Analogy: Vision Correction

How many of us are nearsighted? How many farsighted? How many with astigmatism? Even if you were born with 20/20 vision, how long before you are plagued with cataracts or presbyopia?

... the wellspring of life is with you.

By means of your light we see light. (Ps 36:9)

If we elevate the discussion to spiritual metaphor, we might say that ALL of us have every kind of vision problem at some point or another. In the physical realm, vision problems are caused by misshapen, injured, or diseased eyeballs or lenses resulting a distortion of light, or in worst cases - as with retinal detachment - a complete loss of vision. How may we apply the analogy?

All of us are born with distorted spiritual vision due to the Fall in the Garden. A "mutation" was introduced into humankind's spiritual DNA through a reckless choice by our first parents (1 Cor 15:21-22). In an ironic twist, their spiritual eyes were both opened and darkened at the same time (Gn 3:4,7). Even those biblicists who do not hold to the doctrine of Original Sin will readily confess that all of us victimize ourselves in the same way by our own spiritual self-mutilation through willful rebellion against God's good will (Is 53:6; Rm 3:10-12). The result is that we all have distorted spiritual vision. When the light of truth comes to our damaged spiritual eyes our vision is distorted, and the condition will either be treated or will worsen. So, ALL of us need correction, for neglecting this treatment will result in total and irreversible blindness.

The physical maladies serve well as pointers to the spiritual ones. All of us have spiritual astigmatism in that we cannot see straight or focus properly without correction (Rm 1:21-22, 28; 3:11-12; 1 Cor 2:14). We may also say that we all have cataracts, for our spiritual eyes are veiled to the word of God, just as was the case with the unbelieving Jews of Paul's day (2 Cor 3:13-16). This condition only worsens without treatment! What's more, we have an enemy trying to warp even what we do see (2 Cor 4:4). We may at times experience near-sightedness when we get too focused on the things of this life (Mt 6:25-34; Jas 4:13-5:6; 1 Jn 2:15). (How many prayers are focused on immediate comforts rather than on the longview of God's plan to redeem and reconcile?) On the other hand, we may - especially as we get older, appropriately enough! - experience far-sightedness when we focus so much on our final, glorious state that we forget to be on mission now as ambassadors for the gospel (Mt 28:18-20; Lk 24:46-49; cf. Ac 1:8; see Paul's positive example in Php 1:21-26). (Do you talk about the rapture more than the gospel?) We can also have vision problems due to our own sin, like a splinter in the eye that blocks vision more like a beam (Mt 7:3-5).

We know for certain that the light of God has come to everyone through his creation (Rm 1:20), his word (Ps 119:105,130), and through his Son (Jn 1:4-5,9; Heb 1:1-3; cf.2:1). But how can we find help with all these vision problems? God has given us the lens of his word, but we need help even to understand and apply that lens correctly. For this reason, he has given us his Spirit, our great Optometrist. Many will try the corrective lenses of God's word for a while, like glasses or contacts (the word DOES have to make contact with the heart!). Many will treat the lens as disposable and conclude they see just fine without them. If they continue to ignore the Optometrist and reject treatment they will go blind, forever stumbling in the dark - a spiritual case of retinal detachment (Rm 1:24,28; cf. Is 5:20; 1 Pt 2:7-8). Praise God, others of us are won over to trust the doctor. His word is surgical and he is the surgeon, helping us forever to see what is what (Heb 4:12). God has also given us his Body, our spiritual community of brothers and sisters who all want to work together to understand and live by the light (Rm 15:1-6; Eph 4:1-16; Jude 20-23).

For all these reasons, if we are motivated to care of our physical eyes, we must be even MORE careful to take care of our spiritual eyes, as Jesus said...

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! (Mt 6:22-23)

As we rely on our tools for spiritual health so that we no longer stumble around in the dark, we are reminded that all glory goes to God:

Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)

 

A Quick-hitter on Blessing

Jesus said, It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). This explains why God is blessed above all.

The Father gives life (Jn 5:21), and every good and perfect gift (Jas 1:17) and he gives the Spirit without measure (Jn 3:34). Jesus the Son gives salvation (Ac 4:12; 1 Thes 5:9; 2 Tm 2:10; Rv 7:10), life (Jn 5:21) and sustenance (Jn 4:10; 6:27). The Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6) and all spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:4-11).

In short, since God is the source of all giving, he is blessed above all.

The Real Costume Party

As Halloween approaches again, I was thinking about what extent to which our church-sponsored Trunk or Treat events engage the culture with any mission-critical traction. This post isn't about that but rather about something else that occurred to me as I thought about the costumes themselves.

I realized that the costume choices this October 31st will mostly be either truly costumes or ironically barely costumes at all. Many will dress as superheroes. These would fit in the first category, for if we really believe what the Bible says about us as humans in our post-Fall state, we do not essentially measure up to the word. (Funny, that we dress up in the fall, isn't it?) On the other hand, many will dress as a villain, whether the cartoonish or the gruesome, the ever-popular violent slasher, the ghoulish or demonic. These fall into the second category, for the biblical doctrine of depravity - and our own experience - teaches us that these costumes resemble our true clothing more than we wish. If Robert Downey Jr. went trick-or-treating as Iron Man, his attire (even if he borrowed the authentic garb from his movie wardrobe) would still be a costume, but if Charles Mansion dressed as a psychopathic murderer, not so much a costume at all.

Now, here's the real irony. We make a big deal - and a huge commercial enterprise - out of one day a year, October 31, and may not really be dressing up so far from the street clothes of our true nature. Yet, many people will truly dress up in costume dozens of times a year around 10am on Sundays. Millions are in the large rooms of our church buildings, and many of them are even on stage. Wolves in sheep's clothing. Sheep dressed up like perfect, flawless little lambs but who really are lame, diseased and filthy.

Yahweh's prophets scolded his people for bringing the worst of their flocks for sacrifice. The Apostle Paul reminded us that it is WE who are the sacrifices, and for many of us, the quality control department is no better managed than it was in Malachi's day. God doesn't like playacting - the literal meaning of hypocrisy - any more than he did 2700 years ago.

Good thing we believe the gospel.

For the biblical Christian, life - including the corporate worship gathering - is not a charade. We don't pretend to be perfect. A true hypocrite doesn't really want Jesus but acts like he does. We true Christians really do want Jesus, but we struggle to stay true to what we want. So, if we follow the advice of Jesus and his apostles, we own our sin, regret it, repent of it, confess that God is right about it, and then we believe the gospel and trust God to keep making us more like the Jesus we love.

When we are pretending to be okay is when we are farthest from it, because our gospel family is where we are reminded of our Help. Why mask up? We should huddle in worship not pretending that we are not truly filthy and lame - not flaunting it, but not pretending it is not so. Church is not to be a costume party but a treatment center. We come for gospel-infusions, for without them we die. What good is it when we comment on the quality of the coffee while trying to hide the fact that we are bleeding out inside? If we are transparent, we may truly be helped and encouraged, and find help to share our unbearable loads.

So, wear the costumes on Halloween. Have fun with that. Really! And do yourself a favor: leave the costumes at home the rest of the time and come gather with the church to worship the one true Superhero who is rescuing you from death and bringing you into eternal life. (As Nathanael from The Chosen would say, "That's Jesus, by the way.")

Yeah, I got that.

Called to Ministry?

Many of us evangelicals today have learned to ask potentially misleading questions, and these emerge from the misguided, sometimes even unbiblical categories we have created for ourselves. One that struck me recently is this one: "Do you think you might be called into (the) ministry?" We fish with this question in altar calls, in revival meetings or conferences, in youth camps.

Now, I know that what we usually mean to ask is whether someone is sensing a calling to vocational ministry, which usually involves special training in a Bible college and or seminary. Mostly, we're asking, "Do you think God wants you to go into a career in church work or para-church work?" If anyone is ever voicing a stirring toward any kind of Christian ministry we need to be affirming. But let us also be careful to not imply categories and hard lines that are unbiblical.

Many of us have come to think that - or at least act as if - ministry (in the Bible, the common word for a minister is Gk. diakonos, meaning servant) is primarily a special calling for only a select few of God's people. This theological error sets us up for at least a couple of practical errors.

The layperson may conclude ministering is not their thing, or is only occasionally or rarely so. Serving is something they do once a month in a rotation in children's church or as an usher or on a music team, or maybe they serve occasionally in helping with a potluck fellowship dinner. For the Christian, ministry is not discretionary - there is not an opt-out position.

The vocational minister may also compartmentalize in a similar way. They may see their service only according to the specific responsibilities of a job description. They minister during office hours and on Sundays, perhaps going the extra mile on those urgent after-hours appointments when a church member is in crisis. Even vocational ministry is more than a job.

The Bible paints a different picture that this. Ministry is not for a select group of Christians, nor is it neatly compartmentalized into little snapshots of our calendar. Understanding ministry this way is much like thinking that giving offerings is only for some Christians, or that a Christian is obligated to give only a tithe of his income and then may do whatever he wants with the rest of his resources. These are not NT views (nor OT ones, for that matter).

Paul painted a picture of service in Rm 12:1 that is not qualified nor compartmentalized:

Romans 12:1 (CSB)

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.

This picture recalls the sacrifices prescribed in the law of Moses for God's people to enable them to live holy lives with God in the center of their community. Yes, it is true that those from a select tribe were appointed to minister as priests at the tabernacle (and later, temple), but all of God's people were supposed to be serving one another - and even the outsider - in lifestyles of compassion, justice and generosity. Paul brings that notion to the church, placing Christians in the mash-up role of both minister and sacrifice. This is a call to follow the pattern of Jesus, who is the unique heavenly High Priest that offered himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for sins (Hb 9:11-14). We are to give ourselves, our lives, completely to God, as servants.

So, the question, "Are you called to ministry?" can be misleading. If you are a Christian, the answer is always, "Yes!" Whether you believe God is directing you to a certain role or perhaps to a degree of financial support that enables a vocational focus in your service is a different question. Of course, many people are called to ministry roles (especially teaching and other leadership roles) that are greatly enhanced if they can be supported to the extent they can devote a "workweek" portion of their time to a focused preparation and execution of that service. There are unique roles for which the Holy Spirit and the church "set apart" certain people (e.g., Paul and Barnabus in Acts 13:2). We who are in those kinds of supported positions are extremely blessed, and I for one am profoundly thankful (and sometimes still amazed) that God provides these opportunities.

Still, like Paul, we must all be prepared to give ourselves completely to whatever ministry God has prepared for us (Eph 2:10), whether that is in a fully financially supported role, a bi-vocational situation, or as a lay-person. All of us are ministers, and we must remind one another of this. Perhaps we should change our question: "What kind of ministry is God calling you to?" "How is God ministering through you in this season of your life?" And remember that serving God by serving others takes many forms, whether those fit into our neat, "churchy," categories or not. If you are offering it as an act of worship to God, it is service. Offer it wholeheartedly like Paul commends:

Colossians 3:17,23-24 (CSB)

17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

#Snapshotprayer

 Thank you, God, that today I can take stairs three at a time (upward). May I praise your goodness when I can't take one more step!

The Other Great Exchange

We Christians talk a lot about the “great exchange” of substitutionary atonement, and rightfully so. No concept of the gospel is more core than to realize that Jesus took the wrath of God due us and in exchange gave us his own perfect righteousness.

 

But there is another great exchange that is key to one’s reception of the gospel. This exchange determines whether that other exchange ever happens for an individual. Paul talks about this other exchange in Rm 1. In fact, he talks about several exchanges that seem centered on one in particular: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (v.25).

 

It is important to realize this exchange happens in the heart. This word is used in two key statements by Paul, one in v.21 and one in v.24. It translates a Greek term that refers to a coalition of mind, will, and emotion. This means the exchange of the truth for a lie is more than mental. It is a blend of wrong thinking, wrong deciding, and wrong wanting. Naturally, this coalition leads to wrongdoing.

 

This reality is being not only expressed but held forth as the highest value in our culture today. Everyone is being encouraged to “live out your truth.” Pop culture is peddling this value. The universities are providing doctrinal frameworks to ensure it. You might be surprised at how strongly the administrative powers of public education are pushing it, even down to the preschool levels. Value systems have been replaced. The most important thing to teach a kindergartener now is not A-B-C or 1-2-3 but that everyone should be free to be their “authentic self.” Chaos and perversion are the logical outcomes, and we are seeing plenty of these!

 

When we attempt to proclaim the gospel to someone in word and deed, we do well to realize that they have already made this terrible exchange. They have exchanged the truth for a lie, the priceless for the worthless. Deep down, they probably realize their own “truth” is not working. Most will double down, moving farther away from God’s truth, trying desperately to tweak their own truth until it seems to work.

 

Paul paints a vivid picture of our own moment. This terrible exchange of the truth of God for a lie leads to others. Those who reject God’s truth also exchange “the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man” and other creatures (v.23). This is idolatry, or false worship, and it is everywhere in a culture expressing “my truth.” Because of this idolatry, God delivers people over to unnatural passions and behaviors – another terrible exchange (vv.26-27). Of course, this isn’t new to the world, but it is certainly playing out in a dramatic scale today. Because of idolatry people have been turned over to a corrupt heart, and their lifestyles follow suit (vv.28-32).

 

The point is that we Christians help nothing if we go on crusades to “reclaim” our culture and bring the pagans back in line. We, most of all, should understand that we are powerless to overturn darkened and corrupt hearts. After all, we couldn’t do it for ourselves. That was and is the Spirit’s work. All we did (and continue to do) is quit saying “no” to him and started saying “yes.” Only then was our thinking, deciding, and wanting transformed, as it continues to be so (Rm 12:2).

 

We speak the truth, sure. We call sin “sin.” But our mission is to proclaim the gospel. That is the only power that brings salvation (Rm 1:16). It saves by revealing God’s righteousness (v.17). We can’t convince people of the truth. We can’t ultimately compel them to believe or to live by it. We can only be bold in proclaiming it.

 

The cost of faithful gospel proclamation is going up. To not be ashamed of the gospel (v.16) is to refuse to back off proclaiming Christ. Gospel-oriented living will naturally cause us Christians to stand out in contrast to our culture. The pressures will increase, but we have one job: testify about Jesus. It is not to hammer the sinners, but to lovingly proclaim the gospel. It does the work. The Spirit brings to life. We testify, and we pray that the Spirit will win over the hearts of the lost to these two great exchanges. If they are willing to exchange their “own truth” for the truth of God, then God will exchange the righteousness of Jesus Christ for their own sin. 

Good News #zinger

The good news (read gospel) that most people want to hear is that everyone else (including God) will give them what they want.

Counting Blessings #zinger

 God gave us eternal life so we have time to continue counting all our blessings in Christ.

The Conquering Church and Avoiding Mission Drift

The term “conquered” occurs 17 times in John's Revelation of Jesus Christ. The Greek root, νικη, transliterates nike and means “victory.” Look familiar? (If not, watch a sporting event or two.) How about that? Our sports culture expresses a biblical theme! Jesus said his church will be victorious over earthly and even demonic powers (see Mt 16:18). In his Revelation, Jesus promises amazing rewards to the one who conquers, and the book envisions the playing out of that victory. Those promises are made in the corporate context of the local churches in chs.2-3, though they have implications for the individual as well.

Several entities conquer in Revelation: the demonic powers of this earth, the Christians/Churches, and Jesus. The conquering of the demonic earthly powers is temporary. The conquering of Jesus is ultimate, final, and eternal. The conquering of the Church is bound up in that of Christ, and it is conditional, resulting from faithful perseverance through persecution to final blessing. These conditions are important because they help us understand how the Church conquers. We must understand what this conquering means and what it looks like, so we stay focused on our true mission.

Revelation provides a contrast to understand real victory. The world’s recorded history has not offered victory in any lasting sense. Conquering is military, socio-political, and or cultural. It comes through movements characterized by shifts in power. All those who have conquered in these ways have themselves eventually been conquered. How will it be different for the Church?

 

The Church’s conquering will be enduring because it is a different kind of conquering. It is defined in Rv 12:11:

 

They conquered him 

by the blood of the Lamb 

and by the word of their testimony; 

for they did not love their lives 

to the point of death. 

 

The “him” in this verse is our ultimate adversary, the accuser and deceiver who is the spearhead behind all rebellion against God’s authority and rule. This conquering, then, is the Christian’s conquering over the collective of forces that oppose our Lord, and therefore, oppose us who serve him.

 

Our opponents are both human and demonic, both individual and corporate. We are frequently face-to-face with individuals who oppose Christ, but the anti-Christian forces are especially powerful as they are united in the cultural, religious, and socio-political systems of fallen humanity. We are beginning to feel those forces more strongly now in the current shift against Christianity in the U.S. We feel pressure from individuals, we feel it from our culture, and even from our governing authorities.

 

If the Church is to conquer, how do we prevail upon this opposition? What are we supposed to do as Christians and as local congregations? Do we need to “take back” our country through political activism? Is our mission to radicalize our culture by flooding social media with Christian rhetoric or by flooding the streets with an imposing movement of social activists?

 

Scripture is clear about how Christians conquer every kind of evil. We stand in the reality of our own salvation by the Lamb, and we faithfully give testimony about that work until our death. Our witnessing is our conquering. To conquer, we must faithfully proclaim the true gospel and live it out for as long as we are granted by God to do so. This means we must not corrupt the gospel message or confuse our gospel mission with any other agenda, passion, or movement. This is why Jesus called every one of the seven churches of Rv 2-3 to conquer, but in doing so he speaks only of perseverance in pure doctrine and faithful living.

 

Does the Christian care about social justice? Absolutely! Should the Christian speak truth in the political arena or on social media? Yes, provided it is with discernment and that our focus is on lovingly promoting the gospel and no lesser agenda. We must not be deceived into throwing our energy into any inferior and short-lived earthly form of conquering. Our conquering is not through social reform or politics or cultural revolution, though we may rightfully hope it impacts those arenas. Our conquering is by the finished work of the cross and by our testimony of who Jesus is and what he has done for us.

 

The Church does not conquer by revolution. She conquers by revelation. We conquer the dark forces of this world by going on record about the great Lamb. We proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Cor 11:26), because his death for sins is our victory.

 

These are frustrating times for us, but we know we are conquerors. Let us be careful to remember why and in what way this is true. We are only victorious in Christ, and that victory comes through suffering as faithful witnesses for his sake. Hear the words of Paul, who gave up everything for Christ:

 

Romans 8:31–39 (CSB)

31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? 33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: 

Because of you

we are being put to death all day long;

we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Pulls and Proclamation #Analogy

First, happy new year! May 2021 resemble 2020 in no significant ways. Yeesh!

Next, one important thing WILL be the same: the Christian's role as a proclaimer of the gospel. Our opportunities to carry out Christ's mandate (Mt 28:18-20) will likely (please please please) LOOK different this year. Still, the command and calling are the same whatever our situation dictates in terms of expression and form.

So, as we consider those possibilities, I offer another analogy that points to the very personal and individual nature gospel proclamation. I present to you the dresser, the desk, the buffet or secretary, and probably most appropriately, the file cabinet. More to the point, let me draw your attention to the PULL.

Inside all the aforementioned pieces of furniture - if things are the way they ought to be - we can find some really good stuff, some important stuff, things helpful, informative perhaps and, especially, valuable. But no matter how great the contents, we will struggle to access them unless the drawers and or doors have pulls.

If you are a regenerate Christian - a person who has been born again into an eternal life in Christ - then you are the furniture (tweaking a fusion of Paul's analogy of temple and body). You are a real, live container for the life of Christ expressed by gospel. You hold something that is critically needed by those with whom you interact and especially by those with whom you have influence.

                     

But how can they access the gospel if there are no pulls? It is one thing for people to see Christ in you. It is another thing for them to find a handle for it, some way to grasp it for themselves. Now, we understand conversion is God's work. His Spirit causes the gospel truth to resonate in a mind and heart when, and only when, he begins to awaken and enliven them to it. But HOW does he bring that resonance?

Your proclamation is the pull. You will speak the gospel truths in a way that God has appointed to be exactly the way someone needs to hear them. Your pastor could talk to them for a thousand years and it still not click. A seminary prof could explain it a thousand ways and they'd still not get it. But you might make one statement of testimony to them, and then see their eyes light up with understanding. Something about the way YOU say it will explode in epiphone for someone.

That's God's beautiful creativity. Gospel evangelism is not some biblical expression of the Clone Wars. You and every other Christ-follower is uniquely equipped to deliver the gospel as a firsthand witness. Do the work to be obedient to Peter's command to be prepared to give an explanation for the hope that is in you (1 Pt 3:15). Yes, always dive deeper in your own gospel exploration so that you are a better and better spokesperson. Then understand that your delivery will be - and should be - unique. The message is one, but the messengers are diverse.

There are a bazillion different styles of pulls out there. The many people you run into are a little like DYI home reno shoppers. They are surveying all the options, listening to a lot of worldviews and suggestions regarding the big questions of life. Somebody will run into you, and - if you are ready for the opportunity - they will find the pull they've been looking for. They've surely run into others with the life of Christ inside, but something about the way YOU talk about it will suddenly give them a hold on it.

Your proclamation of the gospel - your specific proclamation - is a pull for someone. That means you must be prepared for the moment, be obedient in the moment and be yourself. Praise God for his generosity to allow you the chance to be a unique collaborator in his life-giving work!

Analogy: New Towels, Bleeding and Lint

 Okay. This one is not complicated, and is pretty similar to the last one (dog poo).

We decided it was time for new bath towels. We bought light and dark gray to match the color scheme of our home interior (and the colors are pretty). You know what you have to do with some new materials like towels, right? Wash them separately in case of bleeding. I did. That is, I washed these new towels together, the light and dark gray, but separate from any other clothing or towels.

I might have accidentally led you to expect that the colors bled from dark towel to light. Nope. The colors had been set before sale. However, that would have provided a similar analogy to the one I did notice.

Lint.

The towels are new, so we'll have a period of shedding off the excess fuzzy material. So, now we have light gray lint on the dark towels and dark lint on the light. It reminds me of how we offset the font color and the background, but - hey - I might have a future post there!

The way things work normally in this broken world the corruption (in this case, the opposite color lint) is unavoidable. Put a dark towel in with a light one and you will have cross-contamination. Like I said, the concern or potential problem was bleeding.

Jesus was and is the supernatural anomaly. The Father put the Son - pure white - in the wash with the whole of corrupt humanity - every kind of dark. However, rather than being contaminated Jesus began to bring a reversal we'd only expect from bleach. The curious begin to accumulate white lint as the gospel prods and provokes. Some believe and follow, at which point there is more than accumulation - there is transformation. The dark towel becomes pure white (see Rm 4:22-24), though still exposed to other dark towels (Jn 1:5 with Php 2:15), and though there is intermittent dark fuzz to peel away with the lint roller (see 1 Jn 1:9).

What Jesus does is not only uniquely supernatural. It is also ironic. The very thing it took to wash away and whiten all our corruption was a particular kind of bleeding:

Hebrews 9:11–14 (CSB)

11 But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), 12 he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?

This washing by Jesus gives us boldness and belonging:

Hebrews 10:19–25 (CSB)

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—20 he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

It also gives us a mission for others. What Jesus does for us Christians in the spiritual "wash" he keeps doing through our witness. As the Church proclaims Christ, he continues to wash others. We are not called to withdraw from the company of dirty laundry. We ARE called to be careful (Jude 23b) but not to isolate. Rather, we are called to a sort of gospel mingling where others are influenced by Jesus through us (vv. 22-23a). As we "keep ourselves in the love of God" (v.21) we are agents in the washer, even as the gospel works its holy agitation and then rinsing.

So, understand, Christian, that you are a towel washed white by the bleach-blood of our supernatural Savior. You will still accumulate some of that old lint. Trying to isolate from the world won't stop that, for you are still stuck with the old fibers within yourself. The answer for that lint is John's lint-roller of confession and renewal. No, Christ keeps us in with the wash for how ever many cycles he has determined. Be a cleansing agent, spreading the gospel with every contact. Christ in you will permeate some other soul by exposure, and he will reverse the natural contamination for them too.

Titus 3:4–8 (CSB)

4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 8 This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone.

Are You A Creative?

 First, let me say that perhaps the most shocking thing about 2020 is not the pandemic, not the riots nor the tumultuous election (now evangelicals have at least TWO kinds of election about which to argue!). It is that I have not blogged since January. Better, it is that I am finally blogging again now. I suppose the latter is more shocking, since it is usually easier to not blog than to blog. (In defense of my neglect, I will put forth that God did enable me to publish 2 books this year!)

Now, sometimes we creatives can hardly hold it in, whatever the IT is - some idea we feel we must express or burst. The prophet Jeremiah wrote about this, though, I'm not sure he'd consider himself a creative. He DID write poetry. Some of it was rehearsed over and over in Israel's national Lamentations. In Jer 20:9 he wrote:

I say, “I won’t mention him 

or speak any longer in his name.” 

But his message becomes a fire burning in my heart, 

shut up in my bones. 

I become tired of holding it in, 

and I cannot prevail.

It is telling (and convicting) that Jeremiah would even express a desire to HOLD IN God's message, but my point here is that he couldn't. He was compelled. Christians are compelled in a similar way to share the message of God, a message the NT calls the gospel. We are more than compelled to herald this good news (of access to eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ). We are commanded to share it. (Passages like Mk 16:15 are understood to be TO Jesus' original disciples but FOR all of us disciples.)

That command gets too lightly and easily brushed off in cultures like our modern American Christianity. Preaching is for professionals in the pulpit or the classroom. Gospel proclamation is for the Christian pop creatives in bands like Hillsong and Elevation Worship. I might listen or sing along but I'm not a creative like them.

The premise (it's the professional's job) is faulty or the command is nullified. Scripture militates against the latter, so the former must be the problem. Proclaiming the gospel is for every Christ-follower. The title of this blog belies the fact that I believe the follow-up (I'm not a creative) is also faulty. A strong argument can be made that ALL of us are creatives rather than they are only some subset of people who happen to be gifted in particular art forms. In this I largely agree with Andrew Peterson who makes this argument here, and fleshes it out more in his book, Adorning the Dark.

Now let me put these two thoughts - 1) the command to proclaim the gospel and 2) the reality that the creative God patterned you as a creative in his image - let me put these together in a challenge for us all. God has created you and me as unique messengers to proclaim his amazing creative goodness to the entire cosmos (Eph 3:10-11). This is our purpose first by nature of being humans God made in his own image. It our mandate second by nature of our recreation in the image of God's Son as followers of Christ.

So, the question is not whether but how you are to proclaim the gospel. You don't have to write a song or drama or paint a masterpiece on a chapel ceiling to be a creative. You will proclaim a true or false gospel as you spin the lug nuts on with your pneumatic wrench at the shop. Or you will do it as you crunch the numbers and make your recommendations to your client. Perhaps you have about an hour to do it after the trim while your customer waits for her color to set. Or you will proclaim a pure or corrupt gospel as you try to help your kids - or someone else's kids - with their online or hybrid schooling, praying and waiting for the day they are back on campus! The gospel is your charge even as you wait for the shut-down to end so you can go back to work full-time. It will also be yours when you are back to working more hours than you wish and trying to hang on until the next holiday or vacation.

Are you a creative? I'd say yes, at least to the point that God has created you with your unique personality, background, situation and opportunities, all for one thing. You are to proclaim his goodness by proclaiming his gospel. That means using words, yes, that is true. But it is not true enough. It means proclaiming in every way you live: in your vocation, in your home, in your recreation and in your communities. Our whole lives are living sacrifices, not only of worship but of proclamation (Rm 12:1-2). To proclaim the gospel in either words OR actions is confused and insufficient. We must do both. We speak the words as heralds, AND we live accordingly as servants of Jesus.

Understand that the Apostle Peter was about as down-to-earth as a guy gets. (I doubt he would have called himself a creative!) Remember that he was rough, stumbling and inclined to regrettable screw-ups like you and me. Then hear him call us to both the speaking and the living out of the gospel:

1 Peter 3:14–15 (CSB)

... Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

2 Peter 3:11–12 (CSB)

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness 12 as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming.

Analogy: Cleaning Dog Poo & Cleaning Sin

Theological truths hit me at the weirdest times. Probably just me.

Case in point. Over the holidays, some of our kids were coming over with their kids. That meant restless grands needing some space to play and get rowdy. So, I went out ahead of time to pick up the dog poo from the back yard. We convince ourselves we can avoid those annoying moments when the kids race in and the adult spots an off-color and – sure enough – off-SMELLING – footprint or three on the floor just inside the back door. Stop! Check the bottom of your shoes! Ugh! Where’s the disinfecting cleaner!

I do my best, but it is nearly inevitable that the dogs are more prolific than I am thorough. Maybe you’ve been there.

Anyhow, as I was executing my well-rehearsed pickup method with hand in inverted doggy poo bag, I noticed at one point that I had worked a little tear into the plastic – too aggressive about this cleanup. Naturally, I immediately wondered: Did this just happen or has this hole been there for the last few piles? Of course, at risk is the purity of my hand.

Even when the bag has retained its integrity, I always feel like some of the nastiness has somehow found its way onto my hand, so I am cautious and mindful. For example, it’s been my experience that these little rolls of plastic bags have usually gotten too hot at some point. This means one has to lick one’s fingers before rubbing them together on the unsealed end to get it open. This is not an issue for a single-bag pickup, a one-and-done poo extraction. However, when you are clearing a whole yard of a month’s worth of deposits, which requires peeling off and opening multiple doggy bags…

Well, you can see why one must be careful to remember which is the “licking” hand and which is the “picking” hand.

So, in this moment of panicked assessment, a flurry of theological ideas came to mind. I’m odd that way. Still, maybe these will get you thinking as well.

First, I cannot imagine how repugnant and offensive my sin and impurity are to a perfectly pure and holy God. Were I to imagine myself in this moment as perfectly clean, dressed all in white down to the soles of my shoes, and surrounded by the poo of a million dogs, the analogy could still not stretch far enough. I cannot comprehend how offensive my impurity is to God. My reaction to the tracks on the floor in the house could not begin to compare to the proper reaction of God if I were to waltz into his presence with unconfessed sin or an unresolved conflict or angry disposition or some other impurity – maybe a favorite idol stuck to the bottom of my shoe.

I wonder how many times we come storming into God’s house in exactly the same way. Like Sunday mornings, for example. Six days (or more!) out on the playground, picking up all kinds of yuck, and we come barging in looking for food and drink and more fun – maybe some hugs – and tracking mess everywhere! Maybe if we sometimes find Sunday’s worship experience a little lacking, it’s because God is staring at us, pointing to the filth and saying, Really? Take off your shoes outside. You’re standing on holy ground. I am reminded that we, like children, do not think nearly enough, nearly often enough, about cleaning up.

Second, I remember how grateful I am for the cleansing and atoning work of Christ. However long I spent in that yard, I was going to miss something. Likewise, no matter how careful I would be, no matter how hard I might scrub, I would never be able to get clean enough to come into God’s house, to come close to him. This filth of this world – and my own sin – is horribly offensive to God. That makes nearness to him fatal, even impossible (without help).

Think of the Israelites not daring to come up on mount Sinai where God’s cataclysmic presence was (Ex 19). Impurity is the reason God gave the law to them, why the rules about tabernacle access were so stringent, why there was a holy place and even a most holy place. We humans are in desperate need for cleaning up. Jesus is the solution, the cleaning solution, if you will. The rituals God gave the ancient Israelites did not purify them. Their obedience in faith did. The rituals brought them into a state of faithful following, but they looked forward to the real solution for impurity. That was the atoning and cleansing work of Christ’s blood offered on the cross. We now look back on that completed work with another ritual, and it too only symbolizes – but is not itself – the real power of cleansing. Baptism.

As I continued my work, I thought ahead to the fact that I would surely wash my hands thoroughly. I began to think how cleaning works, and that led me to my third big theological thought.

Jesus’ cleaning power is mind-boggling. Think about washing your hands. How does that work? You keep running water over the dirt. Filth washes away. But how clean is clean? When you wash out a rag, how does it get clean? There is repeated dilution. You keep reducing the number of parts per million of microscopic gunk in the rag or the bucket or whatever. How many parts per million is clean? 1000? 100? 1? 0.000001?

I realized that this points to the reality that only Jesus could ever truly clean any of us, let alone ALL of us. The cleaning power of any other man would be limited, and at best could only approach clean. The dirty parts per million number could never get to zero. Only an infinitely pure Man could do that. Only a God-Man could to that. Since God is one, there could only be one God-Man. He is Jesus. 

This is why until Jesus came unclean people had to be quarantined, just like those with the recent coronavirus. The unclean corrupts the clean. When Jesus hit the scene, he showed his power to reverse that. He walked up and touched lepers and cleansed them. He did the same for blind and deaf and lame and even reversed death. This was only the demonstration of his power in the visible realm, so that we might become aware of his real power, that to cleanse spiritually. Jesus CAN clean every impurity in the hearts and lives of us sinners. And he DOES for everyone who believes and who asks.

This means we are welcome in the house, provided we come in with Jesus. That makes us clean. SWEET! Praise God for the cleansing work of Christ, so we can come into the house and be with him!

Revelation 22:14–15 (CSB) 

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (CSB) 

Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB) 

He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

Hebrews 10:19–22 (CSB)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.

How Do We Ask?

We Christians understand that we are heralds, witnesses and representatives of Jesus Christ to the world of unbelievers around us. At least we understand that if we read our Bibles and or if we sit under good biblical teaching as we should.

We realize that means we must look for opportunities to engage anyone who is interested in talking about faith. We have to ask some questions to find out where someone is spiritually. What is his worldview? What does she believe about God? Is he a theist of some kind? Deist? Atheist? Do they call themselves Christians?

I think in our present situation in the United States, and the West in general, that we are going to have to tweak our list of diagnostic questions. If the question, "Are you a Christian?" ever yielded a fairly well-defined understanding of where someone was coming from, today an affirmative answer really doesn't tell us much. That is, if you asked this question, and 100 people said, "Yes, I am a Christian," I don't think you could be confident that all, most or even a majority of them were actually regenerate followers of Jesus Christ, possessors of eternal life.

I say this because many today describe themselves as a Christian because they are American, or from the Bible Belt, or they are political conservatives. Or because they are members of a church identified as Christian. Or because they are generally good (compared to, you know, criminal types or political radicals or mean neighbors or whatever), or because they think Christianity is probably closer to the right religion than the 2 or 3 other options they know a little bit about. The list goes on.

I think we are naive to think that most people answering that question today mean to say that they are trusting Christ alone to provide the righteousness God requires to have eternal life, and that they are committed to living in obedience to Christ's commands as a living sacrifice in worship and thanksgiving.

I think we are going to have to ask more precise questions today, and probably quite a few of them, before we can begin to get a feel for whether someone is truly born again.

So, what are the options?

• Do you believe in Jesus?

• Do you know Jesus?

• Do you love Jesus?

• Do you trust Jesus alone for eternal life?

• Are you a follower of Jesus?

• Do you serve Jesus?

• Do you obey Jesus?

• Are you born again?

These, and a bunch more targeted questions may lead to more clarity, but the truth is we'll have to do a lot of careful listening and then keep following up with very particular questions every step of the way.

What seems very clear, though, is that we cannot afford to ask something so general as "Are you a Christian?" and then, upon getting a "yes" breath a sigh of relief, check that person off the list and feel good that we have been a faithful witness for Christ. We're going to need to dig deeper than that.

By the way, I am convinced that one of the places today where our general question would yield the most false positives is IN OUR CHURCHES. Many have written about this in recent years, and I would agree that our churches are full of professing Christians who are in fact spiritually dead. As in NOT followers of Jesus. As in NOT born again. As in destined for hell.

We must start getting very specific in questioning people about their spiritual condition - even in our local congregations. If we presume too much, if we ask vague questions and accept equally vague answers, we risk missing real opportunities to see dead people come to life.

Analogy: In the Cards

The other day I was playing a card game called 313 with some of our dear retired church ladies. I was  the appointed shuffler since we played with two decks and that task was difficult for them. I would shuffle each hand, and would deal when it was my turn.

At one point in the second game I realized I had shuffled and passed off the cards to the next dealer, accidentally skipping my turn to deal. As that and future hands played out, I got to thinking about how my mishap impacted not only that first hand but each to follow. In that first case, I realized that everyone ended up initially what would have been his/her neighbors cards. Then as players made decisions about drawing and discarding the ripples of my mistake carried on into the result of the hand. It changed multiple decisions and outcomes. That got me thinking about God's sovereign will and our free choices that flow from it.

Anyone who takes a biblical position on these matters will readily agree that there is mystery in the interplay between God's sovereign decrees and our free will. Any orthodox position will say what the Bible says, that God is sovereign, knowing everything and frustrated by no one in carrying out his will, and that man is responsible for his free choices. Many are uncomfortable with the tension between God's choosing and our own, and want desperately to feel there is no precise point where the overlap between these realities is perfectly expressed. Most talk systemically about where they are on the TULIP scale between the extremes of Calvinism and Arminianism. Usually the conversations (often arguments) come to a head with one's view of sovereignty.

I'm not going to wade into all that discussion per se. There is much good information available to help one think both intelligently and biblically about the issues. My goal here is to expose the beautiful reality of the dance, as it showed itself to me in this game of cards. I also enjoy exploring how far an analogy can be applied before it falls short of the reality to which it points. So, here are my observations.

God is the Dealer. Of course he is more than that. He invented the game, and he made the rules. He made the cards. He made the materials from which the cards were made and from which the plant was built, and the planet, and so on. But for the sake of analogy God is the Dealer. Whatever possibilities there are in all the hands that can be dealt, they come from his hand. He orders the deck with his shuffling, and then he deals out the cards to each of us. So, the range of possibilities in play are set already by his dealing.

Then we Players consider the hands we've been dealt. We think of how we'd like things to play out, and we make our choices. We choose which cards to hold and which to discard. We react to the choices of other players, some of which benefit us and some of which thwart us. The range of choices available are limited in these ways, by what was dealt and by the choices of others. Still, given that range of options, we make truly free choices as we play our part in determining the outcomes. Sometimes we win the trick. Other times we get caught with points counting against us. Whatever the case, this game is not rigged, so we cannot blame the Dealer if things don't go our way.

Now, one's view of sovereignty nuances the application of the analogy. Since chance or luck does not fit a biblical paradigm, we would see God's deliberate will determining the exact cards that are dealt to all. God is not shuffling cards to let chance decide what is dealt but rather orders the options and distributes exactly the hands that accomplish his perfectly wise and benevolent will. Someone with a high view of sovereignty would say that God not only decrees what cards he will deal to each player but also decrees exactly how that player will (the most extreme view would say must) respond to those options. A biblical view does not necessarily demand that strong a view. Many would allow that only the range of choices is predetermined and that all the choices that follow are free choices by each player. These free choices would also include the reactions to the free choices of others.

God created the players. How much of each player's nature did he determine? That this one would be super-aggressively trusting his gut with his choices while that one would be conservative, holding cards based on the best odds? That this one could bluff her way to a jackpot while another would be riddled with "tells?" Theologians have wrestled with these questions for centuries, but in all biblical options there is mystery. We are trying to understand how the transcendent God operates in the world, and much is beyond us. (A large range of the views implied above fit under the theological category called compatibilism, though there are other views of sovereignty.)

What is clear from Scripture is, once again, that no one by his or her free choices can ultimately thwart God's plan, and that we cannot blame God for the final outcomes. We have played our own role in reaching those outcomes. That brings me to one other observation from the card game analogy.

For this, I must shift from 313, a game where winning depends on getting caught with the fewest points over 10 hands, to the kinds of card games where bets are placed, like Texas Hold 'Em. In that game, one's success can ebb and flow over the course of many hands depending on how much one bets. When a player is emboldened by a great hand (or tired of playing, and ready to be done with it all), they go all in. This means they are betting everything they have left that they have a winning hand, or at least that they can bluff any remaining players into believing they have a winning hand. If they scare everyone else into folding (giving up what they already put in that hand's kitty), or if they do in fact have the winning hand, they can win the whole pot. But if neither is true, they lose everything - game over.

This is the other beauty from this analogy. With God, winning or losing is determined by one and only one wild card - Jesus. We either go all in with Jesus or without him, but at the end of this age everyone is all in. We only have this life to decide whether to hold Christ or to discard him, and we never know which hand is our last. Without Christ all is lost, but with Christ all is won. And from the perspective of human responsibility, the Bible is clear. The Christ wild card is available to everyone, and each one will choose to go all in with Jesus or to discard him. Win or lose. Live or die.

So, I celebrate how God awakened me to his amazing work and my incredible privilege to go all in with Jesus. I'm not so lucky in card games. I'm very grateful that God has called me to himself through the hand I've been dealt, and has given me the opportunity to choose eternal life through his Son. All praise to him for the beautiful analogy, and the spiritual reality to which it points!

Celebrate Analogy

A concept has been churning in my thoughts for a while now, and a book I'm reading by Andrew Peterson has stirred me up enough that I think it's time to begin a series on it. (The book, BTW, is Adorning the Dark, and I highly recommend it.)

The concept is that this life is full of analogy. It's not hard to argue that case, nor to support the argument, and so I will in brief. Further, I will argue that the real (and intended) effect of this phenomenon is to point to God, and more particularly, to Christ, as he is the way God makes himself fully known to us.

Think about every epiphany you ever had, not just the huge, life-changing ones when you said, "Aha!" but even those little moments when it was more like, "Oh, I see now." It's like when someone finally explained fractions or algebra in a way that made it click for you. (If that never happened, I'm sorry, but you'll muddle through okay, unless you are in architectural engineering or something. In that case, I'm sorry for your boss.) Or, it's like that moment when the punch line of a joke finally hit you and sent you rolling on the floor. (Or, sadly, left you wondering why the jokester thought THAT was funny at all.) It's like this whole paragraph you have been reading. Our experiences are filled with simile and metaphor, and also antithesis. We learn by realizing what something is like and by what it is not like.

This is why communication is full of analogy, especially poetry and song. What do we say? "Art imitates life." An imitation is analogy. Through analogy art helps us ruminate on and understand life, even DISCOVER life. Thus, some who muse - and help others muse - are called muse-icians. This principle is why Jesus taught so often in parables: "The kingdom of heaven is like [such and such]..."

Before the Incarnation, God taught with analogy through the law and prophets. The law itself was to show what God was like in his holiness so his people would themselves becoming a living analogy to the rest of the peoples of the world. In speaking of the gods of enemy nations, Moses declared, "their 'rock' is not like our Rock.'" God worked over and over through Israel to show the world that he was not like other so-called gods but was the one true God. In teaching his people how to worship, God referenced the practices of the pagans around Israel and said, "Don't worship the LORD your God this way." In other words, true worship is not like that but rather like this.

In the NT, read Peter and see his metaphors: "... you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices." Paul too calls the church a building; and a Body with many members and Christ as the Head; a temple where God's presence is; a household; an inheritance. He talks about Christian life using everyday life pictures like olympic racing, boxing, military service and even prostitution (as antithesis), and on it goes. Analogy.

We are God's art that imitates his life, especially we humans who are made in his likeness. We understand God, and all spiritual reality through the ways we compare or contrast to him. Of course, in our fallen world we humans build a much fuller collection of antithesis than of simile. That's one reason the Incarnation of the Son is so important. Jesus is the full expression of what we can know about God. Knowing Jesus is an eternal well of discovery. That discovery happens in the world he created, and for that reason this world is full of theological analogies, creative works that show us what God is like, that point to Christ.

Just like you begin to get a feel for what an artist is like from her paintings, sculptures, songs or even her clothes, we learn what God is like from his creations - from each other and our life experiences. So, Jesus taught us about his kingdom through kernels of wheat, through poor widows, through stories about sheep and managers.

Of course, we know Christ explicitly through the Scriptures. But the more we are immersed in the Scriptures the more we see Christ and his work imbedded in the world around us, even in those who do not possess his life or his spirit. That's the beauty of his sovereign power and design. God is revealing himself through everything, even through those who are unwitting or, what's more, unwilling analogies. That ancient Pharaoh who refused God's demands and chased down his people? God is NOT like that, but even that Pharaoh served his purposes. The little girl in kindergarten who felt bad for the new kid and brought him something cool from the toy box that lit up his eyes? THAT's what God is like.

My point in all this is to encourage all of us to notice the theological analogies in our mundane lives. And as we notice, then, "Whatever is true, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable - if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy - dwell on these things." Then praise God for what he allowed us to see. Now we are worshiping him. If we share what we saw with others, they may be drawn into worship too. So, when you see spiritual realities, share them.

This brings me to another reality about analogy, something I'll call resonance. There is a subjective element here. I realized that subjective side of analogy when I took the ACT many ages ago... in the last millennium. I discovered that analogy was a gift for me in most cases, but a curse when it comes to testing for it. One section of the college entrance exam was all about analogy. As I recall, there were a number of problems that featured a word followed by four more words that might associate to some degree with that word. My job was to identify which of the four words had the strongest relationship to the key word. I was frustrated. In most cases, I could see relationships everywhere, and was hard-pressed to pick one over the others. It turned out I did not resonate as much I would have hoped with the one who created the test. He or she (or they) saw different connections than I did.

Once again we see God's sovereign creativity. Some people see things much like you do, enough so that when you point out a God analogy they too may have an "aha" moment. It might even be stronger than your own, and - this is really cool - it will likely amplify your own when you begin to reflect together on it. Others see things very differently, and will not resonate with your discovery. That's okay. There are others with whom they will be more directly encouraged.

Resonance is why you have favorite teachers or sermons, or favorite singers or songs, authors or books. One person on any given Sunday is perplexed by the preacher on stage, mostly lost, while another is sitting in the same room shouting "YES!" inside (or maybe even audibly) because of the "brilliant" way the preacher just spoke the truth. Brilliance may be involved (hopefully), but I think the greater reality at work is resonance. (This, by the way, is a major liability of having the same guy in the pulpit 52 weeks a year, for you will almost certainly become a congregation largely filled with those who resonate with that teacher. Unless they resonate with the worship leader, the other prominent "resonator" on stage. Most people will gravitate toward a church family in which they resonate strongly with the people in one or both of these roles. Better (in my opinion) than a congregation almost exclusively oriented around one or two people is a church where there is diversity on stage as much as is practical so as to serve a diverse congregation.)

But, back to the subject...

My hard-wiring to see analogy was a curse in that ACT setting, but it has been a great blessing in most every other aspect of life. The longer I live, and the longer I grow in knowing Christ and his Word, the more I see him and his truth everywhere! And I want this for you too.

You have honored God anytime you praise him for your discoveries from him. Analogy is powerful regardless of resonance. So, when God shows himself in everyday life share it with anyone who will listen. It will resonate with someone. Sharing your discovery might even be God's tool to bring the "aha" of new life, eternal life, to someone. It will certainly fire up and encourage and challenge your brothers and sisters in the church.

God designed all of us for analogy - to see it, to learn from it, to live it out. So, when you have a "Wow! So, it's like this!" moment, celebrate it and share it.

In the spirit of that challenge, I will continue from time to time sharing the analogies that have jumped out to me, and I encourage you to do the same. Analogy will likely be a part of all my observations, but when the post is mostly about one particular analogy I will label it with that title. The first one will follow soon, In the Cards. I hope it resonates with many.

A Couple Thoughts on Teaching

I was deliberating this morning about a particular theological topic. In the process I was reminded of a couple of critical points about which all of us must be aware and transparent when it comes to teaching.

First, every Christian is to be a teacher. It is clear that some have the spiritual gift of teaching, and for those there is a unique calling and responsibility. But if we are to be consistent in our interpretation of the Great Commission, every Christian has been commanded to teach.

We will often hear the same exact argument for evangelism: there are some who are gifted as evangelists, but all are called to evangelize, to preach (κηρύσσω) the gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) as Jesus commanded in Mark's record of the Commission (16:15). Luke, in Lk 27:46 uses a different form of this same term for preaching, usually translated here to "proclaim." In v.48, Jesus marries the activity of proclaiming or heralding the good news to our identity as witnesses (μάρτυς).

But why should we think Jesus is commanding all of his disciples to proclaim the gospel as witnesses? Isn't he speaking only to the Eleven? Plenty of reasons to see the Great Commission as a universal mandate are built into the collection of NT church letters that follow. But I think Matthew's account gives us one clear reason to understand that the Great Commission bears on all disciples.

In Mt 28:19-20, we get a vivid picture of the disciple maker as one who transfers disciple-making "DNA" in others. The command to "make disciples" has imbedded in it the modifier "teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you." This means that making disciples means teaching those disciples to make disciples. So, whether Jesus is speaking to only the Eleven here, or whether to more (Paul mentions 500 witnesses to the resurrection, and Luke records in Acts 1:15 that about 120 were present when Matthias was chosen to replace Judas), the Great Commission clearly extends to each one of us disciples of Jesus.

And that establishes that we are all to teach. We are to make disciples, and that means teaching them to observe everything Christ commanded. Doctrine drives practice. Teaching leads to obedient, godly living. So, every Christian is called not only to proclaim the gospel but to make disciples by teaching. Further, we learn from Paul that we all carry on this teaching activity when we gather for worship and mutual admonishment (Col 3:15).

Second, having established that we are called to teach, let me offer this charge: we must teach from a position of humility. This is true not only because that attitude glorifies Christ, but also because teachers must never cease to be learners. One's understanding of a doctrine will naturally develop over time, and we should proactively seek that development. This is why even when Paul instructs young Timothy to "command and teach" the "words of the faith and the good teaching that [he has] followed" (1 Tm 4:6,11) he also instructs him to "train [himself] in godliness" (v.7) and to make his "progress...be evident to all" (v.15). Since the training is set opposite "silly myths" it seems that Paul is not just talking about training in godly behavior but in godly teaching.

In many cases, we will grow deeper and more nuanced in our understanding, seeing a truth in greater detail or refinement. But sometimes, we will come to realize our understanding was imprecise, something like Apollos did in Acts 18:24-26, or perhaps even to the degree that our previous view was dead wrong. Sometimes, learning requires a shift to a stronger position, to a more solid ground. Other times it requires an outright rejection of a previously held position.

And this is true of the teacher in the classroom, the small group or even in the pulpit as much as it is for the layman who never thought of himself as a teacher.

And this development is healthy, so long as the learning is sound and the shift, to whatever degree, is toward biblical fidelity rather than from it. The community of the church and biblical scholarship - both everywhere and throughout the last 2000 years or so - is indispensable to helping us ensure the right direction in our theological growth. Embrace this wealth. This is why we teach in classes, over coffee and from the pulpit. It is why we read, and the more the better, most of all pouring over the Scriptures themselves.

It also helps to understand that for each of us our understanding of a doctrine is tensed in a couple of ways. First, I simply mean that it is temporal, moving from a past understanding through our current understanding and likely to a future, even more developed and mature one. Even on core and clear doctrines, like those related to salvation, we grow in understanding and appreciation of the truth, though hopefully we have been blessed early on with an essentially accurate understanding. But with other less essential and less clear doctrines - for example, those related to charismatic gifts or the end times - for those we may well come to new conclusions over time.

And those new conclusions, those shifts, come through another other sense in which our understanding is tensed. The term also refers to stretching. Our understanding of a doctrine is stretched by a differing view. If we are wise, we seek to be stretched by those we have good reason to believe are diligent and skilled in understanding the Scriptures. The tension seeks resolution. We wrestle with the new possibility to see if it merits a tweaking of our own position. Again, this is healthy.

But be cautious. This tension is much like that of the spring coils in a mechanical clock like sits on our mantle at home. The tensed coils tend to drive the pendulum the opposite side of center. It swings back and forth until the tension spends itself. Understand that you might be prone to overcorrect your view when it is challenged by a reasonable and coherent alternative. Take your time wrestling with the tension, and give it opportunity to moderate the swings and counter-swings. And don't be overly dogmatic (especially as a teacher) until you are convinced you are at least near the point of rest, where overcorrection has given way to the center of orthodoxy on the matter.

Ironically, we can and should learn to relax in relation to some doctrines that hold inherent tension, whether due to lack of information or incomprehensible mystery. My, how our springs can coil up or recoil over dispensationalism or egalitarianism or charismata or worship liturgies! About some things we should not yet be too sure of ourselves. And for some points of doctrine knowledge will be forever beyond the exhausting our discovery, or our God would not be worthy of worship! But in pursuit of all sound doctrine, let us be diligent and humble.

And from that diligence and humility, let us teach!