Reading the Word with Profit
July 17, 2008 | Comments Off
Every believer should know intrinsically the importance of reading the Bible. But many times Christians really struggle reading the Word with profit. Sadly, reading Scripture can become a fruitless exercise that leaves many believers actually feeling worse about themselves and their relationship with God rather than better. It is important to realize and to remember that the goal of reading Scripture is to encounter God. It is through Scripture that we are to come to know experientially and personally the living God of the universe. So the most pressing question that we should seek to answer when we open up Scripture is, What does this teach me about God? So how does this work? Let me explain:
This morning I read my daily Psalm, chapter 15:
“O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”
Psalm 15 challenged me to holiness. I thought carefully about how I talked about others. I thought about promises that I made. I thought about how I viewed money. But as I viewed this text from the question, What does this teach me about God?, I was reminded that God is holy. That is why He requires that I be holy. And that is why I must listen to this text with attentive ears. It was a solemn time for me reflecting upon the holiness of God.
Then I went to another of my Psalms-of-the day, chapter 75:
“We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. 2 “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. 3 When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah 4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; 5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’” 6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, 7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. 8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. 9 But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. 10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.”
Now my mind was already tuned to seek out the character of God. I was excited to explore more of what Scripture would reveal to me about God. And in Psalm 75 it was easy and plain to see what God was revealing: He is absolutely sovereign! Even though the pillars of the earth – economically, socially, politically – seem to be tottering, God alone is able to keep them steady! The pillars of our life often totter, but God’s omnipotent rule steadies the mind. As another Psalm says, “Therefore we will not fear; though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea…” (Psalm 46:2). Reminded of the sovereignty of God specifically over the wicked, I too was ready with the Psalmist to sing praises to the God of Jacob!
The pursuit of this question, What does this teach me about God?, should really frame and undergird our reading of Scripture. Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Ultimately, every promise in Scripture, every warning, every instruction, every hope, every truth, and every grace is rooted in the character of the Triune God!
Rain, Rain, Go Away
April 8, 2008 | Comments Off
The rain threw everything off today. Things have been progressing rather nicely on the rebuilding of our home, but I have been very eager to be re-settled in a permanent home. So even though the project has been moving relatively quickly, it still feels like it is taking forever. Today a lot was scheduled to be done, but the key word is “scheduled”. The rained delayed everything. Some people are probably more disposed towards grumbling and murmuring, but everyone does it more than they think. As I heard the rain beat against the house last night and woke to drenching rains, I knew my hopes for progress this day were all being washed away - literally. I think I said “stupid rain” several times.
“And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.” (ESV Numbers 11:1)
I knew what I was really doing. I wasn’t cursing the rain, I was angry with God because He is the one who controls the rain. And I also remembered that God doesn’t take such complaining lightly. Ultimately, the complainer says, “Lord, I don’t like how you rule the world…” Shockingly arrogant isn’t it? It is helpful to be reminded that a Personal, loving, and good God orders the affairs of our life. The most appropriate response to a day like this is a cheerful submission. I hope you learn a lesson from me today. I had to learn it again from ancient Israel.
Uncomfortably Good
April 1, 2008 | 1 Comment
I sat down this morning and finally opened my latest issue of Voice of the Martyrs magazine. I think subconsciously I had been putting it off. Sometimes there are things you would rather not think about. As I suspected, my life and even my very existence were challenged. Whether it was the Christian’s home in Egypt burned, or the new believer in Morocco who was thrown out of his father’s home, or the pastor’s front door welded shut (with his family still inside!) in China, all of them make me feel uncomfortable. But it is a good uncomfortable. They remind me that this world is not my home. They show me that Christ is wondrously precious. The Bible commands believers to remember those who are persecuted for their faith (see Hebrews 13:3). The hard part is feeling so inadequate. Offering help seems like an attempt to water the Sahara Desert. It is impossible to address all the suffering and pain of the persecuted church. But we cannot become paralyzed. I hope you will take time to read about the persecuted church today. There are several organizations devoted to this kind of ministry. I personally recommend to you Voice of the Martyrs. You can visit them online at www.persecution.com . I encourage you to subscribe to their periodical also. I may forget to get online, but that white envelope keeps coming. I would also encourage you to consider supporting your persecuted family abroad. I give regularly to VOM. I hope you would consider it as well.
The Super-Spiritual Syndrome
January 22, 2008 | 1 Comment
While reflecting on Psalm 119 I couldn’t help but be impressed and depressed with David’s yearning and affections for God’s Word. I am referring, of course, to statements like:
“In the way of Your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.” (14)
“My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.” (20)
“The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” (72)
“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (97)
“Therefore I love Your commandments above gold, above fine gold.” (127)
Etc, etc, etc. I am profoundly impressed by these statements (which I believe to be utterly true representations of David’s heart); yet at the same time I cannot help but be somewhat depressed. I looked within the barren recesses of my heart to ask the painful question, Can I say those things about God’s Word? Sometimes, yes; but far too often, no. David’s affections seemed beyond the reach of my sinful carnal nature. You could say that I had become a victim of the Super-Spiritual Syndrome.
I submit to you that this syndrome is far more prevalent and destructive than many believers realize. I think this condition must be akin in some way to the heretical dualism that has infected the church for centuries and centuries. Like dualism, the super-spiritual syndrome tends to isolate a spiritual standard or experience from the sphere of physical reality. If we isolate the Psalmists statements from the man himself we will construct an unattainable and unsustainable spiritual experience. But if the Psalmist is David, we know that David is not a super-spiritual person. In the real world the David we know is a great sinner. Even apart from his most infamous encounter with Bathsheba and her husband, David evidences significant fault - especially as a father. Looking at his sons, David failed miserably in the discipline and spiritual nurture of his children. No wonder he cried out, “For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness…” (Psalm 38:4-5).
As I reflected on the paradoxical fleshly nature of David and his spiritual affections for the Word evidenced throughout Psalm 119, I began to notice a fascinating theme that ran all through the chapter. David was a persecuted, afflicted man. He had people troubles. As a matter of fact the theme of trouble is only second to the Word in Psalm 119. Affliction unlocked the mystery for me between sinful David and spiritual David. The Psalmist wrote, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (119:67). David’s affections for the Word didn’t spring from some inner spirituality; but rather God used trouble to drive him to the word for comfort, guidance, and promise. It was only after he experienced the poverty that trials bring could David discover the excellent worth of God’s Word. Those verses I referenced above didn’t come from a super-spiritual man; they came from a super-troubled man. Now this is something every believer can relate with.
My struggles with Psalm 119 ultimately led me to reflect upon the dangers of a super-spiritual standard that we tend to apply to so many other facets of Christian living – whether it be evangelism, prayer, devotions, dedication, consecration, or a myriad of other Christian duties. The old hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer” is a sterling example. Most believers could only sing this hymn thoughtlessly or despairingly because very few can attain, practice, or sustain an hour of praying. But if their job was about to be eliminated or if their child was extremely sick, they could pray an hour almost effortlessly. The super-spiritual syndrome unwittingly applied to the believer idealizes Christian living to the extent that it is unattainable and unsustainable. And when the spiritual ideal is divorced from human reality discouragement and even despair will be the end result. But there are no super-spiritual people. The people who run hard after God are the people God is chasing down with trials and afflictions.
It is bad enough to apply this standard to ourselves, but it is much worse when we apply this standard to other people. When such an attitude is found among the leaders of God’s people, it results in a hyper-critical attitude towards the very people they are charged to build up and encourage. Oh how much better to turn struggling souls to Christ and His sufficiency! I think the apostle Paul understood the paradoxical nature of Christian living. He understood that a chasm often exists between the standard and the experience. Writing to the Thessalonians, he urges believers to fill that gap with patience. He wrote, “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Amen.
As one who owes everything to God’s pursuit and not his own,
Your Greatest Threat
January 3, 2008 | Comments Off
Recently I was looking through some of my files that weren’t lost in the fire and I came across the speech that I delivered to the graduating class of 2007 from FCA. As I read it again, I was reminded how true and applicable it is to all believers – not just seniors. The old hymn is right. If we are to be godly, we must “Take Time to be Holy.” So many things clutter our lives. So many distractions vie for our attention. If you have any inclination to pursue this subject any further, I would highly encourage you to read Neil Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves to Death[1] Although Postman is probably not an evangelical Christian, he does offer amazing insights into the decline of Western civilization. Consider what may truly be our greatest threat to godliness:
Your Greatest Threat
Commencement Address for
Faith Christian Academy’s
Class of 2007
It is an honor for me to address the graduating class of 2007, even though, frankly, I am not very adept at the hoo-ra-rah, motivational addresses that many graduates would probably expect. I often tell the church I pastor that one of the reasons I preach from the Bible every week, Sunday after Sunday, is because without the Bible I would really have nothing to say. I am not a profound person. I am not very talkative. I am definitely not a good story-teller. And I am not very wise in worldly matters.
As a speaker you often fret because you want to say something meaningful and memorable. But some of that fret has been tempered because I was reminded this past week that a graduation ceremony is a much like a wedding ceremony: Nobody ever remembers what the preacher says anyway. It does not seem that long ago when I sat where you now sit. I graduated from high school in 1985. I guess that is another sign of old age when twenty-two years ago doesn’t seem that long ago.
1985 was an interesting year. The price of gas was, if I recall, about seventy-seven cents. The postage stamp had just been raised to twenty-two cents. A woman by the name of Madonna started her first road tour. Trivial Pursuit was all the rage. Dynasty,
Yes, the world has changed much in twenty-two years. And who can imagine what the world of 2029 will be like?
For the next few moments I will make a meager attempt to articulate for you the greatest challenge facing you in the new world into which you will shortly be thrust. And, by way of inference, I hope to demonstrate to you how this school - your education – has prepared you for this challenge.
I will address you in a style you are now familiar with – in the style of Classical rhetoric - by way of proposition and proofs. My hope is that the logic is sound and convincing.
I believe the greatest threat you face is the most subtle threat ever to face a generation. Your greatest threat is not a rogue terrorist, or a renewed cold war with
My premise simply stated is that the greatest threat facing your moral, intellectual, and spiritual well-being is the culture of amusement, the culture of endless fun and infinite distraction. I am, of course, not the first to suggest this. It was “prophesied” in the 1950’s (about the same time as the advent of television) by a non-Christian, Aldous Huxley in his book Brave New World. Huxley argued that in the future men will not be controlled by inflicting pain, but by inflicting pleasure. He saw that people would come to love and adore the pleasures and technologies that undo humanity’s capacity to think.
Huxley’s premise was revisited in 1985 by Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death. Postman saw that Western culture had moved away from the printed word to the electronic image, and subsequently turned all of public life and discourse into a form of entertainment – everything from education, religion, and politics (I would even add to that list eating - our children need Happy Meals just to get them to eat their hamburgers).
A related premise can also be found in Allan Bloom’s 1987 book The Closing of the American Mind which is a scathing critique of American institutions of higher learning. And from a Christian perspective, Mark Noll sounded a similar alarm in 1994 with his book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, which he argues, is that there is no evangelical mind anymore. Christians have simply stopped thinking.
So non-Christians and Christians alike have recognized that the culture of amusement and entertainment has made a coup de taut over
If I were to warn you about a terrorist threat or a grave environmental concern you could see the obvious harm. But how do you warn somebody about fun? About having a good time? About such trivial things like TV, internet, and video games? Would you take a doctor seriously if he said to you, I have some very bad news for you. You are going to die a slow, pleasure-filled death?
But the effects of the culture of amusement have been absolutely devastating upon the mind, soul, and faith of this generation. You are entering into a world that has not only lost its desire to think, but the actual capacity to think! You will be immersed in a culture controlled not by thinking but by feeling. It is not swayed by arguments or logic, but by images and sound bytes.
Although there are many examples, I offer to you two proofs of the closing of the American mind; one example from political discourse, the other example from religious discourse.
In the world of politics I would only have to take you back about one hundred and fifty years to the Lincoln-Douglas debates. These debates represented the typical political process in American at that time. Debates such as these were immensely important in deciding critical issues facing the country.
In many ways, these debates represented
Lincoln and Douglas actually debated each other many times, but the format was always very similar.
One such debate took place on
Let’s put the political candidates aside for a moment and focus on the audience. Who in the world were these people who could endure seven hours of political oratory? Were they professional politicos or party-hacks? No! They were just common, ordinary citizens who had the fortitude and desire to follow seven hours of political propositions, proofs, and logic so as to be a properly educated voter. By any of today’s standards, these people possessed extraordinary attention spans!
Soon we will face our own Presidential elections. It is remarkable how vastly different the format will be. Typically, the first candidate will be given five minutes to state their position. The other candidate will be given one minute to rebut. Is it possible to present serious political discourse in five minutes? Absolutely not! Thus, serious political discourse is reduced to sound bytes and images.
Why are these debates so short? For one, political discourse makes for terrible television. But more importantly, American’s don’t have the desire or capacity for such serious discourse! Who would sit and watch seven hours of real political debate on television? The closest we come to serious political discourse in American is found on C-SPAN. But who watches C-SPAN?
I tell you, Americans have not only lost their desire to think, they have lost their capacity to think.
In the world of religion, I suppose I could take you back to Colonial America and cite such men as Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield among many others. Many of Edwards’ sermons are still in print today. And I can tell you that his sermons are taxing even to the most astute theological minds of our day.
But I would rather go back farther to an even more primitive people. To a people who had none of the technological advances or media stimulations that we enjoy today. I want to take you back to the remnant that returned to
8:1 And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until
Nehemiah and the other scribes taught the people literally from “early light” until
These people listened to six hours of biblical exposition! Could you find one congregation in
I tell you again, we have lost not only our desire to think, but our capacity to think! We simply cannot bear the heavy burden of thinking anymore.
Now I know I must shortly conclude this address, for I am sure I have already taxed our delicate attention spans. But I need to explain that I am not against having fun. There is a place for fun and amusement. However, from personal experience I can tell you that life is not always fun. Life is full of moral, social, political, and theological complexities that require the hard work of thinking.
As seniors at
Many of you have said that you will never be able to watch a move or listen to a commercial the same again. You are always evaluating and probing it for the worldview behind it. You graduate from this institution equipped not to fall prey to political pundits or slick election sound bytes.
In a word, you have been trained to think as Christians. You now must learn what it means to be a Christian lawyer, a Christian doctor, a Christian politician, or a Christian astronomer. But you have been given the tools to discern what that will mean in whatever field God leads you.
We bid you farewell with the great expectation that you will make a lasting impact upon a deeply broken culture. So, on behalf of the faculty and the staff, I salute you! I tell you a job well-done! May God graciously and abundantly bless each one of you!
Thank you.
[1] ISBN #014303653X
[2] New American Standard Bible . 1986; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996 (electronic edition.) (Ne 8:1).
It’s Time for a New Bible
December 20, 2007 | Comments Off
On November 25, 2007 our home was destroyed by fire. Virtually everything that we owned was lost. It was quite the surreal experience to stand that day at the sight and for a brief moment realize that virtually the only thing left of what we owned, we were wearing. Although the fire didn’t reach the basement, everything downstairs was ruined by about five feet of water collected from the heroic attempts of the Platte County Fire Department to put it out. It is funny how the remembrances of all that was lost seem to come in waves. On the day of the fire the American Red Cross had given us some money to buy some very basic staples for our family – like socks and underwear and coats. That night at Wal-Mart as we were each buying a pair of jeans, I asked one of the boys to get a belt. He started to reply, “That’s okay, dad, I don’t need one. I have one at h…” No, we didn’t have any belts at home anymore. While lying in bed that first night it hit me that the fountain pen which Don Whitney had given me during seminary was gone. All our titles, deeds, Social Security cards, birth certificates, tax records, receipts, passports, diplomas, wall pictures no longer existed. We did find a few gun barrels. All the polyester suits hanging in my closet were turned to plastic. My favorite and absolutely most comfortable house slippers that I had for years were gone. And except for a few fragments, our journals were gone. Lori had kept a prayer journal for most of the nineteen years we had been married. We have found sifting through the ruins a surprising number of fairly-well preserved pictures. Those have been special blessings. Lori has already started our “post-fire” picture album.
But to bring me to the topic of my blog, I also lost all my personal Bibles. I lost my much beloved hardback ESV (the English Standard Version) that I received free from Crossway while in seminary. I lost my NET (the New English Translation) Bible that had been given to me a couple of years ago from a brother in church. I also lost my NAS (New American Standard) wide margin leather gift Bible that I had received at graduation from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. They all perished at the same spot: In the basket right next to my favorite chair by the fireplace. All these Bibles weren’t just mine, they had become me. They had my markings and rantings and comments and notes and stains. This was a particularly heavy loss to me. So it is time for a new Bible. For quite awhile I had been toying with the idea of switching to the ESV (the English Standard Version), but it has been a tough sell. I love the NASB. However, the fire has provided for me a moment to make a decisive break. One of the biggest hindrances I had to switching was Why? I didn’t think the ESV was necessarily a better translation than the NASB and I still don’t. However, there is a readability to the ESV that I particularly enjoy. So today I bought my new Bible for preaching, and I bought the English Standard Version. The translation philosophy of the ESV is the same as the NASB. Rather than a “thought for thought” translation like the NIV (New International Version) the ESV and NASB follow a “word for word” translation. For more information on the ESV visit www.esv.org . So starting in 2008 I will be reading and preaching from the English Standard Version.
I have been reluctant to change translations because changing any tradition always rocks the boat. And rocking boats create waves. And some people don’t like waves. I don’t expect everybody at Faith to run out and buy an ESV (although I did purchase 10 ESV pew Bibles for the church bookstore!), but I would encourage anyone who is in the market for a new Bible to take a good look at the ESV. I can’t wait for Uncle Sam to deliver it. I will start by putting my name on it (you would be amazed at the number of Bibles we have in the Lost and Found THAT DON’T HAVE A NAME IN THEM!). Then I hope to start adding me to my Bible: My notes, my underling, my highlighting, and yes, even my coffee stains.
Blessings,
Tim