What does God say about church discipline?

Recently, our own church has gone through a very difficult church discipline process.  It's one of those rare cases that would probably fall into the less than 1% category.  This particular situation caused our own church leadership to reaffirm our view on biblical church discipline.  Ultimately, it has served to strengthen our own understanding and give us a stronger foundation as we move forward it the future.

A basic foundation for church discipline really goes back to the Church's responsibility of protecting the name of Jesus in the world.  We are to be "salt and light" but as Jesus said, "if the salt loses it's saltiness...it is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet." (Matthew 5:13-16)

The problem is many people don't understand biblical church discipline and therefore, many churches today don't practice it.  In fact, we counsel many people in our church counseling ministry who come from other churches; we love assisting other believers and helping people come to repentance and reconciliation.  Unfortunately, not everyone repents of their sin.  When they don't we are forced to make the recommendation to their home church that they need to take the individual(s) through church discipline.

Sadly, the response from their church is usually either:
(1) we don't want to mess with it
(2) we don't know how to do it

Rather than trying to "re-invent the wheel" and go into a lengthy explanation regarding the foundation and purposes for church discipline, I've decided to provide links to some excellent resources regarding church discipline.


The first resource comes from 9Marks:  You can view it here

I read Nine Marks of a Healthy Church back in 2000 when it was first published.  The book served as a wonderful foundation for my pre-seminary understanding of local church ministry.  The outgrowth of that initial book was the 9Marks ministry.  9Marks continues to provide wonderful, solid direction and help for local church ministry.

If you visit their site you can scroll down and read a couple of excellent introductions to church discipline, historical & cultural issues, and possible legal implications.  (be sure to notice the Table of Contents on the right side of the page to help you navigate through various articles)



The second resource is found on Bible.org: here

Bible.org provides a plethora of solid articles and Bible studies designed to help people grow in their knowledge and understanding of God and His Word.  I am always leery of giving 100% approval of an organization because any man-made organization is going to have issues, but Bible.org would be near the top of my approved website list.


The third and final resource can be found here

Mars Hill church recently found themselves at the center of a very public church discipline issue.  I know very little regarding the specific details, but in response they posted a chapter of Pastor Mark Driscoll’s book, Vintage Church, entitled, “What is Church Discipline?”  While I probably don't agree with Pastor Mark on every detail of biblical doctrine, he is rock solid on what I consider the essential Christian doctrines and hits the ball out of the park in this chapter on church discipline.

What does God say about Parenting? (part 2)

This blog entry is based on a sermon I recently preached at Geist Community Church - The nature of the message was very philosophical, as opposed to practical. If you would like further practical advise on parenting I recommend the following books:

Parenting Beyond Your Capacity: by Reggie Joiner and Carey Nieuwhof

Grace-Based Parenting: by Tim Kimmel - (still very philosophical)

1-2-3 Magic for Christian Parents: by Thomas W. Phelan and Chris Webb



While the Bible clearly gives parents direct and indirect guidance raising children there are also a few things we need to avoid. (interestingly enough, both New Testament passages mentioned earlier tell us what to avoid)


AVOID:

(1) “provoking to anger”

How we respond to and talk with our children can easily provoke them to anger. They are kids, but they are still little humans created in the image of God.  Children are also, before coming to Christ, sinful, depraved "little humans" that desperately need a model of grace in their lives.

Far to many people view God as some tyrannical dictator because that is how their dad or parents treated them.

God is our “Father in heaven." Jesus said, we are to pray to “our Father in heaven.” Yet, far too many people get hung up on that concept because their earthly dad gave them a horrible image of God’s nature.  Their earthly dad provoked them to anger in everything!

God does not provoke us to anger?? He is gracious, compassionate, merciful with his children


(2) “hypocritical actions”

One of the main reasons so many young people leave the church is they see hypocritical actions, primarily in their own parents.  Make sure your kids understand you are going to fail them.   You should never be your child’s hero.  You’re going to fail them again and again. God will NOT.  Point them to God and be willing to confess your own hypocritical actions.


(3) “biblical labels” on certain methods of parenting

Many methods that are passed off as “biblical” are really cultural or done only because “that’s what mom & dad did with me and I ‘turned out ok.’”

If you’re going to call something “biblical” you better be sure it is.  Just because it was written by a “Christian” organization or a well-known Christian author, doesn’t make it biblical!


(4) “Avoid being a legalist”

2 things I want to say about this:

     (1) Don’t scare your kids into obeying a list.

Some churches and parents have done an absolutely abysmal job teaching kids about obedience and sin.  They explain that we better not sin because "God will be waiting for us when we get to heaven."  Sure, they will get to Heaven because they have trusted in Christ, "but if you don't listen to mom & dad then God’s going to have some wrath reserved for you!" The "threat" then is: you better listen to mom and dad and you better not sin or God will be waiting for you!!

Wrong!  Jesus took all of God’s wrath destined for you and me when He died on the cross. (Romans 8:1)  If you receive even a fraction of God’s wrath you’re in trouble!  As a believer, your destiny for eternity is with Him in the new heaven and new earth.  Instead, what we ought to be teaching our kids , and reminding each other of, is that when you trust in Jesus ALL is forgiven.  We must reinforce that truth with our kids.

As a child it was drilled into my head through the teaching of different local churches that drinking alcohol was such a "bad" sin that I thought if I drank even one sip of alcohol I would be condemned to hell forever.  I even remember having nightmares that someone tricked me into drinking a sip of alcohol and awoke in a panic because I thought I was going to hell.

That is legalism!  It is WRONG!

     (2) Parenting is NOT about a list of "dos" and "don’ts".

Isaiah chapter one is the perfect example of how obedience isn't what it's all about.  Yes, we ought to pursue obedience, but our justification before God is not based on our obedience to Him.  In Isaiah one God is a perfect parent and his children still rebelled. What was Israel’s problem? Their heart! They went through the motions. They did every task they were supposed to do. Yet, it was all in vain because their heart wasn’t in it!


As I wrap this up, let me give you two truly "biblical" keys to parenting:

(1) Pursue the heart!

This is straight out of Isaiah 1.  We must pursue peoples' hearts.  We must aggressively pursue our children’s hearts.

One of the key themes in the Gospel of Mark is the hard hearts of the disciples.  We must avoid hard hearts at all costs! We must avoid hardening our children’s hearts at all costs!

We pursue the heart!!! By focusing on the inward, not on the outward.  You can easily create a bunch of "rule following" legalists, but if their heart is not transformed it doesn't matter.


(2) Create the Norm!

Everything we teach our kids will be normal to them! Think about that for a moment! Everything will be the norm.  I was raised putting maple syrup on my cottage cheese. I thought it was normal. (It's really doesn't taste that bad!)

What happens every day in your home defines what normal is for your family! It may be normal for you to eat a hamburger every Friday night. It might be normal for you to get ice cream every Tuesday after school. It might be normal for your family to have a game night each week; where you shut off the TV and play a family game. Parents determine what’s normal for their homes by the patterns they establish! If you get up every morning and run around your house three times yelling at the top of your lungs, your kids will think it’s normal!

Is God the normal part of your family life or do you treat God like fancy china in a special cabinet? You know, the dishes that only come out when the governor, boss, or friend-that-we-don’t-really-like-that-we-are-trying-to-impress comes over. When those dishes come out everyone, especially mom, is a little on edge. You suddenly forget how to handle a plate or a cup without fear of breaking it.  You don’t know how to handle it. You don’t know if it should go in the dishwasher or not. (always choose "not")

Some of you treat your faith, and even God, like the fine china. Oh, God is important, but we don’t bring Him up much in the daily patterns of life.

Some of you grew up in a home where going to church was not the norm.  For some of you going to church was the norm, but it was just a once a week deal and like the fine china, God didn't see much time in your normal family life.

Worshiping God is an attitude of the heart; not a special event set aside for a specific time once a week or even once a day.





Every parent will leave a personal legacy. What legacy are you leaving your children? What legacy are you leaving with your co-workers?

We become so preoccupied and focused on making sure our kids have a good education so they can get a "good" job that we forget what’s most important.  NOTHING matters at the end of your child’s life – NOTHING – EXCEPT whether or not they know God and have been reconciled to Him through His Son, Jesus.

The most important thing for your children is that they have an authentic relationship with God through Jesus Christ! In the end, all that matters is Christ!

What does God say about Parenting? (part 1)

Some of the most exciting, fun, challenging, hilarious and painful experiences of life come with the responsibility of parenting.  I remember vividly the first time that I held both of my children…it’s amazing! Then you go home from the hospital with that little bundle and you wonder: now what do we do?  Thankfully God has given us our own parents from which to learn from.  He has also given us friends to call in a panic who have gone before us in their own parenting journey.  Most importantly, God has given us His Word to guide us in raising the precious gifts that He entrusts to our care.

Based on the importance of the parent child relationship, you would think that a large portion of the Bible would offer direct guidance to parents.  Surprisingly, there are two whole verses in the entire New Testament that directly address parents regarding raising their children. 

Colossians 3:21 - “Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged.”

Fathers, (the Greek word does leave the door open for "parents," so moms aren't completely off the hook) you must be very careful how you interact with your children. They need your support.  They need your care.  They need your love! If all you do is speak negatively into their lives they will become discouraged or perhaps even angry, which is what the only other verse giving direct guidance to parents in the New Testament mentions.

Ephesians 6:4 - “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

That’s all the guidance that the New Testament directly gives to parents and the Old Testament doesn’t provide much more help.  Only two books (out of the 39) offer direct guidance for parents. There are a few passages in the book of Deuteronomy (4:9-10, 6:6-9, 11:18-19) and several verses sprinkled throughout the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs is wonderful, but the difficulty with the book of Proverbs is that it is “proverbial.” It is a collection of general principles; many of them hidden inside of complex metaphors, similes and other colorful language.  Each proverb must be carefully interpreted and correctly understood; lest it be applied in gross error.

Likewise, since the Proverbs are principles and not promises we must avoid claiming them as such.  A perfect example is Proverbs 22:6 - “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." It is a principle that is often claimed as a promise.  Yet, we all know of situations where two children were raised identically and one of them follows God while the other does not.  Is the proverb wrong? No.  It's not a promise and here's how we know:

In Isaiah chapter one God refers to the nation of Israel as his children.  God said in Isaiah 1:2, “I raised children, I brought them up, but they have rebelled against me!” (NET)

Is God a bad parent? Of course not! He is the perfect parent, yet His children rebelled.  The implication: You can do everything perfectly and children can still rebel.

Given the fact that no human has more potential to influence a child than his or her parent it’s rather shocking that the Bible doesn’t give more direct guidance to parents.  However, as you study the Bible you begin to realize the entire Bible gives parents INDIRECT guidance on raising their children.

What do I mean by indirect guidance? Well, let’s go back to a couple of the verses I just mentioned.

The end of Ephesians 6:4 says, Fathers, or parents, are to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Parents, you are to provide for physical and spiritual needs of your children You are to "bring them up," raise them by training and instructing them regarding the Lord.  The center of the parent-child relationship and all of the teaching and learning is God.

So, how does the Bible give us indirect guidance regarding parenting? The first way is that the Bible teaches us about God!  The Bible is ALL about GOD and His Son, Jesus, the God-man.  People today often feel as though the Bible is primarily about us, humans. The Bible is not about us; it’s about God.

When God is the center of the parent-child relationship, or any other relationship, we reveal His glory among creation.  The reason God put us here on earth is to reveal His glory.  (cf. Isaiah 43:7)  Every relationship is an opportunity and responsibility to correctly reveal the glory of God. In the parent child-relationship the responsibility is magnified!

The second way the Bible provides us indirect guidance in parenting is by revealing how God’s parents us.  We, as believers, are God’s children, just as the nation of Israel was in the Old Testament. God parents us, so we need to understand who God is and observe how he treats us!

Two things we must do as parents….

(1) Teach your children about God

You are your child’s primary spiritual leader!  You, as a parent, need to teach them the Bible, which means you need to know and study the Bible.  It’s not the church’s job to teach your children the Bible.  (churches have them for one or two hours a week and you have them all the rest!)

Teaching them about God by teaching them the Bible is just one way to teach them. Parents also need to teach their children about God by showing them who God really is.

Joiner and Nieuwhof wrote, “your role is not to impress your children or anyone else with your ability to parent; your role is to impress your children with the love and nature of God.”

How do parents know about the love and nature of God?  Yet again, as parents we must study the Bible!  As you study the Bible and learn about God’s nature you can better reflect Him to your children.

A good place to begin is the book of Exodus.  In the book of Exodus God used Moses to lead the nation of Israel (God’s children) out of slavery in Egypt.  God led them to Mt. Sinai where they camped and Moses went up on the mountain. At the top of the mountain God gave Moses the 10 commands on tablets of stone.  While Moses was gone things got a little messy with God’s children.  They actually formed a golden calf and began to worship the idol.  Long story short, Moses returned to the mountain top with 2 new tablets, since he threw the first two down and broke them a the sight of the great sin in the Israelite camp.  When he returned to the mountain top and God descended once again here is what God said: “the LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6)

How does God, as a parent, treat his children? He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. That is the God we are to proclaim in word and deed in every relationship we have! And when we do, we proclaim God’s glory among creation!

When we treat our children in a merciful, gracious way, with great compassion; we teach them correctly about God!

We reveal the glory of God when we are slow to anger as we respond and talk to our children!

When your kids cry and whine – as the Israelites did; when they talk back and argue – as the Israelites did; when they’re tired, when their frustrated - as the Israelites were... your response, whether you like it or not, teaches them about God.  It reveals God to them!

God treats his children with grace, mercy, compassion, steadfast (loyal) love. What view of God are your words and actions forming in the mind of your child?

We must teach our children correctly about God but once they begin to understand who God is they also need to be keenly aware of the fact that they can communicate with God.


(2) Teach your children to talk with God

We are to teach our kids how to pray like the two little boys who were staying with their grandparents and had obviously been taught to pray by their parents. While kneeling to say their bedtime prayers the smallest boy began yelling his prayer at the top of his lungs:

"DEAR GOD, FOR CHRISTMAS I WOULD LIKE A IPAD, AN XBOX CONNECT, A SCOOTER, NEW VIDEO GAMES...”

His brother interrupted him, "Why are you yelling? God can hear you; He is not deaf." The younger brother replied, "I know God is not deaf, but grandma is..."

Our kids must understand that God hears our prayers! And once again, we must not only teach them, but we must model for them.

[view part 2 here]

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This blog entry is based on a sermon I preached during the summer of 2012 at Geist Community Church.  The nature of the message was very philosophical, as opposed to practical.   If you would like further practical advise on parenting I recommend the following books:

Parenting Beyond Your Capacity: by Reggie Joiner and Carey Nieuwhof

Grace-Based Parenting: by Tim Kimmel - (still very philosophical)

1-2-3 Magic for Christian Parents: by Thomas W. Phelan and Chris Webb

Do You Understand?

Jesus Christ has risen from the dead! He is alive today; seated at the right-hand of God the Father in Heaven.  One day He will return to reign on earth as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Ultimately, He will judge the world and bringing about a new heaven and a new earth were His people will spend eternity with Him. There will be no more death, no more disease, no more pain, no more suffering.  Until that day comes we are to proclaim the truth of Jesus so that others may trust in Him and receive the free gift of eternal life.

The question is: Do you understand this truth?

It’s a simple question - but one we are often guilty of answering all too quickly.  We assume we know the correct answer, or at least make others think we know, because we are prideful people and don't want to risk embarrassment.


In Mark chapter nine Jesus made three shocking predictions; predictions that not only came true, but have become foundational truths of the Christian faith.  In fact, it is these truths that separate and divide Christianity from all other religions.  These truths define that which is distinctly Christian from that which is not.  Sadly, the disciples did not understand and they failed to ask because they were afraid.  May we not make the same mistake; for failing to understand this truth will have eternal consequences. 

"They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples" (Mark 9:30-31a - ESV)

"Galilee" is a region around the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.  This region now includes portions of modern-day northern Israel and parts of southern Lebanon.  Mark's frequent use of geographical references reminds us, yet again, that Jesus is a real person in a real place during a very real period of history.

As Jesus and his disciples were passing through this region He “didn’t want people to know.” Why? What’s changed? Jesus has been traveling around, miraculously healing people and driving out demons.  However, now He has reached a point in His ministry where He is focused on teaching His 12 disciples.  The problem is, every where they go, people mob them! They want to experience the healing; they want to witness the miracles; but Jesus is focused on these 12 men that would soon be entrusted with telling the world about Him.  He was focused on teaching His disciples because He knew He would soon be gone and it would be their job to tell others about Him.

So, what was Jesus teaching His disciples as they traveled through the region?  Look at the second half of Mark 9:31:

"saying to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.'” (Mark 9:31b - ESV)

Jesus uses one of His favorite titles to refer to himself, "The Son of Man."  It is a messianic title used a few times in the book of Mark.  It was clearly Luke's favorite title for Jesus since he used it 25 times in his gospel.

Using this specific title, Jesus gives 3 shocking predictions concerning what will happen to him.  Each one is progressively more shocking than the previous.

(1) Jesus will be delivered into the hands of men

Acts 2:23 says Jesus was “delivered according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.”

No one took Jesus life by force. He willingly gave himself.  He was delivered into the hands of men, by the power and will of God the Father!

In fact, when Jesus was being arrested one of His disciples (one of the 12 guys) tried to defend Jesus by drawing a sword and cutting off a guy’s ear!  Jesus stopped him and said, “do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 56 all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” (Matthew 26:53, 56 - ESV)

The procession of events that were about to take place in Jesus’ life were no accident. No only were they no accident, they were very much premeditated!  The book of Hebrews tells us that “God’s works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4:3 - ESV)

Jesus was going to be delivered to the hands of men, according to the Will of His Heavenly Father. Now, when his disciples heard this, they had to be thinking, “ok, I can handle that. I’m sure he’ll be acquitted and released. Right????” Not quite. The second prediction is even more shocking than the first.

The middle of Mark 9:31 states, "and they will kill him.”

(2) Jesus will be killed

Again, His disciples had to be thinking, "WOE, WOE, WOE, WOE!  Hold on a second!  Jesus, come one – we’ve been down this road before!  You’re the Messiah! The Christ! Why would you be killed!????!?!”

Jesus had to die.  The book of Hebrews again tells us, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22 - ESV)

Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life.  He alone was qualified to die in our place and shed his blood for us to provide forgiveness from sin.

BUT THERE HAD TO BE ANOTHER WAY – RIGHT???

Luke chapter 22 records the moments leading up to Jesus being delivered into the hands of men on the Mount of Olives.  He was by himself, praying.  Knowing full well what was about to happen to him this is what Jesus prayed: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42 - ESV)

Yet, He knew, as His heavenly Father knew – there was no other way.  If there really was another way, do you think God the Father would send His Son to be mocked, suffer and die? I think not.  The Old Testament clearly established the pattern for Jesus to follow.  There is one way: Jesus.  Jesus, was the Lamb of God, destined to be slain before the creation of the world.

The third truth is found at the end of Mark 9:31: "and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."

(3) After three days Jesus will rise from the dead

Here’s were Jesus really had to lose the disciples.  Surely, He blew every circuit in their heads because the last time they checked, dead men don’t rise from the dead.

But Jesus is the God-Man!

In Acts 13 the apostle Paul stood up in the Jewish synagogue in Antioch and basically said, “you religious leaders don’t even understand the very Scriptures to read every Sabbath.  This Jesus, whom you killed on the cross, “God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are no his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news.” (Acts 13:30-32a)


This "good news" is the heart of the Gospel!

The apostle Paul would later say he determined to know nothing, but Jesus and Him crucified! The gospel (the "true story") of Jesus must be our central message.  Sadly, not many churches today proclaim the Gospel on a regular basis (if at all) for fear it might offend someone.  However, the focus of our message is not some new idea; it’s not self-help; it’s not philosophy; it’s not helping people to feel good about themselves; it’s not a theology of prosperity; it’s not about your best life now; it’s not three steps to success or 12 steps to freedom.  The centrality of the message is JESUS! The crucified and risen Jesus!

No matter how it’s packaged or how palatable people try to make it, in 1 Corinthians 1 we read that “the word (or message) of the cross is folly (or foolishness) to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved…. It is the power of God.”

So, here comes the question: Do you understand?  Do you understand the message of the Gospel?

Don’t blow it off; don’t make an assumption.  Failure to understand is a matter of life and death for eternity.  Think it through,because even the disciples, at this point in their lives, struggled to understand.

"But they did not understand the saying" (Mark 9:32a - ESV)

Most of the disciples (all but Judas) would finally understand later in life.  After more teaching and seeing the risen Jesus in person – they would finally get it.  In fact, they got it so clearly that many of the disciples would die as martyrs for taking the Gospel message to others.

But here, in this passage, they made what could have been a fatal mistake:

“they did not understand, and they were afraid to ask.”(Mark 9:32 - ESV)

We only get so much time here on this earth to understand this truth. The Bible makes it very clear that once you breath your final breath your time is up.  Don’t wait until it’s too late.  (cf. Luke 16:19-31)  God has given everything we need to understand.  He has given us the truth of His Word.

SO, again, the question before you: Do you understand the truth?

Here’s the truth:  (It can't be overstated)

The Bible says, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Just as everyone who has a drivers license is guilty of speeding at some point in their life, we are all lawbreakers before God.  Sadly, the penalty for breaking God's Law is far worse than a speeding ticket. The penalty of sin is death.  We all deserve eternal death because of our sin. No matter how much “good” stuff you try to mix with it, you’re still stained with sin.  It’s like that one red towel that get’s mixed in with the whites in your washing machine. Sin stains everything.

God’s answer to this problem of sin is described ever so clearly in Romans 5: (This is the explanation of Mark chapter 9; this is why Jesus had to do those three shocking things)


"but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." (Romans 5:8-9 - ESV)

The word “justified” means that you and I stand before God pure, without sin, spotless, and acceptable in His sight.  God looks at us and says, “There is no sin in you!” We are now just, right, in His sight. All the lies that we’ve told; all the idols we’ve worshiped by putting stuff before God; all the blasphemy that we’ve lived by saying, “my way his better than God’s;” all the blatant sin of saying, “I’m more important than God;" ALL that garbage is removed and God sees us as Just! NOT because you go to church every Sunday; NOT because you’ve tried to not do those “bad” things from your past anymore and are now trying to live a good life. “We have now been justified by His blood."

Notice, there is nothing in Romans 5 that you have done...nothing!  Being justified before God has nothing to do with your might, your Religious bent, your morality, your power, your perceived ability to clean up your own life.  Being justified before God has nothing to do with you.  You and I have been justified by an act of the almighty God! We are have been made pure by God, who hand-delivered His only Son to be rejected, despised and killed by the very people He came to save.

We can now stand before God pure, free because of Christ's death.  In His death He absorbed all of God’s wrath for you and me! That’s why the Bible says, "God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 5:9) The wrath that was destined for you and for me was absorbed by Christ's death.

I know, some of you are thinking, “That’s not the God I know.” Your image of God is formed by the lies of culture, rather than the truth. You see God as some guy with a gray beard sitting in heaven, looking down, waiting for you to mess up so he can press the “smite” button and get a good laugh out of it. You picture God as somehow enjoying holding people accountable for their sin, just waiting for us to mess up so that He can say, “Gotcha!” You picture God as somehow delighting in your troubles.  That is NOT the God of the Bible! That is NOT the One true God.

The Bible tells us God’s desire is that no one perish, but that all come to repentance. (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9) That’s why He sent His Son to die! Think about that for a moment!  Think of the person that you love the most and then imagine giving their life to save someone who has wronged you. You give that loved one to save your enemy from a punishment they deserved. What an act of sacrificial love. What an amazing gift!

Yet, there are many today, and maybe you’re one of them, who still face the wrath of God and refuse to accept this free gift of eternal life.  The prophet Isaiah said it best, “We all like sheep have gone astray; everyone has turned to his own way.”

If there is one message (lie) that overshadows all other messages in our culture today, it is that “any way you chose is the right way.” We don't dare tell someone that they might be going the wrong way or you’re a “hater” and “narrow-minded.”

Jesus made it very clear, “the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. And those who enter by it are many.” God has provided the way; He has paid the price and all we must do is believe in Jesus. Yet, there are still many who don’t.  There are even many who say they understand when they don't really have a clue.

Jesus went on to explain, “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."  Later on in Luke 13 He said, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

This is not a sales pitch to try and sell a product to grow a church. This is the Truth that will change your life; both now and for eternity!


Bottom line:

If you don’t understand: ASK!  If you’re uncomfortable with the truth about who Jesus is, don’t ignore that discomfort, it is the Spirit of the living God impressing upon you your great need for His Son Jesus!

If you do understand: ACT!

We are to proclaim Jesus.  He is to be the center of our life.  It is about Jesus and him alone!

Jesus makes a brutally honest, and quite sobering statement a little later on in Matthew chapter 7 – He said that “not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

I believe this is describing those who thought they understood the message of the Gospel, when in reality they did not.  You may know the name Jesus; you may go to church every Sunday; but you may have never realized, Jesus died for you and rose again for you, so that YOU can have eternal life.

If you truly understand, your life will show it.   You will ACT!
The Christian life is not an easy life. It’s not all petting puppies and smelling flowers. In fact, Jesus promised His followers trouble and persecution. But there is PEACE and FORGIVENESS and HOPE – in the resurrection – the message of Easter.

[this post is adapted from my 2012 Easter sermon presented at Geist Community Church]

What does God say about Forgiveness?

Forgiveness was (by far) the #1 topic submitted for our current sermon series.  Obviously, living in a fallen, sinful, depraved world means we will be hurt by other people AND we will invariably hurt others.  Jesus told His followers near the end of John 16: "In this world you will have trouble."

The challenge (and responsibility) facing every follower of Christ is responding to "the trouble" of life in a manner that honors and glorifies God.  Regardless of how difficult it may be, the truth is every person who is "in Christ" has a God-given responsibility to forgive others. (listen/watch sermon)

During the message I highlighted four common myths concerning forgiveness:
    Myth #1: Forgiveness can be proven by our feelings
    Myth #2: Forgiveness means forgetting
    Myth #3: Forgiveness will "make it all better"
    Myth #4: There is a limit to forgiveness

Even though I didn't have time to address it in the message, there is one very prevalent myth that needs to be debunked.  In fact, I've heard it pop-up in conversations probably a half-dozen times just this past week.  It goes something like this: "I'm trying to work through this forgiveness thing, but I just can't forgive myself."

Many people (Christian or not) stress this idea of "forgiving yourself."  Unfortunately, it just isn't biblical.  In fact, the Bible says nothing about forgiving yourself.  We see two forms (and only two forms) of forgiveness presented very clearly in the Bible.  Ephesians 4:32 clearly describes both forms: (1) God in Christ forgives us; (2) we must forgive others.  There is nothing about internal forgiveness of "forgiving ourselves."

Where did this notion of "forgiving yourself" come from?  I don't have any "proof" or "sources" to support this explanation (so I would have gotten at least one grade deduction in seminary) but it undoubtedly originated from secular psychology.  Now, I'm not trying to throw secular psychology "under the bus." (It is what it is.)  Truth be told, they've done the best they can with what they have to work with.  Just as we should expect a "lost" person (without Christ) to live like a lost person, we should expect psychology (without Christ and His forgiveness) to try and solve complex problems of life from a man-centered approach rather than a God-centered approach.  Secular psychologists are operating without the forgiveness of God as the basis for their work, so all they have to work with is the forgiveness of "man." Hence, the only option is "forgive yourself."

Unfortunately, this same line of thinking has carried over into the church because "hey, those are the professionals, right?"  We even have well-intentioned Christians who have tried to pull verses out of the Bible to support "forgiving yourself" and in doing so promptly failed Bible Study Methods 101 (since I've already mentioned seminary once in this article).

If you're struggling with this unrealistic need to "forgive yourself" here are a few nuggets of truth to help you move past that point:

    (1) Understand God alone forgives sin

The Pharisees and scribes understood this truth very well in Mark 2.  If we could "forgive ourselves" there would be no need for Christ's sacrifice.  When we forgive others we forgive the offense made against us, with God's forgiveness of us serving as an example to follow.  We do not forgive their sin.


    (2) Acknowledge your great need for God's forgiveness

Often times, people who struggle with this idea of "forgiving themselves" have difficulty accepting their own sinful nature and total depravity before God.  They refuse to accept the fact that they are "that bad."  In reality, we are all far worse than we could ever understand.  (read more about that here)

The Bible teaches there is "no one righteous, not even one...there is no one who seeks God." (first in Psalm 14 and then repeated in Romans 3 ...... when both Old and New Testaments repeat the same point we better pay attention)

We must get past this "self-righteous" view of "I can't believe I did something so horrible."  Believe it and then......



    (3) Rest in God's complete redemption

We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; we all need a Savior; we were all dead in our trespasses and sin.... BUT God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Ephesians 1:7 states, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace," (ESV)

People often feel the need to try and "forgive themselves" because they still feel badly or still feel the regrets of sinful living.  Remember myth #1!  Forgiveness cannot be proven by our feelings.  We must dwell on truth.  The truth is, for those "in Christ," there is therefore now NO condemnation! (Romans 8:1)

Romans chapter 8 (the entire chapter) was one of the first major sections of Scripture I set out to memorize many years ago.  I'm so thankful that a wise mentor of mine pointed me to that chapter because I've clung to it's truth over and over and over again.

When the flaming darts of the evil one come flying in your direction trying to deceive you into thinking you're not forgiven, remember your shield of faith. (Ephesians 6:16)  Our faith must be firmly planted on truth: There is therefore now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!  No "self forgiveness" required!

What does God say about _______?

Two weeks ago I started a new sermon series at Geist Community Church entitled "What does God say about _____?"  (we've been studying the Gospel of Mark for almost a year and we won't finish until the beginning of next year, so I decided to take a break for a few weeks)  In the weeks leading up to the series I asked the people of our church to submit topics that they would like see addressed.  I was quite shocked by the large volume of submissions.  Since there was no way I could cover all of the topics in a five-week sermon series, I promised to blog about some of the topics that I wouldn't have time to cover and address some of the more popular topics at greater depth than a 40-minute sermon allows.

As I reviewed the topic submissions I began to realize that nearly all of the answers were built upon our identity as believers "in Christ."  Who we are "in Christ" must serve as a new foundation upon which we make spirit-directed and God-honoring decisions for our "new life."  Thus, we began the series last week laying the foundation for the following four weeks as we asked: What does God say about Identity?

I've known for awhile that this is a "war zone" in the life of many believers today and even mulled writing a book on this topic.  (at least until I saw Mark Driscoll was going to beat me to the punch with a new book early in 2013)  Still, the response to the message overwhelmed me.  The church received several requests for audio CD's for people to give to their friends and family.  In response, we made copies of the message available this past Sunday for pickup, only to run out with others still asking for more.  (apparently some people still listen to CD's even though I honestly couldn't find a functional CD player in the church to test our newly burned CD master)  Since you're obviously reading this on some sort of electronic device with web access, you can listen to or watch the message here.

My prayer through this entire series has been, and will continue to be, that those of us "in Christ" realize we cannot live the way we used to live because we are not who we used to be!  

Upcoming sermon topics:
What does God say about forgiveness?
What does God say about spiritual gifts?
What does God say about pain/suffering?
What does God say about parenting?

To the praise of HIS glorious grace!

My Christmas Eve Rant: Avoiding the "Appearance" of Evil

Someone in the church asked a simple question this week. What is the reference for "avoid the appearance of evil?" What I figured would take less than five minutes to answer quickly turned into an exegetical study of the text. The answers I uncovered were quite shocking and revealed that I personally needed to change the way I view and sometimes referenced this passage. Coming from a staunch "baptist" upbringing I had heard that verse used to stay away from everything from alcohol to television for the fear that even the smell of alcohol might condemn me to hell because I didn't "avoid the appearance of evil." Here is what I uncovered:

The Authorized Version (also known as the KJV) translates 1 Thess. 5:22: "abstain from all appearance of evil." Honestly, it is a bad translation of the Greek, which is why all of our modern translations today (including the NKJV) use a phrase like "abstain from" or "stay away from every form of evil." The Greek has nothing to do with "appearance" but rather a "separation from." Most likely the church culture of the day was trying to use this verse to enforce some of their legalistic tendencies. When it came to accusing someone in the early church of sin it was often a "guilty" before proven innocent type charge. There was very little, if any, grace. (Hence the witch hunts of the late 1600s) Unfortunately, as the KJV was translated they allowed their theological views to sway the translation to fit their views. (every translation is somewhat guilty of this, but this is a perfect example.)

Jesus obviously didn't care too much about avoiding "appearance" when He had dinner with the tax collectors and sinners at Levi's home. Now, before I through the baby out with the bathwater, I do think there is biblical precedent for living "upright" lives as an example for non-believers, but certainly not to look down at them. (which is always a danger we must avoid) The point is to show love and grace to "sinners" so that they will be drawn to Jesus, not so that they will be pushed away by our pious attitudes. We can NEVER expect a non-believer to live like a believer, because they are not one! Unfortunately, many churches (and Christians) today seem to quickly forget that truth.

Here are just two (of many) passages that support the admonition of living "upright" lives among the world.

Ephesians 5:3 says there must not even be "a hint" of sin. (NIV) It then goes on to list several examples of sin. There are actually only two Greek words that are translated as the phrase: "there must not be even a hint of." One of them means "speaking or mentioning the name of." Obviously, it doesn't mean that we can't say the words "sexual immorality" or "greed." Rather it means these things should have no consideration in the life of a believer. The actions/thoughts related to these sins should be avoided at all costs.

1 Peter 2:12 says, "live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." (NIV) Christians are to abstain from sinful desires not only for their own spiritual well-being but also in order to maintain an effective testimony before non-believers. Does that mean that when we live upright lives the non-believing world around us will always approve of our actions? Not at all. Later in 1 Peter 4:4 it says, "they (non-believers) think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you." The only time that the sinful world will approve of our "good deeds and glorify God" is "on the day He visits us." So, until THE DAY, when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father (Phil. 2), we can expect our "good deeds" to be "rewarded" by strange looks, obscene comments, and criticism by those focused on worldly things.

(another passage would be Philippians 2:14-15: "that you may be blameless and innocent.")

The point is: we need to be salt and light. We cannot be salt and light if we live exactly like the world. We are called to be different. If we aren't different then what good are we. (see Matthew 5:13-16)

One last warning from Colossians 4:6: "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. " Be different, but be GRACIOUS!

Our Savior is born, Jesus; the only name given under heaven by which men must be saved!

God's Infinite Power

The old question goes something like this: "If God is so powerful, can he create a rock that he cannot lift?"

My immediate response has always been: There is no good answer to a bad question.

God has the power to do anything and everything that He wills to do (that is what it means to be omnipotent). This does not mean God can literally do everything. Numbers 23:19 and 1 Samuel 15:29 clearly state that God cannot lie, nor can He change His nature (i.e. He cannot cease to be God.) However, God can and will do all that He wills and promises to do.

The Psalmist clearly understood God's omnipotence when they wrote, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

Praise the Almighty, the King of Creation!

What is a biblical understanding of baptism and its relation to forgiveness and receiving the Holy Spirit in the context of Acts 2, specifically 2:38?

There has been a lot of confusion over this passage throughout the history of the church. In fact, there are a few Christian groups today who believe that the "baptism of the Spirit" occurs at some distant point following conversion. There are even a more groups who believe that baptism is necessary for forgiveness of sins. Still others insist that we receive the Holy Spirit during baptism just as the Spirit descended on Jesus during His baptism by John. Unfortunately, none of these views really fit with the teaching of Scripture.

When reading the book of Acts we must remember that the book is describing a period of dramatic transition. The book as a whole is primarily descriptive rather than prescriptive. In other words, it is a good historical record showing us how the church, as we know it today, came into existence under the direction of the Apostles, those men commissioned directly by Jesus. We can look at the book and see how things were done, but it doesn't necessarily mean they must be done in exactly the same way today. It is a different type of writing compared to the rest of the New Testament, which is prescriptive, in that it says do this, don't do that, avoid this, cling to that, etc. So, when we seek to draw a specific principle from the book of Acts and interpret what we are reading we must compare it with the whole of Scripture.

With that in mind, let me provide a biblical definition and basis for baptism as I see it presented in Scripture. Baptism in no way provides salvation nor is it a means to salvation. Jesus' work on the cross is the sole means to forgiveness and redemption from sin (cf. Romans 3:24-25). Repenting of sin and turning to Jesus in faith is the only basis for forgiveness (cf. Romans 10:9). Thus, baptism is for followers of Jesus who desire to make their commitment to Him public and identify themselves with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism does not result in forgiveness of sins as some argue from Acts 2:38. There are two strong arguments to support this understanding of baptism:

(1) Luke, the writer of Acts and the gospel, clearly teaches in his other writings that repentance and belief (on the foundation of faith alone) are the basis for forgiveness of sins (cf. Acts 5:31, 10:43; Luke 24:47). Other New Testament writers, such as Paul, clearly show that salvation (forgiveness of sins) comes solely "by grace, through faith" (Ephesians 2:8-9) to the "one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).

(2) Perhaps the most obvious support for this view is found in the linguistic support in the original Greek phrase of Acts 2:38: "repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins." In the Greek the verb makes a distinction between singular and plural verbs and nouns. In Acts 2:38 the verb "repent" is plural and so is the pronoun "your" in the clause "for the forgiveness of your sins." Thus, the verb "repent" is tied linguistically to the purpose of forgiveness of sins. Conversely, the imperative "be baptized" is singular, separating it from "forgiveness."

So, we repent of our sin, turn to Jesus through faith (internal) and publicly announce our faith to others through baptism (external).

In John 14:16-17 and 16:7-11 Jesus promised that when He left the apostles and ascended into heaven the Father would send the Holy Spirit to fill every believer. In fact, Acts 1:5 records Jesus telling the apostles they would "be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Sure enough, that happened in the very next chapter on the day of Pentecost. This is a perfect illustration of how the book of Acts is descriptive, not prescriptive. The day of Pentecost was a unique event, in that the apostles were already followers of Jesus and received the Holy Spirit at a later date. From that special event until today the Holy Spirit immediately indwells every believer at the moment of conversion and never leaves us. Romans 8:9 describes how the Spirit is in everyone who has eternal life and John 14:16-17 says that that the Spirit "dwells with" and "will be in" believers "forever;" meaning that He never leaves us.

Thus, there is no special "filling" or "baptism" of the Spirit. In fact, the Bible says that there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). If you are a believer in Jesus you have the Holy Spirit in you as revealed by the statement in Romans 8:9 that anyone who does "not have the Spirit…does not belong to Christ." If you belong to Christ you have the Holy Spirit. His presence in your life should be confirmed through the outworking of the "fruits of the Spirit" in Galatians 5.

"So I say, walk by the Spirit." - Gal. 5:16

What do you do when you don’t feel like praying?

I doubt that any follow of Jesus wouldn’t acknowledge the importance of prayer in our daily lives. As followers of Jesus we are commanded to pray. Throughout the Bible there are innumerable people who pray as an example for us to follow, including Jesus Himself.

In all honesty though, prayer is not something that “just happens.” Prayer takes work; hard work. The question we’ve all faced at some point is how do we pray when we don’t feel like praying? Here is a short/simple process (based on Matthew 6:9-13) that I recommend you trying the next time you’re tempted not to pray:

1. Make God the center of your prayer by adoring His greatness (Matt. 6:9)

Read: Isaiah 40:12-15; 21-25; 28-31

Sing (or read):
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Personal Response: Adore God and His greatness in your own words.


2. Make God the center of your prayer by submitting to Him and His purposes (Matt. 6:10)

Read: Psalm 115:3; 135:5-7

Sing (or read):
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Personal Response: Pray a prayer submitting yourself, your desires, your thoughts, your actions to God and His will for you.


3. Make God the center of your prayer by acknowledging He is the source of all things. (Matt. 6:11-13)

Read: Matthew 6:19-34

Sing (or read):
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Personal Response: Thank God for His continued love and provision through Christ. Ask Him to meet your needs according to His power in Christ. (Phil. 4:19; 1 John 5:14)


Martyn Lloyd-Jones - “Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God”