The Gospel is All and in All

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The Constant Struggle

The Constant Struggle

by John Sartelle

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Tim. 6:11). It is as if he said, “As a man of God, you must live toward a definite end.” In the previous verses Paul had described a lifestyle marked by self-centeredness, envy, strife, and materialism. His advice to his protégé was, “Flee these things.” Noah Webster defined flee as “running with rapidity from danger.” So the image we should see is Timothy running with rapidity from these sins. 

Recently, I dropped by a friend’s house. He met me at the door with the news that his wife and children had a stomach virus and that he was not feeling well himself. I did not offer to stay and help him — I fled the premises! Paul would tell me, “John, that is the attitude you need to have about sin.” I must confess that I regularly have a greater fear of a physical virus than an unholy indulgence.

Paul’s second command in the admonition sends the Christian in the opposite direction. As he flees he doesn’t run randomly. He chases a Christ-centered righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. We have all witnessed church members fastidiously avoiding lust and materialism while pompously displaying a self-righteous pride. Amos described a man fleeing aimlessly from a lion only to come face to face with a bear (Amos 5:19). We will go terribly astray in another wrong direction if there is not a deliberate pursuit of the virtues inspired by the Holy Spirit.

One cannot physically walk in opposite directions at the same time. I learned that lesson while I was hunting grouse with two friends in the mountains of Virginia. We had been walking for two hours, having left our vehicle on a dirt road on the east side of the mountain. It was late in the afternoon when we decided we should begin our return trek. However, my friends started in a new direction that I was certain would not take us to our starting point. In fact, we were walking deeper into the mountains. When I questioned them, my friends assured me they knew this was the right direction. After another half hour of walking, I suggested that we take a new route. They relented and we turned in the direction that my compass indicated would lead us out. The sun had already set when we finally emerged on that back country road and saw our truck. When you are in the wilderness your safety lies in moving toward the right point.

It is impossible to pursue sin and godliness simultaneously. When we were wandering in that rough country, my friends and I were either walking deeper into the mountains and away from our vehicle, or toward our vehicle and away from the mountains. We could not move in both directions at the same time. However, that is often what I attempt to do as a Christian. I follow Christ with my mouth, while my heart and habits chase after sin. When that is my behavior, I am neither fleeing sin nor pursuing godliness — I am simply pursuing sin. James shouts to me: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). The double-minded man puts on a charade. On the stage he plays the part of a Christian, but then he leaves the theater and takes up his real life. Reader, this should not be. We cannot live in opposite directions at the same time. “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?” (James 3:10–11).

Paul follows the “flee and pursue” charge to Timothy by telling him to “fight the good fight” (1 Tim. 6:12). When we are fleeing sin and pursuing godliness, even on our best days there will be a battle in our lives. We must understand that this will be a constant struggle. Many Christians are “perfectionists” in their thinking. They believe that when they truly obey Paul’s admonitions, there will be no struggle between sin and righteousness in their lives. Dear friend, as we flee sin and pursue righteousness, there will always be temptation — the “pull” of the remnant of the sin nature in our lives. The very man who gave this admonition to Timothy also wrote, “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members” (Rom. 7:21–24). The double-minded man deliberately living a charade knows nothing of this struggle. He has rationalized a peace between sin and righteousness — a peace that in reality does not exist. So to the end, brother, we will struggle as we flee sin and pursue righteousness. Therefore, we should remember the resolution of Jonathan Edwards: “Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.”  

 

Entrepreneurs of Life

How-to-live-life

As Entrepreneurs of Life, we respond to the call of our great Creator

By seeing all life as an enterprise transformed by his call to “Follow Me.”

We therefore count the cost, consider the risks,

And set out each day as a venture to multiply our gifts and opportunities

In order to bring glory to God and add value to his world.

In so living, we find the fullest meaning of our lives in answering the call,

We seek our identity solely in our naming by the Caller,

We pursue excellence defined as “My utmost for His highest,”

We count our deepest companionship among our fellow-followers of the Way,

We look for final approval only from one audience - the Audience of One,

We break down every false barrier between the sacred and the secular, weaving all life into a seamless web of faith and love in action,

And we work for no other accomplishment or legacy than the Caller’s own “Well done.”

The menial and humdrum we elevate because of the one for whom it’s ultimately done,

The dangerous and sacrificial we bear as the privilege of high calling,

The siren sounds of ease, success and popularity we shun for a trustworthier voice,

And the temptations of conceit coming from being so chosen we answer with gratitude humbled by grace because we have been chosen at all.

Thus we are fully engaged in the world on realistic terms, but empowered by the vision and energies from a world that is unseen but even more real and realistic.

In all things, and in all the vicissitudes and seasons of life,

We know that, primarily, we are called not to somewhere or something but to Someone,

That there is no true calling without the Caller,

That calling is not only being who we are but becoming what we are to be,

That no self-made goal can ever rival the Ultimate Why of the mystery of the Creator’s purpose for each of us as his creatures,

That we will never rise higher than when we follow the call not knowing where the path may lead - so long as the Caller is God,

And that while we may lose our jobs and our health, or retire from a career, we will never retire from our calling - until that Final Call, which is death, leads each of us to the climax and consummation of all calling.

For on that day, for the first time, we will not need to listen only to a word; we will see the Caller face to face and find ourselves in our Father’s home forever.

In the meantime that is our journey until our life’s last day, the passion of our lives is to go further, higher, deeper, always closer to the One who called us once and calls us still - to Himself, and to all the joys that knowing him can mean.

Os Guinness (The Call)

 

Sin No More


Go_and_sin_no_more_by_abcjen-d320glo

Don’t you think Jesus can be confusing sometimes? Specifically the things he said. On many occasions you seriously think that the Jesus movement needed an accomplished PR representative to make Jesus more relevant and in touch with your average Joes. Recall the famous episode in John 6:41-66 where the growing bandwagon thought that Jesus had lost his marbles and was instituting a religious practice so

bizarre it sparked grumblings and disputes among the Jesus fan boys who decided to stop walking with Him. Poor Teacher he must have over done it walking under the desert sun for too long.

 My purpose in writing this is not to discuss our Lord’s deliberate lack of regard to seeker friendliness, but to draw your attention on to two other occasions which have raised many questions, but contain such beautiful truths that are worth pondering. The two verses are both found in the epistle of John chapters 5 & 8 verses 14 & 11 respectively. I’ll now let you read the two events in the words of John himself:

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked… Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

(John 5:1-14 ESV)

 [[They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]

(John 7:53-8:11 ESV)

 The two passages are so rich in meaning and learning that they can be sermons in and of themselves, but here there are three words which seem to be out of place and the words are “sin no more”. If you ever need to grow a large fan base or want to learn how to become popular among the crowds, one piece of advice is never contact Jesus. Here he again could have milked the moment and adored the front pages of the Jerusalem Daily after performing a miracle, but He didn’t. Let’s take a look and learn of Jesus’ priority and heart of hearts by these three words: 

·         Jesus came to save people from sin (Matthew 1:21). Not just the effects or consequences of sin but from sin itself.

·         Jesus wants us to be holy (Matthew 5:48). He calls us to fight sin. Our call is to pursue holiness and not happiness in this momentary life.

·         The command to sin no more was given after Jesus lavished grace on both the man and woman and not before. Our performance and promise of faithfulness can never earn God’s forgiveness.

·         The grace given is to transform and not just pardon us (2 Peter 3:17-18). Common fatal misunderstanding today is that Jesus came to do away with the Law. However, this is not so (Matthew 5:17).

·         Our Lord has supplied us with grace as the engine for our obedience to not live in sin anymore. Grace is the stronger motivator to live in our new identities and therefore we won’t waste the grace which we have.  

 

The Joseph Trilogy (Part 3) - Desiring God

(Un)Planned Detours

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). As Jesus’ earthly father discovered, this is just another way of saying that when your plans are detoured and redirected, you find out who’s really charting the course.

________

Nazareth. It felt good to Joseph to be back home. The same old market and the same old merchants. The same old neighbors with the same old complaints. The same old synagogue and the same old rabbi. 

Oddly, though, the normalcy felt a bit strange after the unexpected adventures of the past couple of years. What an odyssey this simple Galilean carpenter had been on.

It had all started with Mary’s world-shaking pregnancy announcement that took an angel to help him believe. He had hardly stopped reeling from that news when he was hit with the census decree from Rome.

Joseph recalled the anger he had felt. A vain emperor a world away was ordering people to their ancestral cities to register. God forbid that Augustus lose any possible tax revenue from peasants. For Joseph, as a descendent of King David, this meant a royal 100-mile walk to Bethlehem. It seemed outrageously unjust. Not only would this disrupt his business and incur travel expenses he could not afford, but Mary would be in advanced pregnancy!

He remembered venting his exasperation to a friend who had replied, “God! Please send the Messiah soon to deliver us from these tyrants!” And then to cheer Joseph had added, “Hey, maybe you’ll see the Messiah there! You know what the prophet said,

“‘But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for meone who is to be ruler in Israel,whose coming forth is from of old,from ancient days.’” (Micah 5:2)

His friend might as well have hit Joseph on the head with a plank. All at once he saw it! Augustus in all his imperial pomp was merely a tool in the hand of God to fulfill Scripture. His anger melted into awe-filled joy. Yes, Joseph most certainly would see the Messiah in Bethlehem.

In fact, after Jesus’ incredible birth, Joseph had fully expected to make Bethlehem their new permanent home. Surely that’s what Micah meant. And he had just started to get his business going when the angel of his dreams came again, shortly after the surprise visit by the Persian magi. “Flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you.” Herod wanted to murder their baby!

Joseph had felt anger rise against Herod. And a wave of fear. The Egyptian border was another 100-mile foot journey for his wife and child, mostly through dessert.

But he quickly remembered. If Augustus was God’s tool, what was Herod? God had his reasons to send his Son to Egypt. So Joseph snuck his family out of town in the cover of night.

Egypt. That was one place Joseph had never expected to see, much less live in. He hadn’t had any idea how he would feed and house his family there. But he need not have worried. God provided for them like he had all along. 

And then after a few months another dream and another commission: Herod had died and he was to take the child back to Israel. Joseph assumed this meant returning to Bethlehem.

But he soon learned that Herod’s son, Archelaus, was ruling over Judea. Archelaus was a sharp chip off the cruel block. If he got wind of a Messiah in Bethlehem, no doubt another assassination would be attempted. One more angelic dream visit and it was back to Nazareth.

And who knew how long that would last. . . .

________

One thing Joseph learned very quickly after God had drafted him to be the earthly father of Jesus was that his own plans were not a thing to be grasped. Whatever future he had originally imagined for himself and Mary evaporated in the heat of a reality determined by Another.

And as he followed the path of faith, he repeatedly found it taking unpredictable turns: A Roman census, a grueling trip during the hardest part of pregnancy, a birth in a barn, no steady income, an assassination attempt, two dessert-crossings on foot with an infant, living in a foreign country, and waiting on God for last-minute guidance and provision. This path was difficult, dangerous, expensive, time-consuming, and career-delaying.

And it was all God’s will.

Like Joseph, the unplanned, inefficient detours of our lives are planned by God. God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9). They are frequently bewildering to us, but they are always better because God is orchestrating far more than we see or know in every unexpected event and delay. 

So when you find yourself suddenly moving in a direction you had not planned, take heart; the Great Planner has something much better in mind for you and countless others.

________

Previous posts in the Joseph Trilogy —

via desiringgod.org

Chandler and Ortlund Audio – Justin Taylor

Justin Taylor|8:59 am CT

Chandler and Ortlund Audio

Main audio sessions from the Lead11 conference hosted by the Gospel Alliance New England:

  1. Matt Chandler  “The Explicit Gospel” 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 [this is the title for Matt's first book, coming out in April]
  2. Ray Ortlund “Walking in the Light” 1 John 1:7 – Walking in the Light Q&A
  3. Ray Ortlund “Praying according to the Gospel” Ephesians 3-14-21
  4. Matt Chandler – “Which You Received” Romans 8:28-37 Which You Received Q&A
  5. Matt Chandler “Grace Driven Effort” Colossians 3:1-11
  6. Panel Discussion – Matt Chandler, Ray Ortlund, Stephen Um, Jared Wilson
  7. “Biblical Revival for Christians who aren’t good at being Christians” Psalm 85

You can get all of these sessions, plus more audio, here.

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via thegospelcoalition.org

Reversing the Fall and Setting Creation Free by Vern Sheridan Poythress

God promises us “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1). Some people leap to the conclusion that God will simply throw the present creation onto the scrap heap, so to speak, and start over again from scatch. But this cannot be right. We ourselves are part of this present creation. And if we trust in Christ, we know that we will not end up on the scrap heap!

In Romans 8:18-25 God shows us how to think about our future. We who belong to Christ are “sons of God” (verses 14-15, 19). The Spirit of Christ dwells within us, guaranteeing our final redemption (verse 23). We have eternal life even now (verses 6, 10; John 5:24), but we also long for the full coming of life and peace in the future: “we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirt, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23).

Our goal is defined by Christ himself. God has “predestined [us] to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (verse 29). Christ is “the firstborn among many brothers,” not simply because his resurrection is chronologically first, and not only because he is preeminent over us, but because his resurrection is the pattern or model that we imitate and to which we conform. He is our representative, not only by bearing our sin, but in displaying the full image to which we are united and into which we are transformed. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (verse 11). “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust [Adam], we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven [Christ, in his resurrection body]” (1 Cor. 15:49; see also 1 Cor. 15:42-49). “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18).

God has a plan for the larger creation, not just for humanity. “... the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). Some people have guessed that the “creation” here just includes human beings. But verse 21 seems to distinguish “the creation” on the one hand from “the children of God” on the other. This contrast is made explicit in verse 23: “And not only the creation, but we ourselves ... groan inwardly ....” The contrast indicates that “the creation” includes animals, plants, and nonliving things, not just human beings.

This creation “was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it” (verse 20). Futility in the world began with the Fall of Adam, because the Fall resulted in effects on the world under Adam's dominion—thorns and thistles, great pain in childbearing, sweaty labor (Gen. 3:16-19). The creation as a whole, not simply Adam, “was subjected to futility.” As a result of the Fall, human beings who have descended from Adam suffer sin and death, and end up hurting one another in their sin and misery. But the curse that God pronounces because of Adam's Fall also results in alterations in the broader created order. One thinks of mosquitoes, tapeworms, rabies, all the carriers of diseases so debilitating to human beings. Who can guess all the ways in which the created order may have been put out of joint as a result of the Fall?

Now Christ's redemption brings a reversal and remedy for the whole disaster of the Fall. Above all, Christ brings a remedy for sin, as Romans 3:21-26 and the rest of Romans 8 indicate. But his triumph will also liberate the larger creation from “futility,” that is, the effects of the curse. The creation was originally good, and the futility was imposed only later, at the time of the Fall. Hence, there is a genuine basis for believing that God will extirpate futility without thereby destroying the good creation as well. And that is what Romans 8:21 promises: “the creation itself will be set freedom from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

What a marvelous hope we have! Notice the contrast between biblical hope on the one hand and a materialistic evolutionary worldview on the other. Materialism says that whatever evils and suffering are in the world now have always been there, at least in principle. “There is no such thing as the Fall,” it says. All things continue as they have always been (2 Pet 3:4!). There has been no radical disruption that spoiled an originally good situation. But that means that evil and suffering are inherent in the very nature of things, so there is no hope of finally eliminating wickedness. This is futility indeed, leading to despair.

By contrast, God's word dispels despair. It gives us a sure foundation for a hope for our future freedom. We look forward to a final abolition of death, tears, and pain (Rev. 21:4).  Moreover, the freedom of the children of God is the pattern for the freedom for the creation as a whole: “... the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). As we have seen, Christ's resurrection is the pattern for our resurrection. And according to Romans 8:21 our resurrection is the pattern for the liberation of creation. Thus Christ is at the center, both for us and for creation. This should not be surprising, when we realize that he is Creator and Lord of the entire cosmos (Col. 1:15-17). Since he is Creator, he is also Savior and Lord who redeems the entire cosmos from “futility,” the effects of the Fall (Col. 1:18-20). First comes creation, then redemption as the restoration of creation, and finally consummation as the goal of creation. All three hang together in the purpose of God. He accomplishes all three through his Son, the one Mediator.

Redemption reverses the effects of the Fall. But it does not merely return us to the pre-Fall situation with Adam. God planned from the beginning for development. Adam and Eve would have children. They would “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). The created world travels towards its destination, towards its consummation, when it will reveal the glory of God even more marvelously than at its beginning. The beginning had only one man and one woman in a garden. The end has a multitude of humanity in a city. (But it also has one man, Christ the Last Adam, and one Bride, the church [Rev. 19:6-9]!) The creation at the beginning was indeed “very good” (Gen. 1:31). The consummation is a still fuller realization of goodness. We might say that it is very, very good, consummately good, in being filled with God's glory even more intensively. And this consummation will come. God will achieve his purposes. We can be confident, because God has guaranteed it in Christ's resurrection and by sending the Holy Spirit as “the firstfruits,” the first portion and foretaste of our final inheritance (Rom. 8:23; see Eph. 1:14).

With the pattern of Christ's resurrection in view, we can now draw some conclusions about the future.

1.Christ's resurrection body is a transformation and transfiguration of his preresurrection body. There is both change and recognizable continuity (1 Cor. 15:35-41). The disciples saw the nailprints in his hands. Likewise, the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21:1 do not mean starting over from scratch, but involve a kind of “resurrection” or transfiguration of the present creation.

2.God will eliminate not only sin but all the effects of the Fall (Rom. 8:21; Rev. 21:4).

3.God will bring the original creation of Genesis 1 to its consummation, rather than simply returning us to Adam's pre-Fall state.

4.Since Christ's resurrection body can be seen and touched (Luke 24:39), the new creation also includes a real physical aspect. Unlike Platonism, the Bible sees the physical aspect as a good creation of God, rather than something to be despised or thrown off in order to be “pure.”

5.Our resurrection does not remove us from contact with a larger creation, but is in harmony with the transfiguration of creation as a whole, a transfiguration that brings both us and the lower creation into a new, glorified world.

6.The glory of God will be displayed magnificently in the new creation, in a way analogous to the glory of Christ's resurrection body and the glory of our resurrection bodies in the image of Christ. All serve the glory and praise of God (Rom. 8:18, 30; Eph. 1:10, 14; Rev. 21:23).

 

 

[published as "The Reversal of the Curse," Tabletalk 28/3 (March, 2004): 7-12.]

 

The Gospel-Driven Church: Integrity: "Maybe We're Not Christians"

A real Christian life is one infused with the qualities of Christ himself. But we have replaced submission, service, and sacrifice with salesmanship, self-help, and success.
Here is an excerpt from a challenging article written by someone who may surprise you. Read it first, and I will tell you who wrote it after.

When Martin Luther lamented at the end of his life that he might not be justified, he must have seen something dark in himself in relation to the Scriptures, something that we in the modern church might be overlooking.

The Scriptures say that we are to be known as followers of Christ by the evidence of our love for one another, but we’re not (see John 13:35).

The Scriptures say that we are not to boast about what we have or what we have done, but we do (see Jer. 9:23-24).

The Scriptures say that in the last days people will be lovers of themselves and lovers of money, and we are (see 2 Tim. 3:5, NKJV).

Very often we charismatics rejoice in the power of God, and rightly so. But we subject ourselves to ridicule when we boast that we are not among those “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5).

We claim that we have spiritual power and others don’t because of our openness to accept and operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

But our words fall short when our marriages don’t work, our children are wild and disobedient, and we refine the art of giving and receiving money to the point that we could qualify as the experts in greed that Peter warns about in his second letter (see 2 Pet. 2:14).

We have a credibility problem. We have some wonderful churches, but increasingly, people do not seek to be connected . . .

. . . Maybe we’re not Christians. Maybe we’re just the most popular religion of the day, using the power of persuasion, the force of our numbers, and the strength of our money to advance our ideology.

Maybe we just believe whatever makes sense to us by default, and we don’t truly—as individuals and as communities of Christians—seek to be genuine disciples and to do God’s work of caring for the fatherless and the widow of our day.

Could we be Pharisees? Our own books, television programs and prophecies should make us wonder.

I believe that we all know and love the Word, but we live in earthly vessels with a fallen nature. We feel and see the hopes of the Spirit within, but we also end up doing the very things we do not want to do.

When we preach, write, lobby, raise money, build, broadcast, threaten, sue and spin, we present conflicting images that don’t stand up very well against the tests of time and scrutiny. We are confusing the world, other Christians, and our families.

This isn’t something that can be changed with a list of practical exercises. This is something that has to be dealt with deep within us by exposing ourselves to the wisdom of the Scriptures, to one another, and to God.

"Maybe we're not Christians." Ouch.

He has a very real point. As long as our churches -- religious, irreligious, and anti-religious -- keep preaching Jesus as one who makes your life better rather than Jesus who makes dead people live, as long as we keep teaching Christianity as the gospel of personal fulfillment rather than the call to self-crucifixion -- we are proclaiming Christianity as an unneeded cure for a mythical ailment.

The truth is not that we don't like ourselves enough, have enough success, get happy enough, etc. The truth is that we are sinners in need of resurrection. If no less a giant than Martin Luther could acknowledge this, what makes us stumble over admitting it for ourselves? I think it is because we are prone to believe the problem is everyone and everything else -- but not us. It is not safe or "nice" to talk about this stuff. Sin is a forbidden word in the American church. We don't want people to be uncomfortable or feel judged.

But if we are not honest about the real problem facing us -- inside of us -- we cannot be truthful about salvation. And if we are not truthful about salvation, the people we are so fearful of offending or irritating will face a discomfort and a judgment that is eternally more uncomfortable and judgmental than some hurt feelings this side of the second coming.

Christianity is life or death stuff.

The writer of the above article excerpt is Ted Haggard. Three years after its publication, he would resign from the pastorate of his Colorado megachurch because he was cheating on his wife with a man. This is how he concludes his article:


We have to get this right. Even though the global church is stronger than we’ve ever been, we in the American church are showing early signs of impotence. We are in a global theatre now, which means that our words, actions, investments and thoughts have greater impact. Thus, we have the opportunity to do unprecedented good, but also the dangerous ability to do unparalleled damage.

Let’s make the right choice. If you are like me, you are conflicted. I don't like this column. Granted, there is a part of me that does. But most of me likes the comforts of the church I serve, the way I travel, the way I'm treated by both the public and the body of Christ. I enjoy the political platform we Christians are given.

But at the same time, there is a dark cloud in the back of my mind woondering if God isn't stirring another Martin Luther to nail his theses to our church doors.

I would rather have us return to our foundations of integrity by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the illumination of the Scriptures, rather than have us defending our lifestyles, edifices and power to future generations as they read history books recounting our demise because of our own hypocrisy.

We need to ensure that we are not the whitewashed tombs and snakes of our day (see Matt. 23:27, 33). We need to be sure.

Are we willing to embrace this sort of Christian integrity? Haggard's words here are piercing, penetrating. They are also chilling in retrospect. This is obviously a man wrestling with sin, a sin that, as the Bible promises, "found him out."

Can we be honest with ourselves and about ourselves? Are we willing to trade in the gospel of personal fulfillment for the gospel of Jesus Christ, who was pummeled and pierced for our brokenness? Will we trade our right to happiness for real joy? Will we trade in our desire for conflict-free lives for real peace? Will we trade in our selfish optimism for real hope?

Will we trade our Christianity for Jesus'?

That is God's call upon the life of the follower of Jesus. That is God's call upon the life of His churches.

via gospeldrivenchurch.blogspot.com

Are We Growing? | The Village Church: Worship

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This is an e-mail I sent our musicians and vocalists last week. I’m hoping will be useful to you and your worship team as well.

Leading people in worship—whether you are behind a kit, keyboard, guitar, violin, cello, sax or microphone—is something that should be taken seriously. Being a husband, wife or godly single is something that should be taken seriously. Being a mother or father is something that should be taken seriously. Being a Christ-follower is definitely something that should be taken seriously.

Some of us have been together for 10 years, some of us for one weekend. No matter the time period, I want to ask a difficult question: “Are we growing?”

Are we growing in godliness? (*2 Pet. 1:3-11)

Are you increasing in virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love (2 Pet. 1)?

The Holy Spirit not only defends against sin, but He attacks it by producing godly character in believers. Do you reflect the character of God with love? Are you joyful? Are you a person of peace? Are you patient, kind, good, faithful and gentle? Do you resist the flesh with self-control? Do you lead in humility? (So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Col. 3:12) Do you love the Bible? (I rejoice at Your Word, as one who finds great spoil. Ps. 119:162) Are you growing in godliness? If not, do you desire to grow in these areas?

Are we growing in preparedness?

Pre•par•ed•ness refers to the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable events or situations. It is an important quality in achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes.

It is expected that we arrive for rehearsal on Sundays prepared. This means opening Planning Center Online earlier in the week, show up on time and have our parts practiced. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of being able to play with the same band every week, which means you show up once a month with a new group of people. In a two-hour period, you are expected to not only hammer out each of the songs, but to gel with one another and actually worship—the reason we gather each Sunday anyway. I’m certainly not speaking of the weeks I get the songs out too late. I’ve done this over the years and I’m sorry. I am working on getting that list out earlier each week.

Are you growing in preparedness? If not, do you desire to grow in this area?

Are we growing in our gifting; are we improving?

We’re all presented with the challenge of how to improve our capacity for creative expression and grow in our gifting.

The key to improving is recognizing your weaknesses on your instrument, and not shying away from them; rather, face them head on. This may require a great teacher and is certainly something that any musician should be considering, regardless of ability or experience. A good teacher will point you towards areas for improvement, and give you strategies and practice techniques to move forward.

Here are just three areas to consider:

  1. Ear -
      Often a musician will be more proficient at one of these and the other will lack somewhat. Listening to a song and working out the parts on your instrument is a great way to learn to play what you hear. This is a really helpful skill for playing within our team, but also writing parts for songs.
  2. Timing -
      Every musician/vocalist should own and practice with a metronome. Start by singing or playing a song you already know. Break it down into small pieces—an intro riff or verse melody—and practice one of these with the click repetitively for at least 2 minutes. Work on articulation, precision and rhythmic accuracy. Change the tempo and try the same line again.
  3. Creativity -
      Practice being creative. Improvisation and writing parts, making melodies on the spot is one of the great aspects of music. Like any other activity, practice improves your ability to create what you want to create. I recommend doing this with other musicians. One of you might play chords under a singer/other instrumentalist and then switch it around. Practice coming up with parts over different chords. Buy a recording device, and you can do this anytime. Enjoy the process of honing your skills and opening new possibilities for creative expression on your instruments.

Know and understand your role. You are a worship leader (musician/vocalist) standing on a stage in front of many people who will either think about you or about God. Though we can’t control the thoughts of others but we can certainly keep from being a distraction as we point others to God as we worship Him. Do you want people to think about you, or is the worship of God your desire?

Understand the big picture. Is there is a spot where you can let the song breathe a bit, or will you have to fill that hole? Less is more.

Here is some help in the area of growing in our musical gifts:

+ Vocalists, are you singing on days other than Sundays? Are you strengthening your vocal cords? Just as you lift weights to strengthen certain muscles at the gym, you should be singing often and learning to breathe well in order to strengthen your vocal cords. Check out this website for more information on voice functioning, as well as videos of what’s actually going on when you’re singing (pretty interesting).

Are you using the Vocal Coach CD, or something comparable, to warm up your voice and expand your range? If not, I would highly recommend you do so.

Resources:
Vocal Technique
Basic Vocal Techniques
Vocal Training in Dallas – 1
Vocal Training in Dallas – 2
How to Breathe When Singing
How to Sing With Your Diaphragm

Recommended Listening:
Passion (Christy Nockels), Hillsong (Jill McCloghry & Brooke Ligertwood), Joy Williams, Sara Bareilles, Natalie Grant, Regina Spektor , Kendall Payne, Christina Aguilera and Sarah McLachlan.

Listen for things like pitch (sharp/flat), rhythm, when and how they breathe, diction, crescendo (to get gradually louder), decrescendo (to get gradually softer), staccato (singing the notes in a short and detached way, usually used for fast or happy and lively songs) and legato (singing in a smooth and jointed fashion), vibrato (a rapid, slight variation in pitch) and when and how they choose to belt their voice and or soften it.


+ Guitar players, are you working on scales, picking, strum patterns, making space, etc. Are you playing our style at The Village? Do you think about tone? Do you think creatively?

 

Resources Electric:
The Pursuit of Tone
Electric Guitar Amps/Pedal Boards (by Jeff Capps)
Amp Settings
Guitars, Riffs and Songwriting
Nigel playing ‘Stronger’ (Hillsong)

Resources Bass:
Bob playing ‘Desert Song’ (Hillsong)
Ads playing ‘Stronger’ (Hillsong)
Ads playing ‘Run’ (Hillsong)

Recommended listening:
U2 (The Edge), Hillsong United (Nigel), Chris Tomlin (Daniel), The Fray (Joe King)


+ Drummers, are you listening to drummers that have our style? Are you practicing?

 

Resources:
Finding the Pocket
Exponential Motivation
Rolf playing ‘Stronger’ (Hillsong)
Rolf playing ‘Run’ (Hillsong)

Recommended listening:
‘Absolute’ & ‘You Found Me’ by The Fray, ‘You Won’t Relent’ by Chris Quilala & Kim Walker, ‘Hosanna’ by Starfield, ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay, ‘My Love, My Enemy’ & ‘Someday, Sarah’ by Dave Barnes, ‘We The Redeemed’ and ‘You Hold Me Now’ by Hillsong, ‘God of Justice’ by Tim Hughes, ‘Love Invades’ by Robbie Seay Band and ‘Move’ & ‘Free’ by Mercy Me.


+ Keys, are you listening to creative keys players? Are you practicing? Have you ever thought about using delay?

 

Resources:
Approach to Keyboard Playing
Pete’s Gear List
Listening/Musical Influences
Playing ‘Stronger’ (Hillsong)
Playing ‘Desert Song’ (Hillsong)

Recommended Listening:
Hillsong (Great use of pads, piano, Rhodes, delay, etc), Coldplay, Tim Hughes (esp. ‘God of Justice’ it’s tough timing and ‘When I Survey’ from the “Happy Day-Live Worship” CD), The Fray, Jamie Cullum (Twentysomething), Josh Drew (Call or email him. He is an amazing teacher) and Keith Jarrett (The Koln Concert).

Are you growing in your gifting? Are you improving? If not, do you desire to grow in this area?

Are we serving for the right reasons and in the right ministry?

I know that serving in the worship ministry takes time and energy. I know it’s a sacrifice. You give up at least one night of the week of your rotation to rehearse the songs on your own, and then you show up on Sunday and give up that whole day. I know that some of you have families and other responsibilities that wait for them as soon as they get home on Sunday night and/or Monday morning. I know you can grow weary; but I also know that the Lord will provide. I know if you are serving for the right reasons, in the right ministry, God will be glorified. Are you serving for the right reasons? Pray and ask the Lord.

Let me know if serving in this ministry is too time consuming or wearisome.

Please answer these questions:

Are you growing in godliness, preparedness and gifting/creativity?

If your answer is “no,”are you willing to pursue these things?

Are you serving for the right reasons and in the right ministry?

I love you and am honored to serve alongside you at The Village making much of our great God and King!

* 2 Peter 1:3-11 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

via fm.thevillagechurch.net

 

Thoughts about Wintercamp

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I do not want to go to Wintercamp this year, I have no desire to go, not even the slightest bit, I tried to find it but failed and it’s all because my mind is filled with so many other things and worries about the future that cripple my thoughts, that the camp does not even enter my mind, the promo videos just seem cheesy to me (no offense haha… just my heart is not right). I was sulking like a baby with hands folded, you know God, you haven’t helped me in a,b,c,d,e,f… (you know what I mean). I was complaining at the long waiting times for the answers to some of these prayers like God has mimicked the Australian immigration policy in delaying for PR approvals, as if God was my divine butler, whenever I ring the bell and he comes swiftly to me like Alfred in Batman, “Yes, Master Wayne which designer’s suit would you like for tonight’s date?”, as I imagine Alfred would say, but all I hear is silence, deadly silence. I’ve learnt that God is not Alfred.


Let’s sidetrack a bit, my church has been focusing on the topic of prayer for the past two months, essentially because we’ve treated prayer like it is secondary, when my main reason to pray is just because it’s what Christians do (religious rituals) and not because I’m desperate for God and weak, fragile, bankrupt spiritually, lacking in all things without it! There have been many times, if not most times, where I’ve ignored the voice of His Spirit calling on me to pray, because the glowing pixels on my macbook are more attractive than the glow of His glory. My prayers are first and foremost corrupt and misguided, dominated with promises that I’ll be a good boy for Jesus and asking Him to do more stuff for me and asking for how to solve the many problems in life. My prayers are filled with desires for blueprints from Heaven Inc. instead of the imprints of God’s hands. You see my poor prayer life has detrimental effects, as my spirit hungers, I’ve become tired of chasing shadows, I want the real thing and Wintercamp just doesn’t feel real to me anymore. It feels like the hype of Justin Bieber on steroids.

Why you ask? It’s because to me it’s very predictable, I already know what the pastor will do, he’ll play soft music and make us meditate on the words, if he was feeling like it then he would ask us to lie down on the floor to be more intimate with God he says, just like he did right as the old saying goes, if it’s not broken then don’t fix it, all the same things will happen, the mini-revival on Thursday night just doesn’t last, every year I already know what to expect, we’ll sing one song repeatedly for 72 times and people will cry, commit their lives to Jesus, rededications happen on the spot, heaven is so real, people jumping around because we’re apparently “on fire”, facebook accounts are deleted, guys stay off porn sites at least for 2 weeks, at best a month. I grief over these thoughts that somehow these mini-revivals I’ve witnessed can be programmed by human methods, by the wave of emotions that come and go. My false focus on the programmes, music, atmosphere, the goose bumps feelings and speaker turn me off coming to camp. 

So I pray, please don’t just remind me of the predictable things, but I beg You, change my mind! Isn’t that what true repentance is? The genuine change of mind! I realise that trying to resist God is like a sponge trying to resist liquid and as His Spirit woos me ever more, The Holy Spirit is not the flu which I occasionally catch from the air I breathe, He is a Person that I must embrace, wholly, completely and devotedly. When did privilege of being called become a burden, when did passionate service become mere boring rule keeping, when did my affection for God turn to afflictions of duties and obligations? Why am I fixated on my ministries, my mind immediately goes to the sessions (especially those early morning ones) where I’ll be leading worship so many times, I’ll lose my voice and if I held back, I’m afraid of looking like I’m not filled with the Spirit enough, look how wicked that is, the focus is on me, what I can do for God and for show to my friends. So I would give my all and be sick for the next 3 days, satisfied that another good show has been put up. I attend multitudes of church conferences, retreats, seminars, workshops, meetings like all year round, and I cannot believe that there is not more to this. 

Please God, rescue me from this cycle of endless predictability, purify my heart and thoughts from the wicked motives I harbour, for my hungry heart is discontent and I want the Christ not just the silhouette. Expect Jesus, wait on Jesus, seek Jesus, desire Jesus, yearn for Jesus, hunger for Jesus, thirst for Jesus, call upon Jesus, Jesus never disappoints and Jesus is not predictable. Nothing else and no one else but Jesus is acceptable.

I am going to Wintercamp, I want to meet Jesus.

Posterous theme by Cory Watilo