Here’s a new-old thought on a key one.

Promises Made, Promises Kept

We wait in the middle, between when God’s promises were made, and when they will be fulfilled, kept to their fullness.

On this, John Calvin writes:

“Let us also remember that we are all in the same condition as Abraham. Our circumstances are all in opposition to the promises of God. He promises us immortality: yet we are surrounded by mortality and corruption. He declares that he accounts us just: yet we are covered with sins. He testifies that he is propitious and benevolent towards us: yet outward signs threaten his wrath. What then are we to do? We must close our eyes, disregard ourselves and all things connected with us, so that nothing may hinder or prevent us from believing that God is true.”

It is quite easy to think of the Bible as a book of rules — things to DO. Yet, it is far greatest The Story of God, of His coming near to us, and in that way is not primarily about us. The Bible is about GOD. And not just facts, figures and fables — as if God were a science experiment, a idea to be calculated, quantified and categorized. In reality, God has acted in history — in this real world — and as we read Scripture we discover the stories are true, the characters are generally failures, and God is always faithful. That’s step one, reading the Bible as if it’s about God and not just “me.” Of course, it must be experienced, taken into our whole lives, if we are to learn what God says.

There’s another needed emphasis, more likened to a simple priority: know the WHOs before the DOs. Jesus came to show us the way by BEING the way. No five step (or 12) plan for salvation here. He’s the plan, the whole plan. So when we read, we see the what, why, how, and especially the Who of God’s Story.

This “happy tension” of sorts is recognizing the why the Bible is written. Take the New Testament, written in common day (Koine) Greek. The most common mood of the verbs is in what’s called the indicative mood. Stating facts, making declarations (e.g., “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” John 3:16). Later, and less frequently we get into the imperative mood, of commands (”Do this … do that…”; e.g., “Be holy…,” or “forgive one another” Eph. 4:32). I say later because we must recognize that every command of Scripture is rooted in a promise, in the prior work of God with us and for us. A couple examples…

Ephesians 4:32:

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another” // a very good command; do it!

But how and why?

“…as God in Christ forgave you.”

We can only forgive out of the resources of the self-sacrificing God who forgives sinners at the greatest sacrifice the world has ever known. We can think of the “other,” because God is all about the “other,” modeled in relationships among the Trinity. Furthermore, as an application, we can begin with forbearance, because Christ has gone before us — the WHO before our DO — throwing away His convenience to suffer as a servant in our place (Phil. 2:1-11).

Digging into the Word: Paul’s Letter to the Philippians

Another example of this indicative-imperative correlation is Philippians 4:1:

“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”

(We just taught this passage to our high schoolers.) Do you see what Paul did there? He could have said it so simply, like: “just stand firm in the Lord. Do it!” Why does he wax eloquent — is it just poetic or is God doing something deep and meaningful here? He’s talking about identity… their true (and new) identity.

That’s the only way to be read the Bible as one alive, and to teach it to others for transformation. Every single command in Scripture is rooted in  God’s prior work, for His commands become His enablements. Just as Paul waited unto the twelfth chapter of Romans to give the very first command in that great letter (Romans 12:1-2), we recognize Christianity is far more about WHO Jesus is than what we DO. Plus, our doing comes out of our being, which comes from being remade into His image (Colossians 3:10) and embracing our new identity.

Below Darrin Patrick, summarizes this necessary approach to reading and teaching the Bible in a 9 minute video. He was asked to collaborate with about 80 other church leaders across the country on a day of training called “The Nines” (on 09.09.09), put on by the Leadership Network and Catalyst. Darrin serves as lead pastor of The Journey Church in St. Louis, a Gospel-centered missional church he and others founded less than a decade ago, and has become a catalyst for church planters and leaders globally.

We used this video to spark a discussion last week with high school leaders and students. Bits of it may have been over their head — there’s those happy tensions — as real growth comes from being challenged. This sparked a great discussion, and spiritual and mental lights were going on all over the place. So, that’s what it means to work from significance and not for it, according to the Gospel (as I seek to remind them).

He covers the ground quickly, so open your Bible to Luke 24, and grab something to take notes. Enjoy!

Happy Tensions: What, Why, How … + Who // my favorite article on seeing all things through the lens of Jesus. We need a Redeemer, not a system of redemption (how-to’s). I was pastoral intern at a purpose-driven church at the time

Gospel-distorting approaches to change // perhaps another way of saying that all sin is idolatry, and since we worshiped our way to sin, we must worship our way out

Happy tensions: Head + Heart // objective + subjective knowing; God doesn’t want us to check our brain at the door

Clarity > Relevance // adults are like teens, just that teens can pay attention more/longer

Believing + Receiving // Do I treat Jesus like He is a Comcast cable guy, doing things for me so I can enjoy life without Him?

The Devoted Church // on first sermon preached at WCC

GOD: They is One // don’t apologize for the Trinity; it is not a technicality, it is the foundational relationship of everything

Our common Source of Significance // re-blogged another pastor’s thoughts; spot-on in my book

Living Our True Identity// 200-word essay for a local paper on the nature of the church. We are worshipers, family, learners, missionaries, servants. Are you?

• My post “A Story of Sovereignty” is up now

It’s a bit longer than a normal blog post. Won’t blame God for that …

(The revised version posted is a bit shorter than the full version I’ll start posting here tomorrow, bit by bit.)

Here’s the heart of my argument:

Again, the problems are many — not for God, needing to explain Himself — but for us in passing judgment on the Creator. Where were we when He set all this in motion? We lack a representative sampling of data to draw conclusions. At least not enough experience from a few decades living in affluent suburbia (or anywhere else). What do we have? God’s Word. Both written and Incarnate. The Designer has left the Story of His glory for us to know, experience and be satisfied with Him. What’s more, He entered this Story, the Designer willing to become part of His design, to experience the full brunt of the brokenness of our existence. Who suffered more evil that Jesus? Who deserved more good than He? Let’s focus this discussion on the primary truth God does.

The crux: God has entered our suffering
So much talk about sovereignty (or theodicy) seems to miss the chief argument. If His attributes were to be aligned (goodness, power, knowledge), we see all three to be all-good, all-powerful, and all-knowing. I’m not imposing presuppositions here — for those are the very perfections God asserts Himself (Mark 10:18; Psalm 115:3, Matthew 19:26; Psalm 147:5, Ephesians 1:11, et al). We don’t make a solid case based on our finite (read: tiny) experience; it must come from God’s words, the Scriptures.

If those are the three legs of this 3-legged-stool (that never wobbles), then the intersection at the top — where the world sits — is the greater truth. (Don’t miss this.) God has entered His Story. All stories have depths of conflict and triumphal resolution. In comes the Hero, the conflict and resolution all centered around Him. The worst of the evil? He received it. The harshest rejection? He felt it all. He was willing to empty Himself of glory, to take the lowest place possible — a slave, condemned to die — and walk through this furnace of suffering as we should. In total submission to the Triune God, the second Person of the Trinity became the one worthy of being called the name above every name (Philippians 2:1-11).

This all-good-and-powerful-and-knowing God, who is above all holy (altogether separate, distinct, and well, whole) saw that it was not enough to be outside the suffering and evil overtaking His fallen creation. At an intersection of transcendence and immanence we see a God who cares. Enough to take our place, bear our shame, and reassert His claim as the Sovereign King of the universe. Compelled by love and for His one glory, He must draw near. He must enter this mess, and He must make it beautiful. How? (I state it again, if only for my own reminder.) By entering our suffering. By turning evil on its head. The greatest evil ever devised was used (permitted, designed and caused) to accomplish the greatest good this world has ever known. God did not just overcome evil on the cross. The Creator forced evil to serve the overcoming of itself. He made evil commit suicide in doing its worst evil.

The apex of God’s revelation of Himself is the suffering God-Man on a cross, forsaken, beaten, spit upon, and in our place taking the full wrath of God. Oh what depths of judgment vented on Him! Those present sufferings in the physical realm from human hands were but a drop in the bucket of the cup of the Father’s wrath. Joy and love mingled down in His blood, He took death (the inevitable goal of evil and sin) and threw it away like a rag doll. Death could not defeat Him. He conquered the grave. He is the Man — the God — no one can kill. Jesus is the Hero. The Good, Knowing, Sovereign One — totally free and able — did all this on purpose (Acts 2:23). The Author wrote Himself in the script, right next to us.

God entered not as an unwilling capture, but as the Creator turned Rescuer who designed a world He would rule completely, through love, mercy and justice.

• Read the whole thing: “A Story of Sovereignty”

“I must be aware of two kinds of weariness in my life. The first is the weariness of giving out faster than I take in. That is the weariness of overcommitment; it is the fatigue of being over exercised in my service to God for others. The second kind of weariness is more subtle; it is the weariness of God Himself.

My life is a series of emptying and fillings. As I empty myself in service, I must refill myself by drawing upon God’s infinite resources. If I fail to refill, I will become drained and exhaustion will occur. One of the chief reasons I fail to refill is because I have become tired of God. In other words, I have lost my desire to be filled by God.

It is inconceivable that I can exhaust a transcendent God. Therefore, weariness can only be a symptom that something has gone wrong with my pipeline to heaven. Either is it is stopped up with something or it is broken or I simply do not exert myself to turn on the spigot. The latter occurs whenever I have discovered an interest that, for the moment at least, transcends my interest in God. Weariness with God usually begins with a wandering eye. That leads to a wandering heart, and soon I am off chasing a will-o’-wisp that seems momentarily delightful. It is in that stage of things that I become weary of God; He has lost His color, His richness, and His appeal to my heart. I am clearly on dangerous ground, and that is why God makes His strongest appeals to rekindle my appetite for Him. He asks me to deliberately surrender the trinkets for the gold; He begs me to give up the hewn cisterns and get back to the flowing river of life.”
- excerpt from Daily with the King

“For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
- Jeremiah 2:13

There is a vast difference in attitude between making God relevant, and showing that He already is. The first posture makes the assumption that the Bible cannot be read with clarity by normal people, and must be re-formatted to relate to our lives. So pastors use what I call dot-to-dot Bible sprinkling. A verse here, a verse there, and not communicating through the context and story wrapped up around them. (Every genre is different of course.) In this way we teachers become the filter for biblical truth, rather than God’s world.We then treat the Bible as a HOW TO Manual with a system of redemption rather than a Redeemer.

The second impulse — seeking to show God and His Word are already relevant — receives God’s Word as the Father’s heart and mind for His people; it completely relates to our lives.

Here are some thoughts on teaching philosophy, followed by a quote. Clarity is the key impulse for us teachers, more than relevance:

If we only speak things that people already know, they will not be challenged. Nor will they really listen. Lots of people go to church with the intent of being reaffirmed in what they already believe. (That’s an incomplete motivation, by the way.) We see this at play when responses come in after the preacher says something jarring — but totally in-line with the Scriptures and a Gospel-centered of truth. The issues play out in different ways, not just "I didn’t like what you said about ____."

If we are so clever that the people need us to make sense of the Bible, then we are putting ourselves in place of Christ. The Apostles Doctrine (Acts 2:42-47) was reading the Old Testament Scriptures through the lens of Jesus. None of the words had changed, but their meaning and significance was greatly heightened. God spoke through the prophets, and has in these last days spoken the loudest through His Son (Heb. 1:1-3). Yet if we are too creative with Scripture that people need us to learn its plain truths, then we are dethroning Christ little by little. No outright denial of His Lordship, but we leaders can become our people’s functional Savior’s. (If you don’t believe me, notice how many people refer to their church and others as "[insert pastor's name here] church." Sad.

Teaching people involves creating biblical categories of thought, not just massaging the ones they already have. Not everyone believes out-and-out lies, but it is clear that many (most?) people have truncated theology. We think like bumpers stickers, in short little platitudes (half-truths). As pastors we can love them by stretching them, along with living life along with them, and unleashing them to serve in ways that will connect their heads to their hearts to their hands. Training in godliness must have an element of putting away people’s silly myths (1 Timothy 4:7), and battling for truth by engaging people in the mission of the church and Christ’s mission in this world. That’s why I like to talk about applying our lives to the Bible, rather than only applying the Bible to our lives.

Teaching pre-teens is like teaching adults. Only the students may have longer attention spans. (Seriously, it may be the opposite of what you think.) There are less stresses weighing on them, even though their bodies and minds are ever changing. When they become college-aged they may be the most engaged of any age group.

Students and adults are different in that before students reach mid-teens they think in concrete ways more than abstract ways. As a more abstract reasoner, that has been the greatest challenge for me. However, there are ways to make the Scriptures clear. Object lessons are helpful. But the #1 would be: to believe its truth so much that you are obviously gripped by it. Students deal with so much ingenuous nonsense that they can smell insincerity from a mile away. If a person knows, loves and enjoys Christ — that is the most compelling argument for commending Him.

Colin Adams offers this relevant quote on how the Bible already is:

"Clarity should be the goal of every preacher and every sermon. Clarity is different from relevance. I don’t aim to make the Bible relevant. It is already more relevant than I could ever make it. The Bible is the most relevant book in the world, because it has been written by the timeless, unchanging God. No teacher makes the Bible relevant. His highest aim is to clearly expose its relevance to those who are listening. That resulting clarity leads to changed lives.”
– John Kitchen, Revival in Rubble, 167.

Last thought: it’s easier to teach how-to sermons with relevance as the goal. It’s much more work to dive into the text and allow the depth, beauty and truth to come alive. I beseech you — preach the word! (2 Timothy 4:1-2)

End of rant.

We each are drawn towards one direction. Be tethered to both. Those who detach the two are either swimming in a sea of religion, or being swept away in an ocean of mysticism.

Know God.

Love Him.

Enjoy Him.

Fill your mind with Him , and never stop swimming in the depths of His love, truth, and taking others to take the plunge with you. We were meant to know God, cognitively and experientially. And we were meant to do that with others, pointing others to Him. God wants to be known. Do you know Him? Do others know Him because of you?

"We wrestle with ‘making the gospel relevant.’ But God is about transforming the world to fit the shape of the Gospel." — Total Church

WHO is more relevant than GOD? Seriously, can there by anyone cooler than the Creator? We bore ourselves with second-rate nonsense, and then conclude that God is irrelevant.  In fact, it is you and I who are irrelevant. Only Christ gives us lasting value, for while we were yet sinners (our real identity), Christ died in our place (Romans 5:8). He made us relevant. Our new purpose becomes showing how relevant God truly is.

That is why I say it is a sin to bore people with the Bible. However, I pause at any methodology that is based on the assumption that we need to make Scripture relevant. It is the craziest, awesomest book ever. (Even deserving a new word like "awesomest.") We simply need to unleash it. Perhaps some (or many) of my students are not captivated when I teach them, and that is a mixture of my fault and theirs. (Junior highers don’t yet think abstractly, and I am a highly abstract thinker. So every word needs to be evaluated, illustrations that are, yes, relevant, employed, and my attitude and non-verbal language must exhibit the reality that I am very excited to speak about God.) Even still, it would be foolish to try so hard to sound smart or be cool that they don’t look past us to see God.

I say we quit tweaking His message to fit our tiny lives. Can we really improve on the greatest news ever? Our lives are meant to conform to His word and will (Romans 12:1-2). Unleash Christ and His Word, and let the Savior work. For that to happen, we need to be faithful to God’s truth, guard ourselves, and watch the Savior work (1 Timothy 4:11-16). Through the Gospel God will make us believers relevant in the eyes of the Father, Son and Spirit. We know They love us; and even like us. It feels great to be relevant.

• Update: speaking of Boring , Russell Moore has a great take on the topic .

• John Piper asks, Does God "Lead Us Into Temptation?" (Desiring God blog). The short answer: yes.

• Tim Chester (author of Total Church , and pastor in the UK), contrasts Communities of Grace vs. Communities of Performance (the Resurgence), an expansive of some of his thoughts earlier

• (a third comes to mind too: "Community: Convenience vs. Grace" by church planter/pastor Jonathan Dodson)

The connection is that we shall enjoy a mysterious union of Christ leading us into temptation, and our participation in being victorious by viewing ourselves, other people and our church communities through the lens of the Gospel: Grace > Performance . (Keeping in mind Romans 12:3: "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think… .") A performance-bent person will not escape temptation victoriously for that person can only draw on his or her own resources. People who seem themselves rightly — through the Gospel and Christ’s finished work — will continually come back to Christ, broken and humbled by the enormity of their own brokenness and sinfulness and draw from the infinite well of resources that is Christ and His finished work.

That is also, by extension, another argument for community. We are our weakest selves when isolated, and as we bear with one another (Galatians 6), we resemble Christ who bore our burdens. This not only pleases Him, it is of enormous benefit for us.

• Humility – to listen
• Discernment – to sift through what’s been shared

Be humble and discerning. Listen well, and learn from those outside your group/tribe.

But don’t take what they say wholesale. Pragmatism generally lacks discernment. On the other hand, those too deeply entrenched in their own views/tradition/culture generally lack humility. Don’t be either of those. Be humble. Be discerning.

Think. Reflect. Discern it through the lens of the Scriptures and the Gospel. (And don’t take yourself and your views too seriously. You might be wrong.)

While many want to be God’s instrument to accomplish great things, as D.L. Moody said over and over, God is looking for those people who are willing to do the little, unnoticed things for His glory.The value of something done rests in its source and goal (how and why). Since all things come from Christ and exist for Him (Col. 1:16-17), He alone is the worthy source and goal of our life’s work (see also Col. 3:23).

Kari is studying the life of Therese of Lisieux , to speak about her next Wednesday night at our high school group in a series called "Inspired." She’ll be sharing some more reflections about this true saint, but for now consider an ordinary hero who emphasized the "little way," doing mighty little things for our glorious Savior.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

(I grew up saying it every week in church, but only in the last decade have my eyes been open to realize the significance and truth found in the words of this creed. Thankful the words were memorized from a young age, and are becoming to me more colorful and beautiful now.)

Athanasius (c. AD 296/98 – 373) has long been my favorite figure in church history, and he may be the single most influential person in church history since Christ and the Apostles. Not as well known as so many others — Augustine, Jerome, Luther, etc. But beloved by God and greatly used by Him. I’ve learned in studying church history that  those who are the most used by God for the sake of the Gospel of His Son, are (1) not lazy, and (2) realize their life’s work does not depend upon them. This is one of those great "happy tensions," where the influence is supernatural and beyond the finite limits of a single life — like Paul writes in Col. 1:29 — all of God’s energy at work in us. Our story is part of His.

We owe so much to Athanasius and his writings, that through great weakness of body and five trips into exile he persevered to give us a deeper vision of the Worth, Work and Ways of Jesus the Christ than the church was swimming in during his days. Oh, the purity and others-directed service of his life! He simply thought about himself less, and made much of Jesus while providing for the poor and widows, preaching about the worth, work and ways of Christ, and even praying for and reaching out to Arius. Arius is the poor theology student who while 42 years Athanasius’ elder — and fellow pastor in the same city and church — was greatly confused and left the biblical vision of Christ. He taught that if Jesus were a Son, then He must have had a beginning, and since there is only one God — who eternally Is — that must be God the Father alone and the Son and Spirit must be secondary creatures. He denied the mystery of the Trinity, because he wanted to worship a God he could fully understand. Arius did not deny Christ, he simply dethroned the Savior, saying he was created (against the clear teaching of passages like Col. 1:15-23 and John 1:1-16). He was in essence the original Jehovah’s Witness, and so many of the church leaders in that day were swayed to this heresy.

Thus the nickname of our hero, "Athanasius Contra Mundum " (against the world). There is a great irony in God’s providence of greatly using a man and his writings — Athanasius — while he was exiled five times by various Roman Emperors. Without those banishments (much like the Apostle Paul in prison), this world would be a less glorious place — and the Gospel would not have spread so well. The emperors had no idea what they were doing, thinking that banishing him would led to the spread of the politically expedient Arianism. Instead, the people of Alexandria considered Athanasius their bishop for 45 years, especially the 17 he spent in the deserts as a fugitive. From the desert his writings sounded forth with the accuracy and weight of scholar and the pastoral tone of of a man who possessed deep love of Christ and truth. The sufferings were worth it: for him, for them, and for us. Young Athanasius came against Arian and his views with the patience of a true saint, and the endurance of a man set on fire by Christ and by truth. I’ll post some links to good summaries and some of his writings when my talk is complete.

Recently I wrote a paper, and the professor especially liked one section I wrote:

"… two things become apparent to me. One, God does not use lazy people. And two, those who are greatly used by God realize that it does not depend upon them.  Dwelling in and enjoying the tension of this apparent paradox has been my short journey as a servant and child of God."

The paper was about relationships among church leaders, and one pillar of camaraderie I wrote about was diligence . There is no substitute for hard work, and hard working people gain more fuel from the journey by coming into contact with one another. Yet, for all our hard work, we release that this work of God depends upon Him, not us. A person  around me for any length of time knows I love to swim the depths of what I call "happy tensions," the paradoxes of the universe worth exploring.

Consider the happy tension the Apostle Paul writes of (in v. 29 esp.):

"24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. " ( Colossians 1:24-29 )

He was diligent beyond himself by an energy beyond himself. Oh the happy tension of a life lived in the power of God Almighty!

The first was an afternoon idea-ing and planning session talking about our church’s Advent series coming up the few weeks before Christmas. One theme will be JOY … and how much Joy there was when Christ came the first time, how much there shall be one day when He returns in the fullness of His glory, and the unending pleasure to be found as subjects and sons and daughters in His Kingdom.

Being forgiven and right with God on the basis of nothing we have done in and of ourselves (except to contribute to the need for redemption and a Savior) is the basis of our joy. God is our joy. Find as much pleasure as you can in God — for we were created to prefer Him above all else. (And as we recognize that Jesus Himself gave Himself away, for the joy set before Him ( Heb. 12:2 ) and laid down His life, enduring the cross, then we see that quickest path to joy today is to resolve to find our identity in Jesus, and to give our time and resources — our very lives — in the service of others.)

The second centered around the message last night at high school group. Aaron preached on Romans 3:21-26 , a passage packed with the mystery and wonder of what God has done in His Son. Yes, that is a place in Scripture full of "happy tensions," for in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not holding their (our) sins against them (us). Justification. Propitiation. Forgiveness. Redemption. All wonderful and transforming realities. Yet, none of them has the value they were meant to, apart from what they do — they remove all the obstacles to our getting to God. (Or, really, His getting to us, since He is the One who initiated and came to us, removing all the obstacles.) Wow. So much to think of. So much to be happier about. There, joy came and found me today. It came from outside of myself, and drew me outside of myself. Much happier now.

"How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water."

Notice that portion in vv. 9 & 10. The duplicity — and power (vv. 5-8) — of our words is astonishing. We used to chant the lie, that "sticks and stones … but words will never hurt me." That’s totally false. Words are far more destructive than any object thrown. At least with sticks and stones the damage is seen, and visible reminder. Yet, words can wound far deeper, and the scars remind though hidden.

The point is illustrated deeply in my own mind as I contemplate my son’s increasing vocabulary (all dozen or so words), and think of how he said "Bible" for the first time today. Wow.

Someday he will realize the infinite worth of the Book he is talking about — I hope and pray his eyes go open as God shines His light. Yet, today, I am really his best connection to what the Bible is all about. Do I bless God, and speak of and from the Bible, and then turn around and reveal a disdain for people, for whom Christ died? He sees it when I do. And although he cannot speak in sentences, he certainly can think complete thoughts. He is arriving at conclusions about our Creator on the basis of our few hours together each day. I speak and pray in front of my son: that God is our Father. Who is Dutch’s father? Does he see a correlation, and will he desire to know this Father whom I love and know and weep at His sheer grace. Is that coming across to my son?

Kari assures me I’m doing well. Yet as a father — twice now — these thoughts weigh on me, as they should. And I hope and pray to be like my own Dad who always has joyful and pleasant words, who is a gentle man who radiates care as a father should.

Resolve to make our words personal

Can we resolve to use our words for the building up of one another?

• Have you recently harmed someone with words, even in a small way? Will you resolve to take practical, even humiliating steps, to seek forgiveness and reconciliation?
• Or, perhaps it is the other way around: How can you forgive them in love?
• Start with those you are connected to. If getting out of that rut seems insurmountable, with and the bickering, complaining and sarcasm, then start "small."
• Begin with those who may seem to be of little importance, on the fringe of your daily life — like those who pump your gas, serve your feed, and drive your kid’s school bus. We can tell a lot about a person by how he or she treats people who supposedly are not adding value to our lives. Are we adding value to theirs?
• Have you realized they may be having a worse day than you are? (Have I realized that?)

Take an interest in them, and in doing so, lose yourself in the beauty of what it means for all persons to be image-bearers of our Creator. Each one of us is marred and worse off than we realize, yet more loved than we dared imagine.

Let’s speak to one another (as made in the image/likeness of God) like we are speaking to Christ, who is The Image of God. That is how it is supposed to be.

"In some ways, the entire process seems ridiculous. Common sense rebels against claims that eternal destinies will change simply because we voice thoughts from an ancient text. When Paul comments the foolishness of preaching — not foolish preaching — he acknowledges the apparent senselessness of trying to transform attitudes, lifestyles, philosophical perspectives, and faith commitments with mere words about a once crucified rabbi (see 1 Cor. 1:21). Yet preaching endures and the gospel spreads because the Holy Spirit uses puny human efforts as the conduit for the force of his own Word. By the blessing of God’s Spirit, the Word yet transforms (i.e., causes our hearts to love God and our wills to seek his will)." [pp. 28-29]

Note the happy tension in those words. Truly a "but God …" dynamic at work. Well said.

Oh, what a happy tension. Clearly, my impact for Christ is not limited to my finite ability nor imperfect obedience.

“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ” (1 Cor. 3:5-7)

1. We are pilgrims in this world; and
2. We are to be missionaries.

The first, as pilgrims and sojourners, we must seek renewed minds :

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind , that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ( Romans 12:1-2 )

The second, we live as indigenous people, like cross-cultural missionaries ( 1 Cor. 9:19-23 ).

In these two paradigms we live in the Gospel rhythms, and are able to know, love, and enjoy Christ above all else, living sacrificial lives pleasing to Him (2 Cor. 5:9-15 ).

most people we come into contact with each day are having a worse day that we are

Let’s show others grace, for everyone is carrying burdens. Also keep in perspective that we all are having a better day than we deserve.

Let’s take the time to listen to other’s stories.

(Ideas formed today during our communication skills for ministry class)

Humility is a reoccurring theme, and truly the answer for all my problems in this two-second earthly life. A right assessment of self (humility), and a proper view of circumstances, as in contentment (see here ).

On this theme, there seems to be a strange paradox at work in my life. Why is it that sometimes I am more authentic with people I know are not Christian than with fellow believers and leaders in the church. Not overall as a huge difference in character on display, but in spots and situations. Why is that? Why do I ‘edit my story’ and try to come across as competent and gifted and a good leader? Anyone else struggle with this? (It is sin, and we must repent of it, and flee it .. but how?)

An incisive quote by Tim Keller addresses part (or at least the center) of my dilemma in his book The Reason for God . He writes:

"Sin is the despairing refusal to find your deepest identity in your relationship and service to God. Sin is seeking to become oneself, to get an identity, apart from him…Sin is not just the doing of bad things, but the making of good things into ultimate things. It is seeking to establish a sense of self by making something else more central to your significance, purpose, and happiness than your relationship to God" (p. 162).

(Thanks to Jake Belder for the reminder .)

That is my problem — making good (not at all sinful things) into the ultimate things. I suffer with this self-idolatry, being a task-oriented, generally productive and competent (with a Type-A personality fueling it all). By default I find significance in what I do , which is a perversion of identity and life purpose before God. Rather, my significance is found in Christ, my life hidden with Him in God — in fact, Jeff is dead (Col. 3:3). That’s the reordering of life under the Gospel.

Unless we are diligent in seeking humility (since we cannot simply "do" it) we will not be progressing on the trajectory towards Christ-likeness. To long to fulfill what Andrew Murray defines humility as: "simply the sense of entire nothingness, which comes when we see how truly God is all, and in which we make way for God to be all " [Andrew Murray, Humility , p. 12].

A passage that keeps coming to mind is 1 Corinthians 8:1-3:

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.  But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

It probably took about three hours wrestling with those verses to scratch the surface of what they mean for my identity, seeking knowledge and loving God in all things. (Still wresting with it.) Knowledge is not bad, nor is seeking knowledge a vain pursuit. The issue is with motives, issues of the heart and mind. Why am I seeking knowledge? For God’s glory and my joy? Is my learning a loving act towards God and others? Loving God is the chief goal (display His infinite worth and glory, by enjoying Him through love). And all knowledge should serve to help us know, love and enjoy God above all else. But of course none of this can be done in a vacuum, to the exclusion of others. We do not live to ourselves, and even in living to God we affect (and should) others greatly. If we wish to help others see Christ as beautify and glorious as He is, then we must be actively loving others. That is how the world will know Christ is in us, that He knows us (John 13:35). And that is what I am learning. Humbled, learning contentment. Happily.

I guess that if you are a Christian reading this then I’m being authentic with you after all…

Related to this, let us consider a different perspective or facet related to What, Why & How, especially related to communicating God’s true Word (preaching, teaching, etc.). For right now let’s think of "What" as the truths of Scripture, the essential doctrines . "Why" would be the theological perspectives and reasons behind these truths . "How" represents principles for godly living derived from Scripture (based on the What & Why), for life application.

But there is still something missing – rather, "Who" is missing? Jesus is the "Who" of the Bible, for He is the sum and substance of God’s revelation ( Hebrews 1:1-3 ), the Image of God, the purpose for which and One for whom the Scriptures exist. That special revelation was given to show us The special revelation, the Christ — to testify of the worth, work and ways of the Son of God who came to reveal the Almighty Father.

"You search the Scriptures … it is they that bear witness about Me" ( John 5:39 )
"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." ( Luke 24:28 )

With these working definitions it seems to be that any communication of God’s Word should have a relative proportion of Why, Why & How, which probably changes for each setting, context, need etc. All of these must point to the Who — Jesus. I’m not just for filling people with Bible knowledge (the What), especially not divided from their Subject, Jesus. Yet on the other side it seems that majoring on "How to …" messages will stunt the spiritual growth of our people (most of whom sadly get almost all of their "feeding" on a Sunday morning). That part may be their fault, but is it not ours as well? If we make them dependent upon our endless ways to make the Bible fresh and fun and principled, does that not also sort of set them up for failure long-term? Our people do not know what is in their Bible because it is spoon fed for them, in lists, principles and acronyms.

For our people to have substantial lives, they must be taught substantial things.

Back to considering the "How to …" method. One problem with this method of communicating God’s word is that it treats the Bible like a divine recipe book . A cup of this, a pinch of that, a bit of another thing, and mix it all together. Viola, a godly life comes out as long as we mix it all together and do what we hear. Or, one could saw it reveals a scatter plot of God’s truth . A dot here, a dot here, a few scattered over here, etc. So, a pastor may say within himself, "I’d like to teach my people on ________. What in Scripture backs up my points?" So he looks for "dots" in the Scriptures, perhaps being diligent to give chapter and verse so that his message remains "biblical." Do you see the inherent flaw in this method? Not only is one prone to find specific verses (not in their context) to "prove" one’s point, and to avoid hard and uncomfortable passages, but it also insufficiently models for the people how to properly live under the authority of God’s Word. They think, "I could never come up with that on my own, so let me close this Book and listen to it fresh and new!" The urge to be clever and new and exciting drives us to think we must re-package God’s Word for His people to be able to interact with it and apply to their lives. I’m all about creative communication, but I cannot think of a more creative and effective way to transform people’s minds ( Romans 12:2 ) than to bring light to the truth of the Gospel and unleash Scripture itself in its context for all to see and taste. The Bible in its context shall not just be the foundation of our preaching, but rather the content of it.

Another reason I find this method lacking is that it is built upon the premise of pragmatism . Pragmatism is couched in the premise, "it works," and argues that it must be right as a result. "How" is the main question and "Why" is hardly ever asked except as a reason to validate the How. And the pragmatic core of it all says that if we do A then B will happen to us. People are then prone see God as a genie and if we live rightly before Him then He rewards us (which denies grace and love and humility) and essentially fuels a light version of self-righteousness based on biblical principles. (Again, where’s the "Who"? Or, perhaps He has been cast as the One who helps us do the How.) Reducing the Bible to a How-To-Manual takes away from its infinite worth and does not adequately reveal Who and Why (or even What) is in it.

Do I not like principles for godly living? Of course I do, and the Bible is full of them. Saving, investing, forgiving, parenting, all of it is in there to be known and applied. Furthermore, we want to be relevant to people and our culture. I want to be relevant too, but who said the Bible itself is not relevant? And who said our job is primarily to be relevant? Seems like being faithful as stewards of the mysteries of Christ is a top priority, which would then make us relevant. We are relevant when we love people authentically, unconditionally, and sacrificially. I do not know if it is because the Bible does not move some pastors and leaders that they feel compelled to chase after some new book because it gets their juices flowing and not the Word. If we think that the Bible is boring perhaps it is because we don’t believe it … or at least do not feel it. Let us reconsider the crazy and dangerous and compelling ways God in His Word enthralls His people; it is the most exciting book in all the Word. . Take any sign and message of Jesus, any parable and command ( Luke 9:23-27 for example) and tell me that is not exciting and crazy. Do we resort to only principles because we think Scripture is not enjoyable nor sufficient to change our lives? Let’s get on our knees and plead with God to grip us with His Word to such a degree that His worth, work and ways fill our minds and hearts and lead us to passionately preach of Him.

Perhaps the major reason this method is flawed is because it sets forth a system of redemption instead of giving the people a Redeemer (elevating the How above the Who). It assumes people understand the Gospel and live within it, but just incompletely. But a side effect is that people come to trust the principles more than see the beauty and worth of the One who gave Himself for them. Jesus came as the Incarnate God in human flesh and suffered on the cross and rose again triumphant over all His enemies. Did He do all of that (and continue today as our High Priest and Mediator) to merely give us a list of 7 things to do for a happy marriage, or 4 truths for parenting teenagers, or two rhyming words to keep in mind when trying to decide if we need a 42-inch flat panel TV? No, Jesus came to set us from from sin and Satan and deliver us up to bring us to God. He came as our Great God and Savior who gave Himself up for us all, so that we would see God as our portion and treasure and joy forever. He is the Redeemer who when trusted transcends every circumstance and makes us glorious with Him. Again, this cannot be assumed, for it is the "Why" behind our Gospel-centered preaching. And when we see Jesus as our treasure above all else (knowing, loving and enjoying Him more than anything), we will do life differently. Our finances will be transformed, our marriages deepened, parenting in humble desperation and dependence upon Christ, and suffering endured, for His sake and our good. The Redeemer shows us His What, Why & How, because they are rooted in the Who — Him!

The Gospel applies to all of life, at work, in relationships, in parenting, in finances, in all things. It is not just the way we get saved. It is the whole sphere of the Christan life, for we never outgrow our need for the grace of God in the Gospel. The "How to …" approach to communicating the Bible merely assumes the Gospel is our foundation. But let us not assume our people understand or live in the Gospel; their lives do not just need tweaking or new and innovative ways of thinking. They need to be enthralled with the truth and beauty of Jesus Christ who is the Image of God and be transformed to live not for self but for God and others.

As we stare at Christ and consider His worth, His work, and His ways, we are changed into His likeness, for

"we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another" ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ).

Let us endeavor to speak the Gospel so that people are changed — What, Why, How and especially the Who!

Hopefully I’m on a trajectory that direction, and I trust moving closer to having my identity fully identified with/in Christ. This conversation (identity, performance, making idols of things in our lives) comes up many times a week with others, if not daily. And I don’t know if I have met a person who doesn’t resonate with or feel this tension. (At least among those who are willing to be honest and not just show a false facade of religiousness.)

Instead of trying to explain this in more detail, I will let Darrin Patrick, Lead Pastor of Journey Church in St. Louis give a brief snapshot of what it means to be a Christian living a Gospel-centered life.

The main premise: "I don’t think Christians understand that the Gospel is for Christians."

Here’s a short interview with Darrin Patrick at the recent Whiteboard Sessions:

[Also see Religion v. the Gospel]

The first happy tension I want to consider is the connection between suffering and glory . Or key text on the matter is Romans 8:18 :

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

The two parts of our inheritance (see v. 17), as co-heirs with Christ and children of God, is to suffering like the Son of God did, and then enter into glory like Him. We can take all the suffering experiences in humanity in this brief life and weigh it against the coming glory, which has a weight far greater. They are incomparable, yet inseparable. That is the happy tension. Without the first we shall not inherit the second.

Why do we suffer? It is partly related to the reason why we await glory. Because we are the sons of God (see vv. 14-17). Constable writes on this theme:

“The phrase ‘if indeed’ seeks to render the first class condition in the Greek that in this case we could translate ’since.’ Just as surely as we share His sufferings (Gr. sumpaschomen , any sufferings, not just those connected with our bearing witness for Christ) now we will share His glory in the future. This is a reference to the glorification that every believer will experience at the end of his or her life (vv. 18-25). Our glory then will be in proportion to our suffering for His sake as His disciples now (cf. 1 Peter 4:12-19 )."

In fact, all of creation eagerly anticipates the final redemption, looking to when the sons of God shall be fully redeemed (vv. 19-23). In anticipation all creation groans, the church groans (vv. 24-25) and the Spirit Himself groans (vv. 26-27). In light of this reality of suffering and the promise hope of glory with Christ, "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" ( Romans 8:28 ). That is not a blanket promise to all people that suffering will be alleviated, or even that the results will be good.

In fact, the "good" spoken of here is illuminated in verse 29, "those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." The good is defined as the process and goal of being remade into the image of Christ, our inward motives and desires refined by the hardships and trials we encounter. Our character is formed, our values refined and our mind is renewed. This purifying we call sanctification , which may be an irrelevant word but is a crucial reality. Without this movement towards holiness we cannot become more like Jesus, and that cannot be achieved without suffering. Suffering and glory, incomparable yet inseparable.