Look Up and Look Out, by Mrs. Tammie Haynes

“Look up and look out.” I’ve been reminding myself to do this lately. I say this to myself – not because I’m afraid the sky is falling, like Chicken Little, but because I can be so self-focused and earthly bound, instead of Christ-focused and kingdom-oriented. 

It’s what I say to myself when I need to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The apostle Paul teaches me in his first letter to the Corinthians that although I “live in the world, [I] do not wage war the way the world does. The weapons [I] fight with are not the weapons of the world.” The context here is about Paul standing firm against those who attacked his ministry. While I am not facing the same kind of attack that Paul did, I must recognize that I am daily in a fierce spiritual battle against very real enemies: my own flesh, the world and the devil. The Warrior King, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is divinely powerful, is my source for demolishing the strongholds in my heart (II Corinthians 10:3-5).

The battle begins in my mind. Am I thinking and believing the truth found in God’s Word about life, marriage, parenting, possessions, friendships, ministry, work, death? Or am I thinking according to my flesh and the world and the devil? It makes all the difference to lead my thoughts to Christ and His word rather than to be led by my thoughts, passions, and emotions down a path that is contrary to Christ and His word. 

So I say to myself “Look up” – look up at Christ! The apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to the Colossians: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1-2). So, to “look up” means to set/fix my heart and mind on Christ, who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), instead of setting my heart and mind on myself or the things of this world, which are passing away (Luke 21:33). It means to rehearse what Christ has taught me about Himself from His Word (Col. 1:15-23; 2:6-7):

·         that He is the image of the invisible God;

·         He is the firstborn over all creation;

·         He is the creator of all things, visible and invisible;

·         He is before all things and in Him all things hold together;

·         He is the head of the church, the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He is supreme;

·         In Him all the fullness of deity dwells and through Him God, the Father, reconciles all things to Himself;

·         He makes me at peace with God through His blood shed on the cross;

·         He presents me holy in God’s sight and causes me to be established and firm, not moving away from the hope I have in Him;

·         He causes me to live rooted and built up in Him;

·         He strengthens my faith;

·         He causes me to overflow with thankfulness.

I am so thankful to know my life is hidden with Christ in God! I am so thankful to know that while I cannot hold anything together, Christ can and does hold all things together for His own glory, the good of His body, the church, and my personal good. 

Seeing the greatness and goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ frees me from thoughts of self and motivates me to “look out” – look out towards others, and be others-focused, not self-focused. When I focus on the greatness and goodness of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the cares of this world are put in perspective. I worship Him and want to encourage others to worship Him, too.

Everyone, believer and unbeliever alike, needs to worship the One who made them, setting their hearts and minds on Christ. Everyone, no matter who they are or what they are going through, needs to behold Jesus, and say with the psalmist, “Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; His love endures forever.” Read Psalm 118 and write down everything that our great God and Savior teaches you about Himself from this psalm, looking up to Him in worship and then out to others – sharing what you learned from this psalm with them.

Help us, Lord Jesus, to set our hearts and minds on You and to encourage others to do the same, for Your glory and the good of Your body, the church! 

 

A Book Review: 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You, by Ben Sones

The Internet. The iPhone. Social media. The immensity of these inventions’ impact on our lives (for good and for ill) has been widely discussed, so much so that now, a scant ten years after the iPhone was invented, the huge effect of our phones has become a cliché. However, clichés usually become clichés because they are true. And I don’t know about you, but I certainly see many ways I – not just my circumstances or lifestyle, but I myself – have changed as a result of the interaction between my indwelling sin and my Precious (uh, I mean, my iPhone).

Accordingly, when I first heard from John Perritt about Tony Reinke’s recent book 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You, I was keen to read it. Mr. Reinke, a self-described “early adopter” and heavy iPhone and social media user, wrote this book to answer a simple question: “What is the best use of my smartphone in the flourishing of my life?” This is an important question to which I (and, I suspect, most of us) need to give more careful consideration.

To answer this question, Mr. Reinke made a thorough review of the current literature and research on the topic, conducted many personal interviews of key thought leaders, and filtered all this information through the lens of his Christian worldview. The resulting book is packed with interesting information, thought-provoking insights, and often-convicting theology.

The book is primarily arranged into twelve chapters, with each chapter devoted to a different “way” in which your phone is changing you. I found that many of these “ways” apply to me, resulting in some much-needed self-examination and ongoing efforts at habit change. I discuss each of these twelve chapters below – the first two in detail and the remaining ten more briefly – in the two-fold hope, first, that you will find this discussion helpful and impactful in your own life and, second, that you will be moved to read this book for yourself as you seek to honor God with your smartphone habits.

Chapter 1: We Are Addicted to Distractions

Our smartphones foster an addiction to distractions. Studies show that we check our smartphones about once every 4.3 minutes of our waking lives. In Reinke’s nonscientific survey of 8,000 desiringGod.com readers, 73% said they were more likely to check email and social media before rather than after spiritual disciplines on a typical morning. The average Facebook user now spends 50 minutes – every day – in the Facebook product line (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram), and that number is still growing. In this chapter, Reinke asks and answers three questions:

     (1) Why are we lured to distractions? Regarding this question, I will let Reinke himself do the talking:

First, we use digital distractions to keep work away. . . . When life becomes most demanding, we crave something else – anything else. . . .

Second, we use digital distractions to keep people away. . . . In the digital age, we are especially slow to ‘associate with the lowly’ [Rom. 12:16] around us. Instead, we retreat into our phones – projecting our scorn for complex situations or for boring people…

Third, we use digital distractions to keep thoughts of eternity away. . . . [I]n the most alluring new apps, we find a welcome escape from our truest, rawest, and most honest self-perceptions. . . . Staring at the ceilings of our quiet bedrooms, with only our thoughts about ourselves, reality, and God, is unbearable.

I experienced some very un-subtle conviction of sin as I read through this portion of the book. If, like me, you see yourself in some or all of the discussion above, then that should move you to prayer and action. Such distracted living is not an acceptable status quo.

     (2) What is a distraction? Noting that distractions can take many forms – the latest game or app, a recurring anxiety, or a vain aspiration – Reinke divides distractions into three main categories: (i) those that “blind our souls from God,” (ii) those that “close off communion with God,” and (iii) those that “mute the urgency of God” (i.e., our need to live in a state of watchfulness for Christ’s return).

     (3) What is the undistracted life? Reinke rightly concludes that the answer to this third question is not found merely in getting rid of your phone – “there may have been a pre-digital age, but there has never existed a life without distractions.” Rather, we must make an intentional effort to remove all unnecessary distractions from our lives. To that end, Reinke provides a list of ten diagnostic questions to assist in self-evaluation:

            1.    Do my smartphone habits expose an underlying addiction to untimely amusements?

2.    Do my smartphone habits reveal a compulsive desire to be seen and affirmed?

3.    Do my smartphone habits distract me from genuine communion with God?

4.    Do my smartphone habits provide an easy escape from sobered thinking about my death, the return of Christ, and eternal realities?

5.    Do my smartphone habits preoccupy me with the pursuit of worldly success?

6.    Do my smartphone habits mute the sporadic leading of God’s Spirit in my life?

7.    Do my smartphone habits preoccupy me with dating and romance?

8.    Do my smartphone habits build up Christians and my local church?

9.    Do my smartphone habits center on what is necessary to me and beneficial to others?

10.  Do my smartphone habits disengage me from the needs of the neighbors God has placed right in front of me?

This list of ten questions alone is worth the price of the book. I needed to contemplate these questions for my own life, and I feel confident you would also benefit from doing so.

Chapter 2: We Ignore Our Flesh and Blood

In this chapter, Reinke makes the point that “[w]e are quick to believe the lie that we can simultaneously live a divided existence, engaging our phones while neglecting others.” He illustrates his point with examples such as texting-and-driving and the pervasive and contagious nature of online conflict (“anonymous anger”).

Reinke contrasts the fractured nature of online disembodiment with the joy of embodied Christian fellowship. He makes insightful observations regarding the strong New Testament emphasis on the idea of embodiment. God becoming flesh; the metaphor of the church as Christ’s body; the encouragement to greet one another with a holy kiss; the command not to neglect our gathering together; the inescapable physicality of the sacraments of baptism and Communion; and the crucial physical realities of Christ’s life, ministry, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension – the embodied nature of these themes deserves our attention and reflection.

Reinke concludes this chapter with a penetrating observation about the pervasive modern desire to follow Christ without participating in “organized religion,” calling this “nothing short of ‘conniving at dehumanization.’” The point is that we were made to love, serve, and fellowship with the people God has physically placed in our lives, and our phone habits should not be allowed to hinder us in this calling.

Remaining Chapters

In the remainder of the book, Reinke unpacks many other ways in which our phones are changing us. These include the following:

·         Chapter 3: We Crave Immediate Approval. We prefer an online community of people extremely similar to us rather than complicated local relationships, and we crave immediate approval – likes, follows, and shares – rather than eternal reward.

·         Chapter 4: We Lose Our Literacy. As our social media compete for more and more of our attention with “well-engineered cultural marshmallows,” we lose our ability to linger over Scripture and nonfiction books in a way that leads to understanding and wisdom.

·         Chapter 5: We Feed on the Produced. As opposed to direct enjoyment of God’s natural revelation (creation) and special revelation (Scripture), everything we view on our phones is intermediated by man, adding a layer of interpretation of which we ought to be aware. Practical applications include putting your camera away so that you can directly enjoy the moment, getting out in God’s creation to behold his glory, and diving deep into God’s word.

·         Chapter 6: We Become Like What We “Like.” “Social media has become the new PR firm of the brand Self, and we check our feeds compulsively and find it nearly impossible to turn away from looking at – and loving – our ‘second self.’ . . . But we all do this: we all wear ‘costumes’ to meet the approval of certain subcultures, because our search for individuality is always a chase for conformity.”

·         Chapter 7: We Get Lonely. “Isolation is both the promise and the price of technological advance,” and the smartphone is “the supreme invention of personal isolation.”

·         Chapter 8: We Get Comfortable in Secret Vices. In a culture largely defined by the catchphrase “There’s an app for that,” everything in life can be converted to a commodity, even our most intimate experiences. We believe the lie that we can indulge in pornography and other vices without consequence. To combat this lie, we must develop the eyes of faith – a “robust eschatological imagining” – so that what we see on our phones is outweighed by the hope of glory.

·         Chapter 9: We Lose Meaning. Amidst today’s unprecedented deluge of information, we suffer from “neomania” (addiction to the latest breaking news, Facebook timeline entries, etc.). To overcome this, we must learn to treasure wisdom, to strive for “fearful obedience over frivolous information,” and to embrace our freedom in Christ, including the freedom to power down our phones and simply enjoy the presence of our spouses, families, and friends.

·         Chapter 10: We Fear Missing Out. FOMO – fear of missing out – is a dominant force in many people’s lives, driving people to continually focus on their social media. But there is only one legitimate form of FOMO, and that is the fear of eternally missing out; therefore, if you are in Christ, the fear of missing out is eternally removed.

·         Chapter 11: We Become Harsh to One Another. Although Scripture provides processes for dealing with the sins of fellow believers and church leaders, many are tempted instead “to judge cases remotely, make premature conclusions, and then attract an online groundswell of support.” Furthermore, despite the command in James 4 not to speak out against our brothers, most of us at some level would love to publish and consume dirt online regarding others. In this environment, extreme caution and self-restraint are called for.

·         Chapter 12: We Lose Our Place in Time. “Life online is a whiplash between deep sorrow, unexpected joy, cheap laughs, profound thoughts, and dumb memes.” Amid this fragmented ongoing conversation, we squander precious hours and lose our place in time and in God’s eternal story. The following passage was especially moving for me as I read this chapter: “Forget for a moment your virtual crowd of online followers and imagine all of your spiritual ancestors in the faith watching in the bleachers. Their times are legend; your time is now. Whether you were expecting it or not, the baton of faith, passed down from generation to generation, has now been slapped into your hands. Run! Run with diligence. Cast off everything that distracts, unfetter your life from the chains that trip your ankles, and bolt with freedom and joy as you follow Christ. . . The race is on – our race! We have one shot, one event – one life. We must shake off every sinful habit and every ounce of unnecessary distraction. We must run.”

I hope this brief summary has been helpful to you and has piqued your interest in reading this book, which is such a relevant, timely work in our day. For those of you who are parents with kids still in the home, my recommendation to read this book is especially hearty, since you will benefit from the reading not only in your personal life, but also in your efforts to teach wisdom to your children, who are growing up in a smartphone culture. As we run the race that is set before us, it is my hope and prayer that we will handle our devices in such a way as not to hinder us, but rather to speed us onward.

 
 

Red and Yellow, Black and White, by Caleb Cangelosi

This past weekend white supremacist groups gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia, ostensibly to protest the removal of a statue of General Robert E. Lee. According to some within the protest the gathering was intended to rally the white nationalist community nationwide, and make a statement to the country about their presence. Counter-protesters gathered, and vitriol and violence ensued as the two groups faced off. The violence turned deadly when a young white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of people, injuring nineteen and killing one young lady.

The ongoing racial conflict that has flared up each summer the past few years, leaves me with an array of emotions: sadness, anger, determination mixed with hopelessness, to name a few. “How long, O Lord?” cry the martyred saints in Revelation 6:10, and that cry has undoubtedly gone up from the hearts of His people these past days and years. How long, until you bring reconciliation? How long, until you bring peace? How long, until you bring judgment upon those who harm and kill others because of their ethnicity or the color of their skin? How long, until you bring vengeance (either conversion or condemnation) upon those who kill your people, sometimes even in the name of your Son Jesus Christ? Ultimately, the answer to those questions is found in the return of Jesus Christ on the last day: God’s answer to the martyred saints is “that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also” (Revelation 6:11). In no way do I assume that all those killed by racial violence have been disciples of Jesus Christ – but many have been, and so the text applies.

Until the day Jesus returns, however, what do we do? How should Christians think and respond? Much could be said, but the simplest thing to say is that we must denounce and abhor every vestige of racial supremacist thinking and acting. Whether the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazism, kinism, or Aryanism, arguing the supremacy of one ethnicity over another (in this case, “whites”) is sinful, demonic, anti-Christian, and anti-gospel.

The Bible teaches us that every man, woman, boy and girl is made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26; 9:6; James 3:9) – as the old children’s song went, “red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in God’s sight.” God’s purposes have always been for people of every tribe, tongue, and nation to worship Him together. Gentiles were always welcome to become worshippers of the one true God (see Genesis 17:13-14; Deuteronomy 4:5ff.; I Kings 10; II Kings 5). God’s house was, and is, to be a house of prayer for all the peoples (Isaiah 56:7). Jonah’s sin against the people of Ninevah was surely in part a sin of thinking he was superior to this foreign race, more deserving of God’s grace because he was a Jew. And the Lord rebukes him for his lack of compassion.

In the New Testament, we see Jews of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds living together in the church – albeit not without struggle, but after the appointment of deacons, in unity (Acts 6:1-7). We see God revealing to Peter that he “should not call any man profane or unclean” (Acts 10:28). We see God making no distinction between Gentiles and Jews, cleansing both their hearts by grace through faith in Jesus (Acts 15:9-11). Indeed, we all come from one man (Acts 17:26). We see the gospel going forth to Gentile churches, and Christians learning that “there is neither Jew nor Greek” but that we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28), and that we are to accept one another across all cultural/ethnic/racial lines, “just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). The fact that Jews played a part in killing Jesus never led the church to deny that the gospel was for the Jew first, and for the Gentile. Anti-Semitism cannot be argued from the Bible. The gospel has broken down the dividing wall and has made all believers from the various tribes, tongues, peoples and nations into one new man in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:14-16).

These passages, among others, show us that it is contrary to the Bible and to the gospel of the Bible to feel oneself or think oneself superior merely because of what you look like or how much money you have been given or what your ethnic heritage might in God’s providence happen to be. What’s more, the call to love our neighbors, and especially our brothers and sisters in Christ, cuts across all human distinctions. To hate anyone is to live as a child of Satan, as the offspring of Cain (I John 3:10-12). It is to forget that “spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another” is a mark of our former, unconverted, unregenerate lives (Titus 3:3).

And therein lies a great challenge and irony of our current situation. In decrying and abhorring the hatred and racism and violence of white supremacists, Christians must be on guard of becoming like them. Two wrongs do not make a right. Hating the haters, looking down self-righteously on those who self-righteously view Jews and African-Americans as less than dirt, responding to violence with violence, repaying evil for evil, taking personal revenge rather than trusting the state to bear the sword and God to bring justice  – none of these are acceptable for Christians. Paul’s words are pertinent: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:18-21). Paul’s “if possible” assumed there are times it is not possible to live at peace, and this is one of those times in terms of the ideas being propagated. We absolutely, invariably cannot act as if white supremacy is normal or accepted in our country – but we must stand in defiance against these aberrations with a commitment to the law of love, even toward those who hate.

Listening to and reading the rhetoric of the white supremacists, as well as the antifa, I suspect that things in our country are about to get worse before they get better. Let us pray that God would grant calm, that He would give wisdom to our leaders, that His church would lead with love and compassion to the hurting. Behind the hatred lies great pain and great anger, in the hearts of participants on both extremes and within the middle. Let us be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). May the Lord grant repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, for the gospel of Jesus Christ is truly our only hope.

 
 

Take Up and Read!, by Wilson Van Hooser

“We gotta take up and read
Or we will never proceed
In growing up into maturity, we oughta take heed
In these last days what we need
We gotta take up and read
And be the People of the Book!
Gotta be the People of the Book!”

So begins the song “Take Up and Read” by Philadelphia-based hip hop artist and church-planter Shai Linne. I was a senior at Tulane University when I first heard the album that featured this song. At that point in my life, I hated to read but I loved hip hop! Music was so much easier to listen to than to “take up and read” a book. Today, many people feel the same way about books that I felt back then. “Too much effort. Not worth it. I’m too busy. Reading is only for theologians.”

There are a couple of ways in which we can overcome these thorns and thistles and become avid readers. I would also argue that one of the Church’s (and especially the local church’s) greatest needs this day is that we be Christians who read and meditate on the great truths in books. In order to do this, we need to be motivated biblically, historically, and experientially.

In 2 Timothy 4:13, Paul is writing to Timothy at the end of his life and tells him to “bring…the books, and above all the parchments.” Now, Paul knew that he was at the end of his life and was now not wasting any words and any time with Timothy. What Paul wanted, Paul needed; and in this case, Paul needed to read. Why did he need to read? Shouldn’t he just reflect on his life and his influence, and shouldn’t he glory in what he has done for God? Shouldn’t Paul stop worrying about reading any more since the Holy Spirit already inspired him to write much of the Scripture? Wasn’t Paul already sanctified enough to worry about learning more about the Lord Jesus Christ?

Commenting on this passage, John Calvin says, “Where are those who think that they have made so great progress that they do not need any more exercise?... Let us know that this passage gives to all believers a recommendation of constant reading, that they may profit by it.” Paul knew what he had written earlier in 2 Corinthians 3:18, that it is as we behold the glory of Jesus that we are transformed into the same image by the Holy Spirit. It is as we read and meditate upon the Lord Jesus Christ that we behold the glory of Jesus. God has given us a Book rather than a voice recorder or a long YouTube video. The biblical mandate is for us to be readers!

In history, we see men such as Martyn Lloyd-Jones who was a lover of books. He was known to take theology books onto the beach with his family. Many nights in the Lloyd-Jones’ home would end with reading and praying no matter who was there. Elizabeth Catherwood, Martyn’s oldest daughter, once said, “He read a lot, yes, but he didn’t read quickly.” But she also said, “He was the great reader. It was his work, it was his enjoyment. It was part of him and so it became part of us.” Lloyd-Jones’ reading became contagious to others, just as it can become now. He was a man who preached regularly to 3,000 people, and spoke at many conferences around the country, yet he made reading a priority because of the true knowledge it gave him.

Sinclair Ferguson, in his Banner of Truth booklet “Read any good books?”, says that much of the health of the Church comes from reading. “Christian history, biography, and personal experience show us that Christians who read have tended to be stronger Christians than they otherwise would have been…In fact, what we discover in many biographies is that those who have been the greatest Christian activists have also been the most prolific producers of and readers of Christian literature.”

We also see that reading gives us experiences that are unlike any other. S.D. Smith says that there are five reasons we need to read fiction: “Stories help us escape into reality. Stories shape our identity. Imagination is a crucial capacity for faith. Stories reinforce--or undermine--our allegiances and affections. And, experiencing vicarious pain and conflict [through stories] is a good primer for life.” This wouldn’t merely apply for good fiction but also for the deepest doctrinal books you can find. Understanding the truth about life helps us to see the true Story we are in. Studying biblical doctrine dramatically impacts the way we do even the simplest things such as cook, drive, or use our phones. When we grab hold of God’s theology then we see His theology grab hold of us. When we gaze upon the beauty of Christ through books the echo of His beauty is heard in our souls.

It is said by some that the Church has never had more resources yet has never been so uneducated in the truth. It was the printing press that caused the Reformation to flourish and the bonds of Satan to be loosed through the reading of the truth. It will also be through the reading and meditating upon good books that the Church today will attain to greater depths in the knowledge of the infinite love and beauty of God. We should also beware of being fooled that the many books in our homes tell the true story of the love of God in our hearts. We must read but we must take what we read to heart.

 

 
 

The Balanced Christian Life, by Caleb Cangelosi

When we moved here in 2014, Daniel was 11 years old. Now he’s 14, and is taller than his mother. Our children are growing up – because that’s what children do. That’s also what the children of God do. The theme of growth is throughout the New Testament. In I Corinthians 3:6-9 Paul says that believers are God’s field in which ministers of the gospel plant and water the seed of the word, and God gives the growth. Peter commands us to “grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).

But what does growth look like? How does a disciple of Jesus Christ grow in a healthy way? When God grows us, what are we looking for? What does maturity look like? How do you know if you’re growing and maturing? Here’s an answer that obviously isn’t the only answer, but it’s a good answer, a memorable answer, and a balanced answer: know the truth, grow in godliness, go show and tell the love of Christ in good deeds. Or to put it another way, comprehension, character, and competency. This is my desire for each one of you, that you would grow in your knowledge of the truth, in godly character, and in a zeal for deeds of mercy and compassion and justice that are good and profitable and meet pressing needs.

Where do I get this? It comes from Titus, one of my favorite books of the Bible. Paul says in Titus 1:1 that he is a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness. He wants both unbelievers and believers to come to the knowledge of the truth, and that truth is according to godliness. That is, knowing the truth and living a godly life go hand in glove. And then along with this increased knowledge and increased love and fear of God must go a zeal for good deeds (Titus 2:14; 3:1, 8, 14). These good deeds are deeds of service and mercy and kindness and tangible care and concern for others, deeds that help other people physically and spiritually, that bring life, light, joy and peace where there was only death, darkness, sadness, and fear. And it’s these good deeds that “adorn the doctrine of our God and Savior,” to use Paul’s language in 2:10, that make it even more attractive and highlight its beauty. We show the love of God in Christ as we serve those in need, both inside and outside the church (see Gal. 6:1). And of course as we show His love we also have opportunity to tell of that love in words, sharing the gospel, giving an answer for the hope and generosity that is in us.

According to Paul, biblical growth is three dimensional growth: in our intellectual apprehension of doctrine (principle); our moral transformation of heart and life (piety); and in our practical outworking of this truth and love in good deeds (praxis). Truth and godliness (god-likeness) and good deeds always go together, like a three legged-stool. There is a cognitive aspect to Christianity, a transformational aspect and a practical aspect. All three must be present in a growing Christian. Some people say that theology is useless; but Paul doesn’t agree. He says that sound theology must lead to sound living, both in relation to God and to man, love of God and love of neighbor. “The things which are fitting for sound doctrine” in 2:1 are the fruit of the Spirit, character traits and qualities that Paul expects to see in God’s people as they grow (see also I Timothy 6:3). The reason why he wants Titus to teach and preach the doctrine of the gospel (3:4-7) is precisely so that it will lead to good deeds.

Do you see how these three aspects of growth are integrally connected, and yet we’re so prone to separate them? Paul calls us to grow in all three areas – know the truth, grow in godliness, go show the love of Christ in good deeds. But what do we do? We isolate one of these three and acts as if it’s the end all be all, we focus all our attention there, and look down on the people who don’t share our emphasis. So you have people who only focus on theology; others who only focus on personal piety and holiness; and others who only focus on mercy ministry and taking care of the poor and needy. Some people have a whole lot of doctrine in their heads, but it’s useless knowledge; they don’t use it, it doesn’t transform them. Other people think doctrine doesn’t matter, we just need to love Jesus, have our quiet time, and strive for holiness. Others don’t care much for doctrine or personal piety, but they’re always game for social action or serving at a soup kitchen; we just need to love one another and get along. But these groups usually don’t get along very well together! And Paul says, You don’t have to choose, and you must not choose! All three legs of the stool are vitally important for the believer who wants to grow in a biblical manner. Doctrine must lead to piety and practice. Godliness must be anchored in the knowledge of the truth and manifested in concrete deeds of love; it will only arise from a knowledge of the truth. Good deeds aren’t good if they are done apart from a sound theology and a heart of love and compassion. 

Do we have a balanced emphasis upon knowledge of the truth and godliness/piety and good deeds? Are you growing in your knowledge about God and your knowledge of God, i.e., theology? Are you growing in godliness, in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control? Are you growing in humility? Are you becoming more like God each day? Is your knowledge impelling you on to love and good deeds? Are you thinking through the practical implications of your faith? Does your head have a heart and hands and feet? May the Lord enable us to grow proportionally,  increasing in our knowledge of the truth, in godliness, and in our zeal to show and tell the love of Christ in good deeds!

 

 
 

If God is Sovereign in Salvation, Why Share the Gospel With the Lost? by Caleb Cangelosi

Have you ever asked yourself the question that stands as the title of this article? Or perhaps you’ve asked it this way: “If God is sovereign in salvation, then why do the lost need to worry about believing the gospel?” There is some semblance of logic to these questions. It appears that if God has chosen from before the beginning of time whom He will save, and whom He will not save, then if I’m lost it doesn’t really matter if I believe the gospel or not, since if I’m not elect then what good does it do me? And if I’m a Christian it doesn’t really matter if I share the gospel with the lost, since if they are elect they’ll come to Jesus whether I share the gospel with them or not. This line of thinking is one reason why many reject the doctrines of grace (a.k.a. the “five points of Calvinism”), because they are absolutely committed to man’s responsibility to believe and the Christian’s responsibility to share the gospel.

But what if I told you that you don’t have to choose between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man, because the Bible teaches that both of these are true. God is sovereign, and man is responsible – responsible to believe in Jesus, and responsible to share Jesus with those who do not know Him. I believe that both these statements are true, even if I can’t understand completely how they fit together – because Jesus believes that both these statements are true, and I know that He understands completely how they fit together.

How do I know Jesus believed both these truths? Because of what He says in Matthew 11:25-30, one of the most familiar texts in the gospels: “At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father;
nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

In these words, which are both a prayer and an invitation/command, Jesus affirms that God is sovereign in salvation and that man is responsible to believe in Him. By example He shows us that He believes that Christians are responsible to evangelize. Let’s think about each of these in turn.

Jesus believes that God is sovereign in salvation. He believes that the Lord of heaven and earth, His heavenly Father, has chosen to hide certain things from some, and to reveal those things to others, and that this way of doing things is well-pleasing in the sight of His Father. What are “these things” that He has hidden and revealed? In the context, Jesus has just finished denouncing the cities in which He did most of His miracles (Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum), because they had not repented in light of His work. Thus “these things” must refer to the understanding of who Jesus was and the significance of His miracles, and the ability to repent and believe in Jesus. This is confirmed by Jesus’ words in verse 27 about knowing the Son and the Father. Not only does the Father hide and reveal, but Jesus exercises His will as well – the only ones who know the Father are those to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Since it is clear that not everyone knows the Father, and since no one knows the Father apart from His revealing work, it is implied that He does not reveal the Father to everyone. We learn in this passage that God’s ways are different from the ways of man. If we were in charge, it is likely that we would choose the best and the brightest – but God chooses to reveal Jesus not to “wise and intelligent” but to “infants.” Paul teaches the same thing in I Corinthians 1:26-31. Ultimately, salvation is of the Lord; understanding and knowledge and faith and repentance are gifts He gives according to His good pleasure and sovereign will – not to everyone, and not to the people we would expect.

Jesus also believes, however, that man is responsible for his/her choices: in particular, how he chooses to respond to Jesus’ word and works. We see this from Matthew 11:20 – if man were not responsible, it would make no sense for Jesus to “denounce” those cities who had not repented upon seeing His miracles and hearing His teaching. Likewise, if man were not responsible, then the idea of Matthew 11:22 and 24, that people who failed to respond properly to Jesus’ word and works will endure a greater punishment on the day of judgment than those who did not have access to Jesus’ word and works, is nonsensical. We also learn that Jesus believes man is responsible from His calling weary sinners to come to Him. He extends this invitation (which is also a command), not only because it is best to come to Jesus (no more weariness! no more burdens!), but because it is necessary to come to Jesus, to learn from Him, and to come under His pleasant yoke. If we refuse to come to Jesus upon hearing His call, we are guilty of rejecting the voice of the Son of God, and will suffer on the day of judgment. We may not plead the excuse, “But God, you didn’t reveal Him to me!” Jesus tells us in John 6:44 that no one is able to come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws that person to Him – but our inability does not make us any less guilty if we refuse to come. For our inability is itself worthy of blame, and we are held responsible for our inability. It is precisely because we are unable that we are in need of God to enable us to come and respond properly to the invitation and command of Jesus.

Finally, Jesus believes that Christians are responsible to share the gospel with the lost. We learn this in this text from Jesus’ example. If Jesus called people to come to Himself, though He knew they were not able to come unless the Father who sent Him drew them, and that they could not understand unless the Father revealed the truth to Him, or know the Father unless Jesus revealed Him to them, then we too should be able to hold firm to these truths and at the same time hold forth the invitation and command of the gospel to come to Jesus for soul-rest, forgiveness, and eternal life.

Though we may not understand how these truths fit together, yet we know that Jesus does. Since He invites sinners to come to Him, we ought to invite sinners to come to Him. Since He commands faith and repentance, we ought to command faith and repentance. The Scriptures tell us that it is precisely through the preaching of the gospel that the Father and the Son reveal themselves to sinners, and grant the gifts of faith and repentance. God has ordained not only the end (the salvation of His elect), but the means to that end (evangelism, as well as prayer).

May the Lord continue to give His people a knowledge of His truth, an ability to hold together truths that ought never to be separated, and a zeal and commitment to share Christ with the lost, resting in the sovereignty of God rather than our own eloquence to change hearts.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stewardship of God's Creation: An Interview with Stephen Shelt

What do you do, and how did the Lord call you into this vocation?

I currently work for a local landscaping company, and have worked previously in agricultural missions and edible landscaping/organic gardening. I was first challenged to think Biblically about God’s purpose for His creation and our role in it through mentors in high school and college. They showed me how Scripture commands us to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds” and that God’s Lordship should transform how we interact with everyone and everything. These thoughts solidified into a passion for helping Christians relate to the environment Biblically during two years of missionary work in Uganda, where I trained farmers in methods that enhanced rather than degraded their environment and enabled them to provide for themselves, their families, and their communities.

How does having a Biblical worldview transform the way you approach landscaping and gardening? 

It grants a strong sense of purpose to the job. One of God’s first commands to his newly-created image bearers was to work and tend his creation. Preserving the health and beauty of nature is a way that we can love God through obedience to his commands to  stewardship, while also loving people, all of whom depend on God’s creation to survive and flourish.

I’m also motivated to observe God’s character reflected in His design of the natural world. Even a basic understanding of plants, animals, and their broader ecological context will leave one in awe of God and hisdesign if we bring our Scriptural “glasses” to observation of the natural world. The practical consequence of this in my work is to look for ways to shape landscapes or gardens in ways that work with and enhance the natural processes God created to keep the land (and therefore us) healthy rather than resisting or harming them.

What does the Bible say to us as Christians about being good stewards of the creation?

God’s glory and character are revealed in his creation as well as through his word (Psalm 8, Romans 1:19-20), and when a species becomes extinct or we pollute a watershed, that reflection of God’s nature that he called “very good” is marred and disfigured. As believers we should be about the business of putting God’s glory on display, through the proclamation of the Gospel but also through obedience, which includes the exercise of an edifying dominion over creation, not the exploitation or abuse of it.

In our global economy, where the means by which our food, clothing and shelter reach us are often obscure, it’s easy forget that we depend on the health of soil, water, and air God created for our survival. But nonetheless, creation stewardship is one way we can obey the second greatest commandment to love our neighbor, who like us, depends on creation to live. Perhaps the simplest way we can participate in that stewardship is to seek to be aware of the environmental consequences of our purchasing and lifestyle choices.  We may not see the effects immediately, but applying Biblical wisdom in these decisions can affect people around the world and future generations.

 

 

 
 

Heal Us, Emmanuel, By Margaret Sprow

In the last few years, our church has formally stated our desire to see our church body become more diverse, and we are actively seeking to find more ways to reach out to our neighbors. We believe this is a biblical mandate from Scripture and that diversity models the heavenly Kingdom of God when all of God’s people will together praise Him. 

I know a greater diversity will mean change and will affect us in many ways we cannot foresee. However, here are five changes that I do anticipate as the Lord grows our church to better reflect His glorious creativity and diversity.

1. There will be a greater mix of musical styles. 
At a time when many churches have a traditional and a contemporary service, we have made the decision to combine different musical styles in all of our worship services. Rather than uniting because of our musical preferences, we believe that singing a mixture of songs, hymns and spiritual songs that are true, scriptural and musically excellent unites our church body in Christ while encouraging diverse expressions of praise. This diversity of styles will naturally increase as the Lord increases the diversity of our church family.

2. There will be a greater use of different instruments.
I have been around long enough to remember when our church rarely used any other instruments besides piano and organ. Now we regularly hear a variety of different instruments in our worship. As the Lord brings diverse church members with diverse musical gifts, I anticipate that the diversity of instruments and players in our worship services will grow.

3. There will be a greater emphasis on music of devotion.
Our music is very word centered. We recognize that we have 52 Sundays each year to sing our theology together and we want to make the most of each Sunday. We regularly sing hymns and songs that are word-dense and have four or five stanzas dealing with complex scriptural themes with no repeated lyrics. However, after participating in the choir at a diversity conference, I was reminded of the great emphasis on music focused on devotion seen in many other denominations. These songs are characterized by their simplicity: simple words and music sung several times. These songs can also contain many scriptural themes and references.  Here is an example of one by Shane Barnard called Oh Lord to You, with biblical references I have added in parentheses.

We will seek You first, Lord (Matt. 6:33)
You will hear our voices
Early in the morning and late in the night (Psalm 5)
We will sing Your praises
Giving You the glory
Offering our lives to You, a holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1)

May our praise arise as incense (Psalm 141:2)
Oh Lord, to You
May our worship be a fragrance (Philippians 4:18)
Oh Lord, to You

4. We will have more opportunities to practice the law of love.
We all have preferences in music, and one type of music will not equally be preferred by all. Our biblical model for handling these differences is found in the law of love. Out of love for the family of faith, let us ask the Lord to help us rejoice when our brothers and sisters are encouraged and built up by a particular kind of music that may not be our personal favorite.

Worship is integrally related to evangelism and outreach. Authentic corporate worship that is Spirit-driven, excellent, earnest, selfless, and truth-centered is a powerful, living witness to the watching world. Popularity must not be the primary concern in formulating our worship. Our primary concern must be to communicate biblical truth and assist the congregation in passionate worship. Music used in worship must engage the culture but also challenge it. By our worship, we desire to communicate that humankind’s greatest need is to give up a lifestyle of focus on self to serve and worship the one true God through Jesus Christ.

This spring our Sanctuary Choir partnered with the Worship Team to sing “Heal Us, Emmanuel.” This hymn was originally written by William Cowper, close friend of John Newton and writer of the hymns, “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood” and “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” among many others. It has been put to music by Lucas Morton and Kevin Twit, RUF pastor and founder of Indelible Grace and the re-tuned hymns movement. Set in a gospel style, these hymn words have found new life and a soulfulness that beautifully portrays our souls’ longing for the Lord to heal our wounds, our sin, our feeble faith and our unbelief.  

This hymn is on the Indelible Grace CD, Look to Jesus, and the recording has a special story of its own. It features students from Jackson State University’s RUF. See the whole story here. You can listen to a portion of our version of “Heal Us, Emmanuel” here.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! Psalm 133:1

 

 
 

5 Lessons I Learned in the NFL, by Wilson Van Hooser

Two weeks after the 2014 NFL Draft, I signed with the New England Patriots as a Rookie Free Agent. In a matter of 24 hours, I had moved across the country and began a four month long test of trying to sprint a marathon. For four months in 2014, I was able to be in a locker room with popular names such as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Darrelle Revis, Vince Wilfork, Matthew Slater, and Julian Edelman, to name just a few. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, I am sure some of the lessons that I learned are similar to some of the things God has taken you through or will take you through. So, in no particular order:

1.       God is supremely desirable. By the providence of God, I came across two books that could not have been any more influential for me during that time: Desiring God by John Piper and The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards by Steven Lawson. Through these men, the Holy Spirit awakened me to more of the inestimable riches of the glory of God. John Piper put into detailed words much of the desire of my heart. Steven Lawson showed through the life of Jonathan Edwards that God is infinitely desirable to live for. Even in the midst of playing in the NFL, God was heavy and constant on my heart and mind. After being at the top, I can tell you that “the man who has God has all things.” As Paul says, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

2.       Stay in the company of godly people. Work can be a dark and dry place spiritually yet the sovereign work of our great God provided me with a band of godly brothers. Men such as Matthew Slater and Asa Watson became people who I came to greatly admire because of their relationship with God. Another godly man was the team chaplain Jack Easterby, who was a pivotal brother in Christ for me during those months. God tells us that in order to love people, we actually begin by loving and obeying Him first (1 John 5:2). These men follow hard after the Lord and they overflowed with His gracious love onto the other members of that organization.

3.       The local church is crucial. During my time in Foxborough, I attended CityLife Presbyterian even though it was in downtown Boston. God greatly used the local church to fuel me for the week ahead. There are times when we use the church for our own selfish therapeutic needs but other times when God reminds us that the goal of worship is for Him and not for us. God is revealed through the preached word and the gathering of the saints. When God is your treasure and joy, you long to gather with fellow believers and worship God. The local church is critical for our growth in Christ. A true Christian longs to “be still and know” that God is indeed God. This is the Bride that Christ purchased by His blood that we might together live as a royal priesthood.

4.       New cleats wear out, God’s covenant does not. Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman used to mess with me because of the single pair of cleats I wore for a long time while I was there. Cleats become well worn and at some point they cannot be used anymore. While in New England, I became fixed upon God’s unbreakable covenant that we have with Him through the blood of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit pressed upon me the unfailing promises of God (2 Corinthians 1:20). When practices went bad or off the field struggles grew, I realized that one thing was always constant and that was the eternal love and sovereignty of God. In a place where you walk into work every day wondering whether you’re going to get cut or not, it is an unrivaled joy to know the surety of our God.

5.       Learn names. Maybe this is not what you were expecting on of them to be. Without a doubt, one of the most impressive things that I saw was the personal interest Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, had in his players. I had heard that he prided himself by knowing every player’s first name. Sure enough, I passed him in the hall one day to hear him call out my first name. Mr. Kraft is the highest man in the organization yet knew the lowest. Jesus Christ is the Supreme Ruler of all things, yet names the stars (Psalm 147:4). Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, yet He called His disciples to follow Him by name (Isaiah 43:1, Matthew 4:19).

Scripture is Sufficient, by John Kwasny

Early in my marriage, my typical response to something breaking or needing repair in our home was simply to buy a new one.  Now, this method would have worked just fine if we were an independently wealthy young couple.  But, alas, we were not.  So after years of frustrating my wife with my lack of Mr. Fix-it knowledge and skills, I discovered the beauty of YouTube repair videos.  Google almost any repair issue on the planet and find a handyman who can actually walk you through the process on your phone!  Miracle of miracles, I have now been able to fix many of the routine things around my house, much to the joy of my wife and the gratefulness of my budget.

Is that how we look at Scripture when we look to “repair” a difficult problem in in our lives?  Do we use the Bible like a Google search, hunting down verses about anger, addiction, anxiety, and marital problems in order to fix those problems?  Or maybe we find ourselves wishing the Bible could be turned into a YouTube video, guiding us step-by-step towards an ultimate repair.  Unfortunately, this can be what comes to mind when we hear Biblical counselors speak of how the Scriptures are sufficient to speak to our problems.  With this thinking, the Bible is reduced to just another self-help book which is read only when I have a problem to solve. Unfortunately, there is also a great possibility of disappointment when it appears that the Bible doesn’t really address my particular problem.

So let’s briefly consider what Biblical counselors really mean when we talk about the sufficiency of Scripture for our problems.  First, it acknowledges that Scripture is the ultimate authority for life.  There are all sorts of people, philosophies, and systems that claim to be authorities on why we develop problems and how to solve those problems.  But the only trustworthy authority for how to properly address our problems is God’s Word.  All explanations and solutions must be grounded in the truth of Scripture.

Second, it emphasizes Scripture as Special Revelation.  We can certainly learn a lot about people and their problems by a true, scientific observation of the world around us.  Yet, we know that God’s Word is defined as “special revelation” because it alone teaches us how salvation is found in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, for the glory of God alone.  Solving humanity’s problems begins with the worst problem of all—being lost in our sins and headed for eternal death!

Third, it recognizes that Scripture teaches us who God is and how we are to respond to Him.  In one sense, what more do we need than to know who God is and what it means to be His redeemed child?  The Bible is so much better than any self-help book because it reveals God to us, shows us our sin, and points us to redemption and sanctification in Christ!  By definition, that is sufficient for our ability to handle all the problems in life, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

 Fourth, it demonstrates the comprehensiveness of Scriptural principles to solve spiritual, emotional, mental, and relational problems.  The Law, the prophets, the narratives, the Gospels, the epistles—all of God’s Word is applicable to teach, rebuke, correct, and train God’s people in righteousness.  The principles of God’s Kingdom found in the Bible are sufficient for us to learn how to solve problems God’s way.  Even though we use all sorts of modern labels to describe our problems, there are always Scriptural principles that are to be learned in order to address those challenging problems.

 Finally, it means that Scripture sufficiently feeds our hearts, minds, and souls.  The Holy Scriptures are the bread and meat provided for our spiritual growth.  Rather than looking at the Bible as a just a Google search for solving our problems, we must see it as the spiritual food that will give us the spiritual health to face our problems.  The Word of God, empowered by the Spirit, changes the way we think, act, live, feel and relate.  It does this not by just giving us information to apply, but by offering transformation for our lives!

When we consider something to be sufficient, it is ENOUGH.  Scripture is enough to solve our ultimate problem of sin and death, as well as the other problems that emanate from our core heart issues.  When we understand that Scripture is sufficient, we will seek wisdom that is grounded in God’s Word and rightly apply God’s Word to our lives.  As grateful as I am for YouTube repair videos, how much greater is it to have the Scriptures at our disposal—the authoritative and sufficient Word of God to address all our real problems!

 

 

 

 

 

Kicking Against the Goads, by Evan Haynes

I’m an ox. I admit that freely. I may not be as dumb as one, but I’m just as slow as one. God has me plowing his field. He guides me in the row of righteousness for his name sake. He prods me with an ox-goad. I don’t like the way it feels, but it teaches me humility, how to gain strength from weakness, and submission. I focus on the discomfort often. When I do, I kick against that goad and thereby cause myself more pain as the goad sinks deeper in to my rear. It was only meant to poke me but because I fought against it, I unwittingly forced it to pierce me.

Every Christian has a goad. Whether you feel like an ox or not, Jesus describes you as one in Acts 26:14. He was originally describing the apostle Paul, but the illustration also applies to us. We kick against our ox-goads when we act out in anger towards God. We may do so by committing a sinful act, we may do so by questioning His judgment, but however we do it, it causes us more pain in the process. My goad is something that has prodded me all my life and I have kicked at it ever since I learned about it. My goad is my disability.

I was born with Asperger’s syndrome, a high functioning form of autism. Ever since I was little, growing up under Presbyterian biblical teaching has grown my deep belief in the sovereignty of God. I have never quite understood why God decided that I would be born with special needs. I have often found myself unable to live with God, hating him for what he has made me. And yet I cannot live without him either. I have seen, through the eyes of faith, that God has a plan to use my disability and abilities for His glory.

God’s gift of Asperger’s to me has made me unable to drive, and that has taken away a lot of potential freedoms, such as independence and the freedom to go where I want when I want to. Other people have graciously compensated for this by driving me places, but mostly it’s to where I need to go, not where I want to go. This makes me want to question God’s wisdom, because it feels like foolishness to me sometimes. I wonder why God would want to hinder me like this. Driving is often dangerous, I know, so He may be protecting me. But a lot of times, I don’t want his protection.

Another providence of God that I have struggled with is He did not give me the skills I need to have my childhood dream job. When I was young, I would pretend that I was a rock star. I was the front man of my own concert. That’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. It’s still what I want at times, but that wish has not been granted. God gave me gifts that place me backstage. I am a playwright, not an actor; a lyricist and decent guitar player, not a front man. I would be working a stage or toward a stage production, but I can’t play the starring role. I acted in a lot of plays in high school, but I never got a huge part until one of my last performances, and it took me a long time to be able to act without being nervous. And even in that show I entered before I was supposed to once, embarrassing myself. So, when I started taking writing classes at Belhaven one of my poems expressed this same story, but in more of a complaining tone. I felt that God had robbed me at a chance for greatness at not giving me the talent to do what I wanted to do.

Writing is not a lucrative occupation and I have found it hard to find lucrative work; none of my jobs have put my writing skillset to work. This is how God’s providence has prodded me, only giving me the opportunity to share what I have written in ways that glorify him. I have written about topics other than my faith, but something usually goes wrong when I do. It doesn’t get the response I have wanted or expected. So, I find myself asking God, “Did you or did you not inspire this work I have done? And if you did, why are you not using it to its full potential?”

And yet through that storm we have reached a shore. God has taught me to accept my Asperger’s as a gift, not a curse. I can understand and reach out to others like me, and have ministered to my local and southern special needs community through Joni and Friends and my church’s special needs program. God has given me all this, but I still want more. Christ gives himself away through salvation, revelation, and mediation every day. But I still struggle to trust God with my life and my future.

I keep asking Him to tell me His reasons why he has made these judgement calls, and I get no answer. As Jerry Bridges points out in his wonderful book, Trusting God, God never explains. He doesn’t owe us an explanation for His plans for us. I feel like He does and I have convinced myself that He does, but I have been deceiving myself.  The best thing I can do is stop questioning him and trust that He is prodding me in the right direction. I must die to wanting to know His reasons, to kicking against his goad.

Things You Need to Know About Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why (Part 2), by Molly Dawkins

Warning: the following article contains spoilers. For Part 1 of this article, read May’s issue of Notes from the Orchard.

 It was a relief to finally finish the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. In the final three episodes the darkness continues to deepen leading up to Hannah’s suicide in the last episode. There are a few major events that contribute to her final decision to commit suicide.

- She can’t get the flashes of her bad sexual experiences out of her head for a “good” experience with Clay.

- She loses the money she was supposed to deposit in the bank for her parent’s pharmacy.

- She goes to a party and is raped by the same guy that she witnessed rape her friend Jessica in episode 9.

- She meets with the school counselor and doesn’t get the responses she wanted.

Hannah desperately desires to be loved. We all do. We can all identify with Hannah in that desire. Tim Keller says it well in his book The Meaning of Marriage:

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

Hannah wants this real love. Not only in a romantic sense with Clay, but also in a friendship love by Jessica or Alex. We have all been designed as relational beings, and she is missing a core of who she is. She does not have the freedom from fear that Keller talks about. She does not know the unending love we have from our Father, the Love that never wavers because of what we’ve done. As Christians, we are fully known in our brokenness. We experience freedom because of the perfect sacrifice in Christ and are clothed in his righteousness, not our own. Hannah has isolated herself, and her past experiences have closed her off. Justin betrayed her by sending a sexually explicit picture of her around the school. Courtney left her to take the hit after the picture of them kissing circulated around the school because Courtney didn’t want anyone to know she was a lesbian.

The afternoon before Hannah’s suicide she meets with the school counselor. He is the 13th reason she gives of why she kills herself. She goes into his office with the intention to record their entire meeting. It’s as though she’s testing him, wanting him to fail. Based on their conversation, I think there were things he could have done differently, but I don’t think he can be blamed for her suicide. He could have pointed her to someone to talk to when he learned that she was raped, but there was no way for him to know the extent of her internal struggles. As an audience we know what has been happening in her life, but Hannah did not give him enough information for him to know she was to the point of suicide.

Towards the end of the series, Hannah’s parents open a trial to look into their daughter’s suicide. Students are brought in for depositions. The students on the tapes become increasingly more nervous about the tapes coming out and their involvement being made known. One student named Alex wants them to turn in the tapes, but the others refuse. Alex is overcome by the guilt of the situation, and in the end shoots himself in the head. We learn that he is in critical condition at the hospital. Is this the reaction that Hannah wanted? Another attempted suicide? What was she hoping would happen when she recorded the tapes? Similar to Clay’s reaction to get revenge on Tyler (more details in Part 1), Hannah is only continuing the cycle causing more pain and suffering on others in her “revenge suicide.”

Suicide is never the answer. You can always get help. Be honest about your struggles to a trusted parent or friend. Parents, ask your teens, “What is school like for you?” “What are some lies you can pick out from 13 Reasons?” “What is the truth of these issues based on Scripture?”

 

 

A Report on the 45th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America

Last week, elders, members and friends of the Presbyterian Church in America gathered at the Koury Convention Center at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons in Greensboro, NC, to participate in the 45th meeting of the PCA’s General Assembly. Ken Haynes and I represented Pear Orchard as elder commissioners, while John and Martie Kwasny and Rod and Jeanne Russ were there for One Story Ministries in the exhibition hall. Tammie Haynes was also with Ken to take part in the activities of the week.

You may be unfamiliar with what happens at a General Assembly. It is part trade show, part family reunion, part training seminars, and (most importantly) part meeting of the highest court of our church. The GA is an opportunity for denominational agencies and committees, as well as organizations and ministries like One Story that are connected to the PCA, to display their offerings and services so that we might learn ways we can increase our fruitfulness and participation in the kingdom of God around the world. It’s also a time to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. It was a rich blessing to get together with friends from seminary and those I’ve met since being ordained in 2003, as well as building new relationships with elders from around the country and world. One highlight was getting dinner with Kenny Foster and Jonathan Seda from Grace Dover, the church that has been such an encouragement to us as we seek to become a more multi-ethnic congregation. On Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning, and Thursday morning, seminars covering a wide array of topics are offered. We purchased recordings of all these seminars if you are interested in hearing them (visit http://www.pcaac.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Seminar-Listing.pdf to see the list of seminars offered this year).

The most important part of the week is the gathering of teaching and ruling elders to deliberate matters pertaining to the life and work of our denomination as a whole. From Tuesday evening through Thursday evening, commissioners debate overtures and motions that come from Presbyteries and permanent committees and agencies. Here are a few observations from this year’s assembly:

1. Dr. Alexander Jun was elected Moderator of this year’s assembly. Though the PCA has had Korean members for some time, this was the first time a Korean elder was elected Moderator. He is a ruling elder of New Life Mission Church in Fullerton, CA, and teaches at Azusa Pacific University in California. The growing diversity of the PCA was beautifully on display this year, particularly when Dr. Irwyn Ince, an African American teaching elder, gave a report on the committee he chaired. The sight of these two men standing before the Assembly was an encouragement for the PCA to continue seeking to reach the whole of our country with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. There was a disappointingly low number of ruling elders this year (1094 teaching elders compared to 292 ruling elders). The PCA affirms that ruling elders share an equal place in the government and oversight of the church at all levels, yet when few ruling elders attend the assembly, the denomination is prevented from enjoying their individual and collective wisdom. Perhaps it was too costly to fly to Greensboro, or too costly to take time off of work – whatever the reasons, the history of the PCA’s formation shows the importance of ruling elders to keep our church from drifting away from faithfulness to the Scriptures and our confessional standards. So it’s never a good thing when ruling elders don’t attend GA.

3. The biggest issue discussed at this year’s General Assembly was the report of a study committee on women in ministry. Based on its understanding of the Bible, the PCA allows only men to be ordained to the office of elder and deacon, and women minister to the church and to the lost in many ways. Yet there has been a minority, more vocal in the past decade or so, that has challenged our belief and practice regarding the office of deacon in particular. There has been an increasing polarization between those who believe women’s gifts are not being used by the church in appropriate ways, and those who believe churches are overstepping the biblical boundaries of what are appropriate ways for women to be involved in the ministry of the church. A study committee was appointed at last year’s GA to study this issue further, and to write a report and come with recommendations to this year’s GA. Through much debate and many close votes, we passed the following recommendations:

·         That sessions, presbyteries, and the General Assembly recognize that, from the founding of the PCA, there has been a variety of views and practices regarding the ways in which women may serve the Lord and the church within scriptural and constitutional parameters, without ordination, and that such mutual respect for said views and practices continues.

·         That sessions, presbyteries, and the General Assembly strive to develop, recognize, and utilize the gifts, skills, knowledge, and wisdom of godly women in the local, regional, and national church, and particularly consider overtures that would allow qualified women to serve on appropriate committees and agencies within the church.

·         That sessions, if possible, establish a diaconate of qualified ordained men.

·         That sessions consider how to include non-ordained men and women in the worship of the church so as to maintain faithfulness to Scripture, as well as utilizing the gifts God has poured out to His entire church…”

·         That sessions and presbyteries select and appoint godly women and men of the congregation to assist the ordained diaconate.

·         That presbyteries and the General Assembly consider an overture that would establish formally the right of sessions, presbyteries, and the General Assembly to establish the position of commissioned church worker within the PCA for qualified and gifted unordained men and women.

·         That sessions, presbyteries and the General Assembly consider how they can affirm and include underprivileged and underrepresented women in the PCA.

These recommendations are the advice of one General Assembly to the churches, affirming what we have always held, that ordination to office is open to men only, and challenging both those who try to circumvent this belief by not ordaining any diaconate at all, and those who would keep women from using their gifts in the church in ways that are faithful to the Scriptures. As advice and recommendations (note the use of the language of “consider”), in and of themselves they change nothing about the ways that we believe or practice. For that to happen, Presbyteries would ultimately have to send overtures to future General Assemblies requesting that the Book of Church Order be changed. If and when these overtures come, and depending on what they request, I foresee even more disagreement and polarization than we currently see in the PCA. We in central Mississippi do not experience much of this polarization, since for the most part we are all on the same page in both belief and practice. But as you look at the PCA across the country, different camps and views exists. This issue of women in ministry has the possibility of being a divisive one, though I believe the report of this study committee and the recommendations that were passed will continue to hold the various positions together.

I love the meeting of the General Assembly. I’m so thankful for our denomination. God has been good to sustain us and keep us walking with Him since 1973. My prayer is that through the coming years the Lord would keep us faithful to His word, united in the truth, and committed to fostering all the gifts and graces of every member of the body in ways that are pleasing to Him and edifying to the body.

Summer Reading

The title of this article either brings back fond memories of curling up in your favorite reading nook and entering fantastic worlds with your new best friends, or it brings back terrible memories of monotony and dread at the prospect of a reading quiz the first day of school in August. But summer reading is a good idea – and not just for children in school. The different pace of the summer months, vacations, and longer days give ample reasons for picking up a book or e-reader and expanding your mind.

Ecclesiastes 12:12 is a good check on those who love to read, of course: “Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness to the flesh.” But when Paul in prison, for what did he long? “When you come [he says to Timothy], bring the…books, and above all the parchments.” Though like any created thing they can become an idol, books are a blessing. Indeed, they are indispensable to growth as a Christian life. Without reading (or listening to an audiobook) we cannot have the word of God implanted deep into our hearts and minds. And it’s not only the Bible I’m talking about. Books that explain the Bible, books that explain the human condition, books that describe the journeys of Christians throughout history, books that explain how God’s world works, whether fiction or nonfiction, whether written in the 21st century or the 17th century or the 2nd century – all are worthy of our time and energy.

The elders of Pear Orchard long for all of God’s people to be readers. That’s why we’re teaching through Pilgrim’s Progress this summer. More importantly, that’s why we’re reading through it. I want our class to be able to say they’ve read all the way through this Christian classic. But 17th century Puritans didn’t write the way we’re used to writing or reading. And so reading them is not easy. In fact, it might feel like work. But as the saying goes, “No pain, no gain.” I’ll never forget reading through Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom in 11th grade. Now that was hard reading. When I finished it, though I didn’t remember much about it, it was the first time that I felt I had accomplished something in the reading of a book. The Puritans are far easier than Faulkner! But they’re still tough sledding, and so by reading Pilgrim’s Progress together, we’ll help each other make it through – and I hope that we’ll be more prepared and desirous to pick up other Puritan classics on our own. Or the 18th-19th century American Presbyterians. Or even the 20th and 21st century authors. The latter are far more accessible, so why don’t you start there this summer?

Here are a few recommendations. If you’ve never read Trusting God by Jerry Bridges, do it. The same goes for Knowing God, by J. I. Packer. R. C. Sproul’s classics Knowing Scripture, Chosen by God, and The Holiness of God should be required reading for every believer. John Murray’s Redemption Accomplished and Applied is more difficult, but absolutely worth the effort (though he lived in the 20th century, he wrote like someone from the 19th century, so have a dictionary handy). John Stott’s The Cross of Christ is pure gold, as is Donald Macleod’s Christ Crucified. And don’t forget our own John Perritt’s Your Days are Numbered, and his newest book, What Would Judas Do?

May the Lord grant us – through words – a deeper knowledge of Him and His word this summer. 

How Should a Christian Think About a New President?

The 2016 presidential election has come and gone. Unfortunately – but predictably – the partisan acrimony leading up to the election did not depart with it. This time around, presidential power was transferred from one party to the other. When this happens, partisans on opposing sides swap postures. Those whose party gained power rejoice, having spent the prior administration wringing their collective hands and decrying the prior administration’s policies. Conversely, those whose party lost out will take up handwringing and decry the grave danger the incoming administration poses. This remains the status quo until presidential power changes hands again and another cycle is completed.

It is easy to fall into the partisan mindset, seeing one party as righteous and the other as profane. To be sure, elections have consequences, and these consequences are often significant. The vacancy on the United States Supreme Court that was created by the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia, and the issue of who would receive the lifetime appointment to replace him, brought into focus just how consequential a single election can be. In this case the “balance” of the Supreme Court remains, for the most part, where it was before, whereas a different appointment to that position could have dramatically shifted the court on a number of important issues. As Christians, we should care about and for our governments – and that requires vigilance and involvement in the process. But in doing so, we must keep local, national, and even global politics in the proper perspective. There are several ways Christians can think about these issues from a Biblical perspective.

First, we can rejoice in God’s sovereignty over all aspects of our lives. The Bible is clear that God is sovereign over nations. We are told that God “rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28) and “reigns over the nations” (Psalm 47:8). More specifically, “God changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21). While it is right to care about our nation and our civil authorities, we can rest in the assurance that God is sovereign over all.

Second, the Bible has much to say about how we should think about and relate to the civil authorities. Submitting to civil authorities is an easier task when the civil authorities are doing what is right; less so when they are acting contrary to God’s word. The original audience for I Peter was Christians who were under intense persecution from their civil authorities. Nevertheless, the admonition was, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good… Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (I Peter 2:13-14, 17). This strikes me as a corollary to God’s sovereignty – we can submit to civil authorities, even those who might overtly persecute us, because we know that God is sovereign.

Third, no elected official can “save us.” A great hopefulness can follow when a politician of your choosing replaces someone you disfavor. But these expectations should be tempered by the fact that all civil authorities are merely human and are therefore broken. We are told in the Psalms: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation” (Psalm 146:3). Elections and political decisions are important, but even when we feel that the “right person” is in office, we err when we rest our hope in that person.  

Fourth, we should remember that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). We categorize ourselves into many different groups: nationality, political party, ethnicity, occupation, hometown, school, favorite sports teams, et al. We often identify ourselves by “membership” in these groups, and which one we emphasize depends on context. In the office or in the courtroom, I am generally identified by my vocation as an “attorney.” While these categories are not necessarily bad in and of themselves, they are bad when they become distractions. Our ultimate and overriding identity is as citizens of heaven, as co-heirs with Christ. When we get caught up in partisan-political frenzy, we emphasize our worldly “memberships” and minimize our identity in Christ (John 3:30).

Ultimately, our hope should rest in God’s sovereignty over human affairs. Keeping this perspective allows us to rise above partisan politics and neither trust our authorities to deliver us from evil nor despair that they will deliver us to evil.

 

Things You Need to Know About Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why (Part 1)

On March 31 Netflix released 13 episodes of the new show 13 Reasons Why. The show tells the story of Hannah Baker, a junior in high school that has committed suicide. Viewers learn about her life and death through flashbacks and the cassette tapes she’s left behind. Before committing suicide, Hannah records 13 cassette tapes with the reasons why she killed herself. For each reason there is a person connected to her death. The story on reality’s side is told through a boy named Clay, a friend and eventual romantic interest of Hannah. The story starts when he receives the tapes.

I’ve watched the first 10 episodes of the show. Since I work with POPC’s youth, I thought it would be a good idea to learn more about this show in order to be able to engage in conversations with those that have watched it. The show covers a wide range of topics: anxiety, depression, peer pressure, homosexuality, betrayal, sending sexually explicit text messages, rape, drug use, premarital sex, and of course suicide.

When I first started watching I was mostly intrigued. Since I work with teenagers, youth culture fascinates me. This show truly provides a window into the lives of teens: their thoughts, their emotions, their insecurities. The landscape is raw and unfiltered. The honesty to their pain is a strange combination of unsettling and refreshing. The unsettling part is easy to pick out if you’ve watched the show or even read articles about it. But why do I say refreshing? Our teens are living in a world where they are pressured to post a picture perfect world on their Instagrams or SnapChats. In 13 Reasons, that is shaken. We get to go behind the scenes to see what they’re really feeling. 

My intrigue turned to sadness in the fourth episode. In this episode Hannah talks about having a stalker. She could hear the snaps of a camera when she would walk home, but never knew where it was coming from. She and her friend Courtney decide to set a trap at her house one night. Her parents are gone so they start drinking. Her friend is gay, but no one knows. Her friend kisses her. They hear the camera and expose the stalker who turns out to be the yearbook photographer Tyler. But it’s too late he’s taken a picture of the two girls kissing. The picture ends up circulating around the school causing rumors and adding to Hannah’s already damaged reputation. Upon hearing the tape, Clay takes a nude of Tyler from outside his window and sends it to everyone at school for revenge.  

Why is the show so sad? Sin is running rampant in all of their lives, and there’s no hope. The sin struggles Hannah faces are both external and internal (though she may not acknowledge the internal struggles). She’s dealing with the outside forces of those that have sinned against her. Hannah has no doubt had a lot of bad things happen to her. She’s also dealing with her own sin. Hannah is very selfish. We can see this to be true in the way she committed suicide. She left tapes behind to cause others deep emotional and psychological pain. She doesn’t take any responsibility for her own actions. I’ve seen no traces of redemption in the show. Clay’s revenge on Tyler it’s not redemptive. It’s only continuing the pattern of sin.

How would life have been different for Hannah if she were a Christian? She would have known her true identity was in Christ, not in what others think of her. She would have known that God never leaves us or forsakes us in our darkest times. She would have known a real love where there is no betrayal, but perfect security. She would have known her life is not her own to do as she pleases or to even take it herself.

I can’t fully recommend watching the show. It’s very graphic in it’s depiction of sexual scenes and rape (I had to look away for most of episode 9). But this show does provide a great opportunity for us to see into the lives of our teenagers, to see what it is they’re walking into at school. We see the pressures of their relationships, and the pressures of obtaining happiness at all cost.

Ask your teens, “Have you watched this show? Are your friends watching it?” Process it with them.

 

Justice, Peace, and Abortion: An Interview with Mr. Everett White

MAY 26, 2017

Summarize in a few sentences what God has called you to do.

In terms of vocation, God has called me to be a lawyer. I've wanted to be a lawyer since I was a kid, and I never seriously considered anything else. I've been practicing now for 12 years. Until 6 months ago, I was a litigation partner at a big firm. But I recently joined a boutique healthcare firm and I've really enjoyed it. 

How does having a Biblical worldview transform the way you practice law?

A Biblical worldview transforms every aspect of practicing law. It transforms the day-to-day decisions, such as how you talk to opposing lawyers, how you bill your clients, and whether you accept certain cases. But it also transforms the ultimate goal of the work. It shifts the focus from winning at all costs to working in a way that pleases the Lord.

Tim Keller's book on work ("Every Good Endeavor") has been helpful to me on this. He reminds believers to try and connect our work to an attribute of God or to His work. In my practice, that is usually God's justice. When I'm drafting a brief, or taking a deposition, or negotiating with the other side, I try to remind myself that we are pursuing justice. And justice is a real thing. God has shown us what justice looks like in Scripture, and He cares deeply about justice being done. 

Of course, I want the best result for our clients, but not if the result is unjust. There's a natural tension there, and finding the right way to simultaneously pursue justice and your client's interest is not always easy. 

How should Christians think about lawyers?

Lawyers do a lot of different things, so it's difficult to come up with a universal statement on how Christians should think about them. One way to think about them is as peacemakers. Whether you’re a doctor in a dispute with the government about billing, or whether you’re a business who’s suffered because someone else breached a contract, or whether your crazy sister thinks she's entitled to all of your parents' estate, lawyers are the ones who can help make peace.

You are passionate about the issue of abortion – how should a Christian understanding of justice and the law guide us as we think about this issue that is so controversial in our day?  

That’s a hugely important question, and I think you’re right to link justice and the law as guides. There’s no way to answer adequately in such a short space, but I’ll try to make two points. One, abortion is a massive injustice—arguably the greatest injustice of our time. And two, our response to this injustice should be proportional and yet consistent with our obligations to the law of the land.

As to the first point, there’s an idea in the air that all sins are equal in the eyes of the Lord. That’s not true. The smallest sin surely separates us from God, but Scripture is clear that some sins are more heinous than others. Murdering your brother is worse than stealing his property.

If a fetus is a person, then abortion is the unjust killing of an image bearer. And that is a really big deal to God. It should, therefore, be a big deal to us. I think most Christians are against abortion, but my sense is that we’re not as outraged as we should be; we’ve been somewhat anesthetized to it. I agree with one author’s observation that if they were shooting toddlers execution-style, there’d probably be more outrage. But it’s really no different (a fetus is just younger, smaller, and lives somewhere else).

So how should Christians respond to the injustice of abortion? That question leads to the second point. The Sixth Commandment requires us to act to preserve the life of others. So we should do something. Yet abortion is legal, and Christians owe certain obligations to the civil law. Christians must, as a general rule, obey the law and respect the government’s authority as God’s appointed agent for administering justice. In other words, individuals can’t ignore laws they dislike, and they don’t have the power of the sword. I think there’s room for non-violent (repeat: non-violent) civil disobedience to preserve life, but that’s a different article.

Our response to abortion, in short, must be both proportional to the injustice and consistent with our obligations to the law. It must fall somewhere on the spectrum between doing nothing and storming the abortion clinic with an assault rifle. What that looks like on a daily basis is different for everybody.

For Christians who live in Mississippi, I think praying for, donating to, and volunteering at the Center for Pregnancy Choices (CPC) is one of the best things we can do. CPC, which the church supports, provides a host of services (e.g., ultrasounds, counselling, etc.) to pregnant women. It just opened a facility in Fondren near the last remaining abortion clinic in the State and is in need of monthly supporters. I don’t mean for this to sound like an ad for CPC, but I think they are really on the front lines giving women hope, loving them, and pointing them towards Christ.