Drinking Deeply

FighterArc: Philippians 2:12-13

2011-03-30T10:46:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've tried doing this. But here's a link to the latest fighter verse and my arc with questions.

I also (in the continuing attempt to fiddle with this screencast thing) recorded a video!

An interesting observation that I felt like reproducing here:

Q: What does it mean to "work out your salvation"?

A: This is a tricky one, especially in light of God's sovereignty highlighted in v.13, as well as earlier in Phil. 1:6. I think the answer is that Paul is recalling back what he wrote in Philippians 1:27-28

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy [8] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

In that passage, their unity in the Gospel and fearless Christ-like living is a sign of their salvation. In the same way for this passage, continue to work out this salvation through living a manner worthy of the Gospel.

Another tie is the remark "whther I come and see you or am absent," which seems to parallel, "not only in my presence, but much more in my absence"

Mortgage calculator

2011-03-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

In an effort to win a debate with my dad about if it would be better to rent or to buy, I put together an excel spreadsheet mortgage calculator.

You can view and download it here:

I wasnt' able to convince my dad, but the spreadsheet makes me think it's a lot closer than I thought.

Update: I have been fiddling around with a screencasting program, so I tried recording a basic explanation of what I was doing. Check it out.

Notes on I will Teach You to be Rich

2011-03-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

I recently read this book on psychology and making money. Not a Christian, but definitely helpful in clarifying things for me as I look toward the future. It was worthwhile enough that I wanted to type up the notes for this one too. I liked the book, but there are additional concerns as a Christian that I had to keep in mind as I was reading.

Notes from: I will Teach You to Be Rich, by Ramit Sethi

Central Thesis: 99% of people spend too much time worrying about the absolute perfect ideals with regard to money management, and do nothing. If you just shoot for the 85% solution, then you’re miles ahead of the rest of the crowd. Get out of credit card debt, set up some automatic withdrawals with your paycheck, and set up an automatic investment system, and you’ll be set.

1)Getting started is more important than becoming an expert – Lots of people worry too much about the details. Focus on getting off the ground, adjust as needed.

2)It’s ok to make mistakes. There is a possibility of losing everything, but it’s better to do it earlier than later, plus you are gaining skills.

3)Ordinary actions will get ordinary results – No need to follow the crowd.

4)There’s a difference between being sexy and being rich – Being rich doesn’t need to be flashy or fancy.

5)Spend on things you love, cut on things you don’t. – Some things are worth the value to you, some things are not. Marginal utility!

Power of compounding early:

If you start at 25 years and invest $100/month for 10 years, at 8%/yr. you’ll be at $200,000 at age 65.

If you start at 35 years and invest $100/month for 30 years, at 8%/yr. you’ll be at $150,000 at age 65.

So we should start early! No excuses.

Ch. 1 – Optimize your credit cards.

Having great credit helps with future loans, making a huge difference with just a few percentage points.

What’s in your credit score?

1) Have reliable payments

2) Minimize amount owed (pay off debt in full!)

3) Length of history

4) New credit

5) Types of credit (varied is better)

Don’t put things on the credit card! If you buy a $250 ipod and pay minimum payments, you’ll pay $47 in interest (1/5!) and it’ll take 2.5 years1

Getting a new card – get one with good benefits, without yearly fees. Compare online. Make sure the rewards are good. Cashback cards aren’t that great. Free flights are better.

Don’t go card crazy.

Be willing to ask for refund of fees. Don’t let the rep easily turn you down!

Track your calls to financial companies

Be ok with disputing charges if they’re not what you wanted! Credit cards are on your side.

Credit cards have amazing protection: Automatic warranty doubling. Car rental insurance. Trip cancellation insurance Look into the benefits you can get.

Pay off the debt aggressively. Do the calculations on how much the loan is costing you. See how much you can reduce it by increasing the payment. You’d be surprised at how much of a difference it can make!

If you’re paying off debt aggressively, ask for lower interest rates to help.

Ch. 2 Beat the Banks

Call to ask for the fees refunded. One overdraft wipes out your interest for the entire year.

Online banks like ING Direct and Emigrant Direct are good, high interest and good service with low fees.

Best to split checking and savings. Checking is where you write checks out. Savings are for that. Savings are way better for savings. You should be able to get a much higher rate than checking.

It’s about developing the habits. Start early

Credit unions are generally better than big name banks. Better loan rates and more personalized service.

Don’t go for teaser rates or minimum balances or bundling with a credit card.

Ask to have fees waived! Say you’re a long time customer. Generally that will do it.

Ch. 3 Ready to invest

Investing is the beginning. Compounding is amazing.

Investing is not about picking stocks! Contribute to 401k, Roth IRA, it’s basically free money if you have a company match. Start early! If you just sit on your butt and do nothing, you’re going to have a harder time catching up.

Investing is the best way to get rich. Set up an automatic money transfer.

Steps:

Max out 401K match

Pay off credit card debt

Open Roth IRA

Max 401k

No retirement account.

401k – money goes in pretax. You’ll get taxed on it coming out.

Roth IRA – money goes in post-tax, but no taxes coming out.

Roth IRA are better than IRA if you think about it.

Generally places have minimums

Vanguard – 3000 (lots of low cost funds)

T. Rowe Price 1000 (minimum waived with $50/month auto contribution)

Schwab 1000 (minimum waived with 100 auto contribution)

Ch. 4 Conscious spending

Don’t worry about budgeting. Set up a system that works. You have to do some thinking ahead of time though. Be frugal, spend money on what’s valuable. This is different than being cheap.

Conscious spending plan.

Allocate where your money is going to go before getting it. Set up automatic withdrawals for each category. The rest of the money is guilt free.

Fixed Cost – rent, utilities, debt 50-60%

Investments – IRA – 10%

Savings – vacations, gifts, house down payment, unexpected expenses 10%

Spending money – guilt free! 10%

(I would also add tithing) 10%

Make sure you include savings goals!

When cutting, go for the big wins. Where are you spending most of your money? Cut there and don’t worry about the rest.

Focus on one or two big wins each month. Set realistic goals!

Use envelope system to target your big wins:

Negotiate a raise – Take the research and prove your value to your company. Discuss ways you can excel at work. Track your results. Role play your interview.

Get a higher paying job

Do some free-lance work.

If you have known irregular expenses, then you can put those into your “savings” accounts.

Unexpected income – spend some of it, but save a good amount.

Ch. 5 – Save while sleeping

Set up automatic withdrawals at the first of the month so you never see the money go. Defaults are your friend.

1^st of month – pay

2^nd of month – 401K

5^th of month – automatic transfer to savings account

5^th of month IRA

7^th of month – pay monthly bills.

Tweak the system

Review the credit card bill.

Ch. 6 Myth of Financial expertise

Go with index funds that are low cost. Don’t need to trust the experts. Experts can’t time the market.

Passive management is worth it.

Dollar cost averaging – buying the same amount of fund ($100) each month, averages out highs and lows.

Expense ratio should be less than .2%

Ch. 7 Investing isn’t only for rich people

We make too many excuses, “I don’t have time”, “stock can go down” “etc”

Make automatic investments. That makes it so much easier.

Go with lifecycle funds – simple plans. It takes care of everything for you and you don’t need to rebalance.

Asset allocation is responsible for 90% of your returns.

Stocks are higher risk and bonds lower risk. Early on go with stock, later transition to bonds.

Don’t go with mutual funds!

Ch. 8 – Easy maintenance

Make sure you’re rebalancing. (not necessary with lifecycle funds).

Renting can be a good decision.

Don’t worry too much about taxes as long as you’re giving to 401k and Roth ira. They are tax deferred. Think twice about selling. There are strong incentives to holding.

To figure out what you want to do, ask people who are 10 years older what they wish they could have done when they were your age.

Emergency fund, buy insurance. Start children’s education.

Ch. 9 Rich life

Make a plan! What are you going to do regarding renting or home ownership? About a wedding? Run the numbers and come up with something.

Negotiating salary. Crunch the numbers and see what you can do. Do the research and preparation for a job!

Buying a car – do the research! Figure out the total cost of ownership.

Random notes from "The Trellis and the Vine"

2011-03-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

I just typed up my notes from a book that blew my mind. Sorry it's not a full "review" or anything, but I felt like it was important enough to take down for my future reading, so I'm sharing it on the blog.

Central Thesis: The Trellis is the (organized) church structures, needed for growth of the body of Christ, but not equal to growth in the body of Christ.

General goals

1. From running programs to building people

2. From running events to training people

3. From using people to growing people.

4. From filling gaps to training new workers

5. From solving problems to helping people make progress

"If ministry in our churches is based on reaching to the problems people raise, many will receive no attention because they are more reserved in sharing their problems." (pg. 22)

Are we reactive or proactive in ministry?

6. From clinging to ordained ministry to developing team leadership

7. From focusing on church polity to forging ministry partnerships.

8. From relying on training institutions to establishing local training.

9. From focusing on immediate pressures to aiming for long-term expansion.

10. From engaging in management to engaging in ministry

"Could your minister be relieved of some of his administrative workload so that he can devote time to training one or two new leaders?" (pg. 25)

When we look for something we can do in church, don't look for a j ob or roles, but look for opportunities to love, care, and disciple.

This is hard! - The paths to glory often leads through suffering and difficulty. It's much easier to measure how many people attend, than to measure how people are growing.

"The only growth that has any significance in God's plans is the growth of believers." (pg. 38)

"People growth only happens through t he power of God's Spirit as he applies his word to people's hearts." (pg. 39)

Every Christian is called to be vine worker

"There are not two sorts of disciples, there is one. To be a disciple is to be a slave of Christ and to confess his name openly before others." pg. 42

Speak the word of God to one another. Build the body in love. Ephesians 4:15-16

Hebrews 10:24-25 - Stir one another up to love and good works.

Not every Christian has the same gifts, but all have the same goal.

"A Christian with no passion for the lost is in serious need for self-examination and repentance." (pg. 53)

Examples:

1) Sharing about a good sermon at church on Monday when a coworker asks about weekend. How the Bible actually impacts the way you live.

2) Caring for your child and speaking God's truth

3) Sharing with fellow believers how God has blessed him by a verse.

4) Meeting one on one with a new Christian to talk over some basic stuff.

5) Caring for a friend who has been anxious and is slipping off of the church.

6) Preparing ahead of time for Bible study.

7) Phoning an elderly friend to share and pray

8) Developing and praying for a friend who isn't a Christian. Inviting them to church and talking about it afterward on the ride home.

9) Rearranging your schedule so you can take off a morning to volunteer at a local school teaching Scripture.

10) Sharing a testimony with the church about God's grace and providence.

Partnership not membership

The call of the Gospel isn't a call for membership in a church, but rather partnership in a movement. Active, not passive.

Training is not a skill, it's a worldview. It's not about answering the questions than an unbeliever asks (though those answers are important), but rather it's about thinking through life in a manner that honors God. Training is in righteousness, godliness, not merely in content.

Set an example - This life lived of righteousness is caught as much as it is taught. This can be formal or informal both. We need classes, but we also need mentorships.

Stages of Gospel Growth - Outreach, follow up, growth, ,training.

Someone isn't a Christian, is a new Christian, is a growing Christian, is a training Christian.

Outreach - raising issues or heard the Gospel?

Growth - need help, or solid

Training - General or specific

Goal is not to categorize, but general progress.

Sunday sermons are necessary but not sufficient.

Pastor is not the only worker in the church. He isn't the one that must do all the visitation. Ministry does not happen only in the preaching individual visits of the clergy.

Example: Richard Baxter

"Reformed Pastor" - disciple every individual!

Multiply growth -

Dont' need to focus on the urgent - you may never get to multiply things. You can put a good focus on those who just need the next step to continue training others.

We need co-workers!

Co-worker -

Same basic theology. Not necessarily flashy up front Serve in the background Not out of need, but out of real ability Teachable Not just volunteers!

We're calling them to continue to give up their lives for Christ!

Ministry apprenticeship

There needs to be a period of training and development. Get their feet wet. We can actively recruit people

Go for it!

Random thoughts

2010-11-23T14:31:00.001-08:00

I just got back from ETS in Atlanta, which is a huge convergence of biblical scholars and pastors where people share papers on what they've been thinking about. The main theme this year was Justification by Faith, with main speakers NT Wright, Tom Schreiner, and Frank Theilman. So this is a bit more on the academic side of things. Apologies in advance.

I still think NT Wright could do much about clarifying whether or not he thinks future judgment will be on the basis of our works, Christ's works, or a mixture of both. He changed his language to "according to," but it seems like his position is not changed. But what was his position? No one knows because each time someone tries to pin him down, he says, "no no, you don't understand me." A bit frustrating.

I've been debating a bit with some of the 1st years and my NT prof on baptism. As one of the only people in my class who believe in infant baptism, it's been refining. Interestingly enough, as I've become more convinced of the infant baptist position from Scripture, the historical argument for believer's baptism has shaken me more.

Quote by Mark Driscoll

2010-10-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

"You are more evil than you have ever feared and more loved than you have ever hoped" (Death By Love, pg. 68)

What is wisdom?

2010-10-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been reading through proverbs in the mornings. And of course the question of "what is wisdom?" comes to mind? Here's my working definition and a text that leads me there and some brief conclusions.

Wisdom is understanding the end result of an action and responding appropriately.

Where does that definition come from?

In Proverbs 6:6-8, Solomon urges us to consider the ant as a model of wisdom.

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.

What does an ant do? She stores up material for the future, why? Because she understands what the future holds and is responding appropriately.

Another text: Proverbs 5:1-6

5:1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge.

3 For the lips of a forbidden [1] woman drip honey, and her speech [2] is smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to [3] Sheol;
6 she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.

The exhortation to Solomon's son is to be attentive to wisdom. What does that look like here? It means "look where this leads! Look at the forbidden woman, she looks nice and appealing, but her path leads to death!"

A few implications:

Wisdom is not explicitly defined with respect to God, but it is implicitly defined with respect to God. True wisdom involves recognizing that the end of all things is God. We will meet our maker and be judged for everlasting life or perdition. Therefore, true wisdom must take this into account. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Atheists (and non-Christians) cannot have true wisdom. However shrewd they may be in their dealings, however kind they may be to their friends, they aren't considering the true end of all things.

Wisdom is ultimately the gift of God. A seeing eye and a hearing ear, the Lord made them both. If anyone of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously without finding fault.

A sleeping faith

2010-09-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

I've been spending some time in Psalm 3 lately and I just thought it was interesting enough to share on the blog.

Psalm 3, A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

3:1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God. Selah

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah

What was particularly striking to me is this imagery of sleeping as an act of faith. Jesus sleeps on the boat in the midst of the storm and then rebukes his disciples, "oh you of little faith!" David again and again says that he finds rest in the Lord, that he can sleep because of God. Oh may I be able to find rest for a weary body and trust God. Tomorrow has enough worry for itself, sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus spoke in Greek

2010-09-11T05:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not super sure about this, but I think it's interesting that it's commonly assumed that Jesus spoke in Aramaic and what we have today is a translation of his words in the Gospels.

I don't entirely agree with this. It's clear that Jesus knew Aramaic well enough to converse in it, I think there are some indicators that show that Jesus was speaking Greek the majority of the times.

Jesus does speak Aramaic in the Gospels, but when he does it is pointed out. For example, Matthew 27:46 - "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani," that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It also seems telling that the bystanders misunderstood him. Was there a language barrier? Also, Mark 5:41 "Taking her by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha cumi,' which means, 'Little girl, I say to you, arise.' "

If all (or most) of Jesus' words were in Aramaic, why would the Gospel writers sometimes translate it straight and other times give both the words and the translations?

And sometimes they simply give the words and no translation: Matthew 16:17 "Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah!" There weren't surnames in Jesus' times (Another side note: Christ is a title meaning, "Messiah" rather than Joseph's last name). Bar-Jonah is a Greek transliteration of the Aramaic "Son of Jonah." I'm not certain that it has to be Aramaic, but I do know it's not Hebrew.

What should I do when I don't feel like obeying God?

2010-09-04T15:48:00.001-07:00

I had a good discussion with my wife today centered around the question, "what should a person do when they don't feel like obeying God?"

This comes up in a number of contexts, probably most common with reading the Bible, but other circumstances also. The argument goes sort of like this: 1) I don't particularly have a strong desire to ______. 2) God looks at the heart and not the outward appearance. 3) Therefore, I don't want to appear to be a hypocrite so I won't do ______.

To which we both agreed that the person should do _____ anyway, even if they "don't feel like it." The reason why this isn't inconsistent with the fact that God looks at the heart is because what we demonstrate when we obey anyway is that we value obedience to God more than simply feeling good about something. Of course in an ideal world without sin we'd always be able to delight ourselves in the word of God every morning, but sometimes that doesn't happen. But we still love God enough and believe his promises enough to continue to go back to the Word, even if it's not sheer delight.

When the Bible says that God looks at the heart, I think the emphasis is much more on "who are you trying to please?" If a person is always reading his Bible in public in order to garner public approval, then that is all he's going to get. But if a person privately reads his Bible even if he "doesn't feel like it," then that is true evidence that "I believe God more than I believe my heart." And with that, God is honored.

Book Review: Outliers

2010-08-31T09:41:00.000-07:00

I recently read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. The central thesis of the book is that inborn talent isn't everything. You do need a bit of talent to get in the door, but the people who are at the top aren't exactly the people who have been born with the most, but rather people who, through a lot of work were able to take advantage of the opportunities given to us. He surveys a number of different things that proves his point and makes his case very persuasively.

I think about my own math ability. I probably have spent a couple thousands of hours working on math problems - math competitions, spare time, fun problems, arml, math team, etc etc. And now numbers make sense! So that certainly is nice. And no excuses to those who complain they "just don't get numbers!"

That said, the major takeaway for me is that John Piper doesn't become the preacher he is and the scholar he is simply because he's incredibly gifted. He is incredibly gifted, but he's spent thousands and thousands of hours in the greek text, learning and teaching and preaching. The same goes for anyone and anything - they spent hours and hours honing their skills and weren't simply "talented." As I think about my Greek and (ailing) Hebrew abilities, the frustration at not remembering words, not understanding grammar, and not being able to do much comes quickly. But hopefully with (lots of) practice, it will start to come.

Greek is fun!

2010-08-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

An interesting passage that came up today. Greek is surprisingly helpful... if you have the habit (like I do) of skipping those helpful footnotes.

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

8:1 We want you to know, brothers, [1] about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor [2] of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you [3]—see that you excel in this act of grace also.

What does Paul mean when he says, "he should complete among you this act of grace" and "you should excel in this act of grace also" ?

The only other mention of grace is grace given to the Macedonians... that is if you don't read the footnotes! It turns out that the Macedonians begged for the grace of taking part in the relief of the saints (per footnote 2). In Greek, the translation of v.4 is literally -

"Asking us for the grace and fellowship of the ministry of the saints."

Interestingly enough, the ESV changes this to, "the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints." (Taking part/relief and fellowship/ministry are fine equivalents, mine is probably more wooden because I don't know the range of the words).

But anyway, I think when Paul is saying "complete this grace also," he's asking that the Corinthians to complete what the Macedonians began - the grace and partnership of ministry. Obviously the general gist of the passage is clear (especially from the passage heading), but it's interesting to see something come out in the Greek.

To whom does the king turn to?

2010-08-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Someone mentioned they read my blog today, and that reminded me I wanted to make a post about Daniel 6. Just one interesting thought -

In Daniel 6, Darius makes a decree that no one is to pray to anyone except to him, upon pain of being thrown to the lions. What an interesting way to assert one's authority! Of course, Daniel, being the upright man he is, ignores the decree and prays, as usual. He's caught (he didn't try to hide it) and thrown into the den of lions, much to the dismay of Darius who appreciated the faithful service of Daniel. Darius, the one who made the decree about only praying to him, is completely powerless to do anything. He spends the night fasting and unable to sleep.

But God, the only true authority here, delivers Daniel from the lions, as only God can do!

Yahweh or Lord?

2010-07-02T13:29:00.001-07:00

An interesting discussion occurred a number of weeks ago between our Hebrew professor and another faculty at church. Our professor had been pronouncing the word "Yahweh" instead of "Lord" whenever the LORD (with all caps) occurs in the English text.

The reason he does this is because LORD actually a different word in the Hebrew (yhwh) from Lord (adonai). Apparently Yahweh is a unique name which (I don't quite understand this) means, "the one who causes all things to be." So our professor wants to stress that aspect and emphasize it's not merely, "Lord" as if it were the same word.

That was an interesting discussion, mostly because I hadn't thought about it at all. But having thought about it, I wanted to put down in writing why I'm not a huge fan of pronouncing LORD as Yahweh even though it is very possible that is how Israel may have pronounced it.

2 reasons:

1) I think that's clear from the fact that Jesus quotes (without correction) from the Septuagint, which is where we get the translation "YHWH" = Lord. He seems to accept this as an appropriate translation and applies it to himself at times.

2) The fact that Jesus is called Lord by the NT writers seems to be an emphasis on the divinity of Christ and his identity with God of the OT. If we start translating Lord in the OT as Yahweh, we miss out on that NT emphasis. Everyone who says, "Jesus is Lord" will be saved (Romans 10:9) contrasted with "call upon the name of the Lord, and be saved." (Joel 2:32) .

3) It makes it harder for people to come into church and understand what is going on. They're reading along in the pew Bibles and seeing "Lord," which has a clear meaning to them, but when the pastor says, "Yahweh," they're lost. What's that mean?

All in all, we ought to educate people. The names of God have a huge significance, especially LORD, which is remarked upon in Exodus 6:3 - 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.

Being filled with the spirit is a lot like getting hit by a truck

2010-05-27T11:18:00.001-07:00

A brief reflection from Ephesians 3:18 -

Paul commands us to not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the spirit. (Eph. 3:18) Paul does not mean that we ought to figure out a way to pull the spirit over to us and fill us up with it, but that we ought to figure out some way to get in the path of the spirit. I see it as similar to if someone commanded you to get hit by a car. If we were to try to obey this command, we don't go and figure out how we can drive a car and hit ourselves with it, but rather we go find a large highway where there are lots of cars and try to get in the way of one.

In the same way, the spirit moves where it wills, but we can put ourselves in the way.

To paraphrase Paul: Get hit by the truck of the spirit.

A drop of bitterness poisons the sweetest drink

2010-05-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

Esther 5:13 -

"Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.”

Haman goes home after eating at the feast with Esther and the King, he (v.11) recounted the many splendors , the sons, the premotions, and the fact that he has been invited to feast with the king and queen, and yet he laments, “Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” Wow, even in the midst of incredible accomplishment and great blessing, God has not given him the joy to enjoy it! May this never be for me, may I always be thankful for the incredible gifts and account as nothing those slights that I receive from others!

A helpful solution

2010-05-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Unrelated to anything I've posted in the past, but I wanted to post this in case it may be helpful for other people.

I wasn't able to safely remove my external hard drive today, searched it on google and found this website. Basically it says that with some anti-virus softwares, it's always accessing the harddrive. I stopped my antivirus and was able to safely remove my external hard drive. Nice.

FighterArc: Matthew 5:38-40

2010-05-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Another Fighter arc. Matthew 5:38-40

Summary: Instead of seeking personal justice against evil, Christians ought to be willing to go above and beyond and bless our enemies

Arcing Commentary: The overall arc is a contrast of two pieces (+/-). Don't do what v. 38 says, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for for a tooth" but rather do v.39-40.

Within the positive construction of v.39-40, there is again a contrast (-/+). Do not resist the evil one (v.39a) but rather go beyond what they are demanding (v.39b-40). Jesus illustrates this with two If-Then constructions in a series.

Within the second If-Then construction (v.40), I've made the interpretive decision to read "If anyone would sue you and take your tunic" as an Ac-Pur relationship. Namely, "If anyone would sue you to take your tunic." This seems to best highlight what the intention of the lawsuit is and our response to that intention.

Passage Commentary: As said before, Christ isn't responding to the Old Testament law, but rather abuses of these laws. We know there are lawful means of punishment for wrongdoing (Romans 13:1-4), so this isn't a prohibition against all forms of justice, but rather against seeking personal justice. This is highlighted by the "If anyone would slap you... " and "If anyone would sue you..."

Now for believers, instead of slapping back and returning an insult for insult, we ought to turn our other cheek. Instead of counter-suing, we ought to be willing to give not only what they demand, but more, even down to our basic necessities (cloak and tunic). Instead of demanding justice against those who act unjustly, we go beyond what injustice demands.

Of course, much wisdom is needed for specific applications, but the general thrust is simply that we ought not to return evil for evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it [9] to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

FighterArc: Matthew 5:34-37

2010-04-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple weeks (a month!), so I've fallen behind. I've decided the best way to keep me from giving up is to just skip the missing weeks. Anyway, here's the arc for this week. Matthew 5:34-37

Arcing Commentary -

The main idea of the passage is that we ought not to swear, but to speak truth. Those two statements form our main (+/-) of the passage (v.34-36 and v.37).

Within v.34-36, Jesus gives 4 examples of bad oaths. Each item (heaven, earth, Jerusalem, hair) is followed by reasons we ought not to swear by them.

In contrast to all these false oaths, there is the + value of simply saying, "yes yes" or "no, no."

I made v.37b a ground for 37a even though there wasn't a connecting "for" or "because" because the statements seemed to fit well. Speak only "yes" or "no"because anything more comes from evil. I would not arc it as a "series" even though there is a connecting word (de) because they are talking about two different topics, there's more than just a "don't swear and anything more comes from evil."

Passage commentary

Jesus continues to rebuke false interpretations of the Law, and this one I think refers to the habit of the Pharisees to say, "If you swear by the temple, you are bound but if you don't swear by the temple, you are not." A similar idea (maybe the same?) is found in Matt. 23's 7 woes -

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

Woe! How do we think that swearing on a temple does anything? It is God who owns these things. How do we think we can swear by our head? We cannot make a hair white or black (as I have recently realized). Instead, we ought to simply speak truth, say "yes" or "no" and then do it.

This also rebukes my need to say, "well, I'll really do it this time, I swear." I ought to be living lives of such integrity that when I say, "I'll do it," people will believe me. Do I keep my appointments or am I perpetually 5-15 minutes late?

FighterArc: Matthew 5:23-24

2010-03-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Another post in the series begun on fighter verses. For more information on fighter verses see here.

If you want more information on arcing, see here.

Here's my arc, and a short reflection:

Main point: We ought to be reconciled to our brother, even if that means leaving our gift before the altar.

Arcing commentary -

v.23 and 24 give us a very clear "If-Then" so they are the major arcs of the two verses - If you are offering and remember your brother has something against you, then leave your gift and be reconciled.

v.23 has two main points: You are offering and remember your brother has something against you. These two ideas could be joined with "S" - Series, but series typically should be reserved for when you state multiple events with no dependence.

In this sentence, there is a progression: First you're offering, and there "you remember your brother has something against you." That means the second idea depends on the first already happening, so I use P.

There is locative relationship in v.23 "before the altar." It serves to highlight that it's there before the altar that this happens. Even right before you're about to offer a sacrifice to God you ought to be reconciled.

v.24 has two main ideas, so they go under major arcs - "Leave gift and go; first be reconciled then come and offer." Both contain progression relationships - First one, then the other.

The tricky piece, "how are these two arcs in v.24 related?" The arcs essentially restate one another, saying the same thing in two different ways, but the second one gives a more detailed account and further explains the first. That means we have either "Id-Exp" or "Ac-Mn." Id-Exp would mean that the second sentence explains one of the ideas (nouns) listed in the first. Ac-Mn means that the second sentence explains one of the actions (verbs) of the first. Since we Jesus is explaining more about what "leave and go" mean, we ought to use Ac-Mn.

Passage commentary -

Jesus has just said that not only is the brother who murders liable to judgment, the brother who is angry with another is liable to judgment (v.21-22). Then he proceeds to give one application of what this means - we ought to be reconciled to one another. Jesus does this by giving the most extreme example.

Even when we are just about to offer a gift before God and remember our brother has something against us, we should leave our gift there and be reconciled first. While at first this seems like it doesn't follow from what was said before (what's known in logic as a non-sequitur), it actually does because Jesus is highlighting how serious anger is. Anger and it's consequences are so serious we ought to go out of our way to keep someone from sinning in that way.

Jesus does not allow the possibility that we can stand innocently by while others get angry at us, we must go and be reconciled. It is insufficient to say, "well, at least I am not angry at anyone," we ought to think and ask, "is anyone angry at me?"

So, Christian - Go and be reconciled. Do it now and today, lest you find yourself about to offer a gift to the Lord and there remember and have to do it then.

Fix your eyes upon Jesus

2010-03-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 12:1-2

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Being as I am now approaching 14 days past the beginning of my marriage, I had a thought that I'd share with my past self if I could travel back in time. In addition to witnessing the creation of the world, the flood and the building of the ark, and probably stopping by to say hi to Martin Luther and thank him for all his great work, I'd like to tap my 21-year-old self on the shoulder and tell him a few things.

One of them being this -

A man walking through a desert while making steady progress toward an oasis will likely not be tempted too much to take a drink from flowing sewage along his path.

In your struggles with singleness and all the corresponding challenges with the sexuality of the world - man up and take steps toward marriage. Don't just sit there, lamenting the fact that you're still single, but think carefully about next steps on that journey. You've done a fairly decent job (by God's grace) of growing and building a good theological foundation about dating and courtship, but you haven't given a thought toward actually stepping in that direction. The temptation to stray in purity will always come hard and fast, but they will loosen their grip as you take deliberate steps towards a destination.

Hard pressed saints

2010-03-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

A nugget from Edwards in his "Images of Divine Things"

The way in which most of the things we use are serviceable to us and answer to their end is in their being strained, or hard-pressed, or violently agitated. Thus the way in which the bow answers its end is in hard straining of it to shoot the arrow and do the execution; the bow that won't bear straining is good for nothing. So it is with a staff that a man walks with: it answers its end in being hard-pressed. So it is with many of the members of our bodies, our teeth, our feet, etc.; and so with most of the utensils of life, an ax, a saw, a flail, a rope, a chain, etc. They are useful and answer their end by some violent straining, pressure, agitation, collision or impulsion, and they that are so weak not to bear the trial of such usage are good for nothing.

Here is a lively representation of the way in which true and sincere saints (which are often in Scripture represented as God's instruments or utensils) answer God's end, and serve and glorify him in it: by enduring temptation, going through hard labor, suffering, or self-denial or such service or strainings hard upon nature and self. Hypocrites are like a broken tooth, a foot out of joint, a broken staff, a deceitful bow, which fail when pressed or strained.

What a wonderful encouragement to bruised reeds and smoldering candles! Take heart and do not fear!

2 Cor. 1

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Fighterarc:Matthew 5:21-22

2010-03-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

Another post in the series begun on fighter verses. For more information on fighter verses see here.

If you want more information on arcing, see here.

Here's my arc with a short reflection.

Properly applying the law: Murder -

Jesus introduces the proper applications of the law that he talked about in the previous verses (v.17-20). Rather than overthrowing the OT law, he is properly interpreting it. We see this most clearly from two facts:

1) He does not begin, "it is written," but rather "you have heard." Elsewhere he points to Scripture with, "it is written." (Matthew 4, Matthew 21:13)

2) He doesn't say anything the Old Testament doesn't already state. Leviticus 19:17 - "You shall not hate your brother in your heart."

Given that, we are affirmed in believing that instead of overthrowing the Law of the Bible, he is properly interpreting it.

A plausible conjecture is that the teachers of the law were saying that as long as you didn't actually commit murder, you weren't guilty of breaking the law. You could insult them and hate them, but they were not guilty of murder.

In a complete rejection of that interpretation, Jesus says, "but I say to you... To even hate your brother meant you were guilty of murder. To insult them meant you were liable to the council, to call them a fool meant you were in danger of the fires of hell." To Jesus, and to God's people, there should not be a line drawn between the physical act of murder and the spiritual inclination to it.

God doesn't just want our external actions. Just because I haven't committed the physical act of murder doesn't mean that I was innocent. Like the scribes and pharisees, my danger is to interpret the law by the letter and let myself off the hook. That's not what God commands - he doesn't want just the action, but the heart also.

FigherArc - Matthew 5:19-20

2010-02-23T06:49:00.001-08:00

Over at www.fighterverses.com my friends blog through their thoughts on the memory verses that our church is in the process of memorizing. This year is going to be the Sermon on the Mount, and I'm pretty excited about it. Feel free to join in! Look at their site for ideas.

I realized that I thought it would be fun to "arc" through the verses myself as I'm trying to memorize them. If you want an introduction to arcing - see www.biblearc.com. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to "embed" the arc, so I'm going to link to my arc, and copy-paste the notes that I wrote here.

If you don't know how to arc, you can just read around the arc terminology. We'll see how long this lasts.

My Arc

Matthew 5:19-20

Summary: This passage is a warning for those who seek to relax the commandments of God (v.19ab). Rather than relaxing them, we ought to do them and teach them (v.19cd). Because, in order to enter the kingdom, we must have our righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees (v.20)

Passage analysis: Because not a single iota or dot will pass from the law (v.17-18), Jesus gives two If-Then statements as alternate possibilities to spur us on to proper obedience.

1) If someone weakens even the least of the command then, just like such a person might call those commands "least," that person will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

2) If someone does the word and teaches the same, then that person will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

And then he gives the ground for these statements (v.20):

"For unless your righteousness exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Thoughts:

This passage isn't talking about the imputed righteousness of Christ. It's talking about our external righteousness - our actions. Are we living as salt and light in this world? (v.13-16) Are we commiting adultery or murdering our brothers in our thoughts? (v.21-30)? These are all areas where the scribes and Pharisees were relaxing the laws of God. But we are called to a higher calling - to one of faithful obedience, to doing and teaching the laws of God.

What of faith? I think faith must be what undergirds all of this obedience. The beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-12 point us to the fact that God has made great promises- Gospel promises that enable us to persevere, endure, and obey. In support of that, we notice that the obedience to the law of God (v.17 and following) follows the promises of God (v.3-12) rather than precedes.

The end of the matter: Don't relax the commands of God, but do and teach them, and you will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Update letter - Feb. 22

2010-02-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

Coheirs -

So here I am, 8 days out from what is the 2nd most important event in my life, getting married to Hannah. I feel like I’ve gone through a couple stages: Denial – “Did I really do this?” Terror – “What in the world am I going to do?” and now it’s mostly just excitement – “Oh wow! This is really happening!” Needless to say, spirits are up =D.

I’ve moved into the new place since beginning of February, affectionately named the Turret House. You can google map it and see why: 2520 18th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55404. It’s the blue house with a blue truck parked in front of it – According to google maps, its approximate address is “2540.”

We just moved in a lot of furniture on Tuesday – 4 bookshelves (very important!), bed, dresser, couch, desk, kitchen table, and chairs. And the wedding planning is happening (relatively) smoothly largely due to the incredible “on the ball”-ness of everyone around me. Wow. I’ll say it again backwards, Wow.

So, update!

Learning Lessons –

Don’t apologize immediately – Recently I wronged a friend. Of course the best thing was to immediately say, “I’m sorry.” That’s what a Christian ought to do right? But for some reason, that didn’t help things. My friend accepted my apology but the hurt was still there for him. Then, when I sinned in a similar manner against him later on, the past hurts surfaced all over again.

It was only through a bit of talking things through and personal reflection that I realized that I had apologized too quickly. Rather than being a true repentance and change of mind, my apology was actually a personal attempt to avoid guilt and change. I didn’t understand how much I had hurt him the first time, and had no real change of heart to not do the same thing in the future. What I thought was godly repentance was mere words – worldly repentance masquerading as godly repentance.

Thankfully, God is far more gracious than I deserve and didn’t leave me in my sins, but allowed me to repeat the same mistakes and compound the problem so that I could finally come face to face with my sin. I really wronged my friend, and it cost him dearly. Realizing that, and asking for forgiveness, makes the restored relationship that much sweeter. It made for a challenging week, but a very good one too.

I think there is parallel here for my relationship with God. Too quickly I come to the cross saying, “oh forgive me for my sins,” without a moments thought on what exactly I did that wronged God, and how deeply it grieves him. And I wonder why I go away unchanged! Without a grasp of the depths of my sins, I will never have a taste for the sweetness of grace and forgiveness and its empowering role in fighting sin.

Just in my small group this past week we read Luke 7, which had a relevant passage-

41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

“till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet” – Thomas Watson

Preaching is draining – I was given the opportunity to preach to the Senior High students about “honoring the opposite gender” as part of the continuing series on biblical manhood and womanhood. After working on it, thinking through it, baring my soul to the Lord on it, and going up and preaching it, I was absolutely wiped out. The weight of trying to tell these people what the Lord declared along with the feeling of complete inadequacy made preaching an incredibly draining task. I sat down with my small group after preaching and simply could not do anything. I had nothing left to talk to them about. No more thoughts, nothing. Thankfully, they were very receptive and encouraging.

I can’t imagine having to do this every week. This reminded me afresh of Hebrews 13:

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Momentum builds– During my 6 week break (Dec. 18-Feb.4), I was reading various books on productivity- From Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap – and Others Don’t; Getting Things Done – The Art of Stress Free Productivity; Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations; and am now working on 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The recurring theme is the idea that if we focus our attention on something and work for it continually, making minor (and sometimes major) adjustments, incredible things can happen. One thinks of Jonathan Edwards (I’m taking a class on him) and his relentless pursuit of the glory of God. He spent the majority of his life thinking and meditating and working to glorify God, and 200 years later we read him with great benefit.

Sometimes I’m paralyzed with decisions - How do I make the best decision about my studies? Should I go for an M.Div or a Th.M? What about with youth ministry? I want to help these guys so much – should we organize more gatherings? Put more time into preparation? Visiting students at home?

When paralysis happens, I need to remind myself that I can’t always do the best thing first. Sometimes all that has to happen is that I pursue the best thing by doing a good thing first, and another good thing second, and another good thing, always moving upward and onward, carefully evaluating results and moving forward from there. God doesn’t expect me to be perfect instantly, but calls me to a life of faith-filled obedience, one step at a time.

Bible arcing – As part of my studies, we’ve been going through a process called “Discourse Analysis,” or “arc-ing.” The point of arcing is to understand what the main point of the author is by tracing out, proposition by proposition, how each thought is related to another. (Feel free to look at www.biblearc.com for more information). The major benefit of this is that it forces me to slow down and actively engage with the text. What is this phrase here for? Why is it significant? How is it related to the rest of the thoughts?
For a person who loves to read and finish books in one sitting, it is maddeningly slow, but worth every second. Let me share with you what I wrote when I arc-ed Titus 2:11-12 for my Greek Exegesis class (removing/modifying a bit of the arc-specific and Greek notation):

Titus 2:11-12

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
In Titus 2:11-12, Paul closes up his exhortation about teaching to Titus begun in Titus 2:1 by giving the reason for the commands of verses 1-10.

There are two main verbs (appeared, live) in this passage connected by a purpose clause, so they sum up the main point of this passage: The grace of God was revealed so that we might live holy lives.

The phrase “training us” describes what the grace of God does when it appears. Thus, it stands as a purpose for this act of appearing. Grace that brings salvation does not merely leave us with a deliverance from our guilt, but it actively is training us.

For what? Verse 12b introduces the purpose for the training with the phrase “in order that”. Then Paul contrasts a former way of life that was renounced- ungodliness and worldly lusts- with the new way of life that we now live: soberly, upright, and holy.

To sum it all up - We’re not left in our sins but freed from our guilt, and on top of that, God not only saves us but trains us for godly living through his grace.

So we ought not to feel like we’re on our own in this battle against ungodliness, the grace that has saved us is actively training us to live in holiness. What good news!

Friends in the Gospel – this grace is for you, and this grace is for me. I need grace for every day: grace that covers over past sins and grace that teaches me to live rightly.

May the grace of God the Father and of Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Mickey Sheu

Do souls have a gender?

2010-01-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

We've been working through some difficult topics with the Senior High ministry, latest being homosexuality. During the discussion, one person asked, "do souls have a gender?" I thought the facilitator had a great response, and I wanted to add one note alongside it, and thought it was worth posting.

The facilitator went to Genesis 1 and pointed out that God created man in his own image, male and female he created them - so gender is part of who we are in the image of God.

I would wholeheartedly agree and say one other thing - to ask if a "soul" has a gender is kind of like asking if your kidney has a gender. It doesn't entirely make sense. We, as humans, are not merely souls walking around in a physical shell of a body, but a unification of physical and spiritual parts. We won't be just a soul in the new heavens and new earth, we'll have bodies, and those bodies have gender. A soul is part of who we are, but isn't all of it.

Thanking one another

2009-12-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

One of my cohorts recently posted a thought provoking post on his blog arguing that in the Bible, thanksgiving is only directed toward God, and therefore instead of saying, "thank you," we ought to say, "I thank God for you."

I liked his idea, but ended up not agreeing with it, and wrote briefly in response. Here's my comment -

Hey Dieudonne -

It's Mickey here, and I found your blog through Jeff. I thought this is an interesting argument, but I must say I'm not entirely convinced that thanksgiving is given exclusively to God, while I think I would totally agree if you said, "God is the first person we should thank" or "God is the primary person we should thank."

I think the Luke 17 passage would support a belief that men are to be thanked. And we can see that if we flip the rhetorical question around an examine an implied premise.

Luke 17:7–10 (ESV)
7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”

v.9 says "Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?"

This is a rhetorical question - and when we change it to an indicative, we would say, "The master does not thank the servant for doing what was commanded." And this statement is the reason for the statement in v. 10,

"So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’"

So Jesus' logic is:

A master does not thank the servant for doing what is commanded

Therefore:

You should not be desiring thanks for doing what you are commanded.

But this would be a bad argument for Jesus if it was never appropriate to thank the servant. Jesus argument should have been:

1) It is inappropriate to expect thanks for anything
2) Therefore, you should not expect thanks for doing your duty.

Therefore, the implied assumption of v.9 (in order to make the logic work) is "A servant only deserves thanks if they do more than what is commanded."

And that is why I don't entirely agree with your conclusion that we ought to thank God rather than thanking one another. Instead, I would say we should thank God as we thank one another.

Update letter

2009-12-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

An update letter I sent off earlier this week. Please let me know if you'd like to be on the email list.

Dear All –

Some good news:

As the book of Judges closes, the people of Israel sink deeper and deeper into depravity. A levite sells his service to a false god for 10 dollars and a shirt per year, a group of people attempt to rape a traveling man and his concubine. The tribe of Benjamin revolt and kill thousands of Israelites. The common refrain is, “there was no king in Israel, every one did what was right in their own eyes.” Israel needed a king.

And the Lord gives Israel a king: Saul, David, Solomon, and then many others afterward. But the kings aren’t faithful to their charge before God. They cannot represent and lead their people properly because they too are marred with sin. Israel needs a true and blameless king.

But there is really good news – Jesus, the true, blameless, and eternal king, reigns. As the rush of finals, papers, wedding planning, and work is upon me, the reminder that “the Lord reigns!” has been an incredible encouragement. In spite of how busy things are, in spite of how worn down I may be, the Lord is spreading his kingdom.

Life -

Last I wrote, I mentioned that I was not engaged (yet). Well, I am excited to report that I proposed shortly after that letter (September 20), and Hannah and I are now engaged! The wedding date is set for February 27, 2010, which is a mere 3 months away. Frightening and exciting all rolled into one. It’s been scary looking at the enormous task list, but encouraging finish items off one by one. We’ve got major items figure out, but now need to start hammering out the details. Fun!

Seminary -

I just finished translating Ephesians 5:25-33 – “Husbands love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her... No man hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it.” Quite a charge. Not only ought the husband be willing to die for his wife, but he must be willing to live for her – to daily sacrifice himself for the sake of her spiritual growth and maturity, to say no to selfish pleasures in order to nourish and cherish his body, his wife. Wow.

Apart from feeling really challenged and encouraged by Ephesians, the rest of my classes have also been a great joy. I’ve been learning about God’s amazing grace in the Old Testament, about the practicals of running a church, about small group ministries, and youth ministry. Each week a different pastor comes in to share about what he does, and all of us come out with a feeling like, “wow! Don’t you totally want to do inner city church planting?” or “Let’s go start some small groups!” The refrain over and over is, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

In addition to learning much academically, I have been humbled and blessed by my cohorts. One of them just shared with the group an amazing testimony of how the Lord has consistently been providing for him financially. He has been unable to get a stable job, yet somehow people, unasked, have written checks to support and encourage him. And each month it has been just enough to cover the rent and expenses and opened up opportunities for him to continue sharing the gospel with some Somalis that he had been playing soccer with. I have been incredibly blessed.

Ministry –

I’ve also been working with senior high school students. I lead a group of 6 freshmen and sophomore men through a study on biblical manhood and womanhood. The curriculum stretches them; they haven’t even started thinking about girls, how are they supposed think about biblical manhood? And what about the culture that believes that gender roles subjugate women?

So, I’ve been teaching them that men are not taking the initiative in order to demand obedience, but rather taking the initiative in order to serve. Adam’s charge was to work and serve the land. Christ, our Lord, did not come to be served, but to serve. That’s our model for men – We must take the initiative in order that we might serve. It’s been tough to get these guys motivated because they’ve all heard about God before, but this is something I long for them to hear and believe and put into practice. Of course, it has incredible relevance to me, I’m getting married!

Prayer requests –

I really don’t have much in the way of prayer requests, the Lord has provided for me more than I ever hoped or believed. I’m engaged to a beautiful and godly woman who prays for me daily (I need it!). I have a job tutoring students in calculus, which I love (both the students and the calculus). I get to share the Gospel with a bunch of senior high men who thought they didn’t need it but are beginning to realize that they do. I live with a group of guys who are excited about the Kingdom of God and want to live in joyful anticipation and obedience of it. My classes blow me away on a consistent basis, and I feel incredibly blessed to have such a strong network of friends like you that I can send this out to. I get so many encouraging responses to letters like this that I simply don’t have the time to answer them all, which is an incredibly encouraging problem to have.

Please pray that in this time of joyful abundance, I would continue to say with Paul, (Phil 4:12-13) “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Would it be that I would not see these gifts as greater than the greatest gift of all: Knowing and being known by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

With great joy,
Mickey Sheu

PS – attached is a picture of Hannah and me, courtesy of Jessica when she visited back late September.

Age of depravity

2009-12-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

Catholics, and some Protestant Christians, believe that there exists an "age of innocence" that exists, before which a child, since he doesn't know right from wrong. I was reading in Isaiah today and stumbled upon this passage. Isaiah is talking about Immanuel, the sign for Ahab about the coming destruction against his enemies. This sign found partial fulfillment at that time, and is applied (by Matthew) to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 7:15-16

15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.

This is interesting in that it says that it is "before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good...” This seems to indicate that they automatically know how to choose evil and refuse good. They didn’t have to learn that. Evil and good already exist to them, and by nature, the person chooses evil and refuses good. Children do not have an age of innocence, but rather an age of guilt and depravity.

Chronological snobbery

2009-12-01T05:35:00.000-08:00

1 Kings 8:27 (ESV)
27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!

The inclination for people in general is to think that the people of the OT are backwards. All they have are the shadows, so they really didn’t think too many right thoughts. They thought (haha) that God was located in the Ark! But we know better now. Of course of course. And this is all an excuse to not read the Old Testament all that much, and when we do, not see it as too relevant to us.

The big thing I've been learning from my OT class is just how much depth and grace there is in the Old Testament. How much mercy there for those who take the time to look for it.

Case in point - Solomon, after building a temple, prays a prayer that is strongly affirming that God is not a local God, God does not reside in a temple in the same way we would reside in a house. Instead, God has a temple as a place where we can look and be reminded – “God is a God who forgives! God is one who can still have mercy! God has reached down to earth and now the freedom to pray to him is here!” The temple is not a dwelling place for God in the sense that he needed something, the temple is a symbol for us – that God is one who dwells among us and has reached down to us.

This is the kind of God that we worship, and the OT believers worshiped God too! A God who is compassionate and merciful, faithful to thousands who seek him, a God who says, "Salvation belongs to the Lord!"

Praise the Lord of grace, revealed from the Old Testament to the New!

Misplacing Ruth

2009-11-24T09:58:00.001-08:00

One of the premises that we're working off of in my Old Testament Pentateuch class is that the traditional order of the Bible according to the Protestants is actually not the order that the books were intended to be read. That the Bible was not intended to be chronologically ordered, but rather theologically ordered. (The corollary is that the Jewish order is actually correct, with Chronicles at the end, instead of right after Kings)

As I've been reading more and more, I find myself swayed by that argument. One example -

One big change is that Ruth, instead of being after Judges, now is lumped together with the Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiasties, Job)

When you finish Judges and transition to Samuel, you actually find that to really be the case.

Judges ends with 4 chapters of complete depravity. We have a idol being made, a priest conscripted to serve this idol, a concubine being raped and cut up, Israel waging war on Benjamin, a weird kidnapping scene. And the reader sits there and wonders, "what in the world is going on here? What is wrong with all these people!?"

And through it all, the answer was given, "There was no king in Israel..."

Judges 17:6,
Judges 18:1,
Judges 19:1,
Judges 21:25

The reader is led to say, "oh man! We need a king! We need order and peace that a king provides! Where is our king?!"

Now, if you finish that book and begin Ruth, you're confused, "what happened to our king? What happened to the depravity?" The book just doesn't fit.

But instead, if you begin with 1 Samuel, then you feel it fit - the people are depraved here, and there is no vision of the Lord, but there's Samuel! But then the people ask for a king! And you get the, "ah ha, Judges is preparing us for this moment!" But then of course, you feel the incredible failures of repeated kings - Saul, David, Solomon, and then the divided kingdom - and you realize, "We need the true king of Israel!" And that sets the stage for the rest of the Bible.

May the Lord establish His Word

2009-11-23T21:45:00.000-08:00

1 Samuel 1: 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.

I think this is an interesting idea. “Do what seems best to you, only, may the Lord establish his word.” In other words – do what you think is best, but we still pray that the will of the Lord be done. I think this is a great balance between desiring to honor god with our decision and doing what we feel is best. The Bible’s answer is, “both.” We don’t need to balance our decision making with honoring the Lord. We can do what we feel is best, and still at the same time be praying, “may the Lord establish his word.”

God’s choice is not like picking teams on the playground

2009-11-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 7:6–9 (ESV)

6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

Why does God choose us and make us a treasured possession? Why does God set his love on us and choose us? It’s not because of our might and strength and power, but because God is keeping his oath, because God is the sovereign Lord of all! Israel doesn’t deserve God’s love just like we don’t deserve God’s love. We were not great, God did not decide, “oh yeah, Mickey is a smart guy, I’ll choose him for my team.” No, God’s electing choice of me points me out as foolish and weak, as empty and worthless to the world, but chosen in order that the world might be shamed. May I never forget my former ways of life, my hostility, my emptiness, my pride and boasting in my self. Praise the Lord, God saves sinners.

Thinking about courtship

2009-10-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

In general, I lean much more on the conservative end of the "courtship/dating" debate. I believe that in an ideal situation, the father of the woman should have a lot of input and responsibility over their relationship.

The argument for that position generally flows from the OT - how in Numbers 30 the father has the authority to void vows made by their daughters.

The summary of that position is that, "sons leave, and daughters are given." A son leaving his home and setting up a new household as he marries someone else's daughter, who is given by her father.

It's interesting that this picture isn't entirely what the OT puts forth. Abraham was still the head of his household, even after his sons got married and had children. It was Abraham and his whole household throughout. What did Isaac do upon his marriage? He doesn't leave his family structure to start his own, but he brings his wife into his mother's tent (Gen 24:67).

Just a random thought.

Give car rides, not cars

2009-10-28T09:22:00.001-07:00

Random thought -

Many of my best conversations with people have come in a car with them. When you're with someone for even 10 minutes, it's surprising how easy it is to share what's on your mind and ask what's on theirs.

Becoming all to win all

2009-10-23T05:44:00.000-07:00

one quote, and one thought that flows out of the sermon that the quote came from:

Quote

Being in the world is not about being culturally relevant, but it's about being culturally engaged - Paul Poteat in a sermon at Bethlehem College and Seminary Chapel.

You can watch all the movies, read the newspapers, and listen to the music that the culture is taking in, but if you aren't involved in people's lives, if you aren't interacting with a goal to win people to Christ, then it's worthless.

Thought -

Oftentimes 1 Corinthians 9:22 is quoted by people who are more involved with the party scene, the movies, the "hip" scene, etc as a way to justify their involvement-

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

While I don't think that this verse is actually saying what they think it is saying, my major issue is that those people are not really applying the verse consistently. Why aren't they joining the chess club to reach out to the chess team? Why aren't they brushing up on their physics to reach the nerds and geeks of the world? Why aren't they trying to reach the socially awkward and physically unattractive (to the world)?

Why is it that to them, "becoming all things," means joining the "cool group" and the "accepted group" and the "interesting group"? And why is it not joining the outcast and the shunned? The people that everyone feels really awkward around?

1 Cor. 1:26-28

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.

Give me Jesus

2009-10-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Before I started learning Greek, I thought learning Greek would really solve all my exegetical questions. That somehow, the people who knew Greek would have all my answers. I'm sure I pestered my pastors about answers about this or that many a time, expecting them to say, "well the Greek says this..." and that would settle it.

Little did I know that reading your Bible in Greek actually doesn't solve all those problems, but in fact, raises a whole host of new ones! It turns out that our English translations often clarify a lot more than the Greek!

But sometimes, there's something really really cool that you can see in the Greek text that you might miss in the English (it's there, just harder to see)

Last week I had the opportunity to translate through Ephesians 2, which is a source of incredible joy. You were dead in your trespasses and transgressions... but God!!! What a beautiful phrase!

But I digress - here's a passage that totally floored me.

Ephesians 2:

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus

Specifically, verse 6 jumped out at me. "Raised us up with him and seated us with him" - and that instantly reminded me of the same idea that showed up in chapter 1:19-20

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

It turns out that in the Greek, those two verbs in verse 20, "raised" and "seated," are exactly the same verbs used in verse 6 of chapter 2, except with a prefix "syn" which, if your vocabulary is better than mine, you'd know was the prefix meaning "with" (ex: synchronic - syn + chronos - at the same time)

What does that mean? If we were to keep the verbs that Paul is using as one word, might say "God raised-with us and seated-with us, with Christ." It seems that Paul is directing us back to that earlier passage and saying, "do you remember that great power that raised Jesus Christ up from the dead? That power that seated him above all the thrones and powers and dominions and anything else? That same power is working in you to do exactly the same things, with Jesus."

That really blew me away. And I was reminded of the call of John Piper's book God is the Gospel. I don't want to be sinless, alive from the dead, seated in the heavenlies, but without Jesus! I don't want the power of God working in me for my good if He withholds the greatest good of all - being with Jesus. I don't need crowns in heaven if I don't get to worship Jesus with them.

Eph 3

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God

This is where I am right now

2009-09-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here's an email update. If you'd like one but didn't get one, let me know. I probably just forgot.

I now live downtown Minneapolis with a group of 9 guys (we call our house “The Manhouse”, like a madhouse but with men in it). I’ve been here since April, but just started seminary two weeks ago. I will spend the next 4 years here working on an M. Div with the same group of 15 guys learning the original languages, exegesis, preaching, ministry, and theology. Thus far, it’s been a complete blast. It’s pretty busy (I’ve never worked this hard in my life), but God has been abundantly gracious to me in so many different ways.

My cohorts (companions at seminary) are all incredible men who fear the Lord and long to honor Him. Some of them are training for missions to an unreached people group. Others are praying about becoming full time pastors at a church in the US. All of them strive to live out and share a living and vibrant faith. I have much to learn from each of them. Just last night I was freaking out about how much work I had this weekend, and Scott (a housemate and cohort) was commiserating with me. But at the end of our worries he stopped and said, “Mickey, let’s pray.” I was blessed – oh how much I need to learn that daily dependence!

Classes have been incredible. I’ve just finished sentence diagramming Ephesians 1:3-6 and am struggling to understand what Paul is getting at. “Blessed be God” or “Blessed is God” - Does he desire that the Ephesians join him in blessing God or is he exclaiming that God is a most blessed God? But whatever the case, praise be to the Father who has chosen us and adopted us before the foundation of the world! I feel like I have learned more about reading my Bible in the 2 weeks of classes than I have in the last two years. We’re wrestling through difficult topics like textual criticism (what words were actually in the Bible?), source criticism (did Moses really write the Pentateuch?), worship (why and how should we worship God?). Each topic has been filling and incredibly interesting (well, source criticism is not too interesting) and I’m looking forward to learning more and more as the years go on.

I’ve also gotten a part time job. I’m tutoring math again! I love math and I love kids, so I’m hopeful that this will be a rich opportunity for me. It will also be just enough to get by financially (I hope!), so praise the Lord who provides us beyond anything we hope or dream!

I actually spent much of the summer working a full time data entry job. Tedious, but not too much so. It will be hard to leave (next week is my last). I’ve actually learned a tremendous amount of stuff from the job. Two of which I’ll list here:

1) The importance of single-tasking – I had a couple of major tasks, each one was tedious and long. But I would have all day to do it. So I’d work on something for a couple hours at a time, and then switch. And the great thing of working on one thing for a long time is that you can figure out faster ways to do them, you can understand how the information all ties together, and all these things make you faster and faster the more you work on that one task. I feel like I could get more done in one 8 hour block than I could in 16 1-hour blocks.

2) Keyboard shortcuts are your friend – I spent a couple of breaks looking up keyboard shortcuts for excel and word and now I can zoom through Word and Excel. Add a row, jump to the last entry of the page, hide a row, sum a row, make a table of contents. All done with a few key presses.

One last thing – if you have the time, I would love your prayers for my character and holiness. I was just reading 2 Peter 1 today and this passage caught me:

1 Peter 1:5-8 make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I don’t want to be useless. It is so easy to think that my usefulness to the Lord will be in the knowledge and experienced gained here at seminary. Peter cuts through that and reminds me that it’s about character. With that in mind, please pray that I would grow to be such a man - one of virtue, knowledge, self-control, godliness, brotherly affection and love. Pray that these attributes would be ever increasing as I face the many different pressures of school, work, potential father-in-laws and serving the church.

Longing to be a servant of the Lord with you,
Mickey Sheu

Increase our faith!

2009-08-08T19:49:00.001-07:00

When people talk about faith, they often talk about it like it were some substance that we can put in a can. If I somehow just had "more faith" life would be easier, I'd get that job, I'd know what to do. We pray (correctly) "increase our faith!" Of course, that's not incorrect, but do we really know what we're asking for?

When we ask people to "believe in Jesus" or "put their faith in Jesus?" What does that mean?

When I tell someone that "I have faith in you" I'm not telling them, "I believe that you exist," but instead, "I trust your promises - I believe that your abilities will be able to accomplish this task." Having faith in God amounts to exactly the same thing.

When we are given a new heart and we put our trust in Jesus what are we saying? We don't just believe that He exists, but that his words are true. Maybe not these statements themselves, but a very similar content -

We've fallen short and offended a holy and righteous God.
We are dead, unable to lift a finger towards saving ourselves or setting things right.
But God who is merciful and gracious has stooped down to earth and appeased his own wrath through a substitute, Jesus.
Thus we are no longer under wrath but have a new lease on life.

And as we grow, what deepens our faith? Statements like this -

"No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

"For nothing will be impossible with God.”

“Your son will live.”

"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

"it is finished."

(just some scattering of verses that has crossed my path the last few weeks)

As I think about faith, I remember that faith is a "faith in something." That something (or someone) is Jesus Christ. If I want more faith, I need more promises. Either I need to learn more about Scripture and thus have more promises of God in my head, or I need to remember the promises that I do already know and apply them to more and more situations.

I still do pray "increase my faith." It's a gift from God and only He can give it. Along with that prayer, I'm praying, "teach me and remind me of your precious promises!"

Eschatology and Me

2009-06-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

I had a good conversation on the phone with a friend the other day who was asking about Covenant Theology vs. Dispensational Theology. I quickly gave him a brief summary of what I knew about the two. I don't really know all that much, so I'm not going to try to explain it here so an interested reader could probably get a better picture by looking through some articles that are linked.

But anyway, we went from there to the importance of a proper eschatology (aka the end times). But how relevant is one's view on the end of the world? Isn't our goal to love God and our neighbors, whatever we believe will happen in the future?

As we chatted together, I came up with one significant impact that a person's eschatology had on his lifestyle -

Take two people: Person A believes in what is called "postmillenialism," that Christ is currently reigning over heaven and earth. Additionally he believes that over the course of history the Gospel will continue to spread and grow and multiply until eventually one could say that the whole world was saved. Entire nations will voluntarily put themselves under the (gentle) yoke of Christ and there will be (in general) peace and unity under one banner.

Person B is "premillenial," believing that the Church will remain under great persecution (and thus very small) until the second coming of Jesus. Instead of the Gospel spreading publically and conquering nations, he sees the Gospel conquering privately in small packets of people, a remnant of nations. Until the Second Coming, the nations will always be opposed to Jesus and the spread of the Gospel.

Different people may want to phrase pre/post-millenialism differently or allude to different verses, but the general feel is one of optimism and one of pessimism when it comes to our life here and now. Both, of course, are highly optimistic for the life to come =D.

But say we had A and B, and say someone asked them if they were interested in cooperating with a group of people who were seeking legislation that would define marriage as between a man and a woman.

I think that person A's tendency would be more towards being supportive of the group, even if he may not sign up with them. He may reason that since (according to his theology) eventually we'll get to a point were true marriage will be embraced by the whole world, this may be a good first step even though it's not his ideal picture.

Person B's tendency may be in opposing the group. He may reason that since Christ will be opposed anyway, there isn't really much of a point in passing legislation because the world may accept the laws, but they won't accept Christ. He might think that people forming such groups were wasting their time.

Of course, these two views are generalizations. I'm sure you can find post-millenialists who might discourage people from seeking that kind of legislation and pre-millenialists who might encourage, but I think the tendencies are there. Or at least I see that tendency in myself as I've embraced more of the post-millenial view of the end times.

Overall, while it may be hard to see exactly how one aspect of our view on life changes other parts, I think there definitely are connections if we look hard enough and the above example on eschatology is one case of that.

Free Bibleworks Giveaway

2009-06-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

This looks like a good opportunity for aspiring seminary students and other people who are looking into further in depth study of God's Word.

Cal.vini.st is giving away 2 copies of Bibleworks free. Check out the details here.

Baptists and wine

2009-06-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

I had a great discussion with one of the elders of my church yesterday for a membership interview. He asked me about my beliefs regarding baptism and I told him that though I had been baptized by immersion upon profession of faith, I was convinced that children of believers ought to be baptized too.

This sparked an encouraging discussion on baptism and the possibility of unity between convinced credo- and paedo-baptists. Cool beans. I'm very thankful for people who are interested in pursuing church unity on this point. I know it's a topic of great dispute, but I think there's a lot of room for joining together.

But anyway, that reminded me of a whine (*groan) I kind of have against my baptist friends.

One thing that my baptist friends bring up (which really isn't too relevant to the real discussion of the New Covenant, but this comes up) is that the verb "baptizo" means "I dip" or "I immerse," so sprinkling and pouring are not valid forms of baptism.

Yet, at the same time, they maintain that sweetened grape juice is an acceptable substitute for wine in the Lord's Supper. I think this is inconsistent.

Though I'm not convinced that baptizo requires immersion, I think that if people are going to argue for it and say that we have to stick to the literal meanings, they should at least be taking steps for serving wine for Communion.

Joy Inexpressible

2009-05-29T19:54:00.001-07:00

Today I had the pleasure of sitting in on the first part of a two-day seminar put on by Bethlehem Church on "Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting:The Pursuit of Communion with God." Sounds intense, and it was.

One side note - I hope no one (of the 6 subscribers) reading this thinks, "wow, Mickey is so holy, he prays and he fasts and he meditates, look at the classes he goes to." That assumption is... well false. I go to these classes not because I get it, but because I don't but I want to!

But anyway, the first part was about the communion with God. What does that look like, why should we seek it, and what exactly does it mean anyway to have fellowship with God?

This post isn't about that seminar as much as it is about one tiny tiny part of one thing that he said. When John Piper was talking about how the Word sustains our joy through faith, he went to a text that I probably had read a hundred times before:

1 Peter 1:3-9

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I had read it in commentaries, in my personal devotional time, in my (attempts at) Bible memorization. I've seen it referenced in books.

But here, Piper explained it and I got it. He asked, "what does the this in the beginning of v. 6 refer to? What do we rejoice in here? And he went through the first 5 verses and completely blew me away:

1) He has caused us to be born again
2) We have a living hope
3) Our inheritance is imperishable
4) Our inheritance is undefiled
5) Our inheritance is unfading
6) Our inheritance is kept in heaven
7) We are being guarded through faith
8) All this is for salvation in the last day

And I was absolutely floored. All these connections, of course we're going to be rejoicing! I usually approach seminars/sermons with an eye towards information and understanding but I just couldn't take coherant notes anymore. The rest of my pages are a mess of exclamation marks, underlinings, boldings, and big boxes around "for me!!" and "free!!" "faith!!!" "deliverance!"

Wow.

Rethinking memory verses: Psalm 34:8

2009-05-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

For me, the phrase "taste and see" was kind of an ambiguous thing. Whatever it was, I guess my general connotation would be with "enjoy" and "delight" in what I know about God, to meditate upon God's attributes and His great work. Certainly a good practice apart from this verse.

But on Sunday, I had the blessing to be able to sit in on a Bible study where they went through Psalm 34. One of the questions posed was, "What exactly does it mean to 'taste and see'?" Unless you're Catholic (or Lutheran), it really isn't possible for us now to "taste and see" God in a physical manner. Through that Bible study, the phrase took on an entirely new light.

If we actually look at the context, we see that "taste and see" is probably best interpreted by, "Trust in the Lord and see that He is faithful!"

Why is that? As one of the members of the Bible study encouraged us, "when in doubt, read the passage!"

Psalm 34's context (v.0) is that David has changed his behavior before Abimelech (Maybe Abimelech is the same person as Achish in 1 Samuel 21? Not sure what is going on with the names).

David sings this psalm and begins with "I will bless the LORD at all times" (v.1) and proceeds to encourage all of Israel to join him (v.3). He testifies that the Lord has "answered [him] and delivered [him] from all [his] fears." (v. 4) He then testifies that, "This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles."(v.6) The promise is given that, "the angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them." (v.7)

With all of that setting the background, what does the encouragement to, "taste and see that the Lord is good!" mean?

I think it's a clear encouragement to trust the Lord. To follow in the footsteps of David, who cried out and the Lord delivered him. Much like the Lord challenged Israel in Malachi to, "put me to the test...if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need," David encourages Israel to put the Lord to the test, trusting in Him for provision and refuge.

Don't be like the "young lions" in v.8 who (presumably) trust in their own power and might and suffer "want and hunger," but instead seek the Lord, relying on Him for deliverance and hope.

So to paraphrase, "trust and see that the Lord is good!"

For God so loved the world....

2009-05-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

So I'm still at that spot where I know just enough Greek to get me in trouble, but not enough to really understand deeper implications and such. Alas, hopefully another year of Greek will do me good.

Anyway, John Piper preached on John 3:16 this week and I had the chance to follow along in my Greek Bible. I noticed something very interesting about the Greek text of John 3:16 -

οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον,

All the translations I checked (NIV, NASB, TNIV, KJV, NKJV, ESV [with a footnote], NLT, Message) render it, "For God so loved the world." That translation probably was correct back in a time when readers understood the word "so" to mean "in this manner," which is the correct interpretation of the first word (οὕτως). But now, my first instinct (and I suspect many others) would read that as "God loved the world so much that." Unfortunately, though the Lord does love His creation a great deal, that's not what the verse is saying, but rather it's explaining how the Lord loved the world.

"For in this way God loved the world..."

The New Living Translation and Message actually puts the idea "so much" in their rendering. Arrgh on paraphrases!

Interesting! Just goes to show...All Things are Better in Koine

Calling vs. Career

2009-03-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

Over at 22 Words, Abraham Piper put up a fairly provocative post on calling vs. career. Since his posts are short, I'm going to quote the whole thing -

God wants policemen and preachers, mechanics and missionaries.

Nevertheless, one category seems like ordinary work, while the other is a calling.

Why?

Lots of good comments there, posting against the physical/spiritual dualistic mindset. But I went a little against the grain and threw out this thought -

I agree with everyone above, but I wanted to throw something alongside what everyone’s said before. Yes, God calls us to obedience in whatever field we do. Yes there is not a difference (brownie pointswise) between “ministry” as a pastor and “ministry” as an engineer.

But alongside that, I think there actually is something good in using the term “calling” rather than “career” for pastoral positions. This isn’t fully fleshed out, but some basic thoughts -

I think the term “calling” actually is a biblical reflection. The OT prophets were “called.” Paul was “called” to be an apostle. In order to raise up elders, they prayed and laid hands on them, so there certainly is something special there.

I think we do want to maintain an emphasis upon the seriousness and soberness with which our preachers labor - that they are shepherds and going to be held accountable as teachers. I think using the term “calling” is helpful for that.

Any thoughts?

Proverbs 20:6

2009-03-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Came across this verse in my reading today.

Proverbs 20:6 - Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?

Sometimes I feel like some of the contemporary Christian music songs are fulfillments of that verse.

You Are Worthy of My Praise (Various Artists)

I will worship (I will worship)
With all of my heart (with all of my heart)
I will praise You (I will praise You)
With all of my strength (all my strength)
I will seek You (I will seek You)
All of my days (all of my days)
And I will follow (I will follow)
All of Your ways (all Your ways)

I will give You all my worship
I will give You all my praise
You alone I long to worship
You alone are worthy of my praise

I will bow down (I will bow down)
Hail You as king (hail You as king)
And I will serve You (I will serve You)
Give You everything (give You everything)
I will lift up (I will lift up)
My eyes to Your throne (my eyes to Your throne)
And I will trust You (I will trust You)
I will trust You alone (trust You alone)

I will give You all my worship
I will give You all my praise
You alone I long to worship
You alone are worthy of my praise

"Natural" explanations are pretty mindblowing

2009-03-27T16:29:00.001-07:00

As I was driving through Nebraska and Iowa, I managed to end up driving right in between two spring storms traveling east. I had been chased out of the western half of Colorado by the first one, and it passed over me while I slept and I awoke to no rain and drove for the entire day (approximately 14 hours altogether, lots of breaks) without hitting a drop until the end of the evening. Much of it actually was fairly sunny. I felt like I was being ushered along by the gentled hand of God. Godspeed indeed!

As I was driving I realized that the naturalist would probably chuckle at my "reading into" everything this supernatural explanation. And then it struck me, a "natural" explanation for God's providence is far more mindblowing. God doesn't need to stop the winds or push clouds around in defiance of the natural laws, "all" He needs to do is to plan everything from the beginning of time of where I will be, where the winds will be, and what is going on, so that at those exact hours I would not need to worry about the winds or the rains.

And He has done that every day since the dawn of creation. Caring for and providing for His children in just exactly the right ways day in and day out. Sometimes by the miraculous, but all the time by general provision.

"Supernatural" is a misnomer. All of creation is not natural. It is sustained and preserved by the sovereign hand of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Fighting sin

2009-03-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to read a bit of John Owen on Indwelling Sin. He gave three helpful points in disciplines against sin, which I will summarize (from Owen's Overcoming Sin and Temptation, ed. Kapic and Taylor)

Meditate of God with God - When we think of God's excellencies and goodness and glory, we do so in a manner speaking toward God, to give God the glory and fix our mind upon God and humble ourselves before Him.

Mediate on the word with the word - Words are not meant merely to be read over or repeated, but meditated upon. We look to God for help in interpreting and granting us wisdom as we read it.

What we come short of in evenness and constancy in our thoughts in these things, let it be made up in frequency - This one surprised me the most. I think he means that when we struggle to think of things to meditate upon, we ought to make up for that by thinking much and often of the same things, and the Spirit will give us new insights and greater understandings.

I found these helpful. Hope you can too!

Gideon and the 300

2009-03-24T17:28:00.001-07:00

An email I just sent to my fellowship.

Hey all -

Just wanted to let you guys know that I got in safe to Naperville, IL
earlier this aftternoon. Thanks for all your prayers and
encouragement. It actually has been significantly easier than people
had told me. Praise the Lord. Lots of time for thinking, prayer,
singing (good thing no one else was in the car with me! =p), and
calling people.

I wanted to share a brief thought of encouragement for y'all. As I
was sitting in a motel in Sterling, CO, the Gideon Bible was sitting
on the desk next to my bed (Thank God for that ministry! They have
done such an invaluable service to the Kingdom just through the simple
act of distributing the Word of God.) and I was reminded of the story
of Gideon in Judges 7, specifically the Lord's point that Gideon
actually reduce the army of the Lord in order that they may glorify
the Lord because of His strength and they may not boast in their own
doing.

I had been thinking and praying for y'all as I had been driving and
remembered that you had been trying to invite more people and grow the
ministry. Keep at it, doing the work of an evangelist, but don't be
discouraged if the Lord should decide that He would rather pour out a
double blessing on half as many people in order to keep you humble and
Him magnified.

Another example -

My junior year we had _one_ small group of guys. It consisted of
myself, Xuan, Alfred, and John "fearless leader" Kang for most of the
year (James tried to join later). We always tried to bring more
people, and we prayed that God would grow us. And He did, but not the
way we expected. That year was a year of tremendous spiritual growth
for everyone there. I don't think any of the people in that group
would be half as involved in the church without that small group.
Praise the Lord.

So don't be discouraged with smaller numbers each Friday, the Lord may
have you be smaller yet before He will do His work. Continue in the
pattern of sound words that you hear each week on Friday and Sunday
and in small group, and the Lord will give the increase.

For His Kingdom!
Mickey

On the road (1)

2009-03-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore...

Thus far, I've been to Fresno CA, St. George UT, Grand Junction CO, and am now at Sterling, CO. Hooray for free internet at Super 8!

Some isolated thoughts, in roughly chonological order.

I finally got to sit down and have a talk with Allen on the car ride. I had always respected him a great deal and it was good to talk with him and hear how he's been doing, especially with getting married soon. That fact continues to blow my mind. The sophomores are growing up! Well, actually, they've already grown up, being as they're seniors now. But always sophomores in my mind =p.

I could definitely see myself moving to a small town and just enjoying the slower paced atmosphere. There was a distinct change in the mannerisms of people as I left the Bay Area. Something simpler and slower, can't put my finger on it.

It's cold at night! I couldn't actually find a place to stay at St. George, so I actually decided to keep driving. Started getting really tired so pulled over at a rest stop and fell asleep with a blanket. It had been really warm that whole day. Woke up at 2am, grabbed an extra blanket. Woke up again at 4am, grabbed another blanket. Woke up again at 8am, a bit chilly. Thankfully, the rest stop was one of the most well-maintained and cleanest stops I had ever seen in my life, didn't feel dangerous at all to be sleeping in a well-lit parking lot.

Utah is gorgeous! I couldn't believe my eyes how majestic and awe-inspiring the plateaus were. I could not take it all in they were so big! And yet somehow so sculpted. I think one of the strongest arguments for intelligent design is awe and joy. How can a person gain so much pleasure from just a visual picture of something he will probably never get to actually interact with?

Boo on Google maps for not properly leading me to Canaan Way. Just goes to show that I definitely needed Grace to lead me there. Thankfully, Grace's mother and a clear cell phone connection will do.

I got head-butted by a baby boy! My hostess (with the mostest!) also invited a young couple to dinner the same evening I was there. Tom had just recently graduated from Southern Baptist and we had a delightful time hearing his stories as a substitute teacher and other adventures. His son Asher (from Hebrew - Happy or Blessed; you can always tell the seminary grads =p) was this delightful little guy. While I was sitting on a couch and he walked up to me and looked up with these huge eyes. What could I do? I picked him up and set his feet on my lap. *tonk and he headbutted me! I was rather surprised and laughed. And he giggled and *tonk again. Now everyone was watching and chuckling. *tonk once more. Hello to you as well Asher!

Lots more, but I need to go before this storm comes through and really makes the drive rough.

On the road (0)

2009-03-23T07:47:00.001-07:00

So here's an uncharacteristically personal post. I always want to post something serious but someone always beats me to the punch. I guess the only thing I have of value is to talk about me! So some isolated thoughts as I've traveled this far.

I'm currently on the road, (well, not literally). I departed from sunny Palo Alto on Thursday, March 19 with an eventual destination of cold Minneapolis with a stop off in Chicago for a week to see family. I've gotten accepted to go to Bethlehem Seminary and, Lord willing, will be starting in the Fall. My boss asked me to leave early or leave later than June, so I decided early. Why? Because of a special someone who also so happens to live in Minneapolis. Yeah, she also had an impact on my decision to apply there, but just a little ;-).

It's been an adventure. Last week I got my car checked out with the mechanic, and he suggested that since I was leaking so much transmission fluid, I should take it easy. So the 3 day trip turned into a 5.5 day trip. As a result, my brother, who I was planning to spend all 3 days evangelizing, couldn't join me. Alas!

Saying goodbyes was incredibly difficult. God has blessed me with more than my fair share of colaborers and companions in the faith, and it has been hard to say farewell to them. Some of them have been like Paul to me. Some more like Timothy. All of them have been treasured companions and partners (and some, co-conspirers =p).

I feel very much like Joshua might have on the edge of Canaan. Huge promises and exciting times ahead, but Moses is dead! How is he supposed to get by without his closest friend and confident? Not only so, but his entire generation has passed away in the last years. Thankfully though, none of my friends are dead and goodbyes are not forever.

As I've been trying to remind myself (sometimes through tears) -

All good things must come to an end, because God has far better things in store.

So, onward to a grand adventure and a gracious God!

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Book Review: What He Must Be

2009-03-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

What He Must Be by Voddie Baucham is a book directed at Christian fathers sounding a call for biblical intergenerational relationships. Too often fathers have abdicated their responsibility for the proper care and protection of their daughters and today our generation suffers the consequences with broken and weak families.

Voddie Baucham lays forth a biblical foundation for fathers preparing daughters and sons for marriage. He describes four characteristics of a biblical husband (Christian, Servant Leadership, Christian leadership, A commitment to children) and a call for Prophet/Priest/King modeling (which he splits into Protector/Provider to continue the alliteration).

All in all, it was a good book. It was an easy read, laying forth a biblical groundwork and interspersing it with facts and examples drawn from his ministry. Many books in the same field set up nice ideals, but often leave the reader wondering, "but how do I go about doing something like this?" Voddie Baucham fills the book with personal examples that can help fathers see, "yes, this is how that verse can be applied in this life."

One of my favorite parts of the book was his final chapter on building a godly man, where he encouraged fathers to actively be involved in the lives of the men of the church, maybe not privately grooming someone for their daughter but encouraging discipleship and mentorship, not only to build the kingdom, but to prepare men for ministry. I thought that was just a phenomenal chapter and a call that everyone needs to hear.

If there was a weakness to the book, I think it would be that it is too short. A guy can read the book and think, "yes, this is what I want to aspire to," but may not have much information on how to deal with a father that doesn't have a vision for a relationship with a prospective son-in-law. A girl can read this book and think that she wishes there was someone performing the duties of a father for her, but wonder how she is supposed to deal with her situation. I hope for a follow up book that can help people in such situations deal with such "corner cases."

Overall, good book. Would recommend for people who have daughters and sons, and people who aspire to having a godly dating (or courtship, whatever you call it) relationship.

Choosing Calvinism

2009-02-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes an Arminian argues against Calvinism by pointing out that Calvinism makes choices meaningless, because "if God predestined everything, what's the point of doing anything?"

3 quick points

1) I don't actually need God to tell me why I must do something in order for me to do it. We do things because God commands us to. Given, many times God does tell us why we do things, which leads me to ...

2) The ends (what God predestined us for) does not happen apart from the means (our praying, or evangelizing, or any act). Calvinists don't believe in fatalism, where there's an inevitable "destiny" that happens no matter what. We believe that God uses means to accomplish His ends.

3) Rather, it seems that the Arminian, who holds to "free will" is actually more of a fatalist in a sense. To them, we make choices not God, but God has already set a final plan which cannot be overthrown.

If we affirm that our wills are free and independent of God, then either a) we can change God's plan or b) we cannot.

a) leads us to issues with immutability
b) is basically fatalism.

But what of the Calvinist? Well, we would say that since God is sovereign over even our decisions, God does not "react" to anything we do, but has planned and working through us as part of His plan. He does not react to free agents, nor does he set a destiny that happens to us independent of how we got there.

Ephesians 1:11

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

How old did Adam and Eve look?

2009-02-19T23:54:00.000-08:00

I am a 6-day creationist. I find it to be clear in Scripture and entirely unavoidable. The fact that the language is poetic and there is clear structure reflects the beauty of God and His ability to create in a manner that is pleasing to us.

I think many people find it untenable because if God created in 6 days, they would ask what of the stars? What of the billions of light years? What of carbon dating and the appearance of age? It would seem that God would be a liar.

To which I respond, "well, did God lie when he created Adam and Eve as adult humans even though they were just a day old?"

Need and God

2009-02-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

I've been reading Piper's book A Hunger for God, which is on fasting and prayer. Mostly because I don't fast and I don't pray and yet there are the words, spoken by Jesus, "when you fast" and "when you pray..."

One thing that really jumped out at me was Piper's comments on Christ's fast in the wilderness and subsequent temptation by Satan. One of Piper's point is regarding the source of "man does not live by bread alone" verse:

Deut. 8:3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word[1] that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Piper points out that God humbled and let them hunger in order to teach them to rely upon God.

After going through a particularly stressful week with lots of fears and questions up in the air, I really needed to hear that. The answer for my problems is always the same: The righteous will live by faith.

Yes, the weeks will be hard, work will be stressful, home may be difficult. But that all happens under the sovereign hand of a gracious God. All in order that I might learn to rely upon Him and not upon my strength, my intelligence, my charisma (hah!), or even my friends. He has been, is currently, and will forever, be the source of all strength and joy. Do I believe that?

I believe, help my unbelief.

Help My Unbelief
Taken from the Gadsby Hymnal #278
Words: John Newton, 1725-1807.

I know the Lord is nigh,
And would but cannot pray,
For Satan meets me when I try,
And frights my soul away.
And frights my soul away.

I would but can’t repent,
Though I endeavor oft;
This stony heart can ne’er relent
Till Jesus makes it soft.
Till Jesus make it soft.

Help my unbelief. Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief.
My help must come from Thee.

I would but cannot love,
Though wooed by love divine;
No arguments have power to move
A soul as base as mine.
A soul so base as mine.

I would but cannot rest,
In God’s most holy will;
I know what He appoints is best,
And murmur at it still.
I murmur at it still.

That's not fair!

2009-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

I have a complaint. I'm not getting what I deserve.

This week, while the midwest was buried under yet another snowstorm with record lows, what do I get? 70s and sunny, the whole time. What's up with that?

Starting a month or so ago I needed a replacement take over the last 3 months of my lease because I was planning to move out. Before I even started praying seriously about it or had sent any emails out, one of the people who was staying at our place temporarily said he needed a place for... guess what? The last three months of my lease. What in the world?!

Today, 14 people descended upon our house and we shared food and enjoyed various games and had great laughter and joy. New people were met and old friends were reintroduced. Inexcusable.

There's been a gross miscarriage of justice somewhere.

for the last time...

2008-12-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

Reading through a bit of Owen's Indwelling Sin. This quote jumped out at me.

It is from the deceitfulness of [the] law of sin... that men persuade themselves that by this or that particular sin they shall so satisfy their lusts as that they shall need to sin no more.

So true! So often have I sinned in some way, saying "but this is really the last time, because I won't need to do it anymore." And so often has that really not been the case. Sin deceives us, and when we engage in it, it grows all the more rather than shrinks.

On a related note, Steve Hays did an excellent post on what the difference between relying on the Holy Spirit and relying on yourself really was. I'd highly recommend it.

Reading Deeply

2008-12-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't done one of these in a while. Here are some things that I've found interesting.

This blog (HT:Leo) quotes and links to a video of Penn (of Penn and Teller), who is an atheist and says that he doesn't respect people who don't proselytize -

"I don't respect people who don't proselytize. If you believe that there's a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, and you think, 'Well, it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward'... How much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize?"”

Forgiveness is a difficult thing. Here's a story on Governor Ryan (from Illinois) and an appeal for forgiveness and one Christian couple's response. I think it's spot on.

Tim Challies reposted an old post on a neighbor who was a public nuisance and his rebuke (at the hands of his son) of how he should love her anyway.

I've also stumbled across Jay Adams' blog, which he just started. I find him clear, and well-written, though probably a little unpopular because of the stands he takes. Here's a great post on a minster's salary.

Tim Keller explains the Gospel in light of all the claims that it's too complicated, or there isn't one specific Gospel. Long post, but worth reading.

Jollyblogger gives some good advice for young theologians. Great, now I have to buy a filing cabinet or something =D

And here's a new blog that I've stumbled upon and have been enjoying - What's Best Next is a blog by a guy at Desiring God on productivity and effectiveness. Usually good posts, though it's daunting to try to put everything in practice.

Game Theory

2008-12-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

Jesus tells an interesting parable about a dishonest manager in Luke 1

16:1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

The point of the parable (at least, as I understand it), is that the wicked know to use wealth that perishes to make wealth that lasts. If they are so wise, we should also be wise. In our dealings with the world, we ought to realize that the wealth on this earth is fleeting and will perish. Instead of trying to maximize this type of wealth, we should use it to purchase an eternal dwelling place by seeking the Kingdom of God.

I realized the last week at how this parable applies to recreational games.

(Short interjection - Those who know me in real life and actually have played some games with me probably know I'm a competitive guy when it comes to thinking games. I do a lot of outside thinking and often even outside reading if I come across a game I am particularly interested in. I push small edges and almost always play to win. Along the same line of thought, I generally don't like games of chance, (anyone can win) or games of physical prowess (except for Ultimate Frisbee, the math-teamer's game). I love card games (Bridge, Spades, Magic the Gathering) and have put in enough thought to be fairly good at them.

As I enjoy the act of playing games and I enjoy playing competitively, generally I'm ok with losing to a better player. But I'm less happy losing to a worse player, or winning against a person who doesn't really put that much thought into the game. "They could at least just think for a moment," I tend to think to myself. Obviously this is an area where I kind of need to grow.)

Recently, I had a particularly lously game of spades. The cards fell just right and I pushed the edges just enough that after a few hands me and my partner were well ahead and one of the opponents decided to quit. She had a few choice words about the whole circumstance which were very insightful (she apologized later, but she needn't have), but it got me thinking later on after the game was well over.

The above parable came to mind. If the intent of this parable is to remind us that we ought to use worldly treasure to purchase eternal dwellings, I think we can use the same idea (in an even more obvious way) to apply to games. Winning certainly gives us a thrill and a nice memory, especially if it was a particularly close contest or we had invested a great amount of effort into it. Yet on the last day, whether we win or lose in a particular game really won't matter. No amount of money we accumulate in Monopoly, nor points aquired in Spades, kills scored in Counterstrike will count for anything in eternity. Someone will not decide to repent and believe in Christ because you gave them a trouncing in spades.

Rather, we can decide to use a fake wealth to amass friends instead of enemies. Not everyone is out to play as competitively as I am, they may just be there to enjoy the game and the conversation. I don't have to win every game or play optimally to enjoy the time, but I can use my time and my abilities to seek after the objectives that others are playing, rather than demand everyone play by my rules. At the end of the game I may win less than I would have, but my winning won't put a bad taste in other people's mouths, which actually is a real life win, rather than just a silly game.

Yeah, so now the task is to actually put this into practice. Great.

True beauty

2008-12-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

I was asked the other day which movie star I thought was hot. I didn't like the question, and I didn't like my answer. I wish I could have said something like this -

The problem with today's culture is that we value the superficial and the fading qualities. This person is "hot" because they had the right amount of surgery and enough people working on their faces along with just the right amount of clothing (or to be more specific, the right "lack" of clothing).

That's not true beauty at all. The Bible says that a beautiful woman without discretion is like a gold ring in a swine's snout.

True beauty is a mother whose husband dies right after their second child and she raises faithfully two children in the fear of the Lord, taking on extra jobs and working hard to teach them all the while being active in the church community, never being a burden upon others but always giving so that now when holiday seasons roll around, there are so many family friends that there is not enough time for their children to see them all. She is graying and has a face worn from faithful labor and cheerful smiles. Her genuine love for the saints makes those around her want to call her "Mom" after only knowing her for a few hours.

True beauty is the mother who remains faithful to the man who has completely wrecked their marriage in his blindness and self-deception. She continues to take care of the child who is still at home and prays for reconciliation, even though by all worldly accounts there is no hope left, everything has failed. She has set her hope on the God who hears, rather than a world who lies.

True beauty is the mother who, after battling cancer for years and losing her hair, fell in love with the Lord and now spends her days in worship and prayer, opening up her house to her children's friends so they can have Bible study sleepovers, late night jam sessions, and prayer meetings. She feeds them, clothes them, and encourages them in the Lord. Even though her children had been Christians for years before her, she prays for them and loves them and has left testimony after testimony of the love of God in their lives.

True beauty is the mother who raised 5 children by herself after her husband left her for the world. She spends her days passing on years and years of wisdom to the generations that are to follow.

True beauty is the woman who loves the Lord and serves Him in ministries where there are no other single men around, even though all her peers are spending their free time getting involved in the young adult (singles) group. Out of a love for the Lord and a desire to further His Kingdom, she prays faithfully with an old couple 2 or 3 times her age on Sunday morning.

True beauty is a mother who decides that her children and their peers at college need lots of prayer, and organizes a monthly prayer group to be praying for them. She takes seriously Paul's charge that parents save up for their children in 2 Corinthians 12:14 and has sought to be a bridge between the younger generation and the older generation, even though, for the most part, the young adults couldn't care less and the older generation resents her for trying to give the younger generation a voice.

True beauty is not found in the latest actress or supermodel. True beauty is not found in the newspapers or tabloids. No one publishes biographies on those with true beauty, no one writes memoirs about them, sings songs about them, or tracks their daily activities.

What is disdained by the world is treasured by the Lord.

1 Peter 3:4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

God choose the nerds and the dorks to shame the cool kids

2008-11-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

Whenever I walk into a room and see a group of people, I immediately size up the group. What conversation do I want to join? Who seems to be most interesting (or best looking)? Whose company do I enjoy most?

James 2 comes in and really blows this all to shreds -

2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

Now, the issue for me isn't as much about rich versus poor, but I think the passage is just as applicable. The issue is the heart motive - do we judge one another and make unbiblical distinctions? Do we favor people in an attempt to get something out of them? That's what the world tells us. At Stanford, the common refrain is, "you're brushing shoulders with the future leaders of America, make sure you make the right connections, be good friends with the right people."

But as Christians, we live differently. We're not here to impress the rich and famous, to make the right friends, we live in faith of Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory (v.1), and He's the one we ought to seek to please. That means we visit the widows and orphans, that means we throw the parties for the beggars, that means we take the effort to sit with the nerds and the dorks, the ones that are so awkward that no one really wants to befriend them lest they too be seen as social outcasts.

And I say this not as a nerd/dork hoping for more friends, but as a sinner, who secretly doesn't want to be labeled with that crowd. But what's so bad about about being associated with them? Why do I fear the judgment of fallen men more than I desire the praise of my glorious King?

1 Corinthians 1

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Do God's people choose God, or does God choose God's people?

2008-11-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

In the Bethlehem Baptist Elder Affirmation of Faith it says -

12.3 We believe that baptism is an ordinance of the Lord by which those who have repented and come to faith express their union with Christ in His death and resurrection, by being immersed in water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is a sign of belonging to the new people of God, the true Israel, and an emblem of burial and cleansing, signifying death to the old life of unbelief, and purification from the pollution of sin.

If baptism an "expression of the union of Christ with His people," isn't it the case that God is the one who expresses that to us rather than the other way around? If that's the case, baptism of infants (provided they are of the covenant, which is another question) is entirely consistent with this view of baptism.

Marching forward on their knees

2008-11-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

I'm currently (re)reading through Driscoll's Confessions of a Reformission Rev. and one line totally blew me away. Talking about prayer and the necessity to have a prayer meeting, Driscoll pointed out that,

"the prayer meeting will allow men motivated to become leaders to prove their committment by getting up early and marching forward on their knees"

Whoa.

Easy for you to say

2008-11-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

Say that I have a friend with whom I have a bit of interaction. We're not super close, but members of the same community and church. Now, say that my brother wrongs me in a serious and deep way, such that I believe our relationship is irrevocably broken. I can't even look this person in the eye without getting spitting angry. I make plans to leave the church and move away, because I'm embittered and angry, disappointed that someone would treat me like this.

Another friend stops me, "wait a moment, the Bible commands you to forgive. You're sinning against him by not even seeking reconciliation."

Is it appropriate for me to say, "that's easy for you to say, you don't have to deal with the consequences of his sin"? Of course not, that would be evading the issue. Isn't it actually more the case that it's the fact that he isn't emotionally and personally committed to the situation (apart from being a friend) actually lends clarity to his words?

It is true that it's easy for him to say, but the fact that it's easy to say does not make it false.

As an aside, it's certainly true that we have to be careful and compassionate when we bring up difficult topics like personal sin. Job's friends sat with him for 7 days before giving him counsel in a remarkable show of compassion (Job 2:13).

Liberty or death

2008-11-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

In James 1:25, there's an interesting term that shows up: "law of liberty."

25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

The focus of the passage is simple, don't be like the person who looks into a mirror and forgets what he looks like, but rather look into the law of liberty and persevere: do and not hear only.

But the phrase "law of liberty" is interesting, because it doesn't seem to fit here.

I can think of a couple different usages for "liberty" or "freedom" here-

1) Freedom from the condemnation of the law

2) Freedom from the power and bondage of sin

3) Freedom from the shadows of the ceremonial law

4) Freedom from requirements of the law for justification

But none of those really worked well here, mostly because it's described as the "law of liberty," so all the relationships to the law is out, and James here doesn't really seem to be talking about the bondage of sin or the condemnaion of sin.

So I thought of another possibility, one that probably isn't explicit anywhere but certainly implicit in various places -

The possibility I thought of was that the law of liberty sets us free from the anxieties of the future. No longer are we attempting to do something with an unknown outcome, but rather, we have a law from God. It states, "this is my way, walk in it"(Isaiah 30:21) and we can know that at the end of that path there is great reward, not only so, but we are "blessed in [our] doing." Many people work their entire lives just to get the fame, power, money and influence, but find themselves realizing those are absolutely worthless. Compared to that, the Lord has given us His laws that direct us and promise us that He rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6)

The law then isn't some burdensome thing that is difficult to follow. "His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3) and his "yoke is easy and [his] burden is light" (Matthew 11:30), but rather they free us and grant us confidence that at the end of perseverance, even during perseverance, there is great reward.

On the minus side, the difficulty of this view is that it makes it hard to fit in with the second usage of the "law of liberty" (James 2:12). Maybe another post in the future then.

But whatever the case, we shouldn't think of the law as

James 1: A Doctrine of God

2008-10-23T10:11:00.001-07:00

James is a book on doing faith. It is not sufficient to believe only, but one must also do. This might lead one to believe that James is absent of much theology, but instead is filled with commands and exhortations.

But that actually isn't the case. Though James is filled with very practical commands - rejoice in trials, ask for wisdom, boast in exultation- just to give a few examples from the first 18 verses- James' practice always flows out of theology. Many times it's explicit, sometimes it's implicit.

I had the opportunity yesterday to lead a group of guys through a study of the first 18 verses and one of the themes that came up over and over again was how important knowing the character and nature of God was to our obedience. It's hard to obey someone when we don't trust them or don't believe they have our best interests at heart, to obey when we know and have confidence that the commands are for our good is easy.

What follows below is not what we talked about per se, but some isolated thoughts on how theologically grounded James is.

Why do we rejoice in trials? (James 1:2-4) Is it because somehow those trials magically turn into endurance? And the endurance magically turns into completeness so we won't lack anything? Of course not, it is by God's gift (James 1:17) that these trials come, for our good. That's why they lead to such good things and that's why we can rejoice in it.

Likewise, why do we ask God for wisdom? (James 1:5) Is it not because we recognize God as the very source of wisdom and not a stingy one at that?

Who exalts the humble and humbles the exalted? (James 1:9-11) We cannot boast in what we have done for ourselves (gathering riches), but we must boast in what God has done for us. Our confidence is outside of this world and thus cannot be taken from us.

In realizing God is sovereign over such things, we cannot use that as an excuse to blame God for our sins, as if his sovereignty somehow made it not "sin" anymore. No, the end of sin is death (James 1:13-15)and we must cut it off at the roots in our desires. But why is death the result of sin? God is the one who condemns the sinner to judgment and everlasting perdition just the same as he rewards those who stand with a crown of life (James 1:12).

No, don't be deceived. God is good, a loving father that is immutable (never changes). And He's shown that He is for us and not against us by the gift of spiritual rebirth - which is a gift of the will of God, not of man (James 1:16-18).

So want to learn how to live out your faith better? Learn about the object of your faith better first.

Revelation 1:5-6

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

I have faith, but you have works?

2008-10-16T00:59:00.000-07:00

James 2 contains a few interesting thoughts. Probably the first is the question of faith and works, but that's not really what this post is about.

James 2

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good [2] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

Look specifically at v.18. After James rebukes those who claim "faith" but lack the natural fruit of works, he poses a possible objection, "But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' " After posing the objection, it doesn't seem like James answers it!

Yeah, I really don't quite understand how James answers the objection. If anything, it seems like he is answering an objection that says, "I have faith and you have works," by rebuking the objector and saying, "prove it!" But as it stands (and the greek is emphatic, YOU have faith and I have works) this verse doesn't quite make sense to me.

One possibility is that the quotations actually extend further, but that doesn't actually help because there's no place where they could end for James' response to begin.

Let me put it another way, but actually imagining the conversation and highlighting where I don't understand:

James - What good is it if someone claims to have faith but actually does not have works? It's like a person who says to a homeless person, "go and be warm and fed" but doesn't actually do anything for that guy. Faith without works is dead.

Objector - But you have faith, and I have works.

James - Well then, show me your faith apart from your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works.

Objector - But I never claimed to have faith...I have works. I said that you have faith....

James - ...

::shrug:: I just don't understand. It's not a contradiction in Scripture, it's a contradiction in me.

Living for Christ

2008-10-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

I think for me, on paper, (maybe inappropriately, but here are my thoughts) it seems very easy to die for Jesus. If someone puts a gun to my head, and says to reject Christ or die, then the Bible's black and white on this issue. He died for me, how could I refuse to die for him? That's what Christ commands us right?

Now, maybe when push comes to shove, my self-preservation instinct would actually be stronger than the black and white, and I would fold and give up my Savior for my life (Lord forbid!).

But that got me thinking - it seems so easy to "die" for Christ. But how willing would I be to live for him? Was I willing to put Christ at the front of every goal, every ambition, every plan, every hope and dream? Was I willing to sacrifice my future, my security, my comforts?

My first instinct is to say, "well, what will Christ ask of me?" which pretty much just shows the answer to all of that really is a flat "no."

Yet, this is the example that Christ set for us. He left relative obscurity and peace as well as (presumably) a stable job. He traded that all in for crowds that just wanted his miracles, apostles that would flee away at danger, mocking at the hands of his people, and certain death. Not only that, but he had the power to stop them. I think if I were tortured, we'd probably break down emotionally, but I'd endure it because there's nothing else I can do. Not so with Christ. He had the power to crush all of that, in an instant. And he turned that down, all for the sake of God and the joy set before him (Hebrews 12:2). Ummm, wow.

Yet I'm ashamed. The fear of man and his opinions govern what clothing I wear, what I say, who to evangelize, and so on. Sad.

Christ says that those who are faithful with little will be faithful with much (Luke 16:10). If God asks for my life, I'd like to think it is His, but really I'm only offering flesh and blood. And would I really be able to do that? God asks for my life in not just flesh and blood, but my being, my essence, my soul. A living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), not a dead one.

Christ died for me, not only so, but He lived for me. Can I live for Him?

In other news, we sang this song sometime this weekend, and it was pretty awesome -

Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah

1. Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore;
Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore.

2. Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.
Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

3. When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of deaths, and hell's destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan's side.
Songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee;
Songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee.

Ending
Land me safe on Canaan's side
Bid my anxious fears, bid my anxious fear
Land me safe on Canaan's side
Bid my anxious fears, bid my anxious fears, goodbye

Within the Bounds of Orthodoxy: a retraction on N.T. Wright

2008-10-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

Way back when, I had written a post about NT Wright stating some of my concerns about the direction of his theology and what it sounded like he was doing. I had read a few articles and some material on his webpage, and it really was ambiguous enough that I still had my concerned.

This summer on a flight back to Chicago, I had the pleasure of reading an article that had been recommended to me long ago. It was an analysis of the whole Federal Vision and the New Perspective on Paul and a comprehensive source-checking of the whole deal.

In short, after reading it, I realized I needed to publicly retract my earlier concerns of NT Wright. While he doesn't like the terminology of "imputation," it is clear that he still affirms the idea behind it, and thus would affirm the traditional solas, specifically faith alone and Christ alone.

My personal support of the Federal Vision still stands. I think everyone who is critical of the FV should read the paper first. I think it lays everything out clearly and demonstrates that it is actually entirely within traditional orthodox formulations. We can disagree, and disagree vehemently, but I don't think this is a wolf-sheep disagreement.

Moralism

2008-10-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

Two interesting conversations with my siblings as of late. In both cases somehow we got onto the topic of relationships and both of them casually mentioned that before they got married, they planned to live with their significant other for a period of time, "just to try things out."

Of course, being a Christian (and a concerned older brother), I tried my best to dissuade them such an endeavor. I talked highly of promises made and promises kept, about the place of "giving yourself" and "keeping yourself." Both of them were like, "hmm, I think I see your point," which I guess was a victory, but how much of one?

Was it better that they be moral people on the outside and darkness inside? I tried to point out that these ideas were grounded upon Christianity, but it was still a very "pragmatic" discussion, one that on the surface, makes sense without God. (but really, it doesn't make sense without God because without God, who's to hold someone accountable to their promises? Promises are empty without a binding moral authority)

Yeah, so I'm afraid of winning the argument but losing the war. Jesus said that the prostitutes and tax-collectors go before the Pharisees to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 21:31), would you rather your unregenerate friends and family be prostitutes or Pharisees?

Instinct says I'd rather they not be overly impacted by sin, especially their own. But is that a good instinct? Do they need to see the darkness before they realize how good the light is? Jesus didn't come to save the righteous, etc etc.

Better than "Too good to be true"

2008-10-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

We sometimes think to ourselves that something was "too good to be true."

Maybe it turns out fine, and everything works out and such, but yet we're always looking over our shoulder, waiting for the hammer to fall, carefully planning out our steps, just in case y'know. We step forward with tentativeness because you never know whether or not this new job is really going to work out, maybe it's a bait an switch.

Or maybe it doesn't work out. That big job prospect doesn't pan out. The boss is a jerk and the coworkers that are in your actual group are moochers who aren't able to carry their own weight. "I knew it," we'd say, "there's no way something that promising could last."

I propose a third route, one grounded upon the grace and the goodness of our Sovereign God -

Why do we think that if something is good, God would voluntarily withhold it from us? Why do we ask for the little things, as if there's just no way that God would answer the big prayers? Does not the Lord say that we do not have because we do not ask? (James 3:2b) Yes, it's true, all that we have is more than we deserve,but that's no reason not to ask. God is a gracious Father, one who give abundantly to His children for their joy (John 16:24). He has given us His only Son, why would we think that He would not, with Christ, give us all things (Romans 8:32)? Is God like Zeus? So spiteful and tricky that we always have to look the gift horse in the mouth? Of course not.

And what if it does come to an end? Was it too good to be true? No, it was not good enough to be true. God, in His sovereignty, has taken away so that He can give better. This is not to say that He's promising to shower material riches or anything like that, but simply to say that we will be able to look back (whatever happens) and thank the Lord for leading us as He has. There will be no cause for doubting God's provision on the last day, and there is no cause for doing so today.

So the next time we think that something is "too good to be true," correct yourself and bring that thought to heel under Christ. It's "good enough to be true" (if it continues) and it's "not good enough to be true" (if it ends). There is no conception of something too good to be true in Christianity.

Let's say with Job, "the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21)

Statement of faith

2008-10-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I can flesh this out a little more (maybe post to defend various positions), but here's a starting point.

By God's grace, I am... (roughly in order of importance)

Trinitarian - I affirm that God, as revealed in Scripture consists of 3 distinct persons sharing the same essence, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Though they all share the same attributes of divinity, they have differing roles and relationships to one another.

Evangelical - I hold to the 5 solas (alones) of the Reformation, affirming that Scripture reveals that salvation is through faith, by grace, in Christ, and all for the glory of God.

Reformed - I hold to the 5 points of the Doctrines of Grace (also known as Calvinism), affirming that man is by nature utterly unable move towards God, but it is God who selects, dies for, regenerates, and preserves man holiness. I also hold to what I would like to call the zeroth point of Calvinism - God is completely and absolutely sovereign over every molecule, thought, and action in all of creation.

Inerrantist - I affirm that the entirity of Scripture is inspired by God and thus infallible and without error in all that it says, be it history or faith.

Covenantal - I affirm that the people of God are set apart by means of a covenant. Ethnic Israel under the Old Covenant, and the Christian church (true Israel) under the New Covenant. Baptism and the Lord's Supper have replaced circumcision and Passover as covenantal sacraments.

Paedobaptist - I affirm that not only are professing believers members of the New Covenant, but their children as well, and are worthy of the covenantal sign of baptism. (I'm also considering Douglas Wilson's position of covenant communion, but that's secondary)

Presbyterian - I affirm that the body of Christ requires formal organization and is led by a plurality of elders who are in charge of the spiritiual direction of the church. While I accept other forms of church government as within the bounds of Scripture, I feel like the call for Christian unity requires denominational accountability rather than independence.

Complementarian - I affirm that God created male and female to complement one another in different roles rather that co-equals. I affirm that the husband is to be the head of the wife and that a man should be in the pulpit of the church. I affirm that just like Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Father are all of the same worth but different in role, the husband and wife are of the same worth but different in role.

Continuationist (sort of) - I affirm that God continues to work miracles today, and actively gives gifts like prayer, healing, tongues and prophecy. I deny that what modern charismatics call tongues (private prayer language, babbling) and prophecy (leadings and hunches) are actually tongues and prophecy as described in the Bible.

Presuppositional - I affirm that when reasoning with unbelievers, a Christian ought not to affirm unbelief and try to reason to God, but rather must affirm God, and reason against unbelief.

Less convinced or maybe not as important, but still things that I believe:

Postmillenial (leaning) - I affirm that the promises of God for us today are better than the promises of God to Moses, with direct and clear ramifications for this age and the age to come. I affirm that when God tells Abraham that his sons will be like the stars and the sand God really means that it's going to be everywhere, and not just a remnant lasting for a very long time.

Young Earth Creationist - I affirm that a straightforward reading of Scripture leads one to conclude that the earth (and the universe) was created in 6 literal days.

Supralapsarian - I affirm that God has planned the end from the beginning. That creation happened with the intent that the fall would happen, and the fall happened with the intent that the resurrection would happen, all to the praise of His Name.

Not a teetoler - I couldn't think of a good word=p. I affirm that God gives wine for us to enjoy and while it is entirely possible for someone to mess up God's gift, that's no reason to not use it and thank Him for it.

Theonomist (in a limited sense) - I affirm that the government (as with all of creation) must also be subject to the law of Christ, and there are consequences for disobedience in their duty to reward good and punish evil. I actually do not know what the main tenants of theonomy is, but other people have described that position as theonomist, so I figure if it quacks like a duck...

Salvation belongs to the Lord

2008-09-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a lot of Jonah.

Jonah's a very interesting book. Most books of prophecy are focused on the specific evils of a nation or city and God's response (or lack thereof, see Habbakuk). But Jonah is particularly interesting in that Nineveh is mentioned only once at the beginning, and then again in chapter 3. The book of Jonah is focused much less on Nineveh and much more on Jonah's response.

Actually, that's really not really accurate. The book is about God all the way through, and He uses Jonah as a means of revealing more of His character.

I think the general idea behind Jonah is "Salvation belongs to the Lord." (Jonah 2:9)

The crux of the book is found in God saving Nineveh, protests of Jonah notwithstanding. He saves whom He saves, and sometimes that includes our enemies. Salvation belongs to the Lord.

And along with that, there are continual indicators of the sovereignty of God over all things:

Jonah 2:1 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.

Jonah 4:6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.

Jonah 4:7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered

Jonah 4:8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind

What really is interesting is that the Lord decided to save the Ninevites through the preaching of Jonah, and all that Scripture records as the message of Jonah was a simple, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

No Gospel message, no call for repentance, no proclamation of hope. Yet the Ninevites put us to shame (who certainly have a fuller revelation), by believing God and proclaiming a fast.

But anyhoo thought that was interesting.

Salvation belongs to the LORD!

Another year of faithfulness

2008-09-10T23:30:00.001-07:00

Not really a substantiative post, but I figured to do one reflecting on the past year.

In case you don't get it, the faithfulness is the Lord's, not mine =p.

No particular order, I'm particularly thankful to the Lord for -

Brothers - My brother and I were always siblings, but I think now we're brothers. Last Saturday I had a chance to talk with my brother on the phone. Before our conversation ended, he asked to be kept in the loop as to when I was going to next fly home, so that he could pick up my sister and visit at the same, so we could see each other. I was pretty blown away by the genuine sincerity. Wow, praise the Lord

New friends - 307 had the pleasure of welcoming a visiting researcher from China. Other people that were doing research in the area that stayed with us were kind of busy. Either always working or just very quiet (maybe the language barrier). Simon was different and actively wanted to interact with us, exploring the Stanford area, learning English, playing games, just all around a great guy. To top it off, he decided to use us as his guinea pigs for his cooking skills, which was something I was particularly blessed by. I just hope that we were able to share Christ's love with him!

New friends (2) - KCPC's discipleship class started, and I had a chance to sit down and talk with a certain Phil. Interestingly enough, we had actually sat down and exchanged pleasantries at lunch that very day, but in class we discovered brothers who each (albeit sinfully), loved the Lord and saw eye to eye on a great many issues. It was wonderful to sit and talk with him, share and encourage one another. It was just stellar to meet a brother who was so eager and excited.

Old friends - Rob came back! Kristen and Beth are still around! Eric is coming back! Mike is around! Wow, we can't stay away, and I'm just incredibly thankful for continual companionship and fellowship of believers. I'm in particular encouraged by a small group of people who are eager to welcome others into their homes. I often feel like the poor beggar invited off of the street, because I rarely ever repay the favor.

Fun games - One most excellent byproduct of all these people being around is that they play bridge! Now, bridge is literally my father's game. He played it so often when I was younger and I loved walking around the table and looking at peoples hands to try to learn how they're playing and what their bids mean. Now I get to play myself! That's been much fun. Strategy and excitement!

New Christians - The past year has also been a year where I've had the chance to really see people people grow in faith, and not just maturing, but actually coming to love the Lord. I've had the blessing of seeing God really completely transform some people, new hearts and all! Wow, the wind blows and all we can do is see the fruit and praise the Lord.

Old Christians - I've also been particularly blessed by two older brothers in particular. One has walked faithfully this past year at such an incredible cost to himself that I am amazed and reminded of the prophets of old, who obeyed and obeyed and obeyed, all for the sake of the Kingdom that was to come. Praise the Lord. Another is my boss and he's just been the most encouraging person when it came to doing business for the Lord. He has his mixture of weakness too, but all in all, I'm humbled and encouraged by his willingness to put faith and family before money.

I suppose if we tried to recount all of what God has done, even this whole blog wouldn't be enough space to hold everything =D. Praise the Lord for another year of faithfulness.

Mark Driscoll on harsh language

2008-08-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

This (sort of) came up in a car ride the other day. When it showed up in my google reader, I figured it'd be a good source for a post.

Maybe one day I'll get back to regular posting. I'd like to do a series on baptism one of these days, and probably get shelled by all my baptist friends =p. (Like a peanut)

Desiring God blog posted a brief interview clip with Mark Driscoll on harsh language. In it, he makes the point that if God uses some language to describe something, we ought to as well. Abraham Piper asked the question, "A premise of Driscoll’s argument about harsh language is that how God speaks is how we should speak. Should we assume that?"

In short, I think the answer is "yes." Given Driscoll's qualifications on the topic (aka it should be rare and directed in proportion to the offense etc), I think that if God calls something such-n-such, that is what it is because God speaks the truth. So when he calls Israel a whore for seeking after false gods in such and such a way, I think we ought also, when seeing the same thing happen be willing to use the same words. Once again, I'd qualify this that it's to be infrequent and in proportion to the act, but I don't think we should be afraid or ashamed of the language that God uses.

That said, I see no place for "casual swearing," as a way to earn "street cred" or anything like that.

Book Review:"Reformed" is not enough

2008-07-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since one of these.

I recently had the pleasure of reading some of Douglas Wilson's materials, including his title which got him into a bit of trouble: 'Reformed' is Not Enough - Recovering the Objectivity of the Covenant.

In essence the book is an attempt at explaining what is now called the "Federal Vision"(hereafter FV) and defend the position Scripturally and confessionally. I'm not sure who coined the term "Federal Vision" but it's been applied and I think the label has stuck.

To summarize the federal vision - The main thrust is a call to view the covenant not from a subjective (do you believe?) to an objective one (have you been baptized?). This allows ministers to "speak God's Word to God's people," and effectively answer the tough (Calvinist) question of "who can we actually say 'Jesus loves you' to?" Essentially the answer that Wilson gives is, "you can say it to anyone who has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Basically, echoing the exhortation that, "You are, so be."

The first part of the book is an effort to lay out the Calvinistic, Reformed, and Evangelical assumptions that are held throughout the book. Since Wilson has been accused of rejecting some distinctivenesses(like Justification by Faith alone, or the sovereignty of God in election), he takes some effort to be clear about what he does believe and does reject.

The second half of the book is laying out what the whole issue is, and the center of it is an attempt to basically show from Scripture and the Westminster Confession that the FV is entirely within Scriptural bounds.

The last part of the book is a, "now what?" section, discussing the ramifications of FV, the answers that it allows, as well as answering the difficult question of, "then what of assurance?"

Well, in short, I thought this was a fabulous book. He lays out his argument clearly and consistently, and as far as I can see, defends it Scripturally. He doesn't actually hold to what a lot of people are saying that he holds to (like baptismal regeneration or covenant keeping = faith). I hope a lot of his critics would be willing to read this book, because I suspect there's a lot more agreement with him then they'd expect.

As for the FV I'm totally in agreement. One of his best points is that often we want to draw distinctions between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant (when it comes to the warning passages) exactly where the Bible draws parallels. The author of Hebrews repeatedly tells us, "how much worse would it be..." (Hebrews 10:29, 12:25). It also neatly answers the question of the warning passages - the cutting out of the tree in John 10 and Romans 11, cut out of the covenant in Hebrews 6 and 10. Those people are actually being cut out of Jesus, having once been grafted in via covenant, they fail to abide (in faith through Christ) and will be cut out and burned.

On a side note, one thing that has been helpful to explain to people who don't understand the infant baptist position is the emphasis that "being in the covenant isn't automatically a good thing if you're a covenant breaker." As Douglas Wilson explains, if someone commits adultery, we don't say that they're married as if that's a good thing, it in fact, increases their condemnation. The fact that they're married makes them an adulterer.

All in all, a great book. It's an easy read, very pastoral. My only criticisms come with the usage of Scripture - I'm not a fan of the KJV due in part to my inability to just read it and understand it. Another thing is that he tends to italicize words a lot, and at first I didn't know if he was quoting the KJV italicization (to note words that aren't in the Greek) or if he's adding emphasis. It was the latter, but I wish he had made a note about it somewhere.

It's a good thing no one reads my blog

2008-07-01T00:28:00.001-07:00

I was going through old posts and I realized in my series on the 5 points of Calvinism, I never discussed I- Irresistible Grace.

Wow gooooo Mickey.

Maybe I'll remedy that in the near future.

The good news about my depravity.

2008-06-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

The question came up on Sunday - Why is God's election good news? Why is it good news that Calvinism is true?

I think one point can be made (among many), and lest I be misunderstood, I want to make it clear here that I'm not arguing that Calvinists love God more than Arminians. I want to answer the question, "why is Total depravity good news?"

In Luke 7, Jesus has dinner with a Pharisee. And he makes the following point about the prostitute who was washing and kissing his feet.

47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Total Depravity is good news because it brings us face to face with the reality of who we are in order to make God big to us. We are able to love the Being most worth loving, because He shows us his love in saving us, utterly dead sinners.

The more we claim autonomous works, be it good works (like the Pelagians claim) or good works enabled by Christ (Catholics), or faith itself (Arminian), the less we see God's grace magnified, and the less we love God.

Total Depravity is good news because it magnifies the worth of God to us, so that we can testify that "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." Paul is using that in a different context, but I think we can rightly say (based on this parable), "where our knowledge of sin increased, our knowledge of God's grace abounded all the more."

So we are utterly and hopelessly fallen, dead in water at the bottom of the ocean, blind with our eyes gouged out.

But God, who is rich in mercy, saved us, to the praise of His glorious grace.

Soli Deo Gloria

The probation of Christ

2008-06-18T14:30:00.001-07:00

Still working through Biblical Theology by Vos. I'm almost done with it! Wahoo!

One thing that struck me is his remarks on the probation of Christ (or Christ's temptation).

He points out that in Matthew 12:29 Jesus speaks about the binding of the strong man and the ability to plunder his goods after doing so. Vos points out that since Jesus is using this point to respond to those who accuse him of driving out demons by the power of Beezebub, it must be the case that Satan was at that time now bound and Christ was plundering Satan's house (driving out demons).

Vos then goes to connect that to the temptation of Jesus (where he faced Satan face to face) as really the beginning of the ministry (must have come prior to the driving out of demons), and uses that to conclude that it is at that time that Satan is bound.

That makes a lot of sense to me after reading it, even though I initially believed that the binding of Satan was at the cross (where he defeats death once and for all).

But there is one huge question mark I put at that area.

Speaking of how exactly the probation of Christ relates to the casting out of demons, Vos writes -
"Thus far we have only found that deliverance from demons is traced back to [the temptation]. But we must further ask: on what principle? The principle is that of an anticipation of the fruits of Jesus' work based on the partial anticipation in principle of the work itself." (p. 334)

To which I reply, "huh"?

Pretty cool. The book is hard, but worth reading. I would put it up on my shelf as some of the most informative books I've ever read outside of the Bible. Maybe a fuller review later.

Discipleship Class wk 3

2008-06-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

I think this one is late.

Last week we read an excerpt from Bonhoeffer's "Life Together," where he puts forth his picture of the Christian community.

Ironically enough, within it, he argues that we should not have an ideal of what we're looking for. We should not be always pushing for something greater, but rather we should be content with what we have. I say ironic, because, it's pretty obvious he wrote the thing to spur us onto an ideal community.

I think what he wanted to say was that we should be giving up our human and personal ideals (like wanting the right music, or a specific persona behind the pulpit) and be seeking divine ideals instead (spirit vs. human). That's a good encouragement, but he isn't really clear on that, and if it is what he meant, I think some biblical principles on what is a spiritual ideal would have been nice.

All in all, he was spot on with regards to the blessings of Christian brotherhood. I pointed this out before, but I think the reason why we aren't so blessed usually is because all we do is do non-Christian things with Christian friends. We've turned our partnership for the Gospel into an ice cream social. We've turned our rewards from heaven into free movie passes. That's to our shame.

All in all, while I thought he did a much better job of using Scripture in the last reading, his terminology and language left a lot to be desired. I think we would be far better served with a Scriptural examination of "fellowship" or a treatment on ecclesiology instead of exhortations to repent of our ideals... because what if they are Christian ideals? And if we are to repent of them... then what? The Biblical model is always "don't do this, then do this instead." And no where in the Bible does Paul exhort his followers to repent of their ideals, instead, he rebukes them for not matching up to God's ideals. 1 Corinthians 11 comes to mind again with Paul's rebuke of their abuse of the Lord's table.

Discipleship Class wk. 2

2008-06-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts on Dietrich Bonhoeffer from reading the introduction to his book "Life Together," where he thinks aloud on various things that he's learned after 10 years in prison.

All in all, it read much like a series of blog entries. The intent isn't to convince someone as much as to encourage and exhort those who already agree. It seems like there's a lot good there, but to be honest, I don't find him as compelling.

He has a way with words and brings up a lot of good thoughts, but I have some concerns which probably prevent me from appreciating him as much.

For example - the point about treating people not as they do or do not do, but rather in light of what they suffered.

Sounds great on paper, but I have to ask, "Is this Scriptural?" When in the Bible are Christians rebuked for looking upon people as they did or did not do? Where in the Bible are Christians encouraged to "see people as they suffered." I'm not arguing against "weeping with those who weep," but broad statements like that seem inaccurate at best, and misleading at worst.

After all, the prophet Isaiah rebukes Israel repeatedly for what she has not done -

Isaiah 1:

12 “When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.

And this isn't an isolated incident, rarely does the prophet exclaim to Israel, "you are prosperous, but look how you are suffering because you're so distant to God, come, I wish show you a better way," rather, Isaiah mocks Israel and calls down judgment upon her unrighteousness and declares that only a remnant will remain of what was a great nation. Nothing about having compassion or suffering alongside. Any suffering alongside seemed to be God enforced (as my servant walked naked for 3 years...).

Again, in 1 Corinthians 11 when Paul speaks of the Lord's supper, he rebukes the church for being disobedient and their lack of love. And after laying down a hand of rebuke, he addresses their suffering and using their sins as the reason for their suffering, "30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died," essentially laying forth another rebuke.

And this issue isn't an isolated incident with the Bonhoeffer reading, I just don't feel like he's very precise with his language and his Scriptural support is weak at times.

Another example: At one point he calls for an abandonment of the conscience and of virtue - and the way he put it, I kind of agree (we can't live just by what our heart tells us, or by what society says is "right", but we must live by the commands of the Lord), but the way he put it, it would seem that one must violate their conscience (!) and throw virtue to the winds (!!) in order to obey God. That seems like he's just trying to turn a nice phrase at the cost of throwing out biblical terminology. When in the Bible is the conscience supposed to be something that we go against? I don't disagree with the point, but the usage of terminology is subpar. We should strive for biblical usage of biblical terms in all that we do.

I'm not going to say I didn't learn anything from Bonhoeffer, but I wish I could have learned more.

I also still have the question about "when should we dust off?" As I said, it's easy to dust off when we're being openly reviled, but what about the kid who never goes to small group or bible study, who doesn't care too much for true faith and for God? We invite them, take our time to reach out to them, but is there a time when we dust off our cloaks?

No man left behind

2008-06-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

In Acts 18, Paul does something that often happens in his ministry, after getting rejected by the Jews, he wipes the dust off his feet and walks away.

5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue.

So that brings up a most interesting question. It certainly is appropriate to walk away and wash our hands when people revile us and reject the gospel, but how far does that go? What about the friend who decides that church isn't interesting anymore, that they are better off sleeping in on Sunday and getting some homework done. Who doesn't really attend church or fellowship at all, but only hangs out with a few Christian friends?

Ought we to wash our hands of that too? Or should we continue to sacrifice our time and effort trying to reach out to them and evangelize (or encourage) them?

From a pragmatic standpoint, it's a lot easier to give up on someone like that, and if we never gave up on anyone, we would hardly have time to pursue God and love our Christian neighbors, that's certainly not the biblical way.

So where's the line? Should we continue trying to reach out to (insert name here)? How long? And when do we move them from our list of priority A to B?

Friend of sinners

2008-06-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

A long time ago (well, relatively), I made the remark that Jesus didn't so much seek out sinners, as they sought out him, that Jesus was a friend of repentant sinners, and not just a friend of sinners in general. Jesus, as is far more likely for a righteous man, acted like Lot, greatly distressed at the sinfulness and corruption of those around him. (2 Peter 2)

Someone asked me (at that time) where I got that, and I don't think I really answered him, but today our pastor preached on the text that I thought was relevant.

Usually, when people say that Jesus ate and partied with sinners, it's based loosely around the passage where the Pharisees grumble against Jesus, saying that Jesus ate and drank with sinners. A quick look at that passage supports my view -

Luke 15:1-7

15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Context context: What prompts the Pharisees to grumble? The fact that these tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to hear him. Not that Jesus was going out of his way to watch immoral people, but that they were coming to Him.

And the parable that Christ tells to rebuke the Pharisees ends with the line that "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." The emphasis is not just upon the fact that they were sinners, but that they were repentant sinners.

So that parable is directed by Christ against the Pharisees because they were accusing him of eating with sinners, but Christ is replying, "no, there is great joy in eating with sinners, just like there is joy in finding a lost son, because he is found."

While there may be other passages that disagree with the assessment that Christ only ate with repentant sinners (or those who had come to listen), this one passage certainly support that those there were repentant.

A universal answer

2008-06-07T02:12:00.000-07:00

One of the kids I tutored (she's taking her last SAT this week and won't need help anymore... ever again *tear) mentioned to me during one of her fits of "I hate AP Physics so I am going to ask random questions and try to distract my tutor" that Christianity seems to provide the universal answer to everything. And I think that's totally right.

For a Christian, there really isn't anything to worry about. And even if we don't know the answers, we can still entrust it all to God. Why did this happen? Why did that happen? What is going on?

God, through all, in all, and over all. To Him be the glory forever. Whatever happens to my physical body, to my family, to my friends, to my church. God.

I still can't get away from the Heidelberg Catechism q: 1

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?
Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (a) am not my own, (b) but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; (c) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (d) and delivered me from all the power of the devil; (e) and so preserves me (f) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (h) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, (i) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. (j)

Not, "what is thy main comfort?" nor "what is thy only comfort in life?" but in life or death, a Christian has one comfort. One peace, one joy. Wow how easy it is to forget those precious truths. Things at work will blow up, or people will get annoyed, or siblings will bicker and bam that's gone.

But thankfully we don't find that rest in our ability to sustain that peace, but in God and His preservation of His people. Not a hair from my head can fall apart from His will.

Soli Deo Gloria To God alone be glory

Discipleship Class wk. 1

2008-06-03T22:32:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday KCPC had it's first meeting for the discipleship class. The meeting was at 4pm on Sunday, and intended to last til 5:30. I figured more or less that I had done enough complaining about the church and I ought to be part of the solution, so I went, expecting a few people, maybe 5 or 6.

I showed up and there already were around 10, and more kept coming in. All told, we had 20 people total. Wow. Who stays at church til 4pm when service ends at 11am? Or who goes home and then comes back? How crazy!

How awesome! I'm just so thankful to God for providing at a most opportune time too. It has been easy to be discouraged about the church. Easy to be disappointed with the church, to think that I'm so alone (with a few exceptions of course). But 20 people who want to love God together? Who are committed enough to stay at church for hours when they could have gone home and watched ESPN and played video games (well, I could have=p). Praise be to the Lord! Preserving a remnant.

I'm excited. We've got a great group of people ranging from college to young adult and I'm looking forward to the discussions and study about God and His Word. The first week we studied the glory of God from Piper's book "Let the Nations be Glad." And it was just filled with verse after verse declaring God's glory. I know sometimes we complain that verses aren't explained enough, but when you have so many of them, they really don't need to be explained. Praise the Lord.

I'm hoping that not only will we get a chance to study this, but also spend time in prayer for our church. Not just for one another (we always need that), but for God's Kingdom, for KCPC, for FiCS and FiCB... that would just be amazing. I've had the opportunity to sit in a time of extended prayer, and it was always a blessing.

So I'm excited. w00t!

I love RUF

2008-05-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

I know the Lord is nigh,
And would but cannot pray,
For Satan meets me when I try,
And frights my soul away.
And frights my soul away.

I would but can’t repent,
Though I endeavor oft;
This stony heart can ne’er relent
Till Jesus makes it soft.
Till Jesus make it soft.

Help my unbelief. Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief.
My help must come from Thee.

I would but cannot love,
Though wooed by love divine;
No arguments have power to move
A soul as base as mine.
A soul so base as mine.

I would but cannot rest,
In God’s most holy will;
I know what He appoints is best,
And murmur at it still.
I murmur at it still.

Bending over backwards

2008-05-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

An email (edited) I sent off to a friend.

The context is that recently our pamphlets//booklets//whatever it is that has the worship order for church went through a design change. One of the things changed was that the area which was formerly used for Scripture and notes has been replaced with song lyrics for the response song.

I was a little (understatement) surprised and wondered why that happened so I sent off an email inquiring. The pastor responded that they wanted to encourage people to bring their Bibles and get in the habit of journaling, so they don't just jot a few notes down and then leave the booklet and forget. All good things of course.

My friend asked me what I thought about that, so here's my email, just for future reference, with some notes at the end for those who made it through and want to respond.

I'm not sure what exactly is the right way to deal with this, but I've often noticed that we try to bend over backwards for other people who may have a tougher time of engaging in spirituality and the practice of true religion, and all that ends up happening is it makes it harder for everyone and those people we're trying to reach still doesn't engage in it.

An example would be when we as the guys small group moved our meeting day to Saturday to fit Jason and Alan's schedules. It was harder on all of us, and Jason and Alan ended up not showing up anyway, so we moved it back.

I find this to be a same example. People who want to bring their Bibles, will bring their Bibles anyway whether or not the Scripture is printed (unless the pastor doesn't ever refer to another text). People who don't particularly care, won't, even if the Scripture isn't printed. Same thing with the notes. People who are in the habit of taking notes, will take notes. People who don't care, won't, and it doesn't matter what the pamphlet looks like.

It seems that leaving out the Scripture and space for notes is just hurting those who already have made a practice of it, and will have a minimal impact upon those who don't. I for one love having the Scripture printed there even when I have my own Bible, because it gives me a chance to write all over the text, drawing lines and making connections.

Yeah, so the statement at the top still applies. I'm not sure how much we ought to bend over backwards to accommodate people that just don't care. Obviously we ought to seek to accommodate people to see if they do indeed care, but what if they don't?

With our fellowship shrinking the past k or so years, it's become harder and harder to pursue those who have not wanted to participate. Ought we to continue to do so? Or consolidate our losses and seek to simply pursue sanctification within first?

An example when "giving up on others to focus on what we have" worked. My junior year our Bible study consisted of 4 guys. There were a few others who were around, but they never came. Be it the distance, the lack of commitment, or what. We prayed for more people, but when they never showed, we continued to seek growth ourselves. That year was tremendous, in fact, I might dare to claim it had a deep impact on at least 3 of the 4, partially due to that small group of people who were committed. It was rare to see someone miss a night for anything, even when tests rolled around. That rocked.

::shrug:: thoughts?

Let the Lord be your fear

2008-05-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

Been reading and writing through Isaiah lately. Finally starting to understand the context of some of those earlier passages. It was so easy in the past just to read without thinking! And reading and thinking is so hard. I have a lot of questions.

But praise be to God, in spite of my stupid brain that is slow to comprehend at times, God still grants knowledge and growth in knowledge. Whew!

But anyways, onto the post. I've noticed in many circles a desire to reinterpret the "fear of God" as simply "reverence" or "awe" rather than "terror." While one could make a translational argument (phobia is the greek), this passage really secured it for me. Emphasis added.

Isaiah 8:

11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

We see a direct connection between fear and dread, with God saying, "Don't fear as these men fear, but fear God, be in dread of God." What were the people afraid of? What were the people in dread of? They were afraid of the coming Assyrian invasion (or maybe the united Israel/Syria attack in ch. 7). This wasn't an "awe" or a "reverent worship," it was a knees knocking, feet trembling, terror.

In the same way, the Lord ought to be treated with the same fear. We ought to tremble before a holy and awesome God, who sees even our in most hearts. And this fear and dread ought to drive out and extinguish any fear and dread of man, or of this world.

Eccl. 12

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

The fight for rest

2008-04-17T00:40:00.000-07:00

The Gospel of Jesus Christ promises rest to all who will come. A rest from this weary and broken world, a rest from the darkness and trials and temptations, a rest from backbreaking toil.

And yet this rest is not (as we've been learning in small group) being lazy. It's not giving up and propping your feet up on the table, kick back and relax, it's a fight. I'm good at being lazy, and I'm great at "resting" as the world defines it, but as one small group member said, "finding rest is a spiritual discipline," and I think that's so right. It's a fight.

It's a fight against the world, which beckons every moment with its lures of immediate gratification, of compromising one's beliefs in favor of the approval of man. It's a fight against one's own personal sin, which creeps up when we think we are strongest. It's a fight against Satan himself, who prowls like a lion seeking souls to devour.

Hebrews 4:1

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

The Lord gives and He takes away

2008-04-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

I discovered last week that my car, while still drivable, was going to require about $2000 in repairs eventually to keep it running. And as I was driving back, I was a little disappointed in myself for not making a better purchase, a little frustrated that people would be so shady as to sell lemons, and just all in all sad. Things were working so well.

And I was reminded of Job's testimony when far worse had happened.

Job 1:21-22

21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

In this really is the sovereignty of God at its best. If God is entirely for me and not against me. If He governs the oceans, the waves, the skies, the horses, and chariots, then why would one's car (or lack thereof) worry me at all? Rather, is it not true that all this happened for my good? All this happened for His glory? That whatever mistakes I may have made (and I'm sure that's many), they were all intended for good?

Indeed! I do not boast in horses, or in possessions, or in influence, or in power, but my boast is in the fact that my name is written in the book of life, and a God who was willing to send His Son to the death for me, will now say, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

The Lord is my portion, I will hope in Him.

Don't be afraid of Scripture!

2008-04-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

Due in part to getting into a rather interesting discussion of Peter Enns' book (Incarnation and Inspiration) with someone, I've been following the happenings at Westminster and the general response in the blogosphere regarding Peter Enns and his book. Justin Taylor's blog seems to contain a number of good links, though you have to scroll through his history, since he's been putting them up as he's received them. Another good resource has been this blog.

But for those who aren't familiar with the book, all the book is about is a challenge to orthodox Christians to look critically at their doctrine of Scripture. While not explicitly challenging the traditional formulation, Enns seems to hint that it's not optimal. But enough about the book, as I only read a few chapters. (I am in much agreement with Douglas Wilson's review)

The thing that struck me about the book was how we shouldn't be afraid of what Scripture says. Now, this could be applied at an inspiration angle (the Bible can look like it poses issues for a believer), it could be applied from a Calvinist angle (what do we do with the "all" passages?), it could be applied from a Protestant angle (James 2?).

While each of these problems can (easily) be resolved simply by examining the context of the texts, one solution that I've always found unsatisfying has been the "actually, that word may be better translated as ____.... which just so happens to make the whole passage a lot simpler."

While I do commend the desire on the parts of the people who suggest such solutions to be systematic and have things fit together nicely, I don't really think that retranslation really will solve our problems. After all, to engage in such retranslation would amount to saying "well, this team of bible translators got it wrong here" (which is not to say that the translators are infallible). But why would they get it wrong if the theological issue is easily resolved if it were actually something else?

I know for a fact that in textual criticism (of the form "which manuscript is most accurate" type, not the "what did Jesus really say" type) will, when faced between two possible variants, often take the more difficult reading because it is far more likely that the easier reading arose out of a (sincere) desire to fix what was seen as a difficulty rather than a more difficult reading arose out of... something.

I think we should do the same thing. Calvinists shouldn't be afraid when the Bible says "choose today whom you will serve" and try to reinterpret the word "choose" somehow. Protestants shouldn't be afraid when the Bible says, "We are his household if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope." There's nothing to be afraid of, and we don't need to engage in some translational revision in order to answer the questions that are raised by such questions. The answers are there if we would just stop and think.

Let's take Scripture as Scripture, God at His Word.

Soli Deo Gloria

Book Review: He Who Gives Life

2008-03-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

Book Review: He Who Gives Life

Back in September, I received a book in the mail from Crossway, since I said I'd like to secure a review copy. Unfortunately, I didn't get the book (since it was mailed to my home address and not my Stanford one) until winter break. And I didn't get around to reading it until January. And I didn't get around to typing this up until now. Aren't you glad I'm so timely with things?

A survey of the book - The book is written from an Evangelical perspective dealing specifically with the Holy Spirit. It talks about who the Holy Spirit is, discusses old debates about the Holy Spirit, and addresses the role of the Holy Spirit today. The book does an excellent job of raising some difficult questions about the Holy Spirit, challenging long-held assumptions that I myself had (where in the Bible is the Holy Spirit spoken of as "illuminating"?). The author discusses the mystery of the Holy Spirit, where the Spirit fit in with the Trinity, the Spirit in the OT and the NT, and the Spirit and us.

Overall, it was not a bad book, but I was disappointed with how many great questions it raised but never answered. The book opens with a discussion of the mystery of the Holy Spirit and while I appreciate the humility in the position taken about how we ought not to be dogmatic about things Scripture is not dogmatic about, it seems that that position is taken the other way in this book. Chapter after chapter is filled with many excellent questions about what the role of the Holy Spirit really is and how clear Scripture really is but I was continually dismayed that after the questions would be raised and various people would be quoted, the book would seem to just move on without taking a definitive stance.

One thing in particular that really made me wonder was the continual use of quotations from people outside the stream of Evangelical thought. The author quoted Pope John Paul as if he was an authority on various topics, and while I appreciated the effort to demonstrate the overlap that we have with other streams of thought, I was always a little hesitant about including Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox theologians in what is called "Christian."

Those said, the last section of the book, on the Spirit's role in the church and the believer was greatly encouraging and informative. Though the weaknesses of the book were still evident, here there was a lot more definitive positions and exhortations and encouragements to love God and love His people.

All in all - a thought provoking book, but not one that left me satisfied. I wish there were more answers to the good questions being raised, more definitive "this is what Scripture says" and less statements that don't ever come out and throw their hands up, but seems like it at times. A good book for gaining perspectives on what people believe about the Holy Spirit, but didn't really do a great job laying out a position and defending it.

A Christian as a designated driver?

2008-01-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

I found myself in the enviable position of being surrounded by people who were getting drunk last night, and one of them started saying to me that she was sorry she was a sinner, and she hadn't touched a drop in over three months but she just hated this and that and so on, apologizing because I was judging her.

As I went to sleep I realized I really didn't do it right. While I suppose I was doing a "kind" (to the world) thing to help them by offering to be a designated driver, by offering them food and water and a place to stay if they needed, this was in no way the model of salt and light that Christ brings.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it was wrong to take care of a people who certainly brought it upon themselves, but I could have done much more for the case of a Christian love by seeking to stop them before it gets out of hand. Just thinking about salt and light makes me sad. How little I acted to preserve and protect my friends and how much I acted simply as a passive enabler for unhealthy and sinful habits.

How does that tie into the introduction? I think too often we as Christians (myself especially) have taken the "I'm not judging you" but never say, "go and sin no more." How often do we act as passive enablers and rarely as salt!

Musings on spiritual gifts

2008-01-18T00:27:00.000-08:00

I wonder if the common criticisms against Charismatics might be tamed a bit more if people talked (and sought after) the spiritual gifts that weren't as flashy,like the gifts of administration, or of helps, or of giving. When someone says that someone is gifted with the Spirit, how often do we think that they are incredibly blessed by the ability to give of their money until it hurts and then some? Or how often do we remark that the Spirit has gifted them remarkably with an ability to organize information and direct people and tasks? Yet these seem to be named in Scripture as well.

Of course, we are to seek the higher gifts, but what are they? Teaching and prophesy. But all that talk about the body being diverse means that there are lower gifts too, and we ought to seek those as well.

I bet if we made more of an emphasis one the gift of giving self-sacrificially, the gift of service, and all those other gifts that put us below others instead of above them (like more spiritual), there would be a lot less issue with "gifts of the Spirit."

Philippians 2:5

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [1] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, [2] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Interpreting the Son

2008-01-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

There are a couple of these. Among them - a strong distinction between head and heart, and a hand-waving "but that's all passed with Christ." (Tithing, death penalty, NT obedience among others).

One thing that has come up a great deal when talking to some people who really don't have a stitch of knowledge about Christ and His work is when people try to dismiss Christ's words in Scripture with, "but that's just your narrow interpretation." After I ask them what their interpretation of Christ's words is, they love to launch into "well, this is what I think Jesus is trying to say."

And I wonder, how do they have an interpretation of what Christ was about without actually reading His Words? Without actually trying to go to the source? They love to stand there and say that the Scriptures are corrupted, and even if we concede that it's not 100% accurate (which I don't), there's still the issue of "well, then how do you have an interpretation of Christ?"

It's like a group of people inside a room with the blinds drawn and the door shut trying to interpret and guess what the sun is like. How about we go outside and look for a moment and then we can compare observations? Stop giving me this stuff about interpretation if you're going to draw the blinds to keep from seeing the Son. Gah!

Book Review: Christian Philosophy

2008-01-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

From the way John Robbins represents him in defending him and the way that most theologians in arguing against him, I expected to find Gordon Clark's Christian Philosophy vitriolic and dripping with sarcasm. Thankfully, that was not the case and the book was very informative and enjoyable.

The book itself was a compilation of Clark's works:

3 Types of Religious Philosophy was informative and useful, but very broad. It covered what typical views of Rationalism, Empiricism, and Irrationalism, were, refuting (broadly) and it laid down a foundation of Christian Dogmatism, put forth as the only way to escape complete irrationalism. Good, but very technical at times. I wish I understood more philosophy. Like all sorts of studies, it carries with it special and specific language, a lot of which I was unfamiliar with.

Religion, Reason, and Revelation was a treatment of how faith intersects with reason, examining how representatives have approached God and how it fits in with Christianity. Contrary to the popular notion of reason against faith, or faith above reason, Clark emphasizes that the Christian faith is a rational and logical one, not set apart from or above or below, but wholly with. What a refreshing emphasis in a world where it is often perceived that you have to be stupid in order to be Christian, or you have to be irrational to be Christian. Clark also puts forth a Christian view on language, which I had sometime thought about, but found interesting and informative. This book also includes a view on morality and Christianity, putting forth the divine command view on ethics over and against utilitarianism and kantianism, both of which he described (using Mills and Kant). I must say some of Kant's passages were difficult to interpret, even when Clark himself interpreted it for the reader. The book finishes by dealing with the often rehearsed problem of evil, pointing the deficiencies in the free will defense and laying out how Calvinism solves it conclusively from a rational standpoint. One of the clearest expositions on the problem of evil (and its solution) I've read.

The last book was An Introduction to Christian Philosophy. This rehashed the issues with traditional philosophy, dealing with some similar material already covered, albeit in briefer form (this book was 3 lectures to students at Wheaton College). He then goes into Christian Philosophy and it's foundations upon the Word of God, a form of "foundationalism" if you will, of presupposing and building up, via reason and revelation, the truths of life. The last chapter of this book (or last lecture) was several implications to political theory, history, ethics, science, and religion. A most informative (though short!) section.

All in all, I really liked my first taste of Gordon Clark. His writing was easy to read, filled with personality and oftentimes humorous. He does an excellent job summarizing various positions in a readable way, and he's way more charitable than his defenders or detractors make him out to be. Though he catches a bad rap from some, his rationality and clarity when presenting a Christian argument against secular philosophy make him an enjoyable and informative read. I am mucho glad I read this book, though it was hard reading at times with all the terminology. Since sometimes the logic was difficult to follow, I often times had to put together the syllogism on the side in syllogism form. heh, just goes to show how little I really understand logic.

Well, praises be to God for being our divine Logos, who grants us all His reason.

1 Cor. 2:16 - “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

And indeed we do, and with the mind of Christ, no secular philosophy can stand. Glory to the Lord in the highest.

Irrationality and itching ears

2008-01-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

Got into an interesting conversation the other day with some friends of my mother. They asked me what I thought of "Your Best Life Now" and I told them the truth, that while there were some things in it that hinted at biblical truth, the whole was filled with error and that Joel should be ashamed of calling himself a minister of the Word of God.

Not surprisingly at all, they were not too happy with such a view and we started talking. We covered all sorts of things: what the Bible does say, how do people's interpretations differ, how much error there was etc etc. What it really boiled down to was their refusal (just like my mother's) to really believe what Scripture says about Christ, His exclusivity, the absolute need for repentance and faith, sovereign election, and the like. Simply put, as one of them put it, "I just don't want to believe that."

Talked about how everyone has a right to their own opinion, at which point they were trapped, since I asked them if someone has a right to believe 2+2=5. "Of course not, but that's truth, not opinion." But is the existence of God, and the reality of judgment, and the necessity of Christ are just opinion and not truth?

Well, eventually they backtracked and ended with "so 2+2 = 5 depending on your opinion." To which I wanted to respond "well, then, depending on someone's point of view, you're stealing from your company, you're sleeping around, and you've raped 3 children last week" But reason won out and I just laughed at them as we sat down to eat dinner.

Throughout the whole conversation, they demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of the basic principles of Christianity (though one of them listened to Joel Osteen every week, hooray for sound biblical teaching) and it simply was just sad. How true Paul's words are today -

2 Timothy 4:

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound [1] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

I am also highly amused that everyone has an "interpretation" of Jesus, but no one really has read what He said!

I've given up on being frustrated by conversations like this. I still long for them to have true faith and repentance, but I don't want their lack of faith keep me from enjoying Christ. I wonder if that's a healthy view.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Book Review: Above All Earthly Pow'rs

2007-12-27T22:13:00.000-08:00

Here was another book that was long in finishing and also worth it. You'd think after enough of these books which are long in finishing but good in content, I would stop being long in finishing!

Whatever the case, the Above All Earthly Pow'rs by David Wells is a book comes as the fourth in a series, but can stand alone, as I read it with much fruit without reading the others. It is a little academic in its approach, with lots of historical notes. David Wells traces out the roots of postmodernism and how it now impacts the Christian church, from it's basic assumptions to deep implications, David Wells unpacks the unique (and very old!) dangers of postmodernism to Evangelicalism.

This book is packed with insights into the culture that I live in today, as well as challenging many basic assumptions that I myself held. It pulls no punches in its desire to exalt Christ above all the thoughts and opinions of this world, and I for one am very thankful for that.

All that said, it is a little bit heavier on the history than the theology, so there are places where I wish he would go an exegete some passages, but usually his focus is on taking those passages as given and pulling together historical ties to see how today's society has drifted far and wide of those passages. I guess not every book must be perfectly fitted to what I want =p.

Though the book is a little harder on the thinking end, I would also recommend it to any Christian that lives in America or Europe, as the discussion within it is very relevant to the environment that we now live in. The last chapter in particular, where he pulls everything together and puts it under the sovereignty and supremacy of Christ was most encouraging. Read it, and then make your pastor read it.

Book Review: Holiness

2007-12-27T21:58:00.000-08:00

I received this book months and months ago, and I've finally finished it. Some of the delay was because I was late in starting it, but some of it was simply that I never found the time (namely, I always wasted the time I could have spent reading it.)

Whatever the case, I finally finished Holiness by JC Ryle during a long "internet is down, no one is home, sit at home alone and read" stint.

To summarize, the book is basically one man's thoughts on holiness, how we seek it, why we ought to seek it, different encouragements from Scripture to seek it. There were strong rebukes, exhortations, and comforts found throughout the book, and from the structure, it seems like it's a collection of sermon manuscripts/letters. Very well organized and directed. It speaks directly into today, and it spoke directly into where I was at as well. I found it remarkably convicting and very challenging, at many points having to put the book down so I get get my heart right with God. Though it took me a long time to finally finish it, I'm glad I did and slightly sad that it's over. I wonder how long I ought to wait before rereading it=p.

I found the book Scripturally enlightening, well written (though a little archaic at times), and renewing to the soul. I would highly recommend that every Christian own this book and read it through at least once. It's challenging but very rewarding. Lord grant that I would remember its lessons!