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"When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They answered, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven." Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." (Matt. 16:13-21)
I look around me today and I see fear everywhere. Bombings and destruction, burning and murders, viruses and rebellion. People are afraid. The Church is afraid - of persecution, of violence, of losing our political freedom to worship. And the proposed solutions being given to these fears – are they what Jesus says is the rock of the Church? “You are the Christ – the son of the living God.” Our hope and expectation of good, our comfort and our peace, is not grounded upon the political liberties, the stability of our buildings or meeting times, the peaceful conditions of our cities or our families. In fact, after Jesus made this great promise, “I will build my Church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” he went on, reports Matthew, to explain that he would be rejected by the social and religious and political powers, suffer at their hands in many ways, and then be killed. It was not in the protection from these things that the Church is built, but in that last promise – on the third day he was raised. The gates of Hades could not overcome him, and the gates of Hades, the sufferings and the little deaths of our dreams and of our comforts and of our buildings and crosses and parking lots and homes and jobs, cannot overcome His resurrecting power. And the Church will not be built with guns, with violence, with the defeat of political parties or persons, but because Jesus Christ builds it upon the confession, "You are the Christ - the son of the living God." The Holy Spirit blows where He wishes and raises dead hearts to life, opens the blinded eyes to behold Jesus as the Restorer and the Lord. Our hope is built on nothing less than this, on Jesus' blood and righteousness. We dare not trust the sweetest frames, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. Our power is in the Christ, the son of the living God, who sits enthroned at the right hand of God over all of Creation, without failing to accomplish all that God has ordained to do in the kind intention of His will towards us who believe in Him. The Church will endure, my friends. You live, because He lives. He will build His Church, and nothing can stop Him from doing so. "Some trust in chariots, others in horses, but we remember the name of Yahweh our God." (Psalm 20:7)
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 Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash From Rich Carroll:
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) The corona virus has us all thinking about the future and what will tomorrow bring in regards to our jobs, our schools, our health and our plans. This verse in Matthew is taken from the middle of a lengthy teaching/sermon Jesus is giving, known as the Sermon on the Mount. Just prior to this section Jesus warns the people/us about the problem of trying to serve 2 masters at the same time. In fact He tells us that it is impossible! For either, we will end up ‘hating the one and loving the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.’ He tells us straight out that we ‘cannot serve God and Money’ at the same time. (Matthew 6:24) One will win out over the other every time. Then Jesus, the Eternal Word, and the face of God Himself tells us that anxiety and worry run contrary to a heart that is committed to serving and loving God alone. Why do you worry about clothes or food or shelter Jesus asks them? If His Father takes such good care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field will He not take care of those who are made in His very image, Jesus asks? We may have enough for today but what about tomorrow, next week or next year? There’s nothing wrong with making plans for the future but who or what are we truly trusting while making those plans? If He promises us enough ‘manna’ for today will He not provide the manna that’s needed for tomorrow and next month as well? The more I personally see who this Jesus really is that makes such grand and definitive statements the more I can lay my head to rest each night. The more I see His displays of power, love, sacrifice, forgiveness and kindness towards and for me the more I want to worship and truly leave the worries of tomorrow in His hands. I really do have enough trouble for today’s energy and faith without exhausting them for tomorrow’s as well. “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8) Hear the word of Yahweh,
chiefs of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah! What use to me is the abundance of your sacrifices? Yahweh keeps saying, I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of well-fed beasts. And in the blood of bulls, and lambs, and he-goats I find no pleasure. When you come to appear before me who sought this from your hand - a trampling of my courts! Stop bringing empty gifts; it is an abhorrent incense to me. New moon festival, and Sabbath, calling conventions - wickedness coupled with religious duty is too much for me! Your new moon festivals, and your special occasions my soul hates. I am tired of bearing them. And when you spread out your palms, I hide my eyes from you. Even though, indeed, you multiply prayer I am not even listening. Your hands - they are full of bloodshed! Wash! Make yourselves clean! Remove your evil practice from before my eyes! Give up wrong-doing! Learn well-doing! Seek justice! Reform the oppressor! Deal justly with the orphan! Take up the case of the widow! Come, then, let us argue the point with each other, Yahweh keeps saying. Though your sins be like scarlet, Like snow they will be white! Though they be red as crimson, Like wool they will be. If you are willing and listen, the goodness of the land you will eat; and if you refuse and prove contentious, by the sword you will be eaten! For Yahweh's mouth itself has spoken. It is so easy for the rites to become ritual to become religious duty devoid of their purpose, emptied of their true meaning and significance. It is easy to believe that the end is the duty itself, the goal the ritual itself, and so miss that they are symbols and fruits of a tree deeply rooted in the heart of God, and it is the heart of God to which we must make our way. As if the singing were the end, instead of the means to loving Him. As if the Communion cup was the end instead of the means to remembering Him. As if the reading of the Scripture were the end which we can smile upon at the conclusion of the chapter each morning, feeling full in the fact that we finished the words rather than mediating upon them, being corrected by them in spirit and truth, and turning through them to worship and adore and praise the Living One who communicates His heart and will to us through them. You see, that it was what happening in Israel, and we know the methodology well, for it is the habit of the human heart to turn the reminders into the ritual into the empty religion. We do our deed, sing our songs, hear the preaching, and walk off without reflection, without resonance in our hearts, without worshipping the Lord. As Alec Motyer wrote, "The precious habit can take over and the bread and wine pass from hand to hand without any feasting in mind and heart on the Christ of Calvary. Over everything the Bible would inscribe the words, 'I write these things to you so that you may not sin' (1 John 2:1)." Christ died to set us free from sin, so we do not use our freedom as an opportunity to boast in the flesh, but as an opportunity to love one another. We were redeemed for holiness, to be holy as He is holy, as beloved children of the Father. We take sin seriously, and holiness seriously, because our Father hates it so much that He sent His only-fathered Son to die to redeem us from its curse, so that we might walk in the newness of life, in righteousness, in all which is consistent with Him. Like Father, like sons. As Paul wrote the Roman church, "If you have died to sin, how can we remain living in it?" Let us lay every encumbrance aside and run for the pleasure of God, with every ritual feasting upon the holiness of God in all humility, so that God may be imaged rightly, as we were created to do.  Photo by Cristina Gottardi From Richard Roberts:
I am starting to read through the book of Isaiah again, and I thought that I would start blogging some thoughts. These are from Isaiah 1:1-9. I have been helped by Alec Motyer's wonderful work and translation in Isaiah by the Day. I recommend it. He translates verses 2-9 of chapter one in the following way: Hear, O Heavens, listen, O Earth, for Yahweh has himself spoken: "Sons I have nurtured and reared and they - they! - have rebelled against me! An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master's trough; it is Israel who does not know! My people who have no discernment! Ah! Sinning nation, a people heavy with iniquity, seed of evil-doers, sons acting corruptly. They have forsaken Yahweh, spurned the Holy One of Israel, turned themselves back into foreigners. What use is it to continue stubborn? - you will only be beaten down again! The whole head is disease-ridden; from the sole of the foot to the head there is no soundness in it - bruise and scar and fresh wound; untreated, and unbandaged, and unsoothed with ointment. Your land a desolation, your cities burnt with fire, your country - in front of you foreigners are eating it up, a desolation, like something overturned by foreigners. And the daughter of Zion is left over like a shed in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber patch, like a blockaded city." Were it not that Yahweh of Hosts himself had left over for us a tiny remainder, we would have matched Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah. The craziness and irrationality of sin is displayed here by Yahweh has He calls His people, us, to see rightly, to see in truth. It doesn't make sense to sin. It doesn't make sense to rebel. The Lord calls us "sons whom I have reared", and "My people." Yet, this identity is set alongside the contrarian behaviors of rebellion, iniquity, sin, evil-doing, corruption, and an attitude of carelessness like that of a foreigner (one who does not love the people or the land as one who belongs to them). How like the battle between the Flesh and the Spirit is this? How irrational can my heart be, who knows the blessings of God, the joy of His presence, the comforts of His goodness, and yet, like a deluded man stumbling after his delusion, do I turn my back on the Lord and seek to find life in something or someone else? This is not merely the problem of the people of Israel in the 8th century BC. This is the problem of the heart of God's people in all times and places. It doesn't make sense. We see the truth. We see the pain. We see the consequences...Yahweh calls us to look out upon our land, to look out upon our churches, to look out and see the devastation and repent. Why? Because of that line of grace in verse 9, "Were it not that Yahweh of Hosts himself had left over for us a tiny remainder...." Yahweh has not brought utter desolation. He has not treated us like Sodom or Gomorrah, but has left over a lily pad of grace in the flood of His judgement. On this side of the cross we see that this is not only a lily pad, but a solid rock, a stayed foundation, an island of infinite stability that flourishes with the life of God. We see Jesus anchoring our souls, the grace of God who has appeared and has rescued us and is also calling us to reject ungodliness. Paul wrote of this to his brother, Titus (2:11-14): For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good. We are not Sodom and Gomorrah because Jesus was utterly devastated in our place. He bore the judgement upon rebellion and corruption, bearing our iniquity upon that Tree, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. We belong because He brings us in. Without Him, we are utterly ruined and without hope. With Him we are extravagantly blessed and full of hope. May the Lord fix your eyes upon the desolation today, then draw your focus to the "tiny remainder" of His grace in Jesus Christ. We are worshippers. What do you think of when you read that? What do you think of when you think of people worshipping? Is it singing in the congregation, or a crowd of people bowing toward Mecca, or Buddhists meditating or laying out candles on the river?
We tend to think of worship as those formal rituals or dedicated times and activities which are different than the normal activities of our lives. But, the Scripture speaks of worship differently than that. We do not simply do worship, we are worshippers. And God is not more interested in the acts between 10:30 and noon on Sunday morning than He is in the position of our hearts and desires and delights during the rest of the week, because those are more revelatory of what we are truly worshipping. What is worship? Worship comes from the old English word "worthship." It is a word about value, about treasuring, about worth. We worship what we treasure the most, what we desire the most, what we delight in the most. Therefore, it is not merely a ritual, nor even a behavior. It is affectional. It consists, at its root, of our affection. Worship is the highest form of love. That is why everything that we do is an act of worship. It is what we live for and why we do what we do, say what we say, and choose what we choose at any moment and in any place. As worshippers, we always do this, whether we call it “worship” or not. We are always choosing what we want the most, depending upon what we believe in the most, and pursuing what we value the most. Those are all acts of worship. So, the question is never, “Are you a worshipper?”, but rather, “What are you worshipping?” The only difference between a religious person and an irreligious person is what or whom they worship, the object of their desire, their trust, their hope, their values. Jesus told the woman at the well in Samaria, “The Father is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in truth.” There is no “proper place” for worship. The only propriety is the proper heart and the proper object: the one true God, i.e. ‘in truth’. And our worship always begins with the revelation of God. We have to know Him, to know something of Him, in order to see His beauty, His glory, to value Him rightly, and so we must hear what He says about Himself. This is why our daily reading of His Word is necessary. It is here where God reveals Himself most clearly and fully, in the face of His Son through His Word. So, our Bible reading is not merely duty, an act of “religiosity” to get our day started off right, but it is looking at the Lord so that we might know the one for whom and to whom we live today, whom we worship. We seek beauty, the most beautiful, in His Word. Worship, then, is a response to this revelation of Him. We respond in worship to the revelation of who God is and what God has done. How are we to respond? “He is worthy.” He has the quality of being worthy of our words, our works, our delight, our joy, our hope, our honor, our love. Since worship is the highest form of worship, then we will live for what we love the most, and if we are to worship in spirit and in truth, then our greatest love should be reserved for the object most worthy of that love. And the only one worthy of the highest love of all creation is the Creator. The only one worthy of the highest love of a sinner forgiven and redeemed is the one whom showed him mercy and redeemed him at His own cost. The only one worthy of our lives is the One who gave His life for us, out of sheer grace and kindness. So, let us worship the Lord today, in all that we do. We work at our jobs for His sake, because He is worthy of our work. We speak to others today for His sake, because He is worthy of our praise and of our obedience, worthy to be trusted. Remember that our worship is everything that we do throughout the week, and when we gather on Sunday we simply do so together, but not as something new or original, but as a continuance of what we have been doing all week. Here is a song that we hope to introduce to our congregational singing on Sunday!  Fix your eyes on Jesus!
Speak to your own soul
Tell shame, “Shame, you are worthless in comparison to the joy that is set before me in Jesus!”
Shame your shame by fixing your eyes on that joy in Him! The gospel preaches to you of God’s mercy towards the unclean, the sinners, the ashamed, the outsiders – in Christ we are all together clean and pure, welcomed by God, and we belong to Him as children in whom His soul delights and in whom He will defend!
Stop comparing yourself with others!
Remember that Jesus is not ashamed to call you his brother (or sister!)
The gospel frees you from needing anyone’s approval but God’s, and He approves of you because of Jesus
The gospel sets you upon a path through the fields of suffering to the city of joy – and it is WORTH IT
 Jack Miller, Saving Grace, July 5th:
“My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” – Proverbs 23:26 You reach the conscience of another person by first being changed yourself, and out of that change, in love, reaching that other person. Most of the time when you we want to see someone else influenced, we look for the best method, how-to, or technique – something we can operate independently of changing ourselves. When we do that, we usually succeed in making the relationship worse. Solomon identifies what we really want in any primary relationship; we really want their heart. It’s not wrong to want the heart of another; it is the height of maturity to want that. However, the way we go about trying to get it is often the depths of immaturity. Perhaps the greatest problem in our close relationships is that we don’t like to disturb the usual habits and routines. If we’re really going to reach the conscience of another, we have to deal with the question of whether we have first given our hearts to God. It is only as our hearts are open to him that we are able to open them to others. This is where change starts. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore, my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him. "There is comfort concerning such infirmities, in that your very sins move him to pity more than to anger....Christ takes part with you, and is far from being provoked against you, as all his anger is turned upon your sin to ruin it; yea, his pity is increased the more towards you, even as the heart of a father is to a child that has some loathsome disease, or as one is to a member of his body that has leprosy, he hates not the member, for it is his flesh, but the disease, and that provokes him to pity the part affected the more. What shall not make for us, when our sins, that are both against Christ and us, shall be turned as motives to him to pity us the more?"
-Thomas Goodwin, The Heart of Christ 
Humility and a passion for praise are a pair of characteristics which together indicate growth in grace. The Bible is full of self-humbling (man bowing down before God) and doxology (man giving praise to God). The healthy heart is one that bows down in humility and rises in praise and adoration. The Psalms strike both these notes again and again. So too, Paul in his letters both articulates humility and breaks into doxology. Look at his three descriptions of himself quoted above, dating respectively from around A.D. 59, 63, and 64. As the years pass he goes lower; he grows downward! And as his self-esteem sinks, so his rapture of praise and adoration for the God who so wonderfully saved him rises. Undoubtedly, learning to praise God at all times for all that is good is a mark that we are growing in grace. One of my predecessors in my first parochial appointment died exceedingly painfully of cancer. But between fearful bouts of agony, in which he had to stuff his mouth with bedclothes to avoid biting his tongue, he would say aloud over and over again: “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps. 34:1). That was a passion for praise asserting itself in the most poignant extremity imaginable. Cultivate humility and a passion for praise if you want to grow in grace. ~James Packer, Your Father Loves You  From Rich Carroll:
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 We all have troubles in this world! My wife and I see all the struggles reported about our world as well as our own poor choices in relating to one another at times and feel helpless to affect those things we feel little control over. Health related troubles, financial troubles, relational troubles and God tells us we have spiritual/moral troubles. You name it, it comes with the territory of being human and living in this world. Sometimes these troubles stress and overwhelm us. We cry out, pray, and wonder how things might get any better. For the believer however, there is a perspective that lightens our load when we stop and consider the wise and God-inspired words of the apostle here. We are told to fix my eyes on what is unseen and eternal. Jesus, towards the end of His life, in the upper room, the evening before He was condemned, spoke to His closest friends about their troubles: “These things have I spoken to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulations but take courage, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) I need to hear these words in the midst of my personal troubles. As I stop to consider and allow them to wash over my heart I sense my Savior speaking directly to me that there is a greater reality than these “momentary troubles”, although they feel more than momentary. They don’t quickly go away. But our Lord, in His kindness and compassion reminds me/us that these troubles are a mere drop in the bucket compared to what life will look and actually be like on the other side of this world, for all eternity. So, take courage friend. He will not let you go. You and I can trust that He is really good and has our best in mind. He invites us to look at the eternal picture with Him, on what is unseen. See the eternal weight of glory in what He has planned for us that far outweighs these momentary troubles. “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3) “One day [Robert Bruce] was preaching before His Majesty at Edinburgh, and the King [James VI] was sitting in his own seat, with several of the nobility waiting on him. The King had a custom very frequently of talking with those about him in time of sermon. This he fell into that day. Mr. Bruce soon noticed it, and stopped, upon which the King gave over [fell silent].
The King fell a talking to those next him a second time, and Mr. Bruce stopped a second time, and if I remember, sat down in his seat. When the King noticed this he gave over, and Mr. Bruce went on in his subject. A third time the King fell a talking. Mr. Bruce was very much grieved that the King should continue in this practice, after the modest reproofs he had already upon the matter given him; and so a third time he stopped, and directing himself to the King, he expressed himself to this purpose: ‘It’s said to have been an expression of the wisest of kings, (I suppose he meant an apocryphal saying of Solomon’s,) ‘When the lion roars, all the beasts of the field are at ease’; the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is now roaring, in the voice of his Gospel, and it becomes all the petty kings of the earth to be silent.” Original Source: Robert Wodrow, Sermons by the Rev. Robert Bruce, 1590 VERSE 1
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer Greatest treasure of my longing soul My God, like You there is no other True delight is found in You alone Your grace, a well too deep to fathom Your love exceeds the heavens’ reach Your truth, a fount of perfect wisdom My highest good and my unending need VERSE 2 O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer Strong defender of my weary heart My sword to fight the cruel deceiver And my shield against his hateful darts My song when enemies surround me My hope when tides of sorrow rise My joy when trials are abounding Your faithfulness, my refuge in the night VERSE 3 O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer Gracious Savior of my ruined life My guilt and cross laid on Your shoulders In my place You suffered bled and died You rose, the grave and death are conquered You broke my bonds of sin and shame O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer May all my days bring glory to Your Name "O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer" Music and Words by Nathan Stiff © 2017 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP) Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Churches. All rights reserved. Administrated worldwide at www.CapitolCMGPublishing.com, excluding the UK which is adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family. www.SovereignGraceMusic.org From Rich Carroll:
An excerpt from Brennan Manning's book, Ruthless Trust : "The ragamuffin resonates to the Pauline cry, 'I know who it is that I have put my trust in' (2 Tim 1:12). The felt knowledge of the tenderness of Jesus that lifts us, scarred and depressed after sin, gently to himself is the very soul of ragamuffin spirituality. After stumbling and falling, the ragamuffin does not sink into despondency and endless self-recrimination, she quickly repents, offers the broken moment to the Lord, and renews her trust in the Messiah of sinners. She knows that Jesus is comfortable with broken people who remember to love [him]. Alert to the manipulations and machinations of pharisaical self-righteousness, ragamuffins refuse to surrender control of their lives to rules and regulations. They see that the stale religiosity of legalists, trapped in the fatal narcissism of spiritual perfectionism, obscures the face of the God of Jesus. They will not barter their souls for the false security of fear-filled pieties that cripple the human spirit. The motto on the New Hampshire license plate, “Live free or die,” is the ragamuffin motto. During the past three years of prayer, study, and soul-searching, the Holy Spirit has guided me to an inescapable conclusion: ruthless trust is the way for this ragamuffin. If it be your way, the sign you can trust will be the slow, steady, and miraculous transformation from self-rejection to self-acceptance rooted in the acceptance of Jesus Christ. "One of the most dangerous things a Christian can do right now is neglect Bible reading.
Thousands of voices are attempting to convince you how to think. Be certain, you are being shaped. More Scripture, less social media. More Bible, fewer books. More prayer, fewer blog posts. It is admirable to read books. It is wise to read helpful books. It can be sharpening to read books you disagree with. But we must read the most important Book regularly, deeply, and humbly so that as we read other books we will be well equipped to discern truth from error." -Garrett Kell “It has pleased our Father to open his counsel and to let us know the very intent of his heart and to acquaint us with the eternal extent of his love; and all this, that our joy may be full and we might live as the heirs of such a kingdom [of heaven]. And shall we now overlook all this, as if he had revealed no such matter? Shall we live in earthly cares and sorrows, as if we knew of no such thing? And rejoice no more in these discoveries than if the Lord had never written it? If your prince had promised you some lordship, how often would you be casting your eye upon it and making your daily delight to study it, until you come to possess that dignity itself. And has God promised you heaven, and do you let it lie there, as if you had forgotten it? Oh, that our hearts were as high as our hopes, and our hopes as high as these infallible promises!”
Richard Baxter, Practical Works The book of Acts is a book of sermons. Most people think that the book is a narrative, which it is. But, if you read it straight through you will see just how much preaching there is in this book. There are a total of 10 actual sermons in the book (1 Stephen, 4 Paul, 5 Peter) and 32 summaries of preaching. While there are miracles and wonders done through the apostles and angels, visions of Jesus, and voices from the heavens, the real work is the continuation of the work of Jesus: the proclamation of the kingdom of God empowered by the Spirit of God. Just as Jesus left his baptism, where the Spirit descended on him like a dove and the vindicating voice echoed from heaven, “This is my beloved Son in whom my heart delights,” so also Jesus having ascended poured out His Spirit in a baptism of fire onto His Church, and in a similar way proclaims, “This is my beloved Bride, in whom my heart delights” so that they, too, could follow His lead in preaching that original message, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” In fact, the dominant phrases in the book are “word” and its synonyms “gospel” or “message” and “Holy Spirit”. The Kingdom of God is said to be proclaimed and the Word is personified as “increasing” and “adding” to this kingdom community of those who entrusted themselves to Jesus as their savior-king.
So, how did their culture receive this proclamation of Jesus’ authority as King in the Kingdom of God? Well, you will find that they did the same thing that people do today when the true gospel is proclaimed. They filtered it. Jews heard that the gospel was a message against their Law, their Temple, their customs (6:14), an intolerant strike against their culture. Greeks thought the message was “that gods made with hands are not gods” (19:26), a judgmental exclusive gospel which demanded changing of allegiance, an intolerant strike against their values. We see the same response with religious and irreligious people today. The gospel demands submission to Jesus alone, not our performance and not our values. He alone is our righteousness, nothing else. The actual presentation of the gospel was given in diverse ways, but it was always the same message. There was not a gospel for the Jews and a gospel for the Greeks, a gospel for religious people and a differing one to lessen the offense to others. The gospel was not modified or filtered in order to get a better reception. The gospel stands on its own and is the ferocity of God to transform any heart in any culture without partiality. Charles Spurgeon saw the concern that his brothers put on making the gospel palatable to his culture and said, “The Word of God can take care of itself, and will do so if we preach it, and cease defending it. See you that lion. They have caged him for his preservation; shut him up behind iron bars to secure him from his foes! See how a band of armed men have gathered together to protect the lion. What a clatter they make with their swords and spears! These mighty men are intent upon defending a lion. O fools, and slow of heart! Open that door! Let the lord of the forest come forth free. Who will dare to encounter him? What does he want with your guardian care? Let the pure gospel go forth in all its lion-like majesty, and it will soon clear its own way and ease itself of its adversaries.” (Charles Spurgeon, The Lover of God’s Law Filled with Peace, January 2, 1888) The apostles preached to Jews and Greeks, to all peoples, so you can see how they presented the gospel: Acts 17 – to Greeks in Athens: Paul doesn’t begin with the OT Scripture, but appeals to Natural Law, or General Revelation, and moves to Jesus as the One God appointed to judge the living and the dead because He was raised from the dead – doesn’t even get to forgiveness of sins Acts 28 – to Jewish leaders in Rome: Paul “From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.” (Acts 28:23) The center of their message is Jesus, crucified and risen from the dead, ascended to reign in the kingdom of God. It is all about Jesus, His authority, both in power and in right. The message of Acts is only secondarily about the Church, as the purposed building of Christ’s Bride. In fact, in Acts 14 when Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel and had healed a man who was lame, the Lystrans (modern day Turkey) loved the church! They wanted the church in their community! They saw how it could benefit them to have the church honored there and they longed to make it happen. But they didn’t understand the lordship of Christ. They revered Paul and Barnabas as super-heroes, as the gods come down for their good. Yet, look how the ambassadors respond in Acts 14, “They rushed out into the crowd and tore their clothes, saying, ‘Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men, like nature to you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these empty things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea…” (v15). Yet, the people didn’t want that God. They wanted their gods. See, the gospel of Jesus brings about hostility and the book of Acts records this well, too. Look at the very next verse, v19. In one verse the people go from worshipping Paul and Barnabas to intending to murder them by stoning Paul and dragging him outside believing they had killed him. In honor or hostility the Church maintained its gospel of the crucified, risen, and reigning Son of God to whom people must turn exclusively. Because the story is not about Peter or Paul. They do not replace Jesus. They are Jesus’ hands and feet, but not His head. They aren’t Christ to their communities, and never will you find in Scripture such a ridiculous statement as ‘Be Christ to somebody’. They could not be the Christ. United to Him, but distinct from Him, as a husband and a wife. They are Peter and Paul, ambassadors for Jesus. Proclaim Christ! Preach Christ! Jesus lives and reigns and sends, and He is distinctly the content of the gospel message, the King whom the Word of the Lord proclaims. It is not the winsomeness of Peter or the likability of Paul that grew the Church. It was the gospel itself. The message. The Word of the King. This is so much the case that Luke says “the Word of the Lord continued to increase” in 6:7 to describe the growth of the Church. The Word increased. The Word concerning the Lord Jesus. The emphasis is on the Word, upon the King, not upon the Church. This Word, and the glorious freedom of people estranged from God and the fullness of their joy and life in Him, the way humanity is created to be, grows in the soil of opposition. With the preaching of God’s Word people are saved, and people are angered. The gospel, in the book of Acts, brings both reactions, usually in the same preaching event. As the Church grew, so did the intensity and vitriol of its persecutors. The book begins with Jesus ascended in triumph and the apostles returning to the Temple in joy and ends with Paul chained to a house in Rome awaiting trial. But the Word of God was not chained! It flourished in both opposition and the lack of hindrance. It is our sure and certain hope, as revealed through this history of the early Church, that God does the miraculous work of raising dead hearts to life, hard hearts to fleshy hearts, of violent men to self-sacrificial men through the proclamation of Jesus Christ. Jesus is building His Church, and the violent mobs of social opposition, the narcissistic governors and kings, the rejection and disdain of the social elites, even the gates of Death itself cannot slow Him down. Their foolishness serves His purposes, for He has authority over all things. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, as you go, make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Look, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Shared by Tim Hunt:
(This article was originally written by David Gundersen and published on June 13, 2020, at https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-reasons-to-come-back-to-church-after-covid-19/ . It is being shared here for your edification.) Over the past few months, most churches have stopped meeting in person. A global pandemic, government regulations, and a desire to serve each other and society have kept us from gathering. Instead, we’ve held “services” online, met “virtually,” and used technology to connect. Many churches are now resuming our meetings, or will soon. But these new services feel strange. Our sensitivities are heightened, our differences are on display, and we have to endure restrictions and protocols that are awkward, inconvenient, and frustrating. Then, no matter how safe we make it, some of our church family still can’t come. With all this in mind, some believers may feel tempted not to come at all. If our restored gatherings are so different and restricted, our online options so available and convenient, and our physical presence a genuine vulnerability, why should we even meet in person? This is a valid question. But before we make our decisions, we need to reflect on the importance of our gatherings so that our desire to meet grows instead of atrophying. So unless you’re someone who needs to stay home for health reasons, here are ten reasons to come back to church. 1. We’re embodied creatures. God made Adam from earth’s soil, Eve from Adam’s side, and humanity from their union (Gen. 1:26–27; 2:18–25; 3:20). We’re embodied souls, male and female, in his image. We’re not ethereal beings made to float in virtual space. We’re not just pixels and screennames, headshots on Zoom and Facetime. We’re human beings. We’re designed to see and hear and taste and touch and feel our way through the physical world God’s made. In recent months, we’ve seen the power of our online world. But we’ve also felt its limitations. No loving couple gladly accepts a “long-distance relationship” as ideal. Neither should a loving church family. 2. The church is one body. The Bible consistently teaches that the church is Christ’s body on earth (Eph. 1:22–23). Each believer is a different body part, but we’re intricately knitted together (Eph. 4:15–16). We’re not independent but interdependent. Our spiritual gifts are like eyes and ears and hands and feet that each play their part in the body’s growth and mission. Yes, even at a distance, we’re still Christ’s body. But like any healthy body, we shouldn’t want to stay dislocated. 3. The Spirit is drawing us. Not only are believers one body; we also have one Spirit (Eph 4:4). The Holy Spirit—the third person of the Trinity—inhabits God’s church, and he’s always drawing us toward unity. God’s Spirit can’t be divided, so when believers are separated involuntarily, we feel the tension—like a rubber band stretched too far. The Spirit within us yearns for us to be together, like that same rubber band pulling us back in. 4. We’re a spiritual family. In the church, God is our adoptive Father, so we’re all spiritual siblings—God’s “household” (1 Tim 3:15). With our different ages and genders, Paul even calls us fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters (1 Tim 5:1–2). But families aren’t meant to be separated. Healthy families live together, laugh together, cry together, and help each other. Parents with grown children love when the adult kids get together—and those parents are only fully satisfied when everyone’s present. We must be faithful during this season to reach out to those who can’t safely join us. But all who are able should seek to gather for our life-giving family reunions. 5. Preaching is a sacred moment. Our generation is used to John Piper sermons and Beth Moore videos and Ravi Zacharias clips. Phones and screens and apps are now our default medium. In just three months, we’ve even grown used to watching our own pastors and leaders teach God’s word through WiFi and glass. In this digital environment, we must remember that preaching is fundamentally a live, sacred moment (Acts 20:20, 27). Yes, it can be streamed and recorded and posted, benefiting both virtual attendees and future hearers. But for a local family of believers, God’s word is best communicated live as the Spirit empowers an appointed preacher and trusted shepherd to articulate God’s word personally in a moment pregnant with purpose and possibility. In these moments, pastors shepherd their own sheep, and sheep hear the voice of their shepherds. In these moments, we’re struck not only by the content of the message but also the gravity of the moment. When we hear God’s word taught in a congregation, we resonate not only with our risen Lord and his royal word, but with each other. A feast enjoyed together is better than food eaten alone. We’re human beings. We’re designed to see and hear and taste and touch and feel our way through the physical world God’s made. 6. There’s nothing like singing together. There’s no experience on earth like congregational singing (Ps 95:1–2). Singing together glorifies God by re-enthroning him in the hearts of his people. Singing together brands our minds with truth and warms our hearts with grace. Singing together symbolizes our unity as we harmonize over the gospel. Singing together expresses our emotions to God (and we have lots of emotions right now). But we don’t just sing to glorify God; we also sing to encourage each other (Col 3:16). And we can’t sing to each other through a screen. Yes, we’re vulnerable: Congregational singing could get an American Christian infected, just like it could get a Chinese Christian arrested. But like the underground church has always done, God’s people will figure out how to praise him together, as faithfully and safely as possible. We’ll wear masks, or clean the air, or meet outside, or recite psalms, or even whisper. But ultimately, God will hear the rising praises of the Christian church, and it will be good if we’re there to express them together. 7. We need baptisms and communion. Whether your church has practiced these ordinances “virtually” or not, every believer needs to see and taste these gracious symbols so that we can sense the gospel story once again. Baptism and communion remind us that God communicates to us in sensory ways. In these two ordinances, we taste and touch and see and hear the gospel, whether the splash of water in a baptismal tank as a new believer dies and rises with Christ, or the broken bread and crushed grapes that feed us with the remembrance of his sacrifice (Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 11:26). The way we practice these things may look different for a season, but our hearts will need them more than we know. 8. You have a job to do. If you’re a believer, you have a job to do when the church gathers. The work of ministry isn’t mainly for pastors and leaders. It’s for every Christian. Every believer has spiritual gifts meant to be used, and every church body desperately needs every body part to be active (Rom 12:4–8; Eph 4:15–16; 1 Pet 4:10–11). When we stay home, we can still listen and give and call and text virtually. But there are many ways we simply can’t serve or encourage or build up Christ’s body unless we’re physically present. 9. Our worship is a witness. Each week our friends and neighbors and coworkers walk through the same broken world we do, but without our hope and our map. Each week they suffer challenges and tragedies that make them wonder where grace and truth can be found. Yes, there are ways we can minister to them online, and we should rejoice that God’s now reaching new people with new methods. But the unbelieving world also needs to see the gospel’s transforming power embodied in a local family of Christians who love God and serve each other in the most gracious and gritty ways. 10. Greetings change lives. It may seem strange to end with the act of greeting—a simple activity that’s become so restricted and complicated. But all over the New Testament, the writers not only greet the churches but ask Christians to greet each other. These greetings aren’t just an afterthought tacked onto the end of their letters. These greetings symbolize the reconciling power of the gospel and foster our family dynamic. The way we greet each other—and the fact that we greet each other—is central to the church’s life and witness. Happy greetings remind us of the gospel unity we enjoy in Christ. Awkward greetings declare that the healthy church shows no partiality. Avoided greetings remind us to resolve our conflicts and reconcile our hearts. Every greeting reflects God’s love, reunites Christ’s body, enables hospitality, cultivates selflessness, opens doors for ministry, and bears witness to the God who’s welcomed us through Christ. Even if these greetings are masked, touchless, and distanced, they’re still life-shaping micro-events in every church. Just recently, our church held an outdoor worship service in our parking lot after not meeting for ten weeks. What were the happiest, most explosive moments? Our greetings. We need to see each other. Conclusion You may not be able to return right away. You might need to exercise caution for yourself or those you love. You might need to keep watching from a distance for a while. But when the time is right, God’s people can and must gather again, and I hope you’ll join in. After all, our gatherings are ultimately a taste of heaven. The Bible’s vision of heaven doesn’t look like a quarantine, a livestream, or a Zoom call. It’s a “face to face” encounter with the risen Christ and a worshipful reunion of both saints and angels (Heb 12:22–23; Rev 22:4). In the life to come, we won’t be siloed and segregated in mansions of glory, but living and working and loving and serving together in a new world where righteousness dwells (2 Pet 3:13). So once we know it’s safe, wise, and no disservice to our communities, let’s gather together again—in person—until all things are new. David Gundersen is the author of What If I Don’t Feel Like Going to Church?. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. - Luke 15:20b From Jack Miller’s book, Saving Grace, entry June 13th.
Before we consider what repentance is, think about what it isn’t. Repentance does not pay for sin. It’s not about being plagued with guilt. True repentance does not lead to a deeper mire. It doesn’t refuse to give up what’s been repented of. Repentance is not a legal thing or an emotional thing. So, what is repentance? According to the parable of the prodigal son, there are two aspects of repentance: the first is waking up, coming to one’s senses, and regaining sanity. It is insanity to live for this world as if it were eternal when it’s not. The parable of the prodigal is a parable about the Father’s riches of love. You can’t live as though God’s world or anything in it is your; it all belongs to him. In fact, the best and only real thing to own is the Father himself. The second aspect of repentance begins with being truly sorry for your sin and recognizing that your sin is ultimately against God. In this change of heart, you confess the whole truth about your sin and unworthiness. The only way you can do this is if you have a Father who loves you like the father in the parable loved his son. Repentance cannot be separated from the amazing love of a holy God.  From Richard Roberts:
We are worshippers. What do you think of when you read that? What do you think of when you think of people worshipping? Is it singing in the congregation, or a crowd of people bowing toward Mecca, or Buddhists meditating or laying out candles on the river? We tend to think of worship as those formal rituals or dedicated times and activities which are different than the normal activities of our lives. But, the Scripture speaks of worship differently than that. We do not simply worship, we are worshippers. And God is less interested in the acts between 10:30 and noon on Sunday morning than He is in the heart and activities during the rest of the week, because those are more revelatory of what we are actually worshipping. What is worship? Worship is the highest form of love. We worship what we love the most, what we want the most, what we delight in the most. That is why everything that we do is an act of worship. It is what we live for and why we do what we do, say what we say, and choose what we choose. As worshippers, we always do this, whether we call it “worship” or not. We are always choosing what we want the most, depending upon what we believe in the most, and pursuing what we value the most. Those are all acts of worship. So, the question is never, “Are you a worshipper?”, but rather, “What are you worshipping?” The only difference between a religious person and an irreligious person is what or whom they worship, the object of their desire, their trust, their hope. Jesus told the woman at the well in Samaria, “The Father is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in truth.” There is no “proper place” for worship. The only propriety is the proper heart and the proper object: the one true God, i.e. ‘in truth’. And our worship always begins with the revelation of God. We have to know Him, to know something of Him, in order to value Him rightly, to see Him in truth, and so we must hear what He says about Himself. This is why our daily reading of His Word is necessary. It is here where God reveals Himself most clearly and fully, in the face of His Son through His Word. So, our Bible reading is not merely duty, an act of “religiosity” to get our day started off right, but it is looking at the Lord so that we might know the one for whom and to whom we live today, whom we worship. Worship, then, is a response to this revelation. We respond in worship to the revelation of who God is and what God has done. How are we to respond? “He is worthy of our time.” Worship, i.e. “worth+ship”. He has the quality of being worthy of our words, our works, our delight, our joy, our hope, our honor, our love. Since worship is the highest form of worship, then we will live for what we love the most, and if we are to worship in spirit and in truth, then our greatest love should be reserved for the object most worthy of that love. And the only one worthy of the highest love of all creation is the Creator. The only one worthy of the highest love of a sinner forgiven and redeemed is the one whom showed him mercy and redeemed him at His own cost. The only one worthy of our lives is the One who gave His life for us, out of sheer grace and kindness. So, let us worship the Lord today, in all that we do. We work at our jobs for His sake, because He is worthy of our work. We speak to others today for His sake, because He is worthy of our praise and of our obedience, worthy to be trusted. Remember that our worship is everything that we do throughout the week, and when we gather on Sunday we simply do so together, but not as something new or original, but as a continuance of what we have been doing all week. Here is an article by Nancy Guthrie from Crossway.org https://www.crossway.org/articles/gods-plan-for-your-discontentment/   From Karl Felten: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. ~Hebrews 10:24-25 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! ~Psalm 3:8 The events of the last few months have been challenging for many, in a variety of ways. The COVID-19 outbreak across the world has impacted people physically, financially, and socially. In addition, there are varying opinions on what is the best way to respond to the pandemic and these differing thoughts have, at times, caused frustration and anger. To further add to the strange times we now live in, our country has faced great civil unrest as it comes to grips with the racism that exists in our world and how best to respond to it. As followers of Jesus Christ, who put our trust in God’s sovereignty and grace, we know that He is in control amidst our pain, confusion, and frustration. In fact, despite the challenges due to the pandemic and isolation, some very real blessings have come out of this situation. I would like to share with you some of the blessings my family has experienced during this time of quarantine. Over the last few months of isolation, my family has had more time to spend together. This extra time together has been spent playing games, watching various TV shows and movies, and spending time at the kitchen table talking. During one of these talks, we discussed setting aside some time to read and study God’s word as a family. I am sad to say we never have had a regular, dedicated time of family Bible study, but it is never too late to start! We decided to meet as often as we could, since we had the time, and settled on meeting after dinner on five nights per week. I cannot express how wonderful it has been to dig deep into the Scripture with my family and talk about the implications the Word has in our daily lives. We have been aided greatly by the lessons and study materials available from the RightNow Media access we have through EBF. Using the RightNow Media lessons and study guides have made our Bible study easier. They have done all the prep work and we were able to jump into the Scripture study right away. If you have not tried it out already, I encourage you to take a look at this fantastic resource if you need help or inspiration in starting to study. In addition to diving deep into God’s Word, our family times have allowed us to spend time praying for each other. This has been an added blessing as it has allowed us to be vulnerable and express our love and support for each other as we brought our hopes, desires, pains, and praises to the Lord. Without the quarantine and isolation, I am not sure my family would have been able to come together for this regular Bible study. Unfortunately, the busyness of “normal” life may have kept us from realizing our need for it. However, now that we have experienced the blessing of studying God’s Word as a family, I am grateful to God that He opened my eyes to how wonderful it is. I know of at least one other EBF family who has been able to use this isolation time to meet together each Sunday to explore and discuss the teaching from Pastor Richard’s on-line sermons, and to pray. I am sure there are other families who have found wonderful blessings during this time of isolation, concern, and unrest. I hope this has been an encouragement for you! For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
~Romans 15:4  From Richard Roberts: I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep my eyes upon the sovereignty of the Lord, upon His goodness and promises to His people, and upon the real chaos underneath the visible chaos. Underneath every hateful word and hateful act, and under every abuse of power and seizing of control by force, there is an Enemy who seeks to destroy God's image-bearers, to kill them, and to steal the joy and peace from them. John received a vision on the island of Patmos which he wrote down for our benefit in the book called "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." In the 12th and 13th chapters, John sees a Great Dragon who seeks to kill the Son of God and His people in his rage (12:17). But he also sees that the Dragon raises up a puppet government made up of all kingdoms of the earth (13:1-2) whose was "allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them" (13:7). Thus, the governing systems of our evil present age are not as independent as they believe. In 13:11 a second puppet arise, a spirit of false religion which denies Jesus and seeks to gain power over all men. So, beneath the dominant power structures of this world, militarily, politically, philosophically, there lies a greater threat, which is not new, but ancient. So, what shall we do? The angel in John's vision tells us, "this is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints." (13:10) We hang on to Christ Jesus. We keep our lamps lit for the Master's return. We do not take vengeance into our own hands, because it belongs to God. We do not fret or fear to the point of giving upon Him, but we take our fears and anxieties to him and read chapter 14, "Then I looked, and 'BEHOLD!', the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads." My friends, the whole of God's people, 12 by 12 by 10 by 10 by 10, the fullness of the saints, are marked out by God as HIS OWN, as belonging to Him!! This world is not our home and this age is not our age, for we belong to the Lamb's Father and are protected by the Lamb Himself. Where are these saints standing? "With Him!" We are "with Him"! The endurance and faith of the saints places us in the company of the greatest One who will one day destroy that Dragon underneath all the evil and chaos and fruitlessness of this world. We must learn to see what is underneath and what God has said about it. The Lamb has triumphed! And He will triumph! In the meantime, He has given us the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to help us remember His words and promises, His commands of how we are to live in this present evil age, how to testify to His grace to the lost and to those who treat us as enemies, and to strengthen us to endure through faith until His return. This promise of the Holy Spirit was given by Him to give us peace, as He told His disciples, "I have told you these things [concerning the Helper] so that you might have peace. In the world you will have much oppression. But, cheer up! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Let us look to the eternal things today, and remember the Dragon's Demise is coming quickly and the Wedding of the Lamb is near. The fearsome fire of taunting terror
roaming the face of the earth seeking someone to devour to and fro heart to hearth Roar and fluff of pride and stuff of bluster full with wind a toothless scowl and harmless growl that wields a Cheshire grin You've been undone from tip to tail full desecration nail to scale no more to harm or fool to charm by hollow sore or grim travail The narrow stake has power take all glory from your light withered gone plunged fire headlong into the Lake stoked white  From Richard Roberts:
Luke Davis’s book, “Tough Issues: True Hope”, mentions an ethical question raised by Gregory Stock in his book, The Book of Questions. In it, he asks, “Assume there were a technological breakthrough that would all ow people to travel as easily and cheaply between continents as between nearby cities. Unfortunately, there would also be 100,000 deaths per year from the device. Would you try to prevent its use?” There are always tradeoffs to technological advances. The first X-Rays were discovered in 1895, and the next year the “Electrical Review reported that Dr HD Hawks, a graduate of the 1896 class of Columbia College, gave a demonstration with a powerful X-ray unit in the vicinity of New York. After 4 days, he was compelled to stop work. He noticed a drying of the skin, which he ignored. The hand began to swell and gave the appearance of a deep skin burn. After 2 weeks the skin came off the hand, the knuckles become very sore, fingernail growth stopped and the hair on the skin exposed to X-rays fell out. His eyes were bloodshot and his vision became considerably impaired. His chest was also burnt.” (link) Dr. Stock later connected his earlier question when noted, “In the mid 1800’s, had you been able to look into the future and see that the automobile would cause five million fatalities in the next century, how would you have felt about this new device?” That comes out to about 100,000 deaths per year. Of course, over the years there have been added safety features to our automobiles and our roads, but it still requires wisdom and caution and rules to avoid the dangers of driving an automobile, and even though 1/3 of car accidents occur within 5 miles from home, we are still more likely to drive to the store than walk or ride a bike, because of convenience. And even with these statistics, we value convenience to a greater degree than we would acknowledge, as is shown by how we answered the first question posed by Dr. Stock. This battle between convenience and danger is something that I have found, for myself, must apply to my use of social media, general media, and online access. I’m not saying that the convenience of the internet, or of access to social media connections, is harmful, but that it, like every other technological innovation, comes with dangers and undesirable outcomes. Over the years, I have found myself checking the same sites multiple times a day to see if people had responded to my posts, or my articles, or even these blogs. Wanting to be affirmed, to be respected, to be considered wise, it became very easy to become dominated by the need for affirmation and the fear of losing it. Therefore, I had to remove myself from social media and limit my time online. It became an obsession, a repetitive and dominating spiritual drug, and it pulled my gaze off of what God has revealed to be true. I also found that one of the benefits of instant access to information is efficiency and ease. However, it is also true that a side effect of this expediency is the lack of discernment between what information is good information and what is faulty. Our preponderance to consume information, and not evaluate it, can lead to our deception. Journalism is now less concerned with accuracy and truth and more concerned with being the first one to the story, to ratings and online hits, so there is less incentive to reason through what is true and more incentive to throw out a headline that will make the most money. And if I'm honest, it's much easier just to read headlines and synopses than it is to truly evaluate something. And our opinions are now formed without evaluation, which has become a huge problem in our society. This speed of information can be dangerous to us. It is hard to slow down, but it is good to slow down. It is easy to get on our phones the first thing in the morning and set the motion of our day upon the here and now and to be over-influenced by the present age, which the Scriptures call this present evil age (Galatians 1:4), and under-influenced by eternity and what God has revealed about what truly lasts. I am not advocating an eradication of our use of social media or our online presence. But I do want us to beware of its dangers, of drawing away our hope towards things which cannot deliver and which can enslave us in despair and hopelessness. It is good to evaluate what is ultimately true and eternal. It is good to evaluate where I am placing my functional hope. Where are we getting our information for hope? Where are we assuming that we will find explanations for the human heart, for social ills, for what can redeem the brokenness in us and around us? Have we slipped into ignorance of the dangers that the craving for affirmation can produce through our Facebook likes, our Instagram followers, and our YouTube comments? We are redeemed from this kind of striving and secure in the Kingdom of Christ Jesus. Our hope is not in the security of this world or the affirmation of Twitter retweets. Our hope is in the renewing of this world, of the New Heavens and the New Earth which God will create through His Son. Our hope, our only hope, is in what God has done, is doing, and will do, through Him. We can use social media for good, but let us be aware of the dangers that it holds and take the proper precautions, as those who have been raised with Christ Jesus, to “Seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not the things upon the earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2) “Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21) Abba, Father, everything is possible with you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will. From Rich Carroll:
The Garden of Gethsemane was an olive grove whose olives were picked each season (still today) and turned into the finished product of oil that served so many purposes. In order for the pure virgin oil to be squeezed out of the olives they had to be crushed by a stone called a gethsemane, thus the name of the garden. After taking part in that last supper and the washing of His disciple's feet, Jesus led them out to this garden where He was overcome with grief and sadness. In the midst of this darkness the King of the Universe fell down to the ground and cried out to His Father to take this cup away from Him. The cup of His Father's wrath and judgement upon the whole world was on Jesus' shoulders. In asking that it be taken from Him, Jesus, as both fully divine and fully human, casts His heart before His 'Abba' that this suffering might pass from Him. What a gut wrenching struggle! Suffering beyond comparison. And in the midst of this inward turmoil and fight Jesus repeats these words at 3 different times of prayer: "Yet not what I will, but what you will." He is crushed and the oil of our salvation and redemption comes pouring out of His heart in Jesus' words of submission. "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a son, he learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him..." Hebrews 5:7-9 Our freedom that was secured at the cross was won at Gethsemane. There was no other way. "Not my will but yours be done." Yes, you and I are loved this much. |
