Light-work

Could You Be Convicted?

In Revelation, the Overcomer is presented as a model of authentic Christianity. In the future, he will overcome three intimidating threats, a “smart idol,” “the beast” and “his number.” This victory will be won despite considerable cost, including market exclusion, and in some cases, death. So how will the overcomer pull this off? What’s his secret?

One of the overcomer’s victory strategies is based on understanding the concept of “deed forwarding.” Here is John’s explanation: “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them” (Rev. 14:12-13).

In this verse, a special blessing is extended to those who pay the ultimate price for their allegiance to the Lord. But the phrase, “from now on,” suggests that, at a certain point, the difficulty of maintaining one’s allegiance to the Lord will increase (as will the blessedness of doing do).

This blessed condition has two results: The overcomer/martyrs will rest from their labors and their “deeds follow with them.” For those who have been about fighting the good fight, “rest” seems a fitting reward. The second phrase describes those whose deeds provide strong evidence of their faith. By the way, their deeds do not go “before” them as the basis of their salvation. They “follow” as a trail of evidence left by those who are the real thing. “Their deeds go with them and speak for them” would be the idea. On earth, there is no shortage of evidence by which to CONVICT them as followers of the Lord. In heaven, there is no shortage of evidence by which to REWARD them as genuine followers of the Lord. Their deeds make it clear beyond all reasonable doubt who they are.

So what about you? If a Jesus-hater were to follow you around today, would there be enough evidence to convict you of being a follower of Jesus?

Bible Sea Salt

Sea salt is all the rage. Surely you have seen some of the Campbell Soup ads that boast lower sodium levels because they now use sea salt. The claim that sea salt gives you more salty flavor from less salt sounds great - lower sodium, better taste. For a basic fact check, here's a relevant link to Dr. Gourmet.

The science behind the claims may be weak, but I am struck by a similarity to a trend in preaching. The typical "teaching time" in the American church appears to be about "improving flavor with less doctrine." We rate sermons by how interesting the speaker is, not so much by how well his/her message is connected to what the Bible teaches. We like sermons with lots of stories, relevant examples, pithy principles, humor, and transparency. How often does a sermon that get's a "10" in all of the above categories get a rotten tomato for its failure to teach what the Bible itself teaches about a topic?

I decry the view that the Bible is boring and that we must jazz it up with other stuff in order to avoid boring people with it. I profoundly disagree with the mantra, "Don't teach 'em theology or you'll put them to sleep." I am not proposing that we bore people with the Bible. God forbid! But the science behind the claim, "we avoid boring people with the Bible by using it less," is flat wrong.

A doctrine is simply a compilation of what the whole Bible teaches on a subject. I like doctrine! Here's why. First, the Bible majors in the majors. If the Bible doesn't have anything to say on a topic, then its not that important. But when the Bible has a lot to say about a subject, pay attention! Doctrine, what the Bible teaches on a subject, shows me what matters.

Second, no one verse gives the whole picture on any given topic. When I identify all the verses that relate to a topic, determine what they teach about that topic, and then compile that teaching into a logical and cohesive summary, I have really got something. This sum of what the Bible teaches on a topic will allow me to answer relevant questions with a complete information packet.

Third, the ultimate author behind the Bible is God. So I have every motivation to get it right when it comes to understanding what He wants me to know. Sure, I can take a verse and run with it. But how sure can I be that He will someday say "well done!" if I ran with one verse while neglecting twenty others? On any given topic, I want to understand everything that God says matters because HE matters.

Is something Paul said a justification for a lot of feel-good talk with a little Bible sprinkled in? "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person"(Col 4:6). Note this: Without an understanding of grace that affects what you say, your speech won't be seasoned with salt. The doctrine of grace, the sum of what the whole Bible teaches on this core topic, is the wellspring of speech that aptly answers to opportunity. The only way to minister Bible Sea Salt is to understand doctrine. So seek doctrine, learn doctrine, preach doctrine. That's what believers do who are worth their salt!

Farewell, Faithful Servant!

Toyota is having a run of bad press lately. So I thought I might put in a good word to help balance the equation. Yesterday, we bid a tearful adieu to our faithful servant, a 1999 Toyota Avalon. Even in the brief moments before our parting, she was still smiling with her trademark grin (pictured above), declaring with playful smile, "Where would you like to go?" Dubbed "The Grey" (same name as Gandolf before his promotion), she was (like Gandolf) dependable to the end.

We bought this Avalon from a cricket rancher (farmer?) in Mississippi who just "had to have" a new PT Cruiser when they first came out. The Grey was in immaculate condition and had about 30,000 miles on it. Yesterday the odometer read 191,237! We have never owned a car that ran as well, as long, and as comfortably as The Grey. I don't know if it was produced in some exceptional moment when the factory got everything right, but it stands as undeniable evidence that Toyota can make a GREAT car. We used it as a trade-in so Puddin could get a new ride. Because the Avalon was in great shape, the dealer seemed pleased to get it and gave me more than I thought for it, despite it's high mileage.

So now as I stare at the bare spot in the driveway that was its berth, I wonder. What does the next chapter hold? Will the new owner appreciate The Grey and give her the kind of care that allows her to reach the next milestone? But without knowing the specifics of the plot, I know with certainty how the story will end. Perhaps suddenly in a brutal collision, perhaps while abandoned to a ditch beside a country lane, perhaps in rusting repose as her frame perches on concrete blocks, the days of faithful service will end. There will be no celebrations, no fanfare, no congratulations for a race well run. She will simply slip softly into the night.

I am struck by a contrast. The Apostle Paul explains, Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve (Col. 3:23-24). Servants of the Lord will never be consigned to the scrap-yard. Their faithfulness may be forgotten among men, but not in the least by the Lord, who will personally give them the greatest reward any man could receive, a heavenly inheritance.

Our bodies, on the other hand, will follow The Grey. They are mere vehicles, transports for the human spirit. They can be damaged; they wear out. Mine is already showing the miles. And I know how the story will end. But Jesus has got things under control. One part of that heavenly inheritance is the provision of a new body, one suited to heavenly existence. On the day I die (or the day the Lord returns, whichever comes first), I will trade in an aging clunker for a new model that is not subject to rust, or aging, or decay. I am so ready to trade up.

Dead Guru Thinks Jesus "Gets" Hinduism

Evangelical Christians are considered the purveyors of a Politically Incorrect Gospel (PIG). This Gospel views John 14:6 as a clear claim by Jesus to be the exclusive way of salvation. Considerable pressure has been applied on those viewed as PIG mongers to repent of their intolerant ways and embrace an inclusivism that celebrates, "All religions merely represent different paths to the same place."

Rabi R. Maharaj was born the son of a great Yogi. He sought to follow his father in the pursuit of enlightenment. Despite being a promising young guru, his search for truth and disillusionment with Hinduism provoked an intense inner struggle. The struggle ended when he renounced his religious heritage and embraced Jesus Christ. Rabi Maharaj, the guru, died in that moment. His amazing story is chronicled in the autobiography, "Death of a Guru." It should be required reading for anyone planning a trip to India.

Chapter seventeen recounts the reaction of Rabi's mother to her son's decision. A poignant paragraph therein speaks to the PIG issue:

Philosophically it seems right to many people to claim that Hinduism accepts all religions and that everyone is going to the same place but by different roads. Those who plead for mutual tolerance and the syncretism of all religions fail to realize that there are grave differences which affect one's life. Such basic realities cannot be dismissed by ecumenical agreements. Mother was committed to the Hindu philosophy that there is only one Reality - Brahman - and that the law of karma demands future payment for past sins. The rest of us [Rabi and other family members who came to Christ] were convinced that good and evil and different, and that the Creator is not the same as his creation. We had come to know the forgiveness that Jesus brings, and we no longer believed in reincarnation. Between these opposite beliefs there was no possible meeting ground, no compromise without denying all meaning to language and ideas.[Emphasis mine]

Here is a former guru declaring that both Hinduism and Jesus teach what "tolerant man" refuses to admit: One must choose between Jesus and Hinduism - they cannot both be right.

Who Dat Serpent?

In Genesis 3:1 we are abruptly introduced to a talking snake with a hidden agenda: Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” No passage in the Old Testament explicitly connects this "serpent" with Satan, although the behavior of "Satan" in Job 1-2 is skin in which the serpent in Genesis 3 would feel quite comfortable.

In the New Testament, the two names are explicitly matched up: And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Rev. 12:9). Regardless of whether he is called "Great Dragon," "Serpent of Old," "Devil," "Satan," or "Deceiver," these are all names for the same person. Because of this connection between the tempter in Genesis 3 and "Satan," some have suggested that "the serpent" is a metaphorical expression. In this view, the individual who spoke to Eve was not an actual reptile but merely someone whose manner is low, oily, crafty, and deceptive.

Because these adjectives aptly describe Satan, there is some truth to this view. But there are clear indicators in the text that "the serpent" is real. First, the serpent is positively identified as a member of a larger group, "beasts of the field." Satan is an angelic being, not a beast of the field. Second, the locomotive curse in Gen. 3:14 only makes sense if the serpent is an actual reptile. Prior to the fall, the serpent got around by means other than crawling. Did it walk like a dinosaur?  Maybe! But "belly crawling" became the serpent's normal mode of travel because of its role in the fall of man.

Taken together, these observations suggest that the temptation of Eve involved a dual source, a talking reptile and Satan. An actual reptile did the talking, but that reptile got its script from Satan. I cannot improve on Martin Luther's summary: “The devil was permitted to enter beasts, as he here entered the serpent. For there is no doubt that it was a real serpent in which Satan was and in which he conversed with Eve.”

Angels Using Amazing DNA Scanners

In Revelation 7:1-8, we are introduced to a group popularly called the "144,000." Just to get some perspective, here is a picture of Neyland Stadium where the UT Vols consistently bring in crowds of 100,000+ on home game Saturdays. The group identified in Revelation 7 would fill Neyland and need another 44,000 overflow seats. This is not a trifling group!

It is common to ask, "Who are they?" Your answer depends a lot on your view of the Book of Revelation. If you are like me, you consider Revelation a straight-forward description of actual future events using normal descriptive language. There are those who would claim otherwise. Some of them see the number, "144,000," as a symbol for completeness or fullness. But this number is not introduced as a symbol (using the customary phrase "which is" - see 1:20 for two examples).

God is good with numbers. He knows the number of hairs on my head, which is a moving target, I can assure you. When Elijah threw a pity party (So typical of pity parties, no one else came!) because he believed "I alone am left" (1 Kings 19:14), God corrected the prophet's math by declaring that He had marked out  7,000 others in Israel who love God and despise Baal. It seems perfectly reasonable for the Lord to do something similar (but involving bigger numbers) in the future. If God wanted to say that this group is a vast multitude, he could easily have employed just such language as He does in Rev. 7:9 which introduces another distinct group.

Others who see the church as the "New Israel" see the 144,000 as a description of all living believers. There are two problems with this view. First, there is no clear example of the church being called "Israel" in the NT. Second, the breakdown of this group into tribal units associated with sons of Jacob provides no meaningful connection to the church. If the 144,000 are all believers on earth at the time, what in the world does it mean for them to be broken into 12 equal groups each associated with a certain son of Jacob?

I prefer a very simple and straight-forward understanding of Rev. 7:1-8. Please bear in mind that angels have access to technology that goes way beyond ours. Prior to unleashing the seven trumpet judgments, an angelic team equipped with amazing DNA scanners will mark out a group of descendants from Jacob. The angel's search criteria will also include a second variable. Those receiving a seal must also be "bond-servants of our God." It is implied that this sealing provides a measure of protection against the coming judgments. This is made explicit in Rev. 9:4.

Here is a great question: Since these 144,000 are a select group of Jewish believers, are they the only ones to receive this protective sealing? Are Gentile bond-servants in these days vulnerable to the trumpet judgments in a way that Jewish bond-servants are not? These 144,000 will not be the only bond-servants living on earth in these days. The protection promises for bond-servants and overcomers are relevant to all, both Jewish and Gentile. Note that these promises do not offer protection from persecution, but from God's wrath. All believers will not experience God's wrath!

Note this! The formation of the 144,000 will represent a remarkable development. Even as life on planet earth is going from bad to worse, an incredible number of Jews will be coming to Christ and dedicating themselves to live for His pleasure. Imagine a stadium with twelve separate sections that can each seat 12,000. The seventh seal will not be broken until every seat in the house has been occupied by a Jew for Jesus! This has got to be one of the more dazzling sights to be seen in what will otherwise be oppressively dark days.

Can't We Just Talk?

 LD has been struggling with how to have a positive conversation with relatives whose words drip with venom. Maybe you've had some similar experiences: Parents who have nothing positive to say about you; coworkers who constantly fixate on the negative, especially your shortcomings; "friends" whose insatiable ego feels compelled to douse you with a bucket of cold water whenever you receive some token of praise.

The best way to avoid getting bit is to stop having conversations with snakes. So I have encouraged LD to simply excuse herself from the conversation when it has taken a turn for the worse. Alas, there are times when a silent retreat is not possible.

So let me suggest a second strategy that can be employed when "refusing to engage" is out of the question. Jesus taught, “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). To bless those who curse you means to speak well of those who are spitting venom at you. This will take some pre-planning and creativity. It will require great restraint and strength of character. But when someone lobs a verbal grenade your way, figure out how to lob flowers back.

Someone came to me a number of years ago profoundly disturbed by something I had said. Their words stung, particularly because they assumed the worst of my motives. After they had said their piece, I replied, "Thank you so much for honoring me by coming to me directly. I truly do want to please the Lord and your insight can help me do a better job of it." In essence, I blessed them for speaking to me even though what they said was painful to hear.

So LD and others in similar situations, you are going to have to ask the Lord to show you some scrap of nobility that you can verbally affirm. It can't be a back-handed complement like, "I can always count on you to see the hole in my donut."  Don't try faking it - It must be something genuine. Perhaps the negative parent needs to hear, "I am grateful for your love even though you see so clearly all my faults." Maybe your friend with a big ego would be encouraged to hear you say, "I appreciate your reminders that 'It's not all about me.' That is so true." (This last one works on two levels: It IS a good reminder for you but ALSO for your friend who struggles against the pull of me-centered living.)

It is EASY to speak kindly to those who have spoken kindly toward us. But it is a rare thing when someone returns good for evil. This is precisely the kind of response that can grab the attention of those caught in the web of negative speech patterns and provide them with indisputable evidence that there is a better way. This is precisely Paul's point when he says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21). When you bless those who curse you, you achieve a small but significant victory. Good will have prevailed by having the last word.

Forgotten God in Seven Sentences

I recommend Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, by Francis Chan. Chan wagers, “I bet you’d agree that a group of talented, charismatic leaders can draw a crowd. Find the right creative team, musicians, and speakers, and you can grow any church. It doesn’t even have to be a Christian church. ...My point is that a growing and energetic gathering is not necessarily evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work” (p. 141).

I suspect Pastor Chan would agree when I say I am interested in seeing a church that defies explanation, a church where God’s presence and power are obvious, a church where resources that look like a brown-bag lunch are used of God to feed 5,000.

Here is my executive book summary in seven sentences. (Granted they are not all simple sentences - but what do you expect for a book report that is only seven sentences long!)

1. Those who see the Spirit through Jesus’ eyes understand that the indwelling Spirit’s ministry is more advantageous to God’s people than if Jesus had personally remained present on earth after His resurrection.
2. The desire to be led by the Spirit is diminished when we fear what men think, or what the Spirit may ask of us, more than we fear disappointing Him.
3. The Holy Spirit is not a second or third class member of the trinity - He is a distinct person who is no less deity than the Father or the Son.
4. Some desire to be led by the Spirit for the wrong reasons - the right motive is a surpassing desire to be more like Jesus.
5. Our lives can become so comfortable, or so distracted, that we fail to enjoy the intimacy with God that is produced by the Spirit.
6. The ministry of the Holy Spirit does not eliminate the need for us to do our part and work at our salvation.
7. When we build churches in the strength of the Spirit, not merely by our own efforts, we experience church that defies explanation.

I appreciate the overall message of the book. Evangelical, Bible teaching pastors (like me) need to listen to what the author is saying. But the book reads like a transcribed sermon series that makes seven key points, and leaves out a lot of biblical truth that could help make this book more "practice-able."

Here are two suggestions. It would have been helpful to have a chapter that discusses two lists: Observable characteristics of the Spirit’s presence / observable characteristics of His absence. This chapter could help us to self-diagnose the nature and extent of our "tragic neglect." Another chapter could build off statement six and answer these questions, “What, specifically, is my role? What should I do or think that affects the degree to which the Spirit works in and through me and my church?”

Bottom line: This is a good primer that makes a great case for a book that goes beyond it. Francis Chan is telling us things we need to know. But we need to know more if we are going to "reverse our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit."

Some Serious Bling

 

This weekend, the Memphis area was hit by an ice-storm that caused a lot of damage, power-outs, and what-not. But when the sun finally came out, the view was stunning. Tree branches were bathed in light from above while the snow on the ground reflected the sunlight upward. The trees were cast in crystal, sparkling and glinting in flashes that made it hard on the eyes to stare. But their beauty made it hard not to. The human eye processes light far better than a camera, so these pictures hardly do the morning justice. But perhaps they will help you appreciate something of the glory of the morning and the beauty which the Lord is capable of creating with mere water.