Rejoicing in the Wife of My Youth

Today is Christen's birthday. She would have been 30, and in her typical, buck-the-trend attitude, she had looked forward to turning 30 since she was 28. As her husband, I would like to take a moment to honor her on this day.

Christen and I got married at 23 and 22, respectively. The joke around our church, and to each other, was that we might as well have gotten married when we were 12 for all we knew. Our pre-marriage relationship was interesting, in a word. It was on and off, on and off, then on-engaged-married. We dated from a distance, focusing on phone communication to build our relationship. There was relatively little face-to-face interaction. From that, by the grace of God, we just knew we were for each other.

Our married life was marked by conversation. Perpetual. Conversation. Between texts, emails, phone calls, time together in the mornings and evenings, stolen moments at church, dates, and on and on, we just kept talking to one another. This was made possible by her infinite patience with my verbal processing and her ability to go with me in thought and application. In truth, she was always better at taking what I was working out in the abstract and making it tangible, putting skin on it and feet to it. In that way, she held me accountable to my ideas and helped me walk them out in real life. Yet she did this with such a grace that I never felt insecure about it. Rather, she could encourage me, hold me accountable, and make me feel respected all at once. This combination made me a better man, far better than I would have been on my own. Her words made me think, her actions made me bold, and her grace in both made me intoxicated.

Christen made life real. She was profound in her simplicity. She opened herself up for the world to see, blemishes and all. She wanted everyone to know that there was nothing special about her but that Jesus in her  working through her was very special. So she opened our home to anyone willing to risk coming in and hanging out with two small children while being put to work. Amazingly, single women were always around. They came, they asked questions, they listened, they were impacted. Christen's mark on their lives can be seen, literally, all over the country.

Christen loved the truth. Specifically, she loved the Truth of the Bible. She loved reading the Word, gaining new and fresh understanding, and passing that on to others. As her husband, I had the privilege of watching and processing with her what she was learning. As each day, week, month, and year passed, her grasp of who the Lord is grew in depth and intimacy. Yet she knew there was always more to glean, greater truths to mine from the Scriptures.

She also loved telling the truth. She chose to be transparent where others would naturally tend toward privacy. She wanted people to know that life is not always pretty, that relationships can be messy, that raising children is hard, that cultivating a loving marriage takes work, that growing in Christ takes death to self - and that all of that is worth it when compared to the blessings in Christ both here on earth and in heaven. I loved the fact that, when someone would ask her a question, I knew she would give them exactly what she thought about it, even if it meant throwing herself under the bus. And that's why people continually came to her. They knew they'd get the truth.

Christen was a wonderful mother. She loved Audrey and Hudson. She did not have the easiest transition into being a mom, but in her constant pursuit of truth, she discovered the great nobility of being a stay-at-home-mom, realizing that her greatest ministry investments came in that space - as a wife and mother. Did she do a lot of other ministry for a lot of other people? Of course - see above. But her homeward orientation led her into a strength that I don't know she ever fully realized she had. She found a way to balance grace and discipline, helping our kids understand that obedience is not about following rules but about an outpouring of love for God. She understood that raising our children is part of 'making disciples' as Jesus commands. And she took that very seriously. She also just plain loved on them, cuddling each of them every chance she got, and telling them how much she loved them and appreciated who they were and how honored she was to be their mommy. This has stuck with our kids.

Christen was my 'lover and my friend' (SoS 5:16). She was my best friend; we were surely one flesh. She has been described as the Proverbs 31 woman. I agree with that, and when I think of that woman laughing at the future, I think of Christen busting out that full-of-joy, explosive, Julia Roberts laugh. She did, in fact, do good for me all the days of our life together. Because of her steadfastness, patience, grace, and love for me, I have been able to stand confidently 'at the gates' as a man and a husband and a father. I can truly say,

"Many women have done excellently, but she surpasses them all."

The Gift of Suffering: It's Good

I had the opportunity to speak to the young adult ministry at my church recently, and from the moment I was asked to speak, I felt very strongly to speak on suffering. Based on the response of that night and subsequent weeks as well as general observation, I believe this topic requires a more thorough examination. In the end, my hope is that you will see suffering the way God intends and the Bible describes: as a gift.


In the previous two posts in this series I made the following points: suffering is promised to the Christian and suffering is a means of grace for the Christian. I finished off last week's post with the following commentary on 1 Peter 4:19, specifically regarding the word entrust:

We can place our trust in God when suffering comes our way because of His sovereignty, His control over all situations. In other words, we trust God not only because we know He is good but also because we know His plans are good.


This week, with the knowledge that suffering is promised and is a means of grace, we will uncover the truth that, in fact, suffering is part of God's plan and is good for the Christian.


Before we can get there, though, it must be understood that there are two forces, two opposing purposes, at work when it comes to suffering. Satan, that prowling lion, has a purpose for suffering; God also has His purposes for suffering. Ultimately, because of God's omnipotent and sovereign reign over all things, including Satan, everything works together for His purposes. However, on the way, Satan seeks to disrupt what he can whenever he can. He comes to 'steal, kill, and destroy', and he is the 'father of lies'. That's a potent and deadly combination, and it is one that we cannot overlook or put off as hyper-spiritual.

In 1 Thessalonians 3:3-5, Paul writes of Satan's purposes in suffering:

...that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reasons, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter has tempted you and our labor would be in vain (emphasis mine).


Note the key phrases highlighted in this passage: the 'afflictions' referred to were anticipated and taught about by Paul before they ever happened. Nonetheless, because of the ferocity of the suffering this group of churches faced, Paul was concerned that they would abandon their pursuit of Christ. Why? Because they were so surprised by the suffering? No, it would not appear that surprise was Paul's concern (like it was with Peter from the passage last week). Paul speaks specifically to Satan's attempt to tempt the believers.

This begs the question: Tempt them to do what? Admittedly, my answer will be speculative and likely incomplete in certain capacities. But I believe the temptation we face most when going through suffering is to doubt God. We doubt His plans. We doubt His control. We doubt His faithfulness. We doubt His trustworthiness. We doubt His goodness. With all of this doubt, unbelief begins to define us more than faith, and we lose all vision of the gospel and Jesus Christ.

Allow me to provide a bit of encouragement at this point for those who are right in the middle of this struggle: First, as we will see a little further down, God has His purposes for your suffering, too, and those purposes are far greater than what Satan can concoct. Second, though Satan will do what he can to destroy your faith, even he is bounded and limited by God in what he can do to you. This is plainly seen in Job 1:12: "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that [Job] has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.' So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord." This post is not the place to get into the discussion of why or how Satan is able to get into the presence of the Lord; this is merely to point out that God sets the boundaries around what Satan can and cannot do. In other words, even in Satan's plans for our suffering, God is ultimately in control.

As mentioned, what is most encouraging is that God has a purpose for our suffering as well. In order to understand this, we will have to go on a short trek through a few passages in the New Testament. We will start in Hebrews 12:3-7, 11:

Consider him [referring to Jesus] who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addressed you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives (Pr.3:11,12)." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?...For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (emphasis mine).


The first purpose God has for our suffering is that, as His children, He is training us in endurance. This is echoed in Romans 5:3, where we see that 'suffering produces endurance'. This training is part of our maturation as believers. If we are all honest with ourselves, the most valuable lessons, the lessons that really made us 'grow up', came through our hardest seasons. When life is going along smoothly, our tendency is not to press into God and pursue Him with desperation and reckless abandon. We usually only arrive there when we have nowhere else to go. This is part of God's discipline process for us. He wants to remind us that we must wholly lean on Him, and this means removing our false senses of security one by one. It is a painful process, but it is one that 'yields the fruit of righteousness' in us.

When we think of the word 'discipline', we most often think of 'correction', such as "My child came home four hours late, so I had to discipline him." Or, "That person has gone wild - they obviously weren't disciplined enough at home." However, there is another type of discipline which is more like 'diligent practice'. One does not simply walk up to a piano and play Bach or Beethoven. Hitting a curveball doesn't come naturally, much less pitching one. An Olympic gymnast works on the same routine for years in order to get it right the one time it counts most. Each of these requires hours upon hours of diligent practice. Blisters, bumps, bruises, callouses, frustrations, failures, and eventually, some successes. If you were to continue to read beyond verse 11 in this passage, you will see an exhortation from the author to live in a holy manner. How is this possible except by the power of God working in us to grow in the discipline of our faith through the endurance obtained in times of suffering?

As we see this process rightly, we realize that He does this because He loves us. He knows that the best thing for us is to trust in Him alone because He alone is fully faithful and trustworthy at all times. It is His fatherly love toward us, His children, that compels Him to discipline us. This discipline is manifested as suffering in our lives, but this suffering ultimately produces the endurance necessary to finish the race. C.S Lewis humorously puts it this way in A Mind Awake: "If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad."

2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.


The second purpose God has for our suffering is to comfort us and for us to bring comfort to others who are likewise suffering. The Holy Spirit is called the 'Comforter', and that is one of His ministries. He brings comfort and peace to us in our most trying times. And we can receive that comfort when we understand that God looks on us with adoration as His children. He delights in our delighting in Him, and He receives glory when we find comfort in His presence.

We are then to serve as examples of comfort to one another. As I go through suffering, I desire that you would see the reality of that suffering as well as the reality of God's comforting presence through it all. Then, when you go through suffering, you will know that God brings comfort because you saw it happen with me. You will not be so tempted to doubt because you have seen the goodness of God displayed to me. Further, since I have personally experienced this goodness, I come alongside you and tell you of His goodness, strengthening your faith all the more to endure the trial you are facing. And on it goes. Suffering is beneficial for both the individual and the Church.

We now see that, while Satan has his purposes for our suffering, God has His as well. This helps us understand that suffering is part of God's plan, but are His plans good (as in, not only 'for the greater good' but also 'good for me too')? Let's look at two passages from Romans, one giving us a direct answer to the question and the other telling us why.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will.


For our purposes, the words 'will' and 'plans' are synonymous. Given this, there is not a lot of room for discussion on this point. God's will is good, pleasing, and perfect. That's an airtight argument if I've ever heard one. But, we are curious people, and taking something at face value is not something we are particularly comfortable with, generally speaking. In this case, while it is clear that God's plans are good, we may still be tempted to ask, 'How do we know they're good?' In His grace and mercy toward us, despite not having to explain Himself to anyone, God gives us the answer to this question. He's a loving Father, so He loves to instruct His children.

Romans 8:16-18
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 (emphasis mine).


The highlighted section is of utmost importance, especially the word provided and the clause in order that. The assumption is that, as children of God (and subsequently co-heirs with Christ), we will suffer with Him. The converse assumption must also be made because of the word provided - if we are/have not suffered with Christ, we must wonder if we are God's children. If that thought is frightening, then this would be a great moment to stop reading and ask God to search your heart, to repent, and to lay yourself at His mercy, allowing His grace and Christ's blood to wash over you and cleanse you from your sin and make you alive by His Spirit. Be Christ's!

The great news comes after the phrase in order that. It is here we see the why behind the suffering. Our suffering reveals that we are God's children, and as such it means that we have had Christ's righteousness imputed to us. This means that, when we stand before Him on that day, He sees Christ's blood over us, and He will pass over our iniquities and usher us into eternal rest, joy, and glory. Thus, suffering in Christ, which produces endurance through the disciplined training we receive at the hand of our Father, ultimately ends with our being glorified with Jesus for eternity.

Conclusion: Suffering is part of God's plan and is good for the Christian.

Next week: The Gift of Suffering: It's a Gift

Christen on Holiness and Grace

From 'The Heart of the Matter'

Outer purification is of no use without the inner disposition to live rightly before God.


From 'The Great Disconnect'
Let my works demonstrate the grace extended to me, not qualify the grace freely given to me.

The above quotes are from Christen's blog. In preparation for going on Moody Radio, I spent some time rereading (again...) several of Christen's posts. I was once more amazed with her ability to communicate so much with so few words. I've joked about certain authors' sentences weighing 800 pounds (John Piper, A.W. Tozer). Christen falls into that category as well.

I was particularly struck by these two quotes because they communicate a unified message despite being written in two different posts. Consider the first. It is dealing with personal holiness. So often, when we think of personal holiness, we think of 'do's' and 'don'ts', lists of rules, a veritable compendium of thou-shalt-this-but-most-certainly-thou-shalt-not-that.

However, what is suggested in Christen's writing - and I would add the Bible on the whole - is something very different from our traditional ideas. Rather than a list, which is legalism at its finest, the key to personal holiness is our hearts' desire to glorify God. The 'inner disposition' stems from holding Christ as our ultimate treasure. When we hold Him so, we obey what is written in the Bible not because we have to but because we get to. We count it a privilege to take instruction from the Lord, and we endeavor to put into practice that which He says is best. Will we arrive at actual, practical holiness in this life? No (sorry to all the Finney lovers out there). But by God's grace through the power of His Holy Spirit, we will be made more and more like Him (called sanctification) until such a time as He returns or calls us home and we are made perfect in His presence (called glorification).

And here we run right into the second quote. Our works, the 'good works He has prepared in advance', are not what make us right before God. That was done for us when Jesus lived perfectly, died sacrificially, rose powerfully, and imputed His righteousness to us graciously. This grace was extended to us in His sovereignty by His mercy and love. We did not earn it through our works. We are not saved by works; rather, we are saved to works. Our works, therefore, shine forth that grace to His glory and for our joy.

...........................................................................................................................................................

I don't know if you've figured it out yet, but I wrote this post more for me than for anyone else. Usually, when I write, the first question I ask myself is, 'Will this be beneficial for those who read it?' Tonight, I simply wanted to write about the kind of thinker Christen was, how she was able to capture so much truth with so few words, how deeply saturated in her satisfaction in Christ she was that she could put one thought out there and it would make me think many thoughts after it. I've missed her a lot these last couple of weeks, and I am continually proud to have been her husband, to have been part of her life and part of what influenced her to think deeply and then write about her thoughts. I read these lines of hers, and I laugh - out loud - because of their profundity and insight into the great and gracious God we serve.

A Big Week

Rather than trying to put up a post today, I thought I would just share what is going on in my life this week (as well as one thing that's happening with my church). It's kind of a big week, so this will serve to let you know what's going on - as well as how to pray for me/my family, if I may be so bold as to ask.

Tuesday, March 27
I will be on the Moody Radio broadcast of This is the Day at 10am. Feel free to listen or stream it online. Some of the folks at Moody have been keeping up with this blog as well as Christen's and asked me to come in to talk about her life and legacy and how the Lord has been working in and through me since her passing.

Thursday, March 29
This day would have marked Christen's 30th birthday. She was really looking forward to turning 30, and she had been determined to be in the best shape of her life. Strangely, this has come true - her glorified body is most certainly an improvement on anything we could conceive of here! For those who may wonder, I will be having a quiet evening at home, just me and the kids. We'll have some sort of celebration for her, but it'll just be for us - they're sure to keep it lighter than my heart will feel!

Friday-Saturday, March 30-31
My home church, the Chicago Tabernacle, will be putting on several presentations of its unique drama, the Story of Love. I assure you, this intense production is well worth your time. If you already know and love Jesus, you'll love Him more. If you don't know him at all, this is a great opportunity to find out what He thinks of you and what He did on your behalf. Check out the details here. For those wanting to honor Christen's birthday, here's an idea: bring someone to the Story of Love so that they would hear the gospel.

Please pray for me and my family this week as we seek to continue to honor Christen's life, a life truly well lived. I am not expecting this week to be an easy one. The reality of her passing continues to..well...become more real. Personally, I have missed her more in the past week than I had been recently. I am thankful for an amazingly supportive friends and family network. I will certainly be leaning on them in the coming days.

In addition, pray for the exceptional leaders, staff, and volunteers who have labored to put together the Story of Love. They have put in many thankless hours, and what they have done to bring out the already exceptional story of God's love for His people is nothing short of remarkable. Please consider attending and inviting others to attend.

Thank you for your continued readership. I consider it an honor and a privilege that what I write gets read by anyone, much less appreciated. So, thank you. I look forward to what the Lord does next through this simple endeavor. God bless you all!

Bumping Up the Priorities

Back in October 2011, Christen and I had the opportunity to sit on a panel with two other married couples at an event held by our church's newly launched marriage ministry. During the Q&A session, I was able to address the issue of priorities. Speaking as someone who has mixed his up a time or two, I was glad to convey what I had learned. As a married man with children, I stated, my priorities are and must only be as follows:

1) Christian
2) Husband
3) Father
4) Everything else

In other words, my relationship with Christ comes first, my relationship with my wife next, my relationship with my children third, and then all other relationships after that (extended family, friends, co-workers, etc). Also, for those aspiring to vocational ministry, being a Christian and being a minister are not synonymous. Ministry falls under priority 4. I know from experience on that one, so trust me.

I have a challenge now, though. When Christen passed away, a gap opened up in the priority list. It has looked like this:

1) Christian
2)
3) Father
4) Everything else

I didn't know what to do with the gap. Do I swallow it with priority 1? Do I leave it blank, thereby either trying to keep Christen in that slot or unwisely trying to fill it with someone or something else? Do I just ignore it and hope it goes away?


In the end, the purpose of the list is to keep what's most important in the right order. Therefore, the current list should look like this:

1) Christian
2) Father
3) Everything else

I am not advocating here that my kids take Christen's place or that I am now married to my kids. If I am thinking the former, I place an unfair and, honestly, strange expectation on my kids to be my best friend. If I am thinking the latter, when they eventually leave the house, it will feel like a divorce rather than the natural progression of life. In either case, they are not meant to fill those roles.

What I am proposing is that they have bumped up the priority list. As of now, after my relationship with Jesus,  my most important relationships are with my kids. Perhaps this seems a natural or common sense conclusion, but I must admit I came to it after a lot of thought and wrestling. I didn't want to view them as my 'new marriage'. I am their daddy and their my wee ones, and that needs to remain as is (though they won't be wee ones for much longer!).

What does change is the time, effort, thought, and energy I put into my respective relationships with each child. Some of the relational resources I devoted to Christen will go to my relationship with Jesus, but other resources will go to the kids. This prevents turning my kids into pasty, blonde idols while still allowing for our relationships to flourish in a wholly new way.

The Gift of Suffering: It's Grace

I had the opportunity to speak to the young adult ministry at my church recently, and from the moment I was asked to speak, I felt very strongly to speak on suffering. Based on the response of that night and subsequent weeks as well as general observation, I believe this topic requires a more thorough examination. In the end, my hope is that you will see suffering the way God intends and the Bible describes: as a gift.


Last week I made the assertion that suffering is promised to the Christian. It is imperative at this juncture to state that I  firmly believe in the innate and immutable goodness of God. My conviction that the Bible is true and accurate (or, for the theologians, that I believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the inerrant Bible) brings me to this conclusion. If I believed otherwise, and if this promise were the only truth associated with suffering, then it would be easy to make the argument that God, therefore, cannot be either good or loving. After all, if suffering is promised to His people, then why would anyone was to be His?

However, because He is good and loving - He is in reality all good and total love - we must come to a different conclusion about the promise of suffering. Therefore, to build off of the statement that suffering is a promise, we must next understand that suffering is a means of grace for the Christian. First, I will define what I mean by 'grace', and then we will open the Bible and see how suffering and the notion of God's grace come together.

Grace is often, and most simply, defined as 'God's unmerited favor' toward people and the world. It should be understood that everyone that has ever lived on the earth has been in some way under God's grace. For those who would deny the hope of Christ, the grace they receive extends no further than what is called 'common grace'. Jesus preached, in Matthew 5:45, that, "He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." In other words, sun and rain, food and shelter, clothing and possessions, even life and breath, are all forms of common grace.

Common grace is to be differentiated from 'saving grace', or the grace of God being extended through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit to regenerate hearts, awaken faith, and bring about repentance and salvation through belief in Jesus as both Lord and Savior, the only way to God. Saving grace extends into many forms, such as justifying grace, sanctifying grace, persevering grace, and glorifying grace. For just about the best and most clear explanation of this whole concept of grace, both common and saving, watch, listen to, or read the sermon Pastor Mark Driscoll preached on this subject by clicking here.

Harper's Bible Dictionary states that grace is "the English translation of a Greek word meaning concretely ‘that which brings delight, joy, happiness, or good fortune (p.357).’" God has many ways that He bestows grace on His people. We most easily associate grace with pleasant occurrences, such as receiving an unexpected check in the mail, finding a good parking spot at the grocery store, or getting an encouraging phone call from a friend. We also see it in the bigger moments of life, like avoiding a terrible accident, recovering from a life-threatening illness, and, most importantly, being convicted of sin and turning to Jesus for salvation. We have a harder time seeing grace in the midst of difficult situations. And yet, biblically speaking, suffering is a means of God's grace in our lives. Given the definition of grace given at the beginning of this paragraph, let's look at a passage from 1 Peter to help us put it all together.

1 Peter 4:12-13, 19:

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed...Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."


I would be remiss if I didn't note that verse 12 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, solely for the wording. While I fully believe in the Holy Spirit's divine inspiration of the Scriptures, it is obvious that the authors' personalities were allowed to come through - they weren't simply robots the Holy Spirit manipulated into writing. Peter was known for being a big mouth (Mt.16:22-23, 17:4-5), and while the Lord sanctified and empowered that mouth for His purposes, he still called it like he saw it (the sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2, for instance). Verse 12 reveals his personality in the phrase 'as though something strange were happening to you.'  Maybe it's just the way I hear it in my head, but it seems as though you can't read that without hearing a tone of, "Come on guys, we talked about this."

In this verse, not only is the promise of suffering reiterated, but how we should view that promise begins to come to light. Verse 13 begins with the word but, and that is very important. That little word tells us that what comes after it is in contrast, or opposed, to what came before it. Peter was writing to people who were obviously very troubled that they were being persecuted. Perhaps they didn't think they should be suffering. Perhaps their faith was wavering due to the frustration of facing trials day in and day out. Peter tells them here that this is to be expected. Further, he instructs them to undergo a 180 in their perspective; rather than being dismayed at facing suffering, they should instead rejoice in it. And here we see how grace and suffering meet.

Peter wasn't merely suggesting that his readers rejoice. For the grammarians, the phrase translated 'But rejoice' is a present active imperative. For everyone else, that means Peter is commanding an on-going rejoicing in the present suffering his readers were enduring. Thus, a translation of 'keep on rejoicing' could be rendered.

The question then is 'Why continually rejoice?' The answer is given immediately and in two parts. First, we rejoice because we are joining Christ in His sufferings which He endured for us. When we are counted worthy to follow Christ in anything, we ought to rejoice in it, even though it means following in suffering. And Peter was not speaking theoretically. He had endured much suffering and persecution and had walked away rejoicing for the very same reasons about which he wrote (Acts 5:40-41).

Second, when we share in His sufferings here, we know and have the fixed hope in the fact that we will conversely share in His joy when He returns in glory. Our hope in future grace is cause to rejoice now no matter the circumstances of the present. Therefore, suffering is a means of God's grace in the life of the Christian because we have the privilege of sharing both in Jesus's suffering and His joy.

Verse 19 sets up what we will discuss next week. The key word of the verse for us is entrust. It means that we can place our trust in God when suffering comes our way because of His sovereignty, His control over all situations. In other words, we trust God not only because we know He is good but also because we know His plans are good.

Next week: The Gift of Suffering: It's Good

What is the Church?

Here we go. I have officially bitten off more than I can chew in approaching this subject. There are far more qualified writers, pastors, and teachers, people who have spent their lives scouring the Scriptures for what constitutes 'the Church'. Here are a few definitions I have found in just a cursory glance around my library:

Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears, from Vintage Church:
"The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and Communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as missionaries to the world for God's glory and their joy."

John Piper, from "The Local Church: Minimum vs. Maximum":
"I would define the local church like this: a local church is a group of baptized believers who meet regularly to worship God through Jesus Christ, to be exhorted by the Word of God, and to celebrate the Lord's Supper under the guidance of duly appointed leaders."

Wayne Grudem, from Systematic Theology:
"The church is the community of all true believers for all time."


Charles Ryrie, from A Survey of Bible Doctrine:
"Taking together the features of local churches we see in the New Testament, we might propose the following definition: A local church is an assembly of professing believers in Christ who have been baptized and who are organized to do God’s will."


As is obvious, there are varying definitions of what constitutes the Church. Most definitions hold to some basic truths and either leave it broad for the sake of contextual application or attempt to get more specific in order to rein in certain extremes. Given all of this, I will simply throw my hat into the ring for the sake of discussion. Based on what I have seen and read, I think the most clear description of the church as it was when it was born is found in Acts 2:42-47:

"42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their home, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."


I have nine points to pull from this passage that, I am convinced, are to be part of the Christian church as we know her. Please bear in mind that this is not meant to be a detailed study on all the Church is or should be. It is not a specific methodology, either. Nor is it a commentary on the current state of the Western church versus the rest of the world. I believe the points are applicable in any setting at any time.

Further, I don't believe this passage is prescriptive, giving us precisely how all things should be done. Since the book of Acts was written by the resident doctor-historian Luke, it is descriptive in nature, showing us how the apostles were being led by God to lead this newly found Church in their particular context at their specific time in history.

With these caveats now expressed, here is what I understand to be the necessary and expected elements in any Christian church:

1) Teaching (v.42)
     The preached and taught Word is a requisite element to any organization wanting to be considered a Christian church.  It is central that God's Word be proclaimed for the sake of instruction, exhortation, conviction, and encouragement. I would add that preaching and teaching occurs in both large and small gatherings. Therefore, while the pulpit ministry is indispensable, there must be teaching and training to smaller groups for the sake of equipping 'the saints for the work of the ministry'.

2) Fellowship (v.42)
     Given where this is placed (next to teaching), 'fellowship' is not the same as 'hanging out'. It is the purposeful coming together of believers for the sake of mutual edification and sharpening. The conversation centers on how we are being molded and shaped by God as well as time in prayer with one another. Fellowship is the place for accountability, including correction and encouragement, in the context of deep relationships.

3) Meals (v.42, 46)
     The phrase 'breaking bread' is used twice in this passage, and therefore seems to indicate two purposes (after all, if each usage meant the same thing, it would be pretty redundant). In one sense (v.42), 'breaking bread' is a reference to Communion as it was during the Passover meal when Jesus first instituted the ordinance. The observance of Communion, remembering Christ's body broken and blood spilled for our sake and in our place, is a prescribed ordinance from the New Testament. It is to be observed regularly.
     In another sense (v.46) it is more likely to mean an actual meal, like when Jesus 'broke the bread' before feeding the 5,000. Sharing a meal involves hospitality. This hospitality extends to fellow believers and non-believers alike. Hospitality should mark the home of the Christian - openness, service, joy, conversation, friendship. This is one way to love our neighbors.

4) Prayer (v.42)
     The early church prayed. The Holy Spirit came during a prayer meeting (Acts 2:1), to paraphrase Pastor Jim Cymbala. The apostles devoted themselves to the study of the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4). The people gathered to pray when Peter was in prison (12:1-5). We also are to pray, and not just individually. Prayer must be part of both the personal and the corporate nature of the church. Thus, it is for the individual, family, small group, and large group. Prayer will saturate the healthy church.

5) Power (v.43)
     Some would use this verse to say that the ongoing, miraculous gifting of the Holy Spirit stopped with the final stroke of the pen in the book of Revelation, using the phrase 'through the apostles' as evidence. While this is a conversation for a post all on its own, one need only look to Paul's writings to the Corinthian and Galatian churches to see that the Holy Spirit was working powerfully outside of the apostles direct contact (1 Corinthians 12-14 and Galatians 3:5, respectively).
     Contrary to this view, I would suggest that a Christian church sees the power of the Holy Spirit at work in it. Primarily, this takes place in the salvation of people, as this is the greatest miracle that can be accomplished. Additionally, He empowers His people to 'will and to work according to His good pleasure'. Finally, the Spirit's power will also be at work in the miraculous gifting of His people at specific moments according to His sovereign will and for the sake of His glory. Examples of this include but are not limited to healing, prophesy, and visions.

6) Community (vv.44-45)
     In the early church, all things were shared. This included property, possessions, food, money, clothes, and the like. Some would say that's how it should be now. I will not here advocate communal living. However, knowing the needs of those close to you - the people you serve with in a ministry, the people in your small group, the people in your neighborhood - and working together to make sure everyone is taken care of is well within reason. And while prayer support is vital, and true fellowship essential, sometimes meeting tangible needs is every bit as important. This requires both a transparency on the part of those in need as well as a willingness to provide from those around the needy. It all boils down to love and trust for the relationships built through our first relationship in Christ.
     As Christians, we are supposed to be 'known by our love for one another'. The world doesn't necessarily see us pray for each other. The world doesn't see the late-night telephone calls and the lunch meetings for counsel. The world does see when the people of God surround someone with love and support through the meeting of physical, material needs. And they are amazed by it.

7) Large and Small (v.46a)
     They met at the synagogue and in homes. Some in the house church movement would say that the New Testament church exclusively met in homes, and therefore so should we. This is an oversimplification to what was taking place at the time the book of Acts was written. There was a necessity to meeting in homes at that time. Further, this text indicates that they did, in fact, meet in larger settings like the synagogue. Therefore, gathering together includes both large group settings, like a Sunday service and/or the occasional special event, and small group settings, like home-based Bible studies or Sunday school. I like the way the people at Mars Hill Church in Seattle refer to this: Air War (big gatherings) and Ground War (small groups).

8) Worship (v.46b-47a)
     Honoring God through our worship is a critical component to any church. Here we see that worship is both from gratitude for what God has provided as well as praise to Him for who He is. It is expressed joy, gladness, and gratitude toward God, the overflow of our hearts welling up with love. Our delight in God, indeed our worship of Him, is expressed from out of our mouths and our lives as the fulfillment of our pleasure in God being God. To quote C.S. Lewis (from Reflections on the Psalms):
     "But the most obvious fact about praise - whether of God or anything - strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise...The world rings with praise - lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game...I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation."

9) Gospel (v.47b)
     The gospel is not simply a message. It is not merely 'good news', though it certainly is that. The gospel inspires mission, the purpose of the Church here on earth, the advancement of God's kingdom (Jesus builds His church, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it). The Christian church embodies the gospel in such a way, through its impact on the local and global community and the individuals within that community, that there is fruit-bearing evangelism taking place, leading to salvation and the ordinance of baptism - the public declaration of the inward reality of salvation and surrender - being observed. It is telling of and living for Jesus in such a way that the harvest is reaped.

This topic certainly warrants far more discussion (which I welcome especially on Facebook), and I will be posting more as time goes on. For now, I hope that this helps to clarify what can be an ambiguous question regarding the nature of the Church. She is beautiful and being made more so until that day when Christ returns for His bride. Amen, come Lord Jesus!

What Should I Do with My Life?

How many times have you asked yourself this question?


For me, I feel like it is an annual affair, bordering on an on-going pursuit. While there have certainly been moments and seasons of increased clarity, I have yet to arrive at 'the answer'. And, I'm speculating here, perhaps that is simply part of sanctification - God's continual growth process for His children.


I ran across this quote while glancing through Christen's blog recently:


"I felt so distinctly that He asked two questions of me.  1) Do you believe that I am good? 2) Do you trust me?  You see, as Tozer put it, what comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.  Theology isn't something to be left to the majors.  It is for you and for me.  You already believe something about who God is, and it's affecting the way you live your life.  More plainly stated, what you do with your life reflects what you believe about God.  I knew that I could trust Him and that He was good, but did I really believe it.  If I believed it, then my life would show it (bold type added)."

See if you can follow me on this. The question 'What should I do with my life?' must be directly linked to what you believe about God and how He has made you and 'ordered (your) steps'. A better set of questions to ask, at first, is 'How has God built me? How can I best steward those gifts?'

The key to this, though, is to be honest with yourself and to allow God to refine you through the questions. He may answer you in a way that you don't necessarily like. Perhaps what He's planned for you to do isn't appealing to you at the moment. Perhaps you're not the five-talent servant from Jesus's parable; you only have one. Perhaps you are the five-talent person, and you feel pulled in so many directions you don't know what to do - they all look good and possible, but the best is elusive.

Another quote from Christen:

"If you're never stepping out into a place that requires God to show up or do something that is beyond your natural abilities, then you're missing out on an opportunity to see God move on your behalf which strengthens and builds your faith. I would go so far as to say that faith doesn't grow in the comfort of the American Dream. It dies."

Faith is the result of the Holy Spirit awakening your heart, bringing it to life, and then renewing your mind to understand real Truth. It comes by 'hearing, and hearing the Word of God.' Spirit and Truth. Thus, the next challenge, after assessing how God has built you and determining what your stewardships are, is to then ask God to test you in your trust of Him. In this, He will stretch your faith beyond the limits you now know. It is there that the fullness of His will is enacted in your life - because it is wholly Him and none of you. When you operate within the limits of what you know of yourself, you are not operating out of faith. When you, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, step outside of your created limits, you step into His operative strength in the midst of your relative weakness. Do you have a part to play in all of this? Absolutely. You are not a robot, simply 'doing the will of God'. I am not here speaking of mere determinism. I am speaking of the unreserved offering of oneself as a 'living sacrifice' to God, an empty, broken vessel that desires only to be mended and filled by Jesus and His Spirit.

And here we arrive again at the central battle of the Christian life, at least as I see it: Do you believe God is good?  Everything I have written up to this point hinges on the answer to that question. Moreover, how you answer that question will determine the trajectory of your entire life, and that is not an overstatement. The only way to answer the question properly is to get to know Him - His attributes, how He reveals Himself in the Bible, how He's worked in your life and the lives of people you know. You read about Him, you talk to Him, you think on Him, you remember Him. You don't settle for simple sayings, self-help, or steps. You dig deep only to realize there's an infinite depth still to go. You mine the Word for solid truth on which to stand. You read more from outside sources. You listen to preachers, teachers, professors, pastors, friends. You think deeply, feel intensely, and act accordingly.

Once you arrive at the conclusion that God is good, no matter the particular circumstances of your life, everything changes. When you further conclude that His goodness also makes Him trustworthy, you more easily yield to what He shows you along the way. And, when you accept that His plans are 'good, pleasing, and perfect' you are able to relax because you know that He has the best in mind for you, even if you don't yet understand how it could be called best.

The Fruit of the Spirit: Fatherhood Edition

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.


I have been thinking about this passage a lot this week. To tell you the truth, it hasn't been an easy week for various reasons. For the sake of satisfying my own desires to understand the specific words in the Bible, allow me this quote regarding the word fruit before proceeding:

"The choice of fruit here instead of works is due probably to the conception of the Christian experience as the product of a new and divine life implanted in the saint. In 5:25, Paul speaks of the fact that the Christian lives in the Spirit, that is, derives his spiritual life from the indwelling Spirit, which spiritual life is the motivating force producing the fruit of the Spirit. The word fruit is singular, which fact serves to show that all of the elements of character spoken of in these verses are a unity, making for a well-rounded and complete Christian life."

Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English reader (Ga 5:22). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.


Therefore, the fruit of the Spirit should be distinguished from what we often think of as the fruits of the Spirit. The word is singular, which indicates that the Spirit produces all of the characteristics listed, not just some of them. What it does not say is that some people have more of one, say patience, and others more of another, say self-control. Those filled with the Spirit and showing forth His fruit embody all of these characteristics. That's why it's His fruit, not ours. We cannot do it without Him bearing that fruit in us and through us.

Enough theology. Enough biblical study. Here's the truth - I have to ask for the Holy Spirit's fruit every day in how I relate to my kids. I have joked with some that nothing will reveal your own innate selfishness more than when you get married...until you have kids. As with all humor, there is truth in that statement.

I am desperate for His fruit in my life, the complete fruit, from rind to core. I had a friend in college who, when eating an apple, would eat the whole thing - stem, skin, fruit, core, seeds. All gone. That's how I want to eat of the fruit of the Spirit - total consumption. Without this, I am a wreck of a father.

Think about it. Without love, there's no warmth. Without joy, there's no laughter. Without peace, there's no security. Without patience, there's no grace. Without kindness, there's no right speech. Without goodness, there's only debauchery. Without faithfulness, there's abandonment. Without gentleness, there's no cuddling. Without self-control, there's no mercy.

With these, however, there are warm embraces, soft words of encouragement, grace and mercy for hard moments, which produces security and love. This all hinges on where I am with God when I walk in the door after a long day at work. Do my kids care how my day went? No, not really. I heard a preacher once say that 'my time' is before everyone gets up and after everyone has gone to bed. In other words, when I get home my kids want my face. They want whatever energy I have left, and if I don't think I have any, I'd better find some quick.

And so I pray.

Earnestly.
Lord, manifest your fruit, the whole fruit, in me today.

Daily.
Help me show patience with my son and gentleness with my daughter.


On the way home.
Guide me into temperance and let my mouth speak what is beneficial, not always what's in my head.

Up the stairs...
As I come home, refresh me before I step in the door. Be my Father, that I might father them in a way that makes it easy for them to see You. Amen.

...and in the door.

The Gift of Suffering: It's Guaranteed

I had the opportunity to speak to the young adult ministry at my church recently, and from the moment I was asked to speak, I felt very strongly to speak on suffering. Based on the response of that night and subsequent weeks as well as general observation, I believe this topic requires a more thorough examination. In the end, my hope is that you will see suffering the way God intends and the Bible describes: as a gift.


I am going to tell you something up front: If you can get on board with what I'm going to say here, you can get on board with the subsequent posts. Truly, the other points I am going to make in the following weeks build off of this one. If what I write here isn't true, then the rest of what I write over the next 3-4 weeks is equally untrue and should be disregarded.

If what I write here is accurate and faithful to the main thrust of the Bible, specifically the New Testament, then it is at least a hard truth to swallow. It runs against human nature. It definitely runs against current societal norms. It even runs against competing and opposing theologies that exist in the Church worldwide. In other words, it isn't popular. And, if what I write ruffles your feathers, you can find plenty of pastors and 'theologians' who will disagree with me. They will make you feel better and remove that icky feeling you have when confronted with an ugly truth.

It is my hope that you will see with the same clarity what the New Testament says very plainly. If so, I believe you can walk down this road with me and find it more fulfilling than what either the world or the 'prosperity gospel' teaches.

Here's the truth: Suffering is promised to the Christian.


My guess is that some of you are thinking, "That's it? That's what all that build-up was for?" To those readers I would ask that you read the sentence again. All the multi-syllabic words are vital. First, suffering (see also trial, tribulation, and persecution) refers to any type of adverse affliction that affects the spiritual, emotional, mental, and/or physical life of a believer. I must point out that suffering as it is described in the Bible does not refer to the consequences from sin. The consequences from sin are primarily meant to bring about conviction, confession, and repentance. They are the natural outflow of sinful desires being imbibed. It is the law of sowing and reaping. Suffering, on the other hand, is most often brought to the believer, either directly by Satan himself, one of his minions, or through one of his servants (though they may not know they're one of his servants). Suffering takes the form of persecution of all kinds, martyrdom, mental disorder, disease, and grief, to name just a few.

John Piper, in his book Desiring God, illuminates this point as it pertains to the Christian:
"[Any] suffering that befell [Paul] while serving Christ was part of the 'cost' of discipleship...What turns sufferings into sufferings with and for Christ is not how intentional our enemies are, but how faithful we are. If we are Christ's, then what befalls us is for His glory and for our good, whether it is caused by enzymes or by enemies."

The most controversial segment in the truth above, that suffering is promised to the Christian, is the word promised. My impression is that many Christians (read: people who go to church) would be okay if I simply said, "Suffering is part of the life of a Christian." And that's true. Suffering isn't the whole of Christianity. Not at all! It is one part of the Christian life. However, if that is all the further we go with our understanding of suffering, we will likely decide that suffering, though part of the Christian life, is merely a small part of my Christian life. Others may suffer greatly, but not me. I'll probably only have to suffer a little.

What's fascinating to me is that this kind of thinking crosses the generational divide. On either side of the generational gap, there is built into the social zeitgeist an aversion to suffering. On one end of the spectrum are the Baby Boomers (yes, the Greatest Generation is still alive and kicking, but their numbers are diminishing with each year, and thus the Boomers are at the top). The Boomers solidified the modernist thinking and pragmatic ways of life whose foundations were built by the Greatest Generation. While they, at first, were known for 'rebellion', once they turned 30, they settled down, had families, made massive advances in technology, manufacturing, management philosophies, and so forth. When in doubt, they build a better system that will be more efficient so that everything can run smoothly and with little mess. On the other end are the Millennials, also known as my generation and younger (I'm 28, for those keeping track at home). We are known for postmodern thinking, existentialist philosophies to life, and each person doing what makes him/her feel happiest while allowing that same liberty to others. If something is deemed unsavory or overly challenging, it is most often avoided. We are more content to go after that which is easier, more available, and most pleasing at that moment. In between these two poles you have a myriad of combinations of each, and they all add up to a desire to avoid suffering whenever possible - either because suffering is messy and seemingly inefficient or because suffering is hard and not immediately pleasing.

Against this, we have the New Testament, wherein we see that suffering is promised in the normative life of the Christian. I will here only expound on three passages, starting with the most vague and moving to the most concrete. In the following weeks, I will continue to add to the cache of verses emanating from and implicated in this one truth. In addition, for the sake of your own personal study, I have placed a longer list of citations at the end of this post for your consideration. If nothing else, you will see the sheer weight of New Testament evidence, from which I am only pulling a few references (I grabbed several references from this message by Francis Chan.).

1 Corinthians 15:19
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.


I primarily have John Piper to thank for the formation of this thought. When you read that verse, the question that should come into our minds is, "Why?" Why pitied? Some would have us believe that, as Christians, the 'worst-case scenario' is that we live a good, moral life and then die. If nothing happens, as an atheist would have us believe, or if we are reincarnated as a Hindu would have us believe, then we are no more worse off because at least we lived a 'good' life. We were kind to the destitute; we gave to charity; we cleaned up the neighborhood park; we worked with abuse victims; we went to church, read our Bibles, prayed. And on and on. Is that kind of life that should be pitied?

John Piper writes about how this kind of life - a simply moral life - is well within reach. In referencing Paul's writing in this passage, Piper states, "He (Paul) means there is a normal, simple, comfortable, ordinary life of human delights that we may enjoy with no troubling thoughts of heaven or hell or sin or holiness or God."

We have to take a step back and look at Paul's life in order to understand why this would be true. He writes to the Corinthians in a subsequent letter, "Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches (2 Co 11:24–28)."

Why pitied? Because along with the many blessings of following Christ, there is also suffering to endure. Paul is saying that, if living for Christ only matters here and there is no eternal reward, then Christians should be pitied - looked down upon - because their estate is, in fact pitiable. This may seem foreign in our society, though I would point out that it is becoming less and less that way. We must keep in mind that, beyond the context of the time (mass persecution of Christians was rampant in the early church), these men and women were living unabashedly for Christ. They talked about Him openly. They prayed together in homes and in public. They shared what they had with one another (Ac. 2:42-47). They lived in a way that displayed Christ all the time. Honestly, if you and I really, truly lived in a manner that was completely sold out to the cause of Christ, we would face derision from some friends, family members, and co-workers. We may not be physically persecuted in the United States (though it's certainly a possibility), but we would most assuredly be socially and emotionally persecuted at some levels.

Mark 10:29-30
Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life (emphasis added)."


This is a 'here's what you're really signing up for' teaching from Jesus. When I was speaking to the young adults on this passage, I pointed out that really weak prosperity preachers will try to use this passage to show that God promised us wealth and possessions and great relationships here on earth. I say those preachers/teachers are weak because they have to totally omit the words 'with persecutions' in order for their point to stick.

What Jesus is saying here is that, while one must give up much, yea even everything, for Christ and the gospel, that person will receive back much with the addition of persecutions, culminating with eternal life in glory. When God saves us, we forsake our old desires and pick up new desires, His desires. We submit to His will for our lives. This sometimes means we lose relationships. It can mean giving up an extravagant lifestyle in order to adopt a child or support a missionary. It can mean giving our stuff to those less fortunate. It will mean sacrificing our time, talent, and treasure (thanks, Pastor Mark) in order to display the greatest treasure, Jesus Christ. Alongside this sacrifice, we see much gain, namely the fellowship of the Body of Christ and, ultimately, spending eternity with Jesus.

We also gain something else: persecutions. Living for Jesus and the gospel will bring all the rewards listed above. It will also bring persecutions and suffering. Thus, when Jesus promises the abundant life found in Him (John 10:10), suffering is part of it.

2 Timothy 3:12
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.


Um...do I need to comment on that?

I will only add here a (somewhat) humerous quote from C.S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain: "The real problem is not why some humble, pious, believing people suffer, but why some do not (p.104)."

The biblical evidence is quite clear at this point: Suffering is promised to the Christian.

Next week: The Gift of Suffering: It's Grace


Further New Testament verses on suffering for your consideration:

Matthew 10:24-25, 34-39          Mark 8:34-35
Luke 6:22-23                             John 15:18-20
Acts 5:27-42                              Romans 8:16-18
1 Corinthians 4:10-13                 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Galatians 6:12                             Ephesians 6:11-12
Philippians 1:29                          Colossians 1:24
1 Thessalonians 3:3-5                 2 Thessalonians 1:5
2 Timothy 1:8; 2:3; 3:12; 4:5       Philemon 9
Hebrews 12:3-7; 13:12-13         James 1:2-4
1 Peter 4:12-19                          2 Peter 2:1-3
1 John 2:26                                2 John 7
3 John 9-10                                Jude 4
Revelation 1:9

Book Review: Young, Restless, Reformed by Collin Hansen

I have not written a book review since high school (we called them 'book reports' then...remember those?). However, as I have been writing the blog, I have been asked several times about resources I would recommend. I recently posted what my First Five books were when I began to take reading and study more seriously. I will continue to create such lists as seem beneficial. In addition to this, I want to periodically write up longer treatments on particular books. Lists and rankings can be helpful, but a good review will go further. As with everything on this blog, I hope these reviews will serve those who are considering what to read or if a specific book is good to pick up.


Young, Restless, Reformed: A journalist's journey with the New Calvinists by Collin Hansen

I will confess at the beginning of this review that I have selected a book that is relatively easy to review. The content is not overwhelming in nature. It is written by a journalist who is, according to his sketch in the book, an editor-at-large with Christianity Today. Therefore, it is written as a journalist would write - not overly technical and very personal. It is easy to connect with for this reason. Since this is the inaugural review, I decided to go a little easy on myself while I figure out how to format this type of write-up. So, bear with me while I work out the kinks.

The purpose of this book is to put a name and face(s) to the resurgence of Reformed theology among Christians of my generation and younger. In the midst of much controversy surrounding the so-called 'emerging church' movement, the author notes that experience would indicate a larger swing toward Reformed theology and conservative views of Scripture rather than the general loosening of biblical orthodoxy. Hansen writes, "I started thinking about leading seminaries in the United States and noticed a number of Calvinists in leadership positions. I considered millions of books sold by (John) Piper and his yearly appearances at the popular Passion conference. Yale University Press had just released a major biography of Jonathan Edwards. Reformed theology had recently become a major point of contention in the nation's largest Protestant body, the Southern Baptist Convention (p.12)."

Hansen takes his readers on a trip around the United States to encounter how this 'New Calvinist' movement was manifesting itself in a variety of contexts. He starts at the Passion conference, then spends time with John Piper, moves over to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to discuss the impact of her current prominent leader, R. Albert Mohler, Jr. From there, readers are taken into more culturally accessible locations such as the New Attitude Conference and Mars Hill Church in Seattle. At each stop, readers are given a glimpse into how younger Christians are adopting 'older' view of Scripture, preferring to read the Bible and think about it deeply to discovering the next great church growth methodology.

While the book is by no means a technical work on what 'Calvinism' is, he does give a brief overview of TULIP in the opening chapter and draws the distinction between this and another, more prominent, view of God popular in evangelicalism - Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. This system, whose name was first coined by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton, believes that "God is something like a combination Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist: he is always on call, takes care of any problems that arise, professionally helps his people to feel better about themselves, and does not become too personally involved in the process." In response to this view, some young Christians have recognized the emptiness of this god and have turned to seek the God of the Bible. In so doing, and in looking deeply at the Word and reading from others who likewise have thought and written deeply and extensively about Scripture, these young people have found themselves theologically in the Calvinist camp.

Let me be perfectly clear: Other thinkers of other theologies have written excellent books and commentaries and are wonderful preachers. However, the obvious shift in evangelicalism has been away from the modern, 'seeker-sensitive' movement and toward one of two directions - either a postmodern/post-Christian mindset which inherently doubts truth claims or toward the particular conservative, biblical orthodoxy found in the Reformed camp. The question isn't "Is that really happening?" but rather "Why is that happening?"

Hansen's basic reason for this, when boiled down to its core, is that Reformed theology unflinchingly reveals the raw truth of what the Bible says with little need for exegetical gymnastics. And in this movement, call it what you will - New Calvinism; Young, Restless, Reformed; Emerging Reformers - the big ideas, according to Hansen, are, "Hunger for God's Word. Passion for evangelism. Zeal for holiness." In short, it's biblical Christianity that happens to ascribe to a specific theology and is working powerfully in the lives of younger believers.

Before I make a few additional comments, I will wrap up the review portion. This is a good, relatively quick read that is helpful in understanding how and why this 'old' theology has made a comeback. It is personally written, albeit by someone who would identify himself with this camp (thus it is a biased read), and it covers the big names in the movement and how they are impacting many lives the world over. If you are looking to understand what Calvinism, Reformed theology, or TULIP is, this is not your book. It is not technical. It is a look at how this particular theology is impacting a particular generation and a consideration as to why.

On a personal note, I would add that much of the power being experienced by this new wave of Calvinist thinkers is due to the openness of its leaders to speak to living a Spirit-filled life. John Piper, Mark Driscoll, CJ Mahaney, Joshua Harris, Sam Storms, DA Carson, and I would even put in Francis Chan, all hold to the belief that the power of God seen in the book of Acts and written more extensively about in 1 Corinthians 12-14 can be experienced today by the power of the Holy Spirit according to the will of God. In the past, Calvinism was seen as cold, calculated, academic, and based largely on Scripture plus tradition. While the traditions of the Church are not dismissed by the New Reformers, there is an increased emphasis on biblically-focused gospel contextualization as well as Spirit-empowered ministry, specifically in preaching and teaching. In this, I believe these teachers have struck what we in my generation, and the generations following, desire most: uncompromising Truth and powerful, transformational encounters with the living God.

Stepping Back in the Ring

Prior to Christen's passing, both she and I spent considerable amounts of time at our church doing various forms of ministry. By 'various', what I mean is that, between the two of us over the last 6 1/2 years, we started, led, and/or took part in nearly every facet of the church - from children's ministry to music to sound/tech to bookkeeping to maintenance to both being on staff at different times. As of December, Christen was the backup choir director, periodically leading rehearsals, teaching songs, and directing on Sundays. I was the primary bass player, playing for 2 services on Sunday as well as the mid-week prayer meeting. Christen frequently had women over to our place to learn about being a wife and stay-at-home-mom in the 'hands-on' kind of way, truly epitomizing Titus 2. I helped count and deposit the weekly Sunday offering.

Since her passing, I have stepped back considerably in my ministry involvement. One reason for this is obvious, the other possibly less so. The obvious reason is that I have needed to figure out how to be a single parent. This process is on-going, but some things have settled in to a degree of structure, allowing for some breathing room to think about ministry again.

The less obvious reason for stepping back actually goes back to the closing point I made in her funeral sermon - NOT settling for less than God's best. With the room to think and reevaluate that I now have (though I still have a long way to go), I am able to look at everything and determine what the best next step is as it regards ministry. As I approach this, I am keeping in front of me the core elements of what the Lord has thus far revealed to me to do - preaching, teaching, and writing.

All of this is really just backstory to write about what I experienced this evening: I attended the Advance young adult ministry gathering. This was not the first time I had been there; the first time was two weeks ago when I had the opportunity to speak to them. Tonight, I was able to simply attend. It was great. They are a relatively small group of people - say, maybe 30-40 men and women - but they love God and each other. They do consistent service for the homeless. And they encourage each other to grow in their faith and serve in the church. The word that kept coming to me as I sat in the meeting was humility. They are a people marked by humility. A simple gathering. Simple service. Simple fellowship. Nothing flashy or over-the-top. No multi-colored lights, just candles. No microphones, just speaking and praying. There's nothing wrong with lights or mics, but this was refreshing in its simplicity and humility. Just people coming together to learn and grow together. What does all this have to do with my service in ministry? I don't know yet, but I loved what I experienced tonight.

Finding Creativity in Tears

Audrey cried tonight. She cried, and it reminded me very much of Christen. You see, she was crying but wouldn't tell me why; she just wanted to be held and cry. Christen did that sometimes, and it didn't matter how many times I asked or in how many ways, she wouldn't say what was going on until she was ready. It was something I adjusted to and learned to adore - the ambiguity of not knowing what was happening (which is really hard for guys, just so the ladies reading this know) but knowing that she was seeking me for security and comfort in that moment.

Tonight was Audrey's turn. We had just finished watching a movie - Wall-E had come from Netflix - and I could tell something was up. She went into her room, put on her pajamas, came back out to the living room in quiet tears and crawled in my lap, placing her head on my shoulder. I asked her a couple of times what was up, but she said absolutely nothing. I knew the routine, so I waited and just held her. Eventually, she picked her head up and said that she didn't really have a reason for crying. The music from the movie had simply stirred her emotions in such a way that she began to weep. And I gained a new understanding of my daughter.

Audrey is sensitive. I have always known that to be true. For all her strong-willed (read: flat-out stubborn) responses to me, she is very tender inside and has to be spoken to gently. This was something different, however. There wasn't an event that kicked off her tears. Something terrible didn't happen. She didn't stub her toe. Hudson didn't pull her hair or take a toy. The movie had a happy ending.

In addition to being sensitive, Audrey is also very creative. She writes stories and songs. She colors and paints. She acts out elaborate dramas, tracking multiple plot lines across the many characters she plays. Her crying over the music was a connection of her sensitivity to her creativity.

Audrey felt the music in a way that caused an internal reaction which evoked an emotional response. Honestly, and I don't mean this in a new-agey hyper-spiritual sort of way, but her response was from her soul. She felt something in the music playing on the soundtrack. Maybe is was the orchestration; perhaps the chord progression; possibly even the vocal lines and harmonies. Truly, I couldn't pinpoint it. But something happened inside Audrey, and she felt in that moment the most appropriate response was to weep. It was beautiful.

The Gift of Suffering: Introduction

I had the opportunity to speak to the young adult ministry at my church recently, and from the moment I was asked to speak, I felt very strongly to speak on suffering. Based on the response of that night and subsequent weeks as well as general observation, I believe this topic requires a more thorough examination. Therefore, I am going to spend the next 4-5 Theology Thursdays covering suffering. In the end, my hope is that you will see suffering the way God intends and the Bible describes: as a gift.


Over the next few weeks, I will be taking a walk through the New Testament to cover the key points in understanding a biblical view of suffering. This series of studies is not meant to be comprehensive in nature; I won't be covering every verse on suffering in the New Testament. Rather, I want anyone reading to see how the Bible reveals that suffering is a gift given from God designed to enhance our delight in Him and advance the gospel to the world.

To begin, however, let's look at a passage from the Psalter which will help us establish a framework for understanding where these next weeks will take us.

Psalm 66:8-12
8  Bless our God, O peoples;
      let the sound of his praise be heard,
9  who has kept our soul among the living
      and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us;
      you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net;
      you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
12 you let men ride over our heads;
       we went through fire and through water;
     yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.


The opening lines of this passage (vv.8-9) indicate a worship-filled faith in the God of the universe, the One who loves all the peoples. We see God as sovereign, sustaining His people and keeping them securely within His grasp. The person writing this truly loves God and desires to see His name made great in the earth. Next week, we will see that suffering is promised to the believer. Note that phrase - to the believer - because the first key point is that suffering for the believer involves a mindset that is wholly different than that of the general population. Therefore, to grasp biblical suffering, one must first grasp Jesus.

The next section (v.10) deals with the fact that suffering is a test given to us by God. It is meant to test, or refine, our faith. God does not allow suffering for the sake of punishment; He allows it for the sake of development. Therefore, suffering is a means of grace in the life of the believer. God deals with us as His children, and as such He does not let us just meander about this life with no direction, training, or exercise for the sake of honing our faith.

Too often, suffering is viewed as corrective discipline rather than as developmental discipline. It is like saying getting grounded because you arrived home after curfew is the same as playing Rachmaninov after years of rehearsal on the piano. Consequences to sin and the conviction brought by the Holy Spirit is not the same as biblical suffering. Biblical suffering is given room to operate by God so that our faith in His goodness and love can be strengthened and we can honor Him more for how He reveals Himself to us during those times. Thus, it is His grace toward us that we should suffer.

If suffering is truly grace from God, then two conclusions must be drawn. First, it is part of His sovereign plan for our lives that we should suffer in particular ways (v.11). Second, He intends that we lean on Him so that He may carry us through (v.12b,c). In so doing, we see that, since suffering is both promised and part of grace, it is part of God's plan, and therefore it is good.

Finally, with the assertion made that biblical suffering is good, the passage above concludes with an eventual deliverance into 'abundance' (v.12c). In other words, suffering for Christ not only rewards the Christian, it is a reward, a gift, to suffer as Christ suffered and to be counted worthy to do so as His adopted sons and daughters.

This is the journey we will take over the next few weeks as we go into the New Testament to see what the authors there say about each of these points. The discussion here is merely a primer, a road map, so that you will know where we are headed. The coming weeks will, hopefully, bring clarity where there may be questions. If you are going through suffering right now, please continue to read these posts as I believe God is going to surprise you with joy in the midst of your suffering as you see how He sees your suffering and, more importantly, how He sees you.

Next week: The Gift of Suffering: It's Guaranteed

Thinking is Attractive

Be honest. When you're asked to picture someone who is a deep thinker, you think of this guy:

Or perhaps these guys:

Or better yet, when you're asked to think of someone intelligent, you think of this guy:

Or this guy:

Or possibly even this guy:

You definitely never think of this guy:

I'm going to say something that might shock you: Thinking is attractive.


That's right. Attractive. Thinking is hot. When someone can put together a cohesive argument and present it, whether verbally or in writing, in a compelling way, that person garners a following. People follow thinkers because thinkers are attractive. They inspire people. They enlighten people.

Thinkers have ideas, which are simply dreams brought out of one's mind and placed into reality for the world to see. In dreams, what is attractive is determined by the dreamer. Therefore, anyone can be beautiful. Bring that idea into reality, and societal norms melt under the heat of the beauty of an idea brought forth by a thinker.

Thinkers can take an idea and see it through to its completion. No fragmentation, just a progression of propositions placed delicately (sometimes forcefully) together in an array of words evoking images of what is or what could be. Poets are thinkers. Philosophers are thinkers. Theologians are thinkers. And they are attractive people.

Thinking is not cold intellectualism. That has been rightly dismissed in both society at large as well as in our churches as unimpressive,. Real thinking, though, is nothing of the sort. To think deeply and well is to awaken the emotions and elicit a response from the thinker and anyone who happens to be nearby when the thinker's thoughts pour forth from his mind. Intellectualism is arrogant because it focuses on what has been accomplished through measurable effort. Good thinking is humble because its results are immeasurably vast and inescapably not of one's own making.

There was a time, really up until the mid-20th century, when deep thought was expected. We have unfortunately moved in a more pragmatic direction since then, and good thinking has suffered. We now have a world filled with base television, romance novels, self-help books, celebrities who have literally done nothing but show up at a LOT of parties, and magazines that promote each of these with gusto. That's attractive?

Instead of this, shut off Facebook, the computer, the television, your cell phone, and read something intellectually stimulating for 20 focused, uninterrupted minutes. I bet you walk away with something worth keeping. And I bet you'll feel better about having done so. And I bet that feeling better makes you smile. And smiling is always attractive.