Saturday, March 01, 2008
Singing the National Anthem
On Friday night, I sang the national anthem at the UMASS Lowell/Northeastern University hockey game at Tsongas Arena. I was humbled by the opportunity and thought I would share with you the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH6nt218h18
Friday, February 15, 2008
Jesus says, "Follow Me"
Contrary to much of the superficial teaching in the Western church, there exists a high cost of following Jesus Christ. In Luke 9, Jesus spends some time debriefing things with the Twelve forecasting His death on the Cross. Afterwards, He shifts the conversation in order for all of the crowd to hear. He gives the conditions for following Him.
1. Deny your "self". If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself...This denial is not a type of asceticism where you simply refrain from partaking of certain pleasures or wants. Moreover, it is not a type of monasticism where you withdraw from all of society in order to focus on spiritual disciplines. This denial IS a relinquishing of your rights to Christ--the understanding that by following Jesus, you forfeit all of your rights to Him. This denial is also a forsaking of your sin (or the "old self"--see Ephesians 4:22). The call to "deny your self" compares to the common New Testament teaching of repentance.
2. Take up your cross daily. If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily...It is important that we put ourselves in the shoes of the original hearers of this call. For anyone present at Jesus' teaching, the primary thing they would have understood at these words would have been "death". In Roman culture, an everyday citizen would have been as familiar with the term cross as we are with the term "electric chair". The average person at that time could have witnessed hundreds of executions in their lifetime.
But, Jesus is not simply conveying the idea of martyrdom (even though many Christians have given their lives for Him). The all-time principle Jesus conveys here is surrender. He is asking for life or death devotion. A condemned criminal was forced to carry one bar of the cross to the place of execution. He was on a one-way journey. To take up the cross daily is to live each day, not for self, but for Christ.
3. Follow Jesus or Obey Jesus. If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me...Following Jesus means that you obey Jesus. To obey Jesus is to follow Jesus. The two are indelibly linked. Saying that you are a follower of Jesus without ever taking into consideration your obedience to Jesus is grossly irresponsible. And, this obedience is not a one-time deal; it is a continual way of life. It means that you follow Him on His terms and not your own. You don't get to make up the terms of discipleship. He writes them and calls you to follow them.
Being a Christian does not simply consist of reciting a prayer, walking down the aisle of a church, or joining a particular denomination. To be a Christian is to repent of the "old self", to surrender all your rights to Christ in life or death devotion, and to obediently follow Christ until you see Him face to face. How different would the world be if our pulpits truly taught this and followers of Christ truly lived this?
1. Deny your "self". If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself...This denial is not a type of asceticism where you simply refrain from partaking of certain pleasures or wants. Moreover, it is not a type of monasticism where you withdraw from all of society in order to focus on spiritual disciplines. This denial IS a relinquishing of your rights to Christ--the understanding that by following Jesus, you forfeit all of your rights to Him. This denial is also a forsaking of your sin (or the "old self"--see Ephesians 4:22). The call to "deny your self" compares to the common New Testament teaching of repentance.
2. Take up your cross daily. If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily...It is important that we put ourselves in the shoes of the original hearers of this call. For anyone present at Jesus' teaching, the primary thing they would have understood at these words would have been "death". In Roman culture, an everyday citizen would have been as familiar with the term cross as we are with the term "electric chair". The average person at that time could have witnessed hundreds of executions in their lifetime.
But, Jesus is not simply conveying the idea of martyrdom (even though many Christians have given their lives for Him). The all-time principle Jesus conveys here is surrender. He is asking for life or death devotion. A condemned criminal was forced to carry one bar of the cross to the place of execution. He was on a one-way journey. To take up the cross daily is to live each day, not for self, but for Christ.
3. Follow Jesus or Obey Jesus. If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me...Following Jesus means that you obey Jesus. To obey Jesus is to follow Jesus. The two are indelibly linked. Saying that you are a follower of Jesus without ever taking into consideration your obedience to Jesus is grossly irresponsible. And, this obedience is not a one-time deal; it is a continual way of life. It means that you follow Him on His terms and not your own. You don't get to make up the terms of discipleship. He writes them and calls you to follow them.
Being a Christian does not simply consist of reciting a prayer, walking down the aisle of a church, or joining a particular denomination. To be a Christian is to repent of the "old self", to surrender all your rights to Christ in life or death devotion, and to obediently follow Christ until you see Him face to face. How different would the world be if our pulpits truly taught this and followers of Christ truly lived this?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Kill Your Sin
The following is a part of an article featured in this month's edition of Tabletalk magazine (from Ligonier Ministries and Dr. R.C. Sproul). It is written by Dr. Tom Ascal, Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida...
On May 1, 2003, Aron Ralston, a twenty-seven year old backpacker, did something unthinkable in order to save his life. After being pinned for five days by an eight-hundred pound boulder in a remote Utah canyon, he took his dull pocketknife and cut off his right arm to free himself.
He had tried chipping away at the rock at first, but it would not budge. Finally, he realized that he had only two choices. Either he must cut off his arm, or he would die. On the fifth day, hungry and dehydrated, he sawed through his flesh just below the elbow in order to free himself.
He walked out of that canyon without his right arm, but with his life. This is the exact picture that Jesus gives us when telling us how to deal with sin that remains in our lives. "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell" (Matt. 5:29-30).
Jesus is not speaking literally. If you steal with your right hand, then simply amputating it will not cure you of thievery. You could continue stealing with your left hand. And if you remove your right eye because it has been an instrument of lusting, you still have your left eye that can be used for the same purpose.
Our Lord's words are intended to shock us into recognition of the seriousness with which we must deal with the sin that remains in our lives as believers. We must treat it ruthlessly. We must be willing to give up the good things (analogous to eyes and arms) in our effort to put sin to death.
"Be killing sin or it will be killing you," wrote that prince of puritan theologians, John Owen, in his classic work on the mortification of sin. He understood Jesus' point that these are the only two options that a believer has when it comes to dealing with his remaining sin.
Either fight decisively against the sin your life or consign yourself to spiritual death. "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Rom. 8:13). There is no alternative.
Does this mean that salvation is not by grace or that a Christian can lose his salvation? No. What it means is that the grace that brings salvation trains us "to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age" (Titus 2:12). The grace that provides justification for us works sanctification in us.
On May 1, 2003, Aron Ralston, a twenty-seven year old backpacker, did something unthinkable in order to save his life. After being pinned for five days by an eight-hundred pound boulder in a remote Utah canyon, he took his dull pocketknife and cut off his right arm to free himself.
He had tried chipping away at the rock at first, but it would not budge. Finally, he realized that he had only two choices. Either he must cut off his arm, or he would die. On the fifth day, hungry and dehydrated, he sawed through his flesh just below the elbow in order to free himself.
He walked out of that canyon without his right arm, but with his life. This is the exact picture that Jesus gives us when telling us how to deal with sin that remains in our lives. "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell" (Matt. 5:29-30).
Jesus is not speaking literally. If you steal with your right hand, then simply amputating it will not cure you of thievery. You could continue stealing with your left hand. And if you remove your right eye because it has been an instrument of lusting, you still have your left eye that can be used for the same purpose.
Our Lord's words are intended to shock us into recognition of the seriousness with which we must deal with the sin that remains in our lives as believers. We must treat it ruthlessly. We must be willing to give up the good things (analogous to eyes and arms) in our effort to put sin to death.
"Be killing sin or it will be killing you," wrote that prince of puritan theologians, John Owen, in his classic work on the mortification of sin. He understood Jesus' point that these are the only two options that a believer has when it comes to dealing with his remaining sin.
Either fight decisively against the sin your life or consign yourself to spiritual death. "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Rom. 8:13). There is no alternative.
Does this mean that salvation is not by grace or that a Christian can lose his salvation? No. What it means is that the grace that brings salvation trains us "to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age" (Titus 2:12). The grace that provides justification for us works sanctification in us.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
John Piper on the Prosperity Gospel
One of the greatest travesties of the Christian church in America is the persistent propagation of what has been called the "prosperity gospel". This gospel, preached on Christian television programs by several prominent American pastors, basically teaches that the distinguishing mark of being a Christian is the accompaniment of great health, lavish wealth, and problem-free living. An absence of these things in the life of the Christian, in their view, should be cause to doubt God's hand of blessing upon you. The most troubling aspect of this false teaching is the exportation of this philosophy to people around the globe. I would hate to be one of the bearers of this message on Judgment Day. The video speaks for itself.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Itching Ears
Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a recreational fascination with politics. I love reading, researching, and prognosticating about current political trends, candidates, and elections. Politics is like a third favorite sport for me only trumped by baseball and football. The current presidential election is the fifth one I have closely watched and studied. It has been the most fascinating I have watched to date. The fact that there is no incumbent on either side of the political aisle makes each passing primary a sight to behold because of the uncertainty of what is going to come next.
Within this election, though, there is a disturbing trend. To date, this entire political race has not been centered around nor focused on the issues. Rather, it has proven to be a popularity contest where the contestants battle for the most times of invoking the word 'change'. I even heard a commentator this morning who said this is the year we might elect our first "American Idol" president. The candidates are only morphing into what the people want--something new.
But, since when is experience ludicrous for the highest profile job in the entire world? And, why do results take second place to charisma and hope. If experience and results mattered most in choosing the nominees for president this year, then America would be choosing between Gov. Bill Richardson (D) and Sen. John McCain (R) in November. But, instead, Americans will run with the guy who makes them feel good.
This trend is indicative of a deeper problem within the hearts of mankind. We have an engraving on our hearts for news and messages that make us feel good. We do not want to deal with the truth. We ignore what really matters in life and drink messages and ideologies that satisfy our emotional yearnings of the day--even if they are not sound. In drinking the water from these cisterns, we believe we are consuming the water of life when in actuality, we are simply drinking the sand.
I am not attempting to spiritualize the presidential race, because truth be known, each of these candidates have their shortcomings and none will deliver the salvation to the country each of its citizens are longing for. Nor am I demonizing the charismatic guy proclaiming the message of hope--after all, he is a very likable guy. I do want to emphasize, though, the problem with the human heart. The Apostle Paul said this to his young protege, Timothy, Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new (2 Timothy 4:2-3).
As Christians, we know that Paul is speaking of the Word of God here and challenging Timothy to preach it regardless of the receptivity of his hearers. But, in evaluating the current state of affairs in American politics, I believe there is an indication that Paul's spiritual diagnosis of the human heart has further implications than simply religion. Whether it is a spiritual skeptic who does not believe the Bible in its entirety, a teenager who scoffs at his parents' instruction, or an American electorate choosing a leader, we as a people want to hear what makes us feel good in the moment--even if we are scratching the same itch four years later.
Within this election, though, there is a disturbing trend. To date, this entire political race has not been centered around nor focused on the issues. Rather, it has proven to be a popularity contest where the contestants battle for the most times of invoking the word 'change'. I even heard a commentator this morning who said this is the year we might elect our first "American Idol" president. The candidates are only morphing into what the people want--something new.
But, since when is experience ludicrous for the highest profile job in the entire world? And, why do results take second place to charisma and hope. If experience and results mattered most in choosing the nominees for president this year, then America would be choosing between Gov. Bill Richardson (D) and Sen. John McCain (R) in November. But, instead, Americans will run with the guy who makes them feel good.
This trend is indicative of a deeper problem within the hearts of mankind. We have an engraving on our hearts for news and messages that make us feel good. We do not want to deal with the truth. We ignore what really matters in life and drink messages and ideologies that satisfy our emotional yearnings of the day--even if they are not sound. In drinking the water from these cisterns, we believe we are consuming the water of life when in actuality, we are simply drinking the sand.
I am not attempting to spiritualize the presidential race, because truth be known, each of these candidates have their shortcomings and none will deliver the salvation to the country each of its citizens are longing for. Nor am I demonizing the charismatic guy proclaiming the message of hope--after all, he is a very likable guy. I do want to emphasize, though, the problem with the human heart. The Apostle Paul said this to his young protege, Timothy, Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new (2 Timothy 4:2-3).
As Christians, we know that Paul is speaking of the Word of God here and challenging Timothy to preach it regardless of the receptivity of his hearers. But, in evaluating the current state of affairs in American politics, I believe there is an indication that Paul's spiritual diagnosis of the human heart has further implications than simply religion. Whether it is a spiritual skeptic who does not believe the Bible in its entirety, a teenager who scoffs at his parents' instruction, or an American electorate choosing a leader, we as a people want to hear what makes us feel good in the moment--even if we are scratching the same itch four years later.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Global Investment
I have just returned from a 3-week trip to China where I served alongside a group of college students in sharing the true meaning of Christmas with Chinese college students. This trip is becoming a Christmas tradition for me as it was my second consecutive year to travel to the other side of the world for the holidays. Words cannot portray the beauty of sharing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who have never heard.
During our tenure in China, we hosted Christmas parties for Chinese college students at which we played games, taught Christmas carols, and shared the true meaning of Christmas along with the Gospel. All in all, more than 300 students heard the Gospel--many hearing for the first time. In the days following, we were able to follow up with close to 40 of those students by further explaining the Gospel they had heard and giving them copies of the Bible in their language.
Although we saw no student place their faith in Jesus Christ, we repeatedly heard them say, "Tell me more. Tell me more." So, we put our trust in God's Word, "Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ" (Romans 10:17, HCSB). Many have heard the message--some for the first time. We now trust the Author of salvation to perform His work in bringing His creations to faith.
Looking back over the past 3 weeks, I am reminded of a central truth I shared with a group of Christian students in Hong Kong while in China--As followers of Jesus Christ, we are a global people. The governments of nations around the world may choose an isolationist path, but followers of Jesus do not have that luxury. We are followers of Jesus first and Americans second. So, we do not take American cultural Christianity to the ends of the earth--we take Christ.
As followers of Jesus Christ living in America, we are one of the most blessed generations in the history of God's Church. Many people know Psalm 67:1 and pray it often for their lives as well as for their loved ones: May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor... But, there is so much more to this passage. With that blessing comes much responsibility. Allow me to complete the sentence: May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor SO THAT YOUR WAY MAY BE KNOWN ON EARTH, YOUR SALVATION AMONG ALL NATIONS.
You and I are blessed by God for one primary reason--to make His name and salvation known throughout all the earth. This is why we sacrificially give and sacrificially go all over the globe preaching Christ. The past 3 weeks has again reminded me of God's heart for His glory to be globally known. I cannot wait until next Christmas.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Thanksgiving Grounded in Christ
In my last post, I shared how a Christian's Thanksgiving Day should be different from others in the world. Emphasis was placed on the character of God and our dependency upon Him for every sustenance of life. Therefore, our prayers of thanksgiving are to be given from a humble heart recognizing Him for who He is while recognizing ourselves as being utterly helpless apart from Him. But, it goes a little further for the follower of Jesus Christ.
Everything you and I enjoy as followers of Jesus Christ is owing to His death and resurrection. That's right--everything. Not only salvation, but everything we enjoy either in this life or throughout eternity is a benefit of the Cross of Christ. In Romans 8:31-32, Paul says, What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us EVERYTHING (HCSB, emphasis added). He goes on to say Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, in Christ (Ephesians 1:3, HCSB, emphasis added).
To elaborate on this further, consider the words of John Piper...
Everything you and I enjoy as followers of Jesus Christ is owing to His death and resurrection. That's right--everything. Not only salvation, but everything we enjoy either in this life or throughout eternity is a benefit of the Cross of Christ. In Romans 8:31-32, Paul says, What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us EVERYTHING (HCSB, emphasis added). He goes on to say Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, in Christ (Ephesians 1:3, HCSB, emphasis added).
To elaborate on this further, consider the words of John Piper...
Everything that we enjoy, as people who trust Christ, is owing to His death. His suffering absorbed all the judgment guilty sinners deserved and purchased all the good that forgiven sinners enjoy. Therefore all our boasting in these things should be a boasting in the cross of Christ. We are not as Christ-centered and cross-cherishing as we should be, because we do not ponder the truth that everything good, and everything bad that God turns for the good, was purchased by the sufferings of Christ. (Don't Waste Your Life).
Therefore, in our prayers of thanksgiving--whether during the Thanksgiving season or on any given day of the year--we can pray, Thank You, God, Who gives me forgiveness so that I may be in right relationship with You. For that, I am most thankful. Thank You, Jesus, for dying so that I might have every spiritual blessing on earth and throughout eternity. Thank You, God, for Your indescribable Gift--JESUS CHRIST--from whom all blessings flow.
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