GospelDrivenLife

more happy but not more secure

I grew up in the Christian world of charts and maps and beasts.  I cut my eye teeth on the rapture, as it is called by the Left Behind authors.  But those details of the "end times" are no longer of any interest to me.

I will not give all my reasons.  But I will give the simplest one -- the focus of the Bible is not on the details, but on one fact: we shall see His face.  In this all Christians of all centuries agree.

Reflecting on this truth -- that Christ will return, judge the world, remove sin, and create a new heavens and a new earth -- led me to consider some old songs.  One of them had words I found quite stunning.

Toplady wrote that those who are in Christ when they see his face will "be happy but not more secure."  Think about that.

For someone who has been graced with the forgiveness of sin and has come to rest in the sacrifice of Christ -- seeing him will bring vast joy, infinite joy. We will be far happier than the happiest Christian now.  But, says Toplady, we will not be more secure.  Today I am as protected and kept by Christ as I will be on that day. 

Expand on that with me.  Will Christ love his people more then, than he does now? Will Christ delight in us more then, than he does now?  Will Christ exercise more power toward us then than he does now?

No -- I am as fully loved, fully accepted, fully forgiven, fully protected by God today as I ever shall be. I will see and taste it more clearly then, but I will be no more protected and secure then. 

So, look around. If you are in Christ today -- you are in the midst of a variety of personal trials.  And our society and economy are fragile.  H1N1 virus threatens you.  Blogs tell you that you have to watch out for pesticides on your food, not trust MD's, prepare for a certain natural disaster by storing food, etc.

On that day, you will face none of those threats.  But today you do.

On that day you will be loved, protected. cared for, secure forever.  Today you are just as loved, protected, cared for, and secure.

Here is what God says to his people in light of this truth: Banish sadness.  Fear not. 

Bay Area Action

I love the SF Bay Area.  Not only is it a fascinating place to live, but it is one of the most difficult places in the US for Christians and for new churches.  That is my kind of place.  

That is why I am excited about a new journal that is the fruit of a movement to bring the Gospel to the Bay.  That is, the Gospel, good news, not good advice -- an announcement of what God has done in Christ, not a religious discipline, a moral code, a therapeutic insight, or some sort of inner light.  

My friend Justin Buzzard took the initiative.  Another friend, Toby Kurth (who is planting our Sovereign Grace Church in the heart of the city), contributed. 

Check out this new journal HERE. 

» 3 Truths That Change Your Life Buzzard Blog

My friend Justin is back to blogging.  Check out his great thoughts.

via www.buzzardblog.com

Contending For The Gospel |

What is the Gospel and how do we effectively live it out in our lives, families and communities? Join us as we explore these questions together with engaging presentations by gifted and passionate speakers, plus powerful worship led by Josh Gumbert, Tyson & Julianna Morlet, and James Doezie.

via contendingforthegospel.com

If you are in the SoCal area -- check this out.

keeping up with culture and being relevant, 2

 . . .  continuing . . .

So how can we be in the world and not of it?  What can we learn from Christ that will help us? Letʼs look at a few principles from Scripture and experience to help us understand this and guide the way we relate to the lost.

First, I relate to the world redemptively. I am a fisher of men, for their salvation. This does not mean I view people as evangelism projects. I do not get to know a co-worker, share the Gospel with them, discover they are not interested, and dump them. Evangelism is not an assembly line project. 

If I live redemptively I am loving people around me, treating them with respect and true friendship, and always seeking and praying for their salvation. I am on a mission–and that mission guards me from being a partaker of sin while I am a friend of sinners.

Second, there are temptations in relating to the lost. Fear of man is real. A willingness to participate in sin because of fear of man is likely. I can be unwise and seek to befriend the opposite sex. I can spend too much time with the lost and lose the protection of fellowship and others caring for my soul. The world is not a neutral place. People outside of Christ want others to join them in their sin. I need wisdom and discernment, and that means I need the help of others.

Third, knowing people is different than going to movies. I think the whole discussion of being culturally aware dodges the real work of knowing lost people deeply.  I am called to love and serve them for Christ.  I am called to help them when they have marital problems, children problems, and are living with effects of their sin. I am called to relate to them in what we have in common. And we have a lot in common. They are made in Godʼs image. They know love and hate, sadness and joy, and the beauty of music and creation. I do not need to focus on the unique culture of our times, so much as on the real people around me. 

This means I am to know individuals. I have never met statistical averages. I only know my friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates.  I need to get to know their questions, histories, backgrounds, objections to the Gospel. I am to treat them with deepest respect.

I have often puzzled over why sinners flocked to Jesus. He was sinless. They were sinners. They were despised by many – but they wanted to be with him. I think one answer is that, clear as he was about salvation and sin, he treated them with such dignity and respect that they were drawn to him.

Fourth, I am to learn the culture to serve real people I know. There are two men who have influenced me greatly in this regard: Francis Schaeffer and Tim Keller. Both men were/are clearly aware of the culture and very sophisticated in their relating to the culture. But they’re both evangelists. They know people. They read the latest bestsellers and make connections with real people. They’re the kind of men who would go to the latest movie, hear the message of the director, and immediately see how it relates to their friend who is not a Christian. They did so with discernment.  But they found ways to understand people through observing the culture. For them, knowing the culture is not an academic exercise–it is to serve people. So it should be for us.

We are called to be friends of sinners. We can be more effective when we know the world they live in and what shapes their values. So we keep up with culture. But it is all so the Savior may seek and save the lost through us.

keeping up with culture and being relevant, 1

The following has been posted in another context . . .

Here’s a newsflash: We live in the world.

We live in a secular society where God is ignored, immorality is encouraged, greed is rampant, and the media is corrupt. But we cannot escape. Here is where we work and play, marry and raise children, attend school and learn. 

In light of this, there’s a big question many Christians are asking today: How should a Christian relate to their culture? 

Should we insulate ourselves in Christian ghettos? Or are we to study the culture–stay in touch with the best of TV and cinema, keep up with the bestsellers, and know some of the new music?

Personally, I am not sure I know exactly how to answer all these questions or where to draw all the lines I know we should ask these questions, carefully and biblically. And I know we will all answer them, in good conscience, in different ways.

But I want to suggest that this question–“How should a Christian relate to culture?”–may be the wrong question. This may be the wrong place for us, as Christians in the middle of culture, to start. Here’s why: I am not sure how I am to relate to the culture, but I am sure I am to relate to people outside of Christ for the sake of their salvation.
Before we ask how we as Christians should relate to our culture we must ask how and why Christ came into culture. Christ and his mission should define the questions we ask about culture.

When we talk about relating to those outside of Christ, here’s where I think we should begin start: Jesus came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost. He came not be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners and called a friend of sinners. He invited the twelve to follow him and he would make them fishers of men. 

I may not know every detail of how to relate to culture, but I know this – Jesus sent me into the world on the same mission as his. He has called me to be a fisher of men. He wants me to be a friend of sinners. So this is not about movies and books and music. It is about people. This is daily life.

more to come . . .

at the right hand of God

It seems I missed something.  It seems I have read the NT for years and missed a significant emphasis.  What I missed is the exaltation of the Christ.  From Acts to Revelation the attention of the writers is to the Savior at God's Right Hand. 

It is not that they do not think of his incarnation, or his life, or his substitution, or his resurrection.  Rather, they speak of all that he is and all that he has done NOW at God's right hand. 

The One at God's right hand is incarnate God.  There is a man in the Trinity today.  yes, that is wild and unthinkable.  But then the Son was glorified, it was his humanity that was glorified.  The God-man is in the circle of the Godhead.  Humanity is in the Trinity.

The One at God's right hand is the One who remembers his entire life -- was tempted in all points as we are.  He can exercise his memory and go back to the healing of the leper, the interrogation by his enemies, the slowness of the disciples.  And out of perfect sympathy and infinite grace can give us grace in time of need.

The One at God's right hand is the crucified.  Rich wounds yet visible above, in beauty glorified.  His exaltation is a reign of redeeming sovereignty.  He rules to call his people to himself and apply the blood of the covenant to their lives.

The One at God's right hand is the risen one. He lives forever.  And in his everlasting life is the prevailing power for our salvation.  His ever live to make intercession for us.

All that he is and all that he has done is NOW for us at God's right hand.

And that is a call for us to live as pilgrims on the earth, for he is our destiny.  We shall be at his side as his bride forever.  Glory is hardly a fitting description to what lies before us.

And he is ever accessible for us. As we walk toward this everlasting grace-given glory, he is ever accessible to give us grace to follow.

Listen HERE for more.

Jesus Ascended: The Meaning of Christ's Continuing Incarnation

via www.amazon.com

There are few books that seem to be in a class of their own. This is one. Perhaps this is simply because the subject of Jesus ascension receives so little attention. But Dawson shows that such a neglect is out of touch with the Scriptures. All that Jesus is and all that he has done and all that he has experienced is now at the right hand of God for us, his people and for the Gospel and its advance. That seems to me to be of more than passing interest.

Ascension

That Jesus is Ascended is glorious, but more than I imagined.  We view the cross through the throne.  Here is a hymn that sweeps through the purposes of God.  Meditation on these words will bring rich encouragement.

At the Name of Jesus
every knee shall bow,
every tongue confess him
King of glory now;
'tis the Father's pleasure
we should call him Lord,
who from the beginning
was the mighty Word.

At his voice creation
sprang at once to sight,
all the angel faces,
all the hosts of light,
Thrones and Dominations,
stars upon their way,
all the heavenly orders,
in their great array.

Humbled for a season,
to receive a Name
from the lips of sinners,
unto whom he came,
faithfully he bore it
spotless to the last,
brought it back victorious,
when from death he passed;

Bore it up triumphant,
with its human light,
through all ranks of creatures,
to the central height,
to the throne of Godhead,
to the Father's breast;
filled it with the glory
of that perfect rest.

Name him, brothers, name him,
with love as strong as death,
but with awe and wonder
and with bated breath;
he is God the Savior,
he is Christ the Lord,
ever to be worshiped,
trusted, and adored.

In your hearts enthrone him;
there let him subdue
all that is not holy,
all that is not true;
crown him as your Captain
in temptation's hour;
let his will enfold you
in its light and power.

Brothers, this Lord Jesus
shall return again,
with his Father's glory
with his angel train;
for all wreaths of empire
meet upon his brow,
and our hearts confess him
King of glory now.

Fighting the Noonday Devil | First Things

Fighting the Noonday Devil | First Things

Though I am not a subscriber to First Things, there are occasional articles therein that really throw light on current trends. Today, while studying the ascension of Christ, I found Reno's linked article.

Here is some thinking that seems to deal a mortal blow to the "Revolutionaries" who think playing golf with another Christian or sipping lattes at Starbucks with the same is a good alternative to a particular church. Recently Kluck and DeYoung have written a masterful book on the church (Why We Love the Church) which speaks to this drift. But turns out, Dante wrote on this too -- as well as a number of medieval thinkers.

You see the sin behind all this abandoning of the church could just well be acedia -- indifference, apathy, also known as one of the "seven deadly sins," that being laziness. The ancient writers referred to it as the destruction that wastes at noonday (Psalm 91). The article recommended here opens this up with lots of implications to our "whatever" society.

For example, Reno explains:
According to another ancient writer in the Evagrian tradition (cataloguing of core sins), the noonday demon “stirs the monk also to long for different places in which he can find easily what is necessary for his life and can carry on a much less toilsome and more expedient profession. It is not on account of locality, the demon suggests, that one pleases God. He can be worshiped anywhere. (emphasis mine)

Let me paraphrase -- this sin shows up in words and thoughts like these:

• I can worship God on the golf course without having to deal with bylaws, poor music, crying babies, and inhospitable fellow saints.
• I can attend church and not get to know people. 
• I can leave one church and head to another at any time.
• Who needs the local church? 
• I can have an organic church.
• Or I can have a customized church with my kind of music and people.

But this sin shows up elsewhere.  American Christians, who believe the Gospel, need to watch for this sin of indifference, this lack of passion, this spiritual dullness which seeks the easiest way through.  We need to watch for making ourselves and our comfort the center - and for the weariness that comes when we begin to think it is not worth it, the weariness that makes us pull back. 

No one I know in the USA is tempted to renounce the faith in order to avoid martyrdom -- but we are tempted to retreat, to play it safe, to make our entire lives a gated community of safe experiences and nice people.

Dorothy Sayers put it this way: laziness is “the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die.”

Certainly the Gospel calls us out of such flabbiness.  Sin is deadly.  Sacrifice was required and offered. Holiness matters.  Hell is real.  Lies damn. Our Savior is not one option among many, but the ultimate Lord and Judge, now seated at God's right hand. This is hardly a call for another pumpkin spice latte.

Jesus the ascended Lord shouts to us, "Its worth it to follow me, to renounce yourself for me."  I need to do some repenting for my indifference.