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Changed By Glory

"And we all… beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another." II Cor. 3:18

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This Is My Lot Forever ~ A Poem

Sweat beaded upon the brow

The terror of hell alarming –

Justice divine impending now

Is this my lot forever?

~

Justice confirmed in burning mind

The soul with no excuses –

For God to damn is right and true

Is this my lot forever?

~

Agreed to face that terrible end

That Great Glory offended –

Terrifying the truth unchanging

Is this my lot forever?

~

With dry mouth and pounding heart

To hope would seem presumptuous –

I dare not even lift my eyes

Is this my lot forever?

~

A glimmer of light invades the darkness

I startle but can’t believe it –

My doom, my death is surely proper

Surely, this is my lot forever

~

Trembling lips lisp a prayer

A pitiful resignation –

Oddly content to face the dark

Surely, this is my lot forever

~

Light so brilliant shocks the heart

Strange, sudden, unexpected –

What does it mean? Where is it from?

What is my lot forever?

~

Bursting in fullness, refulgent, and clear

Terror of doom nigh forgotten

The source of light is the source of doom

What is my lot forever?

~

Like sun on the face, like stone under feet

With confidence now overtaken

The One I did dread now strangely I love

What is my lot forever?

~

The glory that damned now the glory of grace

The Savior the glimmering prism

Beckoned now to look on his face – Dare I?

What is my lot forever?

~

His beauty, my sin, what a juxtaposition!

Daring to view his splendor

Captivated by what would have consumed

Let this be my lot forever!

~

Sin of others painted on Him

The Beautiful One before tribunal stood

Struck, then crushed, forsaken

Wasn’t that my lot forever?

~

Panting for breath, by discovery stunned

My sin already atoned for

The glory of terror now the glory of joy

This is my lot forever

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The Golden Chain: Why the preaching of the cross is essential to our pursuit of obedience

There is never a point in your Christian life when you move beyond the need for the preaching of the cross.

So crucial is that moment in redemptive history that Paul says that “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”(I Cor. 1:18) We should see the words “being saved” as significant. From beginning to end the “word of the cross” is indispensable to our salvation. Paul felt so strongly about this that he pledged to the Corinthians that the core of all he would teach them would be “Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (I Cor. 2:2)

The preaching of the cross is central to the life of the Christian because in the cross we find both the source of our pardon from sin and the impetus for our obedience, and it is that last point that needs to be emphasized.

Perhaps nowhere else do we see more clearly how indispensable the preaching of the cross is to our obedience to God than we do in 1 John. John presents what I like to call the “golden chain” of our Christians walk. These beautiful links in this chain, when connected, provide a guard against legalism (religiosity) and antinomianism (liberalism). The chain anchors our maturation and growth in holiness solidly in the gracious, once-and-for-all finished work at the Cross.

If you have ever wondered how to avoid legalism, this chain keeps you looking to the cross, fixed on grace. If your ever wondered how to avoid liberalism and license, this chain pulls you inevitably toward holiness.

To see this most clearly in 1 John, it helps to work backwards and begin with the question:

Why do we obey God in a way that is not mere religion?

The answer is that we obey out of love. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3) The words “not burdensome” are important. We all know what it is like to comply with a command, even a difficult one, because of love. We will do all sorts of things, costly things, for the sake of those that we love. Begrudging obedience is not the obedience that is supposed to mark the Christian life. This is because obedience to God is not the seed of love, but the fruit of love. We obey God as we ought, inevitably and with joy, when we love him.

Why do we love God?

“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Our love for God is the source of our obedience, it is the motivation of our growth in holiness, it is the ground of our righteousness. This link in the chain causes us to see that our love for God does not have its source in us, but in him. The scriptures makes clear that we were, in fact, enemies of God. So our love, leading unavoidably to obedience, has its source in him. This is generally to be expected. Love is an internal force that has an external motivation. A heart beats on electrical impulses, but when that heart stops it must be shocked from the outside. We obey God, because we love God, we love God because he first loved us, now….

How do we know God loved us? 

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) Understanding what a “propitiation” is, is hugely important in helping us understand why we are motivated to obey. A propitiation is a big but specific word which means someone that  “appeases divine wrath”. And where was it that Son acted as a “propitiation for our sins”?

On the cross. On the cross where the Son cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 16:34) It was there that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was forsaken because in love in our place he underwent the judgment of his Father for our sins. In love so deep, in justice so true – he took our place.

We obey God, because we love God, we love God because he first loved us, and we know he first loved us because while we were still His enemies He sent his Son to the cross to be the propitiation for our sins. 

Understanding the depth of our sin and the magnitude of God’s holiness is essential to seeing the cross as precious, resulting in love that overflows in willing obedience.

If one link of this chain is missing, the good news is compromised and we slide into legalism or worldliness. If we try to obey without the cross in view any success will be a source of pride and any failure a source of despair. We will tend to look down on others when we do well, because we will have failed to see the fury of the wrath Christ bore for our pride. If we believe God loves us because we first loved him, we have not seen the depth of the sin for which Christ had to atone, which makes our love weak. It would mean that we have come to love God because we saw it as reasonable to, which means it is likely we will only obey when it seems reasonable. If God’s love for us first depended on our love for him, we would never know his love.

The preaching of the cross is not only the way we know how to be forgiven, it is through the Spirit’s work the motivation for our obedience – radical obedience. I could expound more and more on the implications of this, but I will allow the reader’s mind to run with it.

The preaching of the cross is essential to our pursuit of obedience. Preachers must never leave it out, Christians must always keep it in sight. We see there in one moment the dead-earnest justice and holiness of God and the tender and unfailing love of God which moves us to obey not out of duty but out of desire – out of delight.

In your Christian walk, in your fight against sin, in your labor for the Lord, never, ever, lose sight of the cross and all that it means.

“To see the Law by Christ fulfilled,

And hear His pardoning voice;

Changes a slave into a child,

And duty into choice.” 

William Cowper

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Marks of Maturity: Submission to Authority

As a pastor there are certain criteria which I look for in those whom I am considering giving responsibility to in the church – especially when that responsibility entails a visible role in the public ministry of the church. In particular when considering people who will lead ministries, bibles studies, and teach, it is important that a measure of spiritual maturity is visible to all.

The reason maturity for those serving visibly is so important is because of the nature of our calling as a church. Here is just a short list for why we should seek to be discerning and sometimes slow about giving responsibility.

The church exist to display the wisdom and glory of God – (Eph. 3:10, 21) The church does not exist to bolster self-esteem or to give people something to do, it exists for the glory of God. This reality requires pastors and church members to approach public ministry patiently and carefully and with much preparation and eagerness for correction.

The church is an embassy of Christ’s kingdom – (2 Cor. 5:20) We represent Christ in the world, therefore, we take care about who we give responsibility to. An embassy is rogue which has spokesmen who misrepresent the policy of their nation (doctrine).

When James 3:1 tells us that “not many of you should become teachers” it should give us all pause. And pastors need to realize that they bear the responsibility not only for what they teach, but who they put in a position to teach. Because through teaching the “policy” of the kingdom is made known, through teaching we know who Christ is and what he is like. Through teaching our actions are informed. Our calling as a church means that any kind of teaching should be done carefully, soberly, and with a healthy portion of trepidation.

Those who would teach in any capacity should seek maturity and pastors should look for those that are mature.

When we consider how to discern the spiritual maturity of someone it is helpful at times to first consider what maturity in Christ is not:

It is not necessarily:

Tenure – how long someone has been a Christian or how much experience in ministry they have

Knowledge – Theological aptitude  or how much Bible one knows

Skill – The ability to speak, sing, string together coherent thoughts, etc.

Now, these are things that will be present in someone who is mature, and we must look for these things in order to be faithful (1 Tim. 5:22, 2 Tim. 2:2, Titus 1:9). But we should look beyond these for clearer signs of actual maturity.

Maturity in Christ is parallel to a deep humility and sense of need for the Gospel (1 Tim. 1:15, 1 Cor. 15:9). Such a humility is one that is marked by teachability, a sense of the need for others, and an ability to cheerfully submit to authority. An appropriately humble person does not grasp for opportunity or complain when it is taken away, but humbly serves and takes responsibility as it is handed out with great trembling. They have a humility that recognizes the seriousness and privilege of our calling as a church and therefore sees responsibility in the church as a privilege and not a right.

I hope to talk in later posts about the necessary “maturity marks” of Gospel neediness and teachability, but today I want to address the mark of maturity which is the ability to submit to authority.

As a general rule I will not give more responsibility to someone who has shown they have problems cheerfully submitting to spiritual authority (parents, church elders, congregation). Constant push back to directions and parrying and excuse-making are signs of profound spiritual immaturity which should be a warning to pastors evaluating people for service.

Faithful Christian service is that which is modeled by Christ himself. And Jesus, the perfect God-man, throughout his life modeled submission to authority:

  • As a boy and up to manhood he was sinless and yet he submitted to his sinful parents (Luke 2:51).
  • He did nothing on his own authority but only what his Father instructed him to do (Jn. 8:28)
  • When in his humanity he wanted escape from the terrors of experiencing God’s wrath, he submitted his will to his Father (Mk. 14:36)

A man or woman may be able to defend reformed soteriology like Sproul himself, may have a long list of ministry accomplishments, and display great skill, but if they bristle when corrected or get upset when they are told to do or not to do something by those in authority, then that is not a spiritually mature person.

Until a person becomes a good example of walking according to Hebrews 13:7,17 they should not be given a position of authority – whether that be leading kids’ ministry, small group, equipping class, or music ministry.

We don’t want to test people, but sometimes I think it is wise to ask someone you are evaluating for a leadership or a visible ministry role to do something that they may not like. Keep them accountable and see how they respond when challenged. We all have area we need to be challenged in, so there will always be opportunities to see how someone responds to the exercise of authority.

Sadly, in the church people stay immature in this way too often, and many it is those in authority, namely pastors, who are to blame. So as pastors here are some things to pursue in order to cultivate people who are comprehensively mature, namely in the area of submitting to authority:

Pray – I can’t change anyone’s heart. Only God can do that. Pray for them and pray for yourself. The members of the church are called to submit to those in authority, but we who are in authority must make sure we are not being “authoritarian” in our leadership. Which leads to the second thing.

Model – set an example of submitting to authorities. This could mean deferring to other elders, deferring to the congregation’s decision, or in cases where there are not multiple elders, leaders must show themselves to be submitted to authority by bowing to Scripture rather than their own preference.

Instruct – we all have blind spots and often people have problems with authority and may not even know it. Be a faithful disciple-maker by setting forth submission as a mark of spiritual maturity rooted in Scripture. Teach what biblical submission looks like.

Be Patient – Make sure that you recognize that some things you will ask people to do will be hard. Be compassionate. Try to walk in their shoes. Don’t be aloof. Be a servant leader. Approach people and challenge them with humility. God knows I have failed at this often. If met with a poor response to instruction don’t react with either extreme of brute force or cowardice, stick with your convictions with humble confidence. Listen to their objections and pray about them. Don’t expect people to change overnight, because you don’t change overnight either. Realize that even objections from a rebellious person often hold a dose of truth that we in authority need to take.

As a quick word to those under authority, you need to realize that Christ, not your pastor, is your ultimate authority. As Christ rules his church through his Word, that is your highest standard. You should not submit to leaders who ask you to disobey Scripture. Scripture is final! But if you are being asked to do something that is “not how you think it should be done” but you cannot show your leaders their error from God’s word, then you need to submit to the wisdom of your leaders.

Pastors, when looking for leaders don’t grab the first person who agrees with you theologically or can strum a guitar. Be patient. Look for the deeper, more profound signs of maturity. In so doing you will save yourself, the church, and the Holy Spirit, much grief. God is not in a hurry and neither should we be. Be faithful. Be careful. And keep our high calling as a church in plain view.

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My Glory I Will Not Give To Another: The Jealousy of God & The Necessity of The Incarnation

Living in the part of the world where I do, desiring to be a faithful Christian witness, requires the ability to answer certain questions, especially those regarding the deity of Christ and the Trinity.

A question that has come up not only here, but across history is, “Why did God have to become man?”

There are a lot of dimensions to the answer to that question. Why did the atoning sacrifice have to be God as well as man?

The most common answer given is something along the lines of “an infinite guilt before an infinite God required a sacrifice of infinite worth”. This is a true answer, but left to itself that is somewhat of an unsatisfying answer and even difficult to thoroughly substantiate from scripture alone. I think this answer is absolutely true, but another dimension that is often neglected in answer to the question “why the God-man?” is the jealousy of God.

The answer to the question central to the Christian faith has multiple dimensions. The justice of God, the love of God, the wrath of God, the mercy of God, the righteousness of God all must be considered in finding the “why” of God becoming man. But I think that there is one foundational doctrinal dimension that isn’t mentioned.

That is the jealousy of God. When we talk of the jealousy of God we must not think of a pouty child who didn’t get what their friend has. No, God must be jealous because he is perfectly righteous. God must always act in a way that upholds his glory. To do otherwise would be unjust. For God to seek anything other than his glory as his ultimate aim would be unrighteous, which he cannot be.

The first and second commandment that God gave to his people highlight this as a foundation which all else must be built on.

“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:3-5 ESV)

To worship anyone else as God or to place alongside God any competitor is the root of wickedness.

Thus even in His acts of grace God is working for his glory, as he makes clear in his mercy toward Israel in the midst of their rebellion:

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 36:22-23 ESV)

In Ezekiel, God was making a promise to show his chosen people amazing mercy and we know from other places that though he loved them, his ultimate reason for saving them instead of destroying them, was his “name”, his reputation, his glory. God does not need to pretend to be something that he is not. In fact he must be and act according to what he is – ultimate. He must vindicate his glory.

Therefore, in saving a people for his glory from their sins it was necessary that God structure that salvation in such a way that without mistake he would get all of the glory for that salvation. Not only did his justice have to be met and his law kept, it had to be done in a way in which he received all of the praise for it. Therefore, Ephesians 2:8-9 declares to recipients of that salvation:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

(Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

Salvation must be by grace because God alone must get all of the glory. This is important for us to see in order for us to understand the “why” of the incarnation. A plan of salvation, if it were even possible, that required 99% God’s grace and 1% the works of man would conflict with God’s righteous demand that he get all of the glory.

So how does this relate to the incarnation of Jesus Christ? What does the jealousy of God have to do with why God stepped into time and became man? Seems like a bit of a paradox – that God in the vindication of his glory would humble himself to such a degree. But when you understand what God accomplished in the flesh it becomes clear why.

This much is certainly clear. It had to be a man, a perfect man, who would die in the place of men (Heb. 2:9-18). There had to be a second Adam to be the head of a new humanity. But this man had to be God because in saving a people for himself God had to be the one who did the entire work so that God alone would get the praise.

Christ, as a man, was completely obedient to God, even to the point of death on the cross for sin that was not his own. What was the result of this?  Philippians 2:8-11 tells us:

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:8-11 ESV)

Do you see the “therefore”? As a result of Jesus’ obedience in dying for sin that was not his own, he is given this lofty position, such that at his name every knee would rightly bow.

This bowing and calling “Lord” is behavior that only God himself is worthy of. Let’s imagine for a second that it was possible for a man, a mere man, to be perfect and to die for the sins of God’s elect. The debt of gratitude is immediately transferred to the one who died! If the fire department sends a truck to come to my rescue and a firefighter dies in the process of rescuing me, who do I remember? Who do I praise? Best case scenario I split the credit and praise the firefighter and the department for sending him. But can God share his praise with man?

“I am the LORD; that is my name;

my glory I give to no other,

nor my praise to carved idols.” (Isaiah 42:8 ESV)

If God shared his praise with a merely human savior he would not be good or righteous.

God had to become man and secure our entire salvation himself from start to finish because he must get all of the glory.(1) This is a fixed reality in the universe because of who God is. He must get all of the praise. God humbled himself in love and became man to die for sinful men because this was the only way he could save us and get all the glory. If, theoretically, it were even possible for a man to be perfect and die in the place of men, it would not be right because it would divert praise away from God himself. God must get all of the credit for our salvation, that – I would argue – is the crowning reason that God became man.

Someone had to die in our place that was a pure sacrifice. That someone had to be a man. And he had to be God – because among other reasons, God must get all of the glory.

Salvation must be accomplished in such a way that we declare with David:

“Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8 ESV)

And praise God it was accomplished. Because God became man this is the song that we will sing forever,

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10 ESV)

This is how it must be.

So when someone here asks me, “Why do you believe God had to become man?”

My first answer is, “Because if God is going to save us, he must get all of the glory.”

Footnote:

(1)  This introduces another interesting fact that only a God that is Trinity could save us. Without a God who is Triune there is no salvation.

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Why I Hate The Term “Once Saved, Always Saved”

Words have meaning.

I know that seems like a “duh” statement, but really, words carry with them ideas. Words strung together into sentences convey ideas – powerful ideas. And sometimes what words are meant to convey becomes unclear in transmission – we call this a “misunderstanding”. Statements that are true when understood in the right context can be dangerous untruths if understood in the wrong context. Take for instance the statement “God is love”. A true statement, but it can be understood wrongly if we insert the wrong definition of “love”.

Sometimes a statement is so likely to be misunderstood that it is better to say that same thing in a different way.

The term “once saved, always saved” is one of those statements.

When understood in the right context it is a true statement, but if out of context it becomes misleading and dangerous.

The problem with understanding the statement “once saved, always saved” lies in what a person understands it means to be be “saved”. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18 says that the preaching of the cross is the power of God to “us who are being saved”. Not who were saved, but who are being saved. This is crucial to note.

Paul in Romans 8 presents the golden thread of redemption that begins with the predetermination and foreknowledge of God and ends in completion -“glorification”- in God’s presence. It begins when God speaks his creating word and shines the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” into our hearts, which begins a process where we “with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another”, this process takes a massive leap forward when we put off this mortal frame with its remaining sin and we see his glory clearly, in that moment “we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is” (II Cor. 4:6; 3:18; 1 Jn. 3:2). This is what we call glorification. This is the end goal of salvation. This is what it means to be saved.

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

(Romans 8:29-30 ESV)

Glorification is that point when we see him and become like him – glorification is when the conformation into the image of the Son is completed. The work we call “sanctification” that we experience in this life – the work of the Holy Spirit – is in fact as sort of guarantee that what God has begun at justification he will complete – it is a foretaste of glorification. This is why someone who is not changing “from one degree of glory to the next” in this life should have little confidence that they are “being saved” (II Cor. 3:18; I Cor. 1:18) The immense amount of remaining sin and work to be done in the lives of Christians at any stage of life is why the preaching of the cross remains always from year one to year ninety, the power of God to “us who are being saved”.

Our assurance of salvation is not found in a white-fisted grip on the statement “once saved, always saved” but is found in the fruit of the golden chain which assures us that what God started he will bring to completion. Progress, however slow it may be, gives hope that the job will get done.

I hate the term “once saved, always saved” because it portrays justification as the end goal of redemption. It wrongly identifies justification, that precious and necessary point where by faith in Christ we are declared righteous, as the sum of salvation.

This statement in question is in one sense true, once justified you are always justified but being saved is about more than justification. All of God’s elect are justified, but that is not all that they are.

The chain cannot be broken, therefore, a person has no reason to believe they are justified if they are not showing evidence of moving toward glorification. This is why we are told to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith (II Cor. 13:5). Our trust is not in a decision, a prayer, or in a moment we look to when we were “justified” but our trust is in the God who finishes what he started.

I hate the term “once saved, always saved” because it muddies the reality of redemption, which is to conform fallen image bearers of God back into faithful reflections of his glory.

So what should we say instead?

One could say “once elect, always elect”. This would be a true statement, but would not be helpful to us who do not know the hidden counsel of God, because the proof of election is found in endurance (Mk. 13:13).

I prefer the old-fashioned term “perseverance of the saints” also referred sometimes to as the “preservation of the saints”.

What this term means is that all whom God elects he preserves in faith so that they persevere by faith in him, beholding his glory, repenting of sin, trusting in Christ, and thereby being transformed into his image.

From God’s perspective our salvation is as good as done, in this case – “once saved, always saved”. But from our perspective this is deceptive, because we can by our sin and rebellion come to the place where it does not look like we are “being saved”. And this might be because we are not being saved! For John makes clear that “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning”(1 Jn. 3:9). Sin in the life of a believer should lead to creaturely fear and child-like sorrow. Many that thought they were saved “went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us” (1 Jn. 2:19)

I hate the term once saved always saved because I fear it has damned many, causing them to rest in their iniquity by leading them to misunderstand the purpose of salvation – what it means to be saved.

Preachers need to proclaim boldly the sovereignty of God in preserving his own while making it clear that he preserves in perseverance to the end. Right preaching of the “perseverance of the saints” should lead those persisting in sin to cry out with proper fear to God for mercy and should lift them from the pit of despair and open their eyes to view the soul-transforming glory of Christ. It should also lead those with only the slightest progress, overwhelmed by their indwelling sin, to be filled with hopeful expectation of the work that will be completed.

I hate the term “once saved, always saved”, but I find great joy in the reality that by the grace and power of God all of his children will reach the end where they will be as the song says,“saved to sin no more” – once saved, always saved.

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Stop Sending Them! – Why More is Not Always Better

Stop Sending Them! Why More Is Not Always Better

“Here am I, send me.” Isaiah 6:8

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray for the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest.” Matt. 9:37-38

These passages of Scripture have been slapped on the prayer card of many a hopeful missionary getting ready to head into the field. These and others verses have burned in the hearts of many churches and people who have recognized that we Christians have been given a task – to make disciples of all nations.

The nations, those groups of people that have yet to hear the Gospel, were sadly neglected by the church for generations, therefore, it is only right as the church reforms and conforms to the authority of Scripture that the church would correct “mission drift” and would pursue the task for which it was born – to be the mechanism for God saving his elect from every corner of the earth.

But like every corrective in life even the corrective must often be corrected. The pendulum always swings both ways before it settles and in my admittedly short years working among the nations, square in the middle of the 10/40 window, surrounded by UPGs, it has become clear that the missional corrective needs a few nudges itself.

The task that we affectionately call “The Great Commission” is immense. (Matt. 28:19) An immense task that requires vision, dedication, and a lot of manpower. But that being said, there are some times when to the western church I want to say,

“Stop sending them!”

The workers are few and the harvest is great, but that does not mean that more workers is always better. It seems that the impatience that so marks the current generation has infiltrated the missionary movement under the guise of “urgency”. This impatience, rather than being curbed by church leaders, is often fostered and even encouraged.

The result?

A lot of people going to the nations that shouldn’t be going – at least not yet.

The question that has more and more come to my mind that I wish churches would consider is this: Why would you send someone to plant churches that you would not hire as a pastor or nominate as a lay elder? Why does it seem that “passion”rather than proven faithfulness is the main criterion for sending men and women to support those church planters?  Why on earth is the bar – the standard – set lower for the frontlines than it is for the local church?

The stories of the challenges of frontier ministry, the stresses, the temptations, are very real, and time and again people are sent to face those challenges who have zeal but a lack of understanding. And the wise man rightly said by the Holy Spirit:

“Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” (Proverbs 19:2 ESV)

That proverbs sums up the state of missions in many ways very well. Desire without knowledge. And desire without knowledge in the business of missions is dangerous – even spiritually deadly.

The field white for harvest is filled with laborers destroying the crop and themselves with a misuse or disuse of the tools God has given them for the labor. It seems to this observer, at times, that no one thought to make sure these people can swing the scythe of God’s word before they sent them into the field. Imagine a field full of people swinging a scythe in the wrong direction and sometimes from the wrong end, and too often – if I dare drag out the analogy a bit further – they are not using the scythe at all. Not a pretty picture.

No one thought to spend some time testing this person’s ability to discern between wheat and weeds. Lacking discernment they sheave weeds and write home about how successful they have been.

As a church we have been given a mission, a way we are to walk in, but many feet that set out to proclaim the gospel of peace miss their way – because they have desire without knowledge.

The workers are few, but our impatience is our undoing. When churches have initiatives to send a certain number of people by a certain time, their desire to meet that goal can short circuit discipleship and propel people into the field that will be harmed and cause harm.

Paul is a great example to us of patience. From the moment of his conversion he was told what his purpose was to be, yet it was more than ten years that passed before the beginning of his first missionary journey. In the interim he spent three formative years in Arabia, time in his home city of Tarsus, and then served at the church in Antioch until he was finally sent with Barnabas by the church of Antioch on his first missionary journey. This is Paul, mind you, who already at the point of conversion had immense knowledge of the Scriptures. And even though he had been told by Christ himself what his mission was to be he did not really begin in earnest until he was sent by his “home” church of Antioch at the Holy Spirit’s leading through the elders and congregants.

If you speak to an older generation of missionaries you will find that in by-gone days Bible college was a requirement to be sent. If you read the biographies of guys like Adoniram Judson you will find that ordination was required! These days if a church gives approval, a few evaluations and a two-week bootcamp later people can be approved for the field. Such a convenient and streamlined system is meant to enable more and more people to go to the unreached.

But more is not always better.

The challenges people taking the Gospel to hard places will face require a character that is mature and proven. The questions missionaries will be asked require a theological knowledge that is deep and wide. And the raging enemy that is encountered requires a faith that is dug down deep.

Many missionaries slide into pragmatism in ministry because they do not really know their God. They slide into heresy because they do not really know their message. Many slide into sin because they are immature and unaccountable. Church, stop sending these people who don’t know their God, don’t know their message, and don’t know what it is like to submit to authority. Please, for the sake of God’s glory, stop.

Desire is commendable, but desire comes and goes. Calling is required, calling rooted in truth and affirmed by those in authority – a calling that has as its sole aim the glory of God and has as its bedrock the sure promises of the Gospel revealed in Scripture.

More is not always better, but with the right reformation more can be better. There is a word for when you try to find a midpoint between quantity and quality – it is called mediocrity. Local churches should have the long view in missions, faithfully making many disciples who will be able to go out and persevere in faithful Gospel ministry. Labor for quantity without sacrificing quality by a single degree.

It should be no wonder that the attrition rate among missionaries is so high, that doctrinal ambiguity is so pervasive, and that missionaries falling into gross sin is so common. People are sent that should not be sent because churches are sending people too soon.

If anyone reads this, whether you are a pastor or someone looking to go to the field, I want to leave behind a few suggestions on how to prepare people to go to the nations:

1)Teach them well so that they will be able to teach others well and don’t send them until they have shown they can do the same. (2 Tim. 2:2)

2) Make sure that they are able to articulate sound doctrine and refute false doctrine. An inability to answer objections and correct falsehood is a recipe for disaster when encountering other religions or worse – errant missionaries. (Titus 1:9, Eph. 4:14)

3) Make sure they are able to submit to biblical authority in their lives. Are they mavericks who have never really had the level of accountability that challenged their autonomy? If this is the case they need to spend some time with that kind of accountability before they can be sent with confidence. (Heb. 13:17-18)

4) Connected to #3 is the need for proven godly character. This is something that can only be ascertained over an extended period of close interaction and persistent discipleship – not a session with a counselor and a personality profile. Unchecked sins get worse on the frontlines, not better. (Heb. 12:1)

5) If you would not make a man an elder in your church, then don’t send him to plant churches in a pioneer situation. If you are sending someone who isn’t elder material or isn’t quite there yet, or sending unmarried women, then I would suggest sending them someplace with an established church where you know their spiritual development and ministry could continue under the watchful eye of faithful shepherds. (Heb. 10:24-25)

6) The aim of every pioneer worker you send should be to join an existing church or to gather believers and start a church ASAP. If there is no church then I would suggest moving with a core of people to plant a church or do outreach into new areas from a place where there are enough expat believers to have a church. No Christians were meant to be alone and Paul set an example to seek out believers when he entered a new city. Ecclesiology and missiology should be inseparably intertwined. Churches plant churches, yet many churches contract out the mission that God has given them to para-church organizations that don’t have the authority that a church does. An occasional email, a questionnaire, and a field visit every half-decade hardly applies as Biblical oversight. Para-chruch organizations should serve the valuable and specialized role of helping churches do their job, while not taking over their job. Provide active, authoritative oversight until a church is planted or those you send are plugged into a relatively healthy, existing fellowship. (Acts 20:28, 16:13)

7) Finally (for now) let there be consensus in the sending church that these people being sent are called and ready before you send them. This will safeguard the ones being sent and give them an amazing boost of encouragement that they are part of something bigger than their own ambition – which can fade or redirect quickly. (Acts 13:3)

I write this not out of a desire to dampen a church’s missional drive, but to encourage a long view with faithfulness as the aim in that missional drive. John Piper says that the Christian walk is coronary, not adrenal. We run a marathon, not a sprint. Ministry is the same way. Godly urgency embraces careful preparation for ministry. This truth becomes unclear if our main aim in missions is converts. The main aim of our sending must be the glory of God and it is for that we must prepare and be prepared.

So if necessary, for now, stop sending them. The glory of God is at stake.

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Why I Hate the Term “Cheap Grace”

If you are like me and grew up around people who were frustrated, or perhaps even incensed, with the lack of authenticity and holiness in mainstream evangelicalism you may have heard the term “cheap grace” thrown around as a descriptor of the problem at the root of this apostasy.

 

I was among these people. Probably with more spit flying than was necessary I used to decry the “cheap grace” being proclaimed from so many pulpits. But as I consider this terminology now “older” and “wiser” I have come to hate the term “cheap grace”.

 

The reason being that whether intentional or not, preaching against “cheap grace” can turn quickly into preaching against grace all together. Grace, by its very definition, is free (Eph 2:8) People begin to shy away from talk of grace because of fear of cheapening grace, when in reality grace becomes cheap when it is no longer in demand. It is no longer precious. When they fail to see that grace is the A-Z of the Christian life (Gal. 3:3).

 

It is often said that “grace is not a license to sin”. This idea is backed up by Scripture (Jude 1:4). However, what is missed is the proper corrective. The answer is not to speak less of grace, but to speak of it more, to speak of its power. Many preachers who bewail “cheap grace” are like the chap in Matthew 25 who hid his talents, because for fear of abuse they bury grace. The “cheap grace” and “license to sin” accusations are leveled against people who misunderstand the entire nature of grace usually by people who also misunderstand the nature of grace from a different angle. Just as Paul labored to teach in the face of critics, I declare that preaching “grace, grace, grace” does not make grace cheap (Rom. 6)

 

Grace gets abused, both through neglect on one side and misrepresentation on the other, because the nature of salvation itself is misunderstood. The New Covenant in which we experience that grace is misunderstood. The bottom line is that if you are in the New Covenant it is by grace, and if you stay there it is by grace. But it is in that Covenant that you receive a new heart (new affections), the law of God is imprinted inside of you, and the fear of God is irrevocably placed within you so that you will not depart from the Lord (Jer. 31:33, 32:40).

 

The problem is not preaching grace, but the understanding of what that grace has secured for us. If grace means unmerited favor, then we must ask in what way have we received favor? It is that we who deserved judgment by God’s free choice through Christ’s work have been forgiven, are being changed into the image of Christ, and will be glorified (Rom 8:29-30, 9:15).It is not simply that we have grace from something but we have grace for something.

 

I hate the term “cheap grace” because preaching grace is not the problem. Understanding what we have by grace is what is misunderstood. This is why some people preach grace and it leads to godless living and license. This is why some people fail to preach grace leading to legalism. People fail to realize that being saved is an A-Z result of a covenant that is by grace. We are born again by grace, we are converted by grace, we are justified by grace, we are sanctified by grace, we are glorified by grace.


Grace is not the problem. Putting a limit on what that grace achieves is. But make no mistake! From start to finish, from now to eternity, it is grace, grace, grace – priceless grace – full and free.

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“She Wonders” A Mother’s Day Poem

For my wife and the mother of my children, Katie

 

Tired – she rises once again;

Will the children give her grief?

Why another sleepless night?

Why so naughty? Why so obstinate to rest?

She wonders.

 

 

Weary – another day; another night

Watching. Feeding. Kissing. Rebuking.

Temper flares, conviction seizes

Where is my patience? Where is my grace?

She wonders

 

 

Tender – she sees a smiling face;

The children all adore her

They see in her – safety, supply

And a love that will not die

In their memory am I cranky or kind?

She wonders

 

 

Failure – she weeps again

Harsh words quickly spoken

She gathers them in her arms

She kisses their naughty heads

What example am I leaving them?

She wonders

 

 

Repentant – she turns again

Just as she did the day before

She prays in silence

Words of love, she offers

What words can a sinner speak?

She wonders

 

 

Hopeful – she sees her Savior

Dying on the accursed tree

It was for her failure he was abandoned

Faced his Father’s harsh displeasure

What greater message can I share but this?

My only hope for frailty seen?

She wonders

 

 

Forgiven – she knows she is

Trust in her substitute

Peace washes over, no condemnation

She looks at her children

Sinners they are, just like she

What legacy will I leave?

She wonders

 

 

Hopeful – new affection rises

Love for God, love for child

In love she tells of His love

Of pardon full and free

Is there any better news than this?

She wonders – aloud

 

 

Loving – she repeats once again

Yesterday, last week, last year!

The same good news, fresh and clear

She tells them God is holy

She tells them all have sinned

She tells them Jesus died and rose

Do they understand?

She wonders – aloud

 

 

Transformed – before their grubby faces

They see a love, though they know not the words

Mommy has found something precious

That overcomes her scorn

They hear her talk of sin and love, grace free

Forgotten is her angry face

In the light of mercy displayed

She knows not what their minds contain

Nor what their hearts perceive, but…

She wonders

 

 

Growing – slow and sure as they

The days and years go by

The grace that saves, grows and shows

A living hope inside

Patience, so elusive, slightly swells it bounds

Do they see the Spirit’s work?

She wonders

 

 

Prayerful – she lives each day

Knowing her example to them

Is more of grace than exemplary

Will seeds sown, in failure’s midst

Sprout within their souls?

She wonders

 

 

Steadfast – she considers her salvation

How it was by God’s own power

Not by her wise volition

She knows the same is for her children –

True. It drives her again to her knees

When will they say like mommy,

Praise God, Christ died for me?

She wonders

 

 

Resting – she sees another day

Failure and victory therein

But still the Gospel is the same

The Sovereign Lord he reigns

Why would I ever doubt him?

She wonders

 

 

Joyful – at first mixed with pain

She sees the signs of cursed fall

Each day, selfish, angry, envious

Her children show it all

Wait! Glorious moment!

Why these tears my child?

She wonders

 

 

Amazement – at effectual calling

Her child to her replies

I have sinned and deserve God’s judgment

I know I ought to die

But so many times you told me

Of your hope that never fades

This is now my hope of glory

My mercy for today

How can I praise him enough?

She wonders

 

 

Contemplative – years have passed

God worked through my failure

To save my children’s souls

Because His word never fails

It does for whatever it goes

What else has God been doing?

Through the pain and mundane?

She wonders

 

 

 

 

 

 

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If You Love God & Love Your Neighbor, You Should Care About Theology

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times. (Psalm 119:18-20 ESV)

There are few things that are considered to be more romantic than a man serenading the love of his life with a song. Most wives and girlfriends would probably be thrilled by such a romantic gesture. But what if the man sang songs to his girl, but then never listened to her? What if he gushed about his love and amazement but never got to know her? The girl might rightly begin to wonder, “Does he really love me?”

If he takes no time to get to know her, to listen to her, then it will become clear over time that he doesn’t really sing because he loves her, but because he loves the idea of her. If he never listens to her fears, her dreams, her frustrations, finding out what she loves and hates, then the serenading man is singing to a symbol instead of a person.

Imagine if a man saw a photograph of a woman and he proclaimed that he loved that woman, but his knowledge of her never went beyond what could be known by the picture. Maybe she has a kind smile. Radiant eyes. Nice hair. But he can’t know whether she likes film noir, or Chinese food, or the smell of lavender, or cats or dogs. He can know true things from the picture but can he really know enough to know love?

Many Christians, perhaps most, are content with a snapshot of God. They sing songs to him, but they have little time for listening to what he has to say about himself. They have pieces of truth about him with which they are content. Maybe they fill in the blanks with things they imagine about him. For those of you that have seen Dumb & Dumber just think of Lloyd Christmas’ daydreams about Mary “Samsonite”. He had seen her, he had some interaction with her, and based on that he made up fantasies about what she was like and decided that he was in love with her when he really was in love with the idea of her.

It is absurd for a person to declare love for a spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend and then never spend any time getting to know who they are.

This is the logical premise of this post. If you love God, you should care about theology.

Theology is the study of God, namely what God has made known about himself through the Scriptures. It is very possible to do theology in an unemotional, disconnected, academic environment, much like the CIA might study the minute details of the life of a person-of-interest. But that does not then negate the value and even necessity of spending time getting to know God as one who loves God.

Theology for the Christian is a labor of love. It is driven by a heart and mind that has been captivated. By the power of the Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel our eyes are opened to catch a glimpse of the glory and worth of God, the loveliness of Christ, and this sets in motion an insatiable desire to know this love. You get to know him not only as a desire of the heart, but also as a labor of the mind.

And you want to know true things about him. Imagine if I was to buy my wife a gift and I decided to get her a DVD for us to watch, Dumb and Dumber 2. If I knew my wife I would know that she can’t stand the movie. But because of my disregard for what can be known about her, I actually give her a gift that more suits my desires.

Growing in love, quite simply, requires growing in relationship according to knowledge. If people thing “I am not big into theology, I am just into a relationship with God” then they don’t understand that it is a deepening knowledge which makes their relationship meaningful and not mere illusion.

Bottom line. If you love God you should care about theology. Because it is through the study of God, through the means he has given us (the Scriptures), that we come to know God, and it is in knowing that we have genuine relationship, and it is that genuine relationship that overflows in true love… not mere fancy.

Now. What is one of the main ways we know that someone is in love? Usually we see them spending a lot of time with the person and we hear them talking about them a lot. We do this with more than just people, but with things as well. Our love is put on display.

Therefore, I would argue that if you love your neighbor, those in your sphere of influence, then you should care about theology.

Imagine that someone has a wrong impression of what your husband or wife is like. Maybe they have a negative image. Wouldn’t you want to set the record straight if you know otherwise?

What if your neighbor says, “God killing his own Son for the sins of others? That doesn’t seem fair.” Would you be able to give a truthful defense? How about this one “With all the evil in the world if there is a God then he is a monster.” How would you respond? If someone says, “I think all religions to lead to God.” Would you be able to confidently speak on the matter? Shouldn’t you desire to?

The hypothetical questions could go on and on, but these are real questions. Questions that many Christians in trying to answer them misrepresent the one they claim to love because they don’t take the time to get to know him!

If you love your neighbor you will care about theology.

King David cared about theology. Theology was not stuffy or impractical or even optional for him. In regards to his fellow man he proclaimed:

“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.” (Psalm 145:4-7 ESV)

But what are those things? What is the majesty of God? What are his wondrous works? How will we declare his greatness if we don’t know what it consists of? How do we know these things? Theology. The study of God through the means he has provided!

Imagine again if my friend is looking to buy a car and I say he should get an Audi. Why? Because it is a good car. What do I mean it is a good car? I could talk about it being German made, they have cool commercials, but unless I have really searched it out and studied it, I am not speaking on any objective authority but out of hearsay. Therefore, I can only show that it is my opinion that an Audi would be a better option. When we are loving out neighbor we need to be prepared to offer them more than our opinions about God. They need truth.

I could go on, but I will stop here. Just consider these things. Before you sing or speak of God in grand generalities, consider this, “Do I know what I mean by what I sing? Do I know what I am saying about God? Is it true? Do I love my neighbor enough to give them truths over opinions? Do I love God, or just an idea about God?”

We get to know what we love and we make known what we love. Therefore, love God and love your neighbor and care about theology.

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