Reformation Day

It is amazing to me how few Christians know anything about Reformation Day. Those who do often play down the significance or even denounce the celebration of such, because it is divisive and elitist.

As for me and my house, we had a special worship service at home on Sunday that included a selection of hymns and spiritual songs that focused on the power, priority and preminence of the Word of God. I gathered the children around and told them the vivid story of Martin Luter's confrontation with Pope Leo and the Catholic rulers of his day. Then we did a Bible study from 2 Tim 3.16... looking at five really good reasons to study the Bible.
1. It is God's very word "God'breathed"
2. It tells us what God expects us to do "doctrine"
3. It tells what God forbids "reproof"
4. It tells how to be sanctified "correction"
5. It tells how to do the hard work of living holy "training in righteousness"

I trust as Christians, we will never downplay the significance of a man who was so passionate about the Truth of God's Word, that he staked his entire reputation and even his very life on the line for the defense of it... in so doing, changing Christendom and the World forevermore. Praise the Lord for the legacy of Martin Luther and may we have such courage.

May we all say "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel!"

Please take a moment and share how you celebrated Reformation Day by voting in the poll to the right and them sharing your experiences in comment!

Grace to You!

Can I be a Calvinist and an Evangelist?

The question is sometimes asked, "How can you be a 'five pointer,' you are an Outreach Pastor?" As if to say a Calvinist has no concern for lost souls. We certainly do! I certainly do. I have no greater joy than one a new worshipper is born for the glory of God.

Let me paste a comment I made during a discussion over at The Cutting Edge. The discussion began by asking the question, "Was Jesus seeker sensitive?" to which I replied, there is no such thing as a seeker (Rom 3.10,11). So the next logical (some what Arminian) question comes, "Why do we share the gospel if God does all the deciding?" Here is was my reply...

"Can I be both a Calvinist and an Evangelist? An age old question... For this we turn to the examples of Mueller, Spurgeon, early Southern Baptists such as Boyce and many others throughout history that were strong Calvinists AND strong Evangelists. More recently we can look at the good doctor, Martin Llyod-Jones, who was an expositor but considered himself first and foremoest an evangelist. Remember, the only way a corpse can come back to life is the Word. The way the Word gets out is the faithful proclamation of the Gospel by faithful preachers. (Rom 10.9-17) In other words - we faithfully proclaim the Word, from pulpits, lecturns, classrooms, and in the intimacy of relationships. While we proclaim, we recognize we do so solely for the purpose of God's glory. We are obedient! God will care for the saving of souls. When I teach and lead our Grace Evangelism team out on visitation ministry every Tuesday night, I remind them, our goal isto make much of the glory of God as demonstrated on the cross of Chrsit. If God causes someone to respond, even better! But our task is to faithfully proclaim the good news for the Glory of God! God's Word will not return unto us void, it will always accomplish everything he intended it to."

I would submit that to you as a good motivation for evangelism - yea, even the most important motive for evangelism - namely, the Glory of God alone. Why do we go/send people to the mission field? Why do pass out Gospel literature? Why do preach the good news of Christ? Why do we tell our neighbors of the hope of the gospel of Christ? Obedience, of course, is part of it. Because we care about lost souls? Is caring about lost souls of preeminent importance?

Let me take moment to trace the evangelist fervor of Paul through his letter to the Romans...

Romans 1.1-5. Jesus Christ is declared, descended from David according to the flesh, the Son God, through whom we have received grace to bring about obedience of faith...why? "for the sake of His name among the nations." The Glory of God among the nations was the motivation for sending His Son.

Romans 15.8-11 Christ demonstrated God's truthfulness "in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy." Again, the motivation of the salvific work of Christ was the Glory of God!

Paul concludes his thoughts to the Romans with a Doxology that emphasizes the strengthening work of the Gospel. His final doxological thought is "to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Christ!" From where does the "glory forevermore" emminate? Jesus Christ!

You see, my motivation to share the Gospel is directly tied to my commitment to the sovereign work of God in eternity past desiring to bring His people to glorify Himself.

Yes, one can be, (and I am) an Evangelist and a Calvinist!

Grace to You!

Now I am a heretic!

I was just referred to as a heretic over at the World Magazine Blog, where I frequently comment. The topic in the open thread for the day was hymn / song lines that are theologically suspect, or just plain wrong. I commented on the one the plagues me most: "Above All." This is a mostly good song, but the idea of what is "above all" changes throughout the song, there is no consistency. By the last line we proclaim "you took the fall and thought of me above all." Suddenly the one singing is "above all" - at least above all in the mind of Christ as He died on the cross. Of course, we know that the thought of Christ on the cross was obedience to the will of the Father to please and glorify Him. (Heb. 5.8; Phil 2.8; Eph 5.2 "to please His Father).

However, the heretic arrow came when I further commented that another concern with this song, or any like it, gives the impression that Christ was thinking of every person singing this song, as if Christ died for every person in the world.

NOW... there you see where the heretic shot came. I hold to a particular redemption perspective of the atonement. According to someone code named "Duck" that makes me, along with Spurgeon, Calvin, most all Baptists until around 1800, and many others (including modern teachers like James White, John MacArthur, John Piper) all heretics.

It is not my intent to necesarily spark a debate on the extent of the atonement, though I am open to that. My larger question for the time is simply this: What are the qualifications for a teaching to be considered a heresy? And when do we label one a heretic?

Incidently, my friend Curtis Richardson, sent me a link to a scary Jack-Hyles type site that calls MacArthur a heretic. Read if you dare!

Anyway, Grace to You my friends! Grace to you ALL!

The Greater Good??

I made a decision a couple of months ago to avoid musing about politics specifically on this Blog, however, this morning I need to make a few comments about local Toledo politics. This is essential at this time, because there are striking similarities between the local Democratic agenda and the issue of Evangelical Co-Belligerence that we have been discussing. Let me explain…

Toledo lawyer, and former City Councilman, Keith Wilkowski, a Democrat, has announced his bid to be Toledo’s next mayor. This shouldn’t be such interesting news. Toledo is, after all, dominated by the Democratic politicians, even in the midst of their own schism. In making his much expected announcement, Mr. Wilkowski said, “cannot stand by and watch this city continue to decline. It really is that straightforward. It's not about friendships or political alliances or which politicians support other politicians” “Why did Wilkowski have to mention friendships?” those of you lucky enough to not live in the Toledo area may ask. Well, let me give you a small insight into the local politics of Toledo. You see if there is an illustration of the current evangelical movement.

The local Democratic Party is experiencing a major schism (locally referred to as the “A Team” and “B Team”). Our mayor finds himself at the helm of the “A Team,” which is currently out of control of the Democratic Central Committee. Mr. Wilkowski was a member of the PAC that was created specifically to reelect Jack Ford as mayor of Toledo, in fact, he was the Treasurer. After multiple local polls indicated the Mr. Ford had virtually no chance to be reelected, Mr. Wilkowski announced his own bid. Wilkowski has been asked many times how he could be treasurer of a campaign for Jack Ford and now run against Mr. Ford. He is asked to comment on Mr. Ford’s record. What shortcomings of the Ford Administration led Mr. Wilkowski to run against him? Wilkowski is very nuanced in his answers. He refuses to be critical of Mayor Ford. Why? Because Mr. Wilkowski wants an A Team Democrat to be elected mayor, even if it is Jack Ford. Ford would be better than B Team Democrat, former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, who appears poised to run again. And Ford would certainly be better, according to Mr. Wilkowski’s scheming, than stealth Republican candidate Rob Ludeman. If Mr. Ford somehow pulls out a victory over Mr. Wilkowski in the primaries (highly unlikely) than Mr. Wilkowski will have to throw his support BACK to Jack. He can’t offer any sound bites now that will be used against Jack in the general election later this fall.

If this is a bit confusing… welcome to Toledo politics! Let me sum up. Keith Wilkowski is not concerned about the best person to take Toledo forward. He is concerned solely about getting an A Team Democrat to occupy the Mayor’s chair. Therefore, he cannot say anything condemning his own primary opponent.

Do you see the connection yet to the confusion that is evangelicalism in America? Very well intentioned evangelical leaders, such as James Dobson, Pat Robertson, even Albert Mohler, seek to create a political atmosphere that is conducive to conservative morality. While I greatly appreciate these efforts, I have a deep concern that in this effort, there is a lack of clarity on the gospel. Evangelicals are linking arms with Catholics, Mormons, and many others who deny the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Is the greater concern the declaration of the Gospel to a lost and dying world or creating a cultural context that is fits our biblical convictions? In other words, are we more concerned for the greater good of mankind (i.e. the proclamation of the gospel) or that our team wins (conservative judges and politicians)?

I have been doing much thinking, studying, praying about passages such as 2 Cor 6.14-18, which contextually is linked to 2 Cor 5.16-21, where Paul charges us that our greatest is distinguishing those who are “in Christ” and those who are “without Christ.” I am afraid that many evangelical leaders today are more concerned over dividing those who think like we do from those who are more liberal than we are. In doing so, we blur the lines that the Gospel so clearly draws between those “in Christ” and those “without Christ.”

Just some humble thoughts for you to muse on this week. What are your thoughts on 2 Cor 5-6? What does it mean to be “unequally yoked?” What do phrases like “be separate from them” and “touch no unclean thing” mean? Your thoughts…

Let the Word of Christ richly dwell in you today….
Grace to You!

"User Friendly" gone off the deep end!

As if the whole idea of a "user friendly" church or a "seeker driven" church isn't inane enough, some churches are taking the philosophy to its next logical step. Churches offer "drive-thru" Sunday services is a telling news piece about the extreme ends to which a so called church will go to "reach people with the gospel." Is this what Paul meant when he mentioned becoming "all things to all people?"

I actually mentioned drive thru marriages in a recent post in a tongue in cheek manner. It appears I was not too far from making a true to culture comment.

Maybe the scariest comment is the very last sentence of the article, "God created us each and every one good, and we celebrate that." Is that not the underlying false theology that drives the whole "seeker" philosophy. Each human is good and has within themselves the ability to turn to God, we simple need to provide the impetus through gimmicks and the like?

What about Romans 3.20 "There is no one righteouss, no not one. There is none that seek God." People will not naturally turn to God until He draws them. The primary means he uses to draw men to himself is the bold preaching of His Word (John 17.17; Rom 10.17; 2 Tim 3.15).

Something for you to muse on this afternoon!

Grace to You!

Dad, That's Easy

Just a brief thought for your musing pleasure this morning…

I was recently eating a hasty supper with my family. It was a Tuesday night and I needed rush back out the door to return to the church for our Grace Evangelism class and visitation ministry. Understanding that I was leaving to teach a class, my 6 year old daughter, Elisabeth, asked what I was going to be teaching about on that night. Underestimating her comprehension, as I usually do, I simplified my answer to, “I am going to be talking about how to tell people about Jesus.” “Dad, that’s easy. Why do you need a class?” was the profoundly elementary reply.

As my wife looked at me with the all too familiar “what are you going to say now” look, I wondered, “what am I going to say now?” “Well, yes, Elisabeth, it can be easy, but…” And I fumbled around a bit and shoved my food in my mouth and ran out the door with my tail between my legs, soundly rebuked by my own conscience, aided by my traitorous six year old! This was the same girl that set me straight days later. We had the neighbor kids over playing around the house, which has become the norm with the warming of the weather. The children to our east are from a broken home, living most of the time with their father next door to us. On this particular afternoon, I could not find Elisabeth. Seeking help from Rebekah, my 5 year old, I was informed she and Wesley, the little boy from next door, had gone upstairs. Now, Elisabeth knows not to bring the neighborhood kids into the house without their parents permission, especially upstairs to the bedrooms. So I went in to retrieve them, already prepared to deliver a little lecture. As I reached the top of the stairs, I saw them in my bedroom. Now there was real trouble. I sent Wesley downstairs and sent Elisabeth to her bedroom. Once Wesley was out of earshot, I demanded, none too quietly, “Why did you have Wesley in the house? Why were you upstairs, and why were you in my room? You know…” and on the lecture began. When I finally came up for air and let Elisabeth speak, she gave me her story. She and Wesley had been sitting on the front porch and she was trying to tell Wesley about his need of trusting Jesus. She decided she needed her Bible and Rebekah kept interrupting them. So she invited Wesley to come inside with her so she could get her Bible and look up John 3.16. She could not find her Bible and was in my room to get an extra one off our bookcase.

Right, egg all over my face! Sometimes the important lessons we learn come from unexpected places.

But what of the brief comment Elisabeth made at our dinner table that Tuesday evening, “Dad, that’s easy!” Is “telling people about Jesus” easy? I am not sure that question has a simple answer. In one sense, we can answer with a resounding “Yes!” Gospel-speak should naturally flow off the lips of every true believer. We should be able to say like Paul (and my daughter) “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!” (Rom 1.16). But in another sense, sharing the gospel with people can be difficult. There are certain elements of the gospel that, when brought together, form the heart of the matter: namely, the holiness of God, the utter inability of man, the sufficiency of Christ and the necessity of faith alone in Christ alone. Any presentation of the gospel minus any of these core elements is not a complete gospel. We must be careful not to dumb down the gospel in our great desire to share the life-transforming hope of Jesus Christ.

So, as Elisabeth reminded me, it is easy! But it is hard work at the same time. Does Gospel-speak flow naturally from your lips? Do you accurately communicate the heart of the Gospel to people in your sphere of influence? Are you ashamed of the Gospel? Remember: it is the power of God for those who believe!

Grace to You!

There Are No Athiests!

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post is being republished. It was originally posted on Feb 23, 2005. In light of some recent study, I decided to repost it for your encouragement and interaction. Grace and Peace to you through our Lord Jesus Christ!

I teach a class at my church on Tuesday nights called Grace Evangelism. We meet at 6:00 PM for a time of study then go out on visitation. This week the topic of study was the evangelistic implications of Romans 1.18-20 and Romans 2.14-15.

Romans 1.18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

There are certain gospel truths that all humankind already know. God uniquely designed the entire universe to point to Himself. From creation, there are at least two attributes of God that all humanity have embedded on their minds. According to verse 20, all men clearly perceive God's eternal power and His divine nature.

God's eternal power is evidenced in His personal creation of all the world through the person of Jesus Christ and his moment by moment sustaining its very existence. Every man, woman and chiild who every lived or ever will live on this earth knwo that. Why do you think people instinctively call on God when an earthquake or a tsunami rattles their existence? Why do they call out to God when traumatic circumstance beset them? Because they instinctively know of the eternal power of God.

All humankind are also clearly aware of God's divine nature, that is His goodness and grace commonly spread to all humanity. To a limited degree, God's grace is made available to every person without regard to location, religion, gender, race, etc. He rains on the just and the unjust alike (cf Matt 5.45). This is why even the unsaved both plead for God to deliver rain and curse His name when they get too much of it. They know the divine nature of God.

Os, if the Bible is true, and I believe that it always is, there are no atheists! There may well be professing atheists, much as there are professing Christians who are not genuine. All men have the very existence of God already etched on their minds. According to verse 18, they "By their unrighteousness supress the truth." That means it is there, just pushed down under layers of disobedience, rebellion and denial. But it is there. I have a friend named John who claimed for many years to be an atheist. He is very intellectual, very sharp. The very beauty and order of the created world sent him on a religious search for the essence of reality and source of life. He eventually landed at the Gospel and God turned his life around. What was it in John that sent him searching for Truth? That's right, it was the very truth of God already inscribed on his heart.

What is the evangelistic implications of this truth? There are no atheists, so what of those who claim to be atheists? We do not argue for the existence of God or His authority. We rather confront the point of sinful rebellion by building on the foundation of truth God has already put in his heart. Evangelism is the work of God. We get to be His mouthpieces as He completes the work He began in creation!

Grace to You!

Blinded By Might

According the ever vocal John Gibson over at “Fair and Balanced” Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155422,00.html) “The very same team that was helping to get John Kerry elected, muttering the whole time that Bush lied to get the country into a war…” are now helping Prime Minister Tony Blair in his bid for a third term by insisting that he did not lie about the war. Interesting how Bush was a conniving liar and Blair was simply mislead. But hey, don’t let the facts get in the way of an agenda, by all means!

This really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Democrats, like most politicians (I almost said “all,” but I am still optimistic that there are a few honest ones out there) get blinded by their grab for power and influence that they readily compromise integrity. They simply assume most American won’t pay attention to what is happening on the other side of the big pond. They can say one thing here and another thing over there and be growing their power bases in both places. This is all par for the political course.

The concern I have this morning is the parallel that I see between modern politicians and many evangelical leaders. Power and influence are dangerous weapons that, when possessed, can be wielded to effect far reaching change. This is just as true for evangelicals as it is for politicians. This proven fact is demonstrated throughout recent evangelical history. For the most obvious example, look at the influence that Rev. Billy Graham has had on numerous American presidents. His son and assumed heir, Franklin Graham is already beginning to wield that political power that comes as a result of his status as an evangelical leader. Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchanan, Gary Bauer, Tony Perkins, James Dobson and more recently Al Mohler, are all examples of how evangelical influence translates to political influence. This can all be well and good, even helpful to the greater cause of evangelicalism, namely the spread the gospel of faith alone in Christ alone – the good news that Christ appeased the wrath of God and opens the narrow door of heaven for all who would believe in Him alone.

The rub comes when evangelical leaders, like their political counterparts, begin to compromise their integrity, or worse, the integrity of the gospel, to gain political clout. Democratic leaders like Bob Shrum and Stan Greenberg blatantly call Bush a liar and then rush to wrap their arms around Blair precisely because it seems apparent the Blair will glide to an easy victory and the Democrats want a bit of influence with Blair and other Europeans. So what if their integrity is a bit compromised? The political clout they will gain far outweighs any potentially negative press they will get here in the States. Evangelical leaders like Dobson are doing the same thing. They are sidling up with Roman Catholics, as well as many liberal evangelicals, that deny the very claims of the gospel in the hopes of gaining political clout to effect change. Those changes would be helpful and well received by most of us evangelicals, but not at the expense of throwing the gospel out the window.

As I have commented before, (as has Steve Camp and James White much more fluently – and boldly – as I) there is nothing helpful or loving about fixing the cultural and political climate while denying the claims of the gospel – the only means to fix the real issue of lost people’s hearts. Once the evangelicals have hijacked the political system and effected the desired changes, how will they be able to come back and preach the gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that they have marginalized for the last decade?

No doubt about it, there is much needed political change in America, starting right here in Toledo and going all the way to the Supreme Court and even the White House. I am working to effect that change in small, grass roots ways. I hope to help in some small way to get Rob Ludeman elected Mayor of Toledo. I hope to be a part of getting Kenneth Blackwell elected Governor of Ohio. But in this process, I must never compromise the heart of the Gospel or my own integrity to effect a temporal change.

May evangelicals everywhere be able to say as Paul, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.” (Rom 1.16)

Grace to You!

Giving God Advice

Surely he was speaking tongue-in-cheek, but his comments were quite interesting. During an audience with German Catholics, Benedict XVI offered a bit of telling humor. "As the trend in the ballots slowly made me realize that — in a manner of speaking, the guillotine would fall on me — I started to feel quite dizzy," the 78-year-old Benedict told his countrymen, smiling and chuckling. "I thought that I had done my life's work and could now hope to live out my days in peace. "I told the Lord with deep conviction, 'Don't do this to me. You have younger and better (candidates) who could take up this great task with a totally different energy and with different strength.' Evidently, this time he didn't listen to me."

See the whole story here –
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&u=/ap/20050425/ap_on_re_eu/pope&printer=1

Again, in this immediate context, it is obvious that Benedict XVI was “working the crowd.” He was having some fun. But it is quite telling regarding his theological persuasion. Of course the Pope thinks he can not only give God advice, but actually add to or change the existing, authoritative and final Word of God. If you believe that theology evolves it must be interpreted by someone. The Catholic Church puts that onus on the Pope. He not only interprets the Scripture for the masses, he speaks authoritatively as the “vicar of Christ.” Thus, the development of Catholic Church traditions and writings are on even plain with the once delivered, final Word of God.

This is much like the so called progressive historians that believe the United States Constitution is an evolving document that must be interpreted and explain with each new generation. Thus, we have the oligarchy in black we call the Supreme Court that “interprets” (rather rewrites) the Constitution with each new case before them.
It is easy for us to take shots at the Catholic concept of giving God advice, however; we evangelicals as even worse. We claim to have a final authority in the Word and then live as though we can interpret that final authority based on our feelings or the relative circumstances of a given situation. How many times do we here comments like: “God has told me to…” “I feel God wants me to …” “God is leading me to …”

As Christians who claim to hold the view of the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, we must be careful to let the Word speak in its historical, grammatical, contextual reality first. Only then can we had an idea of what the Scripture calls us to do today. God only speaks through His Spirit revealing His Word to the minds of regenerate men and women.

I believe in the priesthood of every believer, but not the infallibility of every man’s feelings.
Some things to think about this morning!

Grace to You!

Evangelical Youth Ministry Leader Calls for “Protestants” to Be “Embracients”

More from the mushy, watered down, theologically-empty evangelical front! I just read this article with absolute disgust. It proves once again that most Protestants have no idea why they are Protestants. Maybe we don’t want to wear the tight collars or habits on our heads. Maybe we like a guitar at our worship services instead of candles (though that distinction in rapidly disappearing thanks to Brian MacClaren and the Emergent Church movement and the Charismatic inroads into the Catholic Church).

Did we forget the reason Martin Luther posted 95 disagreements with the Rome on the church door in Wittenberg in 1517? Is 500 years too long to remember? Apparently Mark Oestreigher of Youth Specialties either forgot, or found the Reformation unnecessary. Here are his comments on the division between Catholics and Protestants. “We protestants got our name because we're "protesters"—we were against some things in the Catholic church of that time. Unfortunately, that nexus has become part-and-parcel with who we have continued to be. If there's one thing that Protestants are really good at, it's not agreeing, it's reacting against (in protest) and starting something new.”

Actually, if the truth were to be told, “that nexus” of protesting “some things in the Catholic church of that time” has indeed not become “part and parcel with who we have continued to be.” That is the fundamental reason evangelicalism fails to have an eternal impact on our society. Evangelicalism as a whole has no theological distinction to speak of.

Anyway… read the whole mushy article from Mark Oestreicher, President of Youth Specialties here:

http://youthspecialties.com/about/news/2005/pope_john_paul_II.php

Did you catch his description of the false teachers of the Catholic parish in your neighborhood? “For all of us protestants (embracients!), this is a key point in history where we have the opportunity to embrace our Catholic brothers and sisters—our co-heirs in the church of Jesus Christ, fellow children of God.”

Let’s consider this thought being a “co-heir” and “fellow children of God.”

Romans 8.17 is where we discover the aspect of the grace of God that allows those who have be transformed by the sufficient, one-for-all sacrifice of Christ as “heirs of God and Joint heirs with Jesus Christ.” It is truly a profound thing that we sinners, both by nature and practice, will reign with Christ and be called “joint heirs” with Him. As those who have been regenerated by the faith alone in Christ alone we will be the heirs of the riches of the glory of God. This thought is closely connected to John 1.12-13, where we find that all those who receive the Him (that is Jesus), those who believe in His name (alone) have the right to called children of God. That means those who not trust in the name of Christ alone do not have the right to be called children of God.

These are very precious thought worthy of our mediation at some point. God allows us to be called his children, and as such, we are guaranteed the rights do children. We will be heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ! Amazing thought for a sinner such as I!

However, when we begin to ascribe those salvific blessings to those who deny the sufficiency of the cross of Christ, we deny the very impact of the grace of God. Mr. Oestriecher apparently believes that even those who teach that grace comes through Mary, the Church, the Papacy and the Sacraments should be embraced and called “fellow children of God.” Is Mr. Oestreicher deliberately denying the cross himself? Or is he simply acquiescing to the ecumenical spirit that now defines the so called Evangelical movement?

Either way, my the grace of God be boldly proclaimed today in the face of such rampant ecumenism that by its very nature denies the fundamental gospel of the grace of God in Christ!

Grace to you!

Worship in the Laundry Room

Last week was a great time of vacationing with my family. It was not rushed, packed or harried with a whole list of this to do, see, and experience. It was the kind of vacation where one gets to simply stay home and not go to work. Now for those of you who love your job as much as I do, you realize that being only 15 minutes from your office and yet not checking in is virtually impossible. I managed to only go in twice, just once to teach a class though.

The majority of my vacation time was spent playing with my kids, cleaning my garage and caring for my pregnant wife. That sounds good, doesn’t it? Believe me, she does a good job of taking care of herself and the rest of our family, she hardly needs my help. But, I was home for the week and wanted to give her some time to prop up her feet or lay down her head. I cleaned the kitchen. I picked up after the kids. I gathered the laundry. I swept the living room and dining room. Then… I cleaned the kitchen again. I picked up after the kids again. I gathered the laundry again. I swept the floor again. Every time I turned around there was something to pick up again, something to sweep again. It was getting depressingly repetitive. At one point, I walked to my wife and said to her, “There is no way I could do your job. It is depressing!”

Later that night as I sat on the couch, I thought about how my wife Crystal consistently, patiently serves her role as a wife, mother and homemaker. My wife clearly understands that what she is doing is not simply an act of service to me or to the children, though it is certainly that. It is much more. It is, for her, an act of worship to a beautiful God. Yes, she worships even in the laundry room.

Worship is not limited to what you experience in a large room with a group of people on Sunday morning. Worship is a lifestyle. See Hebrews 13.15,16 “5Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. 16And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Worship then involves a life that is lived in constant thanksgiving, recognizing that we can do nothing and have nothing of merit apart from God Himself. Even our worship itself is done “through Him” according to verse 15. We have nothing and can do nothing for God apart from God Himself. However, everything we do, must fit this pattern of thankful lips. A life of goodness and sharing is also an act of worship. As we go throughout our days, often routine, sometimes even a mundane, we must recognize we are worshipping something. The question is, what are we praising, who are we thanking, what drives us to do what we do? Are you driven by a desire to glorify yourself… to raise yourself up the corporate ladder? Perhaps you are worshipping your family and would give yourself wholly for the what you deem to be the good of your family. Or perhaps it is your boss. You want to impress and seek a smile from your boss.

We must remember, worship in its purest form occurs in the laundry room of the homemaker, the copy room of the office manager, and on the factory of the blue collar worker. What we do on Sunday morning is simply an overflow of a life of worship. If you approach a worship service anticipating the worship leader to provoke your spirit through song or testimony or in any other way, you are not even ready to think about worshipping, let alone actually worship. Worship is not a song, a sermon or cute sketch in a worship center. To be sure, these can be means of corporate worship, but they are the result of a life of worship… a life of praise, thanksgiving and goodness in our daily routines of life.

How many of us emotionally engage in “worship” on Sunday morning, but never even mention the Lordship and Jesus Christ and the Holiness of God in the daily routines of life. We sing with all our hearts, we even lift our hands in physical expression of what we feel. But those feelings do not translate into worship if they do not affect the lives we live.

Let this be a challenge to you as my wife has been to me. Worship should be the defining characteristic of a Christian life. Does your life point to the God from whom we gain our very life?

Grace to you!

Evangelistic Implications of Romans 1.18-20

I am teaching a class at my church on Tuesday nights called Grace Evangelism. We meet at 6:00 PM for a time of study then go out on visitation. This week the topic of study was the evangelistic implications of Romans 1.18-20 and Romans 2.14-15.

Romans 1.18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

There are certain gospel truths that all humankind already know. God uniquely designed the entire universe to point to Himself. From creation, there are at least two attributes of God that all humanity have embedded on their minds. According to verse 20, all men clearly perceive God's eternal power and His divine nature.

God's eternal power is evidenced in His personal creation of all the world through the person of Jesus Christ and his moment by moment sustaining its very existence. Every man, woman and chiild who every lived or ever will live on this earth knwo that. Why do you think people instinctively call on God when an earthquake or a tsunami rattles their existence? Why do they call out to God when traumatic circumstance beset them? Because they instinctively know of the eternal power of God.

All humankind are also clearly aware of God's divine nature, that is His goodness and grace commonly spread to all humanity. To a limited degree, God's grace is made available to every person without regard to location, religion, gender, race, etc. He rains on the just and the unjust alike (cf Matt 5.45). This is why even the unsaved both plead for God to deliver rain and curse His name when they get too much of it. They know the divine nature of God.

If the Bible is true, and I believe that it always is, there are no atheists! There may well be professing atheists, much as there are professing Christians who are not genuine. All men have the very existence of God already etched on their minds. According to verse 18, they "By their unrighteousness supress the truth." That means it is there, just pushed down under layers of disobedience, rebellion and denial. But it is there.

I have a young friend named John who claimed for many years to be an atheist. He is very intellectual, very sharp. The very beauty and order of the created world sent him on a religious search for the essence of reality and source of life. He eventually landed at the Gospel and God turned his life around. What was it in John that sent him searching for Truth? That's right, it was the very truth of God already inscribed on his heart.

What is the evangelistic implications of this truth? There are no atheists, so what of those who claim to be atheists? We do not argue for the existence of God or His authority. We rather confront the point of sinful rebellion by building on the foundation of truth God has already put in his heart.

Evangelism is the work of God. We get to be His mouthpieces, but He completes the work He began in creation!

In a future post we will look at the evangelistic implications of Romans 2.14-15. In the meantime, read it for yourself.

Grace to You!