A Hobbit's Life

Life is simple. The story of your life and mine can generally be neatly put into a series of propositions. But discerning the relationships among them is almost inevitably complex. This is the simple complexity of human life.

As Christians we affirm that life is not all about us. The narrative of history is far greater in scope and meaning than any one person, save Jesus Christ. Each of us plays only a small part in the grand story, and yet each of us plays an integral part in the story. Without each of us the narrative is incomplete, but, individually, none of us is the sum of what it's about.

This tension is often difficult to hold before us when life is turbulent, when life fluctuates between storms and rainbows. Besides experiences of extreme good or evil, there are times that seem to be full of significance, meaning, and purpose, while others seem void of any of these things. What are we to make of life when we endure such struggles?

You and I are often quick to make ourselves the center of the narrative of history when life shifts just off kilter, not to mention when things really get out of whack. When tragedies unexpectedly intrude into our lives, we often assume that we, ourselves, are the victim and fail to see that just maybe in the grander scheme of things this unfortunate occurrence is not ultimately about us; rather it is to bring about something extraordinarily good.

J.R.R. Tolkien insightfully wrote about this tension that life presents to us. In the final pages of his book, "The Hobbit", Gandalf is conversing with Bilbo Baggins, who seems to be surprised that the prophecies have come true, namely, that a dwarf king has returned to the throne under the Lonely Mountain. Tolkien writes:

"Then the prophecies of the old songs have turned out to be true, after a fashion!" said Bilbo."

"Of course!" said Gandalf. "And why should not they prove true? Surely you don't disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!"

Do you see what Gandalf is saying? He acknowledges that Bilbo is in the grand scheme of things a "little fellow," that is, rather insignificant. But at the same time, he had a hand in bringing about the prophecies, which means that he is incalculably significant. This is the same tension that we experience.

Note also that Gandalf says that Bilbo's adventures and escapes were neither by "mere luck," nor "for (his) sole benefit." If you have read the novel, you know that Bilbo had cause to be discouraged, frustrated, even angry because of the struggles throughout his journey. But Gandalf doesn't allow Bilbo to go on thinking and wallowing with this attitude. He explains to him that there was someone or something behind all that Bilbo endured (I would argue that in Tolkien's case this is a reference to a sovereign God), and that there was both: a greater purpose for and others who benefited from his journey.

As I already said, Gandalf says that through Bilbo's strenuous adventures he had a hand in bringing about the prophecies. As Christian's this is something that we can find a glimmer of hope in; for we too have prophecies concerning our king who will return to rule forever. Matthew wrote in his gospel, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Who is going to do that preaching? Not hobbits, but humans: members of the Church of Jesus Christ. Therefore, all who are a member of His Church will have a role in bringing about the prophecies. That is a cool thought.

The Everydayness of Church

This idea came up in class the other day. It's one that I have thought about before and to this day do not have anywhere near all the answers, but the questions are important to ask.

The everydayness of church...what is it? Isn't church for Sunday, maybe Wednesday night for prayer meeting, and maybe, if you're a spiritual person, another night of the week for small group? Well, yes. I think church, in the sense of the gathering of believers in Jesus for worship, fellowship, edification, and encouragement, is for Sunday and Wednesday and one other night of the week. But it seems to me that according to the New Testament, especially the book of Acts, church in this sense (though, maybe with a slightly different purpose and organization) is an everyday event.

An alteration to what I have said so far that might be helpful to understand what I'm getting at is to change the term "church" to "assembly." This is an appropriate and accurate translation of the Greek word ekklesia, often translated as "church" in our English Bibles. When we think about the early church in Acts this is what they were and what they did: they were an assembly that assembled. They were an assembly of persons called out by the grace of God in Christ which assembled, not just once or twice a week, but everyday in homes for fellowship and edification.

Look at what Luke writes about the first believers in Jesus:

42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awedcame upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Granted the time, geographical, and cultural differences between first century Israel and twenty-first century America, how many of us could say our church resembles this?

I am not advocating meeting together with your small group everyday at your local church. Rather, consider how and where you might gather in your community: in a home, in a school, at a park, or at a coffee shop. You might join together with one other individual or twenty, for ten minutes or an hour. The point is to build relationships and encourage one another.

Hebrews 3 comes to mind, which says:

12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

Notice the author says, "exhort one another every day." Obviously, today we can do this without having to be face to face, but certainly that is not what the author intended when he wrote; he meant physically coming together. And why does he command the early church to do this? Because, as John Piper says, "the perseverance of the saints is a community project." Exhortation cuts against the lure and power of evil, unbelief, hardness of heart and the deceitfulness of sin. These are our enemies in the fight of faith, the fight to persevere. By God's grace we are and will be victorious, and daily exhortation is one means by which he has ordained this to happen.

We do not hold biblical values and priorities in our culture and society today. Me and my life is more important than you and your's, nevertheless those in your local church. Getting my things done for the day is more important than helping you get yours, nonetheless spending time and encouraging you in your walk with Christ. And, thus, these are big hurdles for us as American Christians to get over, in order that we might better adhere to the pattern and demands of the New Testament.

So, consider what the everydayness of church might look like for you. This does not mean having a Sunday worship service everyday of the week. Rather, it looks like the early church in Acts 2 and Hebrews 3, gathering day by day in homes and elsewhere for meals, for fellowship, for encouragement, and more. That is how and why the assembly is to assemble everyday.

Christ and Champions

In just a little while the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship game will be played between two great teams: Louisville and Michigan. The young men on each team will stride onto to the court with confidence, anxiety, and great excitement. And over the course of the following forty minutes of play a winner, a champion will be decided.

The Gospel Coalition National Conference 2013 is also taking place this week. Just moments ago Don Carson finished up his exposition of Luke 9:18-56. In it he reminded us of one of Luke's prominent themes beginning in 9:51, "Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem." He showed how the reader must read the rest of the narrative up to the cross in light of the looming cross. And there also a champion was to be decided.

"It is finished," was Christ's victory cry. Yet Christ's ultimate victory was not won on the cross, but in his resurrection. "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55) as the apostle Paul put it. And Peter similarly, "God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it," (Acts 2:24). Jesus' victory, though being the Son of the Almighty, was not to be through a path of ease, as is fitting for a king, commanding soldiers to go here and there; but it was through death itself, and life thereafter. He set his face towards Jerusalem. And by his resurrection, Jesus conquered death and the grave and inaugurated a new age and a new covenant. For the joy set before him, for the glory to which he would return, for the pleasing aroma and sacrifice he would be to his Father, for these reasons and more Jesus the Messiah went to the cross to die, to rise again, and to triumph o'er his foes.

Without a doubt, there will be a great game played tonight. And I along with millions of others will enjoy it, as we should. But let us take pause, to remember Jesus who went to battle, not on a wooden court, but on a wooden cross. "He died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die." Such is our savior, our deliverer, and our champion! Greater than Gideon over the Midianites, greater than David over Goliath, and truly greater than any collegiate basketball star is our Champion, Christ Jesus the Lord. Glory, and honor, and power, and dominion be unto him forever and ever, Amen!

Your Sunday Best?

Why do you wear what you wear to church?

I have heard testimonies and answers regarding this question ranging from, "God told me," to, "You wouldn't wear your pajamas if you were going to dinner with the President, would you?" And though people are genuine in their conviction and sincere in their desire to please the Lord, does the Bible really teach that we have to wear a suit and tie (and I guess whatever the equivalent is for you ladies) to church?

I suggest that we have often taken the wrong approach in answering this question. First of all, is the cotton or polyester in your Dockers more holy than that in my Levi's? Is the blue dye in my denim that which is unholy? Or maybe the issue is the commonality of my jeans, that is, I wear them everyday. Well, what do you wear (to work) everyday? Slacks and a button-up shirt, and maybe even a tie and jacket? Sounds like you wear to church what is common also.

There are still other reasons given by some to explain why they wear what they wear: you are to wear your best when you go to church (in other words, generally speaking, "when you enter God's house") and you are to wear your best when you come before God or worship God. I think that these answers, though well intentioned, generally arise from misunderstandings about New Testament theology.

First, what we call the church, that is, the building and structure where we gather is not God's house in this sense: that God does not dwell there as he did in the temple/tabernacle in the Old Testament. The temple was a shadow, a picture, and a type of what was to come. The temple has been fulfilled, first in Jesus, and then in his church: corporately and individually. John 1:14 and 3:18-22 both teach that Jesus literally "tabernacled among us" (1.14 also translated "dwelt"), and that in his person, his body, the temple was fulfilled. Moreover, those who are united to Jesus, namely, his church are corporately, as the body of Christ, God's temple. Ephesians 2:19-22 and 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 make this clear. And lastly, because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, individuals who are united to Jesus are called a "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 6:19).

Second, nowhere in the New Testament did Jesus or the apostles give indication that we must, like the priests of old, dress up in ornate and extravagant clothing to come before God. The veil has been torn! Jesus is now our high priest and mediator through whom we can approach God as we are: whether in sackcloth and ashes, in a tuxedo, or in jeans and a polo. If we must "put on our best" before we go to God and worship him, then shouldn't we get dressed properly before our morning devotions and make sure that we don't have our pajamas on when we pray as we go to sleep? But this is nonsense. The Scriptures are replete with examples of men and women of faith coming to God, not with their "Sunday best" on, but in humility and faith and as a child.

This gets to the heart of the issue. Is our clothing the defining issue of how we are to come before God, or is it our heart? The essence of worship lies in the heart. The dividing line between true worship and worship that dishonors God is the affections of the heart. Consider Jesus' words in Mark 7:6, as he quotes from the prophecy of Isaiah, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." The Pharisees fulfilled this prophecy by honoring God in their word, but because of the condition of their hearts, their worship was, as Jesus said, in vain. They held to their traditions more firmly than they did God's commands, even making void the word of God by their traditions (7:13).

Now, granted, passages such as 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Peter 3 do address clothing. But again what is the heart of the matter they raise: the heart. Paul instructs Timothy, "women should adorn themselves...with modesty and self control...with what is proper for women who profess godliness-with good works." And Peter similarly says, "Do not let your adorning be external...but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit."

One last consideration is context: historical and socio-economic. A suit and tie was not always the "formal" look. Did the disciples and others in the early church put on their Gucci's and Ralph Lauren's to come to church? No. Don't assume that the Bible refers to today's top fashion styles and brands when it talks about clothing. Moreover, would you expect a believer who lives on a few dollars a day to go out and find the best that money can buy? This would surely be asking too much. The point is that, even if we were to maintain that you should wear your Sunday best, there will be diversity in what that actually is depending on factors such as these. Times change. Finances are here today and gone tomorrow. Don't overlook these factors when you consider what one should wear to church.

So what is the right approach to the question? As with all other matters of life and faith: what does the Bible say is the right first answer. And my best attempt to explain that is as follows: neither wearing your "Sunday best," nor wearing common clothing is exclusively right or wrong in God's sight. The New Testament doesn't command either extreme, and further, at the heart of worship and gathering together as believers at "church," our hearts are what's most important.

Live as free men and women, for "For freedom Christ has set us free" (Galatians 5:1). Yet "do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Gal. 5:13). When you come to God alone or corporately come in humility, in faith, with confidence and as his child (c.f. Hebrews 4:16, Luke 18:16-17, Romans 8:15-16). And further, when we gather as believers come modestly, not drawing attention to yourself, but pointing others to the person for whom we gather, Jesus.

Who Chose Who?

One of the biggest debates over the course of the history of the church is who chose who. That is, has God chosen (elected) those who will be saved, and therefore they believe in him, or have some believed in him (i.e. God foresaw that some would believe), and therefore God chose them?

My purpose here is not to persuade you in just a few sentences to accept one position or the other (though maybe the Lord will use this to cause you to reflect on what you believe, and in so doing persuade you). But as I was reading Isaiah I came across a verse that, I think, states the answer to the question very clearly. Here it is, Isaiah 43:10, ""You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.""

Did you see it? Did you follow what the Lord said? He said that he has chosen Israel, so that they may believe. What came first: Israel's believing or God's choosing? God said God's choosing.

I am wholly persuaded that this is the testimony of all Scripture. God is screaming through the pages of his word that he has acted decisively for his glory and our good in choosing a people for his own possession. Call this what you will: sovereign grace, Calvinism, or unconditional election, but the point is clear, "because of [God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord"" (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

This ought to make us the most joyful, thankful, and loving people in the world! We, of all people, have someone to thank for doing the impossible, which left to ourselves we would have never done. He has opened our blind eyes, softened our hard hearts, and "caused us to be born again into a living hope" (1 Peter 1:3), so that we might taste and see the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and so believe in his name.

Your answer to the question, who chose who, will revolutionize how you think about God, how you pray, how you love people, how you evangelize, and how you think about your own salvation (just to name a few things). May God give you ears to ear what he has spoken, to hear his answer to the question, and grace to believe what he has said.

So I ask you: who chose who?

Psalm 106

Well, it has been quite a while since my last post. But my prayer and expectation is to be more regular in doing so going forward. So, tune in, put on your thinking cap and your devotional robes, and join me for time on our knees in the Book.

Read Psalm 106. It's too long to post here, but it is so rich, illuminating, and presents some interesting questions.

Among the questions that it does present I want to consider one, that is, what role does the practice of remembrance play in salvation? Now, when I use salvation there, I do not mean the narrow idea of our conversion experience when we repent and believe the gospel, but, rather, the broader meaning of salvation: deliverance and rescue as is meant in the context of the psalm. Yet, as you will see, there is significant application to be made with respect to our sanctification: our growth in holiness.

Read the psalm again and note the usage of "remember" and "forget" and what follows.

The psalmist writes in verse 7, "Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea." The Israelites did not consider God's works, nor remember his love, instead they rebelled. The implication is that if they had remembered God's love and mighty deeds, they would have done differently.

Again, he writes in verse 13-14, "But they soon forgot his works...they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert." While in the desert after leaving Sinai, the people forgot God's miraculous work and provision, and complained, imagining that it would be better to return to Egypt.

And again, the psalmist writes that the people "forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea" (v21-22). This immediately follows the psalmist's retelling of the making of the golden calf, which seems to imply that their forgetfulness was the cause of their wickedness: exchanging the glory of God and worshipping a metal image.

What was the result of the Israelites forgetfulness? God sent a disease among the people (v15). God said he would destroy them (v23). The Israelites despised the land (v24), did not believe in God's promises (v24), and disobeyed God's commands (v25, 28, 34-39). And for this God "raised his hand" (v26), was provoked to anger (v29, 32, 40), and "abhorred his heritage" (v41).

"Nevertheless" (v43) or "Yet" (v8), in due time and according to God's sovereign pleasure, God acted for 1) his glory and 2) his people's good. 1) "Yet he saved them for his names's sake, that he might make known his mighty power" (v8). 2) "Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love" (v44-45). Even when the people didn't deserve it, when they were set in their sins and rebellion, God delivered them out of his steadfast love. For "his steadfast love endures forever" (v1).

So what does remembrance have to do with salvation? It appears that when God's people fail to remember his goodness, faithfulness, wondrous works, and steadfast love, only judgment follows. God must take our place and do what we have failed to do; in this case: remember. The people did not remember God and his works, and so God remembered his covenant. May I propose that remembrance is a God-ordained means to his grace and deliverance. That is why the psalmist bookends the psalm (v1-5 and 47-48) with praising the Lord, giving thanks for his his love, calling to mind his mighty deeds, and beseeching the Lord to remember and save his people.

What can we take away? What can we apply? Let us remember the one who is greater than Moses, yet stood in the breach on our behalf; who out of his love for his people and "for the joy that was set before him endured the cross" (Heb. 12.2). Let us remember the gospel, that Jesus died for our sins and rose again, the firstfruits of our resurrection. We are not saved by remembrance, but might it be proper to say that remembrance is one means by which we are being saved (c.f. 1 Cor. 15. 1-2)?

Moreover, as regards our sanctification, hear Peter's words, "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins" (2 Pet. 1.9). We can become blind, forgetting that we were washed clean and justified by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we need to remember the gospel everyday, because we never move beyond our need of its grace, power, and blessing. That is why Peter said, "I intend always to remind you.... I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder" (2 Pet. 1.12-13). And so should we do for one another in the body of Christ.