Free to Serve

Why I'm thankful to be back in the Gospel of John

This Sunday morning at MVBC I begin an eight-part series through John 7-8. I've been slowly working through John the past few years. I'm glad to be back. Here are a few reasons why:

1) Because John was written "so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:30). Studying the Gospel forces me to reflect on how I came to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. And, I pray as I prepare to preach, that some who have yet to believe would do so, and have life in his name.

2) Because the Son of God is the King to whom the book of Judges points. I've spent the last five weeks preaching in Judges, and I have loved it! And yet, I'm just as excited to focus on the final Judge, the perfect Savior, and the risen King--the long-expected Jesus.

3) Because the passages that I'll be preaching on are shorter. Okay, this is not a particularly good reason, but it is an honest one. But I hope it is helpful to you, too! You'll easily be able to read the passages over and over again in preparation to hear the sermon.

4) Because John, like the other Gospels, reminds me just how amazing Jesus is. The title of the sermon series is, "The Jesus That Might Surprise You." I've been a Christian for eighteen years, but Jesus still amazes me. I was reading in John 3 this morning where John the Baptist is so humbled by the reality of Jesus' person, character, and mission that he can only say, "He must increase, but I must decrease." And then, chapter 4 begins with us reading that "Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well." This Jesus whom John the Baptist preached is the Christ, the Son of God, who came to take away the sins of the world was human, he could get tired on a dry and hot day in Samaria. He is truly God incarnate. Amazing.

5) Because I need the Gospel. I don't mean the Gospel as in the book that John wrote. I mean I need the message of Jesus Christ that John delivers to us. The message of a Savior who did what I could not do, died the death I deserved to die, and now calls me to himself. That's what I need today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that . . ..

Will you join me in reading through the Gospel of John? 

Multiverse Musings

Did you read the May 28, 2012 cover article of Newsweek, “The New Secrets of the Universe”? I did. After all, that’s a great title, and there was a cool picture of the universe on the cover. And who doesn’t want to know the new secrets of the universe? 

Columbian physicist Brian Greene suggests in his essay that we should seriously consider that our universe is one of billions and billions and billions of universes, a multiverse, and this explains why we happen to live in a universe that is hospitable to life.

Scientists have pointed out for a long time how uncanny it is that the earth is at just the right distance from the sun so that we aren’t frozen or on fire. They have noted that the universe is expanding at just the right rate so that we neither get broken apart into bits or collapsed together into one great mass. 

Data like this (and there are plenty more examples) have been used as evidence for intelligent design. In other words, the odds of living in a universe so perfectly tuned for life indicates that a designer is behind it.  

But how do individuals who don’t want to appeal to a designer explain the fact that our universe has just the right conditions to make life on earth possible?

That’s where Greene comes in. He argues that if there are billions and billions and billions of universes—a multiverse—it becomes likely that there would be at least one universe just like ours. He put it this way: “Just as it takes a well-stocked shoe store to guarantee you’ll find your size, only a well-stocked multiverse can guarantee that our universe . . . will be represented.” He even suggests, here, that there may even be a universe with another you in it.

Unfortunately, buried at the end of his article, long after most readers probably gave up, is Greene’s assertion that the multiverse theory has no evidence to support it: “Which is all to say that the multiverse theory falls squarely in the domain of high-risk science.” In fact, he ends with these words, “The multiverse proposal might be wrong. But it might be the next step in this journey, unveiling a breathtaking panorama of universes populating a vast cosmic landscape.”

Honestly, I don’t know if there is more than one universe or not. But as Christians we should note that the smartest scientists on the planet are at a loss to explain how it is possible that our universe is hospitable to life.

We are not at a loss to explain this tremendous fact. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

 

 

Mohler on Homosexuality

Writing for CNN a few days ago, Mohler offers an explanation of the Bible's stance on homosexuality. You can read it here. 

Here is how he concludes the piece:

Christian love requires that we believe and teach what the Bible teaches and that we do so with both strong conviction and humble hearts. The Church must repent of our failures in both of these tasks, but we must not be silent where the Bible speaks. Are Christians hypocrites in insisting that homosexual behavior is sin? We, too, are sinners, and hypocrisy and inconsistency are perpetual dangers. The church failed miserably in the face of the challenge of divorce. This requires an honest admission and strong corrective. At the same time, this painful failure must remind us that we must not fail to answer rightly when asked what the Bible teaches about homosexuality. Love requires us to tell the truth.

 

Anthony J. Carter @ MVBC

Anthony Carter is preaching at MVBC this Sunday Morning. He is the pastor of East Point Church right here in Atlanta. He visited MVBC a couple of years ago, and I'm very glad that he's coming back to preach from 1 Corinthians 13. He sermon is entitled, "The Supremacy of Love."

Tony has produced a number of books including Experiencing the Turth: Bringing the Reformation to the African-American Church. He has thought a great deal about preaching. Here he encourages all churches to reclaim biblical truth in the Christian pulpit:

During the Reformation, the Protestant church developed five key phrases that defined the biblical faith. These five phrases have since served as a rallying cry for biblical Christianity. They are sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone). These five phrases are not the sum total of the Christian faith, but they can serve as a worthy reminder and adequate guideline for the content of our preaching. One of the glorious ways in which the light of biblical truth could shine upon the Christian pulpit in general and teh African-American pulpit in particular would be for the light of the Reformation to be recovered in our pulpits. This could principally be done through a conscious consideration of the five solas in our preaching. Biblical, Reformed, experiential preaching will take them all into account. To do so faithfuly can do nothing but enhance and strengthen the preacher and the congregation.

 

Marks of the Messenger

We had a great weekend with Mack Stiles. He shared with us what it is like being in Dubai and serving as an elder at Redeemer Church. Mack always brings with him a love for people. I couldn't get him to the main service on time because he wanted to talk to everyone we passed. What a great example! 

If you haven't, please take the time to buy and read his book, Marks of the Messenger: Knowing, Living and Speaking the Gospel. Mack challenges to make the Gospel clear and to share it with great boldness. He put it this way:

Finally, we need boldness to invite response to the message once we've presented it fully. This is overcoming the fear of rejection.

Perhaps you have been studying the Gospel of Mark with a non-Christian friend. There comes a point when you need boldness to say, "You know, I think that this is an urgent matter in your life. I think that you understand the gospel, and really what is left is for you to place your complete faith and trust in Christ. What is stopping you from doing that?"

We tend to hate putting people on the spot, but the gospel is not really the gospel without letting people know that a response is required.

So remember: to be healthy evangelists requires boldness that overcomes the fear of man by replacing it with the fear of God. Healthy evangelism is cultivated by exposing our faith to others, by anticipating how to be bold in our conversations and by being willing to invite a response to the message.

Personal Memories of Senator Mark O. Hatfield (1922-2011)

In 1994 a piece of paper changed my life. I was walking down the hall of the Economics Department at the University of Oregon when I saw that Oregon's senior senator, Mark O. Hatfield, was inviting economics students to apply to intern in his office. This was the beginning of my senior year in college, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after that. Before I became a Christian, I planned to enter the business world to make as much money as I could. Becoming a Christian changed my thinking, and I began to wonder if public service was a better option. The flyer piqued my interest.

I drove up to Salem for an interview with Hatfield's State Director. My intention was to stick close to home by interning in the Salem office. I was persuaded to intern in Washington, DC instead. In September of 1994 I purchased a round trip ticket that would bring me back to Oregon in December of 1995. I never went back to stay.

Bold Chinese Christians

On July 28 the Wall Street Journal ran a front page article on the state of China's underground churches. The underground, Protestant church in China is very large. Government-backed (and therefore conservative) estimates say China has 23 million Protestants. The number is probably at least triple that. According to this article, the city of Beijing has 20 underground seminaries. 

One of the underground churches is called the Shouwang Church. It has over 1,000 members. These members were evicted from their meeting place last April. But the churches are becoming defiant. Brian Spegele, writing for the WSJ:

A vast national network of underground churches across the country promises to have staying power. No sooner was Shouwang shut down, for example, than [Beijing] Zion [Church] became more prominent.

Beijing Zion is a church of 800 with a pastor who is increasingly outspoken. The government is making statements, trying to keep the believers under control. The following excerpt is from an editorial printed in the Global Times, a newspaper run by the state:

A church should not become a power which can promote radical change . . . Otherwise, the church is not engaged in religion but in politics, which is not allowed for a church.

Such is life in Communist China. When members of Shouwang Church assembled outside, they were shut down by the police. According to Spegele, "Some have been confined to their homes while others have been expelled to their hometowns in the provinces."

Jesus knew this would happen. So he preached:

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It is hard for Americans to understand what it is like to wake up with the realization that this very day you could be banned from attending of Bible study, refused entrance into a city, or imprisoned--all because you want to assemble in the name of Jesus Christ.

I'm sure it is hard for many of these Chinese believers to understand how we can be so timid when it comes to sharing our faith when we have the freedom to do so. 

The Unassuming and Effective Pastor--John Stott

John Stott died yesterday. He was a theologian, a writer, and a pastor. He served All Souls Church, Langham Place, in London for practically his entire life. I heard him preach about fifteen years ago at Falls Church Episcopal in Washington, DC. He spoke the truth of the Bible clearly and powerfully.

In 2005, Time Magazine selected him as one of the most influential people in the world. He has certainly influenced me! I return again and again to a few of his many books including Men with a Message, a New Testament overview, Understanding the Bible, Men Made New, an exposition of Romans 5-8, Between Two Worlds, a book on preaching, and The Cross of Christ.

Stott remained single his entire life, a life devoted to preaching and teaching. He served without fanfare--something noted in his obituaries.

Tim Stafford of Christianity Today wrote that "Stott exemplified how extraordinary plain, ordinary Christianity can be." He preached Scripture in such a way that people walked away from the text asking the question, "Why didn't I see that myself?" In other words, they walked away from the sermon thinking about the text, not about Stott. This is the way it should be. Stafford described Stott's visits to countries we call the Third World, but that Stott dubbed, The Majority World: "He traveled without entourage, sometimes preaching in cathedrals one day and under a tree the next, meeting the mighty and the lowly and staying in their homes." David Wells, a prominent Christian thinker, came to know Christ at a mission Stott held in South Africa in 1959. Later he lived with Stott. Wells observed, "He was known all over the world, but when you met him he was a devout, humble Christian man. His private life was no different from his public life. It was the same person. That's another way to say that he had integrity. There was no posing."

Wolfgang Saxon of the New York Times was struck by Stott's humility: "For all his fame on several continents, Mr. Stott's travels and appearances were remarkably devoid of pomp, befitting his simple message of reason and faith and his unassuming demeanor." Saxon quotes Stott directly on the danger of pride, "Pride is without doubt the greatest temptation of Christian leaders and I'm very well aware of the dangers of being feted and don't enjoy it and don't think one should enjoy it." 

Without seeking to draw attention to himself, the Lord has used Stott to draw more than one generation to pay attention to God and to His Word. Stott was not flashy. Neither was his prose. Notice his simple but clear explanation of justification by faith. Commenting upon Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16, and Titus 3:5, Stott wrote:

We cannot avoid the stark alternative which such texts put before us. Not works, but grace. Not law, but faith. Not our righteous deeds but his mercy. There is no co-operation here between God and us, only a choice between two mutually exclusive ways, his and ours. Moreover, the faith which justifies is emphatically not another work. No, to say 'justification by faith' is merely another way of saying 'justification by Christ'. Faith has absolutely no value in itself; its value lies solely in its object. Faith is the eye that looks to Christ, the hand that lays hold of him, the mouth that drinks the water of life. And the more clearly we see the absolute adequacy of Jesus Christ's divine-human person and sin-bearing death, the more incongruous does it appear that anybody could suppose that we have anything to offer (Cross of Christ, 187). 

There it is, one of thousands upon thousands of paragraphs with simple but piercing prose pointing to the glory of Jesus Christ.

Stott is to be remembered for his faithfulness. He leaves behind him no children, but many pastors and believers who see Christ with a greater degree of clarity because of Stott's influence. Pray your leaders would be so unassuming and, yet, so effective.

Muslim or Christian?

In Egypt, it is one or the other. You are either Muslim or Christian. Judaism--not acceptable. Atheism--not allowable. HInduism--okay to visit but don't expect to stay. The driver's licenses in Egypt make this clear. Check out this photo below. It's a picture of the back of an Egyptian license (no personal information). It's in Arabic and the second line from the bottom consists of three words. Reading from right to left, the first word is "male." The last word is "married." The word in the middle is "Christian."

There are about 80 million people in Egypt. Rough estimates suggest that 65 million are "Muslim" and 15 million are "Christian." The vast majority of those labeled Christian are Christian in name only. A much smaller percentage are true believers.

Licenses which require someone to indicate whether he is a Muslim or a Christian is one way discrimination and even persecution against Christians takes place. It may be as small as being denied a promotion. It could be much worse if a Muslim convert to Christianity tried to change their id status from "Muslim" to "Christian" -- which is why most don't.

As Americans, it is hard to imagine what it would be like to live in a culture like this. It strikes me as akin to racism. On January 25, 2011 a revolution started in Egypt which led to the resignation of President Mubarak. In the long run, this may be bad news for true believers if the new regime is even less tolerant to Christians. In the meantime, there is some degree of optimism. The pictures exemplify the hunger for more freedom in Egypt. The first was taken in Alexandria, the second in Cairo:

Creation and Intelligent Design

Two books that I have found helpful in understanding the complex topic of intelligent design are Philip Johnson's Darwin on Trial and Understanding Intelligent Design: Everything You Need to Know in Plain Language by William A. Dembski and Sean McDowell. 

Johnson was a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley. During one sabbatcial he read a book by the atheist, Richard Dawkins, called The Blind Watchmaker. He decided to dive into Dawkins's arguments. Darwin on Trial is the fruit of his research. It was first published in 1991. It is dated (though there is a 2010 edition) so it dated. Still, his critique is still valid and his writing style makes the book easy to read. 

William Dembski is a mathematician and well known for his "explanatory filter" a process of computing the probability of a certain event being produced by chance or intelligence. It is a serious argument. Sean McDowell is a high school teacher and works hard to make the difficult topic easy to understand.