Generosity

Over the last week, I have looked at a few Christian traits that seem to come to the forefront during the Christmas celebration. I have taken a look at the fight for joy, struggle for love, and the contention for peace. As those who love Jesus these are attributes that we must exhibit not only during the Christmas time but we must have them all year round. Today I want to take a few minutes to look at the battle for generosity. I would like to begin by highlighting 2 verse from the Bible about being generous.

1 Timothy 6:18
"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

 Psalms 37:26
"They [righteous] are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed"

First, being generous is a command in the Bible, something that those who are righteous and godly will exhibit in their lives. That is an important truth to remember. Being generous and giving to others, not just during Christmas but all year long, is something that those who love Jesus can and should do.

But where does the generous spirit in our lives come from. This is the most important point from this post. We are to be generous because God, in Jesus, was generous to us first. Jesus loved us so much He gave us everything when we were His enemies. Jesus came as the baby, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, generously first for us so that we might have life. The generosity in our life must come from that fact. We are to be generous because God was generous and still is everyday for us. That is where the generosity must start.

Next, generosity must flow from us. Being generous is not something we do or an act we preform but it is something we are. Being a generous person is a state of being. Giving our treasure (money, possessions, stuff, even family), talents, and time are the ways and areas that we must pour out into others and more importantly pour into God's service. Being generous is a life that is continually building up the kingdom of God, by building up the person's life. Being generous is selfless and others focused with everything we are. Being generous is about being more and more like Jesus and being less and less like the world and the selfish culture of it. The culture will even tell you to do things for others because it can make us look good. That is the least generous idea out there.

Lastly I want to say that being generous is not easy, it is a battle and struggle. Being generous and pouring our all into others, even to the point of feeling it, takes hard work. Being generous is a fight against the sin nature and flesh. Too many times we wake up in the morning thinking about how much money we will make or the treasures we will gather in the day. Instead we should be waking in the morning thinking about how much more we can give away of what we have and who we are. This is a daily battle for our soul and our testimony.  Remember that the world will see Jesus and His generosity through our generous spirit. It is a battle that we must win to the glory of God.

So during this time of celebration of Jesus most generous gift, his birth and death, battle each day to be more generous in spirit and make it a battle that can be won all year round.

Peace? There is no Peace

Peace, it is a word tossed around during the Christmas season. "We need to find peace or discover it during this time of year", is what some might say. Others will state "peace is overrated and will never be had during this busy time". Some will shout "how can we have peace when there is war, famine, and world poverty". Peace, it is the controversial word that always comes up during the advent season. But I always go back and start first at what the Word of God says about something.

1 Timothy 2:1-2
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for everyone...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness"

Paul is urging us to live peaceful lives. So I would say, that a life full of peace should be had. We as Christians know that this side of eternity true peace will not be complete. There will always be wars, famine, poverty, and strife that stops peace because we live in a broken world full of sin, evil, and the work of Satan. But that should not stop us from living lives full of peace, which is connected to godliness and holiness. Ok, there is the ground work and starting point, we need to live lives of peace.

Peace just like joy, love, and generosity are states of being that must be fought for and battled to be kept in our lives. Peace does not come easy. Look at all the distractions, evils, and temptations that will keep us from experiencing true peace. But that is why we need to contend for peace and keeping it in our lives. The media, culture, world, and even ourselves will continually be telling us, peace in our lives cannot be grasped. But the Bible says it differently. Peace can be attained and even kept in our lives but not without a fight. The battle for peace is a battle that takes place each day. It is a war that is fought hour by hour and even minute by minute but it is a fight that we need to contend for as lovers of Jesus.

Look at this one verse from Timothy. Peace in our lives leads to godliness and holiness. These are 2 amazing things to have in our lives and descriptions to have of our character. Godliness and holiness are the most sought after and desired traits to have in one's life. Peace in our lives will truly have amazing results. As I have been pondering the idea of peace I started to think of a few people I know that seem to keep winning the battle for peace. Peace in our lives will show to others. Others will know we keep winning the war for peace and desire it in there lives also. Contend for peace, win the battle, keep it in life because it will have far reaching affects for the kingdom.

So winning the battle for peace is essential but comes with victories and failures. Here are a few things that I think will help in the contention for peace in our lives and Paul lays it right out for us in the verse above. First, a prayer life that's connected to God will grow and in effect bring peace in our lives. When we are continually taking what we are experiencing back to God and laying it at His feet to deal with, peace from that will come to replace some of the anxiety.

A life of thanksgiving is the second step in the contention for peace. When we are thankful to God for what He gives us we will forget the current struggle and distraction in our lives. When we are thankful for the blessings God graciously gives in Jesus everything else pales.

A third step in battling for peace, is saturate yourself in the Word of God. When we hear what God is telling us in His word, it will fill us with peace and draw us closer to His heart where true peace can be found.

A peaceful spirit and life of peace must be contended for. We must contend, fight, battle, and even struggle for the life and spirit of peace because others will know and we will show what the true reason for the celebration is in Christmas. When we daily win the war for peace others will desire to be more in love with Jesus just like we are. I pray that you will experience some of the peace of God during this time so others will know about the baby and why He truly came.

Love is in the Air

Last week, I wrote about the important quality of joy in our lives. This time of year is a very significant time to have joy, fight to keep it, and show it to others. Another quality as Christians we should have, especially this time of year, is love. We all want love. We want love from someone or from something in our lives and this time of year those feelings are compounded 1000 times. But we only need 1 love in our lives and the definition of it is defined in the one being who is truly love. Lets let the Bible explain what I mean.

Romans 5:8
BUT GOD demonstrates His own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I love this verse and I love the "But God". We were God's enemies and because of our sin we deserved and called for God's justified wrath poured out on us. But God sent His Son in the form of a human baby in a smelly barn with a crowd of animals in the small backwoods town of Bethlehem, to make us His sons rather than His enemies. God's love for us put Jesus in that barn screaming the birth of a new life. God's love for us had Jesus worshiped by the city outcasts, shepherds, on the first night He was born. God's love for us sent Jesus in the flesh to pee and poop on himself while learning how to walk. God's love for us sent Jesus to stub his toe and smash His finger with a hammer while helping Joseph. God's love for us is the reason Christmas is the time of celebration and joy. God's love for us is all that we need and that love is the definition of love, especially during this time of year. But that was not the end of God's love given. Look what Romans says a few verses earlier.

Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

God's love gave us the same love to share with others. During this time of celebration and advent, we struggle to find the love many times. We realize that as those who love Jesus we need to give God's love in us to others. Yet, this time of year, it can be a huge struggle. That is what this time of year is about. Finding our love and sharing God's love in us with others. We have been given the greatest gift ever on the tree. We need to give this same gift in love to others. This should be the time of year that others see our love more than ever. Do not let the struggle for love affect the showering of love to others. Be filled with the Spirit of joy and love, not just during this time but all the time. Shine that bright light to the lost who have no idea of God's love for them as they struggle to find the love they know they need

The Joy of Christmas

Joy- it is an important character trait or state of being. It seems that most people are either filled with joy during the celebration of Jesus' birth or they are lacking joy completely. So over the last week as I began to prepare for the advent of our Savior I began to formulate some actions that I can do to fight to keep this joy in my life. As lovers of Jesus and His witnesses to the world we need to continually be filled with joy. So a fight to keep it in our lives is paramount. Here are 8 thoughts we can put into practice first during this advent season and secondly all year round.

1-Joy is a gift. We need to realize that ultimately joy in our lives is a gift and blessing from God the Father. We cannot have joy in our lives if first Jesus did not come and die in our place. Then we need to realize that in reality that is all the joy we need to sustain us in this life, the joy in Jesus and His death for our freedom. But above all that God then gives us joy in our lives as a gift to carry us through all of life and its moments.

2- Joy is tied to faith. Where our faith in God goes so goes our joy. If we rest steadfastly in God and who He is and what he has done then joy will spring from deep within us.

3- Joy is connected to sin. I have come to realize that my level of joy is connected to the sin or level of sin in my life. If I am open to the prodding conviction of the Spirit in my life driving the sin out of my life, He will then allow and guide my level of joy to increase as the sin leaves my being. The more sin in my life and the more confessed and unrepentant sin in my life the less joy I will have.

4- Joy in the Bible. The more we read God's word and mediate on what it says to us the more joy we will have. The deeper I dive into what God is telling about Himself or the plans He has for me the more filled with joy I become. I realize the depth of His love from His words and how much He reveals to me drives the engine of joy.

5- Joy from Prayer. I find and I do not believe it is coincidental that the more I pour out to God the more He gives me joy. When we spend time in prayer to God the level of joy in our lives will increase. The longer we pray and the frequency of our prays will sustain us in the fight to keep our lives filled with joy. The level of joy in our lives goes up and down with the level of praying we do and the closeness we stay with God.

6- Joy in friends. When my level of joy is low and my tank of joy is empty I go to my close friends to get a fill up. When we find that the fight for joy is waning we need to find those in our lives who can fill us up with joy.

7- Joy in generosity. This one is very simple. When we think of others before our own self and when we pour our lives into others around us, especially those around us in need, our level and fight for joy will overflow. The opposite then is true- want to have less joy in your life? Then think only about yourself and be self focused.

8- Joy is sustained by health. This is an important one to remember and realize during this time of year as we eat a lot of food, party with family, and struggle to get exercise. The level of joy in our lives can be effected by the diet or amount of food we eat. It can be effected by the rest or lack of it we get. And joy can be effected by the exercise we take. Remember that a fit more healthy body will affect the mind and soul and then our joy in turn.

As lovers of Jesus we need to be filled with joy and during the advent season joy is a huge character trait we must be showing to others.

Choosing a Church

I was recently interacting with a friend about his life and church. During our time together he asked me a great question. My friend asked, "what are some factors I should consider, as my wife and I look for a new church". My friend and his family were feeling led by the Lord (for multiple reasons) to look for a new church family to join and begin worshiping with. I began to answer his questions by being honest and letting him know I have made some really stupid choices in my own life when considering a church to join. But I also let him know, I have begun to think through this question, in my own life of leading a church as Pastor. I gave him 10 factors, I thought were important to consider, when thinking about joining a church.

Here are the 10 factors I gave to my friend about finding a church match that fits, in no particular order

-Doctrinal stance. 
What are the key doctrines of the church? What does the church consider to be essential doctrines of the faith? What does the church believe about the Bible? What does the doctrine of the church say about God's grace and His process of saving people? Are there doctrines one can disagree with, yet join and serve in the church? Is the church as a whole doctrinally unified?

-Financial aspects
Does the church handle their money well? Does the church give 10% to missions? Does the church have serious debt and incur debt on a regular basis? How does the church handle giving? Who controls the budget at the church? How is the yearly budget process handled?

-Ministry Philosophy
How does the church view its Pastor? Is there good teaching from the Bible at the church? What roles do the leaders play at the church? Is the sermon a central part of the weekly worship service? Are there other Bible studies and small groups that can be join?

-The children
Is children's ministry important at the church? What is the church's philosophy in how to teach and grow children? Are the children involved in the worship of the church? Does the church reach local kids for Christ?

-Ecclesiology
What is the form of church government? How does the church handle the sacraments? What does the church believe about woman and formal/pastoral ministry? Does the church have church discipline? What does the church believe about church membership?

-Your Spouse
Will your spouse feel at home in the church? Will your spous's gifts be welcomed and used in the church? How does your spouse feel about the church? Are you and your spouse unified on your feelings about this church? What are your spouses concerns with the church?

-Missional Theology
How does the church reach the lost with the Gospel? What does the church feel is their main reason for existing? Does the church support foreign missionaries? Does the church support local missions? Does the church go on missions trips and get out into the world? What does the church do, individually, in making disciples? When was the last set of baptisms in the life of the church?

-Teens
Are there many teenagers in the church? What does the church do to reach teens for Christ? Does the church value its teens? Does the church  learn from its teens? What does the church do to help equip its teens for life? Does the church nurture its teens, as they go through the hardest stages of life?

-Location
How close are you to the church? Will you be close enough to the church to go daily and weekly for activities and meetings? Is the church a big part of your local community? Is the church reaching your local community with Christ? 

-Education/Equipping
How is this church going to equip me for ministry? How is this church going to equip my spouse for ministry? How is this church going to equip my kids for ministry? Will I see myself growing in my faith in the next 5 years becasue of this church? 

These are the 10 areas that should be thought through (at least as I told them to my friend), as one considers a new church. Some of these factors are non-negotiable. Other factors on this list might be negotiable. These are not the only areas that one must consider. But asking yourself many of these questions will help decide whether the church and the person are a match or not. So if your are ever considering a new church or thinking through the current church you go to, ask many of these questions and pray hard to God about the role your local church has in your life for God's glory.

Being Sick

I hate being sick. Whether it is the sore throat, the body ache, or the upset stomach, being sick is never fun. This is the time of year that sickness always seems to arrive also. As we get busy for the holidays. As we have plans made and people to meet. As we get last minute Christmas shopping and decorations done. Sickness always seems to hit the hardest around the holiday season. And unfortunately at the moment, I am sick with strep throat.

As I lay here on the couch, trying to not think about being sick, I am reminded that Christmas is the time of year, we celebrate the birth of God in the flesh. Christmas is the time of year, God's people reflect upon the arrival of baby Jesus. Christmas is the time of year that God's people remember the truth that a perfect holy God entered a sin filled world to redeem a people for Himself. Jesus birth means that God in the flesh entered a world full of sin and the effects of sin. And sickness is a result of sin in the world. I am sick right now, crashed on the couch, becasue sin has effected this world to fallenness.

That means Christmas is a time of year, we must think about the fact that God in the flesh, entered a world full of sin and felt the effects of sin. No, Jesus never sinned (even 1 time) while He was on the earth. But baby Jesus, teenage Jesus, and adult Jesus, all felt the effects of the sin filled world. That means Jesus would have gotten sick. That means Jesus would have had friends, as a child or as adults, die becasue of sickness. That means, at some point, Jesus was stuck in his bed with a sore throat, a body ache, or an upset stomach.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is our great high Priest. He intercedes to the Father for us becasue He can fully relate to us as humans. One of the ways Jesus can fully relate to us as humans, is Jesus got sick in His physical body. Jesus knows what it is like to have the flu. Jesus knows what it feels like to throw-up. Jesus understands the feeling of a body ache. Yet, Jesus in being sick in the body, never failed to bring His Father glory.

This gives us two important points. First, Jesus can fully relate to us, in knowing the feelings of being sick. Jesus as our high Priest and King knows the feeling of sickness. Jesus can relate and feel our pain when we pray to Him. Jesus will wipe away the tear of a sore throat or body hurt becasue He can relate. Jesus is the perfect man to interceded for us to the Father becasue He knows what it is like to be sick.

Second, this truth of Jesus being sick, means that we can and must still glorify God in our illness. Yes, we are sick and tired. Yes, we might lay in bed most of the day or sleep. Yes, we lack energy and feel anxious or depressed. But this is still the perfect time to bring God glory. Jesus was able to always glorify His Father, even when He was sick and in bed. That means we too can and must bring God glory, even when we are in bed and do not feel well.

So how are you comforted knowing Jesus got sick and how are you bringing God glory when you are down for the count with the stomach bug?

Text vs. Tradition

This week, I have the privilege of start a 3-week preaching series on Noah and the flood. I began a series from the book of Genesis back in September and have now come to Genesis 6 and the story of the flood. I am going to take 3-weeks to get through this story, which will work well in pointing to some important themes around the coming of Christ as a baby (Christmas celebration).

I loved the story of Noah and the flood. I can still remember the flannel-graph and picture book the Sunday school teacher would use in telling the story. The images of the animals all walking towards the gigantic ark or the pictures of Noah going from pen to pen in the ark feeding the animals. I can still see the image in my mind of Noah opening the window and releasing the dove that comes back later with an olive branch. The exciting and epic story of Noah building a boat over 120 years all while preaching to his society that was angry and persecuting him. The story of Noah was impactful on me as a child becasue of the whole boat with animals adventure that Noah went on to escape the flood.

The problem is, as a child, I missed the point of the story and loved what tradition taught, not what the Bible made clear. The story of the flood is not about Noah and his boat of animals. The story of the flood is about a just, perfect God dealing judgement on corrupt humans. The story of the flood is about God making a way in His grace to save a man (and his family by extension) from the perfect judgement they all deserved. The story of the flood is about the character, power, and actions of God. It is not really about Noah and the boat of animals.

I also, as a child, focused on all of the extra, traditional stuff, that is not in the Biblical text. No where in the Bible does it say it took Noah 120 years to make the ark. No where in the Bible does it say Noah preached the judgment of God and warned all the people to get on the boat. No where in the text does it even say that Noah was persecuted by the society he lived in. The only thing the Biblical text makes clear, is that Noah obeyed what God told him to make. That is it. Yet as a child, I held on to all the tradition that was added to the story over the years.

And this tradition verses the actual Bible is what I want to think about for a moment. This is the Christmas season. This is the time of year we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Do you know what tradition has added to the Christmas story? Here is a list of the things tradition has added to the Biblical story of Jesus birth...

-Jesus was born in a stable
-Jesus was placed in a wood box manger
-There were animals present around Jesus birth
-Mary and Joseph were alone at the birth of Jesus
-The shepherds brought sheep with them
-There were 3 wise men
-The birth of Jesus was at night
-The star was visible to the world the night Jesus was born
-And I could go on...

I list all of these traditions added to Christmas, just liked I listed the traditions we have added to the story of Noah to make a clear point. First, there is nothing wrong with any of these traditions. We must not fight over them, create battles and heartache over them, and be legalistic in how we approach any story in the Bible that has had tradition added to it. Church tradition added to the Biblical stories is not as series of an issue, in most cases, that people make it out to be. And most likely if fighting over the tradition verses the Bible is a problem, it is becasue very few people actually know what the tradition is that has been added to the story of the Bible.

Secondly, the point in this tradition verses Biblical text discussion is pointing to, a right knowledge and understanding of the Bible. We must know our Bibles better so we can distinguish between tradition and actual Biblical fact. That is the point. Do not fight over the tradition. Know the Bible. Do not be legalistic over what is added to the church Christmas play, know what the Bible actually says. Do not pick fights and hold people to the standard that we think the story is, rather get into the Word, dig deep, and know exactly what God is speaking in the story.

So this Christmas, keep your barn animals, 3 wise-men, and baby in a box. But more importantly, know exactly what God wants you to know from the Bible around the story of Jesus actual physical birth in the spring of 3 B.C. Do you know your Bible well enough to spot tradition that has been added???

Imagination

As humans, we have great imaginations. With our imaginations we can create beautiful works of art, fantastic stories of heroism, and delicious meals that bring pleasure to the taste buds. Human imagination has designed beautiful architecture, built amazing devices that advance technology, and have created more games and sports that we can count for enjoyment. The human imagination is amazing and also endless in its dreams.

The human imagination is created and designed in us by God. God desired His human creation to worship Him. So God placed the imagination in humans so they could be being of worship better, in all the ways their imagination would lead them. God desired His human creation to worship Him by also being creators (as His image bearer) and using the imagination to create things that will bring praise and glory to the ultimate Creator. This is why humans can write stories that lead to worship of God. This is why humans can create magnificent meals that gather people to worship God and show Him gratitude for providing. This is why humans can create beautiful paintings and sculptures that reflect and bring God glory in His creative works. God gave humans their imagination so they could be creative beings themselves, that all reflects glory and praise back to Him.

All humans have an imagination. I remember as a young child playing in the back yard with my imagination, where animals could talk, monsters needed defeated, and the heroes (me as Captain America) would win. Last week I was making a meal for the kids and as I placed ingredients in the bowl, my imagination started to run and I began improvising and creating a meal from my mind. Just this morning, as I watched the newest movie trailer, my mind began to fill in the scenes of the trailer and imagine what the rest of the movie will be like next May. This is just a few ways my imagination was at work in my life. The rest of humanity is the same in how their imagination works. Tolkien used his imagination to create, "The Lord of the Rings". Pureflix, as a movie company, uses their imagination to create Christians movies that praise God. John Newton used his imagination to write the great hymn, "Amazing Grace".

So this leads to the question, do we as a human individual, use our imagination to bring God glory.
We all "day dream". We all create works of art in some form or another. We all use our minds, outside of reality, to think and create. But do we use our imagination to glorify God? We at creation were designed to use our imagination to give God His glory in being creative. But the fall and sin nature and the depraved state, has corrupted our imagination. This means we use our imaginations more that we would even imagination to sin and be self-absorbed. But as Christians we can and must use our imagination to glorify God. The question still remains, do we use our imagination to glorify God? Here are a few questions to ask ourselves to help discover how we use our imagination.

1)What do I think about when I am bored or daydreaming?
2)What was the last thing/food/song/art/toy/device/etc. that I created for God's glory?
3)Have I ever thought about what I think about?
4)Have I ever realized I am a creative being?
5)What have I done today, to give God His glory and did it come from me?

Every Verse

God gave us a large Bible. God spoke a lot of words to His people over a long period of time. The beauty of the Bible and all of its words from God, is that it is all different. The Bible has poetry, parables, commands, stories, songs, vision, symbols, and even lists of peoples names. The Bible has stories that are fast and move along and it also has stories that are slow and take a long-time to finish. The Bible has parts that are fun and exciting and it also has parts that are boring and seem dull. The Bible has colorful images and it also has bland average stories. The Bible has parts that are easy to understand and it also has parts that are challenging and mysterious. Yet, Jesus Himself tells us, in the Bible, that every word, comma, or period is important in the Bible. This is why Jesus and every other speaker and writer in the Bible makes it clear, we as God's people are to read every single verse in the Bible.

Yes, reading the Bible, obeying the command to read the Bible, and living in the will of God, requires the reader to read every single verse in the Bible. There are verses in the Bible that are easy to understand and those that are harder to make sense of and apply. There are verses in the Bible that are more enjoyable to read and verses that are a chore to get through. And there are verses in the Bible we like to read and there are verses that we do not want to read. Yet, to obey God, we must read every single verse in the Bible and grow in our understanding of God and the right Christian life from every single verse, regardless of how we feel about the verse. That is the true challenge of the Christian life. Lets see a few examples of verses we enjoy and verses that we do not like to read.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Romans 8:28
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

These are some of the verses that we enjoy reading. They bring us comfort, happiness, and good thoughts. These verses are the type of verses we are attracted to and enjoy reading all the time. Usually if we have time and we sit down to open our Bible to spend time with God (without some sort of structured plan) these are the types of verses we gravitate to.

Genesis 6:5
"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

John 6:44
"No one can come to me [Jesus] unless the Father who sent me draws him"

Romans 3:11-12
"No one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."

These are some of the verses we do not like. When we come to these verses, we skip over them, read through them fast, or just plain out reject them. These are the types of verses we will never come to on our own, unless we are pushed, by outside sources to dig deeper into the Word. These are the type of verses we do not like at all.

Yet, this is the point of this post. Yes, reading the fun, easy, enjoyable verses is a good thing and very important. But as Christians, we also need to read, spend time studying, and even grow in our faith, from verses that we do not like or enjoy. To truly mature and grow in Christ and godliness, we as Christians must read the verses we do not like as much as we read the verses we enjoy and love. Let us grow in Christ by reading "all" of the Bible, especially the verses that are harder to swallow.

A Thanksgiving thought

Tomorrow, we as Americans celebrate the holiday called Thanksgiving. This can be an important holiday for Christians, becasue we are called to be people of thanksgiving (enter His gates with thanksgiving) and we are commanded in Scripture to have thankful hearts (give thanks to the Lord for He is good). But recently, I have seen a growing trend in Christians that is very troubling when it comes to thanksgiving and having a thankful heart. Let me explain the problem first with an illustration.

Every Christmas we give gifts to each other. Maybe it is your family exchanging gifts. Maybe it is you and a friend giving gifts to each other. Just maybe if your blessed, you receive a gift from your employer. But during the Christmas season, gift exchanges are a common thing. You probably remember as a kid, that one toy or gift you wanted from your parents. Finally, on Christians Day, you opened the present and there it was, that new doll, new video game, or new Lego set. You got excited when you got what you want at Christmas. As kids the joy, excitement, and even thanksgiving of getting that one gift you have wanted for weeks. And if your like me, your parents reminded you to say, "thank you" to the person that gave you the gift you wanted. Your parents reminded you to say thanks becasue you were so consumed with the gift, the joy of the gift, the pleasure the gift will bring, and being able to now go and play with the gift. As a kid, you were truly thankful for the gift, but that was it, your thanks extended to the gift itself.

As mature adults at the holiday season, we exchange gifts, get our loved ones gifts, and open presents from those we love, but we understand it differently. Yes, we enjoy and like the gift. But as mature adults we are thankful for the person who gave us the gift. We understand the gift is just an extension of their love for us. So we open the gift, look at the giver, and declare our thanksgiving for the gift becasue truly we like the gift but are thankful for the giver of the gift.

At some point in our maturation process, we go from being thankful for the gift itself, to being thankful for the giver of the gift. As selfish, childish, immature human beings we are excited for the gift, joyful for what the gift brings us, and full of thanksgiving for the gift itself. In this state we can't look very far beyond what the gift is to us. As loving, mature adults, we get to the point where the gift is nice, but we are excited, joyful, and full of thanksgiving for the giver of the gift, understanding the gift is just a simple extension of the giver of the gift to us. As mature adults we are thankful for the giver of the gift, not the gift itself (if we have actually matured in our understanding and thinking).

Yet in Christian circles today, all we hear more than ever is people being thankful for the gift. I have recently heard so many testimonies of people being thankful. But the witness of thanksgiving from people who have been redeemed by God, is thanksgiving of the gift. I can go down the list. Christians are declaring their excited, joyful, exuberance for things like Christian music, health, family, the church, a job, their Bibles, a new vehicle, their plans going according to the way they want, and a great year of God blessing them with so much of what they wanted. This list goes on and on. Christians praise and declare their thanksgiving for the gifts. Yet they never once declare their thanksgiving for who God is and the giver of the gifts. God is gracious. God is holy. God is sovereign. God is loving. God is faithful. God is loyal. God is full of mercy. God is the King. God is the creator. God is the all-powerful one. God is the redeemer. God is the sanctifier. God is the victorious warrior. God is all of these things and so much more, in His very nature. God is all of these things, so God extends gifts (He never has to) to His people in multiple ways daily. Yet Christians declare loudly their thanksgiving for the gifts or worse the amazing things they could do with the gift and never for what is actually behind the gift. This is the sad trend growing among the people of God. As the psalmist says, "God is better than life itself". Yet when a Christian has nothing more than life, they seem to never be thankful.

Why have Christians focused so much on the gift and not very much on the giver when they are thankful? It is becasue of what the illustration early shows. Christians who declare their thanksgiving for the gift (or sadly selfishness in the way they use the gift), never mentioning or focusing on the Giver and the nature of the Giver, are immature childish Christians. A mature believer knows the gifts really do not matter in the end. The gifts are nice. But the declared witness of thanksgiving must talk about, declare the glory of, and praise the nature of the Giver alone. We as a church today must mature up. We must focus on the Giver, the Sustainer, the all sovereign Lord of all things with our thanksgiving. Yes the gifts He gives us are nice. But they are simply gifts, extensions of His great character to us. The Lord's great character is what we must be thankful for. The Lord's great attributes is what God's people must witness about. The Lord's awesome, magnificent being, is what Christians must raise their voices in thanksgiving to. So let us mature as God's people today to be thankful for and declare to others this thanksgiving, not for the gifts, but for the Giver of the gift, the Lord God All-Mighty.

Here is a Psalm I have been reading a lot lately as I think about true worshipful thanksgiving to God.

Psalms 104...

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
      O LORD my God, you are very great!
      You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
      2 covering yourself with light as with a garment,
      stretching out the heavens like a tent.
      3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
      he makes the clouds his chariot;
      he rides on the wings of the wind;
      4 he makes his messengers winds,
      his ministers a flaming fire.

      5 He set the earth on its foundations,
      so that it should never be moved.
      6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
      the waters stood above the mountains.
      7 At your rebuke they fled;
      at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
      8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
      to the place that you appointed for them.
      9 You set a boundary that they may not pass,
      so that they might not again cover the earth.

      10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
      they flow between the hills;
      11 they give drink to every beast of the field;
      the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
      12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
      they sing among the branches.
      13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
      the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

      14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
      and plants for man to cultivate,
      that he may bring forth food from the earth
      15 and wine to gladden the heart of man,
      oil to make his face shine
      and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

      16 The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
      the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
      17 In them the birds build their nests;
      the stork has her home in the fir trees.
      18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
      the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

      19 He made the moon to mark the seasons;
      the sun knows its time for setting.
      20 You make darkness, and it is night,
      when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
      21 The young lions roar for their prey,
      seeking their food from God.
      22 When the sun rises, they steal away
      and lie down in their dens.
      23 Man goes out to his work
      and to his labor until the evening.

      24 O LORD, how manifold are your works!
      In wisdom have you made them all;
      the earth is full of your creatures.
      25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
      which teems with creatures innumerable,
      living things both small and great.
      26 There go the ships,
      and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

      27 These all look to you,
      to give them their food in due season.
      28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
      when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
      29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
      when you take away their breath, they die
      and return to their dust.
      30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
      and you renew the face of the ground.

      31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
      may the LORD rejoice in his works,
      32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
      who touches the mountains and they smoke!
      33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
      I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
      34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
      for I rejoice in the LORD.
      35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
      and let the wicked be no more!
      Bless the LORD, O my soul!
      Praise the LORD!

Pilgrims

In just a few days, we will celebrate the American holiday, Thanksgiving. There are so many things that mark Thanksgiving or are traditions as part of the holiday celebrations. Whether it is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the pounds of turkey consumed, football games that are watched, or long afternoon naps, we have many traditions that are part of the Thanksgiving holiday. When we think of Thanksgiving, many of these things jump to the front of our minds. Maybe other parts of the holiday or the traditions that surround it, jump to our minds. Pilgrims and the people that came across the ocean on the Mayflower are part of the thoughts that might come to our minds, when we think of Thanksgiving.

Pilgrims and their first Thanksgiving with the Native Americans are part of the Thanksgiving holiday, both in the history of it and in the American traditions that surround it. Earlier this year, we celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. This was a celebration of the event where Martin Luther posted his 95 problems with the church. What we might not know is that the Pilgrims are connected to Martin Luther and the Reformation. Let me explain the connection so we can understand how a Thanksgiving celebration can also be a celebration of God bringing reform to His church.

On October 31st 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 problems and call for reform to the church, on the church door in Wittenburg, Germany. This event was a match that sparked a fire all across Europe. This action by Martin Luther led to reform and the Reformation event. The church from this date forward was changed. Many different men (John Calvin, John Knox) and people groups (Huguenots, Puritans), joined Luther in calling for and bringing reform to the church. One of the men involved in reform was King Henry VIII of England. King Henry wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine, but the Pope would not allow it. So as a response to the Pope and in joining with Luther and Calvin, Henry broke away from the church and began his own church in England as part of the Reformation. This event began the Church of England (Anglican).

But the church of England was not much different than the church of Rome. The Anglican church under Henry still practiced many of the same actions as the church of Rome and believed much of the same doctrines as the church of Rome. This caused a problem for many people in England who were aligning themselves with Luther, Calvin, and Knox. There were many people all across England who called for a greater reform to the church than Henry brought with the Church of England. These individuals were called Puritans and Separatist. These people began their own churches in England and for many decades the church of England and the Puritan/Separatist church existed side by side with not many problems. But then in the 17th century, the church of England began to persecute and punish the Puritan/Separatist churches.

This persecution and punishment by the Church of England against those calling for more reform resulted in many people leaving England. During the 17th century, many Puritans and Separatist left England for mainland Europe. But as the New World was being discovered, more opportunity came for the Puritans and Separatist (Pilgrims) to venture across the ocean to the New World to find their religious freedom. One of the very first trips of the Pilgrims escaping persecution in England was the trip of the Mayflower across the Atlantic Ocean. The Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth, England to find religious freedom in the New World and created it in their new colony, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Thus, the Pilgrims that landed in the New World and celebrated the first Thanksgiving a year later, were reformers in England calling both for reform like Luther against the Catholic church and calling for reform against the Church of England. These Pilgrims were reformers who fled England for the safety and religious freedom they desired in the New World.

This means, things you will not hear about the Pilgrims, but are very important to know. The Pilgrims were Calvinist. They believed in the sovereignty of God. In fact, the first Thanksgiving was a celebration of the sovereignty of God with those He alone provided (the Native Americans) to keep them safe and healthy and carry them through the first winter. The Pilgrims started the colony of Plymouth becasue they wanted a place where they could have the freedom to worship God under the teaching of Calvin and Luther without fear of persecution from other Christians. The Pilgrims were grounded in the authority of Scripture alone and celebrated that first Thanksgiving becasue the Scriptures taught them to be thankful in all things. The Pilgrims believed in salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone told by Scripture alone. Yes, the Pilgrims had the first thanksgiving and we have all heard and know this. But we will never hear, the first Thanksgiving was founded to celebrate and be thankful for the sovereign nature of God in the working of His children. Yet that is what true thanksgiving is.

So as we celebrate together on Thursday and as we hear or see the Pilgrims pointed to in commercials or a Charlie Brown cartoon or in a book. Let us join the Pilgrims in being thankful for the provision of God alone in the salvation and security of His people grounded in His sovereign nature. That is how the Pilgrims are connected to Martin Luther and that is how the Pilgrims point us to the nature of an amazing God and a true faith filled thankful response.

Revelation

In this class on the Prophetic Literature from the Bible, I have also had to cover a little reading and writing on the book of Revelation. I have come to 4 important conclusion after just a few weeks of hard study from the book.

First, if you think you really know a lot of the book of Revelation, you are fooling yourself and arrogant. Revelation is, I think, the hardest book in the Bible to understand. There are so many images, symbols, and contextual issues that only John's readers would understand. Mix in all of these challenges with the fact that the book is speaking for a portion, about the end times (the eschaton), the book becomes even more complicated. Yes, the first 5 chapters of Revelation are more understandable to gain insight and spiritual growth from. But from chapter 6 on, the book is very hard to make sense of. So if I have the galls to say I know and understand much from Revelation, I am fooling myself and arrogant. This goes for anyone who claims to have a great understanding or full knowledge from Revelation.

Second, Revelation is a letter written to seven churches in the 1st century. I have to treat Revelation as I do any other Epistle in the New Testament. This means I have to understand the context, think through the audience, grapple with the purpose, and know my history of the 1st century. To even begin to crack Revelation, I have to come at the book as it is a letter from one man to seven churches he loved. Revelation is clearly a letter.

Third, Revelation is a prophetic letter. John was acting as a prophet of God when he wrote the letter of Revelation. Jesus gave John a specific vision, put His Words right in his mouth, and told John to speak (write down in letter form) what he was seeing. John as a prophet was acting very similar to elements of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, and Zechariah. This means I must also come at Revelation like I would any of the Old Testament prophets. I must think through the original context and understand how they would have taken the image or symbol or message. Getting a better grasp on interpreting the book of Isaiah will ultimately help me understand Revelation a little better. Revelation is clearly a prophetic text.

The fourth truth, is that Revelation is an apocalyptic document. This means that Revelation uses images, symbols, numbers, and crazy words to drive home the point. Revelation as an apocalyptic document is what makes it a challenge to understand. This is a very unique style of writing and a very weird type of literature. This fourth piece of the Revelation puzzle it what makes it so that no human can be fully confident in their understanding of Revelation. Yes, we must study and grow from Revelation. Yes, we must put the hard work in digging deep through the book. Yes, working through Revelation must bring us confidence in God and a comfort He has the future in His hands. Yes, Revelation is about Jesus. And yes, Revelation is a story about Jesus wins. But because of the apocalyptic nature of the book, we as Christians must remain humble and a learner when we handle the book of Revelation.

Prophecy

The class I am currently in, is a class on exegesis and application of Prophetic Literature in the Bible. During this class we have had to translate passages in Isaiah, exegetical outline passages from Daniel, and teach and apply passages from Micah, among others. This class has been rewarding, fulfilling, and taught me much about God and His Word. One of the biggest takeaways from the class is a realization that prophecy is fun and still very important for the church today. 

Many Christians find prophecy to be scary and they never enter it becasue of fear. This type of literature in the Bible can be hard to understand. There are many different images, poetic symbols, and figures of speech that can be daunting. Combine the use of language with the prophetic nature and apocalyptic thoughts, most Christians avoid books in the Bible like Isaiah, Daniel, and Joel. In fear, many Christians barely read, let alone spend time in, the Prophetic Books of the Bible.

Then there are other Christians who go to Prophetic Literature and think everything, every symbol, word, picture, and image, is important. These Christians chase after every fulfillment, every relevant picture, and think that most of the prophetic literature is still going to be fulfilled. These Christians take the newspaper and the TV news program and compare it to their Bible, thinking this is the end times we are living in now. These Christians love prophecy, not for what it says about their heart for God, but becasue they treat it like a road-map or a timeline of the future. Sadly, these Christians also deal with Prophetic Literature out of fear, just fear of the future and the unknown. 

I have found very few Christians that live in the middle ground. Very few Christians live in the Bible and understand the Prophets as they are intended by God to be understood. The Prophets are still very relevant and useful today becasue they are God's messengers to His sinful people. The Prophets preached messages of repentance, idolatry, social action, and future hope. The Prophets came to God's people to point out their sin, tell them to stop living like the world, and point them to a God that will solve all of their problems. The Prophets need to be heard today, not becasue of the fulfillment they might bring, but becasue of the heart of God's people they are confronting. 

This class has taught me; I need to understand, drink deeply, and apply the prophetic message to my life, so that I can live for the glory of God and repent of the sin that grabs my heart. Understanding the need of the Prophets, here are 3 important stats about the prophets to keep in mind. 2% of Old Testament prophecy is messianic. 5% of prophecy specifically describes the new-covenant age. 1% of prophecy concern events yet to come in our time. All three of these percentages make clear. The Prophets exist to deal with the heart of God's people in lives of repentance and obedience to Him. We still need to here the Prophets today and apply them to our lives becasue we are still idolatrous and sinful people of God. 

Genealogies

This past Sunday, I had the privilege to preach Genesis 5. Genesis 5 is the first genealogy or list of names in the Bible. Genesis 5 links Adam, the first human created, to Noah, the man who lived during the great flood and survived by God's grace on a large boat. Most of Genesis 5 is a list of names, 10 generations of names beginning with the dad Adam and working its way down to the final Dad, Noah. This chapter can be a challenge to understand. And even much harder a challenge to grow in faith from. Which means it is also a challenge to preach and teach through. But I have found 3 ways to understand and teach from the genealogies in the Bible.

The first helpful way to work through and learn from a genealogy is to notice and dig deep into the extra words that a genealogy adds. Many genealogies in the Bible, add a sentence o two around a particular name on the list. In the case of Genesis 5, this genealogy adds important points about image to Adam, truths about walking with God to Enoch, and a piece of dialogue to the birth of Noah. Catching these extra words to the list of names is very important for the theology of the passage. In the case of Genesis 5, the passage wants the reader to catch the flow of the image through the generations, the righteous life in a world of death and the hope that is to come from the generation of Noah. A few of the genealogy list in the Bible add extra words or descriptors like Genesis 5. This is the first helpful tool in understanding the value and theology the list of names are supposed to produce.

The second way to dig deeper into a list of names, is to study a particular person in the list of names. Many of the genealogy list in the Bible include people that have stories about them recorded in other places. For example, if I was going to teach from the genealogy list in Matthew 1 (Abraham to Jesus), I would focus and teach on the 4 women who are listed in the chapter. Thinking about each of these 4 women (all of whom have stories in the Bible about them) would be a good place to find the theology of the passage. In Mathew 1 the 4 women have sin issues, are poor, broken and hurting, are Gentiles, and all need redemption. These 4 women point to the type of person that Jesus came to save and all 4 of these women were in the line and genealogy of Jesus. Understanding the life of these 4 woman can help point to the truths the list of names is getting at. Why are these particular names included?, is a great question that helps the list of names come alive. A second way to find deep theology then from a list of names in the Bible, going form one person to the next, is to study a particular person or a group of people from the list.

A third way to find the deep theology of a genealogy in the Bible, is to find the 2 people the genealogy connects. For example, the genealogy in Genesis 11 is an important genealogy becasue it links Shem to Abram. Shem is the son of Noah and thanks to Genesis 5, we know Noah is a son (many generations removed) of Adam. The final name in Genesis 11 is Abram. Abram is the man God chose from among the pagans to fulfill his plan of redemption. Abram is the father of God's people and the one who ultimately leads to the life of Jesus. Genesis 11 links Adam, through Shem down to Abram. This linking is critical to understand because it reflects on God's choice and the human nature in that choice. So understanding the Genealogy in Genesis 11 can be found in understanding the importance of the link between Adam/Shem to the man chosen by God, Abram. Working through this link, digging deeper into the connection and the importance of the connection, and then tracing the theological argument in the connection, helps bring to the surface the importance and thrust of the genealogy. This third tool of linking people in a list of names can be done in many of the genealogy list in the Bible (and doing so with many of the list will begin to point to a pattern of God's choice and the nature of man).

So whether you focus on a particular person in the genealogy. Or whether you connect the people who are linked by the genealogy. Or whether you study the extra words and phrases that are added to the genealogy. A genealogy and list of names in the Bible is a place that truth and theology can be discovered. The many different list of names throughout the Bible are not passages we can just throw away or skip over. As Jesus states, "Ever single word in the Bible is important and must be studied". This means that even a list of names and genealogy can be important for our faith and life in Christ. So what have you learned from the many different genealogies in the Bible?

William Burns

I was recently reading a short biography of the 19th century Scottish Evangelist William Chalmers Burns. This was a young man who began preaching the Gospel in the church at the tender age of 24. After spending a few months traveling around Scotland declaring the Gospel, he left for 2 decades of Gospel ministry in China. He died at the age of 53 in China, giving his life (health) for the sake of God's glory and the spread of the Gospel. Reading the small biography many different quotes hit home. This man had a passion for the glory of God. He had a passion for the preaching of salvation by faith alone in God's grace alone, produced by the works of Christ alone. He also had a strong passion to see the "unbelieving" converted by God to faith in Christ. These passions he gave his life for.

But one quote hit home. One day, he was standing in the market in Glasgow, Scotland, and he was taking in the hustle and bustle of the people. Burns declared, "Just now I was overcome with the sight of the countless crowds of immortal beings eagerly hustling hither and thither, but all posting onwards towards the eternal world, that I could bear it no longer, and turned in here to seek relief in quiet thought".

Burns was emotionally hit that day with the countless souls tramping onward to their eternal destination of God's wrath. His emotions were so overcome watching the lost go about their lives, he had to take a moment to gather his grief and pray. After reading this quote, I have to ask myself, "am I this overcome with grief for lost souls, that I have to take a moment in my thoughts to pray"?

Before the Face of God

There is a two word Latin phrase when translated into English, is understood in a six word sentence. Coram Deo when translated means, "Living before the face of God". The beauty off the Latin language is the depth of meaning behind a single word. This two word Latin phrase was used heavily by the Reformers (Luther, Calvin, Knox) in their fight for Biblical truth. 

The word coram in Latin means "in physical presence of". This word in Latin was used to describe a setting where a person or thing was in the physical or visible presence of someone or something else. Coram could be used in multiple ways. For example, the horse is in the coram of the barn or the soldier was in the coram of the fort or I am in the coram of the King. This word brought with it a physical and very visibly real presence of something. The word deo (which you sing in a few hymns) is the Latin word for sovereign God. Latin only has 2 words for God, and the word deo is the word that brings power, glory, and control, to the term of God. So a person would use the word deo to describe the Creator, Sustainer, and Savior of all life. To combine these two words together, it would read in a strait translation, in the presence of God.

The Reformers took this simple translated thought and turned it into the phrase that brought with it, "before the face of God". Now, yes this is not a direct translation, but think for a moment of the truth of what the Reformers meant. If a person is in the presence of God, they would also be before God, like standing before His throne. If a person was standing before the throne of God, they would be visible to God through His eyes and face. So to use these two Latin words to indicate the theological truth that someone is before the face of God, is not a stretch at all. And to bring the weight of truth that someone is before the very face of God, means that God is not only seeing everything that is happening before Him, but He is also hearing it, smelling it, tasting it, and is able to talk back to the person. 

But the Reformers also used Coram Deo to drive home the point that everything a person does, says, thinks, and feels, is before the very face of God continuously. Coram Deo was used to bring the weight of the theological truth that God sees all, hears all, smells all, and is always able and always is talking to us. So when this simple two word Latin phrase was used it was being used to stress a life that was always being lived before the face of God and God was always in the know if everything of this life. And that is why I love this phrase. The Bible makes this phrase true. Every single person has, is, and will always be living their lives and every second of their lives, in the very real presence of God. Because He is God and we are not!

Biblical Themes

The Bible is one big book. Yes, the Bible has 66 smaller books that make it up. But the Bible is one large story about a good sovereign King who makes a way to redeem a depraved people for Himself.

Knowing that the Bible is one large book, means many of the same themes, topics, and images show up repeatedly. From the very first pages of the Bible through the last pages of the Bible, time and time again themes keep showing up. Working through the Bible as a whole, there are at least 20 themes that are continuously repeated from book of the Bible to book of the Bible. These themes include; kingdom, temple, glory, covenant, priesthood, sacrifice, judgement, creation, wisdom, marriage/adultery, life/death, Son of God, salvation/redemption, rest, and reconciliation. These themes, among others, run through almost the entire Bible. Let's explore one to see how.

The theme of temple begins in the very beginning and runs the entire length of the Bible to the very end. The theme of temple runs from Genesis 2 to Revelation 22. Genesis 2 begins the theme of temple talking about the garden temple and the priest (Adam) told to work in this temple to worship God through obedience. The first 17 verses of Genesis 2 are all about the earth and Eden as a garden temple for God to dwell in. The image of temple moves forward after that with the image of sacrifice in Genesis 3 and in the patriarch (Abraham, Issac, Jacob) period. Think for example Abraham sacrificing at Bethel or the "house of God". Exodus continues the temple theme with a clear design in how to built a temple (tabernacle) for God to well in. Leviticus continues the temple theme with instructions for those working in the temple and orders to keep the dwelling of God pure.

Joshua has temple images, along with a few temple remarks and stories (especially the ark of the covenant) in the book of Judges. David's story involves the temple theme with his desire to build the temple after he established Jerusalem as the visible resting place of God as the holy city. Solomon builds his temple for God and dedicates it for the glory of the most High. Jeremiah has temple themes as the temple of Solomon is destroyed and it appears that God is no longer dwelling with His people. The prophet Ezekiel deals with the temple in a large way, declaring the truth that God has not left His people and God's dwelling place is still very real. All through the 12 (Minor Prophets) the image of God's temple and the point of God dwelling among His people is repeated by each and every one of the prophets. Haggai himself is sent to deal with the physical building of the new temple in Jerusalem, as an example.

The New Testament continues the theme of temple. Jesus clears the temple. The temple curtain is ripped in two when Christ is crucified. Jesus declares He himself is the temple. Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple (taking place in 70 A.D.). Paul to the Corinthians declares the Christian church to be the temple of God. Paul also focuses on the Christian's body as the temple of God. Finally, closing out the story of the Bible is the establishment of a new temple on a new Heaven and new Earth. The future temple of God is clearly seen in Revelation 22. In fact, the temple imagery is in almost every chapter of Revelation.

So the theme of temple runs from the beginning of the Bible through the end of the Bible. And this is significant for us to see and understand. If God has a major theme, like temple, running all through His story, His readers better pick it up and understand why. The readers need to understand what God is declaring about Himself through these repeated themes. And catching these repeated themes helps a reader better understand the whole story, how each story fits into the whole, and the purpose of the stories. So what Biblical themes are you catching as you read God's story?

What's your philosophy?

What is your philosophy about ____________? Fill in the blank with whatever, whomever, or any action you want.

We all have a philosophy on just about everything and everyone. No, we typically do not think about it in a philosophical way. But every single one of us has an opinion on persons, places, actions, events, circumstances, and objects. Let me give a few examples and then I will show why thinking about your philosophy on something or someone is important to understand.

I am a Pittsburgh Steeler's football fan. During the time I have watched the Steeler's in my life, they have changed philosophies about how to win football games. During the 1990s and most of the 2000s, the Steeler's philosophy in winning football games was run the ball, play good defense, and beat the other team into submission. For almost 20 years the Steeler's had great offensive lines, big strong running backs, a big physical defense, and coaches who called plays to destroy the other team by repeatedly punching them in the mouth. For 20 years the Steeler's stuck to their philosophy and as a result won a ton of football games and even made a few Superbowls. And I loved the Steele'rs football philosophy.

When a new coach came in 2008, the Steeler's began to change football winning philosophy. They began to focus on the offense and spreading the ball out. The defense shifted to speed and agility. As a result, the running backs got smaller and shiftier. The defense became faster and less physical. Over the last 10 years the philosophy of the Pittsburgh Steeler's has shifted away from smash mouth football, into a overwhelming flood of offensive football. This philosophy has worked just about as well as the previous philosophy. It is the fact it has changed and taken me as a fan, a lot to get used to and adjust to. This is one example of a philosophy of something. Or someone having a philosophy in how to do something.

Another example of a philosophy of doing something, is homeschooling. Homeschooling itself is a whole philosophical mindset. My wife and I have a philosophy of in-house training and educating, in raising our children. We believe this is the best way we can train up our children in the ways of the Lord and prepare them for a life to succeed and worship God. This is not to say that sending your child to public or private school is wrong. It is just an example of a differing set of philosophies that are in each of us as humans.

In the realm of homeschooling, there is also multiple philosophies in how to go about it. There are homeschooling philosophies of cyber-school or schooling the children from the computer. In homeschooling there is a classical philosophy of education. This is teaching the children in a classical way from classical methods and classical languages and literature. The philosophy we have in homeschooling is the traditional approach. My wife and I use regular school books with the Bible to teach our children the subjects. This is a method very similar to what children are using in the classroom, just from a Biblical worldview on every subject. Again, any one of these methods is good, it is just another example of a philosophical mindset.

The philosophical way of thinking or the philosophy of doing and knowing things is every where. Maybe your philosophy of cars is the "American way" or the cheapest way or the "German way" or the "whatever car I can pay cash for" method. None of them are wrong, they are just different philosophies.

If you care for your own lawn you have a philosophy in how to go about it. Do you pulls weeds or use a spray? Do you mow your lawn in lines or circles? Do you plant flowers or have more bushes? This is a fun area to see the philosophy a person has. But every single one of us has differing philosophies about everything in life, including other people.

But why do I bring all this up and think about philosophy? I bring all this up because matching philosophies matters for success. Let me repeat that again. Your philosophy on something must match up to the other person's philosophy on the same thing, for success to be found.

Think for example on the football philosophy. If a small fast running back would try to play in the smash mouth philosophy, the running back would sooner rather than later get hurt and have to leave the field becasue he is not a philosophical fit for the style of play. Or if a small fast linebacker tried to play in the smash mouth defense, eventually he would get hurt from the repeated hitting and crunching of the style of defense. A smash mouth style of play needs a big bulky running back and a big strong linebacker who can take a beating. And this example is the same in every area of life.

Understanding what your philosophy of things are, is important so a match can be found. Understanding the other person's philosophy of something is important, so we can know if we would work well with the other person. Finding a philosophical match on a particular action, event, or object is critical to finding ultimate success in the end. This is why understanding our philosophy on things is important. If we never ask the question, "what is my philosophy on _________," we might never find success in that _________.

So pick a subject, person, or activity. Ask yourself, what is my philosophy on how that subject goes about or how that activity should be done. If the other philosophy of the action or activity matches yours, success can be found. If the philosophy of the action or activity, does not match yours, success might and will probably not, ever be found. Thinking about your philosophy in every area and action is that important.

So what is your philosophy on ___________?

The Big Idea

The big idea of any given writing is the idea or point the author is trying to communicate. In this post, the big idea is going to be about the big idea of a Bible passage.

As my last few post have stated, I have been working through the book of Genesis on Sunday with my congregation. Recently I have been studying in depth the opening story of Genesis. Most of us know the opening story of Genesis as the story of Creation. The first story of the Bible runs from Genesis 1:1 through the end of the narrative in Genesis 2:3. These verses are the story of God creating everything out of nothing.

As I told my congregation last Sunday, the big idea of Genesis 1:1-2:3 is, "a good sovereign King created a world by structuring and ordering the chaos and filling it with life and purpose all for Him to delight and enjoy". This single sentence is the big idea of the opening story of the Bible.

The question that is raised is how do smaller portions of a story or paragraph fit into the bigger idea? How does one scene or a few sentence fit into a large section that has one big idea?

This Sunday I will be working through the creation of mankind from Genesis 1:26-31. Working through this smaller section of Genesis 1 helps illustrate the challenges of fitting a small scene into a large story big idea. How does the creation of mankind on Day 6 fit into the big idea that Genesis 1:1-2:3 is making clear?

In most cases, a smaller section of either the story (like a scene) or a sentence or two in paragraph, compliment the big idea in one way or another. Maybe the scene sets the setting for the big idea. Maybe the scene shows the opposite of the big idea. Maybe the scene adds tension to the big idea. Or maybe the scene illustrates the big idea. This is the case with the creation of man and the big idea of the story opening the Bible.

God creates man in His image. God creates man in His image and gives a command to be fruitful and fill the earth and to rule and subdue the earth. Mankind, made after the image of God is tasked to cover the earth with life and to rule as a representative of God in His place by subduing the earth. As my congregation will find out on Sunday, the meaning of the image of God in man is tied directly to the purpose and task that man was created for. The image of man is to be a physical representative of God by filling the created world with life and ordering the created world by ruling it.

Understanding the image of God in man and the purpose or commission of man, leads to the realization that man's purpose is exactly what God is doing in Creation, just on a smaller representative scale. Thus the purpose of man is reflecting the big idea of the whole story of Genesis 1. Man's commission at creation is a demonstration, in a likeness way, the big idea of the opening story. The creation of man illustrates what God is doing in the whole story.

This example from Genesis 1, in how the smaller portion is illustrative of the bigger idea overall, helps illustrate how scenes function in other stories in the Bible. It can also be flipped the other way. Understanding the big idea of a passage helps lead to the realization of a smaller section of the story. Or understanding the purpose of a smaller scene can reflect and lead to an understanding of the big idea of the whole story. The whole book of Genesis illustrates this hermanutic truth time and time again.

Find the big idea of a story and the smaller sections will fall into place. Find the purpose of smaller scene and a big idea of the whole will jump out. But most importantly, finding the big idea of a passage will lead to a discovery of what God wants us to know from that story and how that story applies to life. As 2 Timothy 3:16 states, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness".

Divine Rest

I love doing word studies from the Bible. Take a word, any word from Scripture and dive into the meaning.

As an average American, we do not really think about the meaning of a words. We just use words, write words, and throw words around without thinking deeply about what the word means. But in the original languages of the Bible (Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic), words had a deep meaning. So each week, as I work through a given passage, I do a few in depth word studies. I take a word or two in the original language and dig deep into what the word meant and how I can understand the passage.

Over the last three weeks, I have been working from Genesis 1. The opening story in the Bible is the story of Creation. In these opening 34 (1:1-2:3) verses, God takes a situation that is chaotic and fills it with order, structure, life, and purpose. The story of Creation is a story of a good God who brings life into existence and gives it an order with a purpose.

As I have been working through this story, I decided to do a word study on the word "rest" that is a big part of day 7. As a child hearing the story of Creation, day 7 always seemed to be a throw away day. The picture of day 7 usually included God leaning up against a tree looking on His creative work. In my son's graphic Bible, day 7 of Creation has God laying on a hammock with an ice tea relaxing from the hard work. All of these images seem to picture the thought that God must have been tired and needed a nap after He created everything. Sadly, these images are very far from the actually truth. Creation was not hard work for God anymore than it is hard work for me brushing my teeth or folding a paper or saying words with my mouth.

The picture I had been given all my life of God needing a nap, made me stop and ask, what actually is day 7 about. This is where I embarked on my word study in the Hebrew for our word "rest". To keep it English here, the Hebrew word for rest used in Genesis 2:1-3 is a simple verb in the Hebrew language. A common word that would describe rest of any being (man or animal). But it is the type of rest that caught my eye.

We as American's have gotten this idea that rest is taking a nap or laying in the shade with a cool drink. But this word rest in the Hebrew comes with the feelings of enjoyment, accomplishment, and fulfillment. This is like the rest I would get after a hard days work, enjoying the finished view of a new roof. This is rest after spending 8 hours chopping wood and seeing the pile that will keep the house warm in the winter. This is rest that a baker would feel after finishing a beautiful wedding cake. This is a rest that is full of enjoying for what was labored on. This is rest in a sense of accomplishment in what was completed. This is rest in feeling fulfilled in what was just undertaken.

The rest on day 7 is delightful joyous rest. The word study of rest brought a very new picture to what God was doing on day 7. God on day 7 was enjoying the Creation He had just finished. God was delighting in the life and purpose He had just created. God, in His rest, was rejoicing with and in the order, structure, life, and meaning, He had just brought forth by the power of His word. The divine rest of day 7 is all about a sovereign good King creating a world for Him to delight and rejoice in.

The fact that Creation is about a sovereign King creating, adds to the point of divine rest. God is not just sitting back and delighting in His creation. When day 7 took place, God walked to His throne, sat down on His throne to rest, and He rested by taking great pleasure in all that He had just created. Divine rest of day 7 is a rest of a good sovereign King sitting down on His thrown to rule and take great pleasure in all that He had just created. This is the divine rest. This is the point of Genesis 1. 

This is what the word study of "rest" showed me as I was studying the passage.  But more importantly the study of divine rest showed me what my Sabbath rest is all about. If day 7 is set by God to be a holy day for me. I must make my Sabbath rest all about taking pleasure in the one who created me, gave me a purpose, and is delighting in me. The study of divine rest has taught me; when I observe Sabbath rest in the Creator, it is showing the world that I know my good sovereign King has created me for pleasure and is sitting on His throne. Now I am to take pleasure in Him.

The Chaotic Start

This month I have started to preach through the book of Genesis. This is exhilarating. I grew up in Sunday School hearing these stories Sunday after Sunday. I can still see the images from the flannel board as the days of Creation were explained or the story of the flood was told. I can still remember the pictures from the Sunday School book of Abraham placing Issac on the alter or the image of Joseph and his brightly colored coat. But working through these stories once more to preach on Sundays, I feel like I am hearing the stories for the first time.

Case in point, two Sundays ago I began preaching the Creation story, covering the opening verses of Genesis 1. When I was a child, I would listen intently as the teacher would tell us what God created on each day. On day 1 God created light. On day 3 God created the plants. I always remembered this day because it was the day God created Lima beans and Brussels sprouts. YUCK! On day 5 God created the birds and the fish. (I wonder did Day 5 or 6 include the dolphins?) God creating man on Day 6 always got the special attention. This was how I heard the Creation story. Not exactly a science lesson, but as I was taught, listened, and remembered the Creation story, it was very scientific in nature. This is not what the Creation story is all about. Yes, knowing God created all these things is important, but it is not the point the author intents to make clear.

As I worked through the Creation narrative (it is a story after all), I began to discover so much I had never seen before. Genesis 1:1 is the introduction to the story. Genesis 1, in fact the entire book of Genesis, is a story of God creating everything. Genesis 1 tells us God created all of reality, both the things we can see (bumble bees) and the things we can't see (the cell in your arm). Genesis 1 makes clear that God is the creator God and He alone could do the creating. But the rest of Genesis tells us that it is God alone who creates, destroys what He creates, recreates what He created, creates the covenant, creates His people, and creates the plan of redeeming His people. Genesis 1:1 is the introduction to the whole story. It is not the first act in a sequence, but an overview statement for what the story teller is about to unravel and unpack in this great epic.

This is where my discovery of Genesis as something I truly did not know began. Genesis 1:2 is not the second step in a sequence, but the setting of the narrative that is about to be unfolded. Most great novels and stories open with a few statements of setting. For example, "In the hole in the ground there lived a hobbit", is the opening line of the "Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. This is a setting statement. It is a stage setter. It sets the stage for what is about to take place. We know there is a hobbit in this hole and the story of this hobbit is one of great adventure where he leaves the hole to go on an epic quest.

Genesis 1:2 is exactly the same. Before God begins to reveal Himself in 7 days of action (the 7 days of Creation) there must be a setting, a scene, a starting point for the story to launch from. Genesis 1:2 makes it clear, the stage and launching point is a situation of chaotic, empty, lifeless, and purposeless existence. This situation of "bad" is where a good God launches His creative acts from. That means, Creation is a story about a good God ordering the chaos, filling the emptiness, giving life and existence a purpose. This is what the 7 days of Creation are about. This realization is what I discovered for the first time as I began to prepare messages to preach from Genesis.

Genesis 1:1-2 is not a story about a "gap theory", an old earth argument, a literal 6 days of action, or even a science text book to discuss precreation and creation theory. Genesis 1:1-2 is the setting for the epic narrative of a God of goodness, order, structure, life, purpose, and grace, filling this reality with His purpose and grace for all of what He created (which is everything) to enjoy and delight in. After reading and preaching Genesis 1:1-2, I am finding myself delighting and rejoicing in the Creator God in a deeper fuller away now after I understand what He truly wanted me to know about Him from the Creation act. Do you let God's amazing Creation epic drive a delight for Him, in you?

That One Dumb Question???

When I was in Middle School, my English Teacher would always say, "there is no dumb questions". This teacher, and in fact anyone who says this statement, is simply trying to encourage other people to speak or ask what is on their mind. In truth, I believe this statement, there is truly no dumb question. Depending on what subject matter you know or are familiar with, questions from other people in these areas might seem dumb to you. But to the person asking the question, they are curious becasue they are ignorant in the subject. In subject matters like Marvel Comics, Lord of the Rings, Pittsburgh Sports, or Theology, I get asked questions all the time. To me, one who is knowledgeable about these areas, the questions can appear dumb. But to the person asking the question, they are not dumb becasue they are simply ignorant. On matters like Science, Engineering, or Fishing, I am the one who asks the "dumb" questions becasue I am ignorant in many subject matters. So there is no such thing as a dumb question, or is there???

I say all this about "dumb" questions because the Bible, God's Word, asks a lot of questions. God understands as fallen, broken, weak, and depraved humans, we ask many different questions to understand who we are, who He is, and how the world works. Sometimes in the Bible, it is the narrator asking the questions. Sometimes in the Bible, it is the characters in the stories asking the questions. Sometimes in the Bible, it is even Jesus Himself asking the question and following the question up with the answer in teaching or story form. God knows that we ask many different questions and even repeat asking the same questions over and over again.

But there is one question that the Bible does not ask. The Bible never asks, "is there a God"? The Bible no where asks this question. In fact, the Bible no where even answers this question. Is there a God is not asked in the Bible becasue the Bible assumes the answer without even giving it. Is there a God? "In the Beginning, God". From the very first sentence in the Bible, the Bible assumes the answer is YES. From the very first moment of existence, the answer is given and the question is never asked, because the question, "is there a God" is a "dumb" question.

If there is no God, there is no existence. If there is no God there is no life. If there is no God, then there is no talking, thinking, being or doing. Without God there is nothing.  Without God there is no redemption of sinners. Without God there is no earth or heaven. Without God this blog does not exist. "In the beginning, God", is the foundation for every other knowledge, thought, truth, and statement ever made.

But because there is a God, there is redemption of sinners. Because there is a God there is truth and knowledge. Because there is a God, we as humans can exist and not only exist but have a good life. Because there is a God, everything else as we know it is "being".

Is there a God? "In the beginning, God", is about as an emphatic answer as we can get. The existence, in fact the preexistence of God, is foundation for everything else. That is why this is the exact truth that the Bible begins with. "In the beginning, God" is everything we need for life, faith, and existence. "In the beginning, God" is what we must all desire and want to know and be in a relationship above all else. "In the beginning, God" is our salvation and delight exists. "In the beginning" was all that we needed, GOD.

Now the real important question stems off of that, "how can I know rightly this God"? That is the right question. That is not a dumb question. That is the question for life and the question that drives faith. "How can I rightly this God?" is the question that drives the redemption of sinners and the saving of many souls. This question is the question God wants us to ask, the question Jesus came to proclaim, and the question that the Bible is all about.

So, "is there a God?" is not a dumb question in one sense, but a very dumb question in another sense. We are born, each one of us, with the answer to this question in our soul and conscience (Romans 1). "But how can I know rightly this God?" Well, that is the right question that must be asked. Let us celebrate this question, answer this question freely, and rejoice when a person comes to know the right answer to this question.

Do you know God rightly? 

The Beginning of the End

The title for my blog today is interesting for many reasons. First, it is the beginning of the end for my final semester of classes. I have been taking classes for what seems like forever. I went back to school nine months after my oldest daughter was born. That was the fall of 2009. That fall I began a two-year journey to get my Bachelor's degree in Bible.  Nine months after I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree, I began classes at Gordon-Conwell Seminary to accomplish my Master's degree. After four online classes at Gordon-Conwell, I transferred to Capital Seminary and Graduate School to complete my MDiv. That was the fall of 2014. This Fall I will be completing my MDiv and graduating in December with my Master's Degree. That is an eight year marathon of classes. Yet, it is the beginning of the end for this phase of my education. I am a student, so this is not the end of my education or learning. Some day, Lord willing, I hope to get a PhD and complete the trifecta of pastoral education. But for the foreseeable future, this is it. This is the beginning of the end for my class time.

The second reason this is the beginning of the end, is my youngest child started school this year. God has blessed me with four amazing gifts and little image bearers to train. My son, my oldest, has started sixth grade this year. God is doing great wonders in him, as he continues to grow and mature into a little man after the heart of God. But this year, my youngest, my little Ellie, started Kindergarten. It is the beginning of the end now. Sooner rather than later, I will have four young adults and eventually four grown children living their lives separate from mine. This year marks the beginning of Ellie's education and the end of a little one still around. The beginning of the end is upon my wife and I as we now watch our four beauties begin to grow through formal education and Biblical training at home. It is the beginning of the end for sure in the family life I once knew.

The final reason my blog is entitled, "the beginning of the end" is I am beginning to preach through the book of Genesis this Sunday. Genesis is a book of God's Word that could be entitled the beginning of the end. Genesis marks the beginning of all things. The beginning of Creation. The beginning of sin. The beginning of marriage. The beginning of the family. The beginning of the covenant. The beginning of God's people. Genesis is the book of beginnings. But genesis is also the book of the end. When the beginning is studied, the end results are know. Genesis makes clear God has always existed. That means at the end, God is still going to be there. Genesis makes the covenant grace of God know. This means that at the end of it, God's covenant grace will still be ruling. When Genesis is studied in greater depth, the end results are know. Genesis not only teaches about the beginning, but even makes the ending clear. Genesis 3:15 points to the end, right in the very beginning. Yes, the serpent is still active and tempting, but Genesis the book of beginnings, makes the end very clear. Satan and sin will be stomped out by the seed of the woman. Genesis is the beginning of the end.

So the title, the beginning of the end, sums up the book I am about to begin preaching through, this final semester of classes, and the stage of life that I am currently in. But becasue God has chosen me before there was every a beginning, I can rest assure that my end will always be in Him and that I truly will never have an end. The beginning of my end will never truly be, becasue of the grace of God alone. The only God never to have a beginning or an end.

How do I know my spiritual gift?

This week, I have the blessing of preaching the portion of 1 Corinthians where Paul lays down some gifts that the Spirit gives His people for His work in His church. One of the challenges of this section of the letter is the reality that Paul never defines or describes what each of the gifts listed are. Paul never explains what the gift of wisdom or miracles or prophecy actually is. This means for the church today our focus must not be on the details of the gift itself, but on the use of the gift to build up the local church and drive the common good of the local body. This is Paul's point in this section of the letter and it must be our point also in preaching this section of the letter. Yes, we can read through other sections of Paul's writing and look in a deeper way at the book of Acts to see how the gifts were used. But the local church must not get so hung up on the details of the gift, but keep the focus on the use of the gift for the common good and building up the local body, the gift is present in. This begs the question to every believer, "how am I using my gift to build up my church family"? Before we answer that question it is helpful to know what our gift from the Spirit actually is. Remember the Bible is not exhaustive of all of the spiritual gifts that are given, the Bible, especially 1 Corinthians, are only a sampling of some of the gifts the Spirit can give to His children. 

Here are three questions that will help each of us discover and then use our gift from the Spirit. 

1)What do I love? 

If you have a passion or love for something or someone in particular, God has given you a driving force to serve and love Him. To love a group of people, a particular activity of the church, or a certain ministry, is a sign the Spirit wants you to get involved with said love. If you love something God loves, in a deeper, sacrificial, and truthful way, that is a sign for your gifted area. 

2)What am I good at?

God has created each one of us with abilities, talents, and skills. The Spirit in many ways will use the way God designed us and created us for a deeper more special and graceful way to use said skill or talents in the church. If we are good at something that many others are not, it could be a serious sign for where our spiritual gift lays. 

3)How can I build up my church for the common good?

If we can see clearly that there is an area that our local faith family is missing something or has a hole, we should get involved and see if we love it and are good at it. If we notice an opportunity for the building up of our church for good, God has probably given us a clear vision for a place we can serve and serve to discover whether we are gifted by the Spirit to be in that area. We can't know our gift by not doing anything. It is only through serving and building up our church, that we will truly discover what our spiritual gift is.