Acts 19- Jesus on Our Lips

Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (Acts 19:8-10).

As I have said many times before, and will restate here, we are not promised immediate success. We are not called primarily to be successful, we are called to be faithful. Even the Apostle is disregarded. "Some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them." Do not equate faithfulness with success. It is easy to replace the worship of Jesus with the worship of numbers, or conversions, or missions trips taken, etc. If success is on the throne of your heart, that means Jesus is not.

But here is what is really pressing on my soul... We have an example of the Word of God spreading. We have an example of the effects of Jesus being on the lips of the Apostle Paul. We see in verse 8 that Paul starts in the synagogue, but then in verse 9 he moves to the lecture hall. Paul's aim: to proclaim Christ. Jesus is on his lips. He preaches about Him, he discusses Him, he is all about Him. And the result is the whole province of Asia hears the word of the Lord.

I know it is easy to say, 'yeah of course the apostle Paul talks about Jesus,' but we need to get past the elitist faith that says some are called to this and others simply attend church. Jesus has revealed Himself to you. Now it should be the passion of your heart to have the Word of Jesus on your lips. It should come out in conversation. It should be the overflow of your heart. We should constantly have that Word on our lips. It isn't stuck in the Synagogue (the Church), the word is loose on the streets. It should be talked about at the water cooler and at the lunch table.

If we will let that Word capture our hearts, and if we will have a ministry of the Word that affects every portion of our lives, then our whole province will hear the Word of the Lord. Isn't that a goal worth giving your life to? Speak the Word. Tell them about your great King!

Reading the Text

I have been slacking lately! So first off, sorry!

I would love to let you know one of the main things that I am learning lately as I take courses at Moody Bible Institute. Right now I am taking an Elements of Bible Study Course (don't read elementary bible study because it is actually intense stuff). I also am taking a hermeneutics course. Through these courses I am learning an important fact about the bible. Here it is: There is an intended meaning or meanings behind the text. The ultimate Author and the human author both had a meaning in mind when writing the text and we need to responsibly seek to find that meaning.

The way that this hit home for me is when I though back to a time when I was interviewed by a local newspaper. I was very excited to read the article but when I saw how they had mishandled what I said and made me sound like a dope I was upset to say the least. The way they did their journalism was irresponsible and frankly dishonest.

The same can be said of many of us who handle the Word of God. We import our meaning onto the text and make God say things that we would like to hear.

Let me just encourage anyone who regularly reads and studies the Word to seek what God intended first before jumping to conclusions. Let us treat the Word with reverence and actually listen to and obey the message of the Bible. I hope we learn to be faithful to God's Word and I apologize for any times I have miss-handled the Word.

More Thoughts on "Yeah But..."

The real issue here is how we look at the scriptures. If the Bible is the word of God, which it absolutely is, then we need to know how to interact with it. Unfortunately, it isn't as simple as merely reading it. There is a correct way to handle the word and at the same time there is an incorrect way to handle the word. We have a slight disadvantage in that we have been exposed to experiences and we possess biases that we bring to the table when we read. These experiences and biases we impose on the text. We make it say what we want it to. This is called isogesis. What that means is we have an idea in our head maybe we heard someone say or maybe we experienced something that makes us feel it must be accurate, so we open the Word and make it say what we already think... this is wrong.

Let me show you a verse that should help curb this error: "There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

So it is important for us to recognize that what may seem right and good and noble and biblical might in fact be wrong. We can manipulate the Bible to say pretty much anything we want. Its a big book and there are many portions that if taken out of context could lead to error and eventually to death.

That is why we want to pursue good reading of the bible... called exegesis. Trying to get from the text the actual meaning and truth. We need to come to the bible and work to understand what it actually says, then when we understand what it says then and only then can we apply. So, lets make it our effort to systematically encounter the word with a desire to understand its meaning and then apply what we learn to our lives. 

Acts 11- Yeah but...

When we come to the Bible we generally bring our luggage. We have years of teachings that muddle with the way that we read the text. We neatly categorize teachings into our mental framework and organize texts in such a way that the Bible can at times seem neutered.

We have our favorite proof texts that we base our faith on... They are the ones that we would wear on t-shirts. (if your that kind of "christian") We have the verses that go on our coffee mugs or over our desks on the wall. Those are our favorite. In fact, we even promote favorite verses by asking each other, "what is your 'life-verse' or your 'favorite verse?'" Then there are the texts that get put on our mental shelf called 'I don't understand.' We read something and because it doesn't click right away we don't bother asking any questions of God but would rather quickly store it away so we don't have to think of what it means and the implications of obeying. Lastly, we have verses that we dismiss. They are abrasive and rub us wrong so, because we have been taught to do this, we argue them away. We claim that the message is not for us. We discard God's word on the basis of "culture" or "new covenant" or something like that. We would never tear a page out of the bible but we might mentally take a scalpel and remove parts that we can't seem to easily obey.

When Peter explained his actions in Acts 11 he closes his explanation with this sobering question, "who was I to think that I could oppose God? (vs. 17)" He knew that God was revealing to him a new way to interact with people, a new way to look at Gentiles, and a new way to display love. Who is little old Peter to stand up to God and oppose God's revealed truth.

We as students of the bible need to learn to do this. We need to come to the bible with much prayer. Asking God to strip us of unhelpful biases. Asking Him to rid us of preconceived notions that hinder us from learning something new. We need to be ready to change and we need to be ready to go to a deeper level of understanding and commitment. I love the quote, "we are not trying to master the bible, but rather we are trying to be mastered by it." Our learning should be proportionate to our obeying. We should strive to commit to what we already know. And be open to God's new direction and leading. Who are we to oppose what God wants to teach us today? 

Progressing in the Faith

Most times the bible will answer questions I put to it... It does a pretty good job of defending itself. 

The other night I was tired of doing homework. I was trying desperately to finish my assignments for an Old Testament Survey class that only lasted eight weeks (so much material in such a short amount of time). I was also thinking about the fact that over the past year and a half I have read shelves of books. I feel like my understanding of God is deeper than it has ever been and I feel like it has been a year or so of intense learning and refining for me.

So, I asked the question of whether or not the progress ever plateaus. Maybe someday I will have grey hair and I will sit back and look at the things that I have taught to younger generations, and look at how God has used me and how He sharpened my understanding, and my hope is that it will be easier times?But then the Bible exposed that even though that sounds good, even though it would be good to have sound doctrine and a life to match it, there is never a time to coast. Paul instructs his protege Timothy to progress in the faith so that others can see (1 Timothy 4:15). In context, Paul was talking about living as an example, in faith, in life, in love, and in purity(vs. 12). It also had to do with doctrine (vs. 16). So, the answer to my question is a resounding "NO." I don't ever settle in. I don't coast. Keep progressing in the faith so that others can see and glorify God. 

I hope that over the last year people can notice the ways that I have changed. I hope that people can see the ways that I have increased in godliness and love. And, that is the plan for you also if you call yourself a Christ follower, a life that is progressing in the faith.

Is 2009 your best year yet for displaying Christ? Are you more like Him today then ever before? Let us press on to know Christ more and to display Him to the world.

Let me add a note that this is not something that you achieve on your own accord. You can try all you want to become more like Jesus and think that by your works you are saved. That is not the case. You are not earning favor with God... you already have it. You are not achieving righteousness... Jesus freely gave it to you 2000 years ago. I am talking about 'living up to what we have been called to.' I am talking about the sanctification that God is putting us through to make us more like His Son. It is a process and we do progress. It is described beautifully in 2 Cor 3:18, "And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." This is the process that we go through. First off, we see with our spiritual eyes the beauty of Christ, "with unveiled faces beholding the glory of the Lord." Secondly, we are being changed to be made like Jesus, "we are being transformed into the same image [of Jesus whom we are beholding]." Furthermore, it is a process, "from one degree of glory to another." Finally, this transformation is not credited to us, as if we could achieve it on our own, but it is credited to God Himself, "for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 

We are being changed to be more like Jesus as we see and love Jesus. And this should be evidenced in our lives by noticeable progress. I will never coast. Not if I keep my eyes on Jesus and resist the schemes of Satan. I will always be progressing in godliness and understanding.

Please Gaurd My Understanding

Because I am taking an online course and working towards my degree... I have been thinking lately about the studying of the Word. I am a student of the Bible. I want to be mastered by it and I believe that it has the power to transform.

My question tonight is when does it plateau? When is the learning curve less steep? When is understanding and theology closest to accurate? I picture a spiraling line that is getting closer and closer and closer to the center. At the outset it is broad and sweeping circles that take up an immense amount of space. As you get closer to the center the circle gets tight and close. That is how I picture myself understanding theology. At the outset there is a little uncertainty but as the bible is mined day after day after day I think that God becomes more and more clear. I wonder where I am at in that mental picture? Over the last year I have really examined the faith as best I can to make sure that I know what I am telling others. I am so unqualified for the position God has placed me in other than the fact that God has placed me in it.

So, I hope my understanding of God is getting tighter and closer to the truth. I pray that I might make less and less mistakes in assessing the Almighty. God help me to accurately proclaim you to the world. Amen

Acts 8- Finding Jesus in Scripture

Philip runs up to a chariot as directed by God, and he hears a man reading the book of Isaiah. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.... Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. (Acts 8:29-35)

Do you realize that when the apostles preached they preached Jesus from the old testament? They took all of the Scriptures that were available to them(Genesis- Malachi) and they showed how all those Scriptures pointed to a messiah (Jesus) that would be the ultimate sacrifice for mankind (Jesus dying on a cross) to bring us back into perfect fellowship with God.

That is what Philip did in our story. He met a man on the road and explained the Scripture to him about Jesus. When the man heard with spiritual ears he accepted Jesus as messiah and was baptized. 

Do you look for Jesus in the Old Testament? Many of us avoid the Old Testament books because they are a little weird and really hard to sift through. It seems like a bunch of random stories and poems and such and we have a hard time figuring out how to file them. I just want to remind us that the early believers only had these scriptures. They didn't have the masterpiece of Romans. They didn't have the joyful book of Philippians. They weren't reading the New Testament letters yet that explained Jesus. All they had was the Old Testament. But that was enough to convince them of Jesus.

When Jesus confronted the religious leaders of his day he said, "you diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me" (John 5:39). Jesus was telling them that the whole old testament was a testimony about the Son of God. Namely, Himself. Again, when Jesus had risen and returned he  "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24: 27).

So, this is my challenge to you. Be on the lookout for Jesus in Scripture. Even in the old testament. Jesus has been the focal point of the whole thing. 

Days Off

If you have faithfully kept with the DJ reading plan you should be experiencing some free days... I would recommend that you use this time to either read a shorter book of the bible (Amos, Philemon, Philippians, Ruth, etc...) or to go on in the reading to February... Don't lose momentum if you have developed a strategy I would hate to see you lose it one month in.

Just wanted to offer you that piece of advise.

Also if you have yet to start the reading plan it is never too late. It has been such a blessing to those that are reading and I encourage you highly to join us in reading through the bible in a year.

How Do You Read?

Reading the bible is a daunting task... we are encouraging our church(including students) to read the Discipleship Journal Bible reading plan in a year. But, we also recognize the difficulties that confront personal time with God in the Word. Here is an excerpt from J.I. Packer's Knowing God

They tell us that the Bible is the Word of God- a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. They tell us that we shall find in it the knowledge of God and of his will for our lives. We believe them; rightly, for what they say is true. So we take our Bibles and start to read them. We read steadily and thoughtfully, for we are in earnest; we really do want to know God.

But as we read we get more and more puzzled. Though fascinated we are not being fed. Our reading is not helping us; it leaves us bewildered and, if truth be told, somewhat depressed. We find ourselves wondering whether Bible reading is worth going on with.

This is written by a theologian that knows the Word better than most... So what hope does an average person have with a Bible? What Packer goes on to say is that a big problem with reading the Bible is the disconnection most readers have from Bible. Like an outsider looking in... What he suggests is that God does not change so his Word is the same for us in 2009 as it was for Moses thousands of years ago. We need to inject ourselves into the Word as we read. We need to realize that God didn't just speak thousands of years ago but he is speaking to us today. Right now do you realize that God wants to have a word with you. He wants you to sit down and know a little bit more about Himself and His desire for your life. He reveals Himself to you through the Bible. So, bible reading is necessary if we want to know God more and essential if we want to sustain a relationship. Communication is vital in a relationship so we must recognize how vital it is for our understanding of God. 

Here is my word of encouragement... as you sit down with your bible ask God to speak to you. Sure you could read the bible all year and have a great understanding of people and places and what not, but that is not the point. Scribes and pharisees knew the Bible. We want to know the God of the Bible. So, spend some time with Him today.

Read This Book

As I stared blankly at my open bible during my lunch break, I mumbled these words, 'I wish I knew this thing like Bunyan.' 

There is a book called Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan that I believe every person should read at least once in their life. I am not going to say much about the book here but I will share with you some thoughts that I had over lunch break...

John Bunyan was an uneducated tinker.... even the name of his profession sounds insignificant. He was a tinker. But when this insignificant tinker was captured by the magnificence of the Gospel, God did some amazing things with this man. Bunyan became a preacher. The Word of God captivated Bunyan and he felt compelled to preach. There was a problem though... Church and state were very closely weaved and heavily legislated. Bunyan was committed to preaching the whole counsel of God and was imprisoned for it because he was a nonconformist. Meaning he would neither get a certificate for preaching nor change his message.

So, they threw him in prison. For nearly 12 years Bunyan sat in the confines of a cell. Imagine in school suspension but drag that out for months then years. Every day the same story, wake up in a cell, maybe exercise a little, eat drink, think, maybe do a few assigned chores. How did he spend all of his time? Surely there was a lot of down time and he didn't have the luxury of watcing dvds. What would preoccupy his thoughts as he clearly wasted away in a prison? I am sure of one thing. He poured himself over the bible. He became a master of one Book. The bible. He knew the nuances. He read it over and over again I am sure as he sat in prison removed from his family, friends, and church. He probably didn't consult very many commentaries to understand the bible. He probably just begged God to give the meaning. In a way I feel that Bunyan's theology is very pure. A simple man caught up in the majesty of God and wrestling with the mysteries of our faith. Out of that time in prison a book came into being. The Pilgrim's Progress which is an allegory of a Christian's faith journey. 

Given the background of Bunyan's story I sat at my kitchen table and thought about how I handle the Word. I am only speculating but I don't know if Bunyan consulted many extra sources beyond the bible. I actually picture him so in love with the word that it falls out of him onto the pages as he penned Pilgrim's Progress. There are hundreds and hundreds of passages of scripture surgically implanted into the book. The only way that he could possible have written like that is if the bible was part of him. If it was ingrained in his thoughts. So, I want to know the bible like him. I am thankful for the DJ reading plan and how it helps us in the words of John Stott, 'to survey the rolling landscape of scripture.' I am thankful that our church is reading through the bible. I am thankful that there are people like Bunyan out there giving us a goal to be like. I want to know the bible like him. Because I want to know God like he did. So... read Pilgrim's Progress because it will inspire you to be a student of the Word.

The Beauty of DJ Reading Plan

When I first read through the bible in a year several years ago it was because my parents got me a One Year Bible for Easter. It was awesome. In fact that is where my focused time with God was spent for a couple years... When I was in Florida I would just leave my bible opened to the appropriate date on my desk... It was easy. I just plopped down and read. When I missed a day I would skip it and turn to where I was supposed to be. I got familiar with the Bible over those years.

But, I love the Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan for many reasons... one is I am very likely to miss a day. So, instead of having to make it up if I want to understand the story, the DJ plan only has 25 readings a month. So, I can miss a couple times and still not get behind. Then if I keep up I have extra days that I can do any number of things with. I can meditate on a verse, I can take a question that came up earlier in the month and pursue it deeper. I can study a book in the bible that I haven't read in a while, etc...

That's a great reason but the real reason why I wanted to write this is... when you read the DJ reading plan you start with a gospel every day all year. So, your mind is thinking Christ at the very beginning. Then you begin to see Him in every verse that you read. So, when you are reading in Genesis and seeing the wrath of God being poured out on say Sodom and Gomorrah you are thinking about the grace of Christ and the extreme patience of God that He didn't do that to everyone. We are wicked like them but you have been spared because of the Grace and provision of Jesus. I think it is so important to see the thread of Jesus in the whole bible. Jesus when talking to his disciples on the road to Emmaus, "explained to them what was said in the all the scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24: 27). So, Jesus points out that all the scriptures are talking about and directing us to Himself. Then when Jesus is refuting the Jews he says, "you diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life" (John 5:39-49). There is a way to read scripture without seeing Christ and coming to Him. And, that is the wrong way. All the Scriptures testify about Jesus. Every single verse in the bible is meant to direct you to the Messiah on the the Cross. Jesus poured out. Absorbing the full wrath of God and providing a way to connect us with God.

So, as you read I hope you are blessed to have the right perspective. I hope you can see God's redemptive plan from even before creation. His absolute sovereign Grace weaved through the whole narrative of the bible. Be blessed friends. Drink deep in the well of the Word and pull out the richness of Christ and the magnificence that the Cross achieved for you.

Bible Reading- Spiritual Steroids

This year we are working through a bible reading plan as a church. I am not sure how many people are actually committed to this but I would be a miss if I didn't at least encourage it from every angle possible.

Let me just say that over the years having a bible reading plan has helped me immensely. I used to think that reading needed to be loose and free from any restrictions that would hold it back. I used to think that if you had specific things that you had to read it would become legalistic or a religious check mark... I will be very real in saying that those are very fine sounding arguments that Satan helped me form.

Free from structure is another way of saying not going to happen. If you have no game plan for what you are going to read then realistically you will habitually miss days. When you have no plan it is easy to slip. Days become weeks and then months and you actually end up signed on to a bible reading plan.... it's called not reading.

So, first off lets just put our reservations aside and try it. Give it a week and see if you don't feel swept up into the courts of heaven. You will be surprised at how quickly this will have an effect on your soul!

Here are some links lest you read this with good intentions of starting and then Satan distracts you before you can make it to your bible....
http://www.hopeingod.org/resources/images/1224.pdf
http://harvestnetinc.com/files/Downloads/BIble%20Reading%20Plan.pdf

John 20- The Word of God

What is your feeling towards the bible? Does it excite you? Or is it just a book? Do you ever get alone with your bible and just spend time with God? Are you eager to hear 'the word of the Lord?'

John makes sure to point out that, "Jesus did many miraculous signs, which were not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name"(vs. 30,31). There is a lot to be said about Jesus in fact, 'the world would not have room for the books that would be written' if everything was written down that he did. But there is one book that is pivotal. It is the Word of God. It is the Bible.

I want you to understand how important this is. The bible is the means by which we are saved. When you believe in the Son of God (vs 31) it is believing in a proclamation of the Word of the Son of God. God reveals himself in nature (Romans 1:20) but until someone declares the Word people will still say like the Ethiopian eunuch, 'how can I [understand] unless someone explains it to me?(Acts 8:31)' Or take for example the text in Romans, "...faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)" So, the way we even become believers is by hearing the Word of God. Hearing the bible proclaimed to us. Hearing the message through the word of Christ. The bible is important. It is a shame that Satan has so deceived us to think that the bible is outmoded. We simply think that it is basic to our faith then we have liberty to go wherever we want from there... let our experiences shape our reality. But, the scripture is reality. 

The question that I want to pose to you is, what is your regard for the bible? If it is low and a basic and small and insignificant then I worry for you. But if the bible is high and lofty and exulted and life then I join you in rejoicing that God has given us a book that documents his words. A book that by reading 'we may believe that Jesus is the Son of God' and enter into life.

Go to God... Your Other God

That is supposed to be a parody on the saying, 'go to your right... your other right.' We generally say that when giving directions and the person doesn't know their right from left. So we have to jokingly redirect them. That is why the title of this article is 'go to God... no, your other God.' Not that there are two Gods, but when I say go to God where do you actually go. You probably take a turn in the wrong direction. So this morning let's try to get on the right path.

As a reader of these articles I am concerned for you... one reason is because I worry about steering you astray. It is a dangerous thing to publish ideas on the interweb when it is early in the morning and the proper amounts of caffeine aren't pumping through my system yet. But, the other reason why I am worried about you is because Satan is very tricky....

I am learning lately that for me the problem is not that I waste my time going to smutty places like television or questionable websites. I don't waste my time by having pointless conversations when I should be working. (There are still struggles but when they are obvious like that they can be delt with quickly) I actually have a hard time with spending too much time on good things. Let me try to explain. When you want to encounter God do you pick up a good christian book? Do listen to a sermon online? Do you journal about God? Do you surf to this website or other christian websites?

I do all of those things to some extent... Here is the tragedy, I can spend all my time talking, thinking, and writing about God and not actually spend time with God. The analogy that I came up with is this; I am in a room with my family and friends eating dinner. I love my dad so I begin to talk about him to my friend Jake. "Did you hear that dad started a new project this week? He has been working really hard." Then I proceed to talk about all these things that my dad is doing and that I admire. Here is the tragedy... my dad is at the other end of the table. Even though it might be flattering that we talk about him, he wants us to talk with him. And as Christians we can do this to God. We can talk about him, we can read about him, we can write about him in our journals. But what God really wants is for you to be with him. To talk to him not about him.

So, as a reader of this website my hope is that you don't come here to meet God. Maybe you need a little pointer to find out which direction to go and I hope to do that for you. But, this should not substitute your time with him. Please make an effort to spend time with Him. That is his desire. And while your hanging with Him tell him to make sure that I am spending time with him too! Tell him to break my Internet for a day if I don't schedule a date with him. Tell him to make me sick so I lay in bed and talk to him. Tell him to do whatever it takes to make sure that I am spending time with him. I am being selfish I know but I love my time with Him!

Let me end with a quote from an amazing man that lived long ago and started many orphanages. He didn't have lots of money and he wasn't some amazing leader. He was a man that enjoyed his fellowship with God and he believed that it was by prayer and fellowship with the word of God that great things are accomplished. George Muller said this, “I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.” Are you doing that friend? Are you making sure that your soul is happy in the Lord? Are you spending time with him doing that? I can promise you that no christian book or website or preacher can make you glad in God quite like God himself can. Spend a little time with Him today.

Further Thoughts on Personal Holiness

On Sunday night we addressed this issue of Holiness... I felt a strong urge to think and preach about such an important topic. It is a real struggle that all Christians must face up to and have at least a little understanding of.... what does it mean when the bible says, "be holy because I am holy. (1 Peter 1:16)" Or, what does the writer of Hebrews mean when he says, "without holiness no one will see God. (Heb 12:14)" And then how do you reconcile those two verses to the fact that you sin?

The reality is that we are in good company... The apostle Paul (my hero) struggled with this in Romans 7:14- Romans 8. He later points out that no one is without sin, especially him, "not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). None have obtained perfection on this side of eternity. It is a process that we are going through that the bible terms sanctification. God is taking us through a process of making us more like His Son as we struggle with sin.

The key to this is a proper understanding of Romans 8:13. "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation- but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. (vs 12-13)" So, if you live according to the sinful nature and just dive into sin over and over again you will die. But, if by the spirit you somehow kill the misdeeds, the sin, you will live. The picture that this gave me is one of intense wrestling. I think about the stubborn goats that my parents have at the tree farm and how I used to, with my friends, try to catch them for fun. It was hard and they were resilient. Imagine if they knew I was trying to kill them. And I physically had to take them to the cross... it would be extremely difficult. That is what I think of when I talk about wrestling sin to the cross.

But, I think I missed the point on Sunday night. 'Great Cory, simply wrestle sin to the cross... sounds easy.' I even said that the means for this is prayer. Wrestling with prayer. But, I think there is more to be said of the phrase Paul uses, 'by the Spirit.' Telling you to wrestle your sin to the cross is about as helpful as telling a jr high boy not to have sex until you are married. It is good advise but it isn't very helpful for a boy that has a million hormones shooting through his body. His desires are telling him one thing and that advise doesn't give him anything substantial to work with. It doesn't get at the heart of the matter.

So, for the sake of our holiness, lets try to get at the heart of the matter. When a desire creeps up on us... the struggle that occurs is twofold. 1) We desire to indulge 2) We know it is wrong. The problem is that knowing it is wrong is seldom a strong enough combatant to help us to refrain from that desire. For example knowing that gluttony is wrong hardly helps me do anything about the fact that cheesecake is so good and tasty and I could eat the whole thing! What we need to do is fight by the Spirit. The Spirit is our sword(Ephesians 6) and is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). In this illustration Paul gives us, this is our only offensive tool for combat. Everything else is defensive in nature but the sword is our offensive tool. Now how do we mightily use our sword. I would say by faith. "Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life" (1 Tim 6:12). "I have fought the good fight of faith. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:7). It is by faith that we win and it is our sword that we use.

So, not only do we wrestle our sin to the cross. Our means of fighting it is by the sword of the Spirit (the Word) teaching us to have faith in God. What happens too often in our Christian walk is that the results aren't immediate enough to quench the desires of a very real and immediate sin. Our faith is weak. A desire comes up, our sword is sheathed. Most likely sitting at home dusty on a shelf. We don't have enough faith that God is better than our desire. So, we sin. The problem is that our faith is weak.

We pursue our fleeting pleasures in replace of being satisfied eternally in God. But God is better and greater... we need to use the word to remind us of that! Last night I was reading 1 Kings and I was floored by how great God truly is. When I remember that his benefits are never ending.

When we sin our actions are saying that we want to sin more than we want God... now if you have a right understanding of the glory of God then it makes sin less appealing. Use your sword.

So, I am not saying simply abstain from sin and when you encounter it wrestle it to the cross. I am saying replace your desire to sin with something greater, namely God himself.

In Love With the Word?

There is a danger of staleness… I am sure that if you asked several seasoned saints you would hear the same answer to questions related to personal Bible study/reading; “It is hard to continue to return to the word everyday. There are so many subtle forces pulling against an individual from actually reading the bible.” I have a student that looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes and exclaim, “I am hungry for the word!” But, I bet I could ask that student how long did that hunger last before it was replaced with a hunger for something else? I am sure the answer would be not long. Maybe I am being pessimistic but I am projecting from my own experience.

I have a hard time with a routine bible reading. It should be my passion. It should be natural. BUT, it gets crowded out. It gets pushed to the fringes by other important things like ministry and preaching and counseling and even reading… I am so guilty of this lately. I have been reading and writing so much lately that I can’t even remember when I last simply read and studied the bible? Sure I use it. I think about it. I think about parts that I am already familiar with and I love to talk about them. But there is a depth to the bible that is in-exhaustible. And I am not mining. I put down my pick months ago. So on that note… I am done writing and I am done reading my other books so I can dive into the word of life.

Luke 16- The Rich Man and Lazarus

Here is an interesting teaching from Jesus. He tells a story of a rich man who lived in luxury. At the rich man's gate was a beggar who longed to receive any kind of blessing he could from the excess of the rich man but received only crumbs at best from the rich man's table. Then Jesus says "the time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried in hell, where he saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side (verses 22-24)."



Let us learn a couple things from this parable. We live in luxury and so we more easily relate to the rich man. So please reader be warned, do not let your prosperous position so crowd your life that you are unaware of beggars at your gate. Whether that is spiritual or physical, be warned. Take compassion. It is better to give than receive."Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)." Be rich towards God. Give and give and give expecting nothing in return. Bless those around you and give lavishly. That is the first piece of advise I can give you from this text.



Secondly, don't always assume that if you are blessed here on earth that God is your best friend. He disciplines those that he loves and "has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor (James 2:5-6)." What I am saying is this; "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus(the beggar) received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony (verse 25)." Instead of putting our trust and hope in the provisions we have received on this earth we need to put our hope in the Provider. We should turn all of our blessings into praise to Him who gave them graciously and we should make a habit of giving so we don't fall into the temptation of loving our stuff. Don't get in the habit of trusting in your money. Give as much as you can and then give even more. Money is such a stumbling block for so many. Don't let it be your Master.



Third, hell is hot. I fear that hell is scoffed at these days and most unfortunately in churches. Let scripture warn you, hell is real. "Have pity on me! If I could just get a drop of water on my tongue because I am in agony in this fire... please warn my family so they will not come to this place of torment," said the rich man. Hell is real. I know that sucks. Unfortunately, we can't dismiss that hell is real, so we should live in the reality of the news.

Lastly, listen to scriptures... "They have Moses and the Prophets; Let them listen to them (verse 29)." We have been warned and instructed by all of scriptures and I think we need to carefully 'listen to them.' For the rich man's family, Abraham says, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead (verse 31)." Scripture is enough. And we are studying it together. But let us be careful to listen to what it says. How is scripture transforming you lately? Or do you simply read and then forget? Are you applying these truths to your life? Or walking away unchanged? If you are not moved by scripture than a dead man walking into your life wont even have an effect on you. Pray that God would make your heart soft and receptive to the warnings of scripture.

Luke 11: 28 -Hear the Word and Obey

Can you imagine the son of man standing before you and exposing the mysteries of evil spirits, and kingdoms, and unity with his vision?! Neither can I! But, apparently it was so exciting and overwhelming sitting under His teaching that a woman cried out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you! (verse 27)"

I have only ever heard a couple people who so passionately exposed the word of God to me that I developed an instant man crush. It is rare that someone is so near to God and so passionate about His ways that you instantly praise that person for their devotion. It is sad because I wish that was the norm, unfortunately it is not.... Jesus, clearly, would have had this effect.

So the woman instantly praises Him! "Blessed is your mother! I am thankful for your existence! For your teachings! For having this experience!" But Jesus always has a way of steering peoples hearts and motives to the more important things. Like we noticed in chapter ten he pointed us to eternity. Today, He points us to the Word.

"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it (verse 28)."

You get excited about my mom? Instead you should get excited about the Word. The people who are actually blessed are the ones who hear the word of God and obey it. People who listen to what God has to say and then they actually do it. Jesus sets the example for us all throughout his life and ministry saying he has come to do the will of the Father. He lives to obey. We should follow His lead and be in complete submission to the word of God.

Dear Christian, do you get excited about the word? Have you opened the scriptures today and asked God, "will you open my ears to 'hear the Word' and could you bend my will to obey you?" Do you look at scriptures and walk away without asking what you can obey. I know all too many people who have the curse of being able to hear the word and then walk away unchanged. Unwilling to obey the King of Kings. Unwilling to bend their knee to the Lordship of Christ. This does not happen out of rebellion but by the simple fact that Satan helps you to not see what needs to be obeyed. We have become a people that can nod our heads in agreement during a sermon and never obey. We can open our bibles and study and read without ever obeying God. It is a curse. It is a tragedy that we have trivialized the Words of God to a daily "quiet time' or to a little "teaching." Think about it, if God tells you to do something your proper response should be, "yes my Lord," as you bow in reverence to the Holy King. Somehow we have been deceived to think that we can look Jesus in the face, hear what He tells us, tell him "ok", then we walk away and do whatever we feel like.

Like James 1:22 say... "do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourself. Do what it says." Don't just listen, don't just read, don't let the words fall on def ears. Actually listen and actually obey. Then you will be blessed.

Bible For Dummies

I had fun with this one... it might have been the strangest message that I have ever given. Not that the content was weird, just the time leading up to it. I fell asleep when I should have been diligently studying the scriptures preparing to preach. Then I awoke, "you sluggard! Consider the way of the ant and be wise" (Proverbs 6: 6). Rushing to the church I began to repent, "what a wicked and lazy man I am, sleeping in the midst of difficulty." Then terror struck when I realized that I could not find my bible!?! I had it earlier that morning as I did worship prep for big church and now I realized that I might have left it in the dream center, which I do not have keys for!? I found myself in the middle of a battle without my greatest weapon...

This all struck me as very odd because I have been reading Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan, and my story paralleled the main character's predicament. Christian from Pilgrims Progress falls asleep and is awakened, "go to the ant; you sluggard. consider her ways and be wise." Realizing his folly Christian quickly wakes up to continue on his journey. After traveling a great distance he reaches in his cloak and realizes that he misplaced his sacred scroll. In the story Christian is able to go back and find his scroll and likewise I retraced my steps to find my bible. God redeemed both Christian and myself by aiding us even more than usual after our blunders.

I cracked the Sacred Scroll last night and asked God for his supernatural equipping and I preached as boldly as I could about His Book and all of its benefits. I hope that it helped our students to fall in love with the Word. Blessed is the man ...who delights in the law of the Lord... and on his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1-2)