DownshoreDrift

Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC says that. I think that he's right.

I've been asked by a couple of people over the past week about repentance - what it is and how you do it. I preached about it on Sunday as I happened to be at that point in the Book of Acts - Acts 3:19-20, which says, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus."

Now ultimately, Biblical repentance is about salvation. It is about turning AWAY from your sin and rebellion and turning to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Too many people make repentance into something like, "stop doing bad and start doing good." But, there's no power in that. True repentance means that we turn AWAY from sin and turn TO faith in Jesus.

Repentance means to turn around. A man might say, "I was headed for a cliff, but I repented. I turned around and went the other way and lived."

Repentance is more than just being sorry. It means that we turn around - we forsake our sinful thoughts and activities. It is not a burdensome thing, but rather, it is extremely lifegiving. When we repent, we step into who God has truly made us to be as we place our faith in Jesus.

Who needs to repent? Paul, in Acts 17:30 says that repentance is for everyone: "he (God) commands all people everywhere to repent." We all need to repent because we have all sinned and fall short of God's glory. And, repentance is not just a one time thing. Jesus told the church in Ephesus in Rev. 2:5 that was doing so much right, to "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."  Turn around from the direction you were going and turn to Christ. Even Christians.

So, I thought that I would list some steps to repentance. Repentance, for the Christian, renews our relationship with God and puts us back on the right path. It involves a looking away from and forsaking past behavior and attitudes and a looking to Christ. It seems that many do not know how to repent. Here are some thoughts:

1. Ask God to search your heart (Pslam 139:23-24). We are all pretty subjective. If it is my job to search my heart, I will often rationalize attitudes and actions that God would get rid of if I would just submit to Him. When asking Him to search my heart, it is helpful to read the Bible and focus on passages like Colossians 3.  What from that passage do I need to believe and incorporate into my life? What do I need to deal with?
2. When God shows you the areas that you need to deal with, confess them to God. Confession is basically agreement with God that we have sinned (1 John 1:9). When we agree with God about our sin, we admit that He is holy and that His character is in tact. We confess our sin and claim His forgiveness. We agree with God about what we have done, give it to Him, and begin to receive His forgiveness. This enables us to walk with Him. Amos 3:3 says, "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?"
3. When you confess your sin, forsake it. Turn away from it. "Put off the old" (Eph. 4:22).
4. Turn to Christ in faith. It is not enough to just try and stop doing/thinking negative things. We must additionally turn to Christ. He makes us "new in the attitude of our minds" (Eph. 4:23). In this, we receive His unlimited forgiveness and mercy.
5. We must put move on. We put on the new self and enter into times of refreshing (Eph. 4:24).

Repentance has gotten a bad rap. It has this image of being this guilt induced experience that makes us feel awful and very ashamed. That is not so! Biblical repentance is liberating and it leads to life! It is a way that God has given us to throw off our sin and turn to Jesus to find true life! It is an avenue to wholeness, because we are only truly whole when we walk with Him. We all need to be in an attitude of repentance all the time. We never become so holy or perfect that we do not need to continually realign ourselves with God's work, will, and purposes taking place around us. Who do we think we are?

I am not talking about feeling bad all the time. But, I am talking about having a basic understanding that I need to realign myself to what God is doing and His holiness and not the other way around. I need to turn around from the direction that I was headed, and by faith, turn to God. It seems that we make repentance too hard on people and they miss an incredible blessing of laying down their will to take up the yoke of Christ. We have made another blessed means of knowing God more deeply into a shameful and legalistic exercise that is only for "really bad sinners."

Well, I am here to confess that I need continual repentance. I need to consistently realign my life with God's will and purposes. I am not ashamed to admit that, because that is a place that I find refreshing, life giving, living water from Jesus. Sometimes it is difficult for us to admit that we need to keep turning our lives over to God, but it is true. And, there is life in recognizing the we still need a Savior each and every day.

May we engage in true heartfelt repentance this week. May we confess our sins and our desperate need for Christ and also the victory that He has for all who believe in Him. Then, by faith, may we receive the incredible grace that God lavishes upon all who call upon Him and move on into the path that God truly wants us to walk - a walk in agreement with Him.

I was asked to be a part of a collective writing project by my friend Joe Kennedy on the spiritual disciplines. He asked several bloggers if they would be interested in writing on several of the disciplines on Tuesdays from today until around October when we finish them all. I didn't think I could do it every week,  but I chose 5-7 of them that I had some insight on. Over the past many years, I have taught through Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline three times and it has been a refreshing experience each time. There are certain disciplines that I have incorporated into my life that help me grow spiritually and keep me connected to God.

Some people think of a focus on "spiritual disciplines" as being a dry thing. Who wants to think about discipline? Wouldn't we rather talk about something more exciting like ministry, grace, growing churches, denominational politics, personal fulfillment, etc? But, I find that the most exciting thing in our life is when we actually connect with God. The spiritual disciplines are just ways to connect with God. They can be seen as vehicles into His presence, if you will. We need these things, because we need to consistently position ourself in a place to receive God's presence and power in our life. If you don't put the glass under the pitcher, then how will it get filled up? We are to have rivers of living water flowing from within us (John 7:37-39), but we must put ourselves in a position to receive from God.

The spiritual disciplines help us do just that. They put us in a position to receive life, wisdom, healing, and power from God. They are pathways that He has established that lead us into His presence. They are not to ignored for those who want to grow closer to God on a continual basis. Here is a list of the disciplines that we will be studying, with the attendant dates: 

• July 17: The Introduction
• July 24: Meditation
• July 31: Prayer
• August 7: Fasting
• August 14: Study
• August 21: Journaling
• August 28: Simplicity
• September 4: Silence
• September 11: Solitude
• September 18: Submission
• September 25: Service
• October 2: Confession
• October 9: Worship
• October 16: Guidance
• October 23: Celebration
• October 30: The Conclusion 

• I'll start writing on "simplicity" on August 28, but you can go to Joe's site if you want to keep up with it each week.

Probably one of the best statements I've ever read on the church and Christian community comes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together. It comes from pages 26-29. I have been preaching through Acts and this fits quite nicely. Stop everything you are doing and read this right now!  You won't be sorry!

Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try to realize it. But God's grace speedily shatters such dreams. Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and if we are fortunate, with ourselves.

By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. He does not abandon us to those rapturous experiences and lofty moods that come over us like a dream. God is not a God of the emotions but the God of truth. Only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God's sight, begins to grasp in faith the promise that is given to it. The sooner this shock of disillusonment comes to an individual and to a community the better for both. A community which cannot bear and cannot survive such a crisis, which insists upon keeping its illusion when it should be shattered, permanently loses in that moment the promise of Christian community. Sooner or later it will collapse. Every human wish dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.

God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God Himself accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself.

I heard this refrain quite a few times while we were down on the Gulf Coast this past week. Everyone believed in God. Everyone. They all pray. They all have some sort of faith. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is a heavily Catholic region and there is a pervading sense of spirituality and of faith in God.  Yet, so many really do not have a relationship with Christ. They are not sure if they are going to heaven. They hope that God is not wrathful toward them.

As I talked with our team, I told them that we were dealing with people who believed in both faith and works. Our job was to encourage them toward the faith side. We were to pray with them, to talk about Jesus be the only sacrifice for sin, to encourage them to place their full faith and trust in Jesus and to not believe in anything else. At times it was difficult, but at other times, the people were very open.

But, by and large, most saw their faith in God through an individualistic lense. They could pray and follow God on their own, so why did they need the church? Why attend church when God was personal or I could just engage in some type of abstract belief in Him and receive His blessing? All in all, spiritual life was about them, but it rarely reached into their everyday life. Yet, they were so very glad that the Baptists had come. Over and over again I heard from Catholics that if it had not been for the Baptists and the other Christian groups, they do not know what they would have done.

Fortunately for them, all of those Christians who came did not share the same individualistic notions of faith that some of them did. Many want to both believe in God and maintain their own independence. They want to have faith, yet have total freedom. Yet, God set it up where all followers of Christ would gather together in a church, the ecclesia, the called out ones. As we gather together loving God and loving others, we experience His presence and power, both individually and collectively. We also become His hands and feet and we bring His Kingdom into this world - together. Every group that goes down to New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is giving a powerful witness of the necessity and beauty of God's people, the church, being who they are created to be.  If your church has not yet gone down, you are missing a historical moment that will likely not come around again anytime soon. Sow seeds into the lives of the people of the Gulf Coast region.

Yes, people still say that they don't need the church to follow God. But, they are saying it with much less confidence as they see God's people live out their faith and not just talk about it. Hearts are being turned and people are asking questions. They are opening up to the Lord. That tends to happen when a Baptist group that you have never met travels from Tennessee and rebuilds your house.

Jesus said it was loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. Paul agreed and said that he preached nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, which was the fulfillment of Jesus' love for the Father and for us (But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us - Romans 5:8). Loving God. Loving People.

I'm in Waveland, Mississippi this week with a group from our church to work with Pathfinder Mission. We brought a bunch of families down with their kids to visit people, help them out some, pray with them, counsel them, and throw a big party on Wednesday for the 4th of July. I am seeing some people that I met last year (check out my posts from the Coast from July, 2006) and am catching up on how they have progressed. Over and over I am hearing one constant refrain: If it weren't for Christians and the church, we don't know where we would be. This is coming from many who are non-Christians. They are so thankful. They welcome us into their homes out of respect for all who have come before us. They welcome us and thank us because of all that have come before who have loved God and have loved them. Christianity has been lived out down here and it has made a difference.

But, we don't always experience this in the Church in America. I wonder if a big part of our problem has been that we have allowed "truth" to be taught to us by academics who have parsed every verb and split every hair. I wonder if we have allowed the pharisees, who are the experts in the Law, to dictate to us what it means to believe the truth and we have submitted ourselves to that interpretation to the point that it has affected our ability to work with others. Maybe we should take some time to listen to those swinging the hammers and leading the mission teams. There is a lady that I met last year named Hazel. She is in her 80's, and when I met her she was living in a FEMA trailer next to a home that had been stripped to the studs. Today, I saw her in a newly repaired home. It was fixed up by a church from Massachusetts who came down again and again. I don't know every jot and tittle of their theology, but they told her about Jesus and they showed her love. I have a good feeling that I'll see them in heaven. If I will be with them in heaven, shouldn't I find a way to work with people like that now? As a matter of fact, unless they are teaching something that will keep people out of heaven, do I not have a responsibility to find common ground with them and keep the unity of the saints in Christ? Once you really begin to face the desperate need and lostness of people, it is hard to understand why you would not want to work with as many Christians as you could to bring the love of Jesus to the Nations.

When Christians are on mission together, the world experiences the love of Christ made flesh. We become His hands and feet. Those hands and feet continue to make a difference on the Gulf Coast. If your church has yet to take a trip down here, you are missing an incredible blessing. So many are still in need and there is still so much work to be done. Everyone that could help themselves has already done so.  Much of the work that is left is among the elderly, the disabled, and those who are alone and have no means of support. They are good people and they are trying their best. They just need a helping hand. Please pray about joining the massive parade of Christians who have come down here and have made a difference in the lives of people on the Gulf Coast.

Something tells me that I am seeing the core of Christianity lived out down here. Theology makes a lot more sense when people are living it instead of arguing about it. When you are in trouble, there is little time to divide over every little doctrine. You roll your sleeves up, find out where you can cooperate, and you get to work building the Kingdom - one broken life at a time.

I'll have more reports and a lot of pictures later in the next couple of days. You really need to see the before and after pictures of Hazel's house!

Alright, enough complicated talk. Here's story from real life. If you've ever had kids, you can probably relate to this one:

The other night, my wife went to a movie with a friend of hers and I was left home with the kids. I fed them dinner and put them to bed. After the usual, "I need a drink of water," and "I'm hungry," and "He won't leave me alone," they finally got quiet and I no longer heard anything from them. At last. They were asleep and I had some peace!

My wife came home after 10pm and we talked for awhile. She went to the back by opening the door to the hallway that separates the back part of our house from the front. She walked past the hall bathroom and came and got me. There was a HUGE mess in the bathroom that was not there previously. She assumed that Caelan, our 23 month old did it. I told her that it could not have been him - I put him in the crib. This had Kieran, our 4 year old written all over it. Since I was home when the mess occurred, it was my job to clean it up. That logic made sense to her - to me, not so much. But, on my hands and knees I went.

There was some "poop" on the floor. There was also a toilet full of "poop." Apparently, we had run out of toilet paper in the bathroom, and instead of calling me, Kieran went looking for something to, ahem, wipe with. He found three washcloths under the sink, apparently. He used the washcloths for sanitary purposes, put them in the toilet like he would toilet paper, and thankfully (and predictably) he did not flush. I fished the washcloths out of the toliet and proceeded to begin to clean the bathroom. Ugh. What a mess. My wife still was not sure who did it, but I knew that it was the precocious one.

The next morning, I called him over to me and asked him about it. He put his head down, placed a finger in his mouth, and did not answer me. When I asked him if he used the washcloths, with more than a little fear he looked up at me with nervous eyes and said that he did do it. On accident. I couldn't help but smile. I hugged him and told him that it was alright, but next time, he needed to call me if he didn't have toilet paper. I would gladly get some for him.  He smiled, relieved that I wasn't spanking him silly, and said that he would call me.

At our Bible study tonight, I was teaching about how we fail to see God the Father as our Source of supply. Instead of calling upon Him for our "daily bread," we look for whatever we can grasp and what makes sense to us. We only end up making a big mess. We grasp at the wrong things and we get our "poop" all over the place. We become fearful over the mess that we've made and we pull away from God. The cycle repeats itself again and again. Fortunately, God has everything we need. He has a plan for us. He has a way that He wants us to live and if we would but come to Him and ask Him for help, he would provide for us.

The story about my son was kind of funny, but it reminds me of how I often live from my own strength and understanding instead of humbling myself and asking my God for help. It actually honors Him and brings Him glory when we call upon Him because we are confessing that only He can meet our needs. He give Him praise when we ask Him for help. We also humble ourselves before Him and He promises to lift us up. Because this attitude honors God, I don't have to worry about being right all the time or having it all together. I have nothing to prove. All that I have to do is call upon the Lord and let Him be my helper and my identity. If others think that I am weak or lack strength, so be it. I will trust in the Lord. Let that be the lesson that I learn from this, and it will have been worth getting on my hands and knees and cleaning up my son's mess.

Anyway, don't make too much out of the story. The analogy is endless. But, I thought that it was interesting for me to see that God was teaching me something, even in the midst of the mundane and more than slightly aggravating occurrences of daily life.   

Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Vacation was WONDERFUL!!! My family and I spent a week at the beach and it was great. I have a ton of pictures that I will be putting up later this week. The time away was much needed.

Here and there I was able to peruse some of the reaction from the SBC Annual Meeting. Let me just say that I am more than glad that I have decided to bow out of all of this. I will be limiting my involvement in SBC issues to being a contributing writer for the new SBCOutpost, which will be a group blog effort. Other than that, further participation appears to be pointless.

So, all of that brings me back to the point of my writing: to try and lift up the name of Jesus and to point out where I see God at work in the world around me. I have continued to think about the Fruit of the Spirit, so I wanted to start the week off with some further reflections on Love. We know that God is love. In Romans 5:8 listed above, we see how God demonstrates His love for us by having Christ die for us while we were still sinners. Before we had ever done anything good and while we were still completely stinking with sin, Jesus died for you and for me. It is hard for us to fully grasp that, because we become so convinced of our goodness and righteousness and we begin to feel that we somehow merit the merit of Christ. This is never more true than when we are judging others. Let me tell you a story to illustrate my point.

In the late 1990's, I was a young seminary student at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in the San Francisco Bay Area. My wife and I joined First Baptist Church, San Francisco, and from there started a ministry to homeless people. We used to meet with a team of other folks in their 20's on Sunday mornings really early. We started going to the Civic Center park, which bore the popular name of "Crack Park" for obvious reasons. Each Sunday morning, we would pass out sweet rolls, orange juice, and clean socks (homeless people love clean socks) to those who were just waking up on benches or under trees. This was right in the shadow of City Hall and the police and city leadership turned a blind eye to the wide stretch of homeless people laying in the plaza. We were their Sunday morning wake up call, and we would share breakfast with them, offer them prayer, and invite them over to a central place where we would share the Word of God with them. We saw several come to Christ through this and we began discipling them. It was a powerful time.

One Sunday morning I was walking around the park and I was trying to give away the food and bless people through prayer and/or friendliness. Then, I saw the most disgusting sight I had ever seen in a human being. Before me lay a black man who was a homeless transvestite. He had partial make up on with a half grown beard. He was a mess and could not keep himself up. He had his shoes off and his feet were swollen and were oozing pus from open sores. From his body emanated a stench that was nauseating. Actually, I found myself gagging at the sight of this "man", rejected by both the straight and gay community. He was a complete horror show. As I gagged from the sight, smell, and aura of this he/she who was clearly very ill, I knew that I could not turn away. I was being overwhelmed by my own precious sensibilities and I wanted to run, but I knew that was wrong. I wish that I could say that I was just SO compassionate. But, I wasn't. I didn't know what to do.

So, in that moment, I decided that prayer was the answer. I cried out to God and I asked Him to let me see that man the way that He saw him. Immediately, I was flooded with love and warmth. Tears came to my eyes and my heart broke for the man. I saw him as a child of God, broken and bent, but still bearing God's image upon himself. I was overcome by the love of God for him. I don't know if I remember a prayer ever being answered so quickly. I realized that God loved this man so much, that while he was still in his sin, Christ died for him. Love flowed out of me as well. I walked over to the man, offered him something to eat, told him that Jesus loved him and died for him, and then I hugged him. The man was receptive and opened up to me. I wish I could report some miracle regarding the man, but the real miracle happened in my heart. As I experienced God's love for this man who was filthy with sin, my own heart was changed and I felt myself experience brokenness over his alienation from God. I was overwhelmed with God's grace that was available for this man. I was overwhelmed with God's love.

What kind of God do we serve who could love sinners? What kind of God is it that demonstrates His love by dying for us while we are still lost in our sin? If God has forgiven us this way, then who are we to not forgive others? How can we push someone else aside when God has given all to bring us back to Himself? And, having experienced this for ourselves, how can we not extend it to others?

Ephesians 3:17-19 "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

LOVE

The first fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is LOVE. I am just going to list some relevant Scripture. Considering all that has been going on and the Convention coming up in the SBC next week, this should be self explanatory:

1 Corinthians 13

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Romans 5:8

8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:7-21

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
      God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Most will probably not read this far because the Scriptures are familiar and this is not controversial enough to draw out interest. But, it is pretty important. If we have everything and have not love, we are not good for anything at all. Also, love is not just a disposition of the heart, but it is always carried out in action. "Peter, do you love me? Then feed my sheep." Jesus showed us true world changing love by laying His life down for us. How can we lay our lives down for those around us?

I have been very frustrated with the events of the past weeks leading up to the Convention in San Antonio.  I am going and praying for change. But, I know that if I go angry and looking for a fight, my spirit will be empty and I will only live out of the desires of the flesh. We all need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. May we never become so focused on what we can accomplish that we forget that our first priority is to love God and love one another - sacrificially. I pray that that attitude overtakes all of us in every aspect of our lives.

As I've thought about this series on the Fruit of the Spirit, I think that I am going to make this an on again, off again project until I work through all of it. In other words, I will not do a post a day on a different aspect of the manifestation of the Spirit in our lives and character, but will likely work through it this summer. It will take more time than I thought for me to digest it and I don't want to rush as I am praying for transformation in my life instead of just wanting to write a bunch of stuff.

So, with that said, I thought I'd continue this series with some comments from a friend and writer, Bill Wilke. I met Bill a few years ago at a conference, and he has continued to challenge my thinking on a variety of issues. He sent me some emails regarding the necessity of abiding in Christ when it comes to producing His Fruit in our lives. Please read through his thoughts, especially the ones on the second page as he explores the Vine analogy in John 15. This is some really great stuff! I'd appreciate your comments as well.

I (Bill) agree with your analysis that without being grafted into the vine, which you did not talk about specifically as opposed to standing close to the vine (in proximity), we cannot produce anything of value. 

However, in the real biological world of the vine, the DNA or character of the fruit is determined by the branch not the vine if it is really grafted properly.  For example, you can have three varieties of apples on the same tree. 

I have found that when people know that they contribute to shaping the character of the fruit, it is awesome.  It is not about the branch being totally passive, as some analyst argue, where the sap just passes through and the branch contribute noting. Each individual plays a distinct and important role as a grafted branch onto the vine/Christ.  Challenging people in their own world to manifest and later discover the shape, color, texture, taste and even character of the fruit that they are manifesting is both fun and exciting.

______________________________________________________________________

Alan,

I don’t want to interrupt what God is doing through you but I have the following question.

Fruit is a by-product/symptom.  Should you study the Spiritual Fruits before or after you understand the gratfing process into the vine which I think is the real “cause and effect.”

I will give you a few examples of topics that a believer needs to comprehend and integrate about the vine before they can appreciate or manifest the spiritual gifts.  Some may try through human effort and I have been surprised at the level of success even though they are really “fakers” and the truth will eventually come out.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

I've decided to start a new series here on Downshoredrift on the Fruit of the Spirit. With all the talk about the Gifts of the Spirit in relation to the IMB and SBC issues, I felt that some discussion on the development of Christian character was in order. So, over the next couple of weeks, I hope to take a look at each of the nine manifestations of the Fruit of the Spirit as displayed in Galatians 5:22-23.  After discussion of each manifestation, I want to look at how they each relate to our relationship with God, our relationship with one another, and our relationship with the world and it's expectations. You might be surprised at how revolutionary this concept of living the Spirit life before the powers, principalities, and personalities of the world can be. So much of what we try to accomplish in Christian life and ministry is attempted through the power of the flesh and human organization and effort. But, God gives us a different way - the Way of the Spirit. It is a way that is rarely chosen, but it is powerful beyond measure and there is no law against it. It is articulated through the Sermon on the Mount and the ethic of Jesus and it has implications that shatter the power of this dark world. It will raise valleys, bring low mountains, and make crooked paths straight. It will bring about justice in a corrupt world and harmony to our relationships. It is the way forgotten in the Christian life in the midst of many more popular paths of human success and fulfillment. But, it is the Way that we must travel.

Last week at the Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit, I engaged in a bit of argumentation that is a bit unusual regarding the continuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but it has come to make perfect sense to me.  In 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:4-8, Paul tells us that we are all one body, the body of Christ. The body is made up of different parts and each part needs the other. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" and the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" (1 Cor. 12:21).  In both passages, the idea of the body is related to the discussion on spiritual gifts. Clearly from context we can conclude that the members of the body operate as the one body of Christ when each member uses his/her spiritual gifts. The body analogy does not make any sense apart from this perspective if we consider the context.

Now, if I lose my eye, hand, or leg, I am considered deformed, right? I am considered to be incomplete and not able to fully do what I was created/intended to do. If I lose my leg, I might still be able to live, breathe, think, make jokes, cook, and drive a car, but I will not be able to run as fast as before, climb mountains as well as before, or be as strong. When attempting those things, I have to compensate by being stronger in other areas, or I just sit around and remember the good old days when I used to run fast.

God has given us spiritual gifts to make us strong and he intends that we keep them till the end. "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church" (1 Cor. 14:26). That sounds like a command to me. What about 1 Corinthians 1:7?  "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."  (See Also Ephesians 4:11-16). We know from 1 Corinthians 12-14 that the main purpose of spiritual gifts is for the building up of the church.   So, doesn't it make sense that a lack of spiritual gifts would result in a weakened church? Hmmm. What is the state of the church today? Strong or weak? Could it be that we have neglected or abandoned some of the gifts that God has given us in favor of others that are more presentable and seem easier to manage?

Again, if I am missing part of my body, I am considered deformed or unhealthy. It doesn't mean that I am worthless or that I am loved less. It just means that I am not all I could have been if I had been healthy. I am blind in my right eye, and because of that, I was not able to serve in the military like I wanted to. I also have trouble with baseball, ping pong, tennis, raquetball, and night driving because I have no depth perception. I can't see a 3-D movie. Now, I have compensated and can still play those sports and drive at night, but it isn't what it could have been. I am aware of my limitations. I don't think less of myself and I don't think that God loves me less. But, I sure wish I had that eye. One day, I will.

Could the church be that way? Could we have lost some of the gifts that God wanted us to have to be strong? Except, He didn't take them away, we just quit using them and they atrophied. Or, we ran off the people who tried to use their gifts in certain ways because it didn't make sense to those who were not gifted that way. This goes way beyond tongues, miracles, and healings. It goes to the very heart of church life in the West. If all of the people with certain gift are run off, or if they are told that their gifts cannot function or don't exist, then what are you left with?  It kind of becomes like a half put togehter Mr. Potato Head doll. You have an eye here, an ear there, a mouth and an arm. But, it doesn't quite work correctly.

So, where could we have overcompensated? One area is in an overemphasis on the pastoral and preaching offices/gifts in church life. In some churches, everything seems to revolve around the pastor. I fully believe in Biblical church leadership, but I don't see the pastor being the only one in the church who is supposed to function the way we often see. Yet, he sometimes overfunctions and the result is a weak church. "Each one" is to contribute and bring something, remember?

Not all gifts are for the purpose of building up the church, at least directly. 1 Cor. 14:12 says, "Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church."  Paul is clearly saying here, I believe, that there are gifts that do not build up the church, otherwise he would not have shown the contrast here. Some build up the user, while others build up the church. The gifts that build up the church are greater (1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1-5), but it does not mean that the lesser gifts are not important as well. Some have said that gifts like speaking in tongues are invalid because they do not build up the church, but instead, they seem to build up/strengthen the user of the gift (1 Cor. 14:4).  Is it wrong to build yourself up in your faith and become strong in the Lord? The Bible doesn't seem to think so (Jude 20; Colossians 2:6-7; Ephesians 6:10).  Don't things like prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and ministry make us strong in the Lord? Then, should it not also stand to reason that exercising our spiritual gifts makes us strong as well? If I am strong, then the whole Body is strong. When I work out my biceps, it makes them strong, but it also strengthens and equips my whole body. So, personal strength is not mutually exclusive of corporate strength, but rather, it aids it.

Is the SBC headed for atrophy? What about our local churches? Will we run off people who exercise gifts of the Spirit that God tells us not to forbid (1 Cor. 14:39)?  Will we put more stock in our traditions and church histories than the clear reading of the text of Scripture? Will we continue to hobble along, overemphasing some parts of the body because we have cut off other parts that were given for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7)?  Just because we don't understand how all of this works does not mean that we should insult the grace of our Heavenly Father who graciously gives us all things. Some say that He gave gifts to the church when she was born, only to remove those gifts within a few decades. I think that Scripture says that without all of the gifts the church would be deformed, crippled, and weakened. I believe that it also says that God, the great gift giver, does not change and is not arbitrary:

16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. - James 1:16-18.

We will be taking a HUGE step toward answering some of these questions this week with the report from the IMB Ad Hoc Committees regarding their review of the new private prayer language and baptism policies (Wade Burleson writes about this upcoming meeting HERE). I pray that these unbiblical policies will be overturned. I pray for a day when we will embrace what God has given us without prejudice. I have written and prayed for the past year and a half to see these policies overturned because I believe that they hamper the Body of Christ and keep her from being all that God intended for her to be. I am a pastor of the church of Jesus Christ, not just my local church, and my desire is to see all of God's people strong and fit for works of service. I pray that we will walk on two legs, with two strong arms, and with a strong heart beating within us empowered by the Holy Spirit and fulfilling God's purpose for us in this generation. This current struggle within the IMB and SBC is soon to be over for all intents and purposes. But, the struggle for the advancement of the Kingdom, the making of disciples, and the strengthening of the church will not end until Jesus returns. May we take the lessons that we have learned here and use them as fuel and sustenance for greater battles with the Real Enemy of our Souls as time unfolds. And, no matter what happens, may God be glorified.

Grace and Peace

The Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit was a wonderful experience. I want to join with others in saying that Dwight McKissic, the pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, TX, is a prince among men. He was generous, gracious, and humble at all times. Regularly during our conversations, he would ask me what I thought about things.  That was amazing to me and very humbling as well. Most pastors of 2,000 member churches that I have met are wonderful men, but they are not often interested in the opinions of a 32 year old pastor of a 250 member church. That's the SBC that I've known, anyway.  We base so much on rank, influence, and what someone can do for us, or how interesting they are to us. Rarely, do we look for the value in each person. I really feel that Pastor McKissic does that and he was really an example to me. His assistant, Veronica Griffin, did an incredible job as the conference organizer. She really knew what she was doing, no doubt. Thanks Veronica for all of your hard work!

Overall, the conference went well. I especially enjoyed spending time with Dr. Sam Storms. He is a brilliant man with a passion for God and His glory. I was especially encouraged by his message on Saturday night where he laid out a perspective regarding the idea that Jesus ministered and lived by the same Holy Spirit that we do. The power that was in Jesus in now in us. The implications that he drew from that were remarkable.

I enjoyed meeting and spending some time with those who were representing a semi-cessationist view, Bart Barber and Robin Foster. Robin has a very sincere and gentle heart and it is obvious that He loves the Lord and seeks to honor Jesus in everthing he does. Bart is very intelligent and did a great job with his presentation. He and I have vigorously debated issues in the blogosphere over the past 6 months or so, but those debates have always been respectful, enjoyable, and challenging. He is no less in person. I am sharper theologically for having tangled with Bart and I am grateful that both he and Robin are in the SBC.

I also spent time with Wade Burleson, Ben Cole, Art Rogers, Jason Epps, Daniel Brymer, Bob Cleveland, Paul Burleson, Debbie Kaufman, Alyce Lee, Boyd Luter, and Dorcas Hawker. Dorcas has the best notes anywhere on the conference, if you want to read them HERE, HERE, and HERE).  UPDATE: She also has a synopsis of ALL the relevant posts and news articles HERE. Check it out. Wade has a great synopsis of the Sunday worship service HERE and a summary of Dr. Sam Storms Saturday morning presentation HERE.  I know that I missed some people, but it was a wonderful time.

I was pleased with my presentation on "Defining and Defending Continualism," and am proud to say that my presentation was the shortest in the entire conference at 35 minutes (members of my church will be shocked to hear that, I know!).  I had prepared for a 50 minute presentation, but Pastor McKissic leaned back and asked if I could cut it to a half hour because we were running short of time and things had gotten backed up. Ugh. The previous speakers had all gone a bit over, and while individually it wasn't a major deal, collectively it made the difference. I definitely wanted to be respectful of his instructions, so I started scrambling to figure out what I needed to jettison. My presentation would not make sense if sections were missing, I thought, so I decided to stick with the whole thing, but not elaborate much on each point - just let it speak for itself. I think that I was to the point, but I know that there is much more that I would have like to have said and I am sure that I left some with confusion. So, even though it felt hurried and incomplete, I trust that God used it to do His work.

My thoughts on this subject have been enumerated on my Holy Spirit posts in November, 2006 (click on Holy Spirit in Categories and move down - 4 posts). But, a couple of things seemed to jump out:

1. Dr. Sam Storms and I were asked to defend the Continualist position. Bart Barber and Robin Foster were asked to defend the Cessationist position. Unless they got more detailed instructions that we got, the results were very interesting. Without collusion, Dr. Storms and I both defended the idea that all of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit are for today, including speaking in tongues. We each talked about tongues, but they were minor parts of our presentations, as they should be. Bart and Robin both focused on tongues almost exclusively. Again, they might have had more detailed instructions, but I wonder if they did that because the main issue for many cessationists or semi-cessationists is tongues? To me, tongues are not the big deal - they are just one of many gifts.  For others, including the trustees of the IMB, it seems to be THE issue. That was educational.
2. Some people expressed surprise at my statements that no one got saved from hearing anyone speak in tongues in the Book of Acts. No one. Anywhere. In Acts 2, the 120 spoke in tongues giving praise to God, and the people heard them in their own language. The result was confusion as they asked, "What does this mean?" Peter explained it for them by clearly preaching the gospel and 3,000 were added to their number that day. In Acts 10, those in Cornelius' house spoke in tongues AFTER they heard the gospel and the Holy Spirit fell upon them. If these were intelligible human languages given for evangelisitc purposes, then what language was it? They were all Samaritans there, and at that point, they were all believers. In Acts 19, the disciples of John the Baptist, likewise, spoke in tongues and prophesied AFTER the Holy Spirit came upon them. Again, they all spoke the same language and had already believed. No evangelistic emphasis there. And, if they spoke in other human languages, what were they? Was there an interpreter? What was the purpose, since they all already spoke the same language?

I imagine that I'll go to my grave before I get satisfactory answers to those questions. In my opinion, whether your argument is from history or from theological gymnastics based on some Bible verses, you do not have much of a leg to stand upon if you stand in the cessationist quicksand. I had everyone stand up at the beginning and I read around 15 passages to them recounting God's miraculous works in the New Testament. I could have read way more, as there are over 150 passages in Scripture showing us the miraculous works of God through His people. Are we to believe that this work is over? If so, I don't think that I could believe anything that Scripture says about God. Perhaps some can, but that would basically be impossible for me. It is becoming that closely connected to the character and work of the Lord for me. But, while it is a big deal to me, I continue to reiterate that it is not something that I want to divide over. I fully respect and desire to work with any other believers who have different positions than I do on this issue. There are more important things that we should be focusing on!

Well, as I stated before, the conference was well done. I didn't agree with everything that every speaker said (on both sides), but I did agree with the gracious spirit of all who participated. May we have many more days like these.

UPDATE:  Robin Foster has put much of his paper online HERE. We engaged in healthy discussion over his points. Jason Epps debated Robin's paper HERE point by point. He provided an excellent analysis of the subjunctive mood of the Greek that Robin uses to buttress his point in the comment section of his post. It is definitely worth checking out for those who are interested in the minutae of this debate. Excellent.

Disclaimer: A couple of months ago I said that I was not going to write anymore about Baptist issues and a reader of mine called me on it in the comments section of my last post. I do want to add a few caveats, lest anyone think that I am back in the SBC stuff. I am going to write about the upcoming Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit that I am speaking at this weekend in Texas because it has to do with God, theology, missions, and God's on going work in the world. There happens to be a Baptist controversy going on right now over those things, but those issues by themselves are important enough to write about and are of interest to me. I will also give commentary on the upcoming reports from the IMB Ad Hoc Committee regarding their review of the prayer language and baptism policies due out in May because that will basically end debate on the issue one way or another. It will be over at that point. For closure, I also plan on attending the SBC Annual Meeting in San Antonio in June - unless God says otherwise, it will likely be my last. I'll write about that because it will be a personal experience in religious something or other. My involvement in all of this stuff started in December 2005 and I want to see it through. The invovlement will end in June and be intentional until then. So, with that said, let's get on to the actual post . . .

As I think about whether or not I should begin to prepare for the upcoming Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit (kidding), I've also been thinking a lot about the barriers to proper communication on this issue. I'd like some help, if you have a moment. Concerning the continuation of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, like healing, speaking in tongues, prophecy, miracles, etc., what has been your experience? What has shaped you view on the issue? Are you mainly reactive to abuses, or have you done actual biblical study on your own? Why do you believe what you believe?

I really am interested in what people think and it would be quite helpful. Personally, I think that most people who believe that the gifts are not for today either:

1. Were taught that by someone influential in their life
2. Had a bad experience with abuses and unbiblical extremes
3. Heard about a bad experience with abuses and unbiblical extremes
4. Watched TBN for 15 minutes
5. Have never experienced or seen spiritual gifts in operation so they doubt their existence
6. Other?

How many really come to a cessationist position because of careful biblical study? I know that people do, and I am not dismissing that. I would just like to understand better what passages really informed you that God no longer works that way. How does the Bible support that position? Or, can you honestly say that fear of the abuses and excesses of others have pushed you into a position where you are not open or look skeptically upon such things?

If I get a really good answer (it can be from either position) and I end up using it (minus your name) in my talk on "Defining and Defending the Continualist Position," I'll send you a copy of Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God by Gordon Fee. It is a very readable and excellent book on the role of the Holy Spirit in Paul's letters and the way that Paul saw Him operating in the church. Really good stuff! It is a scaled down version of God's Empowering Presence, which is Fee's magnum opus that is also great but unapproachable for most readers. Plus, it's a lot more expensive. So, help me out and I'll send you a free book!

So, I thought I'd start the week off with some thoughts concerning the upcoming Baptist Conference on the Holy Spirit at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, TX. I've been asked to take part in a panel discussion on Saturday morning. I am also speaking at 3pm on the topic "Defining and Defending the Continualist Position." I've planned and led quite a few conferences, and my great hope in my participation in this one is that I'll be speaking at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, that time period takes the pressure off greatly.  Generally, only family members, the church custodian, and some guys moving chairs and tables in the back are around at that time, as most have retired to their homes and hotels for a much needed afternoon nap before returning in the evening. Those left in the room usually begin to sink down in their seats and drop their heads in an attitude of prayer that goes on for some time. If not careful, some have been known to actually fall out of their chairs as though they were slain, charismatic style. The 3pm crowd is quite pious, actually.

I'm thinking I really should blow the dust off the old family Bible, crack it open and prepare for this, since I will be surrounded by incredibly qualified people with academic degrees and what not. But, then I thought, why not just wing it?  Since many in the SBC consider those who believe in the continuation of miraculous Spiritual Gifts to base their sketchy theology on experience alone, I thought I'd just show up and see what happens. I'm sure it will turn out all right in the end. I have about 45 minutes to speak, I think, so I thought I'd show a video of people speaking in tongues to each other without interpretation for about 20 minutes. I could get some clips of all types of charismatic phenomena, like people barking, rolling around, and running around the church. It could be entitled, "Coming to a Baptist Church Near You If Continualists Get Their Way!"  Then, since we are experience based after all, I could divide the room up into small groups and ask people to share their feelings about the video. Was it scary? How did it make them feel? After that, I'd blast them for not having enough faith or something. I'm still working on my closing, but I don't want to put TOO much thought into, remember? Spontaneity and all.

In case you didn't realize, this was an experiment in satire. I'm not trying to insult your intelligence by stating the obvious, but I have read comments on some blogs that would lead me to believe that nuance is lost on more than a few. In all seriousness, I am VERY excited about this coming weekend. I feel that it will provide a much needed forum to discuss and debate one of the central controversies in Baptist life today. I am incredibly honored to be speaking and am very excited about the 3pm time, because I will get to go last, in a sense, and I will be able to respond to the statements made by the cessationist speakers before me, Bart Barber and Robin Foster. I am preparing as best I can, and do not plan to just wing it, even though I am sure to be dwarfed by the theological and mental heavyweights that will be my counterparts. So, I appreciate your prayers this week as I get ready for what should be a great experience.

Dearth: noun; lack, a scarcity of something.

I am not implying that we do not have enough "American Christianity," but that, regarding what we have, it is lacking something.  I know, I know. Just about every book you read on the present state of the church starts with, "10 Reasons Why the Church is Dying," or, "We're Losing Our Nation for God," or, "Everything's Falling Apart and It's Probably Your Fault." It's a great hook that Christian writers use to get you to read their book. They start with several chapters about what is wrong with the church, culture, theology, or you, and after you have gazed at the horizon from the top of their particular soap box, they then guide you through the shelves of their solution oriented merchandise. In about 250 pages they have identified the problem and have properly led you to their tidy fixes. Authors, pastors, and speakers are constantly hawking their magic potions to restore our marriages, churches, witness, and effectiveness in a myriad of areas. I am regularly being told how I should be doing more in every area, what I should do to help my church to grow, how I can be a better person, and how I can solve all my problems. When Scripture is used, it is used to show me what is possible and how far away I am from that goal. Again, the opening chapters tell me what the problem is, and the latter chapters point me to the solution. Well, I know that there is a problem, and I don't need Dr. So and So's book for $17.95 to tell me so. But, sometimes the search for solutions IS the problem.

I understand that the methods these authors and speakers use are basic rules of rhetoric and they are how we have learned to advance our arguments. These tactics also seek to asuage the nagging feeling within us that there is something not right by comforting us with a simple diagnosis and prescription for the problem. Dr. Danny Akin of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary sought to do the same thing for us regarding the problems in the SBC when he gave us "The Eight Theological Essentials for Southern Baptists in the 21st Century." Here they are:

1. The non-negotiable of a regenerate Church (John 3; Rom. 3; 2 Cor. 5; Gal. 3)
2. The essential nature of believers baptism by immersion with a biblical appreciation for its significance. (Matt. 28; Acts, Rom. 6)
3. The recovery of the lost jewels of church discipline and genuine disciple-making as essential marks of the Church.
4. The emphasis and practice of a genuinely Word-based ministry (2 Tim. 4:1-5)
5. The vision for a faithful and authentic biblical ecclesiology (Acts. 2; Eph. 4; Pastorals)
6. The continued nurturing of a fervent missionary and evangelistic passion that is wedded to a healthy and robust theology (1 Thess. 1; Eph. 4:11-16; Jude 3-4; Rev. 5)
7. The teaching and preaching of a 1st century biblical model for church planting (Acts 17)
8. The wisdom to look back and remember who we were so that as we move forward we will not forget who we are

These points are elaborated upon on Tom Ascol's blog. Don't get me wrong, I think that these are all great things and I am fully in favor of them. We need to faithfully practice all 8 of these points, because they are right and Biblical. But, the implication, whether it is intentional by the speaker or not, is that these steps will fix our problems.  And underlying all of our best intentions, methods, and approaches to life and ministry, the question must be asked from time to time: Why are we doing all of this?

Over time, I've come to believe that our motives are almost always mixed. I feel like that to be properly understood here I have to give a thousand qualifiers, like, "We should do evangelism," or "Happy marriages are important." But, I'm going to just save some time and skip it. I am fundamentally beginning to believe that what lies behind much of our effort and energy to be holy, have a great marriage, build a great church or a powerful evangelistic ministry, take our nation for Christ, and have revival is a profound insecurity and desire to have things our way so that we will be satisfied, safe, and justified in our "rightness." At least that is much of what I see in the South. In that, we are not much different from the Pharisees of old.

The Pharisees during Jesus' day were all about purity and separation. They wanted Israel to be holy and to completely obey the Law. The idea of blasphemy or idolatry or Law breaking was anathema to them, and they fully prosecuted anyone who got close to doing so. But, lying behind their pious intentions was a blatant fear that God was going to punish them and a belief that if they did everything right, then their autonomy as a nation from the Romans would be restored. The lesson that they learned from the Babylonian Captivity was that worshipping idols causes you to lose your nation and become slaves, therefore, you should not worship idols. But, the greater commandments such as loving God and others were lost upon them because their primary focus was their own security, safety, and happiness. I think that it is often the same with us.

Do we really focus so much on evangelism and missions because our hearts are broken for the lost and God's love is pulsing through us, or because we want to see our churches full so that we'll feel better about ourselves and our success, and so that we can have confidence that God is pleased with us and is blessing our ministry? I've been in churches where everyone was excited and really worshipping God when there were a lot of people there, but when the crowd was low, everyone was depressed. Why is that? I think that large crowds and a big following for our ministries make us feel like we are significant and like God is pleased with us. As if there were not other ways that we could know that (Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.").

In Dr. Akin's Eight Points, I see no mention of Jesus or relying upon the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."  - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Paul pretty much lays out the impetus and power behind his ministry. Yet, I have NEVER heard that text proclaimed as a truth that we need to focus on. Is it too difficult to focus on and fall in love with Jesus? Is it too difficult to have a passion for God be our focus? Do we tell people to ONLY preach Christ crucified? What does that mean? What if our ministries ended up like the prophets of old, or even like Jesus' when he died on the Cross? We are so focused on size, results, power, and effectiveness that we have forgotten what it is to truly walk with the Lord. People are not coming to our churches because we have nothing to offer them. If a walk with the Lord is described by most preachers, it is generally described in terms of what sins we are not to committ, rather than in a positive nature of having our hearts filled with the wonders of God. If trouble comes, there is an immediate fear that we have done something wrong, rather than an understanding that this world is difficult, sin plagued, and full of death and we happen to live in it. We will suffer, but we have a Savior! We are giving people a Christianity that is focused on our needs, happiness, and contentment, while training ministers to put their faith in methods, structures, and right behaviors as though we could call down God's blessing through our effort and ability, instead of through a dependence upon the Spirit's power. Are we broken over our self-sufficiency? Are we yearning for God and the pleasure of His presence? Are we broken over the lostness and emptiness of the people around us? What are the motives that lie behind our actions?

As we near Easter, I have been thinking a lot about the Pharisees and the Jews of Jesus' day. And, I have realized that I am just like them at times. I have tried to use God to get my way, gain significance, and be happy and fulfilled. I have wanted Him to bless what I am doing and I get my worth from revelling in that blessing. I have often wanted to be first in relationships and the Kingdom, instead of following Jesus' words when he said, "For he who is the least among you all - he is the greatest" (Luke 9:48). But, God will not be used - He will only be worshipped. He will tear everything out of us that we have relied upon Him for, until we only desire Him. He is not our "God in a box," that we can bring out whenever we want something and so that our lives will be alright and our churches will function properly. He is God and there is none like Him.

The dearth of American Christianity is that the Jesus of Bible is rarely seen. The power of the Gospel that transforms selfish sinners into selfless saints has been exchanged for easy steps to Heaven and Your Best Life Now. And, this is even true in our very conservative churches that focus on expository preaching and church discipline if those things are just a means to some other end besides Christ. We desperately need Jesus, yet we always seem to run to something else that is good, but is one degree off of The Center. Over time, that one degree takes us miles away, and we wonder why we are so parched, weak, and worn out. The answer is not found in a new method, strategy, or blessing, but in returning to a place of affection and dependence upon our Savior for everything, with His glory as our desire and a sacrificial love for others as our activity. Colossians 1:17 says, "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together." Do we really believe that?

I know that I've been preaching in this post, and few of you have probably read this far (I understand that I broke most of the rules for blogs by writing a really long post). Fewer still will leave comments because we rarely take time to process such things. But, I want to encourage each one of us (I think I write more for myself to have the right focus than anything else) to focus on Jesus, live for His glory, and really think about what it means for us to be the least amongst the brothers, to suffer and join in with others who are suffering, and to take the worst seat and to be a servant to all. That might be considered to be a given, but it is a given that we rarely talk about anymore in our desire for effectiveness, happiness, and growth. So, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector 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" (Heb. 12:2,3).

What do you think? Better yet, what will you do?

After travelling through India, I know what "Holy Cow" really means (Hindus worship the cow, believing that it is a reincarnated ancestor that should be venerated). However, Andrew Jones gives us a different understanding of the phrase as he explores true Christian fellowship in his post, Fellowship Reimagined. Apparently, he and his family are going in with some other villagers in Orkney, Scotland, where they live, to purchase a cow. He then goes on to tell us that sharing in the owner ship of a cow is the actual true meaning of the word, Fellowship:

"For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." - Acts 28:30-31

I ran across this verse at the end of Acts the other day and I've been thinking about it ever since. Paul, while under house arrest, preached the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean to "preach the Kingdom of God?" We know what teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ is pretty much, but, the Kingdom of God? Not so much, I'm afraid. I don't what to separate Jesus from the Kingdom, but it seems that more is meant here than that they are the very same thing. Of course, everywhere Jesus goes, His Kingdom is manifest, but what does that really mean?

The Kingdom seemed to be a pretty big deal to Jesus. Matthew 4:23 says, "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people."  He taught his followers to pray, "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 5:10).  He sent the Twelve out and told them "As you go, preach this message: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:7-8). So many of Jesus' parables were about the Kingdom, as well. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed . . . yeast . . . a treasure. Jesus preached it. Paul preached it. We are told to preach it ("And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole word as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" - Matt. 24:14).

So, if it was that big of a deal, then what is it? How much teaching do we hear on the Kingdom of God? How many of us really know what it is? A simple definition would be that a Kingdom is wherever the King reigns and rules. When Jesus said "the Kingdom of God is within you" (Lk. 17:21), He was speaking of the place where His Spirit would reside and where He would reign and rule. When the gospel of the Kingdom is preached, it is meant to bring people and all creation under the reign and rule of the King, Jesus Christ. We are not to just preach, teach, and obey a gospel that allows us to be unchanged within and that just gets us into heaven. The gospel of the Kingdom is to be all encompassing. It is to touch every aspect of our lives and bring redemption to dead places within us, our families, communities, culture, and world. We are to literally pray that God's Kingdom would come and that His will would be done on earth, just like it is in Heaven! Do we really pray that way? Do we live that way? Do we preach that way?

I think that what Jesus and Paul meant by the gospel of the Kingdom is a whole lot bigger than what we hear in our churches. What do you think the gospel of the Kingdom is, and how can we see it in our lives and the world around us?

Warning: Blatant Baptist ramblings ahead. Proceed at your own risk. What you read may frighten you, cause you to run and hide, or make you wish you had never heard of denominations. Do not fear, I will not address this subject again until well into January, if then. I will write happy posts about Christmas, children, and jolly good times. But, for now, only if you are interested, you can engage with me on why I care about the goings on in the SBC and what difference it might make to anything that really matters in life. You might be surprised.

Over the past year, Southern Baptists have been engaged in a struggle over what defines the limits of our cooperation in missions (you can read my articles on the topic HERE).  Some have tried to say that if you believe that the gifts of the Spirit have continued to this day (a continualist position), including speaking in tongues privately in prayer to God, you should not be accepted as a missionary candidate with the International Mission Board (IMB).  There are other issues that are dividing us, including issues surrounding baptism and Christian liberty.

I am just going to say a few things about this and ask a few questions like the ones I have been posing to Dr. Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church, Farmersville, TX.  Dr. Barber is an a posteriori cessationist  , which basically means that, while he doesn't see Biblical evidence for the ceasing of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, he has looked around and not seen them in operation the way he thinks the Bible says. Therefore, he has come to the conclusion that God must have withdrawn them. Besides the fact that this view places all the weight of the evidence on what Dr. Barber himself has seen or not seen, it goes beyond the words of Scripture (or falls short) and places it's faith in experience, or lack thereof, rather than in what the Bible tells us to expect. Dr. Barber and I had a lively debate on this on one of my posts on the Holy Spirit, so you can see for yourself how he answered these questions. I do not want to put words in his mouth, so please, read his words for yourself.

Recently, Dr. Barber has been writing posts proclaiming that it is thoroughly natural for the SBC to divide, at least in our appointment of missionaries, and perhaps beyond, over the issue of private prayer language.  He is a fair and good man, and I have learned to appreciate his keen mind, gentle spirit, and heart for the Lord and others. I enjoy discussing these things with him, because I feel that he is fair in his treatment of the subject and he will keep you thinking. I hope I do the same for him. In short, he is EXACTLY the type of man that I would love to work with, despite my continualist views, and is a good example of everything that I love about the SBC.

However, I am obviously in disagreement with him and many others who are advocating that a form of cessationism be considered the de facto theological position on this matter in the SBC. I feel that there are many who would like to see this view codified in the Baptist Faith & Message (BF&M), the Southern Baptist confession of faith. With recent events in our missions agency and at Southwestern Seminary, this possibility seems to be gaining steam. I take being involved in a denomination seriously, because we attach our name to theirs. We send 10% of our tithes and offerings to denominational entities and we do missions through the SBC. We participate with our sister churches in many things and we share a common theological heritage. I care about this because it is important. Let me list some ways the SBC will be affected, in my opinion, if this gathering storm against continualists keeps moving forward:

David Dockery, the president of Union University, a Baptist school in Tennessee, called for unity among Southern Baptists based on the essentials of the faith (HT: Wade Burleson). This is a really great article and I agree with his perspective wholeheartedly.  Here's a couple of excerpts:

“What I wanted to do was to call us back to a primary focus on the Gospel itself and understand those areas where we have strong agreement about the sinfulness of humanity and their lostness apart from Christ, that our salvation is found in Christ alone,” Dockery said.

“I invite us to move from controversy and confusion to a new consensus and take a step back, not just to commit ourselves afresh to missions and evangelism, as important as that is, but to commit ourselves first and foremost to the Gospel, the message of missions and evangelism, the message that is found only in Jesus Christ and His atoning death for sinners,” Dockery said. “I trust that we can hold hands together for the good of the Gospel beginning here at Union University, which can bring a fresh breath, a fresh wind of God’s Spirit across Tennessee Baptist life and across the Southern Baptist Convention.”

“It is possible to hold hands with brothers and sisters who disagree on secondary and tertiary matters of theology and work together toward a common good to advance the Kingdom of God,” Dockery said. “But we need to be of like mind on first-order issues, issues such as the authority and truthfulness of the Bible, the deity and humanity of Christ, the Holy Trinity and the exclusivity of the Gospel.”

Amen, brother! May your tribe increase! Again, read the article HERE.

And, if you haven't already, check out some of my thoughts on unity last week at my post, Our Real Basis of Unity.

This is the last in my series on Evangelicals and the Holy Spirit, particularly in relation to the continuation of Spiritual Gifts, and especially speaking in tongues. I will attempt to answer some questions regarding the role and purpose of speaking in tongues in this post. As you read this, think about whether or not you think this is a reasonable teaching, or as SWBTS says, it is a doctrine harmful to the churches.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Prayer

(Please note: Jesus said a great deal about prayer that is not germane to this discussion on speaking in tongues. This is in no way meant to be a comprehensive treatment of the subject of prayer.)

Let’s turn our attention to Romans 8:26-27: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.”  So, what happens here?

1. The Spirit helps us in our weakness
2. We do not know what to pray for
3. The Spirit intercedes for us with unutterable groans
4. The Spirit intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will

After talking about presuppositions and foundations, it is time to move to the direct issue of speaking in tongues. This issue is important because the boards of trustees of the International Mission Board (IMB), the North American Mission Board (NAMB), and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) have all made statements and policy against this practice.  In doing so, they have gone beyond the Baptist Faith & Message2000, our confession of faith.  Where do Baptists and Evangelicals stand on this issue? Where should we stand? It is not that we should embrace speaking in tongues, or private prayer language (ppl) as many have called it. It is not that we should promote the practice. But, should we eliminate from missionary service and leadership in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), those who do engage in this practice? Is it that big of a deal, or is it a non-essential that can be overlooked? Is there room enough in the SBC for both the pro and con positions on this issue to exist side by side? Time will tell, but I wanted to put my two cents into the debate.

In my previous post on this issue, I dealt with the idea of the origins of cessationism (the belief that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit have ceased). I believe that cessationism is directly related to the skepticism of the Enlightenment and resulting modernism and has more in common with liberalism than with Biblical conservatism. The cessationist claims to follow Scripture as his foundation and guide, but in reality, he is taking built in presuppositions that derive from an anti-supernatural bias to the reading of the text.

This is the first of a several part series on Evangelicalism and the Holy Spirit. This post sets a very superficial context from a cultural and historical view that is needed, I feel, to truly understand the issues. It is longer than most blog posts and will be the longest of this series by far, but I believe it will be beneficial to the subject later in the week. So, grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and let’s explore some issues in depth.

To rip off Al Michaels call when the U.S. beat Russia in hockey in the 1980 Olympics, “Do you believe in miracles?”  Every Bible believing Evangelical Christian would say yes, but there would be a lot of caveats offered for some. Some believe that, while God can do anything, the Age of Miracles have ceased and the miraculous gifts of the Spirit that were operative when the New Testament was being written are no longer given to the churches. These people are called cessationist (gifts have ceased).  Others believe that God continues to pour out his gifts  and perform miracles today. These people are called continualists (gifts have continued).  With the building controversy in the SBC over the restriction of missionaries who speak in tongues and the strong stance that Southwestern Seminary has taken against the practice, I feel that we are heading for a collision of worldviews in both the SBC and the evangelical world.  There are streams of thought (the cessationist view vs. the continualist view) that have run together for some time, but now seem to be diverging. Is this to be expected? Is it more important to stay unified or to follow what we believe the Bible to be teaching? How did we become divided? What are the solutions? I want to explore some of these questions over the next several posts and point to some possible solutions.

Since I wrote about Andrew Jones yesterday, I thought I'd link to a post of his today on differing theories of the atonement. The historical Reformed view is of penal substitution as the focus, and that is where I find myself as well. However, as the Bible lays out other views, such as the atonement providing victory over the powers of darkness and this world (Christus Victor), I feel that we should embrace those views as well so that our view of the atonement is as large as the Bible makes it out to be (this is what Mark Dever proposes in his Christianity Today article). We probably have no idea what Jesus fully accomplished on the Cross, but it is clear to me that He paid for our sins, defeated Satan, death, hell, and conquered our flesh and the curse of sin.  He also restored us to the image of God and through the resurrection and ascension He gave us new, eternal life, and the power of the Holy Spirit. God did so much on the cross, that I think that is is hard to limit it to just ONE perspective, although for me, the substitutionary atonement for our sins leads out, but not to the exclusion of everthing else.

Romans 11:33-36 says:

33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and^[i] knowledge of God!
      How unsearchable his judgments,
      and his paths beyond tracing out!
34"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
      Or who has been his counselor?"^[j]
35"Who has ever given to God,
      that God should repay him?"^[k]
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
      To him be the glory forever! Amen.

The Cross of Christ is the wisdom of God. Shouldn't that wisdom be multi-faceted? Shouldn't we have a FULL understanding of what God did through Christ instead of just a narrow focus? I like what Scot McKnight says:

“For goodness sake, let’s use all the images for atonement so the story will become grander that we can imagine! The atonement, friends, is a banquet, and we need to sample each course as it comes along.”

Just some theological thoughts for the weekend. How do you see it?