Changed By Glory

Luke 18:1-8(ESV)

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

The point of this parable is not that God’s arm can be twisted into doing something other than what He has ordained, but that God is faithful to vindicate the cries for justice from His elect.

The point in the comparison between God and the judge is not that God is like the judge in His actions, motives, or progression of thought to action, but that God is greater than this judge, who though an earthly judge may be moved to action by being wearied by the persistent pleas of this woman, God is not wearied by the cries for justice from His elect. In fact He will not delay, but I would argue is always at work unfolding His justice and deliverance to be fulfilled at the end of the age. Again, this parable is not saying that God is moved by repetitiousness and that if only His elect would plead more and ask more He would be moved to do something, but that His elect should pray and have faith, not losing heart, having the knowledge that their God who waits on them is not like an earthly judge who must be swayed, but that God “works all things together for good for those that love God and are called according to His purpose”, that God is not in need of persuading, but like as the perfect, just and good Father that He is He answers the pleas of His elect speedily.

Now that begs the answer to the question, “What does speedily mean?” In light of eternity and the scope of God’s vision and our own personal experience as His children we know that this can not be defined as within a week, twenty-four hours, a year…. I believe the answer could be found at the end of the parable “when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth?” We He find faith? Will He find those who have prayed and not lost heart after years of toil? As God’s elect we are to be heavenly minded, having fixed our eyes on that which is to come. We often experience the direct answers to our pleas here on earth, but yet I believe we are to pray and not grow weary knowing that “speedily” all will be made right and we should live with that perspective. That if God chooses to reveal His will and answer and vindicate me in a instant that is well, but that I can as one of His elect rest in His goodness and justice that when I pray to Him He cares and is speedily at work to right the wrongs, to come to my aid, to defend me… even if I do not see it or experience it tangibly until the moment when Jesus wipes all tears from my eyes.
Note: It has been a long time since any post. I hope and pray that I will have more chances to write in the coming days. May God be glorified.

A Hyper-Arminian’s Theological Transformation

Introduction

With my shirt clinging uncomfortably to my skin from sweat, I walked through the heavy night air of a city in the Middle East. My heart was heavy as I surveyed the apartment buildings around me and listened to the sounds of passersby speaking a language of which I had no clue. This wasn’t the moment I rebuilt my entire doctrinal viewpoint, in was just another buttress being added to the structure of biblical understanding that had been forming, consciously or unconsciously for the past several years. I think in that time and place something, be it pride or merely lack of understanding, was stripped from my heart.

In that place, foreign and new, I was faced with a very real task that God had laid in front of me. I was overwhelmed. How could I do anything for God? In the states it seemed easy enough to fulfill “my calling”; lead some bible studies, occasionally share the Gospel, go to community group. Suddenly, in a step of obedience I found myself at a place in my life where I had to reevaluate how and why I did things for God simply because God brought to a place where I did not have all the knowledge, all the answers. Many of my theological arguments were tested in that moment. As dramatic as that may sound, it is very true. That night, walking through that city that I had been called to bring the Gospel to, I felt very, very small; very, very insignificant. I think the reason why that moment stands out to me is because for many reasons I had never felt that helpless before. I couldn’t explain how I had got to that place or how anything was going to come of it. The foundation of my transformation was coming to the place where I really, really, really began to see that nothing was about me and everything was about God. Everything in my life that had led up to that moment had been by a grace that despite all odds and all my wretchedness had grown me, worked in me, moved me to that place. I looked into the future and I looked at the Word and then I looked at where I was and I felt that if anything was to come of this work it must have nothing to do with me.

That night I went home, a feeling of hope welling up in my heart. I had considered my life with all of it’s ups and downs and how God had led me. I considered the unknown of the future and I felt at peace. God was in control. I was there in that city, married to that wonderful woman, with that beautiful daughter not because of choices I made, but because of a grace greater than I could comprehend. I knew that by sovereign appointment God had called me to that place for the sake of the glory of His name. All that had been and all that was to be had been preordained by God, the just and loving sustainer of the universe. I was filled with hope. I knew that whatever lay ahead, I existed for God’s glory. To borrow familiar words, it was grace that had brought me safe thus far and grace would lead me home…. It was irresistible….

Following Chapters To Come Soon…

How are we faithful in unrighteous wealth? Many use this as an excuse to save money and invest it, thus increasing your wealth, but the prior parable shows that this is not how a son of light uses his wealth, but he uses it for those things which are eternal. This is faithful management of earthly wealth for the believer. If a believer cannot give away and invest in what is eternal, God will not entrust such a one with true, spiritual riches. Thus when challenged in the area of say, missions, they will say “That is not my ministry” and right they are for until they can learn how to manage their earthly possessions in an eternal way God will not entrust them with a place in his great eternal purpose. What they do not realize is the money which they thought they had was not theirs to keep. No one can serve God and money.

The message is not popular. The religious men of that day were no doubt faithful to tithe, but they loved money and it was proved in the way they used what they had. We justify ourselves before men with the excuse of using sums of money for that which is eternal, yet the lifestyle we lead proves where the majority of our money and earthly affections go. The dilemma is that God knows the heart (Luke16: 15) and he knows our motive behind the use of money; so that if one spends money on houses, lands, cars, entertainment, above that which they invest in the eternal it shows where their heart is and they cannot hide. God sees and discerns the question “why do you need those things?” We dare not justify ourselves as the pharisees did. Take care, all of us, for the word speaks of the deceitfulness of riches.

Here is a final note to chew on when we consider how we are to steward our unrighteous wealth. In Luke 16:19-31 we see perhaps one of the more disturbing stories in scripture. The rich man and Lazarus. We are all very familiar with this story, but before we skip over it as we often do the common stories that perhaps make us uncomfortable let me clarify a couple of things about our usual approach to this story. One, we usually say “I am not rich, like that.” If you live above what you need to have; your house bigger than you need, your car is nicer than you need, your clothes are nicer than you need… than you are rich. Okay, so maybe we admit that we are rich and so that is not a hang up, well let me drive it close to our hearts, where I have gone in the past with these verses. When we read this passage we are quick to say “If there was such a man outside my house of course I would help him! I wouldn’t leave him there all those years, that would just be wickedness!” Here is where it gets gritty for us here in the west. Please here this! Don’s shut me out, read on! In the context of the day we live in, this age of rapid globalization, we are surrounded by hurting, hungry people on our doorstep, don’t be msitaken. Jesus made it clear who our neighbor is. Turn on CNN or any other major news channel, hear of the calamity in Haiti, the children starving in Africa, the poor, the widows, the orphans! Oh! We say “Selling my house and living in smaller one isn’t going to make that big of a difference. We can’t help everyone. God has given me my family as my responsibility. Even Jesus said ‘the poor you will always have with you!”

Shame on you! Shame on us! Shame on the church! Shame on all the western Christians blinded by the deceitfulness of riches who will one day wake up in the midst of a flame because they didn’t catch the gravity behind the truth “You cannot serve God and money.” If you can make a difference for one or a hundred you have done it for Christ and I guarantee you God will take care of your family. Seek first His kingdom.

People get upset when I talk about this subject. I am accused of being judgmental, harsh. Many I am sure think that it is my attempt as a person working as a church-planter to guilt trip people into giving me money for my work. Where here is to those that may think that this is simply a fundraising appendix of mine; I don’t need your money. God has always, always been faithful to provide, even when things get really tough. He has always done what he promised to do and it only grieves me that I have not trusted him and given more.

I could go on and on, but let me just say this; if we can turn on CNN and hear of the misery to those on our doorstep and we do not weep, groan, and are driven to forsake our stuff in order to be the hands an feet of Christ to as many as we can… well, read Luke 16. There was a man who did just that, see how it worked out for him. Praise God, we have one who has come back from the dead who empowers us to live our lives for him if we are his. We have the words that this rich man longed for his brothers to hear.

Over the past few weeks there has been a growing joy that has shaped in my life, hanging over me. I find myself smiling and trusting God more, weeping as I read his Word as I consider this miracle of sovereign grace. I think of my ways of thinking in the past and the defeat I had over sin back then, despite very sincere attempts to overcome. Now walking in victory and growing in the Lord I consider His grace and mercy to me. Here are some thoughts that I had at the airport in Amsterdam last week as I was waiting in line to board. I jotted them down quickly.

How dangerous it is to trust in anything but sovereign grace, for being by nature utterly depraved I am incapable of defeating sin on the basis of free will. If I truly believe in inherited depravity then I must believe that my will, left to itself, will always choose destruction and rebellion against God. In fact on the basis of my own free will even the good which I would seem to do would be tainted with the stench of my inherited depravity. Reliance on free will not only fails to exalt Christ to his rightful place as the “author and finisher“ of our faith but it leads down a path that could result in hearing “I never knew you, depart from me you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23) I always assumed that this was talking about people who preached or confessed some form of the gospel, but they must have lived in some hidden sin or something like this, but could it be that these well-meaning folk, denying the work of God’s sovereign grace, were followed to the judgement with a trail of good deeds tainted by depravity instead of shining with the imputed righteousness of Christ? That “having a form of godliness” they denied it’s power? That they were found at the feast, but were thrust out because their garments were of their standard and not suitable for the presence of a just, holy God? Sobering thoughts on one hand, but wait!!!!

Behold! The thought of divine grace to me! An undeserving wretch! What joy! What victory! An offender of the Almighty, enemy of God, chosen in my depravity, made righteous by the Judge and empowered for good works sweetened with the purity and goodness of Christ!

What Joy!!!!

“Behold you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultry, and swear falsley, and offer scarifices to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’- that you may do all these abominations?”  Jeremiah 7:8-10

Christianity across history has always been plagued with people who “..turn the grace of God into licentiousness…” (Jude vs 4). The worm of idolatry and self-pleasing is a trap that gets glossed over by preaching and our own reasoning. Truly we have been delivered, but we must never become puffed up about this fact, keeping focus on our utter depravity apart from Christ and on growing in grace. Our deliverance is never a license to sin,”should we sin that grace may abound? God forbid!”(Romans 6).

Today this type of self-justified, self-seeking lifestyle seeps into the church in ways that do not seem perhaps as blatant as offering sacrifices to Baal or holding grotesque orgies in groves and highplaces, but the danger exist that we could find ourselves in the same state of spiritual deadness while laying bold claim to being the seat of the display of God’s glory and rejoicing in deliverance that is not manifest in our daily lives. We see these same things that God is rebuking Israel for in Jeremiah seeping into the pews and podiums off our churches, the very place that is supposed to be a display of the body of Christ to a lost and dying world. We steal from employers by wasting time and not “doing our work as unto the Lord”. We murder by hating our brother, envious of his success. We commit adultry, and this one is a rampant deception and weakening of the church, by divorcing and remarrying; making unbiblical exceptions in order to gratify ourselves. We lie on our tax returns in order to squeeze out a bit more material wealth while selling our conscience. We offer sacrifices to the idols that distract us from living out the Kingdom mandate in the form of new cars, nicer houses, higher salaries; all that serve  no eternal purpose but merely the temporal purpose of improving our comfort and self-image. We pursue goals that have no eternal depth and that vanish with our passing.

The deception and the real tragedy comes when we then come before the Lord and we praise Him for delivering us, when we are not even fulfilling what He delivered us to do. We are incapable, fettered by idols and the sins that so easily beset us. Of truth, God can and will deliver those whom He has called, but we must surrender. It may look strange, it may be painful, but that is what it means to take up your cross and be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I know that daily God reveals to me new things that I need to lay aside. It hurts and sometimes those things I have to let go of seem so harmless, but God gives grace, shining His love in my heart and opening my eyes to see the eternal.

Remember why we are here. We are to bring glory to God and bear His image, displaying His glory and grace to the nations! I pray that daily I will fall on my knees before the Lord and that He reveal to me the things that hold me back. Surrender all to Him who will complete a peferct work and remove the idols from your life, if indeed you are His.

I do not mean to be legalistic, but somber, for this is a grim topic. I want to end by addressing all my fellow saints in Christ Jesus with the last words of 1 John, “Little children, guard yourself from idols.”

For those reading this who hope that I have the ability to expound on the subject I must confess that the header is more a question in light of decisions that I have at hand.  The desire to walk in heroic faith has me on the one side and the desire to be prepared for long term ministry has me considering the other hand. Which is better? Both are driven by a desire to glorify God and see His Name made great throughout the earth!

I have complete confidence in the fact that my God is Sovereign, thus He knows my decisions before I make them. I have feeling that as a child of God I have the mind of Christ and that I should abandon myself to that. If I have confidence in that fact I will know that even my common sense is being sanctified. Those that are lovers of truth God will not lead astray. This leads to the aspect of peace. God’s Spirit convicts, guides, and comforts. I believe that peace should be pursued as it is a sure fruit of obedience. That does not mean the path of least resistance should be pursued  by any means, in fact I can be assured that battle is at hand both before and after obedience.

I believe we should put to use “sanctified common sense” when making decisions in our life. However, remembering that our common sense is upside-down from the world’s. The mind of Christ springs from the eternal and points to the Father. In order to use the sense of Christ we must  set out with the purpose which Christ had in all that He did, to glorify the Father. That is the only purpose I live, it is the only reason I am redeemed.

Now how do I reconcile a decision when both sides appear to point to glorifying the Father? How about getting on my knees and holding up both options in the light of Christ, to make myself disappear from each scenario? Which brings the most glory to God? I have some urgings in my soul, perhaps I will learn a lesson in the school of Christ on the matter very soon….

Recently I was speaking with a friend from church and he encouraged me to get a blog. I doubt it will ever be read, but… I enjoy writing so I though “What the heck”.