J To The 3rd Power

Kingdom Friends

2007-12-19T09:57:00.000-06:00

I wanted to put a short post up to share an unbelievable experience that happened to Ondria and I last week. I had the opportunity to speak at a youth event in Florida and while we were gone, some very good friends of ours stole our car keys and car and did some much needed repairs to our it. When we returned, we found a car that was not run well when we left, but now is running great! We could not believe it! God is so good to give us such good friends who look after us and take care of us. These friends enabled us to understand Jesus' gift of himself by them giving of themselves for us.

Redefining the Social Gospel

2007-11-16T11:47:00.000-06:00

Let me start by saying that I have enjoyed my break from blogging. I have not had much interest in it over the past several months, but my zeal is back and I am ready give all of you such deep insights to life and Gospel.

I have been on a difficult journey through the past several years on how to live for the Kingdom. I believe that when Jesus ascended into heaven, He took seat on His throne and began reigning as King. As such, the Kingdom was instituted and we are now living with Jesus as our King in His Kingdom.

With all that said, I have done several posts on this blog called "Kingdom Living=Kingdom Giving." I have been so moved by the Lord to try and give "everything." Ondria and I by God’s grace have been trying to give to those who need things more than we do. As we have embarked on this difficult task, we have seen the hand of the Lord on our life - blessing us and always meeting our needs (just as He said he would in Matthew 6 if we meet the needs of the poor).

With this way of life in mind, I have been thinking lately about the Social Gospel and what its intentions were/are. I can say that the theology behind the Social Gospel is something I am certainly not comfortable with (Theologically, the Social Gospel leaders were overwhelmingly post-millenialists. That is because they believed the Second Coming could not happen until humankind rid itself of social evils by human effort. Wikipedia). Each time I hear of the Social Gospel, it is always being used as a tool to fix the broken social/political structure and bring poor people into a better financial standing. I would love to see another definition given to the Social Gospel - a definition that meets the needs of the poor, but does so for another reason other than fighting injustice and feeding the hungry. When I look around at my church's current cultural context in the Deep Creek Community I see surrounding it a multitude of homeless and hungry people. My heart brakes for them and I want them to be fed. But what food do they need? These hungry and homeless people need bread to eat. Bread that will feed their starving stomachs and Bread that will fill their starving souls.

In John 6 Jesus sees the needs of the hungry and meets their physical hunger. After he draws away from them that night they go looking for him. They find Him and Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you." Boy, have I felt this way almost every time we have reached out to the needy. They always come back looking for the physical food and not the spiritual food I was also trying to give them; yet Jesus uses the physical food as a tool to offer the spiritual food. He tells them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

If we think of the Social Gospel as a tool to give the true Gospel through social means, than we must use the Social Gospel. The term needs redefining based on a Biblical understanding of the Gospel - Jesus giving all of Himself to a group of hungry, dirty, smelly people who think that all they need is get fed through physical bread and then hoard what they have. Jesus gave all of Himself to give us real Bread! We must find a way to use physical bread to offer spiritual bread. I would like to call this as the real Social Gospel!

I have so many more thoughts on this issue, but these will do for some introduction…

MacArthur on Driscoll

2007-07-14T09:38:00.000-05:00

Here is an interesting article by MacArthur on "Grunge Christianity." If you are wondering what MacArthur thinks about Driscoll, you will want to read this. MacArthur also makes some interesting comments on how we should and should not engage our culture. I was disappointed in the article overall. Your thoughts???

If You Don't Know the Word - Just Shut Up!

2007-06-20T10:17:00.000-05:00

If any of you knew me in college (my sincere apologies if you did), you would remember a kid who knew nothing of the Word and promoted controversy everywhere I went because of it. I was one of those kids that spoke so confidently about what I knew nothing about. As I think back on those days, college seemed to be a breeding ground for such things. It seemed to be the cool thing to do - yell at those around you that didn't agree with your 100% accurate interpretation of a text that you had not studied.

As I think of the bigger picture in each of our current contexts, it does seem alarming that many men are still doing the same thing. This could be through preaching, teaching, writing, blogging, and such. This is harming our churches! Our people are not benefiting from such things.

I was reading in I Timothy 1 and was interested in this section:

3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. 5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

Men is Ephesus are trying to talk about the law, but have no real understanding of it. This promotes what? Paul says, "These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith." These men wanted to be teachers of the Word, but did not know what they were talking about. Paul's charge to Timothy was to stay in Ephesus and command these men to shut up!

Don't miss-understand what I am saying, talking about the Word is good. Talking about the Word, stirring up controversies, standing dogmatic on something you may not know everything about, is bad. If you want to teach and preach - study the Word and know the Word. Otherwise, just shut up!

Sovereign Grace Radio

2007-05-29T09:53:00.002-05:00

I was reading some articles on Sovereign Grace website today and I came across a cool resource. On their home page in the top right hand corner is a link that says "Sovereign Grace Radio." Click on the link and you will be linked to wide verity of their CD's being played. You can pick and choose which songs you want to hear or just let it play randomly. If you love their music as much as I do or you are interested in hearing it, check it out here!

A Short Interview with Marc Driscoll

2007-05-23T10:59:00.000-05:00

Christianity Today did a short interview with Marc Driscoll. Read it here. It is probably nothing you have not heard about him before, but I thought it was good and helps me further understand someone I really respect and support.

"Dulling" Iron (What is also known as Sharper Iron)

2007-05-05T09:46:00.000-05:00

I was given the website to Sharper Iron by a friend lately to read some thoughts on Joe Zichterman. I went to the website to hear what all the fuss was about. As I read the thoughts of Fundamentalist after Fundamentalist, my stomach became upset. I truly felt sick after reading what many of these angry people were saying about a man that left their camp for another. Now, I do believe that if you were to ask any of these men they would tell you "we saying this out of love for the truth" or "were angry with sin. Not angry with Joe." After reading their thoughts on Angry Iron, I am not so sure.

Read the opening to who Sharper Iron says that they are and what they are trying to do. This is from their web page: "Welcome to SharperIron! SI is a blog and forum whose mission is to edify Christian brothers and sisters by providing a place to publish and discuss news and ideas from a Christian, Biblical, Fundamentalist worldview. Our burden is to bring fundamentalist Christian brothers and sisters together for the cause of edification."

They clearly state that their goal is to edify Fundamentalists! Clearly from their website and its content they are only concerned with edifying Fundamentalists! There seems to be no concern for the larger body of Christ. Which is why you read article after article about the sin of Joe Zichterman for leaving the realm of Fundamentalism. Does Christ call us to love the Fundamentalists or to love His body? Does Christ call us to reach out to the Fundamentalists or to reach out to His body? If we do not agree with someone's position or where they are headed, is the answer to put up a blog to rake them across the coals? It is no wonder people are leaving their movement. The thing I find the funniest is they hold conferences and discussions all the time asking, "Why are people leaving Fundamentalism?" Stop hating people! Stop separating over nonsense! (ok, I drifted from talking about SI into the broader discussion of Fundamentalism. I don't want to go there.)

I will post more on the specific subject of Joe Zichterman later, but I wanted to share some thoughts on this website.

***Disclaimers:

1. I prayed for grace to say the things I said in love. It is always hard to criticize a group of people for criticizing others.
2. I do not want to have discussion on this blog about Fundamentalism. Please do not post comments about it. I prefer comments about specifically Sharper Iron and what they are posting about Joe.

Particular Redemption

2007-04-27T00:14:00.000-05:00

It seems that my last few posts have centered around, "you all need to read this" or "you all need to hear this." Set all of that aside for a moment because you all need to hear this! I just listened to John Piper and Bruce Ware debate the topic of Particular Redemption. Listen to it here. Bruce Ware says that Christ had "multiple intentions" at the cross. Piper says Christ had "single intention" at the cross. Piper tells Bruce, "I don't want you to be a 4 point Calvinist."

What a great debate this is. I encourage you to listen to the debate!

How To Train Your Elders and Deacons

2007-04-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

9Marks has a link to their newsletter on their web site. In the March/April edition, Ligon Duncan senior minister of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi to share how he trains his Elders and Deacons. He gives his 20 page or so document on what the curriculum looks like. This is an excellent resource for all of us church-men out there. Here is the Link:

For 9Marks
www.ninemarks.com

You Need To Download This CD

2007-04-16T10:29:00.000-05:00

John Waller is newest thing out in good Christ exalting music. I recommend you get into iTunes and listen to what he has out. Make sure you listen to "Ancient Words." Great stuff!

My Man, Rick Warren Taking A Stand

2007-04-02T00:51:00.000-05:00

I encourage all of you to read an interview done by Newsweek Magazine with Rick Warren and Sam Harris. Sam Harris is an atheist and is debating Rick Warren on the issue of the existence of God.
I am certain that I could have thought of a few people I would have liked to see in his place debating a man such as Sam Harris, but I thought Rick Warren did a great job and stood for the truth.
This is just another reason to love Rick Warren as much as I do (there is no sarcasm in that. I am not like all you haters out there!)

A link to the article and overview can be found on Justin Taylor's blog. Or you can go directly to the written article and an audio overview at

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17889147/site/newsweek/page/6/

I have Converted!

2007-03-21T23:42:00.000-05:00

The new blog is bigger and better than ever. Considering the last one sucked, that does not say much!

What Is a Deacon Anyway?

2007-03-14T09:54:00.000-05:00

In trying to better understand my role as a deacon at our church, I have been studying about what a deacon is, what a deacon does, and what a deacon should be doing in our current cultural context. I have to say I have been surprised in my finding in the text of Scripture. Here are some general thoughts to start with....

I have been asking people as of late what their understanding is, of the office of a deacon? To no surprise they answer something like "To take care of the widows and poor people in the church" "To help lead the church" "To pass the offering plates." These few answers sum up what I believe is most peoples understanding is of the office. I guess if I were to be honest, I thought the same thing myself up until recently.

Let's look at Acts 6 for a closer look at the earliest form of the office.

1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

The question I kept asking myself from this passage is "Why were these men selected?" I also kept answering it in the context of the widows, but upon further study it becomes clear that these men were not selected just to feed widows, these men were selected to take pressure off of the Elders so they could better devote themselves to the Word and Prayer. Yes, the immediate context of what was taking the Elders away from the Word and Prayer was the feeding of the widows. It is important though to realize that these men were not created with the purpose of waiting on tables. These men were selected to give more time for the Elders to be in the Word. I believe this is a very important distinction, because it lays out cross-culturally what the deacons are to be doing in each generation and in each culture.

One reason I wrestled so much with the issue is due to our lack of "widows" in the modern day US church. The original church did not have medicine like we have. Men were working far more than women. If and when the man died, the women had nothing to support them (especially if they had no family. (I Timothy 5:16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.). These widows were not remarrying like our widows do in our culture. With all of that said, it is easy to see why widows were such a focus to the early church. Now as i look at our churches, we don't have the same issue (as much). The office cannot be centered around the widows. There is clearly more to the office.

Would You have Followed?

2006-12-19T22:28:00.000-06:00

Our Pastor preached a sermon recently on Zacharia's prophecy in Gospel of Luke. He also began to trace these prophecies throughout the OT. I couldn't help but be amazed at what these prophecies said about the coming Messiah.

I have to say I have been awfully critical of those who turned away from Christ after seeing Him perform so many miracles and proclaim who He said He was. How would it be possible to turn and not give your life to such a man (God)? Well, setting aside (as if that is possible) the obvious sovereignty of God and Him calling whom He wills, I think I might understand a little more.

In many of these prophecies throughout the Bible, the coming Messiah would be a King with a Kingdom, He would come in power, He would rescue us from our enemies, He would have authority to rule. The Jews were clearly looking for a deliverer from the Romans. Why? because so many of the prophecies that they had grown up with spoke of Him as such. When a child was born in a shed and raised as a carpenter with no money, it must have been a bit much to accept that He was their new "deliverer."

I am aware that there were many other prophecies about Christ that did line up and come true. My concern is that I may have been one of the ones who saw a man who claimed to be the Messiah and King, but was a little too poor, possibly too short, and didn't seem to be killing any of the Romans.

Would I have followed? Would I have believed? Would You?

Daughtry Finally Takes the Stage

2006-12-08T23:11:00.000-06:00

For all of you American Idol fans out there, my boy Chris Daughtry (who was robbed of the title) has just come out with his debut album. Not bad if I may say so. Check it out on itunes.

The Lonely People

2006-12-02T10:19:00.000-06:00

I was doing some "culturally relevant" music listening today and came across the song I love, Eleanor Rigby, by the Beatles. I always have liked songs like this because of their cultural accuracy. These artists sing about the scenes around them. They sing about their lives. Another more modern song I like is In the End by Linkin Park. Both of these songs show the people of our world lost and lonely. Read the words to Eleanor Rigby:

Eleanor Rigby

Ah, look at all the lonely people.
Ah, look at all the lonely people.
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been,
Lives in a dream.
Waits at the window, wearing a face she keeps in a jar by the door,
Who is it for?
All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie, writing the words of a sermon that no-one will hear,
No-one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody there,
What does he care?
All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?
Ah, look at all the lonely people.
Ah, look at all the lonely people.
Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name.
Nobody came.
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave.
No-one was saved.
All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?

Isn't it amazing that the people we work with, the people we shop with, the people we drive past every day have nothing! They have nothing inside. They are lost and lonely people and will die lost and lonely people unless we reach out! The Linking Park song In the End, I spoke about earlier states,

I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter

I just feel so compelled to talk to the lonely people. I feel compelled to help make their life matter in the end. Jesus tells us to go out and take the good news to them.

Luke 10:1-3

The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves.

Help me find the "Eleanor Rigby's" and give them Christ! As Casting Crowns puts it.....

Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

Kingdom Giving = Kingdom Living

2006-11-18T01:09:00.000-06:00

2 of.... many??

As I continue to study the topic of Kingdom Giving, I am taken back time and time again to the opposite if giving.... getting! How can I expect to give to those in need when I am constantly concerned with getting for myself?

I have attempted to understand the relationship between Matthew 6:1-4 and Matthew 6:19-34. Christ tells his listeners to not be worried about today or tomorrow - not to be worried with food or clothes - not to be worried about money. I was thinking Christ had giving in mind and that the reason they were not to worry was because others would meet their needs through Kingdom giving. Well, upon further study it seems I was right about Christ having giving in mind, but not in the way I was thinking. Piper helped give me some direction out of Luke 12:13-34. The story is of the man who stores up for himself barns of plenty. His attitude is one of self and gaining what he can to live comfortably (clearly he was an American). Christ tells his disciples that they are to not follow this model, but live for the Kingdom. He tells them not be worried about today or tomorrow - not to be worried with food or clothes - not to be worried about money, but seek the Kingdom. What is the aspect of the Kingdom that is so opposite of gaining, gaining, and gaining for one's self? "But seek for His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you. "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." To sum up the message...Give, give, and give to others. What are they not to be afraid of? Loosing everything through giving. The fear is that they might give too much and not have food, clothes, money, or security.

Do I give enough to the Kingdom that I fear not having enough for myself when I am done. Do you give that much? Christ is making the connection to giving in Matthew 6:19-34. You are not to fear because you have given so much. Christ takes care of the birds, that grass and creation...He will take care of you! Final thought: The American dream is to get - The Kingdom life is to give!

Read this message from Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org - Loved Flock, Do not be affraid to give it away.

Kingdom Friends

2006-11-17T17:10:00.000-06:00

I want to say thank you to a group of men at BBC that assisted me this past week. My car's battery decided that it was time to pass from this life into the next. We attempted to resuscitate it by shocking it with thousands of volts, but instead of coming back to life, it decided to catch on fire (or just start filling the car with smoke). A group of men (Tom, Dave, James, Scott, and Jeremy) helped in the cold rain, take the old battery out and replace it with a new. I am so thankful for Kingdom men that served their King by helping me out that night. I love each of you and thank God for you and your ministry to my wife and I. (Also a special thanks to the two friends who bought us the battery. Thank you so much!)

Holiday Books

2006-11-10T23:07:00.000-06:00

Just a thought for all of you book buyers...

My wife came to me a while ago with a proposition. (It seemed she was either a bit overwhelmed with the amount of books I had been buying at the time or just wanting me to secure more books in a more organized and systematic way.) This proposition was for me to buy one book, every holiday. I was not to buy any other books except for a specific Bible study or other pertinent situation. So you ask, how far is she willing to take this thing? What holidays are counted? Well, the specifics are still being worked through, but let's just say that I have a very creative mind!

If you are the type of book buyer that buys many more books in a year than there are holidays, this is not for you. Keep this to yourself and do not share with your wife. Keep things the way they are! If you are like me, this works out pretty good!

(One more thought... To help pay for holiday books, I keep a change jar that helps pay for the books. You'd be surprised to see where I find change and dollar bills. If you’re wondering where, it's probably your house!)

Piper Gets The Big Picture

2006-11-07T11:07:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2xyaUnkkZg

Kingdom Giving = Kingdom Living

2006-11-01T09:50:00.000-06:00

1 of ...many?
Christ, preaching about what Kingdom living would look like, enters into the discussion of giving. In Matthew 6:1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Christ knew that there many in the crowd fulfilling their Kingdom responsibility of giving, but doing it for the wrong reason. Many were giving to be seen; giving so that others would believe they were spiritual people.
It is interesting that Christ begins his discussion on the heart of giving, not giving itself. It is assumed that Kingdom people will give to their brother or sister in Christ, but it is not assumed that the heart behind the gift will be right. In this particular case the heart of those giving was wrong. They were giving for themselves. When giving so that others will see, you are really giving a gift to yourself. (We will look at another case study of this "giving with the wrong heart again in Acts 4 soon.)
As I am studying through this truth of Kingdom giving, I am vexed over my own life. I give to my brothers and sisters in Christ all the time. I give to my brothers and sisters in Christ with the wrong heart all the time. (Those sentences were different!) I give little gifts to myself by giving so that others can see my gift. I may hide that part of the gift way down deep inside and no one else may know about, but it is still there. It is also interesting that when I give, I find a way to bring it up somehow. If I may cut myself some slack that I have love for my brothers and sister in Christ and I give out of that love, but the truth be told I also love myself and I give to me as well.
Dear friends, will you join me on this journey of Kingdom living? Will you joing me on this journey of Kingdom giving? I will be writing much more to come on this subject, but I felt it necessary to deal with the heart of the matter before tackling anything else. (It seemed Christ had the same idea!)
Final Thought: Give to your brothers and sisters in need. Give to them and not to yourself!