Stay Strong...Cure FA

God uses those who depend on Him. In most cases He uses the most unlikely of people. You know those people who aren’t “strong” in the eyes of the world. However, when I think of someone who is strong, my mind reverts to Natalie Newman my dear friend.

In the spring of 2010, I remember receiving texts messages from her mother asking for prayer. I remember going to Children’s Hospital to see her and pray for her. I remember sitting in the waiting area as Natalie’s family received the news. Natalie was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia (FA).

What is Fridreich’s Ataxia?

Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) is a debilitating, life-shortening, degenerative neuro-muscular disorder. About one in 50,000 people in the United States have Friedreich's ataxia. Onset of symptoms can vary from childhood to adulthood. Childhood onset of FA is usually between the ages of 5 and 15 and tends to be associated with a more rapid progression. Late onset FA (LOFA) can occur anytime during adulthood. FARA is supporting research that will improve the quality and length of life for those diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia and will lead to treatments that eliminate its symptoms.

Living with FA

My friend “Natalia Gene” and her family are very close to my heart. Her dad was one of the men that God used to lead me to faith in Jesus. Her mother helped organize my wedding. And of course her siblings…let’s just say I have too many stories about them.

As you can imagine living with FA is not only difficult for Natalie but also it has taken a toll on her family. Yet, Natalie is certain that God has a purpose for her, "I know God made me the way I am, so I can be a witness to other people.” At age 14 she is confident that God will continue to use her life to demonstrate His good news to those around her. And I am confident that God will sustain her faith as He unfolds His plan for her.

Fighting For a Cure

On March 23^rd Ride Ataxia is holding their Third Annual Bike Ride in Denton. This event is held to raise awareness for FA. Natalie, her family, and many friends will be there.  

Would you please consider partnering was Natalie as she fights for a cure?

God has continued to bless Natalie and I know that He will use her life in great and mighty ways!

Stay Strong…Cure FA

Celebrating the Resurrection

"We could cope—the world could cope—with a Jesus who ultimately remains a wonderful idea inside his disciples' minds and hearts. The world cannot cope with a Jesus who comes out of the tomb, who inaugurates God's new creation right in the middle of the old one." – N.T. Wright

The world has a hard time with the fact that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. The Enlightenment clearly tells us that there is no such thing as a man, who was dead, being brought back to life. That defies the laws of nature. So this doctrine of the Christian faith causes problems for the skeptics, boggles the minds of the scientist, and is the area that the atheist attempts to attack. Yet the belief of the physical resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone for our faith and practice. If Jesus Christ was not raised from the dead, there is no Christianity. Again there is no reason to believe in Jesus if He was not resurrected from the dead. So it is, that the confession “Jesus Christ…died on the cross for the sins of the world, was raised bodily and exalted to God's right hand...” is the reason why we celebrate our salvation. 2000 years ago Jesus Christ was put to death on a cross. Yet three days later, God raised Him from the dead. In the event of the resurrection, Jesus Christ started the New Creation. No longer will death have dominion over creation because it was defeated. In fact death is the greatest enemy of the world but the event of the resurrection, Jesus Christ changed the entire sum of creation.

“Jesus’ return from the grave is the dawn of the new day: God’s people and all creation will share in his resurrection life.”

We as Christians should celebrate the resurrection, the celebration of the New Creation, the celebration of the defeat of death. In light of this I’d like to share with you with 8 New Testament passages that speak about the resurrection that have impacted my walk with Christ. They are all found within different context and applied differently but you’ll see the emphasis of the New Testament authors: the resurrection of the Son of God, the Messiah; Jesus.

1.) Luke 24: Interacting with the Resurrected Jesus

On the road to Emmaus, the two disciples walked with their heads hanging. They placed their faith in the man who called himself the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. They had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. But of course that didn’t happen, because Jesus of Nazareth died at the hands of the Romans. Yet they were met by a man on the road who asked them why they looked so depressed. They explained the story of the man and how he died. But to their surprise the one who met them was the One who died. Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead and to prove that He was resurrected had a meal with them. He revealed Himself to them in the most intimate way. He interacted with those two disciples and restored their hope and expectations.

2.) Acts 2:22-36: Preaching of the Resurrected Jesus

Peter after being filled with the Holy Spirit stood up in the midst of Jerusalem and began to preach the first evangelistic sermon in church history. With the radical statements about the Spirit of God being poured out in the last days and the death of Jesus by the hands of lawless men under the sovereignty of God, Peter began to speak about the resurrected Jesus. He made the point that this Jesus God raised up from the dead, and they were all witnesses to the event. With the preaching of the resurrected and exalted Christ, 3000 men were baptized.

3.) Romans 6:5-11: Application of the Resurrected Jesus

Paul, in his argument about sin and grace makes the point that in the midst of sin the grace of God abounds all the more. But before his hearers can go out and sin habitually he quickly gives a series of questions: “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? No way!! How can we who died to sin live in it? Do you not know that those who were baptized into Jesus were baptized into His death?” Paul then makes the statement that we are united into His death and also in His resurrection. Therefore baptism is the act in which the death and resurrection of Jesus is applied to a believer as a metaphor. Paul concludes that “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.”

4.) 1 Corinthians 15:12-28: Defending the Resurrected Jesus

In his defense of the resurrection of Jesus, Paul as he does so often starts his argument with a question. “If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” If Christ isn’t raised then the preaching of Paul is in vain. Also if Christ isn’t raised, we are dead in our sins. If that is so, then Christians should be the most pitied in the world! But Christ was raised as the first fruit of all those who have died. The promise is to believers who have died. They will be raised from the dead and death will be defeated. The last enemy will be destroyed!

5.) Ephesians 1:15-23: The Dominion of the Resurrected Jesus

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (No need to explain)

6.) Philippians 3:1-11: Being Conformed into the Resurrected Jesus

Looking back on his life, Paul shows the difference between religion and following Jesus. It isn’t the law that makes one right before God but through Jesus. You can’t work your way to God it is only through Jesus Christ. Paul says that everything he gained in his life should be considered “rubbish” (garbage, trash, dung, manure, etc). Paul concludes that his righteousness comes from God that depends on faith. But he continues by adding what that faith looks like. It consists of knowing Him, the power of His resurrection, and sharing in His sufferings becoming like Him in his death. He wanted this all because he wanted to attain to the resurrection. Paul’s desire is to be conformed into the life of Christ, by His death and resurrection.

7.) 1 Peter 1:3-5: Hope of the Resurrected Jesus

Peter gives his greeting to the elect exiles of the dispersion by giving one of the most encouraging openings in all of the New Testament. God has given them mercy because He saved them. Their hope in their salvation is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus. This hope consist of an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading which is kept in heaven. This salvation is guarded by God but will be revealed in the last time. God will show His power by raising men and women from the dead giving them full salvation in the end.

8.) Revelation 21: The Newness that will come because of the Resurrected Jesus

Then I saw, as John said “a new heaven and new earth”. This renewed/restored creation and people will the Bride of the Lamb. The New Creation is the final home for all who follower the Resurrected Jesus. God said that “I am making all things new.” This means a new people, new place, new way, and complete New Creation. No more pain, tears, mourning, death. This is the marriage of heaven and earth. As God created the heavens and the earth in Genesis, so will God create a new heaven and new earth. They will come together in the end. Everything will be made right. The full redemptive plan of God will be consummated and everything will be new, good, right, and holy. This all happens because of the work of the Lamb, who was slain and resurrected.

These 8 passages are not an exhaustive list of resurrection passages. They are simply some passages that have impacted my walk with Jesus. As we are roughly a month away from Easter let us remember to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and continue to walk in the newness of life.

“But the good news is this: death has been defeated; our conqueror has been conquered. In the face of the power of the kingdom of God in Christ, death was helpless. It could not hold him, death has been defeated; life and immortality have been brought to life.” – George Eldon Ladd

Marriage, Children, Economy, and the Created Order

In a 2012 New York Times article entitled Strong Marriages and Economies an intriguing point was made,

The bottom-line message is that what happens in the home does not stay at home; rather, the size of families, and their stability and quality, has important implications for the health of the global economy.

The point is clear: our economy is directly affected by marriage. However, it is evident that marriage in America is on the decline. As the National Marriage Project indicates the total number of marriages fell from 2.45 million in 1990 to 2.11 in 2010. So, in a country suffering with a lack of jobs, an unstable economy, and an unpredictable future the role of marriage is crucial to our society. The question has to be asked then, “Why is marriage so important?”

The Created Order

What is the purpose of marriage and why is it so important? The Biblical worldview provides a solid answer,

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

God, in His love and wisdom created man and woman in His image. This image is functional, meaning, God created man and woman to do something which does not include just sitting around aimlessly hoping that God would provide. The creation of the man and woman is the first marriage and they were given a task. They are to first, be fruitful and multiply. Second, fill the earth and subdue it. Third, have dominion over creation. We could call this task creating society. It is important to notice, however, that marriage itself is not a private union but a social institution. God created marriage to benefit creation. Bonhoeffer would say it this way,

Marriage is more than your love for each other. It has a higher dignity and power, for it is God’s holy ordinance, through which He wills to perpetuate the human race till the end of time. In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link in the chain of the generations, which God causes to come and to pass away to His glory, and calls into His kingdom. In your love you see only the heaven of your own happiness, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsibility towards the world and mankind. Your love is your own private possession, but marriage is more that something personal – it is a status, an office.

Marriage, between a man and woman, then in the mind of God is the foundational building block of a society. Again, marriage is created to benefit creation. Thus without strong marriages a society (creation) could possibly collapse.

Social Issues

If marriage is the foundational building block of a society it appears that our culture is steadily moving away from that social institution. And since it is moving away it is possible that our society will too. Yet in the same vain there are several other issues hindering our country that I believe are playing a part in this social-economic decline:

Abortion: Under the banner of convenience 55 million babies in the last 40 years have not had the “choice” to benefit our society. Abortion is actually counterproductive to the whole purpose of society. We as a country have allowed the eradication of a complete generation that could have married, produced jobs, and strengthen our economy and society. Instead we have chosen to circumvent the very process of society. We as created being are given the task to create; however, we have chosen to destroy that which we have created, which will result in the collapse of creation.

Homosexuality: Without a clear definition of marriage the lines have become blurred and “for the sake of love” our social institution has become nothing more than a privatized union between two individuals. Homosexual unions are counterproductive to society for reasons that are obvious. Those unions cannot have children. Without children you cannot have a future generation.

Declining Birth Rate: Heterosexual couples are adding to the mess. From 2007-2010 the birth rate has fallen by 8%. In 2012 the birth rate was 64.1 per 1,000 women. Recently articles have shown that if the birth rate continues to fall we will be unable to the keep population stable.

Low Marriage Rate: An ABC news article states in 1960, 72 percent of U.S. adults age 18 and older were married compared with 51 percent today. The median age when adults decide to finally take that big step is also the highest its ever been for both men and women — 26.5 and 28.7 respectively.

(As a side note, I would argue that even within the Evangelical world the attempt to “protect our children” from sex has resulted in a low marriage rate among us Christians. Maybe we should be encouraging early marriage instead of late.)

What Can We Do?

You may be thinking that I’m saying “Hey, all you have to do is get married and make babies in order to sustain our country.” Well…maybe…but not quite. It isn’t just about “getting married” and “making babies.” It is something more foundational than marriage. It first starts with changing the current paradigm regarding humanity, namely we are created to be rulers over creation. We humans aren’t the recipients of creation. We are created in God’s image. We are created to benefit creation. Also being created in the image of God includes community. This leads me to say that humans are created for community. We are relational and communal beings. This I fully believe is experienced through marriage. So, as humans we are created for community, which is experienced fully in marriage for the benefit of creation. This is a complete worldview shift.

Am I saying that marriage is the only savior for the social-economic structure of America? I wouldn’t use the word “only” but I do believe that healthy marriages benefit society and could possibly further the economy of our nation. For example in a Huffington Post article the writer states,

[There is] a real premium that men tend to enjoy when it comes to marriage … Men who are married tend to earn more than men who are not married. What we think is happening here is that the act of getting married, and often having kids, encourages men to think in terms not just of their own welfare but of the welfare of their families, and to behave more responsibly... Marriage seems to help men become more responsible, more strategic in their thinking and more oriented towards the long term rather than just having a good time in the present.

[Women are] more likely to accumulate wealth and assets when they get and stay married in part because they’re often pooling their income with their spouse, and partially because they and their spouse tend to adopt a more long-term orientation toward their financial well-being rather than a short-term orientation.

Liberals and Conservatives agree that marriage benefits the economy. But theologically marriage is important because God has called His people to be a blessing to the nation and society. This is Kingdom action. We can do this by being stewards of the things God has given us and taking the opportunity to rule over creation. We can participate in the Genesis mandate to “work and keep” the garden. When our government speaks about jobs and the economy they aren’t actually addressing the true issue. The issue begins with the proper view of society, marriage, and our role living under the reign of God.

 

How To Choose the New Pope

While I am not a Catholic it is really interesting to see how the new Pope will be elected, a tradition lasting for centuries. This new election will affect the Catholic and Protestant world.

Theological Liberalism and The Blending of the Church and State

How the German Christians justified twisting and bending the traditionally accepted meaning of the Scriptures and the doctrines of the church is complicated. One German Christian, Reinhold Krause, said that Martin Luther had left Germans with “a priceless legacy: the completion of the German Reformation in the Third Reich!” If Luther could break away from the Catholic church, it followed that nothing was written in stone. That was the weed in the garden of Protestantism. Even Luther had questioned the canonicity of some books of the Bible, especially the book of James, for what he took as its preaching of “salvation by works.” And Bonhoeffer’s professor, the liberal theologian Adolf von Harnack, had questioned the canonicity of much of the Old Testament. There’s little question that the liberal theological school of Schleiermacher and Harnack helped push things along in this direction. But the other piece of this puzzle has to do with the confusion that inevitably arises when the Christian faith becomes too closely related to a cultural or national identity. For many Germans, their national identity had become so melted together with whatever Lutheran Christian faith they had that it was impossible to see either clearly. After 400 years of taking for granted that all Germans were Lutheran Christians, no one really knew what Christianity was anymore. (pg. 174 Bonhoeffer). 

Implications: 
Theological liberalism plowed the soil for Nazi Germany
The blending of the church and state marred true Christianity 

What do you think?

Bonhoeffer on Love and Marriage

“Marriage is more than your love for each other. It has a higher dignity and power, for it is God's holy ordinance, through which He wills to perpetuate the human race till the end of time. In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link in the chain of the generations, which God causes to come and to pass away to His glory, and calls into His kingdom. In your love, you see only the heaven of your own happiness, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsability towards the world and mankind. Your love is your own private possession, but marriage is more than something personal - it is a status, an office. Just as it is the crown, and not merely the will to rule, that makes the king, so it is marriage, and not merely your love for each other, that joins you together in the sight of God and man. As high as God is above man, so high are the sanctity, the rights, and the promise of marriage above the sanctity, the rights, and the promise of love. It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, A Wedding Sermon from Prison

Valentine's Day, Love, and Those Nasty Candies

 

"To love another person is to see the face of God" - Victor Hugo

Valentines day. The day of love, emotions, hearts, cupid, and those little nasty candies with sappy words on them. Oh what a day! So, I thought in light of the "day of love" I would share some words and thoughts.

 Here is a quote from C.S. Lewis's book Mere Christianity. In this section, he is discussing his view on the Christian marriage. Primarily on the idea of “love” and the phrase “being in love”.

“What we call “being in love” is a glorious state, and, in several ways, good for us. It helps to make us generous and courageous, it opens our eyes not only to the beauty of the beloved but to all beauty, and it subordinates (especially at first) our merely animal sexuality; in that sense, love is the great conqueror of lust. No one in his senses would deny that being in love is far better than either common sensuality or cold self-centredness. But, as I said before, “the most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of our own nature and set it up as the thing you ought to follow at all costs.” Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last; but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called “being in love” usually does not last. If the old fairytale ending “They lived happily ever after” is taken to mean “They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,” then it says what probably never was nor ever could be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships? But, of course, ceasing to be “in love” need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense-love as distinct from “being in love” is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both parents ask, and receive, from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself. They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be “in love” with someone else. “Being in love” first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it.” (Mere Christianity)

Note that Lewis states that “being in love” is a good thing. You know that feeling you get deep down in your stomach, which may include “butterflies” and sweaty palms. Yeah, that feeling…it’s a good thing. This sort of “being in love” is the explosion that started it all! Any man who is married knows that feeling. Wow, what an image. However, the love that Lewis is speaking about is the deep rooted loyality and committment which is directed by our will. To intensify the idea he used the phrase “promise fidelity”. Or we could use the word ”faithfulness”. It is through the feeling of “being in love” that allows the couple to promise faithfulness but it is only through the deep rooted loyality love that allows the couple to keep that promise. It is interesting that Lewis, at the time of this writing, was not married. It is clear from the chapter that Lewis is not married, he actually states it several times. But later in his life he did marry, Joy Davidman. It is actually a remarkable story. After a few years of seeing each other the couple decided to get married. However, the church would not honor the marriage due to Joy being a divorced woman (although her pervious husband cheated on her). Lewis and Davidman continued to see each other but remained only friends. But one day, Joy was working in the kitchen when her leg broke. She was rushed to the hospital only to find out that she had cancer. Upon hearing this, Lewis went to the hospital to find the woman he loved dying. It was that day that an Anglican priest served the couple holy communion and pronounced them to be man and wife. Lewis faithfully demonstrated his love for Joy, even though she was dying. They were only married for 3 short years. But within those 3 years Lewis wrote the book The Four Loves in which you will find one of my favorite quotes:

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”


It is through his experience that Lewis could write such words. He protected his love for many years and was finally able to release his love. His love for Joy was unbreakable, impenetrable, and irredeemable. I love this and oh how I pray my love would be that by God’s grace. As some of you know I actually used this quote when I proposed to Kailie. Yes, I’m a Lewis nerd, what can I say. I’m thankful for God using Lewis. He has made an impact on my life and my view of love.

The Flip Side to Love

However, there is a flip side to this idea of love and "being in love". Note the words out of The Beast in the Jungle written by Henry James

The escape would have been to love her; then, then he would have lived. She had lived—who could say now with what passion?—since she had loved him for himself; whereas he had never thought of her (ah how it hugely glared at him!) but in the chill of his egotism and the light of her use. Her spoken words came back to him—the chain stretched and stretched. The Beast had lurked indeed, and the Beast, at its hour, had sprung; it had sprung in that twilight of the cold April when, pale, ill, wasted, but all beautiful, and perhaps even then recoverable, she had risen from her chair to stand before him and let him imaginably guess. It had sprung as he didn’t guess; it had sprung as she hopelessly turned from him, and the mark, by the time he left her, had fallen where it was to fall. He had justified his fear and achieved his fate; he had failed, with the last exactitude, of all he was to fail of; and a moan now rose to his lips as he remembered she had prayed he mightn’t know. This horror of waking—thiswas knowledge, knowledge under the breath of which the very tears in his eyes seemed to freeze. Through them, none the less, he tried to fix it and hold it; he kept it there before him so that he might feel the pain. That at least, belated and bitter, had something of the taste of life. But the bitterness suddenly sickened him, and it was as if, horribly, he saw, in the truth, in the cruelty of his image, what had been appointed and done. He saw the Jungle of his life and saw the lurking Beast; then, while he looked, perceived it, as by a stir of the air, rise, huge and hideous, for the leap that was to settle him. His eyes darkened—it was close; and, instinctively turning, in his hallucination, to avoid it, he flung himself, face down, on the tomb.John Marcher, the main character in the story, was selfish and did not return the love that May Bartram had for him. If, he would have loved her he would have lived. What a line! Henry James had a different view of love, however, notice the Christian nature behind it...love is suppose to be given and received.


Theologically love is an expression of our God given humanity. This is an aspect to being created in God's image. God created us to be relational beings and we express that relational nature through love, with the closest type of love being the love shared between a husband and wife. Which is a witness to the reality of Christ's love for His Church. Love is a heavenly idea fleshed out on the earth between humanity.


Read the greatest love poem ever written:

 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7


So, on this "day of love" remember that the love you share is an expression of your image which is rooted in God's design for you. You were made to love. Designed to love. But, you must first know Love in order to give it.

Invitation and Challenge

The Gospel of Matthew is my favorite of the four Gospels. I'd like to share a section out of it for you. I'm thinking about Matthew 8-9. It is broken up in a very interesting way. Matthew has a series of 3 blocks of 3 miracles with a discourse upon discipleship in between the episodes.

 
The First Block:
8:1-4 The Healing of the Leper
8:5-13 The Faith of a Centurion
8:14-17 Jesus Heals Many

Discipleship Discourse
8:18-21 The Cost of Following Jesus

The Second Block:
8:23-27 Jesus Calms the Storm
8:28-34 Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons
9:1-8 Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Discipleship Discourse
9:9-17 Jesus Calls Matthew and is Questioned about Fasting

The Third Block:
9:18-26 A Girl is Restored and a Woman is Healed
9:27-31 Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
9:32-34 Jesus Heals a Mute Man

Concluding Discipleship Remarks
9:35-37 The Harvest is Plentiful

You may be wondering why this is so important. Well not only does it show the creative writing ability of Matthew, it shows the profound theological practicality in the mission of Jesus: Challenge and Invitation. There are several themes that emerge through these two chapters. I’ll just touch two and just name the rest of the implications.

What is the Challenge?

Notice with me these verses, v. 8:4, 8:13, 8:32, 9:6, 9:13, 9:24, 9:32. In each verse you see the word “Go”. Jesus speaks the word “go” to a leper, centurion, demon, paralytic, Pharisees, crowd of people, and blind men. The interesting thing…they all obeyed Him. He commanded them and they went. Not only that but it was with His word that sickness left and the storm was calmed. We can say that Jesus gave the challenge and they all obeyed. It was by His words that the people were astonished, for He spoke with authority.

What is the Invitation?

But Jesus also gave an invitation, twice actually in verse 8:21 and 9:9. The invitation was to “Follow Me”. Notice that only one, Matthew, a dirty evil tax collector, took Jesus up on his challenge and the other guy…well, didn’t follow Him. This guy was looking to follow someone but the cost of following Jesus was too difficult for him. But Matthew responded. He rose and followed Him. 

What’s the Point?

This is the nature of the Kingdom of God. People can accept or reject the invitation of Jesus but if Jesus gives a challenge, you must obey. The invitation is to “follow me” and the challenge is to “go”. This is clear in the call of the twelve apostles in chapter 10. Jesus “called them” and he “gave them” authority. The same authority He Himself has… Kingdom of God authority!

So here is the invitation and challenge: follow Him and then go and tell others.

Here are some other implications in Matthew 8-9:

·         Faith is coupled with obedience

·         The Kingdom of God is about Word and Deed

·         Jesus is both rejected and glorified

·         The irony is that the disciples of Jesus lack simple faith

·         If demons obey Jesus, why don’t you?

Jesus and Empire Studies

There are several books on the horizon that I'm looking forward to their release. One that has captured my attention is, Jesus Is Lord, Caesar is Not: Evaluating Empire in New Testament Studies edited by Scot McKnight and Joseph B. Modica.


Here is the Amazon description:

The New Testament is immersed in the often hostile world of the Roman Empire, but its relationship to that world is complex. What is meant by Jesus' call to "render unto Caesar" his due, when Luke subversively heralds the arrival of a Savior and Lord who is not Caesar, but Christ? Is there tension between Peter's command to "honor the emperor" and John's apocalyptic denouncement of Rome as "Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots"? Under the direction of editors Scot McKnight and Joseph B. Modica, respected biblical scholars have come together to investigate an increasingly popular approach in New Testament scholarship of interpreting the text through the lens of empire. The contributors praise recent insights into the New Testament's exposé of Roman statecraft, ideology and emperor worship. But they conclude that rhetoric of anti-imperialism is often given too much sway. More than simply hearing the biblical authors in their context, it tends to govern what they must be saying about their context. The result of this collaboration, Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not, is a groundbreaking yet accessible critical evaluation of empire criticism. Contributors include:

• David Nystrom on Roman ideology
• Judith A. Diehl on the state of empire scholarship
• Joel Willits on Matthew
• Dean Pinter on Luke
• Christopher W. Skinner on John's Gospel and Letters
• Drew Strait on Acts
• Michael F. Bird on Romans
• Lynn Cohick on Philippians
• Allan R. Bevere on Colossians and Philemon
• Dwight Sheets on Revelation

I've been challenge in the area of "Jesus and Empire" studies over the past few years. My first exposure to this idea was in a class I took at Criswell College taught by Dr. Alan Streett. The anti-imperial language in the New Testament is a fascinating study, especially in a time of liberation theology and postcolonial interpretation.

Related, is this article by Dr. Craig Evans.

Jesus Opens Our Eyes

Eric Metaxas, author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, delievered this speech last year during the National Prayer Breakfast. I encourage you to listen to the whole speech but pay close attention to the 24 minute mark.

"Jesus opens our eyes to His ideas which are different from our own, which are radical."


The Tension

As Christians, we live in a tension. Our lives are marked by suffering and joy, sorrow and peace, life and death. We call this the tension between two worlds. The Already and the Not Yet. The present evil age and the age to come. It is the Kingdom of God and the Kingdoms of this World. This reality isn’t just a theological concept but a practical experience of the Christian pilgrimage.

Peter, in his first epistle builds upon this idea. He is writing to “elect exiles”. His readers were living in a world where Nero was Lord. The government was abusive and oppressive. The economy exploited the poor and made the 2% richer. Society as a whole was morality ambiguous. Religion was mixed with relativism. Life as a Christian in the first century was difficult to say the least. However the elect exiles find their place within the grasp of the Roman Empire.

Elect Exiles

An exile is a person who is residing in a land that is not his own. For the Christians Peter is writing to, the point is clear. Although they are living within the Roman Empire, that empire is not their home. They are citizens of a different Empire. Their home isn’t within the confines of this present world. These Christians belong to the world to come, The Kingdom of God. Therefore, these Christians are resident aliens, sojourners, pilgrims, strangers in a strange land. But notice they are elect according to the foreknowledge of God, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, resulting in obedience to Jesus Messiah, which was all accomplished by His work of the Cross. (1 Peter 1:1-2). God, through the work of Messiah, has made them exiles. Their allegiance is to a different Kingdom. But do you see the picture that Peter is painting in his letter? Let me illustrate.

When I was in Washington D.C. we passed by several buildings of importance; Congress, White House, and the Capitol Building just to name a few. Yet I remember seeing another building. It was the British Embassy. Did you know that the Embassy, although it is in Washington D.C., still belongs to England? Although it has an American address, American phone number, American Email, still finds its home in England. Once you step foot within the confines of the British Embassy in Washington D.C. it is as if you step foot within England itself. The individuals that work within the Embassy are exiles living within a different nation.

Interestingly enough, the Church is very similar according to Peter. The Church is an exilic community living within the confines of another nation. Peter will go on to say,

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. – 1 Peter 2:9-10

The Church is a holy nation living and functioning within another nation. This is where we find the tension that resides within the Christian life. You are part of a different nation while residing within the realm of another nation. To bring this down to a personal level; our local churches are expressions of God’s Empire. It is as if Heaven itself finds its home on earth within the local church. God’s Kingdom is on earth and we are citizens of that Kingdom.

This is fully expressed as individual believers’ assembly together in their respective communities. To make this really personal, when Cornerstone Church assembles together we are meeting as exiles worshipping the True King who is reigning. We meet as a holy nation living within another nation.

Exilic Ethics

So as exiles, we are to conduct ourselves a certain way. Peter describes that way for us with 5 main imperatives (commands).

·        Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13).

·        Be holy in all your conduct (1 Peter 1:15).

·        Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of exile (1 Peter 1:17).

·        Love one another (1 Peter 1:22)

·        Long for the pure spiritual milk (1 Peter 2:2).

So as exiles living within a different kingdom you are to set your hope on grace, be holy, conduct yourselves with fear, love one another, and long for maturity.

Notice Peter doesn’t stop there. As exiles you are also required to,

·        Be subject to the government (1 Peter 2:13-25)

·        Wives are to be subject to their husbands (1 Peter 3:1-6)

·        Husbands are to honor their wives (1 Peter 3:7)

·        Suffer well without reviling (1 Peter 3:8-22)

·        Live a self controlled life (1 Peter 4:1-11)

·        Submit to the elders of their church (1 Peter 5:1-5)

·        Live in humility (1 Peter 5:6-11)

Being an exile is expressed through our ethics (the way we live). I encourage you as consider these implications and pray that God would show you where your allegiance is. Remember we are exiles in a strange land. We are a government in exile awaiting the overthrow of the tyranny by the Lord Jesus.

Living in a Post Christendom World

Christendom and post-Christendom. Times are changing, for the good, I believe. You may not have heard of these terms, however, they play an important role in the way Christians view the church and the state. I bring this up in light of some events within our nation recently. Let me first explain Christendom.

According to Stuart Murray in his book The Naked Anabaptist, he stated that Christendom was…

·        A geographical region in which almost everyone was at least nominally Christian.

·        Historical era of time in the 4^th century of Constantine and lasting into the late 20^th.

·        It was a civilization shaped by the Christian story.

·        A political arrangement in which the church and state supported each other.

·        It was an ideology or a mindset.

We could think of Christendom as a merging of the state and church (i.e. if you lived in this nation you were Christian…by name only). The nation was Christian. However, within the 20^th-21th century this idea of Christendom began to decline into post-Christendom (i.e. after the merging of state and church). You do not have to be a historian or cultural exegete to see the change take place. I’m 24 years old and many things have changed within my life time regarding this idea of Christendom. Basically post-Christendom is a culture that has moved away from its “Christian ideology” into a new way of life. Murray provided 7 transitional markers:

From the center to the margins: No longer is the Christian story at the center. It has been moved aside to the margins of society. It is more of an after-thought. 
From majority to minority: In Christendom, the majority of people named themselves to be Christians. But within the post-Christendom era Christians have now become a minority.
From settlers to sojourners: Christendom provided a home and safety for Christians. Now after the decline Christians begin to see their role as exiles in a world that is not their home.
From privilege to plurality: Christendom provided many privileges for Christians. Yet there are fewer privileges because they are shared among others. Christians are not the only kids of the block anymore.
From control to witness: Within Christendom the Christians had control through their leaders. Now, Christians have lost control and settle for influence through witnessing to the story of Christ.
From maintenance to mission: The Christians role within Christendom was maintenance for the society. After the decline the role has moved to mission to the society.
From institution to movement: In Christendom the “church, temple, chapel, cathedral” was the institutional mode. However in post-Christendom, Christians are not defined by their “church building” but by the movement…much like the book of Acts.

Does any of this sound familiar? It appears that Christendom had its time but now within our society we are seeing a transition to a more post-Christendom culture. Christians aren’t allowed in the public sphere. Christians have become a minority within America. Christians have little say within the culture. My question is…

Does this surprise you?
Does it scare you?
How are you going to respond?

Living in a Post-Christendom World

Think of Jesus real quick. He lived in a world that was extremely religious but not “Christian” in the way we think. His world was very pluralistic. As he met with the sinners he was pushed to the margins of society. He was an exile. The Messiah Himself had no place to lay His head. He and His followers became the minority. It is important to see that Jesus was the center…not the state. We as followers of Jesus are living in a world that is moving farther and farther away from Christianity. And to be honest…that is probably a good thing.

Let me give you an example. I had a friend who served in the middle east as a Christian missionary. He stated that he had the hardest time trying to evangelize in that context. He said the main reason was because middle eastern equated Christian and Western society. Namely, they are one in the same. Middle Easterns did not want to become Westerns. You see, there is a danger to equate the church and state…Christianity with Western society. Honestly this was the main issue with the modern missionary movement and is one of the many issues we are facing today among missions.

However, we have an opportunity. We as the church can speak prophetically, calling for repentance. We have to maintain our witness. Let us not lose our focus. Remember you are an exile. A resident alien. A stranger in a strange land. I want to encourage you to live as an exile in a Post-Christendom world.

Book Review: Reading the Gospels Wisely

(This book review first appeared on For Christ and Culture and on the Baker Academic Blog)

Jesus once told a story about a wise man and a foolish man. In the story, the wise man built his house upon the rock and the foolish man built his house upon the sand. Now the main distinguishing element in the story is that the wise man heard and acted responsibly as opposed to the foolish man who just heard and did not act responsibly.

The same distinction applies to those who approach the Gospels. This is the premise for Jonathan Pennington’s new book, Reading the Gospels Wisely. As Pennington, an associate professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, states:

Wise people must hear correctly what Jesus teaches, but they must also respond to this grace with faith and faithful living (xi).

In Reading the Gospel Wisely, he uses the idea of “building a house” and divides his book into three parts: “Clearing Ground, Digging Deep, and Laying a Good Foundation,” “Building the House through Wise Reading,” and “Living in the Gospels’ House.”

Clearing Ground, Digging Deep, and Laying a Good Foundation (1-8)

In chapters one and two Pennington addresses the question “what are the Gospels?” He answers this question by examining the similarities between the “oral” and “written” gospel, church history, and literary genre. In chapter two he provides his working definition of the Gospels:

Our canonical Gospels are the theological, historical, and aretological (virtue-forming) biographical narratives that retell the story and proclaim the significance of Jesus Christ, who through the power of the Spirit is the Restorer of God’s reign.”(35).

In chapter three Pennington gives nine reasons why we need the Gospels, and in chapter 4 he provides a discussion on harmonization, diversity between the Gospels, historical accuracy, and finally the joy of having four Gospels.

Chapter five, the weightiest according to most reviewers, revolves around history and theology, historical Jesus considerations, and the historical-critical method and leads Pennington to draw out five important implications:

·        There is a limited and circumscribed role for historical Jesus studies

·        We should focus on vertical over horizontal readings of the Gospels

·        We should read the Gospels as witnesses

·        We should receive the Gospels as testimony – a blending of fact and interpretation

·        We should read the Gospels according to the purpose – theological and transformational

Chapter six provides three avenues for reading the canonical Gospels: behind the text, in the text, and in front of the text. Pennington states that to be a wise reader of the Gospels one must read the text through all three avenues. In chapter seven Pennington discusses authorial intent, meaning, and application, and in chapter eight he sums up the first seven chapters and states what our goal should be in reading the Gospels:

Therefore, our hermeneutical approach and methods must be more than excavational; they must be personal and application driven.” (159).

Building the House through Wise Reading (9-10)

Pennington argues in chapter nine against the “Whatever Strikes Me” hermeneutic (only reading the elements that strike the reader’s particular fancy) and proposes the tool of narrative analysis (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement) to better grapple with the Gospels. In chapter ten Pennington makes the observation that,

Most of the stories can be enjoyed, appreciated, and even learned from when taken in isolation. But the best, most powerful, and deepest reading will come when they are read and experience din the narrative story line of which they are a part. (184).

The best way to understand the message of a text is to look at the circles of contextual meaning: canonical story, whole gospel story, literary structures, cycles, acts, and individual story (204).

Living in the Gospels House (11-12)

Chapters eleven and twelve provide some practical advice for using the Gospels, including a proposal for the following form of sermons drawn from Gospel texts: (1) Introduce the situation; (2) Retell the story; (3) Draw out the main points; and (4) Apply the story with illustrations.

He concludes his book with the statement, “My desire for this book…is that readers will be invited into the joy of studying the Gospel more deeply and more often.” (258)

Conclusion

If I could recommend a book on the Gospels it would be this one. Pennington is engaging, not only on an academic level but also, most importantly, on a practical level. The book is organized, clear, and very accessible for future reference. The book is not an introduction to the Gospels nor is it a survey. It is simply a guide to a hermeneutical approach. It presupposes the reader is familiar with various issues concerning historical Jesus studies and Gospel development.  What I found most helpful was his definition of the Gospels, primarily the aspect of virtue forming, and the Gospel sermon form. In the short time of reading the book I have used the practical sermon form. If I could pick out one “weak” area, it would be the lack of discussion concerning historical research in preparation for the sermon. Pennington would agree with the use of historical research but not as the governing foundation for truth. Of course, I agree with that as well. However, my two questions would be: What is the benefit of historical research in sermon preparation and proclamation? And how would a preacher go about using that historical information responsibly?

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and I would highly encourage people to pick it up, read it thoroughly, and apply the practical instructions to form a wise Gospel reading.