Necessary Sorrow

“he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” Ecclesiastes 1

As I talked about in my last blog, theology paints a cleared picture of reality; the Gospel brings practical change to all things. A trap Christians often fall into is having or pursuing abstractness of doctrine.

Abstract Doctrine. The sinfulness of abstract doctrine is cancerous. When one pursues abstract doctrine he seeks to puff himself up- to give the appearance of intelligence for the sake of his own pride. While this person might learn countless truths about the nature of God and man, the truths stay in the realm of the abstract and do not bring change into his life. This is sin and must be repented of. Some symptoms for self diagnosis of ‘abstract doctrine syndrome’ are- 1) when someone has incorrect theology (or so you think), does this bring you sorrow because the person has been deceived and is believing a lie? or do you find yourself battling frustration and anger? Godly knowledge brings Godly sorrow. 2) when someone is living in sin or commits sin, does this bring you sorrow because they are slaves to sin and are suffering apart from God? or do you become frustrated or angry with the person? Godly knowledge brings Godly sorrow. 3) When you sin, do you feel the need to return to your studies? or do you feel the need to repent and return to the Cross of Christ Crucified?

As the Gospel transforms your heart and as you grow in your understanding of theology and doctrine you will have a heart for all people. If you are diligent in your studies and church attendance and your heart is not breaking in sorrow, you are not studying for the LORD.

 

 

a tragedy, to say the least

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” Paul to the Romans, Chapter 11

Behaviors stem from beliefs. Beliefs that have been ingrained into our world views since the beginning of our lives. For example, when we are toddlers and we see our parents walking, we learn to believe that we are capable of the same thing. Thus, because of our belief, we proceed in attempted imitation modeling our first steps after those of our parents. When our pre-school teachers point to an arbitrary color on the wall and say ‘red’ we believe them to be correct. Thus, we continue to call the same color by the name ‘red’, because of our belief in what our teacher said. The teenage girl who looks at a Cosmopolitan magazine and believes to herself ‘I am fat’ reacts accordingly and her behavior is ultimately changed. A college dude who believes that hedonistic pursuit of women is the ultimate purpose for his years in college will live as a womanizer in accordance with his beliefs. A college graduate who believes that acquiring wealth is the only thing that will bring him satisfaction will pursue wealth at whatever the cost to himself or others. An aged man who believes to his core that death is better than his daily suffering will commit suicide. A hypocrite is not someone who believes X and does Y. A hypocrite is someone who professes to believe X but in his in actuality believes Y.

Theology effects all of life. Theology is the study of God. Someone’s theology is what they profess to believe about God. The belief that someone has or does not have in God comes to bear practically in their daily life. The Word of God says in Paul’s letter to the Colossians that “by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together”. All things. All things. ALL THINGS. If all things are by, through, and are sustained by Him, then the truth about who God is can be applied to ALL areas of life. There is nothing in existence  that is outside of God’s creative hand and so there is nothing in existence that can be fully understood without theology- the study of the Creator. One can only completely understand a work of art when it is seen through eyes of the artist. Everything else is just speculation, existential and subjective. Only when an artist gives revelation, revealed and objective truth, about his artistry can the art be fully understood. One can only fully understand the detail of a well oiled machine when the engineer reveals the detail of his design. This is the same for creation. Creation can only be fully understood when seen through the eyes of the Creator. This insight into the mind of the creator is the revealed Word of God.

Our Theology must be based upon revealed truth- God’s Word, and not  on speculation. We must submit ourselves to God’s word. We must feast upon the bread of life. We must relish in the blessing that has been given to us in the Word. The living God of the universe has spoken for our benefit! He desires for us to know him as he really is. Worshiping God for anything less than who He actually is is foolishness and idolatry. Hosea 4-“There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land…My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me”. When we don’t worship God for who he is we ‘reject knowledge’ that he has gone out of his way to give to us. “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;  in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” Matthew 15:8. When we do not worship God for who he is we worship in vain! We take man made speculation, often our own preconceptions about who ‘God’ is, and hold them as sufficient and reject the knowledge that God has revealed to us in His Word. It is a tragedy to say the least.

‘Church’ becomes a fitness club. Yep. Pastors become personal trainers. [via vanderstelt]American culture does not require individuals to be in physical shape, with the exception of a 0.5% minority (models, movies stars, and professional athletes). American people do not need to be in physical shape. So, people pay money to go and put themselves through pain at a gym in hope that they might get into shape. BUT, that isn’t enough. people can’t stay motivated. So they hire people who are so in shape that they are professional at being in shape: personal trainers. Personal trainers motivate their clients by yelling in their faces, coming up with witty catch phrases, and showing them how much better life would be if they were in shape. All of this would not be necessary if the American day to day life was similar to that of day to day life in the Sahara Desert. The American church culture, as a whole, does not require Christians to be in ‘spiritual shape’. The analogy is fitting, for in Hebrews the Christian life amongst witnesses is likened to a race and we are to “run with endurance the race that is set before us”. There is no day to day race for most Christians who attend church in American. There is no mission. There is no discipleship. There is no denial of self. There is no race being run and likely no race in the future to train for. So, ‘Christians’ will acquire to themselves ‘pastors’ who motivate them to get into spiritual shape. The pastors yell in their faces, come up with witty catch phrases, and tell them about how much better their life would be if they were in spiritual shape. The American church culture is, as a whole, apathetic, egocentric, existential, and, dare I say, a business where goods are exchanged for tithes. The American church needs an awakening: a revival: a heart change.

“Go and make disciples” must become our daily heartbeat. Not once a summer when we go overseas. Not when we attend church on Sundays. Not only when we invite our friends to come to the latest cool programed college outreach. Making disciples must become our heartbeat, it cannot simply be something we do, it must be who we are. If you knew that tomorrow you would have the opportunity to share your faith with someone who doesn’t know Jesus, how would you prepare today? If you knew that every day you would have the opportunity live and speak the Gospel to someone who doesn’t know Jesus, how would you prepare everyday? When ‘Christian’ changes from something you do to who you are, ‘mission’ or ‘missionary’ must also change from something you do to who you are. When following Jesus is no longer an activity but is instead your identity, the Word of God no longer is something you read but it becomes the bread of life, the Sword of the Spirit, living water that is necessary to your daily life because in your daily life you are waging war “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”. If you struggle with hungering for the Word of God, you do not need to try harder to read the Bible more. You need a heart change. You need to see that your moment of salvation was your moment of enlistment into the army of the LORD. You need to see that your daily life is a call to war- a call to mission. If you faced battle tomorrow, how would you train today? You do face battle tomorrow.

“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity”,

“grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”,

“taste and see that the LORD is good”,

“taste the goodness of the word of God” and,

“since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus” who is the Word.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” Paul to the Romans, Chapter 11

Self Help vs. The Gospel

American middle class culture (aka the culture at ASU) has always been endowed the ‘American dream mentality”. The American Dream has been around for hundreds of years and most commonly could be described as a promise of prosperity and success via your personal hard work. Capitalism. I’m not going to argue with this mentality in its regards to materialistic foundations, but, what concerns me are the ways in which the American Dream, in this postmodern era, has moved beyond capitalism and material issues and has begun to infect Christianity and spiritual issues.  This ‘spiritual capitalism’ is what is commonly referred to as Self-Help.

The fundamental problem with Self-Help lies in its very definition. The contradiction with the truth of the Gospel is evident…

Self-Help says that we need help. The Gospel says we need salvation.

Self-Help says you are the instrument of your help. The Gospel says that Jesus is the only way.

Self-Help attempts to meet your needs as you define them. The Gospel defines our needs as sinners and doesn’t merely meet needs but is the power of God’s salvation.

Self-Help is self-focused. The Gospel is the holistic story of the Creator of all things.

The subtle danger here is when Self-Help bleeds into Christianity and perverts the word of God. I call this ‘Christian-Self-Help’.

In ‘Christian Self-Help’ Jesus and His cross are used by the individual to solve self-defined problems meet self-defined goals.

Christian Self-Help reduces the Gospel to a psychological process, rather than The True Story that defines and transforms the entire being of the regenerated Christian.

Essentially in Christian-Self-Help God’s Word becomes adulterated in that the proclaiming follower of Christ whores the Word by fitting it into his life as he pleases rather than placing himself under the authority of the spoken word of the Creator.

Let us not rely on our own religious efforts but rather let us seek to define ourselves by the Gospel of our murdered savior Jesus.

LDS Temple

This statue is on top of the temple steeple.

Recently I was blessed with the opportunity to take a tour inside the Mormon Temple May 8th. Typically only members of the LDS church who have been married in the church or who have been sent on their mission (people who have been baptized in the church have a limited temple access) are allowed in the temple. However, the LDS church just finished building a second temple in Pima, AZ. The temple has not been dedicated yet (Mat 23rd is the date of dedication) and until it is formally dedicated LDS are giving tours to the general public. A LDS girl that I know from ASU invited Eric Johnstun and I to go with her and a group down to Page (3 hours away from Tempe) to see the inside of the church. Seeing this as an opportunity we would only have once, we were happy to go with.

I was not sure what the experience would bring. I wanted to go in with an unbiased mind, and to “test everything” as I am commanded to do in 1 Corinthians 5.

Below are seven verbatim quotes that I either heard or read throughout my tour of the temple. I compare each quote (either from the LDS tour guide or from a pamphlet I was given by the church) to the Bible, which the Mormons (kind of weird wording…maybe change to “the Mormons claim”) claim to use alongside with the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price to form their theology.

#1 “the temple is a holy place set apart from the outside world”

“your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God” 1 Corinthians 6: 19

LDS refer to ‘the temple’ as a building. The best definition of ‘the temple’ in biblical terms is ‘the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit’. Therefore, before Christ, ‘the temple’ would refer to the Jewish building, specifically the holy of holies within the temple. However, 1 Corinthians 6:19 shows us that the dwelling place of the holy spirit is not a building, but is instead a person; for the holy spirit dwells within followers of Christ. In regards to a follower of Christ, I would agree that the temple (the body of the believer) has been set apart for God’s purposes (God does refer to the people of Israel in this way in the Old Testament).

#2 “the temple is the most sacred place on earth”

#3 “a spiritual center where each person can feel a special closeness to God”

This was true of the Old Covenant as God’s dwelling place was the holy of holies in the temple. However, because the curtain of the temple was torn, God no longer exclusively dwells in the temple.

“Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” Mark 15:37-38

Not only is this significant in the context of God’s presence and dwelling place but it is significant in our redemption. Christ interceded on our behalf once and for all; we no longer need liturgical religion for our salvation. Christ paid our debt by means of his own blood.

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12

The Samaritans and Jews did not get along because of where they chose to worship. The Samaritans wanted to worship in their temple; the Jews thought that true worship only happened in the temple in Jerusalem.  Jesus shows the woman at the well that there is no special place of worship, but rather our worship is a matter of Spirit and Truth, never location. Jesus also foreshadows the tearing of the curtain in this passage.

“Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father…. But the Hour is coming, and is here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” John 4:21

#4 “life on earth is part of an eternal journey that began long before were born, when we lived with God as His spirit children”

“…the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you” Isaiah 44:2

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” Jeremiah 1:5

“Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether” Psalm 139:4

When God said that formed us in the womb he was not just talking about the body, but the whole person: mind, body, and soul. It is for this reason that we are all wired with different gifts, talents, passions, and inklings: God formed our whole person in the womb. Also, foreknowledge is a key principle in Christianity. For instance, when the psalmist writes that God knows his words before they are spoken, it is God’s foreknowledge that allows him to know this. A mistake here would be to say that God has already heard the words, as though it was the past. Rather, God knows what the future holds and thus knew the words of the psalmist. It is the same when God says ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you’. God did not know us in the past, but knows the future and thus knew us by means of his foreknowledge.

#5 “marriages are performed that can endure throughout this life and for all eternity… creating eternal families.”

“‘Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.’” Matthew 22:25-30

#6 On the practice baptism of the dead, LDS reference 1 Corinthians 15:29: “what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?”

In reading the Bible, the difference between description and prescription must be very well understood. David has an affair with Bathsheba. The Bible, God’s word, describes this event,  God does not prescribe this event. For if God prescribed David to have an affair, the application would be such that we should all have affairs. Similarly, in 1 Corinthians, Paul is describing the fact that some people are baptizing the dead, he is not prescribing that they should. As to the actual meaning of ‘being baptized on behalf of the dead’, it is uncertain. Whatever the practice is, Paul reports it without necessarily approving it, and is clearly not commanding it. In regards to baptism, many faiths that see baptism by water as necessary in regards to salvation, they often don’t take into account Acts 1:5:

“you heard from me (Jesus); for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” Acts 1:5

#7 “those who enter the temple can find the peaceful serenity the Savior promised”

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

The ‘peaceful serenity the Savior promised’ is not found in a building; it is found in Christ. Our ‘peaceful serenity’ is not found in the safety of a building, the stability of the American Dream, or in worldly comfort; it is found in participating in the suffering of Christ.

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:16-18

We are not promised comfort. We are promised suffering. Our ‘peaceful serenity’ is not found in white robes in the safety of a temple but it is found in the sufferings of Christ and in participating in his mission because we are sure of our salvation and because we exist for his glory, not our comfort.

Suffering, reality, and Ethan Mills

Suffering leads many to doubt their existing faith in God and seemingly prevents many from ever initially placing faith in God. For this reason, it is an important and touchy subject. Suffering comes between people and their faith for one of two reasons: either intellectual and emotional.

Someone who looks at suffering and has an intellectual problem with God would ask the question; ”how does an all powerful and all good God co-exist with all the suffering in the world? Would not the all-powerful God have the ability to end suffering and the all-good God have the desire to do so?”

Someone who looks at suffering and has a personal problem with God would say; “I refuse to believe in God whether he exists or not. A God who could end suffering but doesn’t is a malicious being and I will not trust him.”

Everyone can think of a context when suffering has long-term or short-term purpose and/or benefit ; e.g., working out, discipline, working a non-fun job, school, and the idea of sacrificing one to save many. The real problem people have with suffering is when it seems to have no purpose, but rather seems pointless. this is the reason people often as the question “why? why me? why him?”. Imagine I told you to go and look inside of my car and check if there is a dog in it. Upon a very short investigation, you would have decided very clearly whether or not there is a dog in the car. however, if i asked to go and check if there was a gnat, your search would but much more difficult, and, even if you couldn’t find a gnat, you couldn’t necessarily conclude that there is no gnat in the car, as they are small and very hard to find. i propose that the reasons behind suffering are more like the gnat than they are the dog. I therefore think that simply because we cannot plainly see God’s reasons in suffering, we jump to the conclusion that there are none. Many people must admit that the life lessons that have best helped them and have shaped them into who they are today have come out of times of discomfort and suffering. “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good”–St. Paul

Reality. in reality, Christ does not promise us a happy life, but he does offer a joyful life. Happiness is what happens when kids get what they want a disneland and when you get a date with the hot girl. Joy is when your father dies but you know he is now with Jesus. As followers of Christ we must not expect an easy ride, for, in actuality, we are not even here for ourselves. Christians must be realists. God says that we will suffer with purpose.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord… but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God–St. Paul

I count the sufferings of this present time unworthy to be compared to the Glory that will be revealed in Heaven. Whatever we suffer for the sake of the Gospel will be not only worth it, but so infinitely minuscule in comparison to the Glory of God in heaven that they may even be forgotten once we arrive. Having a perspective of Gospel Christian realism will free us from asking “why?” and instead beckon us to ask “what?” and “who?” this is because we already know why: for the Gospel. the real question is “God, what are you teaching me?” and/or “God, who do you want me to reach through my suffering?”

We must break free from the illusion of Disneyland/fairyland/farm-ville/Happy days  America and begin to live lifestyles of missionary sacrifice through suffering that will show the world that our treasure is actually in Heaven and not on Earth.

Ethan Mills

like you saw in the picture at the top, Ethan has the balls to calmly say ‘im dyin’. Ethan has battled cancer 3 times, his third bout continuing as i type. On Monday the 22nd (two days ago), the doctor gave Ethan 3-4 months to live. Ethan is a man we can all learn from. Because of cancer (and his family as a result) has suffered and endured more in his 19 years of life than most of us will in our whole life. Yet, he maintains the faith. Ethan does not become depressed because he knows that this life is about God and not about him. Ethan does not complain for the world to see because he knows that doing so could harm the faith of others. Ethan instead reacts like a man of God to an impossible situation and in doing so functionally articulates and displays the Gospel, what all of life is all about. Ethan has been blessed with a faith that will without a doubt encourage and lift up others for years. Ethan will be able to suffer well, with a Gospel perspective, and therefore be a witness to the reality of God’s sovereignty and goodness for all to see.  The comforting reality is that God will heal Ethan. the hard reality is that it might not be until he arrives in heaven.

Ethan is a source of joy in the lives of many. He has been and will continue to be one of my best friends. Ethan’s unshakable faith is an encouragement to me and to many others who know him. God has a plan for Ethan’s life.

‘God is my shepherd i won’t be wanting’.

“i won’t be wanting”.

that is a hard pill for me to swallow right now.

descartes

1. I have an idea of an absolutely perfect being.
2. If there is an absolute perfect being, then it has the highest possible degree of formal (tangible) reality.
3. The degree of representational (a picture) reality of X corresponds to the degree of formal (tangible) reality that X would have if it existed.
4. The idea of God (an absolute perfect being) has the highest possible degree of representational reality.
5. The cause of a representation of degree of reality Y has to have formal or eminent reality greater than or equal to Y. (the picture of the object cannot be greater than the actual object)
6. So the cause of the idea of God has to have the highest possible degree of formal or eminent reality. (we could not have a picture that is not representing parts of an actual object of or in itself an actual object)
7. Since the idea of God exists in us, it must have a cause. (something cannot come from nothing)

Therefore, God exists

turn or burn?

I walked past the Memorial Union at Arizona State University to find a man holding this sign while standing on a platform holding the sign as he screamed at the top of his lungs what the sign makes so apparent.

As soon as a saw the hundred or so people mocking and yelling back at the man holding the sign, my head instantaneously ran wild with questions of ‘is this biblical?’, ‘should I say something?’, ‘is this working?’, ‘is this biblical?’, ‘why is he doing this?’, ‘why does he speak with such poor grammar?’, ‘is this biblical?’, ‘does it really say potty mouth on his sign?’, ‘is this biblical?’, ‘what can i do about this?’, and ‘is this biblical?’

A common understanding of communication is that what is heard is more important than what is said.

What truth about God was spoken “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”.

What (perceived, perverted) truth about god was heard “apparently, since I am a ‘potty mouth’, God hates me.”

A message of “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” turns into “get away from me you filthy disgusting creature.”

So, as I watched, I thought about how I would react. So, i decided to come back later and see if there would be any less people hanging around.

then, in class, i went to the website written on his sign and found out that apparently “this site is sponsored by the Holy Bible…” Interesting, I wonder how I can have the Bible to sponsor my website?!?

Two hours later as i walked past again he was packing up ready to leave, good timing to say the least. I walked up to him and introduced myself and asked if he had a moment to talk. apparently surprised by my question, he said yes. I asked him, what his goal was in his ministry. his response-

“to do what i am commanded to do in 2 timothy 4; preach the word!” interesting, i thought, what word is he preaching? that lead to my next question, ‘what word are you preaching?’ he said,

“the message of the bible.” interesting, again i though, what is the message of the bible? so my next question “what is the message of the bible?” his very obvious response,

“did you read my sign?” Feeling like an idiot i read the sign out loud to him “potty mouths, lesbians, and liars go to hell. is that the message of the bible?” his response,

“it most definitely is”, so, i then followed with “have you ever been a potty mouth, a lesbian, or a told a lie?” and his response,

“i have told a lie before, but i have repented, which is exactly what i am encouraging these people to do.” then i said, “oh yes, i forgot. the message of the bible. Do you ever think you are turning what Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ into a message of, ‘stop being a bad person’? isn’t that slightly moralistic and not a gospel centered message?” Then, in all humility, he said,

“what does moralistic mean?” so i said, ‘legalism’, but he didn’t know what that meant either. So, i clarified “moralism and legalism happen when we define Christianity as being all about the rules, which takes away from Redeeming Grace and distracts from the unconditional Love that is so heavily emphasized throughout the bible”. He thought for a moment, looked at his sign. Took a deep breath and said,

“Well, God doesn’t give grace to those who aren’t humble. I am preaching that they are evil and should repent so that they will be humble, so they can get God’s grace.” Ah, i thought to myself. Ah. Oh. I see. “So, can we agree that we are saved by grace?” He nodded in agreement. “then, why don’t you preach that? Or even a message of love?” he responded quickly, saying,

“I just plant the seeds man, people won’t go to God until they know they are sinners.” this was a contradiction. i thought of Jonah, and of my dinner plans. I said, “be careful brother, people run and stay away from God, as Jonah did, because of their sin. Preach the cross and its acceptance and they may come back” (as for my dinner plans at the MU, i was already 10 minutes late). I ended the conversation with “i have to go, do you want my email address so we can keep talking?” he briskly shook his head. awkward, “anyway, i admire your boldness, but please, re-evaluate the Gospel you preach. Preach the cross and the God’s story of redemption.” as i walked away he said, “be good”. interesting. i was planning on being bad, but, because of your exhortation, i won’t. that was a close one.

In all humility i must admit that the main and possibly only reason i typed this out and posted it was because i was decently angry with this person. I feel like all he did was embitter hundreds of ASU students. But, who am I. God can use anything.

“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”–Paul to Philippi

“in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect“– Peter

peace

‘The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’

–Paul writing to Philippi

Paul echoes Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount that believers are not to be anxious but are to entrust themselves into the hands of their loving heavenly Father, whose peace will guard them in Christ Jesus. It is not Roman soldiers who guard believers (considering the context of Paul’s writing)—it is the peace of God Almighty. Because God is sovereign and in control, Christians can entrust all their difficulties to him, who rules over all creation and who is wise and loving in all his ways. An attitude of thanksgiving contributes directly to this inward peace.

‘Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.’ –Jesus, from Matthew

Searching for comfort will not lead to truth, rather it will lead to a false hope and broken wishful thinking. Rather, search for truth, that is the kingdom of God, and comfort you may or may not find. Looking to absolute truth is ultimately the only hope we can have. As Jesus said, ‘seeking first the kingdom’ should be our priority, whereas usually we tend to look to other things for comfort or purpose, and hence we become anxious. If we are committed to looking to Truth first, the Truth that is God will evidently guard our hearts and minds from anxiousness because we will be able to better understand the actual purpose for our lives.

Growth

Growing up in church I learned how to be a ‘good Christian’. The problem with this was that it became a disguised form of legalism that created a problem; being a ‘good person’ became synonymous with being a ‘Christian’. The result was that, practically, living for God on a daily basis meant simply acting like a good person on a daily basis. I would have a good day ‘spiritually’ if I had a quiet time in the morning and if I didn’t curse under my breath throughout the day. Make no mistake, I felt the power of the gospel transform my mind and heart; that I was God’s personal creation, that out of pride and ignorance I rebelled and therefore deserved hell, that while a was and still am a sinner Jesus of Nazareth the Christ, the all atoning sacrifice, paid my debt on the cross, and that there is now exists inside of me faith that saves by God’s grace. But, tragically, I was having a great deal of trouble applying it practically to my life.

The door was shut. The reality was that it was frustrating. I would have quiet times; I would spend 2-3 weeks a year overseas ‘on a mission’, and I was completely (outwardly) faithful to the church and my role as a worship leader. However, on a daily basis I was struggling to experience God beyond that of an intellectual level. It was frustrating to me, as I felt as though I was making every effort to pursue deep understanding and application of the Truth, I strove to be faithful in prayer and faithful in reading the Word, and that I was, comparatively (which in and of itself leads down the slippery slope of legalism), being a good person.

God opened a new door to me. The doctrine of grace does not end with salvation. Being or becoming what the world would call a good person or even a Christ-like person is not an end in itself. This is because no matter how Christ-like we become ‘even our righteousness is like a filthy rag’. Me responding to God’s grace and salvation is so much more than me attempting to conquer sin in my life (I do not mean to diminish or at all disregard the call to be sanctified, only to point out that it is not the only purpose of my life). So then, my idea of ‘living-out’ my faith on a daily basis was shattered.

God pushed me through the door. God saved me so that I may now participate in his mission. This is not going on a mission trip, this is not attending a church, this is not deepening theology, this is not even loving others (all of which are very good things, but are not ends in themselves). People coming to Christ and being blessed eternally by the gift of God by God are the only events in any single person’s life that does not simply go away. So God has blessed me with a mission; that every day, 24/7, every dollar spent, word spoken, action lived, and step taken would be for the sake of furthering God’s Gospel. This happens here and now. When I walk to class, when I watch the NFL on Sunday, when I shop for clothes, and when I sit alone in a coffee shop. God has placed me here because here is what I need and I am what here needs. I was blessed so that I may be a blessing.

In the middle of last semester I began to experience what this looked and felt like when I began to live this out. My initial frustration was that I was not experiencing God and that I was not seeing and feeling God move in my life. As soon as I began to even attempt to be on a mission (missional is the hip term) on a daily basis I saw God move. I could see God moving around me because I was the person God was moving. God empowered me to build relationships with people at ASU who I, without feeling compelled by the truth of the Gospel, would not have pursued. Sharing my life leads to sharing the gospel. These relationships are my mission field. This mission field is my purpose at ASU. It all is satisfying God’s eternal purpose of displaying his Glory!

My challenge to myself and every person—find one person in every class (or setting in general if you’re not a student) and become their best friend this semester. Share your life so that you may show the gospel.

-Happiness or Joy

the problem is when joy and happiness become synonymous terms. God never tells us he will simply make us ‘happy’. In fact, being in circumstances that would make us ‘unhappy’, could be something God is using to develop us. The catch is finding ‘joy’; understanding God is sovereign and finding a deep seeded peace in knowing that our unhappiness is temporary, but our joy and fulfillment in Christ is eternal!

“Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.” Oswald Chambers