It's amazing how you can plop down just about anywhere in Psalm 119 and get a verse that really speaks to life issues.
This long poem right in the center of the Bible is all about scripture. It was obviously written by someone who loved God's Word and wanted to laud its authority, beauty, power, and helpfulness. Each of its 176 statements points out the relevance and the aid of the Bible for the varied concerns that we face daily, like suffering and temptation and persecution and decisionmaking.
Take verse 32, for example. It says "I will run in the way of your commandments, for you shall enlarge my heart." I see the text highlighting 2 matters of crucial import to those who are followers of Christ and on the journey with Him.
Notice that the writer speaks of running. We're accustomed to the metaphor of walking to describe the Christian life, but here a much more energetic, accelerated pace is endorsed by this particular lover of God. He is exuberant about his faith and finds exhiliration in it. It is not a chore or a burden or simply a duty, but a lifestyle in which he delights.
What a contrast this is with the attitudes exhibited by many contemporary believers who seem to be bored with church and prayer and Bible study. Their pilgrimage is a drudgery. There is little enthusiasm. They appear to be just going through the motions. Somewhere along the way they have veered off into a ditch and gotten stuck in the mud spiritually, maybe due to sin or sorrow or disappointment or pressure. They need somehow to reconnect with the Lord in such a way that they sense again the joy, freedom, and lift that come when the daily walk becomes a sprint. This Lenten season would be a terrific time to do some reflection and evaluation and make some fresh commitments to this athletic race of the soul.
But it's critical to observe, too, that the psalmist mentions the proper running track. He refers to eagerly springing forward "in the way of your commandments" which gives him a definite lane to run in and a finish line to attain. It's not haphazard. It's not just zest and momentum and perspiration. There is direction and discipline. Here is a clear focus. This writer moves toward greater levels of obedience to the principles and precepts that he discovers in scripture. He advances and makes progress by living out the knowledge that he acquires in God's Word.
Lots of present-day Christians, different from the cold, half-hearted crowd mentioned earlier, have boundless excitement. They may shout in church. Say "amen" and "praise the Lord" frequently. Smile constantly or shed tears at a moving gospel song or get emotional or volunteer for all kinds of church jobs. They may sincerely love Jesus and desire to please Him. But if they don't immerse themselves in the Bible and build their lives around its practical teachings sooner or later they will get tired and run out of spiritual energy. Burnout will occur. They'll stumble into some sin. Discouragement will set in and their run will slow to a crawl. They'll meet up with stresses or struggles that they don't have the resources to deal with because they've been living on fumes rather than on the fuel of scriptural insights.
What all of us really have to have is enlarged hearts. Only God can do that kind of soul remodeling and expansion in us. He has to do it before we can be saved(regeneration) and He has to do it before we can grow as believers(sanctification). His methods can sometimes be uncomfortable and painful. He has our best interests at heart, though, and so is far more concerned with our holiness than with our happiness. If we are the runners then He is the trainer. Let's remember, too, that He is the prize at the end of the marathon.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Generational Partnership
There is a place at the table for both younger people and older folks when it comes to ministry in the church and in associational life.
At least that's what Acts 2:17 seems to suggest.
On the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter quotes from the Old Testament prophet Joel to describe to curious and confused onlookers what has just happened to the disciples in the upper room with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the launching of the Church. There is that intriguing line that mentions young men seeing visions and old men dreaming dreams as a result of the life-giving, energizing work of the Spirit.
Clearly both age groups are to be vitally involved in the leadership and mission of the Christian movement. It is regrettable, then, that in congregational life and associational affairs there is often a tension and occasionally even outright conflict between generations. Older adults sometimes say that the young are too green, too immature, too radical, too bent on change. Younger people speak of their elders as being too old fashioned and resistant to anything new and unwilling to share power and embrace fresh directions in the midst of a culture that is fluid and diverse and in constant flux, quite unlike any other period in our history. Lines get drawn. Cooperation suffers. The incredible impact of a united team with each age demographic offering its unique gifts and abilities is missing.
Proverbs 20:29 shouts at us that young and old both bring crucial contributions to bear on Christian work. It says that the "glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair" which indicates that we need the energy and zest and creativity of the younger set and the wisdom and depth and experience of the older crowd in order to have balance and cohesion. To neglect either generation's input and inspiration and integration is to make the body less potent than it could be. Whether it's worship styles or ministry approaches or methodology, we need to listen to each other and learn and find common ground and share together in reaching our communities for Christ. This applies to individual churches and to our Peninsula Baptist Association in this critical transitional moment.
Scripture highlights for us 2 mistakes that need to be avoided.
The young must be careful not to repeat the error of new king Rehoboam, Solomon's son, in 2 Chronicles 10 when he foolishly ignored the wise counsel of his older advisors and accepted the shortsighted advice of his contemporaries. That ultimately resulted in the division of the United Kingdom! There was a time when the monarch should have paid attention to the more seasoned reflections of his mature consultants.
But older church leaders must strenuously seek to guard against the attitude of king Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20. On one occasion he unwisely showed all his treasures to some visiting Babylonians. The prophet Isaiah chastised him for that and predicted that a day was coming when the enemy would show up and seize all that material wealth from a future generation. Hezekiah's selfish response to that dire warning was to remark, in essence, that at least it wasn't going to happen in his time so he could just relax and enjoy the present. Sadly, many senior saints in our congregations think similarly. Their position seems to be "We realize that our way of doing church will probably not draw younger people, but we want to maintain our comfortable ways of leadership and procedures for now. After we're gone, the folks coming after us can do whatever they want to.It's more peaceful this way." That's a prescription for losing time, momentum, and ground. It's a recipe for church and associational failure. It puts security above Kingdom business, ease before reaching people for Jesus.
Even if it takes effort and work and patience, let's find ways to come together generationally. These are such exciting days to be alive and involved in ministry. We must not miss our opportunity. After all, this is the only time we will have to make our mark and leave our legacy. Right now the PBA needs the fresh ideas of young people about techniques and strategies. We need their enthusiasm, too. We also need the accumulated insights of our older folks, who shouldn't back out but rather should reinvest and renew their commitment in their freer retirement years to helping make our association strong and vibrant, sharp and focused, effective and successful.
It's a joy and privilege to try and be of help during these months. Feel free to call on me.
At least that's what Acts 2:17 seems to suggest.
On the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter quotes from the Old Testament prophet Joel to describe to curious and confused onlookers what has just happened to the disciples in the upper room with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the launching of the Church. There is that intriguing line that mentions young men seeing visions and old men dreaming dreams as a result of the life-giving, energizing work of the Spirit.
Clearly both age groups are to be vitally involved in the leadership and mission of the Christian movement. It is regrettable, then, that in congregational life and associational affairs there is often a tension and occasionally even outright conflict between generations. Older adults sometimes say that the young are too green, too immature, too radical, too bent on change. Younger people speak of their elders as being too old fashioned and resistant to anything new and unwilling to share power and embrace fresh directions in the midst of a culture that is fluid and diverse and in constant flux, quite unlike any other period in our history. Lines get drawn. Cooperation suffers. The incredible impact of a united team with each age demographic offering its unique gifts and abilities is missing.
Proverbs 20:29 shouts at us that young and old both bring crucial contributions to bear on Christian work. It says that the "glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair" which indicates that we need the energy and zest and creativity of the younger set and the wisdom and depth and experience of the older crowd in order to have balance and cohesion. To neglect either generation's input and inspiration and integration is to make the body less potent than it could be. Whether it's worship styles or ministry approaches or methodology, we need to listen to each other and learn and find common ground and share together in reaching our communities for Christ. This applies to individual churches and to our Peninsula Baptist Association in this critical transitional moment.
Scripture highlights for us 2 mistakes that need to be avoided.
The young must be careful not to repeat the error of new king Rehoboam, Solomon's son, in 2 Chronicles 10 when he foolishly ignored the wise counsel of his older advisors and accepted the shortsighted advice of his contemporaries. That ultimately resulted in the division of the United Kingdom! There was a time when the monarch should have paid attention to the more seasoned reflections of his mature consultants.
But older church leaders must strenuously seek to guard against the attitude of king Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20. On one occasion he unwisely showed all his treasures to some visiting Babylonians. The prophet Isaiah chastised him for that and predicted that a day was coming when the enemy would show up and seize all that material wealth from a future generation. Hezekiah's selfish response to that dire warning was to remark, in essence, that at least it wasn't going to happen in his time so he could just relax and enjoy the present. Sadly, many senior saints in our congregations think similarly. Their position seems to be "We realize that our way of doing church will probably not draw younger people, but we want to maintain our comfortable ways of leadership and procedures for now. After we're gone, the folks coming after us can do whatever they want to.It's more peaceful this way." That's a prescription for losing time, momentum, and ground. It's a recipe for church and associational failure. It puts security above Kingdom business, ease before reaching people for Jesus.
Even if it takes effort and work and patience, let's find ways to come together generationally. These are such exciting days to be alive and involved in ministry. We must not miss our opportunity. After all, this is the only time we will have to make our mark and leave our legacy. Right now the PBA needs the fresh ideas of young people about techniques and strategies. We need their enthusiasm, too. We also need the accumulated insights of our older folks, who shouldn't back out but rather should reinvest and renew their commitment in their freer retirement years to helping make our association strong and vibrant, sharp and focused, effective and successful.
It's a joy and privilege to try and be of help during these months. Feel free to call on me.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
At The Movies
Three currently popular Hollywood films deal with some pretty heavy issues.
There Will Be Blood is set in the early 1900's and is a story about discovering and drilling for oil in the American West and how that affected two men, an entrepeneur and a young preacher. It is a tale of unbridled desire and greed. Deceit, manipulation, and hypocrisy show up, too. I'm reminded of the pointed inquiry of Jesus in Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
The movie Atonement is a drama about guilt and trying to find a way to deal with it. It concerns a young girl's misunderstanding and misrepresentation of some facts, perhaps in adolescent jealousy, and the bitter consequences that ripple out and impact several lives. The devastation that can result from one simple, brief moment of deception is vividly demonstrated. The painful tug of a tortured conscience and the intense efforts to assuage its gnawings are skillfully portayed here.
A little lighter but nevertheless still compelling is Bucket List. Two men, different in every way, are thrown together by sickness in the same hospital room. They each learn that their illness is terminal and that they only have a few months left to live. The bittersweet narrative has them teaming up and becoming partners in an attempt to enjoy the the short time they have remaining before they "kick the bucket". They draw up a list of all the things they'd like to do and then set out to accomplish them. There are lots of travels and exploits that keep them busy but along the way lots of discussions about life, death, relationships, unfinished business, and eternity come up, too. The film has you laughing and maybe shedding a tear or two as well.
I mention all this because it reminds us again that the secular culture around us, as dark and pagan as it is, grapples with deep matters of the soul and spirit. People are searching. They are questioning and looking for answers and sometimes their inner yearnings and longings spill out in the art that they create. We Christians need to constantly be alert and prepared to point them to the truth as the apostle challenged us in I Peter 3:15. Right now, as our friends and neighbors view these motion pictures, they're gonna be thinking all over again about these intensely spiritual concerns. We have a chance to move into their vacuum and void and offer hope and direction. Just like Paul did in Acts 16:30 when a desperate, almost suicidal man cried out "What must I do to be saved?" and just like he did in Acts 17 when he encountered the religious and philosophical confusion of Athens and presented the life-altering message of the Gospel that can transform the morass of godless thinking.
Of course we need to learn to be adept at asking questions, too. Questions that will open doors and springboard us into conversations about serious heart issues. That will move us beyond trivial, surface chatter about the weather and sports and politics and propel us into dialogue about those things that really matter, like what you do about sin and where can you find peace and how can you face death. Philip the evangelist, in Acts 8:30, asked one little cleverly placed question that initiated a chat and steered the discussion into fertile territory for a consideration of crucial topics. As a result, an Ethiopian government official became a Christ-follower and went back to his nation and made a difference. Sometimes an inquiry as simple as "do you ever give much thought to spiritual matters" can launch you into a talk that will enable you to sow a lot of seed and turn on a lot of light and may, just may, end up with your friend praying to receive Christ.
Let's always be sensitive to the opportunities right around us to bear a witness for Jesus. Even if it means using movie plots as ice breakers.
There Will Be Blood is set in the early 1900's and is a story about discovering and drilling for oil in the American West and how that affected two men, an entrepeneur and a young preacher. It is a tale of unbridled desire and greed. Deceit, manipulation, and hypocrisy show up, too. I'm reminded of the pointed inquiry of Jesus in Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
The movie Atonement is a drama about guilt and trying to find a way to deal with it. It concerns a young girl's misunderstanding and misrepresentation of some facts, perhaps in adolescent jealousy, and the bitter consequences that ripple out and impact several lives. The devastation that can result from one simple, brief moment of deception is vividly demonstrated. The painful tug of a tortured conscience and the intense efforts to assuage its gnawings are skillfully portayed here.
A little lighter but nevertheless still compelling is Bucket List. Two men, different in every way, are thrown together by sickness in the same hospital room. They each learn that their illness is terminal and that they only have a few months left to live. The bittersweet narrative has them teaming up and becoming partners in an attempt to enjoy the the short time they have remaining before they "kick the bucket". They draw up a list of all the things they'd like to do and then set out to accomplish them. There are lots of travels and exploits that keep them busy but along the way lots of discussions about life, death, relationships, unfinished business, and eternity come up, too. The film has you laughing and maybe shedding a tear or two as well.
I mention all this because it reminds us again that the secular culture around us, as dark and pagan as it is, grapples with deep matters of the soul and spirit. People are searching. They are questioning and looking for answers and sometimes their inner yearnings and longings spill out in the art that they create. We Christians need to constantly be alert and prepared to point them to the truth as the apostle challenged us in I Peter 3:15. Right now, as our friends and neighbors view these motion pictures, they're gonna be thinking all over again about these intensely spiritual concerns. We have a chance to move into their vacuum and void and offer hope and direction. Just like Paul did in Acts 16:30 when a desperate, almost suicidal man cried out "What must I do to be saved?" and just like he did in Acts 17 when he encountered the religious and philosophical confusion of Athens and presented the life-altering message of the Gospel that can transform the morass of godless thinking.
Of course we need to learn to be adept at asking questions, too. Questions that will open doors and springboard us into conversations about serious heart issues. That will move us beyond trivial, surface chatter about the weather and sports and politics and propel us into dialogue about those things that really matter, like what you do about sin and where can you find peace and how can you face death. Philip the evangelist, in Acts 8:30, asked one little cleverly placed question that initiated a chat and steered the discussion into fertile territory for a consideration of crucial topics. As a result, an Ethiopian government official became a Christ-follower and went back to his nation and made a difference. Sometimes an inquiry as simple as "do you ever give much thought to spiritual matters" can launch you into a talk that will enable you to sow a lot of seed and turn on a lot of light and may, just may, end up with your friend praying to receive Christ.
Let's always be sensitive to the opportunities right around us to bear a witness for Jesus. Even if it means using movie plots as ice breakers.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Working Together
Churches cooperating together in ministry is a good thing.
An old thing, too.
We see lots of evidences in the New Testament of congregations partnering with each other to get Kingdom work done. Apparently in those first century days many cities would have one church made up of many local, neighborhood fellowships spread out through an area and meeting in homes or caves or by riverbanks. It seems that these smaller, tangible expressions of that one church worked together much like our modern associations. It also looks like there was a beautiful collaboration between congregations in different cities. Rather than isolation or competition there was unity and a shared effort to evangelize the lost and disciple believers and minister to the needy. We can learn from that! There are insights to be gleaned from the lifegiving linkages among the earliest churches that can instruct us today about our joint labors as Peninsula Baptists.
If you check out 2 Corinthians 11:28 you'll find Paul, while writing about some of the hardships of his apostolic career, mentioning that probably his greatest pressure came from his "care for all the churches" which was an ongoing challenge. I guess you could say he was almost like a DOM. These various local fellowships would all have their struggles and problems and issues. He was concerned and burdened for them, and would pray for them and try to be a help. One of the obvious benefits of associational life is the mutual assistance and encouragement that comes through accountability and networking when our individual congregations go through difficult times. Knowing that others are praying for our church and that they stand ready to offer counsel and resources when we hit a snag is so comforting. We're in this great enterprise together!
You certainly see that in Paul's endeavor to motivate and organize all the other fellowships to raise funds to help the poor, famine-stricken Christians back in the original mother church in Jerusalem. Read it for yourself in I Corinthians 16:1-4 and 2 Corinthians 8-9. This massive gesture of generosity revealed a team spirit. It spoke of a commitment to see that all the churches were equally strong and equipped and prepared to do battle against our one common enemy, the Devil. Lots of fishing boats. Just one fleet. It makes little sense for congregations to try to go it alone in the hostile environment of today's culture when there is strength in partnership. It's foolish and a waste of precious time and actually sinful for individual assemblies to compete for numbers and dollars simply to look more "successful" than the church down the road when we're all engaged in the same task of pushing back the tides of evil and could accomplish a whole lot more by working with one another! Small and large churches, BGAV and SBCV churches, traditional and more contemporary churches , all standing arm-in-arm against the forces of darkness.
And don't forget the blessing that comes from simple fellowship with others in the united effort. The laughter and the occasional commiseration and the tears and the insights and the "iron sharpening iron" effect that comes when we're willing to bond together. Paul could tell you a lot about that, too. A glance at those points in his letters where he mentions lots of names of persons in various congregations that he knew and had been enriched by and impacted indicates that he realized that there is reciprocal benefit from shared ministry (Romans 1:11-12)in Christ. An association provides a structure for us to make many friends and constantly, creatively hone our skills and strategies in doing God's work. In Romans 16:3-4 Paul refers to Priscilla and Aquila and notes their hard work and sacrifice and example-setting, and indicates that their labors were known and appreciated by "all the churches of the Gentiles" which says to me that we get role models and fresh vision and renewed boldness when we cooperate together.
Let's hang in there, Peninsula Baptists! In fact, let's deepen our ties.
It's a joy to try to be of some help during these days.
An old thing, too.
We see lots of evidences in the New Testament of congregations partnering with each other to get Kingdom work done. Apparently in those first century days many cities would have one church made up of many local, neighborhood fellowships spread out through an area and meeting in homes or caves or by riverbanks. It seems that these smaller, tangible expressions of that one church worked together much like our modern associations. It also looks like there was a beautiful collaboration between congregations in different cities. Rather than isolation or competition there was unity and a shared effort to evangelize the lost and disciple believers and minister to the needy. We can learn from that! There are insights to be gleaned from the lifegiving linkages among the earliest churches that can instruct us today about our joint labors as Peninsula Baptists.
If you check out 2 Corinthians 11:28 you'll find Paul, while writing about some of the hardships of his apostolic career, mentioning that probably his greatest pressure came from his "care for all the churches" which was an ongoing challenge. I guess you could say he was almost like a DOM. These various local fellowships would all have their struggles and problems and issues. He was concerned and burdened for them, and would pray for them and try to be a help. One of the obvious benefits of associational life is the mutual assistance and encouragement that comes through accountability and networking when our individual congregations go through difficult times. Knowing that others are praying for our church and that they stand ready to offer counsel and resources when we hit a snag is so comforting. We're in this great enterprise together!
You certainly see that in Paul's endeavor to motivate and organize all the other fellowships to raise funds to help the poor, famine-stricken Christians back in the original mother church in Jerusalem. Read it for yourself in I Corinthians 16:1-4 and 2 Corinthians 8-9. This massive gesture of generosity revealed a team spirit. It spoke of a commitment to see that all the churches were equally strong and equipped and prepared to do battle against our one common enemy, the Devil. Lots of fishing boats. Just one fleet. It makes little sense for congregations to try to go it alone in the hostile environment of today's culture when there is strength in partnership. It's foolish and a waste of precious time and actually sinful for individual assemblies to compete for numbers and dollars simply to look more "successful" than the church down the road when we're all engaged in the same task of pushing back the tides of evil and could accomplish a whole lot more by working with one another! Small and large churches, BGAV and SBCV churches, traditional and more contemporary churches , all standing arm-in-arm against the forces of darkness.
And don't forget the blessing that comes from simple fellowship with others in the united effort. The laughter and the occasional commiseration and the tears and the insights and the "iron sharpening iron" effect that comes when we're willing to bond together. Paul could tell you a lot about that, too. A glance at those points in his letters where he mentions lots of names of persons in various congregations that he knew and had been enriched by and impacted indicates that he realized that there is reciprocal benefit from shared ministry (Romans 1:11-12)in Christ. An association provides a structure for us to make many friends and constantly, creatively hone our skills and strategies in doing God's work. In Romans 16:3-4 Paul refers to Priscilla and Aquila and notes their hard work and sacrifice and example-setting, and indicates that their labors were known and appreciated by "all the churches of the Gentiles" which says to me that we get role models and fresh vision and renewed boldness when we cooperate together.
Let's hang in there, Peninsula Baptists! In fact, let's deepen our ties.
It's a joy to try to be of some help during these days.
Friday, December 28, 2007
New Year Reflections
We can all learn something from King Herod of old about how not to enter a new year.
Granted, in Matthew 2 we don't find this ruler, who was mean and cunning and who loved extravagance and great building projects, necessarily launching into a new calendar period, but we do discover that he is about to experience a profound change in his life. Little baby Jesus has been born in nearby Bethlehem and His arrival will transform everybody's existence. For centuries to come. How Herod dealt with his own personal slice of this change can illustrate for us at this season what attitudes and actions to avoid as we move into 2008.
For starters, we shouldn't take fear into the next twelve months. When this monarch got word from the visiting wise men, who had traveled a great distance in search of this child, that a new king had been born, he became anxious and afraid. Read it for yourself in verse 3. Ultimately Herod's alarm and dread, brought about by what he perceived as a threat to his sovereignty, led him to do some foolish and destructive things. We live in troubled, turbulent times. It is so easy to be apprehensive and even to panic. But Jesus is here! He is at work behind the scenes slowly unfolding His divine plan in all the events of life and history. To spend our days in fear would be to waste valuable time and show irreverent distrust in God's loving providence and maybe even take foolhardy precipitous actions to attempt to preserve our sense of security.
We also must not carry ignorance of scripture into 2008. I find it interesting that Herod, upon hearing news from the inquiring Magi about a royal child's birth in a supposedly nearby area, had to ask somebody else about what the ancient Old Testament texts said about the location of His nativity. Notice verse 4. Yes, the chief priests and scribes were well trained in the Hebrew prophecies, and there was nothing wrong with consulting those experts for advice, but why wasn't the king himself aware of what the scriptures predicted about something so momentous that was coming? God has given His Word to all of us. We should be reading it. Studying it. Memorizing it. Pastors are equipped to help quide us but each of us should be feeding ourselves and soaking up the richness of the Bible.
Let's not allow deception to be part of our trajectory in the new year, either. When Herod learned that the long-promised child was to be born in Bethlehem, he sent the increasingly eager wise men off to that little town and pledged that he would venture there himself to pay tribute to the toddler when it had been authenticated that he was residing there. The King was shrewd and crafty. He was lying! Check out verse 8. He tried to hoodwink a lot of people but his hidden, evil scheme eventually brought disastrous consequences for dozens of innocent persons. Whenever we try to connive and manipulate and twist or shade the truth, we're opening the door to potentially harmful results. And by the way, anger shouldn't journey with us into the upcoming 12 months. Herod's fury is graphically demonstrated in verses 16-18. Any bitterness or resentment left over from this year should be dealt with and eradicated now so as not to poison and cripple our lives and those of the folks close to us as the calendar turns.
And certainly don't step into 2008 without Jesus! Verse 19 tells us that this wicked King Herod finally died. Lost. Never knowing Christ and life's greatest joy and fulfilment. Alienated from God. Avoid that mistake at all cost. If you are not a Christian, receive Jesus today. If you are a believer, make it your aim to draw closer and closer to the Lord in the year fast approaching.
Granted, in Matthew 2 we don't find this ruler, who was mean and cunning and who loved extravagance and great building projects, necessarily launching into a new calendar period, but we do discover that he is about to experience a profound change in his life. Little baby Jesus has been born in nearby Bethlehem and His arrival will transform everybody's existence. For centuries to come. How Herod dealt with his own personal slice of this change can illustrate for us at this season what attitudes and actions to avoid as we move into 2008.
For starters, we shouldn't take fear into the next twelve months. When this monarch got word from the visiting wise men, who had traveled a great distance in search of this child, that a new king had been born, he became anxious and afraid. Read it for yourself in verse 3. Ultimately Herod's alarm and dread, brought about by what he perceived as a threat to his sovereignty, led him to do some foolish and destructive things. We live in troubled, turbulent times. It is so easy to be apprehensive and even to panic. But Jesus is here! He is at work behind the scenes slowly unfolding His divine plan in all the events of life and history. To spend our days in fear would be to waste valuable time and show irreverent distrust in God's loving providence and maybe even take foolhardy precipitous actions to attempt to preserve our sense of security.
We also must not carry ignorance of scripture into 2008. I find it interesting that Herod, upon hearing news from the inquiring Magi about a royal child's birth in a supposedly nearby area, had to ask somebody else about what the ancient Old Testament texts said about the location of His nativity. Notice verse 4. Yes, the chief priests and scribes were well trained in the Hebrew prophecies, and there was nothing wrong with consulting those experts for advice, but why wasn't the king himself aware of what the scriptures predicted about something so momentous that was coming? God has given His Word to all of us. We should be reading it. Studying it. Memorizing it. Pastors are equipped to help quide us but each of us should be feeding ourselves and soaking up the richness of the Bible.
Let's not allow deception to be part of our trajectory in the new year, either. When Herod learned that the long-promised child was to be born in Bethlehem, he sent the increasingly eager wise men off to that little town and pledged that he would venture there himself to pay tribute to the toddler when it had been authenticated that he was residing there. The King was shrewd and crafty. He was lying! Check out verse 8. He tried to hoodwink a lot of people but his hidden, evil scheme eventually brought disastrous consequences for dozens of innocent persons. Whenever we try to connive and manipulate and twist or shade the truth, we're opening the door to potentially harmful results. And by the way, anger shouldn't journey with us into the upcoming 12 months. Herod's fury is graphically demonstrated in verses 16-18. Any bitterness or resentment left over from this year should be dealt with and eradicated now so as not to poison and cripple our lives and those of the folks close to us as the calendar turns.
And certainly don't step into 2008 without Jesus! Verse 19 tells us that this wicked King Herod finally died. Lost. Never knowing Christ and life's greatest joy and fulfilment. Alienated from God. Avoid that mistake at all cost. If you are not a Christian, receive Jesus today. If you are a believer, make it your aim to draw closer and closer to the Lord in the year fast approaching.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Something About Mary
I've always been impressed with young Mary in the Christmas story.
We Christians are definitely not supposed to worship her or channel her or try to pray to her but she is to be appreciated and respected. She is a good role model. Luke's Gospel reveals lots about her that is worth emulating.
Take her purity, for example. She came to her marriage to Joseph a virgin. Though her carrying and giving birth to God's son created suspicion and scandal on the part of those who didn't understand and couldn't believe her story of a Spirit-conceived pregnancy, we know the facts and believe the biblical record. We know that Christ's nativity was supernatural and miraculous in origin. And we are convinced that this teenager had never had sexual relations before her marriage. In our day, sexual experimentation and promiscuity is commonplace, and is proving physically, emotionally, and relationally damaging to millions of young people. Mary reminds us that it is best to stay morally clean and pure until your wedding day.
I'm fascinated, too, by this girl's sense of wonder at the mystery of God's workings. Luke 1:34-38 demonstrates that. When the announcing angel gave her a revelation that she found hard to grasp, she wasn't afraid to ask honest questions. And she did so respectfully. And when the angel's explanation was itself too incredible to fathom, she believed anyway and submitted herself to the will of God.
Sooner or later, all believers have to realize that there is much about the Lord and His dealings that we just can't figure out. He is so big. He is so great. It bothers me when I'm around Christians who act and talk like they know everything there is to know about the Almighty and spiritual things. With their charts and memorized verses and strong acquiantance with Bible facts they come across as armed to logically pontificate on all matters divine. They assume that God does everything the same way everytime. They put God in a box, perhaps unconsciously feeling that He can be controlled that way and they can be safe. Mary's experience suggests that our God is a mysterious being, far beyond the ability of our limited minds to completely understand. Certainly we should always be reaching out for more light about Him but never thinking that we've arrived and have all the truth neatly arranged and packaged and manageable. God will inevitably surprise us! Our proper response is to live on tiptoe and by faith and in submission to His leading. Having a lot of doctrine stored up in our heads or having a powerful testimony of something God did in our lives in the past doesn't necessarily make us experts in what God is up to right now.
It is true, though, that this young girl marvelously used by the Lord did benefit from having scripture stockpiled in her heart. In Luke 1:46-55, she draws upon Old Testament texts memorized to craft her own personal, straight-from-the-soul song of praise to God for His blessing in her life. That's one more thing I like about her. She read, listened to, and reflected on God's Word and it shaped her thinking and her conversation. It gave her hope for the future. A worthy goal for us in the new year about to dawn would be to spend more time in The Book, soaking up its treasures.
We Christians are definitely not supposed to worship her or channel her or try to pray to her but she is to be appreciated and respected. She is a good role model. Luke's Gospel reveals lots about her that is worth emulating.
Take her purity, for example. She came to her marriage to Joseph a virgin. Though her carrying and giving birth to God's son created suspicion and scandal on the part of those who didn't understand and couldn't believe her story of a Spirit-conceived pregnancy, we know the facts and believe the biblical record. We know that Christ's nativity was supernatural and miraculous in origin. And we are convinced that this teenager had never had sexual relations before her marriage. In our day, sexual experimentation and promiscuity is commonplace, and is proving physically, emotionally, and relationally damaging to millions of young people. Mary reminds us that it is best to stay morally clean and pure until your wedding day.
I'm fascinated, too, by this girl's sense of wonder at the mystery of God's workings. Luke 1:34-38 demonstrates that. When the announcing angel gave her a revelation that she found hard to grasp, she wasn't afraid to ask honest questions. And she did so respectfully. And when the angel's explanation was itself too incredible to fathom, she believed anyway and submitted herself to the will of God.
Sooner or later, all believers have to realize that there is much about the Lord and His dealings that we just can't figure out. He is so big. He is so great. It bothers me when I'm around Christians who act and talk like they know everything there is to know about the Almighty and spiritual things. With their charts and memorized verses and strong acquiantance with Bible facts they come across as armed to logically pontificate on all matters divine. They assume that God does everything the same way everytime. They put God in a box, perhaps unconsciously feeling that He can be controlled that way and they can be safe. Mary's experience suggests that our God is a mysterious being, far beyond the ability of our limited minds to completely understand. Certainly we should always be reaching out for more light about Him but never thinking that we've arrived and have all the truth neatly arranged and packaged and manageable. God will inevitably surprise us! Our proper response is to live on tiptoe and by faith and in submission to His leading. Having a lot of doctrine stored up in our heads or having a powerful testimony of something God did in our lives in the past doesn't necessarily make us experts in what God is up to right now.
It is true, though, that this young girl marvelously used by the Lord did benefit from having scripture stockpiled in her heart. In Luke 1:46-55, she draws upon Old Testament texts memorized to craft her own personal, straight-from-the-soul song of praise to God for His blessing in her life. That's one more thing I like about her. She read, listened to, and reflected on God's Word and it shaped her thinking and her conversation. It gave her hope for the future. A worthy goal for us in the new year about to dawn would be to spend more time in The Book, soaking up its treasures.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
' Tis The Season
Advent is all about waiting.
These weeks leading up to Christmas are designed to foster expectancy and anticipation as we look forward to the celebration of the coming of Jesus into our world. Of course we know that He has already arrived, 2000 years ago in fact, but nevertheless this is not some religious game we play each December. We need these days.
We are given the chance to slow down just a bit. To catch our breath. To reflect and meditate and self-examine and repent and prepare our hearts to welcome Christ just as John the Baptist encouraged the Jews to do centuries ago. For us, now, Advent has the dual purpose of getting us ready not only for Christmas but for our Lord's second coming, which could occur at any time.
I guess you could say that while this season closing in on December 25 is a period of waiting it is also a time of working. This stretch on the calendar is not really for inactivity but for labors of the soul that deepen and expand us and get us in position for something wonderful just up ahead.
It seems to me that our Peninsula Baptist Association is now experiencing an Advent of sorts. These are days of waiting. Of transition. Of imagining and envisioning the future that God has next for our fellowship of churches. Our beloved Director of Missions, Jim Ailor, has moved on and away to another field of ministry and so now we find ourselves pondering what the Lord has in store for us in the years approaching. It's a time to slacken the pace just for a bit, just long enough to do some serious evaluation and contemplation and decisionmaking. But it's also a time for great hope and excitement because who knows what incredibly awesome things God has for us just around the corner?
Associationally, this is a season for work, though. While we wait for and eagerly anticipate the next phase of our journey together as a loving partnership of congregations, there's stuff to be done. This is an era of unprecedented change and challenge in our world, our nation, our denomination, and even our local churches and we simply have to gear up and be ready to offer the greatest possible impact. As a body of cooperating congregations we must continue to shape up and become fitter and stronger and more and more poised to make a real difference in Kingdom pursuits.
These next several months, then, ought to be times of earnest prayer in our midst for God to clearly show us what direction we should take. This ought to be a year of dreaming, too. Of seeking a fresh vision. Of determining God's way for us to carve out our unique niche of involvement in fulfilling the Great Commission in our generation, in this time period that the Lord has given us.
More tangibly, now is a crucial point for our churches to make stronger financial commitments to the work of our association. Stepping up to the plate and providing greater resources for our shared ministry in this part of Hampton Roads will help ensure a brighter future. Will help shape that future, in fact. To put it bluntly, this is not a time to cut back!
Beyond that, this is a pivotal moment for continuing the good work of bridgebuilding among us. Our older saints and our younger people reaching out to one another. Larger churches and smaller ones joining together in ministry. BGAV and SBCV congregations realizing that Kingdom concerns should far outweigh any minor differences between us and shouldn't hinder us in the least from joyfully partnering with each other in the task of taking Christ to this needy Peninsula. The time is too short and the days too dark for Southern Baptists in this area not to unite and put their hands to the plow in a massive effort to reach people.
I'm encouraged this Advent. Any way you look at it something good is about to happen.
It's a privilege to have the chance to help out during this season. Feel free to call on me at any time. And by the way...Merry Christmas!
These weeks leading up to Christmas are designed to foster expectancy and anticipation as we look forward to the celebration of the coming of Jesus into our world. Of course we know that He has already arrived, 2000 years ago in fact, but nevertheless this is not some religious game we play each December. We need these days.
We are given the chance to slow down just a bit. To catch our breath. To reflect and meditate and self-examine and repent and prepare our hearts to welcome Christ just as John the Baptist encouraged the Jews to do centuries ago. For us, now, Advent has the dual purpose of getting us ready not only for Christmas but for our Lord's second coming, which could occur at any time.
I guess you could say that while this season closing in on December 25 is a period of waiting it is also a time of working. This stretch on the calendar is not really for inactivity but for labors of the soul that deepen and expand us and get us in position for something wonderful just up ahead.
It seems to me that our Peninsula Baptist Association is now experiencing an Advent of sorts. These are days of waiting. Of transition. Of imagining and envisioning the future that God has next for our fellowship of churches. Our beloved Director of Missions, Jim Ailor, has moved on and away to another field of ministry and so now we find ourselves pondering what the Lord has in store for us in the years approaching. It's a time to slacken the pace just for a bit, just long enough to do some serious evaluation and contemplation and decisionmaking. But it's also a time for great hope and excitement because who knows what incredibly awesome things God has for us just around the corner?
Associationally, this is a season for work, though. While we wait for and eagerly anticipate the next phase of our journey together as a loving partnership of congregations, there's stuff to be done. This is an era of unprecedented change and challenge in our world, our nation, our denomination, and even our local churches and we simply have to gear up and be ready to offer the greatest possible impact. As a body of cooperating congregations we must continue to shape up and become fitter and stronger and more and more poised to make a real difference in Kingdom pursuits.
These next several months, then, ought to be times of earnest prayer in our midst for God to clearly show us what direction we should take. This ought to be a year of dreaming, too. Of seeking a fresh vision. Of determining God's way for us to carve out our unique niche of involvement in fulfilling the Great Commission in our generation, in this time period that the Lord has given us.
More tangibly, now is a crucial point for our churches to make stronger financial commitments to the work of our association. Stepping up to the plate and providing greater resources for our shared ministry in this part of Hampton Roads will help ensure a brighter future. Will help shape that future, in fact. To put it bluntly, this is not a time to cut back!
Beyond that, this is a pivotal moment for continuing the good work of bridgebuilding among us. Our older saints and our younger people reaching out to one another. Larger churches and smaller ones joining together in ministry. BGAV and SBCV congregations realizing that Kingdom concerns should far outweigh any minor differences between us and shouldn't hinder us in the least from joyfully partnering with each other in the task of taking Christ to this needy Peninsula. The time is too short and the days too dark for Southern Baptists in this area not to unite and put their hands to the plow in a massive effort to reach people.
I'm encouraged this Advent. Any way you look at it something good is about to happen.
It's a privilege to have the chance to help out during this season. Feel free to call on me at any time. And by the way...Merry Christmas!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)