I wanted to share an excerpt from a book I recently read called Core Christianity by Michael Horton.
"Jesus isn't just the answer to our questions; he gives us better questions. It's not that our needs are unimportant, it's that they're so shortsighted. We don't know what we really need. Our immediate problems are not necessarily our deepest or our most serious. We focus on the symptoms because they are right in front of us. And they are real: loneliness, abandonment, guilt, fear, depression, broken relationships, and financial or health issues. But Jesus Christ is the answer to the deeper and wider problems that we all face. He did not come just to give us our best life now. He came to give us eternal life. He came to free us from the curse of death and hell and the tyranny of those habits that poison our relationship with God and others."
(Horton, Michael. Core Christianity. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016)
I love the first line. Jesus is not just the answer to our questions, He gives us better questions to ask! It is interesting because most of us are trained to be inherently selfish and centered solely on our own needs and wants and we have a hard time differentiating the two. In fact, some things that we call needs are not needs at all. When we were shopping for a house we made a list of things we "needed". Maybe you have done something similar. On that list we had multiple bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, a garage etc. These are not needs and many people around the world would scoff at what I called a need.
Jesus refocuses my life. He gives me a new perspective. He does not just make my perspective a little better He calls me to total surrender and demands that I hear and listen to His perspective. He calls my views of my own life and needs not only inadequate, but sinful and demands that I change. So often we get this all backward. We find ourselves content with our own understanding of the world and our own emotional responses to situations. We learn to trust a great deal in ourselves and when our world turns upside down we turn to those things we have learned to rely upon. And God comes and tells us we are doing it all wrong. We should not turn to strength, but revel in our own weakness that God's power is manifested. We should not trust in horses and chariots, but trust in the name of the Lord our God. We should not lean on our own understanding but always acknowledge God and understand that His ways are higher (and better) than ours!
God help me to ask better questions and realize all of the answers that you have already given me in Jesus!
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
The Armor of God
"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:13 (NASB)
My last post was about the ways that Satan wants to break down a church. Thankfully, God does not leave us without the ability to withstand the onslaught that Satan will bring. But, we have to prepare ourselves with armor that neither belongs to us or comes naturally to us. I do not wish to rehash the sermon that I just preached (although if you would like it is online through the website www.whitelakebaptist.com. But I do want to make a few points about the verse that I listed above in particular.
1. We are supposed to take up the full armor of God. Not a part of the armor, but the full armor. I cannot imagine that if we were going to war and defending ourselves with a suit of armor that we would intentionally leave off a part. We need all of it. We need truth and righteousness and the gospel and faith and salvation and the Word of God. We cannot stand properly against everything that the devil throws at us without all of the armor - do not leave part of it behind!
2. Notice that as you put on the armor, you have two responsibilities. One is to resist and the other is to stand firm. At the end of it all God does not want us to storm the gates of hell and conquer Satan. That would make no sense given that Satan is already defeated. He does however know that the modus operandi that Satan has is to try and tear down believers through deception and lies until the day that Christ returns. A deceived believer is useless to his Savior and a benefit to the opposition. We instead are to simply hold our ground!
3. It is worth reminding ourselves of over and over again - the therefore is there for a reason and in this case the reason is the reminder that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against forces of darkness and wickedness (verse 12). No matter what is happening in your life, your primary struggle is not against whatever it is. It is not against cancer, it is not against people, it is not against politics. Our primary struggle is against Satan. This is not to say that Satan is behind every corner, but it does point out that he is the one with whom we war. The funny thing about this is that the war that Satan knows he is fighting is ultimately pointless. Satan has already lost and his doom is sure. But he is not too happy with that and so he continues to fight rather than graciously accept his own defeat. Praise God for the victory that we already have through the work of Christ!
My last post was about the ways that Satan wants to break down a church. Thankfully, God does not leave us without the ability to withstand the onslaught that Satan will bring. But, we have to prepare ourselves with armor that neither belongs to us or comes naturally to us. I do not wish to rehash the sermon that I just preached (although if you would like it is online through the website www.whitelakebaptist.com. But I do want to make a few points about the verse that I listed above in particular.
1. We are supposed to take up the full armor of God. Not a part of the armor, but the full armor. I cannot imagine that if we were going to war and defending ourselves with a suit of armor that we would intentionally leave off a part. We need all of it. We need truth and righteousness and the gospel and faith and salvation and the Word of God. We cannot stand properly against everything that the devil throws at us without all of the armor - do not leave part of it behind!
2. Notice that as you put on the armor, you have two responsibilities. One is to resist and the other is to stand firm. At the end of it all God does not want us to storm the gates of hell and conquer Satan. That would make no sense given that Satan is already defeated. He does however know that the modus operandi that Satan has is to try and tear down believers through deception and lies until the day that Christ returns. A deceived believer is useless to his Savior and a benefit to the opposition. We instead are to simply hold our ground!
3. It is worth reminding ourselves of over and over again - the therefore is there for a reason and in this case the reason is the reminder that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against forces of darkness and wickedness (verse 12). No matter what is happening in your life, your primary struggle is not against whatever it is. It is not against cancer, it is not against people, it is not against politics. Our primary struggle is against Satan. This is not to say that Satan is behind every corner, but it does point out that he is the one with whom we war. The funny thing about this is that the war that Satan knows he is fighting is ultimately pointless. Satan has already lost and his doom is sure. But he is not too happy with that and so he continues to fight rather than graciously accept his own defeat. Praise God for the victory that we already have through the work of Christ!
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
How to Destroy a Church
I regularly receive a devotional from Ligonier ministries. The most recent arrival contained an interesting portion that imitated C.S. Lewis work The Screwtape Letters. The devotional is written in the same style as the Lewis book in that it is written as though it is written by an older and wiser demon with the goal of instructing a younger demon how to accomplish the purposes intended for him. The devotional contained 16 such attacks that have the potential to destroy the church. I wanted to note these 16 things as I think they do have the potential to destroy the church and want to make sure that we avoid them. Please remember that as these are written allegorically from one demon to another as things that will work to destroy the church and not things that I condone. I encourage us to find no place for these attacks by countering them with their opposite.
1. Erode Evangelism and Missions
2. Cultivate Cowardice and Worldliness
3. Subvert Communion and Baptism
4. Wreck the Word of God
5. Wear Down Worship
6. Push Against Personal Piety (holiness)
7. Demonize Church Discipline
8. Make Marriage Miserable
9. Fracture Families
10. Destroy Doctrine
11. Frustrate Fellowship
12. Obliterate Offerings
13. Pulverize the Pastor's Family
14. Sabotage Sanctification
15. Diminish Deacons
16. Attack Assurance
I know that I have seen Satan at work doing these things, sometimes even in our own church. May God help us fight Satan with the power of the Spirit of God and the truth of the Word of God for the glory of God!
1. Erode Evangelism and Missions
2. Cultivate Cowardice and Worldliness
3. Subvert Communion and Baptism
4. Wreck the Word of God
5. Wear Down Worship
6. Push Against Personal Piety (holiness)
7. Demonize Church Discipline
8. Make Marriage Miserable
9. Fracture Families
10. Destroy Doctrine
11. Frustrate Fellowship
12. Obliterate Offerings
13. Pulverize the Pastor's Family
14. Sabotage Sanctification
15. Diminish Deacons
16. Attack Assurance
I know that I have seen Satan at work doing these things, sometimes even in our own church. May God help us fight Satan with the power of the Spirit of God and the truth of the Word of God for the glory of God!
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