1 Thessalonians 1:4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
4 εἰδότες, ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν, 5 ὅτι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐγενήθη εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν λόγῳ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν δυνάμει καὶ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ [ἐν] πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ, καθὼς οἴδατε οἷοι ἐγενήθημεν [ἐν] ὑμῖν δι᾽ ὑμᾶς.
One fairly common criticism of Calvinism is that it squelches evangelism. The argument goes that if God elects people from before the world began why bother with evangelism? Won't He save the people He means to save no matter what?
The short answer to that is of course a simple "yes," but that is woefully inadequate. This verse gives a little more insight into the issue. The phrase τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν is translated "he has chosen you," but technically it is "your election" or "your choosing." Verse 5 explains this. How do we know about your election? It is because the gospel came to them ἐν δυνάμει καὶ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ [ἐν] πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ. What Paul means is that the gospel was not mere words to the Thessalonian believers, but it had true power to them.
How do we know who the elect are? They are the ones who respond to the gospel. It is our job to pray, preach, persuade, and do whatever we can to clearly communicate the gospel to people. But we cannot save anyone. All we can do is put the gospel out there. Their acceptance is between them and the Lord. We know the elect by the fruit of the gospel in their lives?
Does that mean that everyone who appears to live a godly lifestyle is saved? No. But we can be pretty sure that anyone who is not changed by the gospel is not saved. We can never be certain about anyone's future state. This is why we keep preaching the word. We put it out there. My prayer is that my preaching today would fall on fertile soil and produce fruit.
Showing posts with label evangelism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label evangelism. Show all posts
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Walking Evangelistically
Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
5 Ἐν σοφίᾳ περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι.
I know that I tend to gloss over some of these short exhortations near the end of Paul's epistles. I feel like I got most of the meat earlier and now I'm just getting bits of potato with gravy. But I think we make a big mistake if we overlook this short verse. The verb περιπατεῖτε is in the imperative and while it technically does mean "walk," it has the sense of lifestyle. In other words, Paul is telling the Colossians that their lifestyles should be wise toward outsiders. I also take τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι to mean that we should seize any opportunity to show or share Christ with τοὺς ἔξω, or "those who are outside." The word ἐξαγοραζόμενοι is a present participle, so that gives a sense that it is something we should routinely do.
I think about how I interact with my neighbors. Do I take care of my house? That's part of my witness toward them. How do I interact with my coworkers? Do I do the best job I can? That's part of my witness. Do I tip well at restaurants? Am I polite with people who help me at restaurants and stores? That doesn't necessarily mean that I get to a gospel presentation every time, but I want my way of life to be wise toward outsiders.
Do we really believe the second half of this verse? It is not hard to imagine seeing a bunch of cars outside a neighbor's house one day only to find out that someone died. Did I share the gospel with that person? Or maybe a coworker quits or gets fired before I can share the gospel with him. Am I looking for opportunities and making the best use of the time or am I being lazy?
This is really convicting for me. It is one more reason why I need to work as hard as I can at the office. It is something I am prayerfully improving upon lately, but there is still room to grow. Ultimately it comes down to the gospel. Do I believe it enough to prayerfully change my life so that I can share it effectively?
5 Ἐν σοφίᾳ περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι.
I know that I tend to gloss over some of these short exhortations near the end of Paul's epistles. I feel like I got most of the meat earlier and now I'm just getting bits of potato with gravy. But I think we make a big mistake if we overlook this short verse. The verb περιπατεῖτε is in the imperative and while it technically does mean "walk," it has the sense of lifestyle. In other words, Paul is telling the Colossians that their lifestyles should be wise toward outsiders. I also take τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι to mean that we should seize any opportunity to show or share Christ with τοὺς ἔξω, or "those who are outside." The word ἐξαγοραζόμενοι is a present participle, so that gives a sense that it is something we should routinely do.
I think about how I interact with my neighbors. Do I take care of my house? That's part of my witness toward them. How do I interact with my coworkers? Do I do the best job I can? That's part of my witness. Do I tip well at restaurants? Am I polite with people who help me at restaurants and stores? That doesn't necessarily mean that I get to a gospel presentation every time, but I want my way of life to be wise toward outsiders.
Do we really believe the second half of this verse? It is not hard to imagine seeing a bunch of cars outside a neighbor's house one day only to find out that someone died. Did I share the gospel with that person? Or maybe a coworker quits or gets fired before I can share the gospel with him. Am I looking for opportunities and making the best use of the time or am I being lazy?
This is really convicting for me. It is one more reason why I need to work as hard as I can at the office. It is something I am prayerfully improving upon lately, but there is still room to grow. Ultimately it comes down to the gospel. Do I believe it enough to prayerfully change my life so that I can share it effectively?
Saturday, July 02, 2011
How Do You Smell?
2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
15 ὅτι Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ θεῷ ἐν τοῖς σῳζομένοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, 16 οἷς μὲν ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ ὀσμὴ ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός;
I have to admit that I did not get a lot out of this chapter when I read it in Greek. Paul's language is rather figurative, which made it hard for me to see what he was getting at. However, this is one passage that did make sense. There is no special exegetical clue that jumps out of the Greek. The ESV captures it very well.
But what does it mean? It means that we should not become too discouraged in our evangelism. To those who are perishing we are a fragrance of death to them. Death stinks. The house I grew up in had these huge windows in the living room. One of them was like a magnet for robins. I can remember playing outside the house on summer days and discovering the sickly-sweet smell of rotting robin. It's not a pleasant smell. In fact, it is repulsive.
The words σῳζομένοις and ἀπολλυμένοις are present passive participles, just as you see in the ESV. Given what we know about the nature of election from Ephesians 1, I would maintain that those who are not elect will always find the gospel to be repulsive because it is a message of death. But to the elect it is a wonderful aroma of life.
However, we need to be careful here. I think that there is still room for someone being "broken down" by the gospel. In other words, most who hear the gospel for the first time do not immediately repent and believe. Yet some of them eventually will. What I'm getting at is that we cannot give up on someone just because of a single rejection of the gospel. But we also cannot be too discouraged when people do not believe because the gospel is going to be an aroma of death to them.
How do you see the gospel? Is it an aroma of life or death? If it is life to you, what are you doing to spread the gospel?
But what does it mean? It means that we should not become too discouraged in our evangelism. To those who are perishing we are a fragrance of death to them. Death stinks. The house I grew up in had these huge windows in the living room. One of them was like a magnet for robins. I can remember playing outside the house on summer days and discovering the sickly-sweet smell of rotting robin. It's not a pleasant smell. In fact, it is repulsive.
The words σῳζομένοις and ἀπολλυμένοις are present passive participles, just as you see in the ESV. Given what we know about the nature of election from Ephesians 1, I would maintain that those who are not elect will always find the gospel to be repulsive because it is a message of death. But to the elect it is a wonderful aroma of life.
However, we need to be careful here. I think that there is still room for someone being "broken down" by the gospel. In other words, most who hear the gospel for the first time do not immediately repent and believe. Yet some of them eventually will. What I'm getting at is that we cannot give up on someone just because of a single rejection of the gospel. But we also cannot be too discouraged when people do not believe because the gospel is going to be an aroma of death to them.
How do you see the gospel? Is it an aroma of life or death? If it is life to you, what are you doing to spread the gospel?
Thursday, June 23, 2011
We Must Preach
1 Corinthians 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
16 ἐὰν γὰρ εὐαγγελίζωμαι, οὐκ ἔστιν μοι καύχημα· ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται· οὐαὶ γάρ μοί ἐστιν ἐὰν μὴ εὐαγγελίσωμαι.
Here Paul is making an argument about why ministers should be paid for their work, but that he waived those rights. He uses the phrase ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται, which involves a passive construction. There is nothing to unpack beyond how the ESV puts it. The word literally means that something has been put on. I think of it like a burden placed on an animal or on someone's shoulders. There is a weightiness to this charge.
Paul goes so far as to call woe upon himself if he does not preach the gospel. Clearly he considers this to be important. Of course, he was the Apostle Paul; therefore, it was vital for him to preach the gospel. Right?
That is true of Paul, but it is also true for you and me if we are followers of Christ. This is not a task given just to the "ministers" of the gospel. It is given to all Christians. We tend to like our professionals to do work for us. An advanced society is like that our of necessity. I don't know anyone who slaughters and butchers his own meat. I don't know anyone who grows all of his own vegetables. I don't know anyone who processes his own flour. I've never met anyone who physically built his own house (at least not in America). An advanced society has moved to the point of specialization so that we buy and sell products and services.
However, that does not apply to the ministry of the gospel. There is no such thing as a professional. There is in the strictest sense in that some men serve in gospel ministry full-time and get paid to do so, but really there is no distinction between "clergy" and "laity" when it comes to evangelism. We all have different gifts and we all will speak more effectively to different people, but we are all called to gospel ministry.
In other words, woe to any of us if we do not preach the gospel!
Paul goes so far as to call woe upon himself if he does not preach the gospel. Clearly he considers this to be important. Of course, he was the Apostle Paul; therefore, it was vital for him to preach the gospel. Right?
That is true of Paul, but it is also true for you and me if we are followers of Christ. This is not a task given just to the "ministers" of the gospel. It is given to all Christians. We tend to like our professionals to do work for us. An advanced society is like that our of necessity. I don't know anyone who slaughters and butchers his own meat. I don't know anyone who grows all of his own vegetables. I don't know anyone who processes his own flour. I've never met anyone who physically built his own house (at least not in America). An advanced society has moved to the point of specialization so that we buy and sell products and services.
However, that does not apply to the ministry of the gospel. There is no such thing as a professional. There is in the strictest sense in that some men serve in gospel ministry full-time and get paid to do so, but really there is no distinction between "clergy" and "laity" when it comes to evangelism. We all have different gifts and we all will speak more effectively to different people, but we are all called to gospel ministry.
In other words, woe to any of us if we do not preach the gospel!
There is One God
1 Corinthians 8:5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"-- 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
5 καὶ γὰρ εἴπερ εἰσὶν λεγόμενοι θεοὶ εἴτε ἐν οὐρανῷ εἴτε ἐπὶ γῆς, ὥσπερ εἰσὶν θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοί, 6 ἀλλ᾽ ἡμῖν εἷς θεὸς ὁ πατὴρ ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν, καὶ εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς δι᾽ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς δι᾽ αὐτοῦ.
Paul writes this short interlude in the middle of an argument about food. Food was a big deal to the Jews and consequently this became a big deal to the early Christians. What difference did it make if food was offered to an idol? It mattered for the conscience of the person who knew about this. It didn't matter to the Christian, but to the idolater it would be considered some form of validation.
Paul referred to the objects of this idol worship as λεγόμενοι θεοὶ. Because λεγόμενοι is a passive participle it can be understood as "those who are being called Gods." The ESV flows better, but that would be the unpacking of "so-called." The point is that someone can call Baal, Molech, Allah, or anything else a god, but they are that in name only.
This is incredibly important for us in our society today. Because we don't want to offend anyone we as a society preach a message of supposed tolerance and pluralism. We say that everyone is free to believe whatever he wants, but that we should not impose that belief system on others. A quick glance at the news shows the impossibility of this stance.
This is fine for a Hindu with a pantheon of gods who sees Jesus as just one more. This is fine for the liberal in any faith tradition who does not consider the sacred material to be binding. However, this is unacceptable to a true Muslim, for example. If the Koran is correct and it is true that "there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet," then everyone should become a Muslim. Why? Because if they are right then the Christian understands the fundamental of reality incorrectly. If we have the Creator wrong then everything else is going to be wrong.
Conversely, a Christian cannot stand for true pluralism. Certainly he can tolerate anyone believing whatever he wants to believe. But it is incumbent upon the Christian to explain reality to everyone. That reality starts with the God of Scripture. If the Bible is correct then the natural consequence is evangelism about Jesus. It has to be. There is no alternative.
There is a corollary to this as well. If the God of the Bible is the one true God then where does that leave everyone else? They are worshiping demons. They are fundamentally no different than the priests Elijah battled on Mount Carmel. And, if the Bible is true, they will have an eternity of suffering in the presence of demons. There is no middle ground here. On which side do you stand?
Paul referred to the objects of this idol worship as λεγόμενοι θεοὶ. Because λεγόμενοι is a passive participle it can be understood as "those who are being called Gods." The ESV flows better, but that would be the unpacking of "so-called." The point is that someone can call Baal, Molech, Allah, or anything else a god, but they are that in name only.
This is incredibly important for us in our society today. Because we don't want to offend anyone we as a society preach a message of supposed tolerance and pluralism. We say that everyone is free to believe whatever he wants, but that we should not impose that belief system on others. A quick glance at the news shows the impossibility of this stance.
This is fine for a Hindu with a pantheon of gods who sees Jesus as just one more. This is fine for the liberal in any faith tradition who does not consider the sacred material to be binding. However, this is unacceptable to a true Muslim, for example. If the Koran is correct and it is true that "there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet," then everyone should become a Muslim. Why? Because if they are right then the Christian understands the fundamental of reality incorrectly. If we have the Creator wrong then everything else is going to be wrong.
Conversely, a Christian cannot stand for true pluralism. Certainly he can tolerate anyone believing whatever he wants to believe. But it is incumbent upon the Christian to explain reality to everyone. That reality starts with the God of Scripture. If the Bible is correct then the natural consequence is evangelism about Jesus. It has to be. There is no alternative.
There is a corollary to this as well. If the God of the Bible is the one true God then where does that leave everyone else? They are worshiping demons. They are fundamentally no different than the priests Elijah battled on Mount Carmel. And, if the Bible is true, they will have an eternity of suffering in the presence of demons. There is no middle ground here. On which side do you stand?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Working the System
Acts 25:11 If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar."
11 εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀδικῶ καὶ ἄξιον θανάτου πέπραχά τι, οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν· εἰ δὲ οὐδέν ἐστιν ὧν οὗτοι κατηγοροῦσίν μου, οὐδείς με δύναται αὐτοῖς χαρίσασθαι· Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι.
I admit that I am always looking for ways to work the system. It doesn't matter which specific system it is. I just want to squeeze out the most efficiency and benefit that I can. It may be a trip for work where I can find a way to do something else on the side. It may be something as simple as an errand where I realize that I can do something else besides what I originally meant to do. The point is that I always like to find a benefit, particularly when it does not cost me anything.
I believe that is what Paul was doing here. He wanted to go to Rome so he could preach the gospel there. He could have simply been acquitted of the false charges brought against him, but instead of doing that he worked the system of Roman law. As we'll see going forward, he had a very rough journey to Rome. He traveled as a prisoner and nearly died. But he realized that he could get Rome to pay for his passage to the city of Rome so that he could preach the gospel there.
The point of this is not so much about the value of working whatever system in which you happen to find yourself. The point is that we must be opportunistic about the gospel. Pay attention when you talk to people. Can you work the gospel in to the conversation in a non-forced way? Is there some way that you can get a platform to preach it? If so, take it. But you have to pay attention if you are going to seize these opportunities.
11 εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀδικῶ καὶ ἄξιον θανάτου πέπραχά τι, οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν· εἰ δὲ οὐδέν ἐστιν ὧν οὗτοι κατηγοροῦσίν μου, οὐδείς με δύναται αὐτοῖς χαρίσασθαι· Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι.
I admit that I am always looking for ways to work the system. It doesn't matter which specific system it is. I just want to squeeze out the most efficiency and benefit that I can. It may be a trip for work where I can find a way to do something else on the side. It may be something as simple as an errand where I realize that I can do something else besides what I originally meant to do. The point is that I always like to find a benefit, particularly when it does not cost me anything.
I believe that is what Paul was doing here. He wanted to go to Rome so he could preach the gospel there. He could have simply been acquitted of the false charges brought against him, but instead of doing that he worked the system of Roman law. As we'll see going forward, he had a very rough journey to Rome. He traveled as a prisoner and nearly died. But he realized that he could get Rome to pay for his passage to the city of Rome so that he could preach the gospel there.
The point of this is not so much about the value of working whatever system in which you happen to find yourself. The point is that we must be opportunistic about the gospel. Pay attention when you talk to people. Can you work the gospel in to the conversation in a non-forced way? Is there some way that you can get a platform to preach it? If so, take it. But you have to pay attention if you are going to seize these opportunities.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
By Any Means Necessary
Acts 24:26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him.
26 ἅμα καὶ ἐλπίζων ὅτι χρήματα δοθήσεται αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου· διὸ καὶ πυκνότερον αὐτὸν μεταπεμπόμενος ὡμίλει αὐτῷ.
The "he" in this verse is Felix. He had Paul imprisoned and this is what he did with Paul during that time. He had selfish motives, but he still talked often with Paul. What do you think Paul talked to him about?
I suppose that Paul probably made small talk with him. They probably were able to talk about current events and other mundane things. But I would be shocked if Paul did not regularly turn the conversation to the gospel. After all, Paul was all about the gospel. It didn't matter to him if Felix's motives were wrong, he was going to take every opportunity he had to preach the gospel.
Yesterday I was blessed to have a spiritual conversation with an unbelieving coworker. He is a theist, but just likes to dabble in various religions. I had a chance to talk to him about the uniqueness of Christianity, the historicity of the resurrection account, and various other matters. He hardly bowed his knee in repentance at that time, but I think it was a good chance for me to sow seeds.
I am not very good at bringing conversations to the gospel, but when a good opportunity does arise I try never to shy away. That is something I can almost always make time for. How about you? Do you share the gospel when you have a chance? Do you look for those chances? If not, why?
26 ἅμα καὶ ἐλπίζων ὅτι χρήματα δοθήσεται αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου· διὸ καὶ πυκνότερον αὐτὸν μεταπεμπόμενος ὡμίλει αὐτῷ.
The "he" in this verse is Felix. He had Paul imprisoned and this is what he did with Paul during that time. He had selfish motives, but he still talked often with Paul. What do you think Paul talked to him about?
I suppose that Paul probably made small talk with him. They probably were able to talk about current events and other mundane things. But I would be shocked if Paul did not regularly turn the conversation to the gospel. After all, Paul was all about the gospel. It didn't matter to him if Felix's motives were wrong, he was going to take every opportunity he had to preach the gospel.
Yesterday I was blessed to have a spiritual conversation with an unbelieving coworker. He is a theist, but just likes to dabble in various religions. I had a chance to talk to him about the uniqueness of Christianity, the historicity of the resurrection account, and various other matters. He hardly bowed his knee in repentance at that time, but I think it was a good chance for me to sow seeds.
I am not very good at bringing conversations to the gospel, but when a good opportunity does arise I try never to shy away. That is something I can almost always make time for. How about you? Do you share the gospel when you have a chance? Do you look for those chances? If not, why?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Freedom
Acts 10:13 And there came a voice to him: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat."
13 καὶ ἐγένετο φωνὴ πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀναστάς, Πέτρε, θῦσον καὶ φάγε.
This is another one of those verses that make little sense to us in our 21st century mostly Gentile context. Here Peter had received a vision telling him that he not only could, but should go out and eat any animal. Of course, in Peter's inimitable style he rebukes the Lord and is subsequently corrected. I find it fascinating that he is given two imperatives to θῦσον καὶ φάγε. This is not a suggestion.
This is not to say that eating vegetables is sinful. The context for all of this is the strict dietary laws that the Jews received from the Lord. As a good Jew Peter never would have eaten anything considered unclean. Here he is not only given permission to, but he is being told to. This ultimately leads to his interaction with Cornelius, who becomes the first recorded Gentile convert.
I think that the point is that the Lord is forcing Peter out of where he is comfortable. He is very clearly telling him that the old rules no longer apply. There is freedom in Christ for everybody. Go and do the unthinkable -- eat a ham sandwich. Go and do the unthinkable -- tell a Gentile about Christ.
So on the surface this verse is a great argument against some of the crazy PETA folks. While there may be health reasons not to eat meat I don't think that there are any good moral reasons. But even beyond the joys of pork this verse is part of a passage that explains how Christ must be preached to everyone -- even to those we find to be unclean.
13 καὶ ἐγένετο φωνὴ πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀναστάς, Πέτρε, θῦσον καὶ φάγε.
This is another one of those verses that make little sense to us in our 21st century mostly Gentile context. Here Peter had received a vision telling him that he not only could, but should go out and eat any animal. Of course, in Peter's inimitable style he rebukes the Lord and is subsequently corrected. I find it fascinating that he is given two imperatives to θῦσον καὶ φάγε. This is not a suggestion.
This is not to say that eating vegetables is sinful. The context for all of this is the strict dietary laws that the Jews received from the Lord. As a good Jew Peter never would have eaten anything considered unclean. Here he is not only given permission to, but he is being told to. This ultimately leads to his interaction with Cornelius, who becomes the first recorded Gentile convert.
I think that the point is that the Lord is forcing Peter out of where he is comfortable. He is very clearly telling him that the old rules no longer apply. There is freedom in Christ for everybody. Go and do the unthinkable -- eat a ham sandwich. Go and do the unthinkable -- tell a Gentile about Christ.
So on the surface this verse is a great argument against some of the crazy PETA folks. While there may be health reasons not to eat meat I don't think that there are any good moral reasons. But even beyond the joys of pork this verse is part of a passage that explains how Christ must be preached to everyone -- even to those we find to be unclean.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Active Faith
Acts 9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
17 Ἀπῆλθεν δὲ Ἁνανίας καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ἐπιθεὶς ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας εἶπεν· Σαοὺλ ἀδελφέ, ὁ κύριος ἀπέσταλκέν με, Ἰησοῦς ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ᾗ ἤρχου, ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃς καὶ πλησθῇς πνεύματος ἁγίου.
This is the result of a little argument that Ananias had with the Lord. He rightfully pointed out that Saul was the man who was persecuting the church. He was having folks arrested and killed. And here God wanted him to go and lay hands on him? He was more afraid of Saul laying hands on him to arrest him. This was a completely legitimate fear.
I think in modern terms this would be like receiving a revelation that you should go stand on a street corner in Jakarta and preach with a Bible in your hand. Or maybe in Mecca or Medina in Saudi Arabia. I guarantee that you would not do it for very long before you were arrested. You may or may not be killed, but it would go very badly for you. Ananias knew all about Saul and was afraid for good reason.
But here we see that Ananias obeyed. The lesson here is extremely simple. Do you trust God to be faithful to His promises? If so, then you will obey Him. If it were me, I don't think I would trust a vision I received in a dream to do something like this. However, I do know that God's Word is faithful and true. There is plenty in there for me to obey without having to be shot for preaching the gospel on a street corner in Jakarta.
Our problem is that we tend to confuse temporal and eternal blessings. There is nothing in the Bible that promises us a safe and quiet life. What we do have are lots of promises for eternal security in Christ. That needs to be our hope, not some watered-down prosperity message.
This is really convicting to me. How about you? Anyone reading this who is about to take his family to Liberia is exempted from answering.
17 Ἀπῆλθεν δὲ Ἁνανίας καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ἐπιθεὶς ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας εἶπεν· Σαοὺλ ἀδελφέ, ὁ κύριος ἀπέσταλκέν με, Ἰησοῦς ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ᾗ ἤρχου, ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃς καὶ πλησθῇς πνεύματος ἁγίου.
This is the result of a little argument that Ananias had with the Lord. He rightfully pointed out that Saul was the man who was persecuting the church. He was having folks arrested and killed. And here God wanted him to go and lay hands on him? He was more afraid of Saul laying hands on him to arrest him. This was a completely legitimate fear.
I think in modern terms this would be like receiving a revelation that you should go stand on a street corner in Jakarta and preach with a Bible in your hand. Or maybe in Mecca or Medina in Saudi Arabia. I guarantee that you would not do it for very long before you were arrested. You may or may not be killed, but it would go very badly for you. Ananias knew all about Saul and was afraid for good reason.
But here we see that Ananias obeyed. The lesson here is extremely simple. Do you trust God to be faithful to His promises? If so, then you will obey Him. If it were me, I don't think I would trust a vision I received in a dream to do something like this. However, I do know that God's Word is faithful and true. There is plenty in there for me to obey without having to be shot for preaching the gospel on a street corner in Jakarta.
Our problem is that we tend to confuse temporal and eternal blessings. There is nothing in the Bible that promises us a safe and quiet life. What we do have are lots of promises for eternal security in Christ. That needs to be our hope, not some watered-down prosperity message.
This is really convicting to me. How about you? Anyone reading this who is about to take his family to Liberia is exempted from answering.
Friday, November 05, 2010
Are You Sick?
Matthew 9:12 But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
12 ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας εἶπεν· οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ᾽ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες.
The Pharisees didn't like the company that Jesus kept. It made no sense to them that He would associate with prostitutes and the hated tax-collectors. After all, a good teacher would not do such things. They certainly wouldn't. Then Jesus hits them with this saying. He did not come for ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες, which literally means having "strong" or "able," but He did come for οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες, or the ones having badness.
This is a message that I think the American church needs to consider today. I am all for the principles of Fundamentalism. We should stick to the text, though of course we all have traditions that color our hermeneutics. If the Bible says so then that should be enough for us. These are good things about Fundamentalism.
But the bad is the isolationist tendencies. In one sense, Jesus does set up an "us vs them" world. However, He also makes it clear that we are to evangelize. That's hard to do when we refuse to spend time with οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. It's also hard when we think ourselves to be ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες. Until we identify first as being sick or sinful we will never ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες.
Where are you? Are you resting in your own righteousness? Or are you resting in the care and ability of the Great Physician who came to heal the sick? I urge you to repent of your self-sufficiency and rely solely on the work of Christ.
12 ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας εἶπεν· οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ᾽ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες.
The Pharisees didn't like the company that Jesus kept. It made no sense to them that He would associate with prostitutes and the hated tax-collectors. After all, a good teacher would not do such things. They certainly wouldn't. Then Jesus hits them with this saying. He did not come for ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες, which literally means having "strong" or "able," but He did come for οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες, or the ones having badness.
This is a message that I think the American church needs to consider today. I am all for the principles of Fundamentalism. We should stick to the text, though of course we all have traditions that color our hermeneutics. If the Bible says so then that should be enough for us. These are good things about Fundamentalism.
But the bad is the isolationist tendencies. In one sense, Jesus does set up an "us vs them" world. However, He also makes it clear that we are to evangelize. That's hard to do when we refuse to spend time with οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. It's also hard when we think ourselves to be ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες. Until we identify first as being sick or sinful we will never ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες.
Where are you? Are you resting in your own righteousness? Or are you resting in the care and ability of the Great Physician who came to heal the sick? I urge you to repent of your self-sufficiency and rely solely on the work of Christ.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
The Living God
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
31 φοβερὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας θεοῦ ζῶντος.
This was a tough chapter for a few reasons. One is that I had a tough time keeping up with the Greek. Another is that there is so much wonderful stuff in here that it was very difficult to pick out a verse to write about. I thought about writing on the verses previous to this as they seem to speak very clearly regarding the lordship of Christ in salvation. However, I think that this one verse is worth focusing on by itself.
The first thing I note is that God is ζῶντος. That is a present active participle. It is in the genitive because it describes the hands into which it is fearful to fall. Whose hands? The hands of the living God. But what does this mean?
It means that God is real. He is alive. He is a present reality. Most folks live as if this were not the case. Most of us (and even we Christians from time to time) act as if God is not real and that He is not ultimately going to judge. We choose sin over obedience which is implicitly saying that we don't believe God will truly satisfy and that He will meet our deepest needs. We turn to functional saviors rather than the living God.
But at an even deeper level, this verse should spur us to evangelism. There are a lot of folks out there who are going to fall into the hands of the living God. Hands are a metaphor for power. In short, this verse tells us that there are a lot of people who are going to have to deal with the judgment of the living God. This is not the living God of Oprah or even Joel Osteen. This is the true God, and we are to fear Him.
Do you have a reverent awe of the living God? Do you live as if He is real or do you pretend that He is not there? The weight with which we read this verse changes quite a bit.
31 φοβερὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας θεοῦ ζῶντος.
This was a tough chapter for a few reasons. One is that I had a tough time keeping up with the Greek. Another is that there is so much wonderful stuff in here that it was very difficult to pick out a verse to write about. I thought about writing on the verses previous to this as they seem to speak very clearly regarding the lordship of Christ in salvation. However, I think that this one verse is worth focusing on by itself.
The first thing I note is that God is ζῶντος. That is a present active participle. It is in the genitive because it describes the hands into which it is fearful to fall. Whose hands? The hands of the living God. But what does this mean?
It means that God is real. He is alive. He is a present reality. Most folks live as if this were not the case. Most of us (and even we Christians from time to time) act as if God is not real and that He is not ultimately going to judge. We choose sin over obedience which is implicitly saying that we don't believe God will truly satisfy and that He will meet our deepest needs. We turn to functional saviors rather than the living God.
But at an even deeper level, this verse should spur us to evangelism. There are a lot of folks out there who are going to fall into the hands of the living God. Hands are a metaphor for power. In short, this verse tells us that there are a lot of people who are going to have to deal with the judgment of the living God. This is not the living God of Oprah or even Joel Osteen. This is the true God, and we are to fear Him.
Do you have a reverent awe of the living God? Do you live as if He is real or do you pretend that He is not there? The weight with which we read this verse changes quite a bit.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Our Spirit
2 Timothy 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
7 οὐ γὰρ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς πνεῦμα δειλίας ἀλλὰ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ.
In this second letter Paul is giving Timothy some exhortations. Remember, this is the last time Paul would write to Timothy, so he had to make this count. Here he explains about how Timothy received the Holy Spirit after Paul laid hands on him and prayed over him. This verse explains the type of spirit we received. It is one of δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ.
This is one of those verses that can actually go well on the bathroom mirror or on an index card. I am normally against turning Scripture into fortune cookie aphorisms, but this verse contains a promise that we would do well to remember often. God did not save us so that we might be timid. This has all kinds of implications.
For example, when you sense the Holy Spirit prompting you to tell someone about Jesus, how do you react? Is it out of fear or is it out of His power? I'm afraid that I fail at that frequently. When you look at your life are you worried about how you can possibly make ends meet or do you trust in God's provision for your life? When you approach an unknown situation do you trust in God's sovereign care over your life or do you think through all the possible ways that things can and will go wrong?
We could go through a myriad of applications with this verse. Paul wrote this to Timothy specifically about Timothy's ministry. However, I don't think we need to stop there. Let's remember that God's Holy Spirit is one of power and not δειλίας, amen?
7 οὐ γὰρ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς πνεῦμα δειλίας ἀλλὰ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ.
In this second letter Paul is giving Timothy some exhortations. Remember, this is the last time Paul would write to Timothy, so he had to make this count. Here he explains about how Timothy received the Holy Spirit after Paul laid hands on him and prayed over him. This verse explains the type of spirit we received. It is one of δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ.
This is one of those verses that can actually go well on the bathroom mirror or on an index card. I am normally against turning Scripture into fortune cookie aphorisms, but this verse contains a promise that we would do well to remember often. God did not save us so that we might be timid. This has all kinds of implications.
For example, when you sense the Holy Spirit prompting you to tell someone about Jesus, how do you react? Is it out of fear or is it out of His power? I'm afraid that I fail at that frequently. When you look at your life are you worried about how you can possibly make ends meet or do you trust in God's provision for your life? When you approach an unknown situation do you trust in God's sovereign care over your life or do you think through all the possible ways that things can and will go wrong?
We could go through a myriad of applications with this verse. Paul wrote this to Timothy specifically about Timothy's ministry. However, I don't think we need to stop there. Let's remember that God's Holy Spirit is one of power and not δειλίας, amen?
Monday, August 16, 2010
One Way
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
5 εἷς γὰρ θεός, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, 6 ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων, τὸ μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις.
There is an ecumencial spirit afoot in our time that believes in many paths to God. The goal of life is simply to live in a Christ-like way. If we do that, these folks say, then we will be at one with the Divine. That's all that really matters.
This passage tells us otherwise. As we learned way back in John 14:6, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. It is only through His sacrifice that man may be reconciled to God. This passage speaks to the reality of what theologians call penal substitutionary atonement. Christ paid our penalty for sin. We deserved the death that He died on the cross. He did this that we may live.
We do need to be careful with this verse though. We see that He gave Himself as a ransom ὑπὲρ πάντων, which means literally, "in behalf of all." The caution must be exercised with the definition of "all." If we take this to mean every person who has ever and will ever live then we move toward universalism. If we rip this out as a proof-text we can see that. But if we read this within the canon of Scripture (and even just the surrounding verses) we see that Paul is saying something quite radical to his audience. Christ died not just to save Jews, but also to save Gentiles.
In other words, when Paul writes "all" here, he refers to the fact that Christ's death secured the salvation of Gentile believers as well as Jewish believers. He is not teaching universalism here, but rather explaining to the Jews that the love of God goes beyond the descendants of Abraham. As a Gentile I rejoice in this fact.
Let this be a lesson to read every passage in its context, both immediate and far. To do otherwise is quite dangerous lest we fall into universalism and lose all zeal for evangelism.
5 εἷς γὰρ θεός, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, 6 ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων, τὸ μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις.
There is an ecumencial spirit afoot in our time that believes in many paths to God. The goal of life is simply to live in a Christ-like way. If we do that, these folks say, then we will be at one with the Divine. That's all that really matters.
This passage tells us otherwise. As we learned way back in John 14:6, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. It is only through His sacrifice that man may be reconciled to God. This passage speaks to the reality of what theologians call penal substitutionary atonement. Christ paid our penalty for sin. We deserved the death that He died on the cross. He did this that we may live.
We do need to be careful with this verse though. We see that He gave Himself as a ransom ὑπὲρ πάντων, which means literally, "in behalf of all." The caution must be exercised with the definition of "all." If we take this to mean every person who has ever and will ever live then we move toward universalism. If we rip this out as a proof-text we can see that. But if we read this within the canon of Scripture (and even just the surrounding verses) we see that Paul is saying something quite radical to his audience. Christ died not just to save Jews, but also to save Gentiles.
In other words, when Paul writes "all" here, he refers to the fact that Christ's death secured the salvation of Gentile believers as well as Jewish believers. He is not teaching universalism here, but rather explaining to the Jews that the love of God goes beyond the descendants of Abraham. As a Gentile I rejoice in this fact.
Let this be a lesson to read every passage in its context, both immediate and far. To do otherwise is quite dangerous lest we fall into universalism and lose all zeal for evangelism.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Spending Time
Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
5 Ἐν σοφίᾳ περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι.
I'm very familiar with the parallel to this passage in Ephesians, but this puts a little bit of a twist on it. In Ephesians you get the sense that you are simply to manage your time well. After all, we only get so much of it. It's a precious resource and we should use it well. Nobody would argue with that.
Here we get a little more direction. It's not just that we are to use our time well, but we are to do it with respect to outsiders. In other words, there seems to be an evangelistic purpose here. It is not enough simply not to waste time. Our time should be spent with a focus toward σοφίᾳ and it specifically mentions τοὺς ἔξω or the ones who are outside.
I'm fairly good at time-management. I think I'm probably a little bit more disciplined than many. I typically get a lot done every day. But am I doing it with a mind toward outsiders? Not so much. I'm doing it with respect to my agenda. Now the things I spend my time on are typically good things like exercise, reading Scripture, studying for seminary, and spending time with my family. These are fine things.
This verse tells me that I need to prayerfully think about how I can use my time in walking in wisdom toward outsiders. How do you do this?
5 Ἐν σοφίᾳ περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι.
I'm very familiar with the parallel to this passage in Ephesians, but this puts a little bit of a twist on it. In Ephesians you get the sense that you are simply to manage your time well. After all, we only get so much of it. It's a precious resource and we should use it well. Nobody would argue with that.
Here we get a little more direction. It's not just that we are to use our time well, but we are to do it with respect to outsiders. In other words, there seems to be an evangelistic purpose here. It is not enough simply not to waste time. Our time should be spent with a focus toward σοφίᾳ and it specifically mentions τοὺς ἔξω or the ones who are outside.
I'm fairly good at time-management. I think I'm probably a little bit more disciplined than many. I typically get a lot done every day. But am I doing it with a mind toward outsiders? Not so much. I'm doing it with respect to my agenda. Now the things I spend my time on are typically good things like exercise, reading Scripture, studying for seminary, and spending time with my family. These are fine things.
This verse tells me that I need to prayerfully think about how I can use my time in walking in wisdom toward outsiders. How do you do this?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Prayers for Boldness
Ephesians 6:19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
19 καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα μοι δοθῇ λόγος ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματός μου, ἐν παρρησίᾳ γνωρίσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, 20 ὑπὲρ οὗ πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ παρρησιάσωμαι ὡς δεῖ με λαλῆσαι.
This is at the very end of the passage on the armor of God. Paul gives his readers a prayer request. He needs prayers to declare the gospel boldly. Think about this for a minute. This is the Paul who converted jailers because he would talk to them about the gospel while they were chained to him. This is Paul the missionary church planter who suffered all kinds of hardships so that he could spread the gospel. He still wanted prayers so that his mouth would be opened ἐν παρρησία, or in boldness. After all, that was how he had to speak.
It's fascinating to me that I read this today. I've been having conversations with a coworker who has been exhorting me to spend more time witnessing. He is absolutely right, though I'm still not convinced that million dollar bill tracts really do anything positive and may indeed be more of a negative than anything. Nevertheless, at least he's doing something. He sees a lost world and looks for opportunities to have his mouth opened boldly.
I do not shy away from opportunities to have spiritual conversations with people. I'm just not very good at bringing it up. I don't think it is very effective to force it, but I also know that people need to brought to these conversations. I don't think it is reasonable to expect to be like Philip finding the Ethiopian eunuch trying to figure out the book of Isaiah.
I want desperately to have opportunities to talk to people about Jesus. After all, that's one of the reasons why I'm in seminary. So what I get from this passage is that I also need to be more intentional in my prayers that "words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly." Quite convicting.
19 καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα μοι δοθῇ λόγος ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματός μου, ἐν παρρησίᾳ γνωρίσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, 20 ὑπὲρ οὗ πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ παρρησιάσωμαι ὡς δεῖ με λαλῆσαι.
This is at the very end of the passage on the armor of God. Paul gives his readers a prayer request. He needs prayers to declare the gospel boldly. Think about this for a minute. This is the Paul who converted jailers because he would talk to them about the gospel while they were chained to him. This is Paul the missionary church planter who suffered all kinds of hardships so that he could spread the gospel. He still wanted prayers so that his mouth would be opened ἐν παρρησία, or in boldness. After all, that was how he had to speak.
It's fascinating to me that I read this today. I've been having conversations with a coworker who has been exhorting me to spend more time witnessing. He is absolutely right, though I'm still not convinced that million dollar bill tracts really do anything positive and may indeed be more of a negative than anything. Nevertheless, at least he's doing something. He sees a lost world and looks for opportunities to have his mouth opened boldly.
I do not shy away from opportunities to have spiritual conversations with people. I'm just not very good at bringing it up. I don't think it is very effective to force it, but I also know that people need to brought to these conversations. I don't think it is reasonable to expect to be like Philip finding the Ethiopian eunuch trying to figure out the book of Isaiah.
I want desperately to have opportunities to talk to people about Jesus. After all, that's one of the reasons why I'm in seminary. So what I get from this passage is that I also need to be more intentional in my prayers that "words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly." Quite convicting.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Testimonies
2 Corinthians 4:5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
5 Οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν ἀλλὰ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κύριον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦν.
I was tempted to write on the verse before this that speak to how God is sovereign in election, but I decided to go with this because it is something that has been on my mind lately. The name of my blog comes from my own journey out of habitual sin. Roughly eight years ago I was a slave to pornography as well as gluttony and laziness. God first set me free from sexual sin then about six months later He set me free from gluttony and laziness. I am certainly not perfect with respect to either of these temptations, but I would call myself walking in freedom.
That's my story in a nutshell. I worked with the ministry that helped me find freedom for six years. One part of that ministry is the testimonies. Every lesson in every course ends with a testimony. These testimonies are tremendous encouragements in the pursuit of freedom from habitual sin. You begin to realize that God works in the lives of regular people and it is by His Spirit that one finds lasting freedom.
However, there is an element of proclaiming ourselves when we give a testimony. No matter how much we try to give God all the glory, we are still telling the story of something that happened to us. We want for God to be magnified and glorified in that story, but ultimately it is our story.
I do not think that testimonies are the best way to witness to someone about the gospel. There are a myriad of ways to lose weight and stop surfing porn. I could wear a rubber band and snap it on my wrist and I could change my behavior. I could look to an amorphous "higher power" and find sobriety. Ultimately my witness is based on the fact of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If that was a true historical event then we can talk about testimonies. If not, then it doesn't really matter what happened to me.
I think Paul certainly used his very powerful conversion story. It's written in Scripture, after all. But I think that was secondary to the story of Christ's resurrection. That is the real story and that is what we must remember as we proclaim Him.
5 Οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν ἀλλὰ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κύριον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦν.
I was tempted to write on the verse before this that speak to how God is sovereign in election, but I decided to go with this because it is something that has been on my mind lately. The name of my blog comes from my own journey out of habitual sin. Roughly eight years ago I was a slave to pornography as well as gluttony and laziness. God first set me free from sexual sin then about six months later He set me free from gluttony and laziness. I am certainly not perfect with respect to either of these temptations, but I would call myself walking in freedom.
That's my story in a nutshell. I worked with the ministry that helped me find freedom for six years. One part of that ministry is the testimonies. Every lesson in every course ends with a testimony. These testimonies are tremendous encouragements in the pursuit of freedom from habitual sin. You begin to realize that God works in the lives of regular people and it is by His Spirit that one finds lasting freedom.
However, there is an element of proclaiming ourselves when we give a testimony. No matter how much we try to give God all the glory, we are still telling the story of something that happened to us. We want for God to be magnified and glorified in that story, but ultimately it is our story.
I do not think that testimonies are the best way to witness to someone about the gospel. There are a myriad of ways to lose weight and stop surfing porn. I could wear a rubber band and snap it on my wrist and I could change my behavior. I could look to an amorphous "higher power" and find sobriety. Ultimately my witness is based on the fact of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If that was a true historical event then we can talk about testimonies. If not, then it doesn't really matter what happened to me.
I think Paul certainly used his very powerful conversion story. It's written in Scripture, after all. But I think that was secondary to the story of Christ's resurrection. That is the real story and that is what we must remember as we proclaim Him.
Monday, July 05, 2010
The Aroma of Christ
2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
15 ὅτι Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ θεῷ ἐν τοῖς σῳζομένοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, 16 οἷς μὲν ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ ὀσμὴ ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός;
This is some strange imagery, at least to me. What is the "aroma of Christ?" Paul explains it in verse 16. He tells us that to those who reject Christ we are a fragrance of death. To those who accept Christ we are a fragrance of life.
This explains a lot as we talk to people about the gospel, doesn't it? Some folks are going to hear us talk and become intrigued. They want to know more about Christ and they eventually repent and believe. But many are not going to want to hear what we have to say. When we mention the gospel it will convict them of their sinfulness, but they will cling stubbornly to their own desires and refuse to repent. To those folks we are an aroma of death.
I think I have made the mistake of trying to be an aroma of life to those who should smell death. You can spray Glade air freshener in a bathroom and make it smell better, but the underlying smell is still there. The same goes with the aroma of death to those who are perishing. But the important thing is to let them smell it so that we have done our jobs as evangelists. We need to at least let them hear it.
This really convicts me. I keep praying for more boldness. We will see what happens.
15 ὅτι Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ θεῷ ἐν τοῖς σῳζομένοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, 16 οἷς μὲν ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ ὀσμὴ ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός;
This is some strange imagery, at least to me. What is the "aroma of Christ?" Paul explains it in verse 16. He tells us that to those who reject Christ we are a fragrance of death. To those who accept Christ we are a fragrance of life.
This explains a lot as we talk to people about the gospel, doesn't it? Some folks are going to hear us talk and become intrigued. They want to know more about Christ and they eventually repent and believe. But many are not going to want to hear what we have to say. When we mention the gospel it will convict them of their sinfulness, but they will cling stubbornly to their own desires and refuse to repent. To those folks we are an aroma of death.
I think I have made the mistake of trying to be an aroma of life to those who should smell death. You can spray Glade air freshener in a bathroom and make it smell better, but the underlying smell is still there. The same goes with the aroma of death to those who are perishing. But the important thing is to let them smell it so that we have done our jobs as evangelists. We need to at least let them hear it.
This really convicts me. I keep praying for more boldness. We will see what happens.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Seeker-Sensitive
Romans 3:9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
9 Τί οὖν; προεχόμεθα; οὐ πάντως· προῃτιασάμεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας πάντας ὑφ᾽ ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι, 10 καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἷς, 11 οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνίων, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν.
This is a very famous passage that is often quoted to show our need for the gospel. I find it fascinating that Paul includes the Jews as well. I understand that it is often difficult to witness to Jews because they do not see their need for salvation through Christ's sacrifice. They see themselves as under the Abrahamic Covenant and therefore they do not need a savior. Messiah will someday come to free them from their political bondage, but they do not need Him for their spiritual needs. Paul contradicts this point right here.
He also makes a point against the term used to describe churches like mine. He says that οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν. The word ὁ ἐκζητῶν is an active participle. What he is saying is that by nature we do not seek after God. No one is actively looking for God unless that person has a regenerated heart. Why not? No one is righteous and no one understands.
It is good to have spiritual conversations with people. It is good to witness. In fact, it is vital to witness. But it is also important to understand that we will never win anyone with concessions to what they seek. They don't know what they are really looking for. They really want God, but they aren't really seeking Him. We must witness for sure, but we must first pray. Conversion is a supernatural act.
I think my church does a pretty good job of walking the line with this. I just think that the term "seeker-sensitive" is unfortunate because it is antibiblical. I'd prefer words like "contemporary," "comfortable," "welcoming," or even "contemporvant" over seeker-sensitive.
9 Τί οὖν; προεχόμεθα; οὐ πάντως· προῃτιασάμεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας πάντας ὑφ᾽ ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι, 10 καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἷς, 11 οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνίων, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν.
This is a very famous passage that is often quoted to show our need for the gospel. I find it fascinating that Paul includes the Jews as well. I understand that it is often difficult to witness to Jews because they do not see their need for salvation through Christ's sacrifice. They see themselves as under the Abrahamic Covenant and therefore they do not need a savior. Messiah will someday come to free them from their political bondage, but they do not need Him for their spiritual needs. Paul contradicts this point right here.
He also makes a point against the term used to describe churches like mine. He says that οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν. The word ὁ ἐκζητῶν is an active participle. What he is saying is that by nature we do not seek after God. No one is actively looking for God unless that person has a regenerated heart. Why not? No one is righteous and no one understands.
It is good to have spiritual conversations with people. It is good to witness. In fact, it is vital to witness. But it is also important to understand that we will never win anyone with concessions to what they seek. They don't know what they are really looking for. They really want God, but they aren't really seeking Him. We must witness for sure, but we must first pray. Conversion is a supernatural act.
I think my church does a pretty good job of walking the line with this. I just think that the term "seeker-sensitive" is unfortunate because it is antibiblical. I'd prefer words like "contemporary," "comfortable," "welcoming," or even "contemporvant" over seeker-sensitive.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Still Incredulous
John 4:29 "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"
29 δεῦτε ἴδετε ἄνθρωπον ὃς εἶπέν μοι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα, μήτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός;
This is at the very end of a wonderful narrative about a Samaritan woman. Jesus has a conversation with this woman that is life-changing for her and for all of us who read it. He makes the offer for her to have living water that will always satisfy her. This passage transformed my life through the ministry of Setting Captives Free. I started to see that Jesus really does satisfy in a way that sin never can. I need to be reminded of this frequently. I think we all do.
What struck me this morning is that perhaps this is not the best passage to be used for evangelism. It is often presented that way though. The woman comes to know Jesus and she wants to introduce others to Him. She becomes a great evangelist in bringing people to Christ. And she certainly does that. But what struck me is the way she phrases the question. When she asks μήτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός; she expects a negative response. We know that because she started the question with μήτι. What she is effectively saying is, "This can't really be the Christ, can it?"
However, I also find some encouragement in this. The woman was faithful despite her doubt. She was obedient as well. There are plenty of us who claim to be sure that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Christ. We say that we've built our lives on Him. But are we even as faithful as this woman who was pretty open about her doubts? This certainly convicts me.
29 δεῦτε ἴδετε ἄνθρωπον ὃς εἶπέν μοι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα, μήτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός;
This is at the very end of a wonderful narrative about a Samaritan woman. Jesus has a conversation with this woman that is life-changing for her and for all of us who read it. He makes the offer for her to have living water that will always satisfy her. This passage transformed my life through the ministry of Setting Captives Free. I started to see that Jesus really does satisfy in a way that sin never can. I need to be reminded of this frequently. I think we all do.
What struck me this morning is that perhaps this is not the best passage to be used for evangelism. It is often presented that way though. The woman comes to know Jesus and she wants to introduce others to Him. She becomes a great evangelist in bringing people to Christ. And she certainly does that. But what struck me is the way she phrases the question. When she asks μήτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός; she expects a negative response. We know that because she started the question with μήτι. What she is effectively saying is, "This can't really be the Christ, can it?"
However, I also find some encouragement in this. The woman was faithful despite her doubt. She was obedient as well. There are plenty of us who claim to be sure that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Christ. We say that we've built our lives on Him. But are we even as faithful as this woman who was pretty open about her doubts? This certainly convicts me.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Remaining in Wrath
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
36 ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ὁ δὲ ἀπειθῶν τῷ υἱῷ οὐκ ὄψεται ζωήν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν.
John 3 may be the most famous chapter in the Bible because of all the signs exhorting people to read and believe John 3:16. I love John 3:16 as much as the next guy, but I think that we lose something when we read it out of context, as we do with any other verse. No verse exists in isolation. So before we try to use John 3:16 as the big Arminian trump card, let's look at another verse.
This verse gives us a different picture of who God is, doesn't it? The more famous verse gives one the image of God sitting up in heaven with something akin to a teenage crush on every person, but He is anxiously waiting for our acceptance of Him. Here we see the same offer, but a point is clarified a bit. Here we see that ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν.
I was really struck by the word μένει when I read this today. It "remains" on him? Really? That implies that God's wrath was there all along. In other words, every person is in a default state of having God's wrath justly upon him until there is faith in the Son. That's what it takes.
Does this seem unfair or unjust to you? Then you do not know the holiness of God. He is, by definition, perfect. How can perfection live with sin? The good news is that Jesus Christ bore this wrath for those who would believe in Him. I urge you to repent of your sin and turn to Jesus Christ as the lord of your life. You will still fail Him from time to time as we all do, but His grace is sufficient for us.
36 ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ὁ δὲ ἀπειθῶν τῷ υἱῷ οὐκ ὄψεται ζωήν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν.
John 3 may be the most famous chapter in the Bible because of all the signs exhorting people to read and believe John 3:16. I love John 3:16 as much as the next guy, but I think that we lose something when we read it out of context, as we do with any other verse. No verse exists in isolation. So before we try to use John 3:16 as the big Arminian trump card, let's look at another verse.
This verse gives us a different picture of who God is, doesn't it? The more famous verse gives one the image of God sitting up in heaven with something akin to a teenage crush on every person, but He is anxiously waiting for our acceptance of Him. Here we see the same offer, but a point is clarified a bit. Here we see that ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν.
I was really struck by the word μένει when I read this today. It "remains" on him? Really? That implies that God's wrath was there all along. In other words, every person is in a default state of having God's wrath justly upon him until there is faith in the Son. That's what it takes.
Does this seem unfair or unjust to you? Then you do not know the holiness of God. He is, by definition, perfect. How can perfection live with sin? The good news is that Jesus Christ bore this wrath for those who would believe in Him. I urge you to repent of your sin and turn to Jesus Christ as the lord of your life. You will still fail Him from time to time as we all do, but His grace is sufficient for us.
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