More often than not, I view God as a God of circumstances. If He does not regulate, control, and provide for the circumstances of my life, what manner of God can He be?
Certainly God does rule over the circumstances of our lives. But when my prayers, hopes and expectations revolve around my circumstances alone, I miss the very person and purpose of God. This is because the central problem of life is not circumstantial. The central problem of life is lack of character. Every person is a self-centered sinner in need of transformation into a person of godly character.
As a Christian, the first priority of my life is not to establish better personal circumstances - the right job, a better house, etc. The first priority for me, and for every Christian, is to become a person of godly character.
God is not on call to order the circumstances of life at my whim and direction. But He is powerfully present to build and guide my character from sinner to saint. We must strive to find and follow God where He is and as He is, whatever the cost in circumstances.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A Portrait of Inerrancy
Imagine if your life were spent in a church with no windows save one.
People naturally want to see out - What's the weather? When the service is over, will it be sunny and warm or cold and rainy? Is there a nice meadow outside or a concrete jungle? What lies just beyond these walls? How should I best prepare for life on the outside? Periodically people leave, but they never come back to report. There is only one window, and it can only show so much.
But conditions on the inside have made the window almost inaccessible. Interior renovations lowered the floor, and now the window is high on the wall. The panes seem small and dirty, covered partly by a curtain and clouded by dust and carelessly spattered paint.
The pastor has options. He knows that at some point everyone will be called to leave the room and venture outside. What clothes do they need? Do they even need clothes? How can he help them prepare for their inevitable journey to the outside?
One option is to pass out brushes and paint and assign wall space. Each person can be encouraged to paint a picture - a window picture of what they think, or hope, lies beyond the wall. This is a seemingly wonderful idea, as each person affirms and shares their own ideas and beliefs. Some paint a window onto a warm, tropical beach. Others overlook a mountain meadow or a Parisian sidewalk cafe. The pastor can encourage and celebrate the diversity of preparations that accompany each painter's vision of the world beyond.
Or the pastor can climb to the window, peer out upon the outside world and describe it as it really is. Rather than allowing each person to paint his or her own window, he can work to clear the one that exists, cleaning the panes and encouraging the congregation to climb the ladder and look out for themselves. Those who can't, or won't look out must be provided with an accurate description of what is seen. There may still be diversity as people make individual preparations to move out into what they see, but they will be preparing based on the view through a window to reality.
When the Bible is devalued, marginalized or abandoned, we are left only the option of passing out paints and encouraging the congregation to paint their own windows on the world and the world to come. Which window would you rather learn from - a glass window that lets in light from beyond or an opaque, painted wall that can only reflect the views of a wishful painter?
People naturally want to see out - What's the weather? When the service is over, will it be sunny and warm or cold and rainy? Is there a nice meadow outside or a concrete jungle? What lies just beyond these walls? How should I best prepare for life on the outside? Periodically people leave, but they never come back to report. There is only one window, and it can only show so much.
But conditions on the inside have made the window almost inaccessible. Interior renovations lowered the floor, and now the window is high on the wall. The panes seem small and dirty, covered partly by a curtain and clouded by dust and carelessly spattered paint.
The pastor has options. He knows that at some point everyone will be called to leave the room and venture outside. What clothes do they need? Do they even need clothes? How can he help them prepare for their inevitable journey to the outside?
One option is to pass out brushes and paint and assign wall space. Each person can be encouraged to paint a picture - a window picture of what they think, or hope, lies beyond the wall. This is a seemingly wonderful idea, as each person affirms and shares their own ideas and beliefs. Some paint a window onto a warm, tropical beach. Others overlook a mountain meadow or a Parisian sidewalk cafe. The pastor can encourage and celebrate the diversity of preparations that accompany each painter's vision of the world beyond.
Or the pastor can climb to the window, peer out upon the outside world and describe it as it really is. Rather than allowing each person to paint his or her own window, he can work to clear the one that exists, cleaning the panes and encouraging the congregation to climb the ladder and look out for themselves. Those who can't, or won't look out must be provided with an accurate description of what is seen. There may still be diversity as people make individual preparations to move out into what they see, but they will be preparing based on the view through a window to reality.
When the Bible is devalued, marginalized or abandoned, we are left only the option of passing out paints and encouraging the congregation to paint their own windows on the world and the world to come. Which window would you rather learn from - a glass window that lets in light from beyond or an opaque, painted wall that can only reflect the views of a wishful painter?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Swimming the Kern & Hebrews 4:9-11
The Kern River flows out of the mountains in southern California bringing water to the desert community of Bakersfield. I spent two months in Bakersfield completing Campus Crusade for Christ's international and cross-cultural training course. There were 53 of us in training, and one day we decided to spend an afternoon on the Kern River.
The Kern is not a peaceful, meandering river. It's a powerful river that charges and pounds down a narrow canyon – all boulders and whitewater. As we drove into the canyon, there were several signs warning of the danger of swimming or wading. One big sign tallied a count of how many people had drowned in the river since 1968. The number of dead was 147, and you could see that the 7 was freshly painted over the previous 6. There's a new sign up now. This photo is from May 2008.
After a bit of driving, we found a spot where we could sit by the river under some trees – it was a rugged, rocky place. After a few minutes we found an inner tube snagged in the brush. Just upstream there was a place we could put in, and if we managed the right line we could get out just below our picnic spot. We had a great time, just letting the wild current bounce us around.
After we had finished tubing and eating our picnic lunch, we walked a bit downstream and discovered a wonderful little beach on the other bank. With smooth sand and nice shade trees it created an idyllic contrast to the rocks and cliffs everywhere else. Here there were no boulders in the water, just a very fast, deep channel, roiling and white through the middle. Below this fast stretch the river dropped violently over big boulders and into an angry right turn. Whoever got sucked into that cauldron would almost certainly become Kern River death number 148. But the beach looked good and we wanted to swim across. The water was fast, but not too wide. We had to raise our voices to be heard above the ominous din of the rapids below. There was only one way to make it to the beach, so I plunged in and started across. Seeing that I made it safely to the beach, three others decided to come over as well.
The fast water was only about 10 yards wide, but we had to swim at least 30 yards to make it to across. The speed of the current and the consequences for getting swept over the rapids dictated a course that had us swimming 45 degrees or more upstream of our target. It demanded hard, continuous effort. The only chance for rest came when we reached the beach, where we enjoyed a nap on the soft, cool sand.
The Christian life can be the same way. The goal of entering God's rest at the end of a life of faithfulness requires that we set our course to compensate for the contemporary cultural currents that seek to pull us away from our goal and over the rocks. In the Bible, we are reminded that many people who claim to follow God fall by the wayside through disbelief and disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11 states that, "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience."
Are you taking time to read the currents of the world around you? Are you diligently setting a course in life that that will keep you from being swept away from a faithful obedience to God? Are you striving to enter God's rest, or are you seeking your rest today? I encourage you to take time this week to think on these things, to make some course adjustments if necessary, and to diligently "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
The Kern is not a peaceful, meandering river. It's a powerful river that charges and pounds down a narrow canyon – all boulders and whitewater. As we drove into the canyon, there were several signs warning of the danger of swimming or wading. One big sign tallied a count of how many people had drowned in the river since 1968. The number of dead was 147, and you could see that the 7 was freshly painted over the previous 6. There's a new sign up now. This photo is from May 2008.
After a bit of driving, we found a spot where we could sit by the river under some trees – it was a rugged, rocky place. After a few minutes we found an inner tube snagged in the brush. Just upstream there was a place we could put in, and if we managed the right line we could get out just below our picnic spot. We had a great time, just letting the wild current bounce us around.
After we had finished tubing and eating our picnic lunch, we walked a bit downstream and discovered a wonderful little beach on the other bank. With smooth sand and nice shade trees it created an idyllic contrast to the rocks and cliffs everywhere else. Here there were no boulders in the water, just a very fast, deep channel, roiling and white through the middle. Below this fast stretch the river dropped violently over big boulders and into an angry right turn. Whoever got sucked into that cauldron would almost certainly become Kern River death number 148. But the beach looked good and we wanted to swim across. The water was fast, but not too wide. We had to raise our voices to be heard above the ominous din of the rapids below. There was only one way to make it to the beach, so I plunged in and started across. Seeing that I made it safely to the beach, three others decided to come over as well.
The fast water was only about 10 yards wide, but we had to swim at least 30 yards to make it to across. The speed of the current and the consequences for getting swept over the rapids dictated a course that had us swimming 45 degrees or more upstream of our target. It demanded hard, continuous effort. The only chance for rest came when we reached the beach, where we enjoyed a nap on the soft, cool sand.
The Christian life can be the same way. The goal of entering God's rest at the end of a life of faithfulness requires that we set our course to compensate for the contemporary cultural currents that seek to pull us away from our goal and over the rocks. In the Bible, we are reminded that many people who claim to follow God fall by the wayside through disbelief and disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11 states that, "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience."
Are you taking time to read the currents of the world around you? Are you diligently setting a course in life that that will keep you from being swept away from a faithful obedience to God? Are you striving to enter God's rest, or are you seeking your rest today? I encourage you to take time this week to think on these things, to make some course adjustments if necessary, and to diligently "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
God's Morning Gift
Have you ever been woken by a rooster?
I've been rousted from sleep by a cock crow many times while traveling through parts of less industrialized countries. Even in the middle of a city, if it's the right city, you can hear a rooster in the morning. They almost always begin their cry before my alarm clock does. In much of the world, the cock crow still serves as the community alarm clock, as much a part of the morning as the sunrise itself.
It was the same in ancient Israel. For the twelve disciples and the other followers of Jesus, the sound of the rooster heralded another day of watching and wondering at the miraculous ministry of Jesus.
On the night of the Passover, Jesus told His disciples of His impending suffering and death. He told them that they would fall away and be scattered. Jesus said to Peter specifically, "Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." Peter's response was immediate. "Even though all may fall away, yet I will not. I will lay down my life for You." And Jesus said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, a cock shall not crow, until you deny Me three times."
Within the next few hours, Jesus was betrayed by Judas and taken into custody by the ruling Jews and Roman authorities. Just as Jesus proclaimed, the disciples scattered - all of them except Peter and one other, who was able to enter the court where Jesus was being question because of his relationship to the high priest. Peter, too, entered the courtyard, warmed himself by the fire and certainly worried about the wisdom of remaining so close to those who were attacking His Lord. Maybe he was plotting a jailbreak for Jesus. He had swung the sword once already that night. But then a slave girl asked a question, and Peter lied.
I do not know Him.
I do not know the man!
He began to curse and swear, I DO NOT KNOW THE MAN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!
And immediately a cock crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a cock crows today, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.
Some days later, Peter decided to return to fishing. Several of the disciples joined him. After their long and fruitless night of fishing, when the day was just breaking, Jesus stood on the beach, unrecognizable in the weak light. He instructed them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. They complied and were immediately rewarded wit a catch almost too big to handle. A disciple said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he dove off the boat and swam ashore.
Jesus had prepared a breakfast. When they were gathered together Jesus and Peter had a conversation. Three times Jesus asked,"Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Three times Peter replied, "Yes Lord, You know that I love you." And Jesus commanded Peter, "Tend My lambs, Shepherd My sheep, Tend My sheep." In the earliest hours of the day Peter denied his Lord, and in the earliest hours of the day his Lord gave Peter both restoration and a life-long mission.
In the earliest hours of the day, Jesus spent time with His father. Throughout the ages, great men and women of the faith have always affirmed the morning hours as the unique and indispensable time for effective meditation and prayer. And one of God's great gifts to Peter was that his mornings would forever be marked by powerful memories and the meditations they invoked.
During their last supper, Jesus declared to Peter, "I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." But Jesus did more than pray. He also orchestrated the circumstances of Peter's betrayal and restoration in such a way that they would play a daily role in strengthening his faith for a lifetime. Jesus knew that the powerful and impetuous Peter needed a consistent reminder of both his ever present weakness and his high and holy calling. Every morning that began with the cock crow was a morning in which Peter was reminded of the choice before him - to affirm, or deny, his relationship to Christ. Every breakfast was a reminder of the breakfast on the beach and his God-given mission for today - Shepherd My Sheep.
I do not share the same morning experiences as Peter, but I do follow the same Lord and the same calling. In the same way that He prayed for Peter, Christ is at the right hand of the Father interceding on my behalf - praying that my faith would not fail. Just as Peter was given a task, I have been called to do my part in fulfilling the great commission. And I have the promise that just as He did in the life of Peter, God works all things together for good in my life.
I have found that my walk of faith cannot be sustained by emotional zeal. It demands a continual renewal of commitment to the person and purposes of Christ. Every day ought to begin with these questions: Will I follow in obedience, or will I seek my own way? Will I apply myself to fulfilling the role God has given me, or will I selfishly seek my own security and gain? I must address these questions and answer them in the morning, choosing my course before the events of the day choose it for me.
I've been rousted from sleep by a cock crow many times while traveling through parts of less industrialized countries. Even in the middle of a city, if it's the right city, you can hear a rooster in the morning. They almost always begin their cry before my alarm clock does. In much of the world, the cock crow still serves as the community alarm clock, as much a part of the morning as the sunrise itself.
It was the same in ancient Israel. For the twelve disciples and the other followers of Jesus, the sound of the rooster heralded another day of watching and wondering at the miraculous ministry of Jesus.
On the night of the Passover, Jesus told His disciples of His impending suffering and death. He told them that they would fall away and be scattered. Jesus said to Peter specifically, "Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." Peter's response was immediate. "Even though all may fall away, yet I will not. I will lay down my life for You." And Jesus said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, a cock shall not crow, until you deny Me three times."
Within the next few hours, Jesus was betrayed by Judas and taken into custody by the ruling Jews and Roman authorities. Just as Jesus proclaimed, the disciples scattered - all of them except Peter and one other, who was able to enter the court where Jesus was being question because of his relationship to the high priest. Peter, too, entered the courtyard, warmed himself by the fire and certainly worried about the wisdom of remaining so close to those who were attacking His Lord. Maybe he was plotting a jailbreak for Jesus. He had swung the sword once already that night. But then a slave girl asked a question, and Peter lied.
I do not know Him.
I do not know the man!
He began to curse and swear, I DO NOT KNOW THE MAN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!
And immediately a cock crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a cock crows today, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.
Some days later, Peter decided to return to fishing. Several of the disciples joined him. After their long and fruitless night of fishing, when the day was just breaking, Jesus stood on the beach, unrecognizable in the weak light. He instructed them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. They complied and were immediately rewarded wit a catch almost too big to handle. A disciple said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he dove off the boat and swam ashore.
Jesus had prepared a breakfast. When they were gathered together Jesus and Peter had a conversation. Three times Jesus asked,"Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Three times Peter replied, "Yes Lord, You know that I love you." And Jesus commanded Peter, "Tend My lambs, Shepherd My sheep, Tend My sheep." In the earliest hours of the day Peter denied his Lord, and in the earliest hours of the day his Lord gave Peter both restoration and a life-long mission.
In the earliest hours of the day, Jesus spent time with His father. Throughout the ages, great men and women of the faith have always affirmed the morning hours as the unique and indispensable time for effective meditation and prayer. And one of God's great gifts to Peter was that his mornings would forever be marked by powerful memories and the meditations they invoked.
During their last supper, Jesus declared to Peter, "I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." But Jesus did more than pray. He also orchestrated the circumstances of Peter's betrayal and restoration in such a way that they would play a daily role in strengthening his faith for a lifetime. Jesus knew that the powerful and impetuous Peter needed a consistent reminder of both his ever present weakness and his high and holy calling. Every morning that began with the cock crow was a morning in which Peter was reminded of the choice before him - to affirm, or deny, his relationship to Christ. Every breakfast was a reminder of the breakfast on the beach and his God-given mission for today - Shepherd My Sheep.
I do not share the same morning experiences as Peter, but I do follow the same Lord and the same calling. In the same way that He prayed for Peter, Christ is at the right hand of the Father interceding on my behalf - praying that my faith would not fail. Just as Peter was given a task, I have been called to do my part in fulfilling the great commission. And I have the promise that just as He did in the life of Peter, God works all things together for good in my life.
I have found that my walk of faith cannot be sustained by emotional zeal. It demands a continual renewal of commitment to the person and purposes of Christ. Every day ought to begin with these questions: Will I follow in obedience, or will I seek my own way? Will I apply myself to fulfilling the role God has given me, or will I selfishly seek my own security and gain? I must address these questions and answer them in the morning, choosing my course before the events of the day choose it for me.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Architecture and Theology
My brother is an architect. Every detail of a building reveals something to him about the philosophy, purpose and intent of the designing architect. He will read a facade, a room or a hallway in the same way I read a book. Like me you probably don't share the same life long passion and commitment to the details of building design as an architect, but we can still pick up on the messages communicated by the spaces in which we live and work.
If you've ever looked for a house to buy or an apartment to rent you know just what I mean. Every time you went into a door you had an immediate impression. The amount of light, the height of the ceiling, the quality of the cabinets. Each of these details and many more defined a mood, a socio-economic level, a certain style and quality of life. And hopefully you found a space that was a match for you. After moving in you filled the space with your furniture. You put pictures on the wall. The things that are important and meaningful to you become an integral part of the home. When someone comes for a visit they can often learn as much about you from the physical space in which you live as they do from the things you discuss. At the least they are left with an impression of who you are and how you live.
Have you ever considered what your church building communicates about God and the people who worship Him there?
As one of my seminary professors was fond of saying, everything about the location, form and function of your church service communicates a theological message. Or put another way, you can learn what a church believes and values about God and the Christian life by the way it worships.
By looking at church architecture we can learn a great deal about what is considered important in worship. Four chapters of Genesis are devoted to God's instructions to Moses concerning the layout of the tabernacle. There was significant meaning in all the form and functions of the temple. In more recent history, the great cathedrals were all designed to be a place of instant wonder. Massive in size and covered with intricately detailed stonework, they have high towers holding an army of bells. With soaring ceilings and colored light the buildings themselves create an air of grandeur. The building communicates that God is big, beautiful, and worthy of awe and respect.
In churches built before the reformation, the focal point of the church was the altar - the place of communion and baptism. If there was a pulpit, it was located off to one side. The altar formed the center of worship, just as communion was the height of worship. In many Catholic churches the altar holds an image of the Madonna and Child. Sometimes the crucifix will be there as well. Often it will be found to the side, or in the rear of the church. These images and their placement communicate theological belief.
After the reformation, the focal point in Protestant churches became the pulpit. Sola Scriptura meant that the Bible and the sermon became the center of worship. Church architecture reflected this in placing the pulpit in the center. The high point of Sunday worship became the teaching of God's Word. The Catholic images were replaced with a large empty cross located prominently above and behind the pulpit. These arrangements reflect and teach theological beliefs in the Protestant church.
In recent years, the trend in Evangelical church architecture has been to create an open stage on which a wide array of different objects and events can be highlighted. Behind the stage is a large screen for video. Often there is no pulpit. While there are logistical benefits to such an arrangement, what is theologically communicated when the focal point of the room is a stage? What do people learn about God and worship when the building is more like a theater than a traditional church? What do you think?
If you've ever looked for a house to buy or an apartment to rent you know just what I mean. Every time you went into a door you had an immediate impression. The amount of light, the height of the ceiling, the quality of the cabinets. Each of these details and many more defined a mood, a socio-economic level, a certain style and quality of life. And hopefully you found a space that was a match for you. After moving in you filled the space with your furniture. You put pictures on the wall. The things that are important and meaningful to you become an integral part of the home. When someone comes for a visit they can often learn as much about you from the physical space in which you live as they do from the things you discuss. At the least they are left with an impression of who you are and how you live.
Have you ever considered what your church building communicates about God and the people who worship Him there?
As one of my seminary professors was fond of saying, everything about the location, form and function of your church service communicates a theological message. Or put another way, you can learn what a church believes and values about God and the Christian life by the way it worships.
By looking at church architecture we can learn a great deal about what is considered important in worship. Four chapters of Genesis are devoted to God's instructions to Moses concerning the layout of the tabernacle. There was significant meaning in all the form and functions of the temple. In more recent history, the great cathedrals were all designed to be a place of instant wonder. Massive in size and covered with intricately detailed stonework, they have high towers holding an army of bells. With soaring ceilings and colored light the buildings themselves create an air of grandeur. The building communicates that God is big, beautiful, and worthy of awe and respect.
In churches built before the reformation, the focal point of the church was the altar - the place of communion and baptism. If there was a pulpit, it was located off to one side. The altar formed the center of worship, just as communion was the height of worship. In many Catholic churches the altar holds an image of the Madonna and Child. Sometimes the crucifix will be there as well. Often it will be found to the side, or in the rear of the church. These images and their placement communicate theological belief.
After the reformation, the focal point in Protestant churches became the pulpit. Sola Scriptura meant that the Bible and the sermon became the center of worship. Church architecture reflected this in placing the pulpit in the center. The high point of Sunday worship became the teaching of God's Word. The Catholic images were replaced with a large empty cross located prominently above and behind the pulpit. These arrangements reflect and teach theological beliefs in the Protestant church.
In recent years, the trend in Evangelical church architecture has been to create an open stage on which a wide array of different objects and events can be highlighted. Behind the stage is a large screen for video. Often there is no pulpit. While there are logistical benefits to such an arrangement, what is theologically communicated when the focal point of the room is a stage? What do people learn about God and worship when the building is more like a theater than a traditional church? What do you think?
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