January 2009
Our Lives Are Our Worship
Photo by John Wardell (Netinho)
Category: Planning
"[S]etting goals with an expectation that the achievement of certain things in our external, physical world will automatically create an internal state of peace, contentment, joy and total happiness is an unhealthy and unrealistic mindset to inhabit." [Craig Harper, www.lifehack.org]
It's also idolatry. There is only one source of true, lasting "peace, contentment, joy and total happiness,"—Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, when it comes to planning, even the world understands that the why must drive the what. The problem is, unbelievers do not have adequate answers to the why question. Christians, however, know why we ought to set goals. They are vital parts of "redeeming the time" (Eph. 5:16). We have been given an allotment of time on this earth, and whatever we do—from the mundane drink of a cup of coffee to preaching the gospel to a lost sinner—is to be done for God's glory. While many opportunities for glorifying God occur spontaneously, most of what we do ought to be the result of careful planning. And our plans ought to be the result of carefully considering why we should be doing something.
Let me put it this way, our time and activities are to be living sacrifices to the Lord. Worship is the why for everything we do. Our lives are our worship. Most of us do not naturally spend our time well by default. We are too easily attracted by fun (not to mention our battles with laziness). We need to spend whatever time is necessary to determine the best use of our days, as God defines "best." Then, we must transfer our goals to our calendars, and strive to achieve them.
Goal-setting and planning are not intended to be means in and of themselves. Even for the Christian, they will not bring joy and contentment. However, time used for the glory of God will please Him; and knowing that we have pleased our Lord does make us happy.
So, plan. Set goals. Add to your to-do lists and calendars. But make sure that your why can be derived from God's Word and has something to do with honoring your King.
FRAC Values
Category: Sermon Prep (and Follow-up)
Yesterday, we held our celebration service in the new building. It was a great time of rejoicing and glorifying God for His kindness. I preached on the six values that the FRAC elders have articulated for our church. Below I have listed each value (in bold), followed by some of the key Scriptures from which we derive them, and the application questions that I asked for each value statement. May our gracious Lord grant us to maintain our devotion to these things.
The inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture
John 17:17, Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is inspired by God
2 Peter 1:3, His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
2 Timothy 3:14-17, You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Application:
1. Read, meditate on, and study God's word. Let it critique you; be taught, reproved, corrected, and trained in righteousness.
2. Where do we go for truth? hope? wisdom? meaning of life? We should consult God's word for answers regarding the challenges and struggles of life: relationships, sin, parenting, marriage, government, work, calling.
3. Wayne Grudem: Do you think you would pay more attention if God spoke to you from heaven or through the voice of a living prophet than if he spoke to you from the written words of Scripture? Do you think your present level of response to the written words of Scripture is an appropriate one?
The expositional teaching and preaching of the whole counsel of God
Acts 20:27, For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
Application:
1. We should come to church hungry for the preaching and teaching of God's Word and the exaltation of Jesus Christ.
2. We should give the apporpriate time and effort needed to apply God's Word.
The shepherding of God's people by elders
Hebrews 13:17, Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
1 Timothy 5:17, Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.
Application:
1. Do you know your shepherds? Are you praying for them?
2. Do you submit to your elders—joyfully? Do you seek advice from them?
3. Is the Chief Shepherd—Jesus Christ—pleased with your respect of, and relationship with, the elders He gave you?
4. If you are not committed to a local church, then you are missing out on one of Christ's rich blessings—shepherds who will take care of you.
The promotion of God-centered, believer-oriented worship on the Lord's Day
Hebrews 10:23-25, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another
Acts 2:42, And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Application:
1. Come on Sundays.
2. Engage in worship (don't simply attend and observe).
The necessity of corporate and private prayer in all things
1 Thessalonians 5:17, Pray without ceasing.
Ephesians 6:18, With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints
Application:
1. When someone is praying at church, pray with them. Say, "Amen!" to the Lord.
2. Pray in small groups or during ministry prayer times.
3. Make it a regular habit to pray privately.
The preservation of the gospel which is salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone
1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Ephesians 2:1-9, And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
Application:
1. Hold fast to the truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation and forgiveness.
2. Get it clear in your mind and heart that salvation is the free gift of God, received only by believing the gospel of Jesus Christ's atoning work on the cross.
New Sections of Mind-Bloggling!
I have added a couple of new sections to this blog ('Audio' and 'Video' above). In the audio section, I will begin placing MP3s of various teaching series' I have done over the years. In the video section, I will do the same, beginning with a series of lessons on Introductory Logic from several years ago. (More will appear as I get them edited.)
SONS Skit
Category: FRAC Matters
In case you weren't with us on New Year's Eve, here is the funny skit that the SONS Ministry presented.
Better Relationships in 2009
Photo by John Wardell (Netinho)
Category: Planning
Life is about relationships. At least, it should be. Setting goals to read more books, lose weight, save money, etc., are worthy, but loving others is more worthy. So, this year set relationship goals. Make it your ambition that come next January, you will look back on 2009 and see a marked improvement in your devotion to people, beginning, of course, with Jesus Christ.
For those who say, "Amen Brother!" followed quickly by, "But where do I start?" I'm here to help. Here a few suggestions as to how to go from theory to practice in strengthening relationships.
1. Identify your key relationships.
We all have numerous relationships which require our attention. Some deserve a high level of involvement, time, and effort, others not so much. It is neither wise nor loving to consistently neglect more important relationships for the sake of those lower on the priority list. For example, if my relationships are: disciple of Christ, husband, father, church member, small group member, son, employee, brother, friend, and neighbor, and I spend far more time with friends than my wife, then I am out of line. My wife deserves a higher standing than other friends. And it goes without saying that my most significant relationship must be the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Determine the most important way you should improve your relationship with each.
Taking some of the relationships listed above as examples, you may conclude something like this:
Disciple of Christ—Know His word better, pray and commune with Him more, etc.
Husband—Cherish my wife more.
Father—Spend time with each child individually on a regular (weekly) basis.
3. Set specific goals to achieve improvement.
Next, you need to establish clear, measurable, achievable goals which will help you accomplish the larger objective. For example:
Knowing the Word
• Study the book of Romans from January through March.
• Read it through once every week. Identify key concepts and repeated themes (by the end of January).
• Purchase a good commentary and read its notes on important passages (by the end of February).
• Schedule an appointment or two with a pastor or knowledgeable friend to discuss the major subjects (by the end of March).
• Pray daily for the Spirit's help in applying the commands and instructions in Romans.
• Establish a similar plan for another biblical book for the next three quarters.
Cherish wife
• Plan weekly date night.
• Find childcare for kids.
• Identify things that wife enjoys and which will be a blessing to her.
• Plan the first 13 dates for January through March.
• Plan creative ways to "invite" wife to each date (emails, hidden notes, calls, letters in mail, etc.).
Spend time with each child individually
• Plan weekly "date" time. (Saturday morning, different child each week).
• Plan a quarter's worth of goals for the dates (Discussing: biblical lessons, schooling, biblical manhood/womanhood, likes and dislikes, fears, friends, and books. Occasionally something fun like a movie or bowling or ice cream or miniature golf.)
4. Set a recurring weekly time (30 min.) to review, evaluate, and plan.
This helps you to stay on track and to determine that you are truly improving the relationships (rather than merely checking things off of your to-do list). Also, use this time to specifically pray for each relationship and ask the Holy Spirit to use you to bless each one.
5. Set a quarterly time (at least one hour) to review, evaluate, and plan.
Use this time to take a wider view of where you have been, identifying those things which were most helpful and least helpful in achieving your goals. Also, acknowledge where you were lazy or negligent and determine how you can overcome these sins during the next quarter. Finally, set your goals and make your plan for the upcoming three months (including the weekly and end-of-quarter review times).
Ultimately, planning in this way will not change your affection toward others. That is heart work which only God's Spirit can do. However, if the genuine desire is present, effective planning may help you move from the road of good intentions to actual progress.
Free Will
Photo by Akuppa (via Flickr)
Category: Theology 101
When discussing the freedom of the human will, I believe that there are two extremes that are biblically and logically false. One false view is fatalistic determinism. This position denies any and all freedom. Men are like complex computer programs that can only do what they are preprogrammed to do. There is no actual thinking, motivation, desire, or volition going on. There are no real choices.
The other false view is indifferent liberty. This belief suggests that a person is utterly free to make any choice at any time without any pre-inclination whatsoever. When a man comes to a fork in the road, he chooses which direction to go free of any previous influence. His will is a perpetual tabula rasa.
I believe that man is free to do anything he wants to do, but that his desires determine what he will choose. Or as Edwards put it, man will always choose according to his strongest desire at the moment of choosing; but he will make this choice freely. Here freedom means "without external coercion." No one outside of the chooser is compelling him to make this choice or that one. The determining factor will be his internal desire.
For example, when I arrived home last night after an elder meeting, I was welcomed with the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip friendship bread. I don’t particularly care for cakes and pastries, except this kind. I was immediately drawn to the bread. However, I also remembered my desire to abstain from such things until I become a little leaner. A choice is going to be made! Even not choosing is a choice. If the fatalistic view is correct, then it does not make any difference anyway, I have no freedom in any sense. If the indifference view is correct, then my desires for the bread and for leaning-up are irrelevant. My choice has nothing to do with those things. But the reality is that I have two conflicting desires competing for my allegiance: I want to eat the bread; I want to abstain from the bread. Which desire won? I freely chose to surrender to my craving. I ate the bread (…a small piece!) (…relatively small). From the perspective of external coercion, this choice was free. No one forced me to eat the bread. Yet, my free choice was determined by my desire to taste the delectable treat.
One’s view of free will has serious ramifications for one’s view of man’s sinfulness. According to the fatalistic view, men sin by coercion. God compels them to sin. According to the indifferent view, men sin without any desire to sin. They just do. The Bible indicates that sin is both predetermined by God and freely chosen by men. For example, when Joseph’s brothers left him for dead, they were freely acting according to their desires. However, when Joseph addressed them about it, he expressed that what they intended for evil, God intended for good. They acted freely; God acted freely. No outside force compelled them to abandon their brother, they willingly committed this act of treachery. However, it was part of God’s plan that they commit this sin, and therefore it was predetermined. Nevertheless, this foreordination did not remove their freedom to choose.
Another example is the crucifixion of Christ. The Apostle Peter explains that the Romans were the material means used for the execution. Yet he extends blame on the Jews who freely desired, and clamored for, His death. But, he also attributes the cross to the foreordained plan of God. God did not force the Jews to kill Jesus against their will. But His will determined that it would come to pass. And so it did, freely.