Fear is the greatest stifling agent in the promotion of the good news of Christ. There is not a Christian who is immune to fear. This is good, since lack of fear would take our eyes off of faith in Christ and place our faith, or lack thereof, in ourselves. Luke records an example of fear turned to faith in Acts 18:9-18a. I believe that it is fascinating (and very comforting) to find that the one in this passage who is being comforted from fear is the apostle Paul. He was the very one who wrote in Romans 8 that we have nothing to fear because nothing can separate us from Christ. Paul had to be reminded of the confidence that he has in Christ over and over just as we do. Fear is real in the most dedicated of people. Why was Paul fearful? Later, as Paul writes to the Corinthian church which he presently is developing in our Acts passage, he says that he came to them in fear and much trembling. Corinth was a fearful place to be sure. Can you imagine being the first one to carry the news of Christ as the only Savior of the world to New York, Las Angeles, or Atlanta with the commission of Christ to speak boldly in His name? The immorality of Corinth was great. The amalgamation of cultures was tremendous. The religiosity was diverse. And Paul was going to argue that he had the one truth greater than all others.
How is fear dispelled? Christ comes to Paul at night and says in verse 10, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city."
Words are great, but what about action? It's one thing to say, "I am with you." But how do we know He is with us? The gospel prospers through conversion, growth, and circumstances.
Conversion - After Paul gets to Corinth he meets up with Aquila and Priscilla, a couple whose trade is making tents. While Paul works with them, he does what he ordinarily does when entering a new city and gos to preach in the synagogue to the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. The Jews in Corinth reject Paul, so he turns to the Gentiles. As soon as he does, the ruler of the synagogue is converted! In this conversion, God confirms Paul's mission almost immediately.
Growth - God blesses Paul in his choice to move away from the "religious" Jews to the "irreligious" Gentiles. Many came to faith. It is a fearful thing to move out of the comfort of your own people with which you have some common ground. The Jews were Paul's people. He was Jewish. Yet Christ had commissioned Paul to preach to others and, by faith, he must strike out into scary territory. As confirmation, God chooses to bless Paul's faithfulness. Many times, the people within our churches do not want to move out to the irreligious. There may come a time when the leaders of the church need to "move out" for the sake of the glory of Christ in spite of what the church wants. This in itself is a bold move of faith and many times brings greater health the the church although the going may initially bring conflict.
Circumstances - The Jews rose up against Paul and took him before the local law enforcement of Rome because they thought he was teaching things against the law. Judaism was an "official" religion of Rome having been legitimized by the government. If another religion was promoted that was not stamped by the approval of the governing authorities it was considered illegitimate and against Roman law. As Paul was getting ready to defend himself before the proconsul, the proconsul beat him to the punch and the Jews complaint was thrown out as nitpicking. What this did was, for the first time, made Christianity a legitimate religion in Rome in the eyes of the governing authorities! God raised up this gracious proconsul for the furtherance of the gospel through Paul! God directs and disposes all circumstances that He might be glorified and the gospel prosper.
What really do believers in Christ have to fear? Or, as Paul writes in Romans 8, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" His kingdom is being ushered in and He chooses to you the likes of fearful men like me to accomplish His great good of kingdom advancement. May the Lord teach me faith as he taught Paul and every saint before him and after him.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The Real Dogs
Philippians 3:2-3
"Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil doers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."
I think it is very telling here that, as Paul begins his conclusion to his letter to the Philippian believers, that he does not say, "look out for the murderers, the rapists, the pedophiles, the prostitutes." Instead, he piles the words up in anticipation for whom they should beware: those who trust in outward forms of righteousness (in this case circumcision) rather than fully upon Christ. Murderers may kill the body but they cannot kill the soul. Rapists and pedophiles may strip a person of dignity and, in this life, cause all sorts of insecurities and horrible and atrocious harm, but they cannot usurp gospel power which brings real security to a victim's conscience. A prostitute may provide instant gratification for a man or woman, but they cannot ultimately adulterate a person's relationship with God since God is the One who begins and perfects the eternal gospel in a person's life (Phil. 1:6).
Paul is writing from prison yet prison cannot stop the truth of God. The real enemy is those who would require some meritorious work to gain God's favor or keep people in God's favor. This is the real enemy of faith and the soul. It has eternal consequences. Al the above are bound by the temporal walls of life here. Those who are truly marked out as God's people are not the ones with a literal flesh circumcision but with the circumcision of the heart who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."
"Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil doers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."
I think it is very telling here that, as Paul begins his conclusion to his letter to the Philippian believers, that he does not say, "look out for the murderers, the rapists, the pedophiles, the prostitutes." Instead, he piles the words up in anticipation for whom they should beware: those who trust in outward forms of righteousness (in this case circumcision) rather than fully upon Christ. Murderers may kill the body but they cannot kill the soul. Rapists and pedophiles may strip a person of dignity and, in this life, cause all sorts of insecurities and horrible and atrocious harm, but they cannot usurp gospel power which brings real security to a victim's conscience. A prostitute may provide instant gratification for a man or woman, but they cannot ultimately adulterate a person's relationship with God since God is the One who begins and perfects the eternal gospel in a person's life (Phil. 1:6).
Paul is writing from prison yet prison cannot stop the truth of God. The real enemy is those who would require some meritorious work to gain God's favor or keep people in God's favor. This is the real enemy of faith and the soul. It has eternal consequences. Al the above are bound by the temporal walls of life here. Those who are truly marked out as God's people are not the ones with a literal flesh circumcision but with the circumcision of the heart who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."
Monday, December 22, 2008
Hiding Jesus in Evangelical Robes
I recently attended a neighbor's Greek orthodox funeral. When alive, my neighbor would always say to me, "You have no tradition. We have a tradition," meaning their church proclaims to go all the way back to the Apostle Peter. Over the years tradition after tradition were piled up until we have the Greek Orthodox Church of today (which they would say is of yesterday). Intense incense, veneration of Mary, repetitious chanting, icons, priestly garb, original Greek, and very specific rules of worship, like the direction the casket faced, were obvious marks of this service.
The thing that struck me was Christ was hidden beneath all of the tradition. It almost seems that they go out of their way to make it difficult to see Jesus. After the funeral a friend responded with the typical "what a beautiful funeral." I wanted to laugh. Beautiful? It was the most depressing and hopeless funeral I have ever attended.
But is it that far from modern evangelicalism . . . really? Don't we hide Jesus under own contrived garb of religiosity? Like the Pharisees before us, we cover over the hurts and pains of failure to produce a righteousness of our own (failure to be holy as God requires) and try to mask the ceaseless, tireless, positive production of sin in our lives which hounds us that we cannot be holy. Our music gets louder, our productions bigger, our church activity greater. Are we not also covering up Jesus with our modern trinkets?
In my own life it is a constant struggle to rightly apprehend the fact of Christ's life and work on behalf. It is difficult for me to fathom that Christ both accounted to Himself my sin and the wrath I deserve for my sin, and accounted to me His own perfect righteousness. It is hard for me to grasp that I stand a free man condemned no longer. I still feel I need to pay the price for my sins. But what a farse. What kind of salvation is it that requires of me a maintenance of my own salvation? That's not a free gospel. In reality I know that I fail miserably to maintain any semblance of morality or spirituality that measures up to perfection. My most religious moments are filled with mixed motives. My most elegant prayers are tinged with the pride and greed of what they will fetch from God.
What I need is gospel taught that shows me that I must live today, not attempting to correct my own account, but believing that Christ has truly and fully already paid that price for me. I need a church that teaches that kind of gospel (good news) over and over again. I don't need the prevalent moralism, or behavior modification of today's evangelicalism. That message hides Jesus behind my own works. I need a Jesus at the forefront of my salvation who is clear and concise and really accomplished my full salvation. I don't need a half Jesus who got me into heaven and now I have to work hard to clean up my act by doing good things, dressing the part, and keeping my nose clean with a cheezy smile on my face. I need a Jesus who is both the Author and Perfector of my faith. And on Him, fully revealed not covered over, is where I need to fix my eyes. And I need a church who will clearly, fully, and simply present Him and Him alone every single week.
The thing that struck me was Christ was hidden beneath all of the tradition. It almost seems that they go out of their way to make it difficult to see Jesus. After the funeral a friend responded with the typical "what a beautiful funeral." I wanted to laugh. Beautiful? It was the most depressing and hopeless funeral I have ever attended.
But is it that far from modern evangelicalism . . . really? Don't we hide Jesus under own contrived garb of religiosity? Like the Pharisees before us, we cover over the hurts and pains of failure to produce a righteousness of our own (failure to be holy as God requires) and try to mask the ceaseless, tireless, positive production of sin in our lives which hounds us that we cannot be holy. Our music gets louder, our productions bigger, our church activity greater. Are we not also covering up Jesus with our modern trinkets?
In my own life it is a constant struggle to rightly apprehend the fact of Christ's life and work on behalf. It is difficult for me to fathom that Christ both accounted to Himself my sin and the wrath I deserve for my sin, and accounted to me His own perfect righteousness. It is hard for me to grasp that I stand a free man condemned no longer. I still feel I need to pay the price for my sins. But what a farse. What kind of salvation is it that requires of me a maintenance of my own salvation? That's not a free gospel. In reality I know that I fail miserably to maintain any semblance of morality or spirituality that measures up to perfection. My most religious moments are filled with mixed motives. My most elegant prayers are tinged with the pride and greed of what they will fetch from God.
What I need is gospel taught that shows me that I must live today, not attempting to correct my own account, but believing that Christ has truly and fully already paid that price for me. I need a church that teaches that kind of gospel (good news) over and over again. I don't need the prevalent moralism, or behavior modification of today's evangelicalism. That message hides Jesus behind my own works. I need a Jesus at the forefront of my salvation who is clear and concise and really accomplished my full salvation. I don't need a half Jesus who got me into heaven and now I have to work hard to clean up my act by doing good things, dressing the part, and keeping my nose clean with a cheezy smile on my face. I need a Jesus who is both the Author and Perfector of my faith. And on Him, fully revealed not covered over, is where I need to fix my eyes. And I need a church who will clearly, fully, and simply present Him and Him alone every single week.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Banjo is an Instrument of the Devil
At least, it has been called that. The banjo has been used as an instrument for song and dance for centuries. Who doesn't like to hear live banjo music (I understand that not everyone goes out to buy a banjo-ladened CD)? The banjo can make the most scroogy personality a little more light-hearted. Yet there are times that we get carried away in our enthusiasm. That's how the banjo has gotten a bad rap. It is often associated with a moonshining, revenuer-ducking, woman-carousing hillbilly type that is not your grandmother's 'little angel' harp recital crowd (unless your grandmother is Granny Clampett).
But is the inanimate banjo to blame? Truth be known, we will pin the sin of our hearts on anything but ourselves won't we? How miserably we fail to take responsibility for our behavior and claim "the banjo made me do it." Ever since the Garden, mankind has shirked his guilt to other people or things; the serpent, the woman, the Creator.
What do you blame for your hearts inordinate desire to worship something other than God? Alcohol? Dance? T.V.? Computer? Your career? Your spouse? Your age? Your health? Could it not be your own heart? "For out of the heart flow the issues of life." It is not what goes into a man that defiles the man, but what comes out of the heart.
Maybe its time to stop blaming and to acknowledge our guilt and shame. Maybe its time to recognize our dire need for Christ's perfect righteousness given to the account of those willing to trust Him . . . and to actually trust Him.
In this life there will still be patterns of blame that creep up in me, but my sin has been accounted to Christ and His righteousness accounted to me. That frees me to be honest about my sin and to set sin aside in order to love my Savior and my neighbor . . . and yes . . . even as I play the banjo . . .
But is the inanimate banjo to blame? Truth be known, we will pin the sin of our hearts on anything but ourselves won't we? How miserably we fail to take responsibility for our behavior and claim "the banjo made me do it." Ever since the Garden, mankind has shirked his guilt to other people or things; the serpent, the woman, the Creator.
What do you blame for your hearts inordinate desire to worship something other than God? Alcohol? Dance? T.V.? Computer? Your career? Your spouse? Your age? Your health? Could it not be your own heart? "For out of the heart flow the issues of life." It is not what goes into a man that defiles the man, but what comes out of the heart.
Maybe its time to stop blaming and to acknowledge our guilt and shame. Maybe its time to recognize our dire need for Christ's perfect righteousness given to the account of those willing to trust Him . . . and to actually trust Him.
In this life there will still be patterns of blame that creep up in me, but my sin has been accounted to Christ and His righteousness accounted to me. That frees me to be honest about my sin and to set sin aside in order to love my Savior and my neighbor . . . and yes . . . even as I play the banjo . . .
Jesus on a String: controlling God and people through music
“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge”
- Proverbs 19:2
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”
- John 4:24
Worship of God is directed by God in His Word. In our fervor to worship as His people, we often make mistakes in the manner in which we bring our worship. Music, because it is an emotional vehicle for worship, and one which is subject to preference, can present some challenges. Yet with a biblically balanced foundation we can have God-honoring music in worship. Here are some pitfalls to avoid as well as some balance to promote:
Reckless abandon (spirit without truth).
“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge”
- Proverbs 19:2
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in . . . truth”
- John 4:24
Reckless abandon in regards to song choice for worship, is music with no restraint. It sounds very spiritual. The attitude from advocates might be that we do not want to stifle the Holy Spirit’s leading. We ought to allow our Spirit-controlled emotions to move how we worship. How is this controlling God?
Basically, reckless abandon is setting our emotions as the criteria for right worship. Emotions, though, then become the prime principle for right worship over and above God’s Word. Thankfully God has given us His Word which directs how our hearts ought to worship. Hopefully, we strive to worship in spirit (yes), and truth. The truth of the words ought to move both the music which accompanies as well as the emotions which follow. His truth oversees, or guides, our spirit. Our hearts are sinfully drawn to worship selfishly but the Word draws us to a balance of truth and spirit.
Liturgy for the sake of safety (truth without spirit)
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit . . .”
- John 4:24
This extreme leads to dead orthodoxy, or cold religion. If reckless abandon is dangerous in its lack of Godly truth-control, blind liturgy is dangerous for its cold form from too much control.
We can become so fearful of change or doing the wrong thing, that a knee-jerk reaction takes place and we find no place for emotion. The words become sterile and unfeeling and we are discouraged from emoting. This too is controlling God by keeping Spirit-induced emotion at bay.
Closing the canon on hymnody (Using preference as main criteria for biblical worship.)
There is a real temptation to not shake the tree any more than necessary by not allowing for any diverse music into the church. Yet this is irresponsible to the continuing work of God in and among the Church. Granted, there has been little music composed in the last century worth utilizing. But this is a new day!
We are seeing a revival of hymnody. A resurgence of Reformed theology has brought with it a hunger and thirst for rich words accompanied by engaging music. In my own denomination’s ministry, pastors and congregants alike, have been instrumental in writing new music and offering it to the Church. Students, pastors, and church musicians have come in contact with old hymns and have re-worked them so that they are more singable to today’s ear and have given us a vast quantity of songs from which to choose.
A new love for old hymns.
Hymns are didactic by nature. That is, they teach us theology. Putting new tunes to old hymns has caused new and old ears alike to love hymns and to love what they say and stand for. Folks who thought the hymns of old were cold and boring, now embrace the richness of the historicity and theological depth of the hymns.
So what is our responsibility as a church in relation to God’s working today through music in the church?
Biblically responsible
We are to be biblically responsible for the music we sing. “Spirit and truth” worship means that we sing songs which convey the deep soul-refreshing words of Scripture so that people are brought before the throne of grace. We also utilize music which accompanies the words well, conveying the rich sentiment of the words so that it helps, not hinders, a proper understanding of the text of the song.
Culturally relevant
What?! Christians live in culture too. Cultures change. Music changes with culture. There is nothing especially sacred about 18th century hymnody as opposed to 21st century hymnody. The musical styles within our own Trinity hymnal show the wide diversity between eras. Look at the dates of the songs in the hymnal and you will see some written as far back as the 4th century and as recent as 1984! Listen to the different tunes for those eras and you will hear distinct cultural differences.
The revival of hymnody within our culture is catching on!
Teachable
We need to be willing to learn. Are you one who is more prone towards newer tunes? Learn the hymns! Don’t neglect the work of God among the Church throughout history. Are you one to disdain change and things new? Try it. See the end goal. Help the church to teach well the richness of our faith through song.
- Proverbs 19:2
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”
- John 4:24
Worship of God is directed by God in His Word. In our fervor to worship as His people, we often make mistakes in the manner in which we bring our worship. Music, because it is an emotional vehicle for worship, and one which is subject to preference, can present some challenges. Yet with a biblically balanced foundation we can have God-honoring music in worship. Here are some pitfalls to avoid as well as some balance to promote:
Reckless abandon (spirit without truth).
“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge”
- Proverbs 19:2
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in . . . truth”
- John 4:24
Reckless abandon in regards to song choice for worship, is music with no restraint. It sounds very spiritual. The attitude from advocates might be that we do not want to stifle the Holy Spirit’s leading. We ought to allow our Spirit-controlled emotions to move how we worship. How is this controlling God?
Basically, reckless abandon is setting our emotions as the criteria for right worship. Emotions, though, then become the prime principle for right worship over and above God’s Word. Thankfully God has given us His Word which directs how our hearts ought to worship. Hopefully, we strive to worship in spirit (yes), and truth. The truth of the words ought to move both the music which accompanies as well as the emotions which follow. His truth oversees, or guides, our spirit. Our hearts are sinfully drawn to worship selfishly but the Word draws us to a balance of truth and spirit.
Liturgy for the sake of safety (truth without spirit)
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit . . .”
- John 4:24
This extreme leads to dead orthodoxy, or cold religion. If reckless abandon is dangerous in its lack of Godly truth-control, blind liturgy is dangerous for its cold form from too much control.
We can become so fearful of change or doing the wrong thing, that a knee-jerk reaction takes place and we find no place for emotion. The words become sterile and unfeeling and we are discouraged from emoting. This too is controlling God by keeping Spirit-induced emotion at bay.
Closing the canon on hymnody (Using preference as main criteria for biblical worship.)
There is a real temptation to not shake the tree any more than necessary by not allowing for any diverse music into the church. Yet this is irresponsible to the continuing work of God in and among the Church. Granted, there has been little music composed in the last century worth utilizing. But this is a new day!
We are seeing a revival of hymnody. A resurgence of Reformed theology has brought with it a hunger and thirst for rich words accompanied by engaging music. In my own denomination’s ministry, pastors and congregants alike, have been instrumental in writing new music and offering it to the Church. Students, pastors, and church musicians have come in contact with old hymns and have re-worked them so that they are more singable to today’s ear and have given us a vast quantity of songs from which to choose.
A new love for old hymns.
Hymns are didactic by nature. That is, they teach us theology. Putting new tunes to old hymns has caused new and old ears alike to love hymns and to love what they say and stand for. Folks who thought the hymns of old were cold and boring, now embrace the richness of the historicity and theological depth of the hymns.
So what is our responsibility as a church in relation to God’s working today through music in the church?
Biblically responsible
We are to be biblically responsible for the music we sing. “Spirit and truth” worship means that we sing songs which convey the deep soul-refreshing words of Scripture so that people are brought before the throne of grace. We also utilize music which accompanies the words well, conveying the rich sentiment of the words so that it helps, not hinders, a proper understanding of the text of the song.
Culturally relevant
What?! Christians live in culture too. Cultures change. Music changes with culture. There is nothing especially sacred about 18th century hymnody as opposed to 21st century hymnody. The musical styles within our own Trinity hymnal show the wide diversity between eras. Look at the dates of the songs in the hymnal and you will see some written as far back as the 4th century and as recent as 1984! Listen to the different tunes for those eras and you will hear distinct cultural differences.
The revival of hymnody within our culture is catching on!
Teachable
We need to be willing to learn. Are you one who is more prone towards newer tunes? Learn the hymns! Don’t neglect the work of God among the Church throughout history. Are you one to disdain change and things new? Try it. See the end goal. Help the church to teach well the richness of our faith through song.
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