in our life happens by the transcendent power of God and places us in the standing of Christ’s purifying righteousness. This transcendent power is not only what saves us but in the Holy Spirit, it indwells us. This is nothing that John the Baptist could ever achieve but is promised and fulfilled through faith in God Incarnate, Jesus Christ. He came as the Consuming Fire in human flesh and on our behalf experienced the full power of the Consuming Fire in wrath upon our sin placed upon his shoulders.

What is your response to Immanuel? Let me suggest some lines from the Christmas song, “O Holy Night.”

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

When Respecting Love Becomes a Weapon

If you are a Christian committed to the tenets of the historical Christian faith found in the authority of God’s word, you sat up and took notice this week when the Respect for Marriage Act was passed through the Senate. You may have heard the rhetoric from governmental leaders applauding the legislation that secures a national recognition of same sex marriage in the vitriol of, “love is love.” The concern for many Christians is that national legislation continues to close in on the livelihoods and convictions of believers as we seek to live peaceful lives in our communities. To many Christians, this is just one more action from a worldly authority that invokes a feeling of threat not previously felt by our generation to this degree.

As tensions rise and Christians wonder about what the future may hold regarding our participation in society, we are compelled to consider our response. We might pray in our homes and go to churches, but we also engage in the community and face dilemmas in our businesses and organizations that come as direct challenges to our convictions as legislators tell us to respect a definition of marriage that God does not permit. We have heard our leaders proclaim that “love is love” in contradiction to the ultimate truth that God is love. God alone defines love and the reflection of his love in marriage. In the face of the yet unrealized repercussions of this legislation, we are not without biblical guidance as we live in a world that has always sought to tighten its grip around the neck of the church.

The Scriptures give so much wisdom on how we might rightly respond to the feeling of being hemmed in by opposition. The Psalms are so often our point of contact for considering the despairing feelings of opposition. In Psalm 17, David does not give us the exact situation of oppression against him, but he stands before the Lord declaring that it is not of his doing. He, at least in the situation before him, is innocent before God as enemies enclose upon him. Psalm 17:1-4 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! 2 From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right! 3 You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. 4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. David’s desire is to honor the Lord in the face of opposition. He prays that he might hold fast and not slip away from honoring God.

In the middle of David’s Psalm is the most stunning statement that should give every believer the greatest comfort of all. Psalm 17:6-7 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. 7 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. David’s request of God is that he might show his steadfast love for David in a wondrous way.  David wants to be reminded of who God is as a God of love. When David talks of God’s steadfast love, he knows what he means.  This is the love of God that is eternal and covenantal. It is the love of God that has chosen his elect from before the foundation of the world. It is the love of God that holds his elect for all eternity in his hands. It is the most secure love that any child of God can remember. Whatever is happening and changing around us and whatever threat this brings upon us now or in the future, the child of God is secure in the steadfast love of God proven in God’s faithfulness to his covenant with his people.

For us as New Covenant believers, we have the privilege of looking back at God’s steadfast love in faithfulness to his covenant.  We have the historical truth that Jesus has kept a covenant we could never keep and now God’s eternal covenant with his people is kept and secure in His Son. Even if the entire array of legislative change goes against God’s people in this world, God’s steadfast love is not less secure for us. Even if we face the greatest of earthly consequences for our inability to agree with worldly demands, the grasp of God’s steadfast love on us will never let us go and keep us to the final day. Even more, God’s steadfast love for us who believe in the Lord Jesus will keep us secure in the sacrifice of Christ when we stand before his holiness on judgment day.

David does go on in this Psalm to say that God will be the bringer of justice and he can rely on God doing all that is right and good with every enemy before him. As David acknowledges this truth, he also finishes the Psalm with the greatest of encouragement. Psalm 17:15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. David will one day rise from the sleep of death and be completely transformed to the likeness of his Saving God. We should sit up and notice this. What is most important to David is not his enemies being defeated, but himself being transformed. This should say something to us. The highest concern and priority for every believer is our delight in God and our ultimate transformation to his perfection. We don’t want that just for us, but we want that for every individual that might be presently against us. That should leave us comforted in the face of legislative tension.

Surely, we see the false idea of respect for a false definition of love from our legislators. David would tell us that when the world says, “love is love,” our steadfast security is in the fact that God is love.  God’s steadfast love means that we have no need to fight against and win against the world. God has already done that for us in the cross and he is the great judge who will bring full justice to all who reject His Son. We are compelled to hold on to his love and proclaim its greatest evidence in the cross even to those who oppose us most.

When ‘respecting love’ becomes a weapon, God’s steadfast love is our defense.

Blue Thanksgiving

Perhaps you have the sounds of Elvis singing “Blue Christmas” in your head. Holidays seem especially hard for people in the pain and agony of suffering and loss. We may understand the description of a blue Christmas as we spend time without the ones we love or attempt to celebrate through illness and pain. It seems a much greater stretch to suggest that we can have a blue thanksgiving. Who wants to give thanks for being blue? With the right view of God and his redemptive plan, it is possible for believers to give thanks even through the “bluest” of times.

In Psalm 42, the Sons of Korah take us through the consideration of a downcast soul, but it is a certain type of downcast soul. The soul described in Psalm 42 is one that pants and thirsts for God and longs to stand before him.

Psalm 42:1-2 To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

The simple fact of this Psalm, and one that brings light to the entire Psalm, is that this is written from the perspective of a faithful believer. Christians may have a downcast soul, but they have an ultimate longing beyond this world. They have an ultimate focus of God and desire to be with him. This means that Christians also have a particular view of God.  They thirst for God like a deer thirsts for water. God is not a sadistic ogre who has brought pain and suffering into our lives for his own pleasure of our torment.  He is ultimate goodness who operates his sovereign will even through the fallen nature of a sin corrupted humanity living in a corrupted world. His goodness in both his being and his works are beyond the capacity of our understanding. We know he is ultimately good beyond all that we see and experience in this world and we long to be with him and to be like him. When shall we come and appear before God?

It is with this presupposition of a good God that we long to be with, that we can ask the question, “Why are you downcast O my soul?”  As you read through Psalm 42 you realize that the downcast soul of a believer knows the truth beyond their suffering. They know that God is our Savior. They know that he is worthy of praise. They know that the suffering of waves crashing over them is not out of his control. They know that their enemies of this world will not have final victory (not even the enemy of death). They know that the temporal suffering of this world will be short lived compared to the hope of eternal praise. They know that God’s love has not left them and that songs of God’s goodness make their way into their prayers. All these truths are held amid the blue and downcast soul of a believer. It is the mourning believer who can say, “Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Why not hear it all for yourself and read the whole Psalm.

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. 8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock: "Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

In your blue thanksgiving, remember, there is still reason to give thanks. There is hope in God for those who thirst to be with him.

Fragile Christians Need Warnings, Not Verdicts

I want to put to you that Christians, especially fragile Christians, need warnings rather than our verdicts. While receiving a warning may seem difficult, imagine being a Christian who has difficulty with a besetting sin and only hearing that you may not be a Christian at all. I’m not saying that we should ignore the Scriptures that tell us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5). I am saying that part of our examination may be considering whether we are willing to heed warnings that help us to persevere in the faith. Doubting the reality of our salvation need not be our first conclusion if we respond to a biblical warning with repentance.

The Structure of Biblical Warnings.

In his book, “The Race Set Before Us,” Dr Tom Schreiner has given us a wonderfully comprehensive look at biblical warnings.  Biblical warnings often come with a three-part structure. 1. The warning has a function. 2. The warning has a future consequence. 3. The outcome is conditional. 

Take for example Hebrews 2:1-4 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Function: The author of Hebrews wants himself and all his readers to pay closer attention to the glorious truth of the supremacy of Christ in the gospel and never depart from it.

Consequence: The future consequence is God’s judgment.

Condition: We will not escape God’s judgment IF we neglect such a great salvation.

The author is not saying that one can lose their salvation, nor is the author saying that he is only talking to non-Christians. In fact, he says that “WE must pay closer attention.” He includes himself in the warning. He is also not being insincere about the condition and consequence.  He is simply giving a real warning in the expectation that Christians will take every warning and promise of God seriously and live by them. When a true believer hears a biblical warning, a true believer heeds a biblical warning. It is like a road sign warning that a bridge is out.  The expectation of that sign is that every driver will turn around and not proceed in danger.

Prominent Pastor, John MacArthur, has suggested that the warning passages are to be read retrospectively.  What he means by this is that warnings are given to people who profess faith in Jesus but are actually hypocrites. If the content of the warning describes you, it therefore means you are probably not in the faith. It’s true that this may end up being the case but reading the warnings this way completely ignores that the text itself does have a conditional element to it and that the condition applies to a future (not current) state.

Reading warnings as they are written helps a believer to understand that there is a reality to persevering in the faith.  If we don’t persevere in the faith, we would be justified in saying that we were never in the faith to begin with. When a believer hears a biblical warning, they will heed the biblical warning knowing that perseverance in the faith means ongoing repentance. Christians avoid the consequences of biblical warnings while non-Christians ignore them.

Now put yourself in the shoes of someone with a besetting sin. What is your first statement to them? Is it to tell them that they might not be a Christian at all and send them away wondering hopelessly if they are in the faith? Or…. Is it to show them the biblical warnings concerning sin and to call them to the repentance they need to continue persevering in the faith? Surely, we can hope the best that they will indeed respond to the warnings and promises of Scripture. Surely, we can walk beside them patiently reminding them of these truths.

It is true that when one refuses a biblical warning, they may have to face that they are not showing the persevering quality of the Christian faith. That’s when Matthew 18 church discipline guides the whole process. When, however, a biblical warning produces repentance of sin, perseverance in Christ, and assurance of faith, it guides fragile believers into spiritual maturity.

Fragile Christians need warnings, not verdicts.

How Precious is The Faith?

1 Timothy 6:20-21. O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.

How do you finish a letter? Perhaps you have written to your sweetheart and ended with a sentence about how much you love her/him. Perhaps you have written to a friend and ended your letter with a sincere sentiment of desire for their well-being. Perhaps you have written a formal letter to a business associate or company representative with gratitude for them taking the time to consider your request. Paul ends his letter to Timothy with a serious call to action for the safe-keeping of the most precious gift we could ever have in this world – The Faith.

The most likely explanation of the deposit entrusted to Timothy is found in the multiple times in his letter that Paul has used the term, The Faith. When we see this term in the Scriptures it seems to be considered as everything that points to, is witness to, explains, and describes the gospel and the doctrines and life that come from it. Timothy is to be a minister of The Faith in Ephesus. Once we understand the central importance of Christ and his gospel and all that surrounds it and is essential to it, we get a sense of the precious gift it truly is. The central element of The Faith is Christ himself and his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with God.  It is the one true saving faith. There is nothing else of higher importance or consequence in this world. All of this points to the immense value of what Timothy is charged to guard as a minister of the gospel. It is of priceless value.

It’s one thing to describe The Faith as priceless and entirely another to understand and live out The Faith in consistency to its value. To help us all, perhaps a few questions will help you to meditate on it further.

• How does it carry weight?

• Does it take ruling precedence in your life?

• Is it your benchmark for what is truly priceless?

• Does it overrule your desires and ambitions and beliefs and philosophies?

• Is it greater than anything else in this world or anyone else in this world?

• Are you willing to deny self for it?

• Are you willing to lose friends for it?

• Are you willing to be persecuted for it?

How precious is The Faith?

God's Promises and God's Character

We are finite beings who live in a material world and have physical needs. We often talk about our three basic needs as food, clothing, and shelter. When we talk about things that are tangible, we often associate this with what we can touch and see and physically use. For Christians who are not given over to a naturalistic view of the world, we know that we are not merely physical bodies directed by chemical reactions. We are body and soul and live before an eternal Creator God. We know that while physical death comes to us all, an eternity awaits us. We know the because of our rebellion in sin against God, we all deserve God’s eternal punishment. We know the only way of being made right with God is through the sacrificial payment he has made for us through The Son in his death on the cross and resurrection to life. I say all of this because for the Christian, our understanding of what is tangible must have an eternal and spiritual reality and not just a temporal physical reality.

As we live in this world tempting us to give ourselves over to the godless desires of our heart, we live with perseverance and hope as we hold on to the eternal promises of God. Some Christians struggle with seeing God’s promise for our future as a tangible reality that we can hold on to in the present. I propose that the tangible reality of God’s future promises is secured in the eternal reality of his immutable character.

Why are God’s future promises to his children a tangible present reality for us to hold?

1.    God is eternal.

1 Timothy 1:17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

We can be confident about the future reality of God’s promises, because God is in control of all time, past, present, and future. All time is his domain.

2.    God is all-powerful.

Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

When God has purposed to do something, there is no power able to stop it.  God is not able to be overcome in any realm or sphere. He is the omnipotent Lord.

3.    God is faithful.

2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself.

God never goes back on his word. He is trustworthy in all he says he will do and give.

4.    God is good.

Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

God has perfectly reliable ethics. He is good. We can take comfort in the fact that his perfect character is behind his perfect promises.

5.    God is true.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

There is only one true God who is true in all he does. There is no-one we can trust more.

6.    God is love.

1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

God has promised us because he loves us, and his love is infinite and eternal. We can hold his promises because he wants us to enjoy them as we enjoy him who loves us.

7.    God is immutable.

Malachi 3:6 "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

When God has promised us eternal life, eternal life is what we shall have. There is no chance of him changing in his character or his will. We are secure in the unchanging hands of God.

There is nothing more tangible than a promise of God for his people – not even what you can see and feel in this world. This world will decay. This world will end. God is eternally and infinitely beyond the temporal existence of this world. When you know and trust who God is, you can hold onto the eternal, tangible realities of his promises.

A Meditation on Contentment

Every now and then when I am in need of a deeper and richer consideration of a text or concept in Scripture, I have been helped by a set of meditation questions developed by 17th century puritan minister, Bishop Joseph Hall. I have found that when I go through those questions, it often converts a dry understanding into a deeper and more meaningful reality. It was in January 2014 as I was reading 1 Timothy 6:6 that I found myself reaching for a deeper consideration of the concept of contentment. This week I am simply sharing my journal entry with you.  This is an entry I have reread to myself many times over the years.

1Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Contentment:

Define it.

Being contented in Christ is what happens when our joy is found in him.  God is holy and my transformation in Christ is not merely enough, it is everything. Being satisfied in Christ is the greatest riches. It is the gain in my life that keeps me seeking in full satisfaction at every moment along the way. Contentment is an everlasting all satisfying joy and peace.

What are its divisions or parts.

Contentment is firstly composed of an emptiness of want. It is what it is not – unsatisfied. It is a restfulness in the now. It neither needs nor wants because it has all it needs now and not yet. It is a present reality, but it is a future reality. If we want in the future, it is because we have no true contentment now. You can’t say that you’re content now but later in life experience a dissatisfied want as if you do not have enough; such questions your current contentment. We must say that true contentment resides continuously. Contentment must also contain joy. How can we be content in that which brings misery. You cannot be content with misery but you can be content while experiencing a time of misery. Contentment has an understanding or sight of completion. “Not quite” doesn’t cut it because contentment needs to be inseparably linked to something ultimate. Contentment is directed by heart focus – our greatest desire. Its value is in the satisfaction found in its Object. If the Object of the desire is sub perfect, there will be no achievement of true contentment – at least not eternally.

What is its cause and what does it cause?

Contentment then can only be caused by my desire being totally upon that which is wholly perfect. How can I possibly think to find contentment in anything less than that which is the very definition of joy and satisfaction and is infinitely self-satisfying. It is caused by sharing in the ultimate reality of glorious perfection. Contentment then causes the glorious praise of the Object in which it finds its true satisfaction.

What is its place or use?

When that Perfect is found, our joy is complete.  It keeps us from the errors of the world. For example, our contentment cannot be found in the nothingness of Atheism or the nirvana of Buddhism. Neither non-existence nor the hazy nothingness of nirvana is an explanation of contentment.  Both are only ideas for the end of discontentment. Contentment is conscious. It’s a true joy and peace and rest and it is an ultimate conscious glory. The consideration of contentment then produces the entire realm of gratitude because the Object of desire is its ultimate source. In this object, everything that has been promised is given in perfection. A true understanding of contentment shows us that it cannot be found in the world or the philosophies of man. It is therefore used to fight against the wants of the world. It must come from beyond the sun and indeed from beyond the realm of an imperfect universe.

       What are its qualities?

Contentment has the qualities that everyone wants – joy, love, comfort, peace, holiness, glory, satisfaction, ownership, the need of nothing, the possession of everything, a clear conscience, forgiveness and the eradication of sin and condemnation and ultimate judgment. It is consciously joyful and satisfied without anxiety in the future. This is possible only for me when I pursue Christ and when he is my everything. It is in Him alone.

       What is contrary or opposite?

Everything that has been marred by sin and cannot be a source of complete eternal redemption cannot be a source of true contentment. Popularity, money, things, people lifestyle, food, fun, worldly pursuits, career, family, church, nature, and any identity outside of Christ. They are all sub-perfect and capable of being corrupted by sin. No eternal satisfaction is found in any of them.

       What is it similar to?

Contentment really has no comparison. It has reached its target. To be content in living in this world which is sub-perfect is only possible if all our faith and hope is beyond it. That which is already complete can only be found in the restoration work of Jesus who has already done it and is forever King over it. Often we use the word contentment for menial situations. We can be content with completing a job well done. This may bring a small picture of contentment, but it is not the great ultimate contentment that is incomparable.

       What are its titles?

Contentment can be known by fulness and completion and an eternal incorruptible state of glory. In theology, its best title would be found in the doctrine of eschatology because contentment is found in the completed work of Christ and certain hope of a glorious and eternal consummation.

       What are the Scriptural testimonies?

Jesus saying, “Into your hands I commend my spirit.”

Stephen joyfully looking to his Lord while the Jews were stoning him.

Paul explaining that he has it regardless of his worldly provisions being in plenty or need.

Peter answering Jesus to feed his sheep regardless of that fact that it would mean his death.

The list of Martyrs in Hebrews 11 and every Christian martyr since.

The Apostle John exiled for the sake of Christ.

The widow who gives away her last coin.

Every man, woman and child who forsakes all for the sake of Christ.  

Every Christian who reminds themselves daily that there is better than this world.

Christ Centered Slaves

1Timothy 6:1-2 Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things.

Many people read verses like this in the bible and are tempted to respond with accusation as though the bible commends slavery and even the type of abhorrent slavery typified in the American slave trade during the 17th to 19th centuries. Before we talk about the thrust of these verses, we should make just a few statements about slavery in the bible.

1.    Slavery was never a part of the original plan of Creation.  It is a result of sin.

2.    Sin created all the circumstances to make slavery a reality in the world. Those circumstances range from finding a solution for poverty, retribution for sins against another human, to the consequences of war and the horror of human hatred.

3.    The bible clearly condemns man stealing as sinful.

4.    The Old Testament law gives instructions to regulate a practice in Israel that protects both the slave and master.  It includes the repayment of debt and both the way of freedom and the ability to stay under a master’s yoke should it be the individual’s wish.

5.    The Scriptures do not place humans in the category of mere possessions.

6.    Slavery was commonplace in the Roman empire and governed by Roman law. More than 30% of people were slaves.

7.    In many instances it was impossible to tell a slave from a master and sometimes slaves were also masters with high standing and positions of significant responsibility.

8.    While the Apostle Paul encourages slaves to respect and work well for masters, he also encourages slaves to rightly work toward freedom. (1 Corinthians 7:21).

9.    The worst kind of slavery described in the bible is the bondage to sin that every single human experiences outside of knowing Christ.

To read more about the accusations against the bible when it comes to slavery (and sexism), I recommend Dr Jim Hamilton’s article - LINK HERE.

Back to the verses at hand.

In his instructions to Timothy as he pastors the church in Ephesus, Paul makes a note for Timothy to provide pastoral guidance to those in his church who are slaves.  He notes two situations.  There are slaves with non-believing masters and slaves with believing masters. In either category, Paul highlights what is most important for a believer who is a slave.  It is also the most important category for any believer in any circumstance in which we find ourselves. In any and every circumstance we are to live according to how we shine the beauty and glory of Christ and represent his name.

To those with non-believing masters.

Slaves with non-believing masters should always understand that their identity is not as a slave to an earthly master.  That is their circumstance, but not their identity. All Christians find their identity in Christ and in fact, we are slaves to Christ first and foremost. Paul wants the Christians in Ephesus who happen to be under a yoke of slavery to use their current circumstance of life to promote the name of Christ and gain opportunity for the gospel. Paul says to treat their masters with honor for the sake of the name of God and that the teaching of God (the gospel of Christ) might not be reviled.

For many of us today, we can attribute this to our own places of work where we are contracted for work to the benefit of our employers. Reading Paul’s statements should give us a heart-felt desire to be the best employee our employers have. We seek to show them the respect and honor their position warrants. We go the extra mile. We pray for them. We are careful to complete our tasks with skill and diligence. We are pleased to work for their success, and we rejoice when they achieve it. Paul is saying that worldly bosses should be stepping over each other for the opportunity to employ Christians because they are the best employees of all. Christians work in a way that leaves a good taste of the name of Christ and they make for themselves an opportunity for gospel witness both in action and words. If you want a great example of this, read the book of Daniel.

To those with believing masters

There also seems to be a situation in Ephesus where some Christians had taken advantage of having a believing master.  Perhaps if their master had come to Christ, they thought that there was no longer a need to work as a witness. Even more so, perhaps they felt a sense of entitlement from their brother in Christ when it came to them having greater privilege than others. Why should they take orders from a fellow believer? Paul corrects this thinking by his normal instruction about the church family. When it comes to the fellowship of the family of Christ, we are always under more, not less, obligation to fervently serve one another. This doesn’t mean that Paul would not want to see the Christian master free his slaves or treat them with extra love as brothers and sisters in Christ. He certainly instructs Philemon to do this with Onesimus. In 1 Timothy, Paul is instructing Timothy to pastorally guide Christian slaves who are in his church. It could be that in becoming a believer in Christ that these people had acted opposite to the way they should. Every single one of us knows how that can sometimes be the case in our own circumstances of employment. Some of us need to repent and work on the basis of the grace of Christ that compels us to diligence for the sake of his name.

Conclusion:

In whatever circumstance we find ourselves, the most important instruction for every Christian is that our lives are first and foremost Christ-centered and not self-centered. Our desire in work is not what we want most out of it, but how Christ is most glorified in it. That seems to be good advice for every slave of Christ. We are Christ-centered slaves.

The Church Cares Better Than the World

In his letter to a young pastor, Timothy, Paul instructed him on the care of widows. At one point Paul makes a strong statement that a Christian who does not care for their own household (in the context of looking after widows) is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). In other words, a Christian who would not provide and care for a widow in their own home would not even be caring to the same standard that normally applies in the world.

All through the Scriptures there is a strong case for God’s people to care for the most vulnerable among us. To not care for the widows is to show a discarding of God’s value for human life. I say it is a discarding of God’s value for human life because many people in the world would certainly suggest they do value human life.  The unfortunate dilemma is that the basis by which human life is valued varies compared to the human you are talking to.

The Christian is not left with a philosophical dilemma as to how best to value the life of another human. The Christian has revealed truth from the Creator of the universe that gives us the ultimate standard of human valuation. In Genesis 1:26-28 we read explicit statements about humanity being created in the image of God. The reason every single human being from fertilization to the grave is valued equally and with dignity is because life is a gift from God, and it is given that we might reflect his glorious image throughout the world.

Outside of biblical revelation, human valuation is based on to philosophical subjectivism. Do we value humans on the basis of their development in the womb? Do we value humans on the basis of whether or not a parent even wants them? Do we value humans on the basis of their ethnicity or culture? What about class, position, mental faculties, physical capabilities, age, health, or contribution to or drain on society? Is human life valued on the basis of the experience of pain or suffering? If we are to answer yes to any one of these categories, we are providing a subjective valuation system for human life that devalues one set of humans over another. The Christian must stand upon the biblical truth that life is a gift from God and there is not a situation in which a human life can be valued outside of an understanding of being created in the image of God. The highest possible value placed on human life in the Scriptures is shown explicitly in God’s statement to Noah in Genesis 9:5:  And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. To take the life of another human is the highest possible consequence.

In considering this in the light of Paul’s statement to Timothy, I couldn’t help but see a glaring difference in the way that the church must care better than the world when it comes to the elderly, sick, and widows – those who no longer have a capacity to contribute to society and need help and support in their aging, sickness, and suffering. No matter what stage of life or suffering a person is going through, a Christian is never willing to consider another human being as a non-person. Personhood is only found in being a living, breathing human created in the image of God. In the life of the church, unlike the world, euthanasia will never be an option. If anyone in the church allows for it as an option, they sin against God and disregard his value for human beings.

Not only does the Christian understand human value in terms of a dismissal of euthanasia, but we also care because of God’s value for humans. We don’t give less care for those who don’t have capacity to know any better. We don’t care less because the one being cared for has limited or no ability to give anything in return. We don’t care less because we know death is just around the corner. We care greater than the world all the time because we refuse to have a subjective valuation system for human life.

We know that people suffer greatly in aging and sickness. We all may face this one day. We know that due to human sin, suffering is a reality in this sin cursed world.  We know that death is the last enemy to be defeated.  The Christian also knows that God uses suffering in our life to point our hearts to him and prepare us in anticipation of standing before him. For the Christian brothers and sisters of a sufferer, our comfort and care for our loved ones is an extension of the hands of Christ as they are guided toward their final day. It is our time to point their hearts to the soothing balm of preparing to meet the King of Kings.

When Paul tells Timothy that any person who does not provide for their own household (the widows/needy in their own household) is worse than an unbeliever, his statement embodies the knowledge that a Christian should have a value for human life far beyond the world’s value. That value should be visible in the way we love. We are not worse than unbelievers. We are significantly enlightened to provide greater care than they can ever know.  If the church is truly being the church, the church always cares greater than the world.

The Practical Nature of Godliness

1Timothy 4:8 For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

In comparison to the limited physical benefit of bodily training, Paul makes a bold claim about godliness.  It is of value in every way for the present life and the life to come. If we really did believe this in practice about godliness, I would suggest that Christians all over the world would know the blessing of life at a vastly elevated level. Unfortunately, many have often relegated godliness to the realm of religiosity and outward shows of piety. Paul, however, has a vastly different understanding of godliness and claims that it is intensely practical. How could he possibly mean otherwise if he is saying that value of godliness is its promise of value for every way of this present life?

The statement Paul is making is in the context of him talking about the way the church lives out the truth of God in this world. Paul had just previously said that he had written the whole letter to Timothy so that he may know how one (any single Christian) ought to live in the world as a member of the church.  He had emphasized and repeated that, in Christ, the church has the truth of God to know how to live in this world to God’s glory. The pinnacle of our life is seen in the confession of Christ in 1 Timothy 3:16 where Paul tells Timothy that Jesus is the mystery of godliness. I believe what Paul is saying is that if you want to know the glory and character of God as shown in human life, look at Jesus. If you want to know the hope and practical reality of godliness, look at Jesus.

So why is this so intensely practical? Well, because a life of godliness is a life that is lived in both the knowledge of who God is and the application of his character in the reflection of him in our own life. The promise being made by Paul is that in whatever you face in this world, godliness is the answer. Really?

1.    In our suffering, godliness is the answer. While we live in a groaning world that brings the weight of suffering in many ways, we look to who our God is. Every human deserves suffering and yet our God is one who came into this world in a perfectly obedient life to suffer on our behalf. While we may not understand our suffering moment by moment, we understand the mystery of godliness in Christ as our hope remains set on a greater glory. We trust that God brings all things for his greater glory. We understand more of the infinite suffering he went through for us as Jesus took on God’s wrath on our behalf. We understand that through suffering came mercy and grace. These are truths that give Christians hope amid suffering. We live through suffering in light of them.

2.    In our sorrow, godliness is the answer. When the world seeks to define our problems by way of labels of disease and disorder, worldly medications and therapies can only promise temporal symptomatic relief (even if they work and don’t create even greater issues). The Christian can assess our own hearts in the light of God’s truth and holiness. We can know a God who both provides hope beyond this world and becomes our greatest source of satisfaction in this one. When we understand God, we understand that there is nothing lacking in him when he is our greatest desire. The application of that truth in our life puts the realities of our sorrows in the light of God’s greater eternal purpose for us. Because of godliness, we can look up in our sorrow.

3.    In our sin, godliness is the answer. When this world counsels us to ignore guilt and live according to your own desire, we suffer in the consequences that our sin inevitably brings. When we understand something of the holy character of God, we see our sinful flesh for what it is. We also see that life in this world is deeper and richer lived in the light of all that God has for us in Christ. We understand deeper and richer relationships, gratitude, and the joy that only comes through a knowledge of grace. Godliness in the face of our sin compels repentance to a reconciled life with God who gives his abundant love to all who call on him.

Godliness is the application of the truth and character of God in our life that can only come through union with Christ. Godliness is the answer for every aspect of human life because it is the only answer that impacts our life now and also has eternal promise. This world seeks answers for our temporal existence, but godliness keeps us holding on to a much greater eternal answer. Through godliness, the things of this world grow strangely dim.

Do you believe that godliness is more than just a religious principle or outward piety? I hope you know it to be true that godliness is intensely practical for our life now and even not yet.

When Holiness Is Not Holiness

Colossians 2:20-23 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations-- 21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)--according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

In more than one of Paul’s letters, he found it necessary to deal with the problem of asceticism in the church. Asceticism is an ideology that holds to denying yourself from any sort of indulgence. Those living the ascetic lifestyle were the ultimate killjoys in life. Paul saw this type of life as an impotent attempt to deal with the lusts of the flesh. An extreme focus on self-denial does not transform us from fleshly desire but it can make you pridefully focused on outward expressions of false piety.

Paul’s point for the Colossians was that their own attempts for holiness could only be superficial. Generally, the purpose of asceticism is a joyful and enlightened life.  The problem with asceticism is that an extreme dedication to denial ends up robbing of joy, not giving it. While those in an ascetic lifestyle do see the bankruptcy and damage of an undisciplined life of licentiousness, they cause their own harm in the opposite direction. With either end of the scale, the heart is bound and enslaved in sin.

Paul wanted the church in Colossae to know that true joy and contentment can only be found in and through Christ. In Christ, we neither live in slavery to the flesh or in the hard bondage of denial. We live in the enjoyment of God who opens our eyes and shows us that all can be enjoyed when his glory is the purpose by which we enjoy it. He shows us how to enjoy life without making our own sinful flesh the end goal. We neither seek the impossible task of redeeming our flesh or feeding it. Our Goal is to live in this world and enjoy all that God has given us in a way that pleases and enjoys him. While there is nothing we can do (or not do) that can redeem our flesh and transform our heart, Jesus has done it all. Because of the crucifixion of Christ, our fleshy pursuit is crucified with him, and we are also raised with him in new life. It’s not a life of abstinence, it’s a life of gratitude, love, contentment, and joy. We can enjoy God’s good gifts in life because our greatest desire is to enjoy the Giver.

When your holiness is only depicted by your denial of God’s gifts, it’s not holiness, it’s putrid self-righteousness. When your righteousness is found in Christ alone, his holiness can be on display in our enjoyment of him and all his bountiful goodness.

Word Ministry Is Confident Ministry

In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul tells Timothy that the church of the living God is the pillar and buttress of truth. That is one of the boldest statements about the church in the bible. It tells us that the transcendent God of the bible is the immanent God of his church. It tells us that the church of God upholds and ministers the truth of God.  The church, as a pillar and buttress of truth, has a ministry of the word.

When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he had something similar to say. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Paul was about to tell Corinth some pointed truth.  His ministry was the ministry of the word, and he was passionate for them to resist following the ideas of men. He wanted this church to uphold, defend and preach God’s word, primarily, the crucified Christ. It is in the power of the word of Christ, that God draws, illuminates, regenerates, justifies, and sanctifies his church. This is then what Paul says in his second chapter to the church in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 2:9-13 “But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"-- 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

Through the impartation of words, God’s word and the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Spirit is present and working according to his good and sovereign will. The word being imparted comes through the church standing on the truth of the Scriptures and proclaiming it to each other and the world. The transcendent power of God directs his church with his word as his means of grace.

Whenever you hear this statement that the church is the pillar and buttress of truth, it should give you confidence. No matter what opposing philosophy stands before us from the world, when the church relentlessly stands on the word of God, we uphold and minister a truth of transcendent power. We have a responsibility to handle it correctly and preach it boldly.

 In the church, word ministry is confident ministry.  

God is Good

This week our church, Grace and Truth Church Cincinnati, move into our newly renovated building. In reality, we move into our renovation in progress, but we will move with joy and excitement for what God has in store for us. As we move into our new building and new neighborhood it is a great time to think about our focus from here on in. Many things will stay the same.  We will continue to exalt Christ and proclaim his name. We will continue to make much of the gospel and plead for people to know Jesus.  We will continue to be a church committed to all that honors our Lord as we show his love and unity within our body. We will continue stand strong on truth without compromising grace and vice versa. We will seek to point each other to the application of God’s word in our life and the sufficiency of the Scriptures for helping the hurting. We will seek to gather together to celebrate the ordinances, and to pray, preach, and fellowship. We will protect it all through a God ordained structure of partnership through sacrificial leadership and humble submission.

We could go on with so many wonderful realities about what we hope for our church to be and continue doing when we move into our new building.  Before we do that, we should just take time to acknowledge that this has all happened within the providence of a good and gracious God. Before stepping into our new building on Sunday, let’s prepare our hearts by acknowledging that God is good.

Psalm 119:68 You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.

This is such a beautiful thought as we consider gathering this Sunday. We will come again around the word of God.  We hope to hear eternal truth that transforms our lives, but the reason we can so readily meet with confidence in the Scriptures is because we first have confidence in God who gave his truth to us.  The Scriptures are good because God is good, and because God is good, all his works are good. What more can we say but, Teach me your statutes.

Before we move into a new building this Sunday, meditate on the goodness of God.  Meditate on his works because they are good. Consider the works of God in creation and in human history. Consider the works of God with his covenant people. Consider his work of redemption ordained before the foundation of the world. Consider the work of his self-revelation through his incarnation and in the inspiration of his word. Consider his work of a new creation that we are yet to behold. Consider it all. He is good and does good. Don’t you want to learn from him?

When we come on Sunday, please come in anticipation. Let the first Sunday in our new church building be one of anticipation to worship and hear from the good God of the universe as we all come around the wonder of his word and celebrate the glory of his Son.

God is good. Anticipate his good truth. Anticipate his grace. Anticipate his goodness.

The Importance of Church Polity

In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, Paul instructs these two men about elders and deacons. Paul is concerned for there to be a structure in the church, formally applied, in which the church can be properly cared for and managed. As I was thinking through the calling and qualifications of elders and then the qualifications for the office of deacons, I was yet again convicted by the necessity of formally knowing and understanding the entire church.

We should take note of many Scriptures that require the entire congregation to be responsible for essential matters in the life of the church. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for not taking responsibility for the grievous sin in their midst. The church ought to be very serious about holiness. When a serious sin is overlooked, it affects the entire church. Paul then says to Corinth, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  We ought to take this verse very seriously. If the church is to protect holiness among the body of Christ, we must not be frivolous about knowing who we are and how we as a whole congregation counts who is in and who is not.

In matters of church discipline, the church is the final ground to dismiss an unrepentant sinner from among them (Matthew 18). In 2 Corinthians 2:6, Paul talks about a discipline within the church that has already taken place and he talks of it being brought about by the “majority.”  For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough. The seriousness here is seen that church discipline can only happen in a church that is fully aware and formally knows who is in to clearly show who is out.

As we think of doctrine, Paul instructs Timothy that it is the entire church that is given responsibility for being the pillar and buttress of truth. 1Timothy 3:15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Surely if the responsibility is the hands of the church to uphold doctrine, the church must be serious about knowing that it is in the hands of those we know who truly believe biblical and gospel doctrine.

These are just a few examples of why the church must be serious about formally knowing who we are in the responsibility that Christ has given us.  In this responsibility, Christ has also given elders to shepherd and teach and guide and be an example in leading in the responsibilities of the whole church. He has given deacons to take care of the management of ministry as the church lives to please Christ and reach the world.

There are many who see little importance in the need for a formal identification of the church in membership. It seems to me that as elders lead, deacons manage, and the whole church takes responsibility as a final accountability, it would be negligent for us not to treat the identification of the body of Christ with anything other than utmost care. When elders are to be formally known to the church for a partnership designed by God in leadership and submission, how is that supposed to work without a formal acknowledgement of the body being led?

When we read in Hebrews 13:17 that the church is to let its elders rule with joy, it encourages me to make a plea to those in our body who attend and know Jesus but have not become members.  Please allow our elders to take the leadership of our church family seriously and joyfully by helping us formally protect those who we must know and care for and serve. Please help us joyfully lead us all in the huge responsibility we all have.

A way of doing that is by taking your membership in the church as seriously as those who are called to the offices of elders and deacons. In other words, if you are not yet, please let us formalize your membership.  

To Read Like Amy Carmichael

For the last 20 years of her life, missionary Amy Carmichael was basically immobile. She spent much time in her room reading and writing, and that work produced encouragements for millions around the world.

Amy had spent 50 years in ministry, especially to women and children in poverty and slavery. She had maintained a consistent focus on the gospel of Christ. She had great desire to see many come to know eternal hope that only comes through repentance of sin and faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God. Her undying stance on the gospel and the truth of God’s word was unwavering.

There was a time in her ministry when her work was under threat of being undermined by people who did not hold to the inspiration and authority of Scripture. It was a time when Amy had to increase her commitment to truth and to be aware of the commitment to truth in others. Whenever the gospel is affected, the stakes couldn’t be higher. It was at this time that Amy would find out more about the people who were sent to help her. One of the questions she would ask them was, “Besides the bible, which three or four books have helped you most?”

Amy knew the importance of influence. The works that influenced people most would highlight the value they placed on the integrity of truth in their ministry. Their best reading would tell her something about how they might influence others. Her own discipline of reading was geared toward her own edification and strengthening in her ministry.  It was said of Amy that, even while she did read some fiction, she had little time for it.  She was a lady who desired to plumb the depths of truth as she hoped to stand strong in truth and know and serve her Lord more.

As I read some of these comments about Amy Carmichael, I found myself wondering how I might encourage both men and ladies in our own church with materials that profoundly edify and strengthen their own ministries to their families and others. Obviously, nothing ever replaces the Scripture for the infallible truth we all need. I do however think that if Amy Carmichael was with us today, she would say there is an enormous difference between an edifying reading schedule and a mind numbing one.

Amy would ask people what they were reading to find out how committed to the truth of Christ they really are. It was a good question. By highlighting this, I’m not saying that fiction is in any way harmful (I suppose it depends on the fiction). Nor am I saying that a reading schedule must be filled with the writings of puritans. However, I do think there is a general question in Amy’s example for all of us. If you were sitting in front of Amy Carmichael today and she asked you, “What besides the bible are you reading?”, how might you answer her question?

An Open Letter to Ladies in Our Church

Dear Ladies of Grace and Truth Church Cincinnati,

Thank you.

As a pastor I could fear preaching through the final verses in 1 Timothy 2, but instead, I am full of joy and gratitude.

1Timothy 2:9-15 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness--with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing--if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Last week we approached the subject of outward adornment. I felt no pressure. It was already proven to me that our ladies don’t resist modesty and they are neither intent on making more rules than God. Paul proposes that the measuring grid for the appearance and demeanor of a lady is a heart of godliness. To preach this knowing that our ladies would embrace the concept with enthusiasm was a blessing to me that many pastors sadly may not enjoy. To witness a response of encouragement in our ladies was indeed a testimony of your godliness in embracing God’s truth. Without a single objection, it seems to me you desire to live with a heart for God and not yourselves. Your response has strengthened and edified me and the other men in our church. Thank you for being a godly witness to us and for showing us a desire for God’s glory despite the competing sentiments of our culture.

This week I am equally confident that the ladies in our church will embrace God’s design for men and women in the church with the same enthusiasm and joy to glorify God. I love being a part of a church family that carefully navigates the waters of rejecting both a licentious culture and a legalist reaction in the church. Abrasive fundamentalism as a movement is dead to us and yet we can still see the sinfulness of worldliness and live with a view to please our King according to his order and design for us. To witness your biblical balance is a joy in my heart.

We know we are not perfect. We all feel the pull of Genesis 3. We know that men can so often gravitate toward an inclination to rule. We know that ladies can incline to ascendancy. We feel the pull of self, and without Christ it would drive our very lives. We know that the responsibility for men (husbands and leaders in our church) is to serve rather than subjugate and protect and cherish rather than oppress. We need your prayer and help for us to resist Genesis 3 temptations to dominate rather than edify you as our sisters. We pray for you that your desire would also be directed by Christ rather than the instinctive consequence of the fall.

Thank you for making it a pleasure to preach a passage that other pastors dread. You are a gift of God’s sweetness to our church. You love and serve us well.

Your grateful Pastor,

Steve.