Don't tell people how to be "Radical for Jesus".

As many of you know, I am a church planter in a major metropolitan area of the country. In addition to that, I am attempting to spread the gospel in what many believe to be the most pagan and liberal area of North America. I am a part of the SBC and the North American Missions Board which simply means that I love the Jesus, the bible, evangelism and the autonomous church. I am also a part of the Acts 29 Network which means that I love the Gospel, Reformed Theology, Missional Philosophy and Church Planting.

That said, I often see things that I fear in American Evangelicalism and specifically within some of the tribes that I roll with. Here are some things to think about...

The movement of The New Calvinism, Reformed Christianity, Missional Living and anti-fundamentalism / attractionalism, has the temptation to lead people into a hyper-theology, unbalanced philosophy of ministry and too much cultural compromise in the name of "Godly Influence". All believers need to learn what it means to be content in the mission of Jesus throughout the mundane rhythms of life. We have to be careful to not fully define what it means to be "Radical for Jesus" or "Living on Mission" lest it become another rule for people to follow that brings no life and in the end births no joy. If we over explain the practical application of the mission of Jesus, we rob people of the beauty of hearing God's voice for themselves and utilizing their own unique gifts in the time, place and culture that the Lord Jesus has put them in.

What sparked this though was recently a good friend asked my thoughts on an article written by Anthony Bradley called: The New Legalism. You can read it here.

Big Bang Theory; Literal Interpretation and more

A close friend of mine recently asked my opinion on the Big Bang Theory, and my view on a Literal Interpretation of the Bible. Below are some of my thoughts as well some thoughts of others who have helped me work through this in my own head.

It is hard not to see the evidence for the Big Bang as a stunning example of where science and theology intersect. Astrophysicist Dr. Robert Jastrow phrased it this way in his book God and the Astronomers (New York, W.W. Norton, 1978, p. 116): “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.” Why? Because, as Jastrow explained in a subsequent interview, “Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. . . .That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact” (“A Scientist Caught Between Two Faiths: Interview with Robert Jastrow,” Christianity Today, August 6, 1982, pp. 15, 18).

If Christians are to have objections to the Big Bang theory, it should only be in the atheistic presuppositions that often go along with the theory. The idea itself, that the universe came into existence due to an explosion, is not necessarily incompatible with the biblical creation account. As one Christian theologian has stated, "I am not necessarily opposed to the Big Bang theory. Rather, I know who banged it."

Now, pertaining to a literal interpretation of scripture. The short answer to the question of whether we at Netcast believe in a literal interpretation is “Yes”. But, it isn't that simple.

Interpretation occurs when someone reads the Bible in a language they can understand and determines the meaning of the verses they read by the enablement of God the Holy Spirit who also inspired the writing of Scripture. Each text of the Bible has only one true interpretation and so we must be careful to read the truth out of the Bible rather than reading our beliefs and desires into it. A common question arises at this point: is the Bible to be interpreted literally? The answer is yes....but let me explain. There are plain-literal and figurative-literal portions of the Bible. We begin by assuming the plain-literal meaning and if that seems absurd then we go with a figurative- literal interpretation. A figurative-literal Scripture teaches a truth in a poetic way and often uses the words “like” or “as” to tip us off that figurative language is being used. But even when figurative language is being used, it is still communicating a literal truth.

For example, in the poetic Song of Songs, the man says to his beloved, “your eyes are doves” (1:15). In this figurative language, the man is communicating a very literal truth. He likens her eyes to doves, which come in pairs, and when their tail-feathers flutter they appear like eyelashes. Doves have just one faithful mate throughout their lives, possibly indicating that her eyes are focused on him alone. The dove is also a symbol of peace and purity, alluding to her virginity. Similar figurative thoughts can accompany the creation story and many areas in the bible.

For me personally and Netcast as a church; our official stance would be that we accept the Bible as the written Word of God. The Bible is an essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. It leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Being given by God the Scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by God. Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error in all it teaches. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power. All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives. The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation or even worldly wisdom and science. Every doctrinal formulation, confession or theology must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture.

In the end, I struggle with what these type of conversations produce. I have really been challenged in recent years about what Paul tells Timothy about this.

2 Timothy 14-26 
Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene.…... 

23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Pertaining to our hope in life, joy on earth and love for each other; these conversations rarely produce anything significant to our lives. If the conversation is about proving a point, taking a side, winning an argument or debate, or just trying to convince myself of how bright I am; I have no real desire to engage in the conversation. However, if my joy is at stake and conversations are heartfelt with the intentions of growing in my love for Jesus...I love those discussions.

Hell…Is it real? Is it eternal?

In light of a conversation that got brought up on Wednesday in my community group, I thought I would send this out for clarification to everyone. There a bunch of scriptures below that you can reference yourself for further study.

The question was…..."Is hell real? Is hell eternal? What happens to the un-repentant sinner (non-christian) after they die?"

It is interesting that a much higher percentage of people believe in the existence of heaven than believe in the existence of hell. According to the Bible, though, hell is just as real as heaven. The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell is a real place to which the wicked/unbelieving are sent after death. We have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23). The just punishment for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). Since all of our sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4), and since God is an infinite and eternal Being, the punishment for sin, death, must also be infinite and eternal. Hell is this infinite and eternal death which we have earned, and asked for, because of our lack of desire for Jesus displayed through our sin. Heaven is a place where the people who love Jesus, get Jesus in all his fullness.

The punishment of the unbeliever in hell is described throughout Scripture as “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41), “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12), “shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2), a place where “the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44-49), a place of “torment” and “fire” (Luke 16:23-24), “everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9), a place where “the smoke of torment rises forever and ever” (Revelation 14:10-11), and a “lake of burning sulfur” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

The punishment of the wicked in hell is as never ending as the bliss of the righteous in heaven. Jesus Himself indicates that punishment in hell is just as everlasting as life in heaven (Matthew 25:46). The wicked are forever subject to the fury and the wrath of God. Those in hell will acknowledge the perfect justice of God (Psalm 76:10). Those who are in hell will know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame (Deuteronomy 32:3-5). Yes, hell is real. Yes, hell is a place of torment and punishment that lasts forever and ever, with no end. Praise God that, through Jesus, we can escape this eternal fate (John 3:16, 18,36).

My main job at Netcast is to make sure we uphold sound doctrine and I was burdened to clarify as my personal bible reading was in Matthew 25 this morning. The entire chapter is on this subject.

Reference: www.gotquestions.org for additional answers.

Is irresistible grace really that important?

My good friend Elliot got some heat because he said on his FB page that being a Christian has NOTHING to do with what you DO or what you DON'T do, but has ONLY to do what what you BELIEVE. After watching some responses I realized that the conversation turned into a Theology discussion, primarily in dealing with Irresistible Grace. Although I am not a hyper-Calvinist, this doctrine is biblical and most true to the gospel. When we move away from this doctrine, we get messed up with faith and works. That is why it is such a big deal to the gospel.

The doctrine of irresistible grace recognizes that the Bible describes natural man as “dead in his trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1; Ephesians 2:5; Colossians 2:13) and because man is spiritually dead he must first be made alive or regenerated in order to understand and respond to the Gospel message.

The reason this doctrine is called “irresistible” grace is because it always results in the intended outcome, the salvation of the person it is given to. It is important to realize that the act of being regenerated or “born again” cannot be separated from the act of believing the Gospel. Ephesians 2:1-10 makes this clear. There is a clear connection between the act of being made alive by God (Ephesians 2:1,5) and the result of being saved by grace. (Ephesians 2:5,8). This is because everything pertaining to salvation, including the faith to believe, is an act of God’s grace.

So, that means that when one receives Christ and becomes a Christian it is not the person who is doing anything. Rather it is the person and work of the Holy Spirit who is giving someone grace to receive. Therefore, God gets all the credit and we get none. If we are dead in our sin but yet can make ourselves alive enough to grab hold of Christ, than we get credit. The scriptures give all credit to Christ. Romans 3 is clear that no person ever seeks after God. It is only the Holy Spirit who seeks after man. Therefore, we cannot accept what we are not looking for, but rather Christ, by grace, grants us salvation which makes us a Christian.

Therefore, in scripture you never see some accepting Christ, but rather receiving Christ.

All that said, we are correct to believe that true faith leads to action. However, that was not what Elliot was chatting about, he was saying that no matter how hard you work or what you do, none of that will make you a Christian. I know many good people, most who are more generous than me, love better than me, serve better than me, and may be better husbands and fathers than me......however they are not Christians, because being a Christian has NOTHING to do with what you DO or what you DON'T do, but has ONLY to do what what you BELIEVE. (as put by my friend Elliot which caused me to write this. )

Wesleyan/Holiness Camp to Reformed Movement

Thoughts from a friend who has grown up with major inflence from the Wesleyan camp and now is a part of the Reformed movement.

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As I think about the reformed position, it seems to me the issue has more to do with how Wesleyans and Reformed Christians view sin. Growing up, I was taught that ALL sin separates us from God and is cause for judgment. Therefore, we must live HOLY SINLESS lives. This makes it difficult for folks in this tradition to acknowledge sin in their lives because to do so would, for them, would mean their salvation is in jeopardy. It also creates enormous confusion because we all know we are not perfect. So many struggle honestly with what Christian Perfection looks like. Terms like, carnality and living in the flesh were substituted for a believers faults.

The Reformed Christians don't seem to struggle with this simply because they can acknowledge their sin is covered by the blood of Christ. (THE GOSPEL) They understand this doesn't mean "we go on sinning so that grace my increase" but see it as working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Since my sin is not counted against me, I'm more free to confess it and be healed. Obviously, my sin will hurt me and others. Certainly unconfessed sin is the most damaging, but true believers, in the reformed camp, don't see Christs work on the cross STOPPING as a result of their sin.

Theology of Suffering

I was asked by the Pastor of Theological Development@1.21 Church to give some of my thoughts on the biblical theology of suffering. Below is a snippet.

The “good news” (gospel) is that we have a high priest who has suffered far worse than we have. Because of his resurrection we can have confidence that he is alive and will sympathize with us during these times. We also see in the gospel how God uses suffering for his glory and our benefit. Christ suffered, and with joy, he endured death on the cross. What seemed like a terrible tragedy turned out to be the greatest victory the world has ever seen. Through Christ’s sufferings and resurrection we can now be reconciled to God because he has taken our sin, paid our penalty and has given the believer his righteousness.

God ordained the sufferings of Christ and I think we would be wrong to think that we are too good of a people that God shouldn’t allow us to suffer. Another observation is that suffering does not just come from Satan; but is ordained by God. Remember that it was God who gave permission for Job to be tortured the way that he was. Christ prays in the garden, “if possible take this cup from me…is there any other way? None-the-less; your will be done.” It was Gods will for Christ to suffer. Only pride can birth the thought that we should not suffer as he did.

We cannot forget Romans 5 which says “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” This again shows that sufferings are a vital part of our sanctification. The apostles model rejoicing in their sufferings in Acts 5:41. Romans 8 states that we must suffer with Him (Christ) if we expect to be glorified with Him. Paul tells Timothy to share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. John writes in Revelation “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” We are continually reminded that our temporal sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us – Romans 8:18

What is the Gospel? Please Read and Respond!!

I miss all of the dialog with my friends over the blogging world. I thought that I would ask a question and maybe get some thoughts back. My hope here is to get us thinking like we have in the past on issues such as homosexuality, marriage, scripture, etc.

My question is "What is the gospel?" (i.e. theologically speaking, not how you would explain the gospel message to a non-Christian) Please add where you get your beliefs from.

Here is my answer. Please add comments, thoughts, additions, etc. and lets try and figure this thing out.

The gospel is a historical event that was planned somewhere in eternity past. Within that event, Jesus who is God incarnated, lived as a man, was tempted like us, and while on earth, demonstrated for us full surrender to the Father. Jesus, who knew no sin, was murdered on a cross, bearing the sins of man, paying our debt and satisfying the wrath of God, which man rightfully deserved. Jesus physically died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, and literally rose from the dead in his body three days later. Through this historical and supernatural act of Love, God fulfilled his redemptive plan to redeem his children which are called. By repentance of sin and faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, sin is forgiven and you are saved. Your name is written in the Lambs book of life and you will spend eternity in the presence of Almighty God forever.

All of this is my commentary of 1 Corinthians 15:1-8