Good Books, pt2

Continuing my book list from lat week, these lists are books on apologetics (reasoning for the faith), and emotional health.  Again, these are not exhaustive lists, as I don't have the time or patience to read "everything" written on a subject.  But this is a start.  I hope this is helpful for you (especially the emotional health section for those who need help in this area).

Apologetics

-Francis Schaeffer's "How Should We Then Live?"--a classic from the Presbyterian minister who founded the L'abri Institute.  Schaeffer here follows the train of philosophical reasoning from ancient times to the somewhat-present (written several decades ago, as he's now deceased).  Schaeffer masterfully shows how the Gospel meets the needs world history shows we all have.
-Schaeffer's "Escape from Reason"--this is a somewhat abridged "version" of the title above, where he follows art, politics, and philosophy from ancient times to show how it's shaped our thinking today, and how knowing Jesus corrects the error.  I read this in one night, as it's 125 short pages.
-CS Lewis' "Mere Christianity"--arguably the best apologetic of the last several hundred years.  Lewis, a former atheist, aims to communicate the Gospel to a skeptical world starting with the moral law embedded on everyone's hearts, ending with unity to the one true God through Christ.  The middle section of the book, dealing with the Christian virtues, includes some of the best reasoning for such in print.  It's worth the price of the book.
-Tim Keller's "The Reason for God"--Keller, a pastor in Manhattan, has an exceptional gift of understanding the cultural questions (calling them 'Defeater Beliefs'--ie, "why does God allow suffering?", "why are many Christians hypocrites?", "isn't Christianity a strait-jacket?"), and answering them by dealing with the question underneath the question.  For example, the question about suffering really contains an assumption that suffering is bad and shouldn't be happening--but where did this assumption come from, if not from a God who created us for joy and peace?  Buy this book.  He's an intellectual, but being a preacher, this NYT Bestseller is accessible, and I try to give a copy to most of my friends with questions.
-Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ", "The Case for a Creator", and "The Case for the Real Jesus" --Strobel is a former atheist who, having been converted through seeing the deception in much of the post-modern skeptical viewpoint,  has given his life to bringing the deception to light.  His books are full of interviews with leading apologists such as Edwin Yamauchi and William Lane Craig, and, being a journalist, he commits these conversations to writing in an accessible way.  This is why many of his books are bestsellers.  Being convinced that the Jesus conversation (his existence, the reliability of the Biblical account of Him, His bodily resurrection, etc.) is the most important conversation of all, I found "The Case for the Real Jesus" especially helpful (especially his conversation with Messianic Jew Michael Brown).

Emotional Health

--Paul Trip and Tim Lane's "How People Change"--this is an exceptional book by former pastors-turned-counselors on what happens emotionally and psychologically when a person with baggage entrusts it to Christ.  Change takes time and grace, but it happens when Jesus is Lord, and His work is received in faith.  I give this to people who are struggling emotionally.
-Ed Welch's "Depression: a Stubborn Darkness"--I read this book in my "dark night" of depression in college.  It seemed to be the only beam of light I saw during that time, as its pages were saturated with the Word of God and the hope of the Gospel.  God lifted me through it, and while I'm still a jar of clay (and will be until Christ returns or I go to sleep), Welch helped me see that Jesus' resurrection can bring me back to life.  He grew up in a home with a dad who struggled with depression and anxiety, so he has a personal sensitivity to it.
-Peter Scazzero's "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality"--I've not read all the way through this, but a student in my church has read it and found it helpful, and from the little I have read of it, I agree.  I read Scazzero' "Emotionally Healthy Church" years ago, and "Spirituality" seems to get right to the source of the emotional health just like "Church" does in the congregational context.
-Tim Keller's "Counterfeit Gods"--this book was incredibly important in my dealing with emotional problems, as Keller aims to show that much of our emotional problems have to do with idols of the heart.  The idols are the source, and we don't kill the emotional baggage until we begin killing the source.  I can't recommend this book enough.
-Psalms, 1 Peter, John's Gospel, and Romans 8--of course, the Bible is the primary Book from which to glean wisdom from God and salvation.  But these four specific books have proven to be most helpful in my times of darkness.  That's because they all hinge on defining basic reality (which is what's threatened in anxiety and worry) and communicating the promises of God (which tell us that there is something even in this that God is doing, for our good).  It's through His promises that we "put on the divine nature" (2Peter1:4) meaning that the promises, received and believed by God's grace and the Spirit's power, connect us directly to God, and, drawing on Christ's power (John15:5), we can change. Many of our emotional problems result from lies being told us and believed on, so the solution is bringing truth into the fold, and letting it speak louder than the lies.  In this, God gets the glory and we get the joy and peace.

Next week, Ministry and Marriage.

Good Books For the Christian

I've been asked several times over the last couple of months what are some of my favorite books.  I don't think it's because people respect my opinions as much as it's because people hear me preach and teach a lot and they want to know where in the world I got the kool-aid I'm drinking.  And that's cool, too.

Jesus wants us to read His Word and listen to His voice through it.  He is a Shepherd who calls us to come follow Him and learn from Him (John 10:27, Matthew 11:28).  He is alive today just like He was in Palestine 2000 years ago.  The differences are that a final sacrifice for sin has been made, He's fulfilled the Scriptural promises made about Him, and now He's risen, ruling, and reigning, seated in Heaven at God's right hand advocating for His people (Hebrews 1:4, 1 John 2:1-2), sure to return one day like He came the first time.  So the call is still the same as back then: "Follow me".  This is why Paul many times spoke of "the obedience of faith" (Romans 1:6, 6:17, 16:26): to believe in the Gospel (as Jesus commanded) is to obey Christ.  And obedience to Christ brings about new and eternal life (see John 3:36, Hebrews 5:9).
To bring this about, He has sent men and women with the message of "good news".  Just like God serves us in His creation from behind the veil of His creation, He calls us to himself through His Gospel preached by those who know and love Him. "For this I was made a preacher and apostle" Paul said (1 Timothy 2:7), and so "how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Isaiah 52:7).  In this vein, Jesus has given "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the saints for ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-12).  It's His will that people write books and articles, preach sermons, and speak about Jesus in conversation. 

Every book's truth claims should always be tested against the Scripture's truth claims.  If someone's writing something contrary to what the Holy Spirit wrote, don't buy it.  But a real Christian book is one that takes truth from Scripture and unpacks it in an accessible way, pointing the reader to the real good Book. There is no substitute for learning the Word of God directly from the source.  And with that in mind, it is good to get help, because God's blessed us with much of it.

I grew up hating to read.  I'd pick the books to read for school that had movies so I could watch the movies and avoid the book.  I'm a natural cheat.  But in Christ I'm being made new, and books have been a major part of that.  I didn't like to read in college either (yeah, in Bible college).  But as I've been in ministry, it's forced me to read more.  Often we come across books that help shape us when we're least expecting it, because we don't really think we need shaped.  Then we read something that forces us to think, and we're never the same.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, but one that hopefully helps you as it's helped me too. I'm going to have two categories below, and then later this week I'll post two more, and then after that two more.  Most of these can be found at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any other book distributor (and many for cheaper than retail).

Understanding the Bible and the God of the Bible

-JI Packers "Knowing God"--this book is a biblical study on God's nature and character.  It changed my life, and is considered to be a modern classic.  Roughly 300 pages, it's well written, and accessible, regardless of your reading level or theological foundation.
-AW Tozers "The Knowledge of the Holy"--Tozer was a pastor in Chicago in the early-mid 20th century.  He wrote short books (roughly 100-150 pages), and they are incredibly deep.  This book unpacks God's attributes and character in a way I've hardly read anywhere.  Clear, Biblical, and deep.
-Arthur Pinks "The Attributes of God"--Pink is polarizing: a Calvinist largely hated by non-Calvinists (which is ironic), but largely treasured by Calvinists.  His book is similar to Tozer's in length, but is written more from a theologian's perspective.  Some will have a hard time agreeing with him on every attribute, but one can't argue that he lifts his conclusions straight from the pages of the Bible in a way that makes sense.
-JI Packers "Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God"--this little book is a classic and must-read for anyone serious about understanding the Bible and doing ministry.  If one reads the Bible, they see two undeniable truths that appear contradictory: God loves us and wants us to know Him, and God is the One who saves the lost sinner by sovereign grace.  Instead of "picking a side" with this conundrum (as most do), Packer masterfully shows how these two truths are not contradictory but rather complimentary.
-Wayne Grudems "Systematic Theology"--Systematic theologies are typically extremely long treatises written to deal with one particular subject at a time, building on itself  to create one massive system of thought about the Bible.  These books are often 600-1000 pages long.  Grudem is a Reformed (Calvinistic) Charismatic who (while you won't agree with all his conclusions) masterfully unpacks the Scriptures in an easy-to-read, accessible way.  I think it's the best systematic theology there is.
-RC Sprouls "the Holiness of God"--this book changed my life as well.  Sproul is a master communicator, and this book shows the holy and righteous character of the God of the Bible.  An incredible read (and rather short, too).
-John Macarthurs "The Gospel According to Jesus"--Macarthur shoots straight.  He is polarizing.  But I've found his teaching on the Bible and Jesus' Gospel to be invaluable.  He has an entire New Testament commentary set that is unparalleled in recent church history, and this book will help you make sense of the differences in Jesus' tone between the four Gospels (ie, why do the parables sound so different than Jesus' teaching in John's Gospel?). 
-Jonathan Edwards' "The End For Which God Created the World"--Edwards lived in the 1700s and this is a difficult read.  But a good friend gave it to me once, and the second half of it (of two) was worth reading through what is a difficult first part.  In the first part Edwards masterfully answers philosophically what is possible the most important question we could ask, "Why?", and in the second, he masterfully answers the same question from Scripture, using thousands of citations.
-Jameison, Fauset, and Brown Commentary Critical, Experimental, and Practical--this is an old commentary from the 1800s written by (I think) 3 men with different ministry credentials.  It is out of print and hard to come by, but if you ever do, it's worth whatever you have to spend to get it for its historical analysis and exegetical notes alone.
-Mark Driscolls "A Book You'll Actually Read On the Old Testament" and "...On the New Testament"--these less-than-100-page booklets are excellent for the person with questions regarding whether or not we can trust the Bible.  Driscoll speaks clearly and helpfully on why we can.

Discipleship

-Dietrich Bonhoeffers "The Cost of Discipleship"--Bonhoeffer needs no introduction, but this book does. His concept of "cheap grace vs. costly grace" has indebted many a reader.  I honestly don't think I ever understood what it meant to follow Jesus as a disciple in a non-Christian world until I read this book.  If read carefully, this is a paradigm-shattering read, and you'll find yourself with a cross on your back at the end.
-Richard Fosters "Celebration of Discipline"--a modern classic on the discipline it takes to walk with Jesus, faithful to the Scripture.  While the yoke is easy walking with Jesus (because He bears it with you), the road is hard (because it's difficult in this world).  One must understand the call from the outset, and be ready to change.
-AW Tozers "The Pursuit of God"--considered by many to be one of the top 10 Christian books of the 20th century, this book calls Christians to follow Jesus with reckless abandon.  Tozer is forthright, honest, and clear about the call to discipleship.  It's short, too (only about 120 small pages).
-Shane Claibornes "Irresistible Revolution"--I read this little book in college, and it forced me to think about how fake my discipleship was.  I wasn't really trying to follow Jesus, and I wasn't really trying to serve and love others.  Claiborne challenged me when I needed it.  While I don't agree with him on many theological fronts, I did appreciate this books radical call to obedience.
-Donald Millers "Blue Like Jazz"--this is another book I read a long time ago.  Miller isn't necessarily orthodox in his theological views (from what I can tell), but he's an incredible writer, loves Jesus, and is honest about his feelings and thoughts.  While today I would recommend something from the first list before I would this title, this is still one that I'd endorse as being accessible, clear, and inviting to a non-believer.

Coming next week, Apologetics (reasoning for the faith) and Emotional Health.

When Old You Becomes New You's

"You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God...and this word is the good news that was preached to you"  
1 Peter 1:23,25

Peter knew something about revival and rebirth--he certainly didn't know the mechanics of how God makes a person new by the hearing of Jesus' Gospel (it is sovereign and mysterious).  But he had witnessed the fruit of it countless times by the time he wrote this letter which would eventually be accepted as divinely-inspired revelation from God.

It was him preaching the first Christian sermon where 3000 people made decisions for Jesus.  Of course, we don't know if all 3000 of those who received his sermon and were baptized really did continue on in the faith, but we know that Jesus began a revival from that point forward.  Jesus' Name became famous, and Peter was the main speaker for it.  It was he who repeatedly defended his miraculous healing of the lame beggar saying it was Jesus' Name and Jesus' power that did it.  It was he who spoke truth to the liars Ananias and Sapphira, after which they dropped dead for lying to the life-giving and life-sustaining God the Holy Spirit.  It was he who took the Gospel message to non-Jews, telling them that Jesus will judge them all, but that He died for them so that faith in Him would assure their forgiveness--and many more people came to faith.  And it was he who stood over the council of Jerusalem and said that God cleanses mens' hearts by faith, and that that faith is faith in being saved "through the grace of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 15:9,11).  Surely Peter knows a little something about the power of God's Word to make a person into a new person.  But what does it look like practically?

Searching Leads to Finding

If you've ever been bored with your usual music playlist, you know how refreshing it is to come upon a new artist or band that meets the need and fills the void.  Any fan of music knows what I mean.  You've been missing something, you've felt the miss, and some new sound has met you where you are to give you a jolt of energy. 
While this is a poor illustration, it certainly has parallels to what happens when one is born again.  They've been either empty, broken, or at the very least missing.  Perhaps they've been questioning God, or man, or both.  They've struggled with the important questions (ie, why are we here?, where does right and wrong come from?, did the cosmos just happen or was it created?, why is the Gospel so good but the people who believe it such hypocrites?), and they've not found sufficient answers.

At this very point, which seems dark and fearful, Jesus' words from 2000 years ago--"Come all you are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)--comes to them in a personal and powerful way.  To their joy, they realize that while they were slipping out of darkness's grip, it was because Jesus was pulling them into His.  The Father was teaching them and drawing them to Him so that they could have new life in His Name (John 6:44-45, 63), and just like all along He had been serving them rain, sunshine, and food from behind the veil of His creation (Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17, 17:25), He has now served them through the life-giving truth of His Word.

The Map

Sometimes it happens through solid preaching from a pastor, sometimes through reading authors such as CS Lewis or John Piper, and sometimes through simple Bible reading.  But it always coincides with Jesus' Words being on a collision course with the hard questions, and it always leads to a radical change in perspective whereby one who was skeptical of "God said" is now saying, "yes he did, and I can't help but believe it".

This is what Peter means when he says you were born "not of imperishable seed..." (ie, human cunning, wisdom, decision, etc.), but of "imperishable" (the grace and kindness of a loving God, who has a Father's heart and wills that all would be saved through His powerful Word).  God can't die and God can't lie, and so He continues on eternally, giving a never-ending salvation to those who draw near to Him through His Son (Hebrews 5:9, 7:24-25). 

Home

In a culture marked by opinions flying through the air like bullets in a militia battle (most missing their intended targets), everyone is looking for truth.  And truth exists.  And truth doesn't change.  But most would rather run from the God who created them, even after He pursued them. 
This is why the Word has to be powerful enough to overcome their rebellion.  And while there is certainly never a "forcing", there is certainly a transformation that can't be explained in human terms.  One awakes and sees that the One they ran from in hopes of finding truth had the truth all along, and they ran because they were unsatisfied by it.  Now they are satisfied.  And it's sweet, and it's joyful, and it answers the big questions while leaving the little ones "to be continued...".  But it's also line-drawing, and so "freedom" has new boundaries.  But these boundaries are even good, because the "freedom" the person had before wasn't really freedom after all--it was rebellion.  And one can rebel and rebel and rebel, but eventually one must land and call it "home".  And having landed in Jesus' truth, out of darkness and into light, one finds that they have turned from "one" into "two"--their self, and the life of Jesus in them.

And this is why Paul writes, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).  Paul believed that Jesus really did die for him, and really did put His life inside of him.  Paul certainly isn't Jesus (nor is anyone but Jesus), but Paul is "in Jesus" (3:28), and this unity has made him new, as it has for anyone who has "put on the imperishable" (1 Corinthians 15:54).

This new home is temporary, but it contains in it the reminder that an eternal one is coming.  One where truth will be fully unveiled to every eye, where justice will be fully carried out by He who alone can carry it out, and where there will be no more longing because all that can be had will be.  This is why Peter said earlier in His letter that the Father has "caused us to be born again to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1:3).  This is a hope that becomes the center of one's gravity.  Whereby one assumed before that hope exists to orbit around them, they now find themselves orbiting around it.  And this is the way it should have been all along. 

Kingdom, week 7: Heaven-Mindedness and True Rest

"Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven...do not be anxious about tomorrow...seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew6:20, 34, 33).

Worry Roots

Our natural tendency to worry flows from several different avenues, but its primary root is a lack of acknowledgment of the Living God.  Our minds are set on comfort, satisfaction, and happiness from worldly and natural things (money, affirmation, possessions, power, family and friends idolatry, etc.), and because none of these things are guaranteed, we find ourselves in a constant struggle against anxiety.  It always feels like we're out of oxygen and ocean waves are crashing over us.  It's not that we don't believe in God...most of us do.  It's just that we function like we're God, and our narrative is the right one.  Because of this, we never find ourselves truly at rest and peace.

I remember being a younger man (not that long ago), and struggling with excruciating depression.  It was an extremely dark time that lasted several years and it never seemed it would let up.  I remember finding solace in reading the Psalms (especially 33, 42-43, 77), because the writers were brutally honest in communicating their anxieties and frustrations with God.  The reason I connected with that so well was because I saw myself the victim and God the mean "big man upstairs" who was withholding blessing from me and not giving me what I wanted.  No affirmation, no true fellowship, not a lot of success in the things which marked my livelihood (music, sports).  When it began to sink in that it wasn't going to work out for me, the darkness set in, and it didn't seem it would ever lift.
As I studied the Scriptures and came to ask Jesus about my struggles, I began to see that the reason I was so sad and angry was because I had allowed the world/culture to define "success" and "joy" for me, and since I couldn't measure up to that narrative, I was mad at everyone, including myself and God.  Instead of seeking out what God says is best for me, I was defining that myself, and getting upset at Him for not giving it to me.  I viewed God as a genie who was there to give me my wishes.  I remember writing songs and blog posts talking about how I was "waiting on God" and trusting Him, but it wasn't true.  I was really just upset with Him and trying to impress others with how "spiritual" and "patient" I was.  I was a poser, and Jesus knew it best, even if no one else (including myself) did.

Shifting Focus

Then things began to change.  When I moved back to my home state after college, I was in a church ministry capacity to teens.  It always seemed to me that the ministry of the Church was to teach the Bible.  As I studied it to get better at my "craft" (whoa to me for thinking ministry was my. craft.), I began to be enlightened.  I began to see that my hostility towards God was because I hadn't honored him or thanked Him, and in return, He had withdrawn His restraining hands and told me, "fine, let THY will be done" (Romans1:18-24).  I the creature was under judgment for not honoring Him the Creator.  I saw that not only was this the root of my sin, but that I was enslaved to it (John8:34), and that I had as much chance at changing myself as a leopard has at changing his spots (Jeremiah13:23). 
But then I saw that Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1Tim1:15), calling lost people to forsake their self and follow Him (Luke19:10), and that if they'd stop trying to protect their self, He would start protecting them and never stop (Matthew16:24, 2Timothy2:12).  I learned that Jesus was the greatest man who ever lived, but instead of seeking glory on earth, He died for sinners to draw them back to God.  I saw myself as a sinner who needed Him, and He brought me to faith by His powerful Word (John6:44-45, 63).  I also saw that I had never truly believed this before because I was seeking glory from other people, and this hamstringed me from submitting to Him (John5:44, 1Cor2:14).
This is what happens to true disciples.  At first, their minds are set on mans' things, but then they begin to see God's things.  It's painful, and it often takes time, but it brings them to child-like faith, which is necessary, because without it, they'll never make to heaven (Matthew18:3). 
Peter rebuked Jesus for Jesus' saying He would be killed, and then Jesus told him he was being selfish (Matt16:22-23).  Then Peter denied knowing Jesus three times in Jesus' greatest hour of need (Matt26:69-75).  Then after Jesus rose, Peter was still comparing himself to others (John21:20-23). 
But Jesus loved him.  And He patiently broke down Peter's hard-heartedness.  Eventually Peter led a movement in Jesus' name for Jesus' glory...one that's still continuing today.

Resting

Once one has been taken through this rebirth process, they see Jesus not only as God who's worthy of worship, but as a friend who has loved them and always will.  They read that He has all authority (Matt28:18), that He is seated at God's right hand interceding to Holy God for them (Hebrews1:4), that He's returning one day to take them to their true home (1Cor15:22-24), and that He has promised to love them and protect them and always be with them (John10:28, Matt28:20) even through the hard stuff, because He is actually alive inside of them (Galatians2:20, Colossians3:4). 
Not only do they read these things, but they actually believe them!  He has become to them not only the King who sits upon the throne of their hearts, but the Shepherd who holds them in His arms and makes them lie down and rest.  "I'm not perfect...but I press on to make it my own, because Christ has made me His own" (Philippians3:12). 
"We who have believed enter that rest" (Hebrews4:3), one said about disciples' present reality of the future Kingdom which will come when Christ return.  It's a Kingdom of rest, because one has been brought to see their self subject to God (not man), and Christ has given them a permanent right-standing with God.  "There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" (Romans8:1), and "if God is for us, who can be against us?" (8:31).

There are surely moments of weakness and unbelief.  Temptation will come, and men will fail their Lord.  But He won't.  He'll convict them and bring them to repentance.  They'll grieve over their sin and confess, sure to be forgiven (1John1:9).
There's no greater way for a leader to gain the allegiance of those in his charge than to make them know he loves them and will go to the end of himself for them.  Jesus is the King of God's eternal Kingdom, and He has gained His peoples' allegiance by having born their sins and sorrows on the execution stake, and risen again to tell them about it.  They live in the world, but their King is the One who has always been King.  And He will continue as such until He returns and makes a new world.

10 Ways You Know You Belong to Jesus, part 2

Continuing from last week, here are the last five ways we know we belong to Jesus.

6. You are learning how to love others better

     Jesus Himself had said that the Law was fulfilled in just two commands: "Love God with all you have" and "love your neighbor as yourself".  Love is typically defined today as "doing everything you can to not offend or 'judge' others".  But this is really just self-protection: protecting one's self from awkward conversations and letting others in close.  There is a standard set by One who is above us (our Creator, Provider, and Redeemer), and this is why we all consider right and wrong to be so important (see Romans2:14-16). 
At the same time, it also isn't any good for a religious person to act like the morality police around everyone else, telling everyone when they're breaking the standard (as though you are the Holy Spirit!).  God's love which flows through His people is the love that Jesus showed: Grace and truth (John1:14,18).  The grace to patiently forbear with people the way He does with us...forgiving others when they wrong us (Matthew6:14-15), and earnestly loving them with a desire for their knowledge of the truth (because without love, this "knowledge" is useless...see 1Corinthians13:1-3). 

7. You are learning how to tell the truth to others better

      But also there is willingness to speak the truth even if it means awkwardness and hatred.  It isn't loving to pretend that the most loving thing we can do is let people continue on doing things that are going to destroy them in the end.  Sin is sin, and if left unchecked, it will win and we will lose (Matthew13:22). 
Belonging to Jesus is the only way to bring about the grace and truth balance.  And as we walk with Him, we see His perfect "tough and tender" love embodied, and, by His grace, it becomes part of our character as well.  An example of this is seen in Paul--his desire was for the Jews to believe the Gospel, so much so that he would weep for them and even wish a curse upon himself if it meant that they would believe (cf Romans9:2, Philippians3:18).  At the same time though, he would make clear the condemnation the Gospel speaks over those Jews who refused to submit to the truth, and he would leave and move on to those who might listen (cf Acts13:46, 28:28).

8. You have new desires to be obedient to God

     God has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness, and it is through His promises in the Gospel that we "put on the divine nature" (2Peter1:3-5).  The Gospel is based on the promises of God, and through faith in these promises, we are not only adopted into God's family, but we even begin to have His nature put inside of us.  We don't become God by any means, but we become like Him in much the same way a child begins embodying his or her parents' characteristics.  Because God is holy, His people are to become holy as well (1Peter1:15, Hebrews12:14).  Following the Bible's commands is not a chore to children of God--it's a privledge and a pleasure.   They want to follow God's Word; although the flesh might be at war with the Holy Spirit inside of them, it's the Holy Spirit's desires that the Christian really wants.  See Galatians5:17.

9. You trust Him

     While Peter walked out onto the water and began to sink, Jesus then asked him, "Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew14:31).  Peter rightly lacked faith in himself and the water, but he began sinking when this lack began eclipsing His faith in Jesus and His perfect command.  Surely no one should have complete faith in fallible humans and created things.  But Jesus' command is completely trustworthy regardless of how untrustworthy everything (and everyone) else is. 
     A Christian may struggle with doubts at different points in the journey, but Jesus' death, resurrection, and continual intercession for His people until He returns becomes enough for them to trust Him even now.  You might be prone to fail, and so might the water.  But Jesus doesn't.  As Christians are transformed by the renewing of their minds (Romans12:2), they believe more and more that although they are prone to sin and faithlessness, He is faithful (2Timothy2:13)...and in this they not only rejoice, but their faith increases.

10. You pray for His will, and really want it

     Finally, one of the first things Jesus taught His disciples to pray for was God's will to be done:  
          First, that God's name be hallowed (regarded as holy);
          Second, that His Kingdom come; and
          Third, that His will would be done on earth as in Heaven (Matthew6:9-10). 
     To pray that God would have His way can be faked (as it is anytime one prays this prayer as a religious rite, but don't really mean it).  But to earnestly desire His will being done requires one's trusting that His will is best, and one's trusting that God can bring it about (which is why they're praying for it!). 
     Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew6:33-34) isn't like one seeking to end world hunger--a goal that isn't yet reached, and that's why they're trying.  Seeking first God's Kingdom is what one does because the Kingdom has already made a home in them!  The Kingdom has already been established--not in its fullness yet--but established nonetheless.  Those in Christ desire that His Name be made much of, and His glory fills the whole earth, because His glory fills them.  Called to proclaim His excellencies, one believes He is most excellent, and this pushes them to desire His will to be done.

Again, I hope this has been helpful for you.  Grace and peace!

10 Ways You Know You Belong to Jesus, part 1

The Bible says we can know we belong to Christ (1John5:13, Philippians3:12), and that the Holy Spirit (the very presence and power of God in us) is the One who tells us this (Romans8:16, 1John3:24).  But Jesus also said that one can be recognized by the fruit that they bear.  We'll spend the next couple of posts looking at what the Bible says is "good fruit", sure that the Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth.

1. You love Him

     "Love" is a word thrown around like a rag doll today.  It's meaning is found in the eye of the beholder, defined however the person wants to define it.  Jesus, the Word and Creator of all things--thus qualifying Him for having the right definition--defined it in several ways: a) laying your life down for your friends, the way He did for us (John15:13); b) having a deeper affection for Him than for even your family (Matthew10:37); and c) living in obedience to His Word (John14:15).  A disciple is one who has left all to follow Him, acquired a love for Him that surpasses love for even family, and is willing to die for Him because obedience to His command is worth even death.  "Though you haven't seen Him, you love Him" (1Peter1:8).

2. You know He loves you

     Far from the myth that "actions speak louder than words", actions do provide context to the words that are spoken.  God told Israel that their mouths honored Him, but their hearts denied Him (because He could see their hearts) (see Isaiah 29:13).  Jesus' act of dying on the cross to bear His peoples' sins ("His people" being those who believe in Him--John3:16) demonstrates His and the Father's love for us--that while we were still sinners and ungodly, "Christ died for us" (Romans5:8).  For the one who is in Christ, this isn't just a head-knowledge that gets sung about on Sunday mornings at church--this is the very center of their existence, that they are those whom Jesus has loved, like John continually referred to himself throughout his Gospel account.  This can be communicated and told...and it should be (1Peter3:15-16)...but the cross and all of its effects can only be appreciated by those who are in Christ.  See Paul's prayer for us to understand this more in Ephesians3:14-19.  When understood, this loves makes a person into a new person--a new creation in Christ (2Corinthians5:17).  They can't explain everything, but they know they love Jesus and they believe that He loved them first.
     This is important because many live lives of religion where they try and please God enough that perhaps He will one day say that He loves them.  In Christ, we know that He pleased God for us.  And in believing in Him, we're not seeking to please Him in hopes that He'll love us, but rather, because we know He already does love us.  And living in Christ is a joy when you're not performing for a grade.

3. You hate sin

     On the cross, Jesus became sin so that we would become God's righteousness (2Corinthians5:21).  He bore our sins in His body that we would die to sin and live to righteousness (1Peter2:24).  God hates sin (Psalm5:5, 11:5), and on the cross, God treated Jesus like He had committed our sins, so that we who committed them would be treated like we hadn't.  Jesus was "cut off" for a short time so that we who were cut off would be grafted back in...adopted into the family of God through our big brother Jesus having purchased our adoption.  Because of this, Christians despise and grieve the sin they have in their lives, because sin destroys and leads to death (James1:15).  They hate it so much that they're willing to dig deeper to find the real reason behind it.  For example, if a man lusts after another man's wife, he'll afterward think, "why did I do that?  I know I shouldn't, so what makes me do that?"  The presence of sin grieves him because Jesus died to put away sin and make us new creations who are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.  They also hate seeing others destroy themselves in rebellious, unrepentant, following after sin.  This grieves the Christian, the same way it grieves God.

4. You are convicted in areas that need repentance

      Being willing to dig deeper, conviction then comes.  The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John16:9-10), and to lead us into all the truth (John16:13).  He shows us what the "sin underneath the sin" is, and leads us to see what areas we need repentance in.  This is important, because most will usually only assume that the act of sinning is what needs repented of...and this is true, there is a reason why the Christian would still give into things that lead to death while eternal life dwells in them: the flesh, which battles with the Holy Spirit, wages war on the person "to make them do the things they don't want to do" (Galatians5:15-25).  This is contextualized to the exact situation, and one finds their self with a choice.

5. You then repent

     Since hatred of sin and even conviction isn't enough--actual repentance is necessary.  Jesus said that those who love Him will keep His commands (John14:15, 15:8), and His command is to abide in His love (15:3-5).  Love for Him and love for sin can't coexist, because they're two different masters, and both can't be served.  One will either follow after one and deny the other, or vice-versa (Matthew 6:24).  Those in Christ renounce and forsake that which would hold them back from fellowship and eternal life with Christ.  Justification (God's pronouncement that we are forgiven in Christ) is only a reality if it is then followed with faithful obedience to God's leading (see Romans5-6).  Justification comes by faith in Christ, but if it be without the good works the Father has given us to do (to repent, be faithful, follow Him by His Word and Spirit, etc.), it's not real.  Faith without works indeed is dead (James2:17).  We consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, because Christ died not only to give us forgiveness but also freedom from the sin that had us needing forgiveness (Romans6:11, 1Peter2:25).

#s 6-10 will come next week, Lord willing!  I hope this is helpful for you, and thank you so much for taking the time to read.  Grace and peace be on you and in you, in Christ.

Kingdom, Week 6: God-Centered Worship

"Beware of practicing your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."   Matthew 6:1

Jesus has been showing that his disciples are to embody humility, mission-mindedness, and diligence with God's Word.  Now His focus shifts to their character as they worship God in their religious acts. 

God our Father 

Almost every religion recognizes the need for generous giving, prayer, and fasting.  And almost every religion recognizes that these are to be done towards the ends of seeking a reward from God.  But only Christianity has Jesus saying to do these for the ends of receiving a reward from your Father in heaven. 
The idea that God becomes a Father to us is intensely personal, as we each have an earthly dad, whether a good or bad one.  And much of our self-image and worldview is shaped by our dad and how connected we are (or were) to him.
Jesus says that in Him, God becomes a Father to us.  The Bible says when we receive God's Son Jesus, we're born of God (John1:12-13), and He adopts us into His family because our big brother Jesus paid for our adoption (Romans8:14, Galatians4:4-6).  God is loving, but He's also Just, and we, being sinners, while being continually blessed and provided for by Him, are under His condemnation for our sin.  But Jesus bore our sin and became sin for us.  In Him, God forgives us, adopts us, and makes us His children.  We're reborn through Jesus' resurrection into a new family.
When God is our Father, our worship of Him is soaked in thanksgiving, because He's lavished on us grace upon grace in Christ.  "Whatever you do, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians3:17), for "this is God's will for you, that you'd pray without ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances" (1Thessalonians5:17). 

Every Blessing

If we're in Christ, God has blessed us with every blessing that can ever be imagined, even though we don't see it in all of it's fullness yet (see Ephesians1:3, 1Peter1:7-9).  Surely God could never withhold anything from us if it's already ours, which is Paul's point in Romans8:33-39.  So this saturates our prayers and acts of service: we know God has blessed us, is blessing us, and will continue to.  So we continue coming to Him in prayer and thanksgiving.

But if we don't think we're going to receive blessing from God, we'll begin to seek blessing from others ("Scott, I love that song, thanks for singing it"; "excellent message..you nailed it!"; "oh you're fasting..wow, you're really committed!"). 
Jesus says that if this praise from others is our motive, it, in and of itself, is the only reward we'll receive (6:2, 4, 16).  This is because we're not approaching God as a Father who accepts us on Christ's basis.  Since we're not doing it thankfully in Him, we're trying to achieve acceptance from others, and so we're worshiping them but not Him.  In much the same way, many of us don't care as much about others' opinions of us, but we care deeply about our own opinion of ourselves.  Since men naturally feel more godly and pious when they do worshipful things, this gives us assurance.  But in this, we're worshiping us but not Him.  Either way is giving honor and glory to created things over the Creator, and is a direct breakage of Commandment #2. 

Fake Worship

Jesus says that many will come to Him with claims of intimacy, crying out "Lord Lord!", but He will say to depart, because He doesn't know them, to which they'll respond, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" (Matt7:21-23).  These are people who are expecting that God will accept them because they've done religious service like what's described here in chapter 6.  But profession and religious service isn't enough.  Truly being God's son or daughter is what's required.  This is why 7:21 said that it's not those who claim "Lord Lord", but those who "do the will of the Father", which Jesus later defined as sitting at His feet listening, calling those who do it His "brother and sister and mother" (see Matt12:46-50).  Ah! And we're back to needing to be Jesus' family--sons and daughters of the most high God.

How do you worship?  Do you worship God as a Father who has loved you enough to bury your sins through Jesus' cross?  Do you worship Him as a child who can only say thanks and enjoy spending time with Dad?  Or are you still performing for others, hoping for their approval?  Or worse, are you performing for God, hoping for His approval, when Jesus already said, "It's finished"?

Honesty

One can't "fake" worship with God--He sees our hearts (1Samuel16:7, John2:24-25); so we need to come honestly when we're giving, praying, or fasting.  There will be times when we won't "feel it", as well as times when we'll be angry with God even.  But there is never a time when God isn't worth it, nor is there ever a time when we don't need to be seeking Him and disciplining ourselves.  That's what it means to be a disciple.
This is why the truth that God is our Father in Christ is so important to remember.  If we have struggles, temptations, questions, and emotions, we can come to Him as a child comes to their father.  In Christ, God's not going to love us any less, because His acceptance of us is based on the performance of Jesus on our behalf, not on our own.
And so this should spur us on to not view our worship as a performance, but as a "sacrifice of praise, holy and pleasing to the Lord".