Why Do We Anoint With Oil?

Why Do We Need Oil?

As Christians, it is crucial that we understand the why behind the what regarding everything we do. Sometimes at the end of our worship gatherings you'll see pastors praying for people and even anointing them with oil. What is this about? Why do we do it? 

Descriptive and Prescriptive

Sometimes the New Testament uses descriptive language that describes what was happening then and there. Other times it is clearly prescriptive implying "this is prescribed for all confessing Christians." Being able to discern between the two becomes all the more important as we function as a local church.

For example, in Acts 2 (and Acts 4), we see the first church coming into existence and it is recorded that “all who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2.44). How do you read that text for us today? Is it prescriptive or descriptive? Is this a command for all Christians at all times and all places to mimic the first church in every single facet? Not necessarily. Luke is describing some of the practices of the early church. 

But when it comes to anointing people with oil, the New Testament is rather unclear in both places the practice is mentioned. The first occasion (Mark 6:13) is descriptive of certain events. The second occasion (James 5:14) is prescriptive for the elders of a local church.

Disciples’ Practice: Descriptive

The first time we see the practice is found in the Gospel of Mark after Jesus had sent the disciples out to preach and had given them authority to heal the crowds: “And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them” (6.13). However, Mark does not tell us why they anointed the people with oil, just that they did.

Elders’ Practice: Prescriptive

In James 5:14, we see this: “ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. “ The command is clearly prescriptive. This must be done.

What Is the Purpose?

But what is the purpose of anointing people with oil? The reason for anointing with oil in the first century was twofold:

1. Medicinal

2. Sacramental

Medicinal

When Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan, he says that the Samaritan “went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him” (Lk. 10.34). This is because the oil would have functioned as a soothing skin conditioner.

Sacramental

When James wrote, he may have  in mind: “After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.”  The concept here was a “setting apart for the special attention and service of God.” It could be used as a physical demonstration to the sick and serve as a means of saying, “we are placing you in God’s merciful hands.”

And Douglas Moo points out that the early Greek church practiced what they called the Euchaleaion (a combination of the words euche, “prayer,” and elaion, “oil,” which are both used in James 5:14). They did this for the goal of “strengthening the body and soul of the sick.”

Since the oil was used in both medicinal and sacramental contexts, we at Redemption Church have to keep in mind both common grace (which benefits all mankind) and special grace (which is for God’s people), if you will. We acknowledge and respect the medical community, and we believe that God works through the means of the common grace of our doctors. (James tips his hat towards the medical community, in my opinion). Yet, in prayer, we go before God, requesting that he do a miracle, something supernatural in healing the people of Redemption. When we do this, we are asking for a special grace.

The Sacrifice of a Saint

Money is a big deal. For many, it’s the biggest deal. If you have lots of it, you’re happy. If you have little of it, you’re sad. Like every other gift of God, it can be used to bring him glory and others joy, or it can be an idol that leads us to all sorts of sin. “Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything," wrote Solomon (Ecc. 10:19). “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” wrote Paul. “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim. 6:10). Jesus taught us that, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).

TEN PERCENT IS NOT THE POINT

I’ve heard it said that Jesus talked about money and stewardship more than any other subject. When it comes to tithing, New Testament Christians have questions: Are we supposed to tithe? Does the New Testament teach us to do so? The short answer to both questions is “no.” (Hang with me.) There is not an explicit command in the New Testament to directly give a certain percentage of our income to the Church. Some would ask “Why not?” Here’s a guess: I think the New Testament doesn’t speak directly to how we ought to tithe because when you signed up to be a Christian in the first century, you signed up literally for death, and so giving an arbitrary percentage of your wealth would pale in significance to giving your life.

“Taking up your cross” was not a metaphor likened to a headache or having to pay the bills. If you were to bump into one of the early converts in Acts and said, “Are you going to tithe?” their reply might have been, “What do you mean 'tithe?' You mean give my money to advance the gospel of Jesus? Of course. I have given literally my life to following him! Of course I give my money! After all, it is Jesus’ money entrusted to me anyways!” Jesus literally expected martyrs to follow him all the way to death because life with him was and is real LIFE!

JESUS GENEROUSLY PAID OUR DEBT

We are a few weeks away from Christmas. And this is the time of year where we celebrate our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who made the world (Heb. 1:1–3), who was in debt to no man, clothed himself in flesh, lived the life we couldn’t live, died the death we should have died, and rose from the grave that he may bring God glory by converting his enemies into Abba’s children. Paul knew this, so when he spoke of money, on one occasion, he didn’t guilt the church into giving, which he called an “act of grace,” but appealed to what we celebrate during the Christmas season: the Incarnation of Jesus.

"I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:8–9 (emphasis added).

Paul points to the grace of Jesus and when we see his grace for what it is: our hearts open to Jesus, and our money following what he is passionate about.

Find the Snake, Listen for His Lies

THE FIRST LIE . . .

In Genesis, we read that God created and declared all things good, including the first couple, our parents, Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden and the serpent—the deceiver, Satan—arrives and tells a lie to Eve. She believes the lie as does her husband, Adam. They act on their false belief, eat the forbidden fruit, and face the consequences of their sin, the first of which was the recognition that they were indeed naked. God confronts them and the story takes a sudden turn as he appears too good to be true and does what is undeserved—God provides a sacrifice to cover their nakedness.

. . . IS THE SAME LIE

As a pastor and missional Christian, I have the opportunity to sit down with people from all walks of life on a regular basis and hear about sin and its devastating effects that comes with following the lie that unholiness promises fulfillment. I, like you and everyone else since the Garden incident, have been told the same lie.

Listen for Satan’s lies. That’s the only language he speaks.

Fortunately, the story doesn’t end there. Good Friday tells us that God showed up yet again and covered our nakedness once and for all with the righteousness of Jesus.

A couple of years ago, in reading the famous Garden passage in Genesis, I noticed something and have used it ever since in both missional conversations with unbelievers and in discipleship settings with Christians. I call it “Find the snake.” It’s simple. In speaking with people, you’re going to hear about sin because that’s what we do by nature and choice. When this happens, don’t ignore it bashfully or run or duck but rather go ahead meet it head-on in Jesus’ name with Jesus’ grace.

LISTEN FOR THE LIES

But before you can address the issue, you’ve got to hear it articulated clearly. One of the worst things you can do is cut someone off mid-sentence and offer up an half-informed response.

As people talk about sin, I’d encourage you to look just a bit deeper than the act committed or omitted by the person or the person sinned against, and look for the ancient snake. Listen for his lies. You’ll know it’s him because that’s the only language he speaks (John 8:44). Listen for his words and his heart—those lead to his works.  Ask, “Where’s the snake in the garden of your life? What lie are you believing or tempted to believe?” You see, it is more than the behavior that you want to address. Thoughts and beliefs give rise to actions. Address the thinking. (Theologically, this is in the realm of the 'Noetic Effects of Sin').

CALLING OUT THE LIE

We get one example of this by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians. Some of the Christians in Galatia were buying the lie from the Judaizer party, who essentially were telling the Galatians, “You can have Jesus and grace and all that, but you’ll need to tack on a few more works of the law in order to secure and maintain your new Christian status.” Paul knew this sounded like the snake, so he prodded deeper and asked “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3).

They were in danger of believing a lie that belittles Jesus’ cross and the power of the Holy Spirit, and so Paul found the snake and called it out.

STAY ALERT

You can see that, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6.12).

Fortunately, the God of the Christian, Jesus, has authority over all authorities (Matt.28:18, John 16:33) and always leads us into victory (2 Cor. 2:14) The battle rages in both the physical world (demonic possession, Mark 5:1–20) and in the spiritual realm (faulty thinking, 2 Cor. 10:4–5).

Stay awake.

Stay alert

Don’t just judge behaviors—find the snake.

Happy hunting!

Tremble at the Word

I’ve found that for some it is far too easy to simply handle the Bible as scientists handle radioactive material.

Scripture gets examined like it's behind glass and you need to be covered in sterile clothing with gloves to approach it. The Word gets treated as something solely to be studied and examined for its contents and data to be reported, rather than something to be encountered which actually reads you better than you read it.

THINKING THE CHARACTERS' THOUGHTS

This doesn’t mean that we hijack faithful biblical interpretation or exegesis. Authors, locations, genres, audiences and so on are critical! Historian R.G. Collingwood said it right: “Any worthwhile history must involve thinking the characters' thoughts after them.” Thus, running off in any direction desired by the reader is just foolish and selfish. Reading like that betrays a basic respect for the Author and authors of the Bible.

The Bible contains the very words of God.

I believe the prophet Isaiah offers us more than a clue to encountering the living God. He provides the exact prescription, “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66:2).

MOVED WITH AWE

This means literally to shake or quake and be moved with awe before God’s Word. What was the last experience that caused you to tremble? Standing before Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon? Staring out into the sea or up into the cosmos? Seeing your baby born? Visiting a cathedral? Attending a funeral?

What if that experience of trembling was to actually precede our interpretation and exegesis of the Word? We simply need to recognize what we are reading matters. The Bible contains the very words of God.

YAWNING OR TREMBLING?

I find that my walk with God is most stagnate when I’m no longer trembling before God’s Word, but rather yawning as I stare at the words on the pages because I’ve grown self-absorbed, bored with God as I’m too familiar with him and focused on “my kingdom come” instead of “Thy Kingdom come.”

The Bible is like a lion.

When was the last time you trembled at the Word of God? If you’ll notice, Isaiah doesn’t say, “This is the one to whom I will look..."

• “the one who has a PhD in Theology.”
• “the one who has perfect church attendance.”
• “the one who has all their t’s crossed and i’s dotted.”
• “the one who has the most followers on Twitter.”

God looks for the trembling, the humble, the broken, and the one who shudders before the Creator’s Word. This isn’t trying to scare you out of Bible study. This is simply giving the Bible it’s proper place. The Bible is like a lion; if you really know what you’re looking at, you, by nature, will tremble because of its power.

“At these words Peter trembled, Plato did not; so let the fisherman keep what the great and famous philosopher ignored!” (Augustine Sermon 68.7).

What Skateboarding Taught Me About Missions

Both the skater and the missionary see the world with different eyes.

My first skateboard was tiny, green with yellow wheels, and had a picture of ALF on the bottom. At 16, a skate park was my first exposure to ministry.

During high school I met Jesus. At the church I got connected into, I met an old man named Bill. Unlike myself, Bill didn’t skate, but he was a carpenter with a calling to start a skateboarding ministry. Bill built my friends and me several ramps and rails to skate on. Over time, more and more kids started showing up to skate with us. During our time together we would hang out, and a group of us would preach the gospel in our makeshift skate park.

So what does skating have to do with living on mission for Jesus? Everything.

Beyond skate parks, I loved street skating in public. (Though a while ago I decided that I should not street skate any more since the Bible says that we are to obey the laws of the land.) To street skate well you need to have two things: guts and an eye for a good spot to skate.

Even to this day, regardless of the city or occasion, I can’t help but see certain stairs, gaps, rails, ledges, and curbs and think, I’d love to skate that. Of course, now that I’m 34, a husband, dad, pastor, professor, and a student, I don’t have as much time to skateboard like I used to, but lessons I learned while skateboarding still continue to influence my life. Skateboarding was in my blood for so long it’s practically conditioning.

This is how the mind of a missional Christian works: it changes the way you see your city.

You drive around town by yourself or with a friend, and, rather than seeing spots to skate, you see people and think, What if that person knew how much God loved them? Who could that person be and what could that person do in Christ?

This means that when you see the guy outside smoking pot, you don’t judge him, but rather pray for, think about, and, yes, befriend him. You do this with the intention of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with him and one day seeing him or her as a leader in your church.

You see the prostitute on the street corner and think, That woman needs the love and grace of Jesus. One day I think she could do an excellent job leading our women’s midweek study.

You see a street painter or musician and think, He or she could lead us in corporate worship on Sundays, write our liturgy, or create a piece of art to decorate our building.

You see certain buildings and think, What kind of worship service, event, or church plant could we pull off in this place?

This is how missionaries think: nothing is to be wasted. Everyone can be redeemed by Jesus and serve him for his purposes and glory.

I never thought as a youth that something I loved to do would have such an influence on me, but this is how skateboarding helped to change how I literally see the world in my everyday mission as a child of God.

Wipe Your Feet (Christus Victor)

Are you prone to bringing work and frustrations home with you and spoiling your time with your wife and kids because somebody, somewhere, has really gotten under your skin? Do you come into the house grumpy, irritable, and cold? Do you blow right by your spouse and kids hoping to just crash on the couch, turn on the TV, and zone out? After dinner, does your family assume that you’ve just checked out for the evening?

A few years ago while my family and I were living in Georgia,  I was coming home night after night rehearsing the same problem again and again.  And then it hit me – no matter how many times I played the tape in my head, the story was the same and had no ending. It was taking away priceless minutes with my wife and, therefore, our marriage was being robbed from the outside. How in the world can someone steal joy out of your living room and not even be physically in the house? Answer: By living in your mind.

For me, bitterness started to set in.

So it was time to stop the tape and simply bring my bad habit to an end.

The only way out was one of repentance. I couldn’t change or lead the people who were making my life hell, but I could, by God’s grace, change my behavior and be led by the Holy Spirit, and seek to lead my family well.

I started to realize that repentance is more than simply acknowledging an issue with your mind. Repentance is also accompanied by a change of action too.  Thus, maybe because I’m a man, I oftentimes need to see things with my eyes for a real change to be affected. This may sound silly to you, but  I decided to do something that we’ve been grateful for ever since.

One evening I came home, got a piece of paper out, and sat down with my wife, Jana, at the dinner table and wrote down what was robbing me/us of joy. I simply put them in bullet points:

*   slander

*   gossip

*   lies

*   cheating

*   backbiting

*   false doctrine

We acknowledged these things for what they really were. Sins against me and sins against God. We sat there and just looked at them and let that pain bubble up to the surface for a few minutes. Then, at the top of the page I wrote “Christus Victor” (Christ is our Victor) in huge letters, signed our names at the bottom, acknowledging that the chaos we were experiencing was more than a battle against flesh and blood – we are at war with Satan. By signing this page, we acknowledged Paul’s words to the Romans that the “God of peace would soon crush Satan under our feet” (Rom. 16.20). We then took it to our back step (the door we used most), picked up the doormat where we wiped our feet, and put the page under it. Then we prayed that from then on, as we would walk into our home, we would wipe our feet on the lies of the enemy, the lies of our flesh, and the lies of others because Jesus is our Victor and wants us to enjoy the evenings cooking, snuggling, and laughing together.

Christian, your evenings at home are priceless and the Enemy wants them all. Your method for remembering this may be different than mine, but make sure to wipe your feet of your troubles before you enter your home so that you enjoy what Jesus wants you to enjoy, namely his presence, and real rest.

In Suffering

“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Psalm 10:1

Suffering has a way of sobering us.

C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Timothy Keller, in his most recent (and excellent!) book, begins with a statement by Lewis and then follows it up: “Suffering ‘plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul.’ It is an exaggeration to say that no one finds God unless suffering comes into their lives—but it is not a big one. When pain and suffering come upon us, we finally see not only that we are not in control of our lives, but that we never were.” (Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, 5)

When we see painful suffering in the world or when it arrives on our door step, it has a way of forcing us to wrestle with the big questions like, “Is there a God? If there is, is he even aware of the pure evil, sickness, and suffering occurring on his watch? Has he done anything about it? Will he do anything about it? Where is he?”

In John 16:33, Jesus tells us that “in the world, you will have tribulation” (John 16:33, emphasis mine), so the question is not if we will suffer. The question is always this: how we will suffer?

Where do we go in suffering?

In the Old Testament, there is a godly man known as Job. Job loses his 10 children in natural disaster, is stricken with boils, and his wife encourages him to join her and abandon the God who appears to have abandoned them. Job’s buddies arrive to comfort and counsel him. They appear helpful by holding their tongues.

Then they open their mouths.

They speak, and things get worse. They begin asking theological and philosophical and personal questions that don’t help. Sometimes, silence is the best counsel. In fact, maybe that’s why God feels so distant during our sufferings. Maybe he knows that sometimes no words will comfort us, only his presence can provide the healing and relief we so desperately long for.

You see, in times of suffering, pithy, cliche, Christian bumper sticker aphorisms never help anybody. In fact, they’re patronizing. I’ve heard Christians try to counsel each other with trite statements such as, “Brother, you just need to let go and let God.” Or “Have a little more faith, man!” Or “When God closes a door, he opens a window.” What does that even mean? Those kinds of silly statements sound quite obnoxious to an individual in the midst of their suffering.

There’s no airtight, fortune cookie-sized one-liner that puts someone’s suffering on the run. In fact, if there was one, most people would’ve probably thought of it. Trite statements more often stoke the fires of others’ suffering when they need water.

What should you say (or not say!) to someone who is suffering?

Everyone suffers differently. Some speak. Some are silent. Some vent all their feelings to anyone and everyone, while others simply shut down. For those of us who want to comfort the suffering, the Bible simply doesn’t tell us what to say. Solomon admonishes us on a number of occasions to be ever so selective with the timing and tone of our words. “A word fitly spoken is like golden apples in a setting of silver.” (Prov. 25.11) Or “a gentle tongue can break a bone.” (Prov. 25.15)

Christians are provided with more than a mere script when it comes to helping those who hurt. We are admonished to offer our presence to the suffering. Paul says that we are to “weep with those who weep.” (Rom. 12.15) I’ve heard it said that 80 percent of communication is nonverbal. Sometimes opening our mouths is the worst thing we can do. Paul desires us to feel with the hurting. He admonishes us to “bear one another’s burdens.” (Gal. 6.2)

The body of Christ is in and of itself a healing and comforting community. This is because the children of God are filled with the Paraclete, the Comforter, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit. Many times we want to say something in order to just make the pain “go away.” We do this oftentimes because we’re either insecure in the moment or we want to play the role of the hero or are just truly ignorant about how bad it actually hurts.

As a pastor, I will often have someone in my office who is grieving. After listening to their story, sitting in silence and letting them weep in the arms of God, I will ask them if they would mind if I say a prayer for them. Sometimes, they are a Christian but are struggling to speak with God.  Other times they are an unbeliever and aren’t comfortable with prayer, to which I will simply say, “Thank you for letting me into this part of your life. I’m always here for you should you want to speak again.”

However, more often than not, the person will let me pray for them and I will try to say to God in prayer what the suffering cannot say through their tears. I believe that there’s nothing I can say that will rattle God or take him off guard, so I can just say things like, “Father, Sally is so so angry, hurt, confused, shocked right now, and we need you more than we need answers. Help Sally, Father. We aren’t calling out on anyone but You.”

I’ve lost five family members in the last five years. Five. One morning, after the third death in my family happened I was reading Job and came across the last chapters in which God speaks to Job out of a whirlwind (Job 38:1, the same type of storm that killed his children) and God began asking Job a series of questions:

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38.4)

“Do you give the horse his might?” (Job 39.19)

“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars?” (Job 39.26)

In that moment, all of a sudden, I felt bullied by the God I loved. I wasn’t ready for his questions. I was enraged, my pride was insulted and I was humbled. Before I knew it, I threw my Bible into the wall and said “Where were you?” I couldn’t trace his hand and I couldn’t understand his wisdom in those questions. I broke. I sobbed. And his questions kept washing over my mind as I was sobered that he is God. He is sovereign. He is near. And my most recent crisis was not “news” to him. In a matter of moments, I knew that he cared about my broken heart.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NIV) There are innumerable other gods, faiths, substances and addictions to which we are tempted to turn for comfort. Jesus says for us to exclusively come to him and him alone.

In our lowest, most disoriented, frustrated, angry and confused state—when faith feels like faith, it is in that moment we can join with the psalmist and “pour out our complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.” (Ps. 142.2) He can take it. He is God. Jesus’ friend and disciple, Peter, who suffered greatly and wrote to a suffering people, told them and urges us today to “cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) You don’t have to tip-toe around the throne of God. You don’t have to find your best outfit and clean yourself up.

You don’t have to speak with the tongues of angels to get your Father’s attention. I have a little boy named Jude. He’s two years old. One Saturday night, my wife and I were finished getting ready to go out on a date. I was sitting in my chair reading. Jude had been in the the back yard playing in the dirt. He was absolutely filthy, covered in dust and peanut butter and jelly all around his mouth.

He marched right up to me in incredible confidence, climbed up on my lap, pulled my face up close to his and said, “Daddy, where’s the pretzels?” As God’s children, we have that same right. We can march as boldly and confidently as my little Jude before the throne of God because when it comes to his kids his throne is a throne of grace (Heb. 4.16). And when we get there, our Father doesn’t want us to mince words. His desire is to hear us say what we must say, cry the tears that must be cried, and rejoice loudly in his presence. He is our all-powerful, all-knowing, always-present, Abba Father.

How do we pray when we suffer?

We have a God who is not only aware of great suffering, in Scripture we are reminded that he entered our great suffering, and out-suffered the entire world’s sin, sickness and death, and crushed what crushes us through his triumphant resurrection from the dead. Currently, Jesus is building a home for us. Currently, Jesus is praying for us. There is coming a day on the calendar of God that I am certain he is eager to see arrive, for it is the day when he will appear glorious by wiping away every tear from every eye.

Here’s the significance: The incarnation, which sums up the entirety of Jesus’ earthly existence (not just his birth), is an atoning moment. In the incarnation, God identifies with humans—all humans in all the dimensions of human life—to bring humans grace. He becomes what we are so we can become what he is.

Jesus the Better

Author’s Note: I am indebted to Dr. Timothy Keller for this post.  He is far, far better at what I’m going to make an attempt at below.
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Some of you see the Old Testament the way I used to. Namely, that it is made up of tons of disconnected, unrelated stories.

But this has changed for me.

A few years ago, Jana and I were celebrating our anniversary in Paris, and there were two museums that we had to stop and visit. One was the Louvre (obviously). The other was the Salvador Dali museum. The Louvre is absolutely massive. Dali, not so much. The Louvre has art collected from all over the globe, and thousands upon thousands of pieces by hundreds of artists.

Dali’s place is a bit smaller as you can see. Want to know what’s on display in the Dali museum? Dali. Only Dali. And… it is FANTASTIC!!!

The Old Testament is more like the Dali museum than the Louvre.

Some of us open our Bibles and it feels like the Louvre. Where do I start? What’s the point? Who are all these people? What are all these symbols, dates, places, names, events, ahhhhh! It can drive us crazy if we open the Bible with the Louvre lenses.

But what if I told you the Bible was more like the Dali museum? Sure there’s lots of stuff in the museum, and if you aren’t paying attention, you could get lost. But the idea is this – there’s only one person on display there and every piece of art, every symbol, everything, is pointing to one individual…. and that individual is Jesus.

“Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24.44-45)

Jesus is the better Adam. In Genesis, Adam chose to rebel, broke fellowship with God, and failed in the Garden of Eden. In the Gospels, Jesus, the second Adam, walked in obedience and did not fail his test in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Instead of hiding from God and covering his shame, he went before God in prayer and covered the shame of all who were in the first Adam.

Jesus is the better Abel, who was innocent yet lost his life to his own kin. So too, Jesus’ blood was spilled at the hands of his Israelite brothers.

Jesus is the better Noah. Just as Noah built the ark to save people from the flood, so too Jesus became the true ark who absorbed the wrath of God so that all who would enter him would have eternal life.

Jesus is the better Abraham, who answered the call of God to go to a foreign country and walk in obedience by faith. And just as Abraham was told to sacrifice his one and only son, Isaac, God the Father would one day sacrifice his one and only son Jesus.

Jesus is the better Isaac, who carried wood to the place of his sacrifice just as Jesus would carry his cross of wood to Calvary.

Jesus is the better Jacob, who wrestled with God and walked away limping. Jesus wrestled with God in Gethsemane, and though wounded and limping, walked away from his grave blessed and victorious.

Jesus is the better Joseph, who after suffering was appointed to the right hand of the King of Egypt and extended forgiveness and provision to those who betrayed him. So too, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, extending grace and providing for us who also betrayed him.

Jesus is the better Moses. Just as Moses was the mediator between God and man and gave us the Law, so too Jesus is now the only mediator between God and man, giving us the Law of the New Covenant, which is not engraved on stones but is written on our hearts.

Jesus is the better rock that was struck in the desert, giving us water for everlasting life.

Jesus is the better bread that has come down from heaven.  Just as the Israelites were fed in the wilderness by heavenly manna, the Christian is continually preserved by Jesus’ body.

Jesus is the better pillar of fire.  Just as Moses and the people were led by a pillar of fire in their wanderings toward the Promised Land, so too Jesus is the light of the world who leads us home to the true Promised Land.

Jesus is the greater Samson, who in his last feat pulled the coliseum down upon himself and his enemies. Jesus pulled down the wrath of God upon himself and spared his enemies.

Jesus is the greater Boaz. Boaz redeemed Ruth and brought her and her despised people into community with God’s people. So too, Jesus redeemed his bride, the church, from all the nations of the earth and gave them an eternal community.

Jesus is the better David. Just as David killed the giant Goliath, who defied God and taunted his people, Jesus slew the giant Satan at Calvary and comforts the people of God.

Jesus is the greater King David.  Rather than staying home from war, Jesus went to war. Rather than committing adultery like David, Jesus saved the prostitute and gave her back her dignity. Rather than covering up sin by murdering Uriah, Jesus, the true light, exposed sin and saved the dying criminal crucified beside him.

Jesus is the greater Solomon, and, because of his wisdom, when he taught it was not as one of the scribes.

Jesus is the better temple of God that we enter to worship the Lord.

Jesus is the greater Elijah, who, after defeating the false prophets of Ba’al, offered up the sacrifices at Mt.Carmel. So too, Jesus exposed the religious frauds for who they were and, rather than offering a sacrifice to prove Yahweh is the one true God, he is Yahweh’s sacrifice.

Jesus is the greater Nehemiah. Nehemiah rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, but Jesus ushers in the city known as the New Jerusalem.

Jesus is the greater Esther, who risked her life by entering the palace of king Xerxes.  But Jesus gave his life at Pilate’s palace.

Jesus is the better Job. Job suffered as an innocent man under the onslaught of Satan, and so too Jesus suffered as an innocent man and bore the wrath of God, the wrath of Satan, and the wrath of mankind. And just as Job’s friends were of no use to him in his agony, Jesus’ disciples slept when he was in great distress.

Jesus is the greater Jeremiah, who in exile was known as the weeping prophet just as Jesus, the man of many sorrows, wept at Lazarus’ grave and over those living in exile in their own land.

Jesus is the greater Isaiah, who saw some future events unfolding. So too, Jesus has perfect knowledge of eternity past and eternity future.

Jesus is the greater Hosea, who married an unfaithful, whoring wife yet pursued her in love. Jesus does the same and more for his unfaithful bride, the Church, every hour.

Jesus is the greater Jonah. Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish because he ran from the will of God, and, by God’s power, he appeared again and proclaimed God’s Word, which led to the salvation of the Ninevites. But Jesus spent three days in the grave because he ran toward the will of God, faithfully preached the gospel, and appeared three days later, which led to the salvation of the world.

On and on it goes. Jesus is not only the true and greatest of all the people in the Bible - He radically recycles everything in the Old Testament according to his person and work. 

He is the better prophet.

He is the better High Priest.

He is the better King of all Kings.

He is the better lamb to be sacrificed.

He is the better.

People Are Books

The famous British historian H.G. Wells is credited with this quote: “I am a historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”

It is hard to find anyone these days that will truly contest that reality.

Our very calendar reflects this fact. We live in 2014 A.D., which stands for anno domini – “the year of our Lord.” As Scripture tells us, Jesus defeated death and ascended back into heaven, and his Church is currently awaiting his return. But this “penniless preacher” didn’t keep a blog nor have a video crew following him around documenting all of these events. So where was the story being recorded during the ministry of Jesus and beyond?  In his community.  Professor Albert Wolters puts it this way in his book Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformation Worldview: “Jesus did not (like Mohammad) write a book. Rather, he formed a community to be the bearer of this good news” (p.122, emphasis mine).

Did you catch that? Jesus did not speak with book agents, sign publishing deals, or try to pick what cover design would go on his next hardback, paperback, or e-book. No pen. No paper. No keyboard. As someone who enjoys reading and struggles with the basics of writing, I find this fascinating. Jesus picked the most unlikely characters in the world to be his disciples and wrote his story on the hearts of rugged men and impoverished women.

Later, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, saying, “You are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor. 3.3). Though he wrote many of the letters found in our New Testament, the point for Paul was not simply penning words on pages. The point was to go beyond that and see the Spirit pen God’s words on human hearts. The Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of Scripture indwells every believer, and thus believers and unbelievers are constantly reading the message on our hearts.

The story hasn’t changed.

From the very beginning of Scripture, we see God as a community who creates people to be in community with him and each other.  The blazing center of it all is the good news of the gospel that God loves, pursues, saves, and rejoices over each of his kids – his community, the Church – who read and obey the Word of God, inspired by God, to the people of God (2 Tim. 3.16).

Time, Tact, & Tone

I’ve not always been great with conflict. In fact, I’ve been pretty sorry at it on more occasions than I care to admit, really. The following is something I’m recently learning in regards to church leadership and relationships. However, I think it is helpful for basic communication at home or in everyday friendships, or work relationships in which conflict arises. If you don’t have conflict in a relationship, then you don’t have a relationship. It’s that simple. Fake smiles and small talk rarely need some sort of mediation.

However, if you’re in a working relationship or around the home with the same people every day, you will face conflict. Nobody sees eye to eye about everything all the time. If you have a conflict with someone you need to say something about it. Burying frustration eventually erupts in very ugly ways. I’ve lost friendships and odds are you have too because someone didn’t bring up an issue that was really eating at them and then finally, they exploded about that issue and many more which resulted in the relationship being burnt to the ground. Scripture teaches to not let the sun go down on your anger (Eph. 4.26). Jesus teaches that if your brother has a problem with you that you need to go and resolve it prior to worshiping God (Matt. 5.24).  There are three things that have stood out to me and that we all need to consider when it comes to conflict, resolution, and reconciliation. (I’ve learned these the hard way). So, in an effort to better love, serve, understand, honor, and communicate better with those around me, I’m working on practicing the following.

In a conflict consider your timing, your tact, and your tone.

Time

First consider the timing. What time are you going to discuss your issue? For example, if your boss just walked in the door and he hasn’t even made it to his office yet, and he’s on the phone, that is probably not the time to bring up your issue. It’s not because your issue isn’t important. It is!  However, you can honor your boss by considering where he or she may be mentally in that moment.Ask them, “Is this a good time to talk to you about an issue I’m having?” If not, ask when would be good time, or go through their assistant if they have one.

At home, bringing up that issue that you’ve got with your spouse right before you sit down to have dinner with the family probably isn’t the best time either. Maybe after the kids are in bed would be better. Consider the other person. What are they presently going through? When do you think will be a good time to talk about the conflict? By the way, this isn’t putting the conflict off, but an intentional step towards a healthy resolution so that the issue isn’t compounded by poor timing.

Tact

Second consider your tact. Think about what you’re going to say before you say it. Have a game plan. What do you really want to communicate? Take a moment if you need to and write it down and look over it. I’ve found that taking an extra minute to write my issue down, read it over, and pray about it, has helped me in more ways than I knew possible. I’m able to see things more clearly and sometimes discover that I don’t actually have an issue with someone else! It’s actually my own problem that I created for myself! Some people want a very straight-forward, blunt statement when it comes to conflict. Taking your time to get to the issue is irritating for some. If other people are spoken to forthrightly they will feel bullied or disrespected. So, prior to talking to someone, consider your tact. What will they actually hear? What are they going to feel like on the drive home after your discussion? Are you out to win the argument or do you want to win the person too? (By the way, winning arguments and losing people is not leading nor loving).

Tone

Lastly, what is your tone going to be like? You may be angry, frustrated, or disappointed. So consider your body language, voice inflections, and word choice. All of these matter big time if you want to move through the conversation and be reconciled at the end of it. So, it’s not just what you say buthow you say it. Is your language a bit hyperbolic that needs to be revamped? Are you being sarcastic? Do you show that you’re serious but gracious? Can you make the issue about the issuewithout insulting the person? Usually when someone is insulted they either fight back or simply comply so as to speed the meeting up and get out of the conversation. Thus the conflict never really is resolved. Think about your tone.

Why think about all of these things? Because our Apostle Paul tells us to “count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3). To do this, we must hang our hats on Jesus. Consider that he spoke to Nicodemus at night, the Pharisees in the synagogue, preached on the hillside to masses, and had dinner with “sinners.” Look at what he said, how he said it, and to whom he was speaking.

Unborn Children & Eternity

I write this with incredible sensitivity in my heart.

In London in 2008, while I was going to school, my wife and I lost our first child, our son Adam, through miscarriage. This experience was devastating—our faith was rocked. It sent us into a season of asking innumerable questions of God: Could we go on? Is God good? Can he be trusted with our lives being that Adam’s was lost? Does he even care?

Even today, we are affected by our loss.  Many of you know what this is like. There is an empty chair at our dinner table every night, birthdays that go by, and imagined holidays and experiences that are left only to the imagination of what could have been.

We are left to speculation, but our speculation doesn’t go unenlightened.

As a pastor, I am often asked what happens to babies like ours who are lost in miscarriage or to children who are killed through abortion. The one thing we do know is that they, like all of us, are image bearers of God who came into existence, even though they never had the joy of being loved, kissed, and cherished by their earthly mom and dad.

Where do the unborn babies go? Some would argue that they don’t go to heaven because we are sinful beings and the only way to be reconciled to God is through faith and repentance. Since these babies didn’t repent or have faith, they are forever separated from God in hell. Others argue that Jesus died for the world and therefore those children who are born in Adamic guilt have their sins atoned for because they haven’t committed personal sin.

The reality is that Scripture never speaks directly to this situation. At this point we are left to speculation, but our speculation doesn’t go unenlightened. We have a perfect Bible that reveals ultimately what God desires for us to know. Since there is not a verse (much less a systematic theology) on this subject, it seems only right to appeal to the character and nature of the God in whose image humans are created.

I abide in the great comforter, the Holy Spirit.

God has revealed himself as holy, just, and righteous—but that’s not all. He’s revealed himself as the definition of love (1 John 4:8), whose grace is scandalous, (Luke 15:11–32), and whose mercy leads to our justification (Rom. 2:4). In fact, Jesus teaches us that he is our heavenly Father (Matt. 6:7–15) and Paul goes as far as to tell us on two occasions that God prefers his kids use a familial name like “Abba” when talking to him in prayer (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:16).

Even though I don’t have a verse that definitively says that our boy Adam is in heaven with Jesus along with millions of other children, I can look at the nature and character of our God, who was born in a barn (Luke 2:1–20) washed the feet of his betrayer (John 13:1–17), unashamedly befriended outcasts of society (Matt. 11:19), forgave and restored dignity to a woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11), and suffered so that he might end our suffering (Isa. 53:5), was raised to give us justification (Rom. 4:25), is building a home for us in heaven (John 14:3), is praying for us even now (Rom. 8:34), and is coming to take us to be with him forever (John 14:3), where he is the hero who wipes away every tear from every eye (Rev. 21:4).

I abide in the great comforter, the Holy Spirit, knowing that my baby met this God face to face, and therefore, I have great hope of one day worshiping Jesus at Adam’s side.

"Downstream?"

Over the last several years there’s been one phrase that has both sparked a lot of interest but also really irritated me and some others when it comes to church planting (there’s more than one, really) and it is the phrase “down stream.” The logic is basically, “As the city goes, so go the suburban and rural places.” Thus, we need more church planters in cities rather than the suburbs or farm towns. The points made by some prominent thinkers on this are also convincing, “there are more image-bearers per capita in the city” – go there. “There’s more crime in the city” – go there. “Art, education, and real culture (love how that word gets thrown around these days) is in the city” – that’s why you should be there.” All of these things make good sense. But then terms like “down stream” are used and all of a sudden I feel less than inadequate and inferior to those in the big city. Hi, I’m Alex, and I planted a church, on purpose, in Newnan, Georgia.

Personally, I grew up in the suburban town of Woodstock, Georgia, which is about 35-40 minutes north of downtown Atlanta. My dad commuted downtown every day to Georgia Power and then for the last few years of his life to Coca-Cola. (We are clearly southerners). I spent a good bit of time in the city of Atlanta and my dad taught me to really love being in the city from an early age and for that I am incredibly grateful. The energy of a thriving city does something to me. When I read that heaven is a big city, I want to go there and stay there forever. (And I plan on it!) I’ve had the privilege of living in other great cities such as London Seattle, and the "biggest little city" known as "Reno."

In 2007 I knew that God was calling me to plant a church not in London, NYC, or LA. No. I was called to Newnan, Georgia. Newman? No. Newnan. I had to explain that all the time. When describing Newnan to people, it is an old colonial town that Sherman didn’t burn down in his destruction of the South. Today it’s a suburb but also quite rural. Case in point – my house was one mile from what they call “downtown Newnan.” Yet, one mile in the other direction of my home was massive farms and that’s just about it. It felt rural. Personally, Newnan isn’t a town I’d want to live in for the long-term. This isn’t because the people there were unbearable or that there wasn’t anything to do. In fact, some of the best people you’ll ever meet live in that little town. My wife and I just enjoy a more densely populated urban center. It’s just our personalities. However, when I planted Four Corners Church in Newnan and was living there and hearing other church planters and reading materials about being “down stream,” I was shocked at the arrogance that came with those who pushed being “in the city.”

We had lived in London for a year previously to planting this church in Newnan because I was in school. Being a student in London kept us pinching pennies. No car, meat at dinner once a month, public transport for everything (which has it’s moments), and loads of hours in the Tate Modern Art Museum or at the Portobello Market took up countless hours. We absolutely loved it and would do it again today!

However, to then return to the rural town of Newnan and hear about how “down stream” we were, sounded fairly insulting. Nobody in Newnan is actually waiting on someone in Atlanta to tell them what to eat, what to wear, where they should work, recreate, or go to school. Many people of Newnan commute into Atlanta for work only then to flee back to the life they actually wanted.  Furthermore, when the language of “down stream” is used, it makes it sound like those that are planting there just couldn’t cut it in the city. And sometimes this is the case. City life isn't for everyone. Yet, the reality is that occasionally God calls city people to the rural and suburban areas to live and vice versa. And you know what? That is a VERY GOOD THING! Significant portions of the Acts 29 churches are currently in suburban or rural areas, and the other half are in city-centers. What we need is not arrogant city folks or annoyed suburbanites.

What we need is faithfulness to Jesus. What we need is the mind, eyes, ears, and heart of God for the places in which he has placed us and then to seek to study that place, serve that place, and see Jesus exalted in that place.

How To Study Theology

All Christians are called to be theologians and if we do not seek to develop a proper understanding of God we will end up with bad theology. With these truths established, let us look into how we can begin to take on a more formal study of theology.

Studying theology is no simple task. In fact, it is one of those fields of study that are simply inexhaustible. The Apostle Paul’s famous doxology (a term for a hymn of praise to God) in Romans 11makes some jaw dropping, worship-producing statements and repeats some weighty rhetorical questions that show up in the Old Testament:

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”Romans 11:33-35

So even before we dive into theology, we have Paul demonstrating that God’s ways are unsearchable, beyond tracing out perfectly. That’s not to say we cannot know a lot of things about God. Thanks to the doctrine of Revelation (which is different from the Book of Revelation) we can!

We simply cannot know everything about God, for He is infinite and we are finite. He is omniscient (he knows all things), we only know some things. He is omnipresent (everywhere at once), we can only be in one place at one time. He is omnipotent (all powerful), we are only so big, so strong, and can only muster up so much strength. He is Creator, we are creation.

So, how or where does one “start” studying theology?  Without even knowing it, you have already entered the world of theological thinking by simply learning about God, yourself, the Bible, and so on.

What You Can Read

There are many options when it comes to reading theological texts. Some helpful places to start include:

The Early Church Fathers (Patristics)
Many of the writings of the early leaders of the Christian church have survived to today. Here are a few areas you can begin looking into, as well as some helpful resources:

• The Apostolic Fathers
  This collection of the earliest known writings of the church includes the First and Second Epistles of Clement, the Didache, the Epistles of Ignatius, the Epistle of Polycarp, the Epistle about Polycarp’s Martyrdom, and the Shepherd of Hermas.
• The Writings of the Early Church Fathers
  The Writing of the Early Church Fathers is a collection of writings from the first 800 years of the Church. This collection is divided into three series, Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene. 

Understanding Reformation Theology
Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Protestants initiated a movement known as the Reformation. Reformation Theology holds to the theological truths they adhered to, such as faith being by grace alone, through faith alone, through Christ alone among others.

• What is Reformed Theology, a video series by R.C. Sproul is also available asa helpful book
• What is Reformed Theology, a concise introduction from GotQuestions.org covers the basics of Reformed Teaching

An Introduction to Systematic Theology
Systematic Theology arranges the many aspects of Biblical beliefs in a complete and self-consistent way as much as is possible.

•  Introduction to Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
  There is an abundance of books available, and Grudem’s is among the best. It is very readable and understandable (it is, however, over 1,000 pages).  
• Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know Edited by Wayne Grudem’s son, Elliot
  This is a much shorter version of the above text (under 200 pages). I’ve used this edition in my churches over the years and have found it to be very helpful when it comes to helping others as they begin dipping a toe in the vast sea known as “theology.” 

Study In Community

Theology may seem overwhelming, and sometimes it is. The field speaks to more than just God. It’s influences our anthropology, sociology, psychology, and so forth. As you begin, go in prayer, and go study in community! It’s best to have a couple of people you can think out loud with, ask questions of, and pray through your discoveries and challenges together.

After all, God is a community (the theological word is “Trinity”) and created us in his image (imago dei), and has designed his revelation not to fall into isolated individuals alone but has poured out his presence, blessing, and knowledge of Himself through the Holy Spirit in the Church that Jesus bought with his blood.

Study Your City

If you intimately know whom you want to reach, then you will be better set up to engage people effectively with the gospel of Jesus.

"An inability to interpret the signs of the times is . . . to be guilty of what we might call the “Great Omission.”

–Kevin Vanhoozer, Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends, 17

Over the last few years, the word “missional” has gained particular amounts of attention. However, defining missional can be a complicated process. For example, this week I had a conversation with an aspiring church planter who wants to plant a church in a bar in the southeast as I did a few years ago. He’s been reading, praying, and thinking about what a man on mission looks like. Let’s say you’re in this boat too: being convinced by Scripture and convicted by the Holy Spirit to step out, deeply burdened to see lost people in your neighborhood, bars, coffee shops, gyms, grocery stores, and schools meet Jesus. This means you have to think like a missionary—a mindset that requires both studying the culture you find yourself in, as well as engaging with it.

A call to lead is a call to prepare.

For starters, identifying the needs, the idols, and the history of the city must become part of your routine thinking. This is the prep work, and oftentimes the success of your ministry rides on it. That’s not to say that God can’t use you or accomplish his will or that all the pressure is you, but a call to lead is a call to prepare. A call to obediently make disciples as Jesus commands (Matt. 28:18–20) is also a command to focus on what’s in front of you. This part of the job can be really fun! Most of it can be done by using a concept already in your vocabulary. No, it’s not what some long word theologians constantly debate over—e.g. sublapsarianism, variegated nomism, or penal substitutionary atonement—rather, it is a simple, but often overlooked word: intentional.

KNOW PEOPLE TO REACH PEOPLE

All missionaries (and if you’re a Christian, you are a missionary) have got to be the most intentional people in the world. Asking questions, studying demographics, and making note of trends help make this possible! If you intimately know whom you want to reach, then you will be better set up to engage people effectively with the gospel of Jesus.

As missional Christians, we don’t want to be stuck in the past, speaking to where culture was 10 years ago. We don’t want to answer questions that nobody is asking—we need to be relevant today. We need to speak straight to real people in real space and real time with real questions. We need to provide informed, timely, and biblical reasons for why whatever or whomever they are currently worshiping pales in comparison with our Lord Jesus!

WHAT DO YOU PERCEIVE?

Acts 17 gives us an incredible glimpse into the very flickering flame within the heart of the greatest missionary ever: the Apostle Paul. “His [Paul’s] spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. . . . So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus said: ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that . . .’” (Acts 17:16, 22)

Do you see? Paul was perceptive. He was paying attention to where he was. He was fully present! He wasn’t thinking about another missionary post he could serve, another church he could plant, or where else he could be on the map. He was fully present, and thus, he was a perceptive missionary.

Are you present in the ministry or context you’re currently serving in, or are you only planning and daydreaming about what could be?

What are the goals, values, and beliefs of your city?

Here are just a few questions that we, as missional Christians, should be asking:

1. What’s happening in my city?

2. Who’s moving into my city?

3. What buildings are going up in my city?

4. What buildings are coming down in my city?

5. How many schools are there in my city?

6. How many people are here in my city?

7. What is the crime rate like in my city?

8. What are the goals of my city?

9. What are the values of my city?

10. What are the beliefs of my city?

11. What is the history of my city?

12. How long has my city been a city?

13. At what times and days does everything come alive in my city?

14. What do the people in my city love about my city?

15. What do people despise about my city?

16. What’s the media saying about my city?

17. What do people in my city put their hope in?

18. Who’s hurting in my city?

19. Who’s succeeding and thriving in my city?

For everyday missionaries, the questions are endless.

Bank clerks, grocery store checkers, hair stylists, and property development workers can tell you so much of what you need to know about your city because they are in the city, working in the city, and up to date on what’s going on in the city.

Perhaps if you don’t know where to start, you should go get a trim and practice asking the person cutting your hair questions.

Dear Christian, are you studying your city?

A Quick Lesson in Hermeneutics

There are various approaches people take when it comes to reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible.

They are engaged in what is known as hermeneutics, the science of interpretation. As soon as you open your Bible and begin reading, you are engaged in the art of interpretation. And to be fair, one act of interpretation has transpired even before you picked up your English Bible. That’s right. You picked up a translation of the Bible.

It isn’t hard to see how radically different the modern world is when compared with the ancient Biblical era.

WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE BIBLE?

The writers of the Bible are kings, peasants, men, women, slaves, free, fishermen, doctors, lawyers, philosophers, generals, artists, poets, rich, poor, and so on. The Bible is not a list of do’s and don’ts. It isn’t just monolithic and one dimensional; it has multiple genres (law, prophets, poetry, gospels, history, letters, and apocalyptic). These genres contain information about geography, authors, audiences, population, genealogies, and much more.

The Bible is composed of 66 books written by approximately 40 authors and we even have a few books that we don’t know for certain who wrote! To widen the gap a bit more between the “then of writing” and the “now of reading”, consider that the Bible was written from 1400 BC-93 AD, spanning the entire Roman world, using 3 languages.

This is an incredibly complex book or, rather library of books, and really does take some rigorous intellectual engagement to begin to get your head around what you hold in your hands.

Do my culture and personal desires trump the authority of Scripture?

EXEGESIS VS. EISEGESIS

The Bible is old and you are new. Now, let me give you a 10 second crash course in hermeneutics. There’s no way we can come to the Bible unbiased. We all approach Scripture with a worldview, preconceived ideas, theological persuasions, political stances, personal baggage, and so forth. And that’s not always a bad thing!

However, when it comes to actually interpreting the Scriptures, there’s basically two ways of going at it and the two methods are what theologians refer to as exegesis and eisegesis.

Exegesis means “to lead out” or “extract from.” Maybe think ex-odus.  We want to extract from the original meaning of the text, understand it in the world in which is was originally penned, and then make the hermeneutical jump over into the 21st century.

Many others choose another way to read called eisegesis. This means to “read into” and happens when someone imposes their own personal or cultural beliefs upon the Bible. This can be an attempt to make the Bible less offensive or more palatable to suit one’s way of life and avoid being conformed to the image of Jesus. It ultimately undermines the authority of Scripture.

CHRISTIAN, ASK YOURSELF

1. Who’s Word is this, actually?

2. Am I out to exegete or eisegete the Bible?

3. Does my culture and personal desires trump the authority of Scripture in my life, or am I willing to obey, love, and proclaim Scripture regardless of whether I am accepted or rejected? 

Microscope vs. Panorama

What do you do, when you don’t get your way? You’ve got two lenses you could look through – a microscope or a panoramic lens.

I’m sure you’ve noticed this – the world we live in is totally imperfect. At work, at home, in relationships, everywhere, everyday, things don’t always go our way. People cut you off in traffic. Somebody picks up the last gallon of milk in the grocery store right when you were going for it. Your spouse forgot to put your socks in the dryer the night before and now its Monday morning!

Dealing With IT

Here’s a probing question for you: How does IT effect you when you don’t get your way?  How do you handle IT When your boss says “No”? How do you handle IT when your spouse doesn’t live up to your expectations? How do you feel when a friend suddenly tells you the truth about yourself that you really didn’t want to hear? What do you do with IT? Do you put IT under the microscope of your own, biased, ego-centric, self-justifying scrutiny? Are you prone to simply obsess over IT, thinking about IT, talking about IT, being frustrated about IT, boiling in traffic over IT? IT is the one thing that keeps you up at night and if IT would go away, then you’d finally be ok and move along. Oh, how I hate IT.

What is IT for you? What is IT that is under the microscope of your mind, taking countless minutes, hours, and conversations away from you everyday that you really can’t do anything about?

As a Christian, is it a leader in the church or a person in the congregation that is just driving you crazy?  I guarantee you, your placement of that person, that problem, or that issue under the microscope isn’t helping you. In fact, it’s hurting you. It is taking up too much of your think time. It’s robbing your day off, your holidays, and your drive home. It’s depleting your emotional tank that could be spent on loving God and loving people. You’re growing bitter and IT is killing you. You could and should be exercising, finishing an assignment, or having a better time at dinner with your family and friends.. not to mention seeking to fulfill the Great Commission (Mt. 28.18-20).  I know my tendency and temptation has been to put something under the microscope rather than see all things under Jesus’ feet (Eph. 1.22).

Panoramic pictures are amazing. Nowadays, many of our smart phones come with a panoramic feature. Panorama allows us to see far more of what’s going on around the centerpiece of a picture as it provides a broader context into what you’re looking at. Here’s something that, by God’s grace, he is helping me to get better at and so I wanted to pass it along to you. When it comes to frustrating people or circumstances, trash the microscope and enjoy the panorama.

How does that look practically?

At work, sure your boss may give you an assignment that frustrates you. But you know what? Push back and see the big picture! Look at your business overall and not just the issue you don’t like or the assignment you just got. Look at what you’re contributing to and be thankful you have a job and a roof over your head.

If it’s your spouse who forgot to put the socks in the dryer… see the big picture – you have a spouse and own a dryer.  Thank God that for the previous 10,000 days of life, you’ve had socks on your feet and she probably didn’t mean to forget something so essential to your well-being today. She might have had your dinner, your game, or something else important to you on her mind and just didn’t get to your socks.

If you’re involved in the ministry and something isn’t going your way, again, use the panoramic feature.  Push back from the table, and look at the broader context and thank God that you know Jesus, are serving him, and get to see people saved, baptized, healed, start community groups, serve, and go on mission! WOW! You’re a part of God’s mission in this world! You get to reap where he has sown. Recently, on the phone, my friend Justin Holcomb told me he had just finished preaching to a few hundred priests and he said to me, “Alex, have you ever thought about the scandal that it is that we get to be called what Yahweh and Jesus are called? Shepherds! What a scandalous grace!!!” So one thing, your thing, might not be the thing happening the way you envisioned it at the moment, but look at the big picture. It wasn’t about you anyway, right? You get to participate in Kingdom work.

When it comes to setbacks and annoyances, I’m not saying that there can’t be legitimate frustrations. There certainly can. What I am saying is that we are commanded to “think on things that are above and not on earthly things” (Col. 3.2). Today, ask God to help you take into account all that he has done, is doing, and will do, in order to not be overwhelmed in the present moment.

Toss the microscope, enjoy the panorama, and rest.

The Experience

A few years ago, a great preacher named Louie Giglio wrote a book entitled "I Am Not But I Know I am: Welcome to the Story of God.”   The big idea of the book is to point to the bigness, the grandeur, the majesty of God and our own simple, sinful, finite smallness. He then points to the nearly unbelievable reality that Christians savor every day, namely that we have a personal relationship with this God of great, unspeakable glory!

At one point in the book, he describes one experience in which he felt really small and felt really good. It was at a place I and millions of others have come to love and appreciate – Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. He sat in that great basilica with the ceiling suspended so far above his head.  The architecture accomplished what it was intended to, namely, to create a sense of awe and wonder. He said, “Sitting here, I feel so small – and small feels surprisingly good. So good that I begin to wonder why it is so surprising that feeling small can feel so good.”

Later that year after reading the book, I had the privilege to go to London and visit St. Paul’s Cathedral. He was right. It is stunning. Completely remarkable. Just the doors alone tower at about 40 feet tall.  I went to where Louie sat (as best as I could remember) and hoped, even prayed with all that I had in me, that I might experience the exact same thing Louie did only months earlier.

No dice. I just sat there like every other tourist looking around… heart unmoved and ADD in overdrive.

What’s wrong with me? I wondered. Do I not love God like Louie? Does God not want me to experience what Louie experienced? Does God love Louie more than me? Could I be missing the will of God? Do I even know God? The feeling and enthrallment of joy, wonder, and awe I was seeking replaced by naval gazing, self-centered, self-pleasing Christianity.

Maybe you’ve been there before like me, hoping to experience what your hero, mentor, or teacher experienced, only to come up empty.

Here’s the deal. God never entrusted that experience he gave to Louie for the sake of my sensory-driven, emotionally-charged, self-pleasing, immature self to go copy-cat. God doesn’t hand out photocopies of everyone else’s experiences and expect his children to all respond the same way every single time.

God grants experiences on his time and on his schedule and to accomplish his purposes in our lives. To seek the experience of God and not the name of God, the honor of God, or the glory of God so as to be conformed to the image of the Son of God, is to be guilty of using God to get something other than God. It is a way of using God to give us an idol. God is not a cosmic-vending machine. He is the reward. I wasn’t seeking God out of repentance or even that he would be my greatest joy. Honestly, I simply wanted to just be like Louie. I wanted to feel what Louie felt the way he felt it, when he felt it.  I fell in love with the fruit, not the Tree. I wanted the chill, the thrill, and the pill-form of pop-Christian sensationalism (which isn’t what Louie was experiencing or promoting).

I got up. Climbed the 528 steps to the top of the dome and looked over the city of London (which was soon to become my home for a year or so) and took in the sight. The Holy Spirit assured me of his love not only for the whole city, but also for me personally. He showed me where I was off in my “hunt for the Holy Spirit” and I told Him that I was wrong and thanked Him for showing me the truth.

I walked down the stairs and was headed to go catch my bus when I walked by what has since become my favorite series of paintings in the world: “The Incarnation,” “Crucifixion,” and “Resurrection” by Sergei Chepik. They are massive paintings, well over 15 feet tall. I was stunned, totally speechless. They are the most breath-taking, jaw-dropping, heart-stopping pieces of art I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. The first I saw was Christ in the manger with angels ringing gigantic bells and the Virgin Mary’s face of wonder, concern… even faith. Yes, it looks like he painted faith. The second was gruesome, a gigantic painting of Christ being judged before his accusers, dragged around like a dog with a noose over his neck and murdered on the cross and the sun goes black and black birds fly off into the sky. The third was Christ triumphant over death as the angels pulling the stones back with what you might imagine a resurrected man to look like.

I stopped dead in my tracks, looked up at the face of the risen Jesus, and all of a sudden I “felt really small” and, you know, I felt “so good.”

Dear Christian, I’d encourage you to seek the Giver… not just the gift. 

Whatever!

This is written to those who profess to be Christians but are ridden with pessimism and are short-sighted, naval-gazers who love to simply point out the obvious short-comings of the church.

One word: Whatever!

PEOPLE ARE HYPOCRITES

People are hypocrites (including me!), they fail at practicing what they preach (including me!), and many don’t read their Bibles every morning before work (gasp!).

They get distracted by work, family, practices, fatigue, sickness and hobbies. This has been the same old story since the beginning of time. People are broken. Don’t miss the big picture and make mountains out of molehills.

BUT JESUS IS STILL SOVEREIGN!

Paul says “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

I choose to celebrate the fact that over 4,000 churches are planted every year in North America alone. I choose to allow the reality to sink in that over 150,000 people will give their physical lives for Jesus in martyrdom every year (most of whom do not own a copy of the Bible!) I choose to be thankful that literally billions of prayers are prayed to Jesus from cubicles, automobiles, prayer closets, and dinner tables.

For those who see their Bibles as incredible gifts of God, treasure them and pray for the rest of the world to see the value of the diamond that Scripture actually is.

WE ARE THE SMALL PERCENTAGE

For those who like to keep score and monitor others in their progress (or lack of) in daily Bible readings, consider the fact that no Christian including the Apostles ever had a “quiet time” per se prior to the release of the printing press (circa 1500 AD).

We are the small percentage of the world that has the Bible and resources available to us. If many Christians don’t understand this, stop scolding them and bless them. Die on the hill that actually matters.

QUALITY SOMETIMES BEATS QUANTITY

I choose to revel in the fact that my friend Amy read one verse in her Bible last week and God spoke to her. I choose to revel in the fact that my wife quoted a verse to me on Thursday last week and it spoke to me.

Quality sometimes beats quantity. This is not an excuse for a lack of discipleship. This is simply acknowledging our humanness is bound up in imperfection and that Jesus has perfected us by grace and thus we press on for his words of “Well done” and nobody else’s.

For those who see their Bibles as incredible gifts of God, treasure them and pray for the rest of the world to see the value of the diamond that Scripture actually is. Dwell on the “Whatevers” that carried Christianity throughout the empire in the first century.

Snuggling Is Holy Work, Too!

WHEN EDWARDS SKIPPED DINNER

I love theology, preaching, pastoral ministry, scholarship and so on. One man whom I’ve studied for just over a decade now is Jonathan Edwards. This is what he wrote in his journal on January 22, 1734:

“I judge that it is best, when I am in a good frame for divine contemplation . . . that ordinarily, I will not be interrupted by going to dinner but will forego my dinner, rather than be broke off.”

This appears righteous, pious and praiseworthy to all of us. I mean, he’s so God-entranced that he needs to skip dinner to pray, right?

A TRAGEDY OF DISREGARD

But this is not praiseworthy. This is a tragedy. This is Edwards opting out of dinner with his wife and 11 children to go and pray.

What does this communicate to a wife who has diligently worked all day around the house, kept up with the kids and then labored to lovingly prepare a meal for him? (Hint: not good. She’s probably not thinking, Great! That’s what I was hoping for this evening!)

What does this communicate to his eleven children? (Hint: At least one of them is thinking, "Daddy will not be joining us again for dinner tonight because he is talking with Jesus".)

For the Christian all things are sacred—including helping around the house.

It is heart-wrenching news for a child to learn that Jesus takes Daddy away from the family to go do “holier” things than playing on the floor, telling bedtime stories, learning about their interests and snuggling. I want to believe that this was not a daily routine, but Edwards himself considers it to be “ordinary” behavior.

SACRED SNUGGLING

Christians, taking our walk with God is our first priority. Absolutely! Yet, certainly prayer, contemplation, and study can be done on one’s own time and at one’s own personal expense of sleep by getting up a few minutes early or in the truck on your lunch break rather than in the hours a husband and daddy is needed most, especially in the evening.

For the Christian all things are sacred—including helping around the house, kisses that go the distance, walking in the door and snuggling with the kids. 

Why I Quit Praying for God to 'Use Me'

DON'T GIVE UP ON THE CHURCH

I grew up in the church and for that I am eternally grateful! I have given my life to the planting of churches and raising up leaders within churches. I simply cannot imagine my life without the local church and the invaluable role it has played in my life. Though often messy, it is clear to me that God has not given up on but rather loves and inhabits his Church. The Church is what Jesus gave his life for and therefore, the Church is what I am giving my life to.

I became a Christian at the age of 15 and knew I was called into vocational ministry within 90 days. So, one prayer that I picked up on by leaders around me and started praying myself was this – “God, please use me in this world for your glory and our joy.” It sounds right and even biblical. Yet, to be quite honest, I didn’t pray that prayer from a heart that was content with God. No, I prayed that prayer because I wanted to perform for God, others, and myself. I wanted God to give me a platform, put me in front of people that would laud me with praises, and admire my piety. True story. (For those who are reading this that know me, I know you’re grinning).I prayed that prayer because I wanted to perform for God, others, and myself. 

"USE ME"

To this day I still have all of my old journals. They’re so embarrassing to read. Though when I wrote them, I thought they were filled with wisdom and profound insights. Turns out, I may be the greatest naval-gazer in the history of the world. Every couple of years, I’ll pull them down to read them and see if I’ve grown much, if any, in my walk with God. The one phrase that is on every page is “Use me.” And you know what? That’s sad. Really sad. “Why is that sad that you asked God to use you?” Here’s why – I’ve come to believe that God is far more relational than utilitarian. God did not save me so that he could merely “use me.” The obvious rebuttal would be “Oh! But ‘you were created in Christ Jesus for good works!’ (Eph. 2.10). And I could not love that verse more! However, chronology counts and Chapter one comes before chapter two.  My huge error has been to study chapter one and want to apply chapter two. In Ephesians one, Paul says that “he [God] predestined us in love for adoption as sons” (Eph. 1.5). That now changes everything! Jana and I did not have children in order to “use them.” We had children so as to love them, raise them, teach them, and bless them and I’m becoming more convinced that this is nearer to the heart of God. God is far more relational than utilitarian.

My confession is simple – Deep down, for the majority of my Christian life, I have lived, prayed, and “served” because I related to God as my employer, not my “Abba Father” (Gal. 4.6; Rom. 8.15). With God as my divine employer, I could count and quantify my work for him and be the judge of whether I was “useful” or not. Having God as my employer, love, intimacy, acceptance, and belonging were not the name of the game. No. Productivity and getting things done are what was important. Meditation, confession, and repentance were replaced with planning and strategizing. Communion will always trump the calendar. Furthermore, with a divine employer, it was so easy to compare and compete with other Christians, who I saw as fellow employees. Measuring myself against other Christians or students in Bible College and seminary, a secret pride in my heart, robbed me from authentic friendships that include transparency and gut-wrenching vulnerability. When I was broken, at my lowest, I found out just how consumer-based my relationships were. I needed family, not coworkers, to comfort me, and I had none. I related to God as my employer, not my "Abba."

LIVING ROOM > WOBBLY PLATFORM

I’ve wondered why I’ve tried to create a wobbly platform or climb the rickety ladder in evangelical circles so many days of my Christian faith and I’ve come to conclude and repent of the fact that I’d rather study the love of God rather than be consumed by it; thinking about the love of God rather than actually feeling loved by God felt safe. God has invited me to trade building a platform for enjoying him in the living room. I, like so many christians that I know, would rather forego my daddy issues and sweep my own brokenness under the rug and look like I have it all together and get on to the “good works prepared for me.” My struggle is not one with being productive in the work of the church as much. No, my struggle has been to actually see myself as one of God’s sons based solely on the work of his Son, the Lord Jesus. To believe that God wants me, loves me, and totally accepts me is where it gets real. God has invited me to trade building a platform for enjoying him in the living room. 

In the most powerful anthropomorphic language in the Bible, God is communicating that he is far more relational than utilitarian. In Isaiah 49, the image is one of a nursing mother with her baby. In Hosea, the image is a daddy teaching his toddler to walk by taking him up by his little arms. In Jeremiah, the Father says, “Are you not my darling child?”

Do I want to be used by God in this world? I think that’s the wrong question to be asking these days. Will I have the nerve to go beyond studying love of God and allow God to love me in such a way that I feel his love in this world? If so, I’m certain that walking in the good works prepared for me won’t feel so much like “work” but will in and of themselves will feel much more like the reward because I’m going to work with my Abba Father.  Bottom line—God has children not employees.  God gives us a covenant not a contract. God gives us love not busy work.