Introduction
Despite our generation’s unparalleled opportunity to connect and communicate with more people than ever before, division in America might be the worst it has ever been. Trust in our institutions and media outlets is at a record low. People are becoming more rigid in their opinions but less understanding of the logic for their views, as well as the views of others. The ability to reason with others who hold differing opinions is vanishing, and those who provide verbal smackdowns in sound-bite helpings are rapidly gaining traction. What is absent from this chaos is any clear possibility of unifying people increasingly determined to hold views they cannot articulate to others. If nothing else, one thing we should all be able to agree on is there is a tremendous need for peace.
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Introduction
Everyone has concerns, and these concerns derive from what we consider important. Sometimes Christians can be bogged down with concerns that are unnecessary, they result from loving the things of the world. 1 John 2:15-17 explicitly warns against loving the things of this world due to their passing nature. Instead, we ought to give our attention to the things of God, things that are eternal. Little, insignificant things become big things for those who have nothing significant to think about. Becoming a Christian introduces someone to spiritual matters that put everything else in life into perspective, and this perspective enables self-control in this life. But to keep one’s mind focused on spiritual matters is not easy, and it requires the work of God. The things of God have no relevance for a non-Christian because the Holy Spirit has not granted the new heart and mind that is required to appreciate spiritual realities. One of the clearest, strongest pieces of evidence someone has truly become a Christian is their joyful reception of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to glorify Christ and magnify His word; no one can claim to be spiritual while having no concern for the spiritual matters addressed in Scripture. Said differently, seeing what the Bible reveals as important is indicative of being born again, and shrugging off the Bible’s message proves spiritual deadness. Introduction
The church, as seen in 1 Timothy 3:14-16, is where God’s children are trained according to the truth of Scripture. The church loves, embraces, defends, and promotes the truth, and one of the church’s main functions is to proclaim the mystery of godliness: Jesus Christ. However, it is easy for individuals, and whole churches for that matter, to lose sight of what the church is supposed to be. Paul highlights the threat of losing sight of the church’s true identity and purpose and walking away. This departure from the faith is called apostasy, or falling away. The Bible speaks of the Christian life as following Jesus and abiding in Him (Matt 4:19; Jn 15). In other words, a Christian is someone who stays with Jesus. An apostate is someone who claims to follow Jesus but later departs from the faith. According to various statistics, anywhere from 60-80% of youth will walk away from the faith during their college years. Granted, statistics do not provide the whole story, but the fact remains a sizable number of people who have a public association with Christ will eventually abandon it. The issue of apostasy is real and must be taken seriously. Introduction
Have you ever experienced the frustration of being in an organization or workplace where it is unclear who is actually in charge? Decisions need to be made but the trigger is never pulled because nobody knows who can do it without getting into trouble. Other times it seems that one person should have authority on paper but it turns out that someone else is really in charge, though unofficially. We might refer to this as the difference between formal and functional authority. Formal authority is who everyone claims is in charge, but functional authority is the one everyone actually looks to for decisions. Many Christians struggle with this distinction in the way they view the Bible. On one hand, a professing Christian will say they believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative word of God, but when you look at this individual’s life it is apparent that something else actually has authority. They will not obey what the Bible says until they get “permission” from the other thing that really directs them. These individuals affirm the formal authority of Scripture while denying its functional authority. 2 Peter 3:1-10 addresses the role Scripture plays in Christian living, and the apostle Peter reminds us that Scripture must have functional authority in our life to be helpful. Peter unpacks three things that need to happen for Scripture to have functional authority. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." Introduction
We are saved by faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ! The gospel is the good news that God has intervened in human history to deliver man from sin, and our ultimate good and joy are found only in trusting and obeying Him. The gospel is the power for real change. But how does this change occur, and what does it look like in real life? The primary means God uses to produce this change is His Word, as it is through the hearing of the Word that faith comes (Rom 10:17). Consequently, it should be no surprise that Scripture calls for the public reading and explanation of the Word of God to the people of God (Deut 31:9-13; 1 Tim 4:13; 2 Tim 4:2-5). Believers in the church should be committed to faithfully listening to the Word of God, seeking to embrace all that it promises and commands. But the turning point between knowing what God says and experiencing salvation is the exercise of faith. Faith is the only means by which God’s Word benefits the hearer. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” So what does biblical faith do, and what does it require? We see the answer to this question in Genesis 22:1-19. "O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore." Many benchmarks throughout the year cause us to reflect–-birthdays, anniversaries, life changes, the New Year, etc.–-and these reflections often bring a desire to see things be better. However, many resolutions made do not produce the improvements we want. Christians, however, base their hope on one simple promise: those who trust in Jesus Christ and follow Him will be changed. This radical transformation promised in the gospel is what gives hope to every individual who acknowledges their sin and need for a Savior. Those who recognize their need and repent are invited to draw near to God and find redemption. This salvation establishes a new relationship between an individual and God, and every believer is called to live a new life of faith and peace.
Introduction
Every healthy and successful institution requires several elements. It requires a purpose to direct its focus and energy. It requires an identity; a clear understanding of its values and the sort of people to include in its membership. Also, it needs a code of conduct. None of these elements stands in isolation, as they all shape, and are shaped by, one another. Identity is confused without purpose or rules of conduct. Rules of conduct stifle and frustrate when divorced from purpose and identity. Purpose is forgotten if not rooted in identity and guided by rules of conduct. These elements affect every institution, including the church. So what makes a good church? Answering this question requires answering two other questions. First, what is the church? Second, what is the church supposed to do? Paul answers these questions in 1 Timothy 3:14-16. Introduction
Ask most people today how they are doing, and the word "busy" is likely to be part of the answer. Everybody seems to be busy, and many people would quickly admit that stress is a regular feature of said busyness. But does it need to be this way? Should it be that way? Is our crowded and stressed out existence the abundant life Jesus offers? It seems to me the clear answer from Scripture is "no", but the only way to avoid the clutter is to know and apply what the Bible teaches. As the old hymn says, "trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." We are finite creatures, so we have limits within which we must operate. We cannot do everything, and saying "yes" to one thing is an implicit "no" to something else. We might not like to admit it, but everything we choose to do either opens or closes the door to the next opportunity to present itself. Our busy schedule reveals a lot of things to which we have said "yes", and every time we now have to say "no" to a new thing it begs the question of whether we are saying "yes" to the right things. "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." Introduction Men and women are different; this used to be common sense, but we live in strange times where such obvious things can no longer be assumed. That men and women are different should be plain as the Scriptures refer to the creation of man and woman as distinct and deliberate events (Gen 1:27; 2:18-22). Our God is a God of order, and what He does has meaning and purpose; therefore any differences observed in creation carry significance. As the creation account reveals, God established different domains and then populated those domains with creatures uniquely suited to inhabit and function within their respective domains (Gen 1:3-28). Birds were equipped to dominate the sky, fish were fitted to rule in the sea, and man was formed to reign on the earth; none of these creatures fair well when forced into a different domain, as they are not designed to succeed there. All of this to point out that God makes things to be different so that they can act differently. Form speaks to purpose. Design foreshadows mission. What we are in our physical body carries a mandate to function a particular way. Denying the importance of our physical body, and the associated privileges and obligations, is a de facto rejection of God as our Creator and Lord. God made our physical bodies, and they were declared to be very good (Gen 1:26-31). The Son of God assumed a real physical body when Jesus was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary (Lk 1:35; Jn 1:1-4, 14); thus, the goodness of the physical world God made, despite the reality and pervasiveness of sin, was reaffirmed. False teachers deny the real incarnation of Jesus (1 Jn 4:1-3), and the importance of the body, while true believers trust that Jesus is the Son of God become flesh. Bodies matter to God, and our worship of God requires the proper value and use of our bodies. True worship of God is, perhaps, more than what we do with our bodies, but it is never less! " I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Introduction
Our habits shape us more than anything else, which is why we should make sure our habits are holy. By this I mean we should have regular practices and disciplines that express, develop, and reinforce our faith in God. One of the principle ways we can do that is to worship with other believers. In particular, it is important to worship with our family. |
AuthorI am follower of Jesus Christ by God's grace, married to Kelsey, father to four children, and pastor of Lighthouse Church (EPC). Archives
November 2022
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