Jesus: The Logos, or Just Another Logo?

The cover of this month's edition of Christianity Today features a well-written article by Tyler Wigg-Stevenson entitled Marketing Jesus: How to evangelize without turning God into a brand.  I've done quite a bit of reading on this topic over the years, so I was curious as to what the author had to say, especially since I was unfamiliar with him.  Upon turning to the article itself, I saw that it bore a more direct and provocative caption -  JESUS IS NOT A BRAND.  

I couldn't help but smile.  I knew where this guy was going before ever reading his article ... and I liked it.

The gist of Tyler's article (and that of his book, I'm sure) is that though we live in a market-driven culture, in which "organizations identify and shape the wants of target consumers and then try to satisfy those consumers better than competitors do," the truth is that "evangelism and sales are not the same."  There is a categorical difference between the Truth of God and a "truth" you can sell.  To substantiate his point, Tyler exposes four key conflicts between a consumerist mindset and the Christian life.  I'll piece together several of Tyler's own statements so that you can understand the essence of what he's saying:

1.  "I am what I buy" vs. the lordship of Christ.

In a consumerist society, my identity comes from what I consume.  The main focus of a consumerist society is me. . . .

Spiritual consumers, therefore, will approach the church with the same narcissism they bring to other brands.  What am I expressing about myself if I buy Brand Jesus?  How will Christianity fulfill my vision for me?

The theological implication: I belong to myself.  I am my own project, my own product to do with as I will.  This is an enacted rejection of the honor due God as Creator. . . .

The danger is that the church will subtly contort the gospel into mere personal fulfillment.  Preaching and evangelism that focus on the benefits of becoming a Christian present a message not fundamentally different from commercial advertising about the existential benefits of this car or that soap.

This attitude inhibits the disciple's growth into living a God-centered, neighbor-focused life.  Yes, the Christian life brings fulfillment beyond imagination.  But such fulfillment will be strangely elusive if it is your main priority as a Christian.  Indeed, it comes only when we seek God instead of ourselves.

2.  Discontent vs. the sufficiency of Christ.

Perversely, though consumerism promises personal fulfillment, the economic cycle depends entirely on continual discontent. . . .  Consumer discontent also carries twin spiritual pitfalls.  First, our perpetual quest for comfort and happiness-inducing products actually kills any chance of satisfying our wants.  The pleasure of purchasing a new product will last a short while.  then it wears off, and we hanker for something new.

Second - in a perverse corollary - we can't handle discomfort any better.  We seek new products at the first hint of irritation. . . .

Of course, having all of our needs met at all times is the precise opposite of what a disciple should expect.  Paul expresses an indifference to circumstance that is born of spiritual maturity:  "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:11b-13).

Consumerist habits drive us in an endless and endlessly dissatisfying quest for new and different things.  But discipleship, pursued in Christian community, is about becoming satisfied with just one thing: the Lord who gives us strength.

3.  Brand relativism vs. the supremacy of Christ.

A good marketer seeks to create the sorts of people who identify so strongly with a certain brand ... that another form of consumption is unimaginable.  

One logo might do a better job of capturing hearts and minds; products might have competing technical merits.  But to declare the inherent superiority of one brand over another is as ridiculous as saying that Bostonians are better than Chicagoans.  By what standards? 

The consumer who buys our marketing may well make Jesus his or her chosen brand, and the resulting zeal will look like passionate faith.  Appearances deceive.  Genuinely passionate faith is rooted in recognizing who Christ actually is.  Brand zealotry, by contrast, is self-centered, because the supposed superiority of one brand over another depends on the brand devotee's enthusiasm.  The zeal of the endorsement masks the inherent arbitrariness of the choice.

But the choice for Christ is not arbitrary.  If a disgruntled Chevy man switches to Ford, Chevy loses and Ford gains; if we desert Christ in favor of another god, he is not diminished.  Brand superiority is in the mind of the consumer, but Christ's divinity and worth are his own, regardless of what we think of him.

Spiritual shoppers have no reason to think that Christianity is anything but one option among many.  But the life of a holy church is a powerful witness to the contrary - perhaps most evidently in our celebration of the Lord's Supper, when we remember that the one we consume has already consumed us.  The church reveals the supremacy of Christ in a world that denies his power when - crediting it all to God - we love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable, reconcile seemingly intractable hatreds and rejoice even in sorrow, persevere in hardship and serve to the point of sacrifice, and baptize and teach instead of consume and discard.

4.  Fragmentation vs. unity in Christ.

The key to successful marketing is niche segmentation: dividing a population into identifiable groups who behave in predictable ways based on consumer preferences. . . .  Because niche segmentation enables marketers to target their messages to narrower audiences, it is reflected in advertising.  Moreover, it has allowed us to live lives that are increasingly tailor-made to suit our personal preferences.

We must therefore be concerned about market segmentation infiltrating the church.  It has resulted in two unacceptable outcomes:  utterly homogenous churches representing consumer-based "clusters," and homogenous groupings within larger churches.  

Both divide us along racial, socioeconomic, and age- and gender-based lines, each of which predicts consumer behavior.  This is certainly a "pattern of this world" (Rom. 12:2). . . .   If we treat the gospel like a commodity, can we fault nonbelievers for thinking that the cross is just another logo?

Spiritual consumers will come to Christianity as do window shoppers at a mall, wanting a spirituality tailor-made to their preferences.  They will want this because consumption is the only salvation they have ever known.  They will bring all of their riches and perversely be unable to conceive of grace because they cannot imagine a thing that cannot be bought.

The question for us in our time is whether seekers will find the world-transforming body of the Lord, formed by the Spirit - whether, expecting something new to buy, they will instead be surprised by God.

Tyler Wigg-Stevenson has raised some excellent points, from both an analytical and an applicational standpoint.  His propositions resonate quite well with something pastor-teacher John MacArthur wrote several years ago in his book, Ashamed of the Gospel:  "The Great Commission is not a marketing manifesto.  Evangelism does not require salesmen, but prophets.  It is the Word of God, not any earthly enticement, that plants the seed for the new birth (1 Peter 1:23).  We gain nothing but God's displeasure if we seek to remove the offense of the cross (cf. Gal. 5:11)."

The problem with the market-driven approach to evangelism is that it is man-centered, not God-centered.  It focuses on what people want, rather than what God demands.  It views the church as something that exists to entertain and gratify the crowd rather than to exalt and glorify Christ.

My purpose in raising this issue is not to look down my long, self-righteous nose to those who don't do evangelism the way that I do.  Quite frankly, I need to be a better witness than I am, and I thank God for my Christian brethren who are zealously seeking to win others to Christ.  What concerns me isn't so much their motives but rather their methods.  We don't need clever methods to win people to Christ (1 Cor. 1:21); all we need is the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).  As we plant the seed of the gospel, watering it with our prayers, we can be sure that the soil that God has prepared will bear fruit for His glory and that our Lord will add to His church day by day those who are being saved (Acts 2:47).

Worshiping with Your Children

Our Christmas Eve service, like our Thanksgiving Eve service, is one of the few times during the year when we don't offer nursery or childcare.  The reason is primarily two-fold:  (1) Everyone likes to participate with their family in the service, so they don't want to do "nursery duty"; (2) The parents want their children with them (usually!), so they can enjoy the service together.

Question:  How come this isn't the case every Sunday?  Don't get me wrong, just hear me out.  Believe me, I can only begin to imagine the tremendous challenges that a lack of childcare would create.  In fact, what prompted this blog posting was my own apprehensions about trying to preach a devotional at the Christmas Eve service with a sanctuary teeming with children torked up for Christmas!  I'm simply trying to think through this issue and am asking you to think through it with me.

Let's go back to the issues raised in paragraph one.  We don't have nursery or children's church at our Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Eve services, because these are deemed to be "special family times" in God's presence.  So my question is, why wouldn't that be the case each Sunday as we gather together in God's presence for corporate worship?  Shouldn't that be a "special family time" in God's presence?

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to Nick Jones, our Assistant Pastor of Student Ministries.  He mentioned that Noel Piper (wife of prolific author and pastor John Piper) had written on this subject in her book, Treasuring God in Our Traditions.  Nick let me borrow the book, and I enjoyed reading the appendix, which addresses this topic of families worshiping together in the same service on Sunday mornings.  

The first part of this section is written by John Piper, who presents his thoughts on worship.  Essentially, he believes that parents should keep their kids in the main service with them rather than send them off to "children's church."  He shares several reasons why he feels this way, and I have summarized them below, using my own headings:

1.  The Solidarity of Families

John writes, "Worshiping together counters the contemporary fragmentation of families.  Hectic American life leaves little time for significant togetherness."  Wouldn't you agree?  I sure do.  We have five kids that get pulled every which way through school (our kids attend three different institutions), church ministries, sports and other extra-curricular activities.  We treasure the times we get to spend together as a whole family.  Isn't worshiping God together one of the times that we ought to treasure the most?

2.  The Spirit of Worship

Read Scripture, and you will see throughout the Old and New Testaments that parents bear the primary responsibility for teaching their children how to worship.  Certainly in some aspects, worship is better caught then taught.  What a great thing it is for kids to see their parents bow their heads in reverent prayer, sing with joy to the Lord, listen attentively to the preaching of God's Word.  As Piper says, "The cumulative effect of 650 worship services spent with Mom and Dad between the ages of four and seventeen is incalculable."

3.  The Submission of Children

Sitting still for 60-90 minutes in a worship service is not unreasonable for a normal, healthy school-age child IF he/she has been properly disciplined to do so by his/her parents.  After all, teaching our children obedience and submission to authority is one of our primary objectives as parents during their early formative years.  Beyond the worship service itself is the broader principle of raising our children to be "submissive and respectful in every way" (1 Timothy 3:4 RSV).

4.  The Sense of Awe

In our worship services here at First Baptist, we seek to present and maintain a high view of God.  While we recognize our Lord's immanence (He is with us), we also acknowledge His transcendence (He is above and beyond us).  "A deep moving of the magnificence of God" is more likely to be experienced in the corporate worship service than in children's church.  

It is true that some aspects of the service or sermon will be over our children's heads.  But they will absorb more than we think they will.  "For example," says Piper, "to learn a new language you can go step by step from alphabet to vocabulary to grammar to syntax.  Or you can take a course where you dive in over your head, and all you hear is the language you don't know.  Most language teachers would agree hat the latter is by far the most effective."  (This is the reason that Bo and Michele Columbine, our missionary appointees to Senegal, are headed for a year of language school in France before heading to the field in Senegal.)  Similarly, argues Piper, "Sunday worship is not useless to children just because much of it goes over their heads.  They can and will grow into this new language faster than we think - if positive and happy attitudes are fostered by the parents."

Having read some of the reasons for having children accompany their parents to the corporate worship service, let us now consider some practical suggestions for training our children to worship with us.  The following is a summary of Noel Piper's suggestions (which, according to my calculations, she wrote while still in her thirties and mothering three children).  Again, the following is a summary of Noel's suggestions, yet under my own headings:

1. Begin in the home.

Noel writes, "We discovered that the very earliest 'school' for worship is in the home - when we help a baby be quiet for just a moment while we ask God's blessing on our meal; when a toddler is sitting still to listen to a Bible storybook; when a child is learning to pay attention to God's Word and to pray during family devotional times."  If you think about it, family worship is corporate worship in a smaller context.  It's been said that "charity begins at home"; doesn't corporate worship as well?

2. Prepare throughout the week.

Certainly one way in which we as parents prepare our children for the Sunday morning service is to have our own "mini-services" (i.e. family devotions) throughout the week, as noted above.  But beyond that, Noel offers some other helpful suggestions:

• Help your child become acquainted with your pastor.  Let them shake hands with him at the door and be greeted by him.
• Talk about who the worship leaders are; call them by name.
• Suggest that your children's Sunday School teacher invite the pastor to spend a few minutes with the children if your church's Sunday morning schedule allows for that.
• If you know the sermon text for the upcoming Sunday service, read it with your children several times in advance.  A little one's face really lights up when he hears familiar words from the pulpit.
• Talk about what is "special" this week:  a friend singing, a missionary guest that you have been praying for, the welcoming of new members into the church family, etc.

3. Assist during the service.

In addition to preparing our children throughout the week for the corporate worship service, there are things that we as parents can do during the service itself to help our children to worship God with His people the way that they ought:

• Provided there are enough copies, let your child have his or her own bulletin.  This helps your child to feel like a welcomed participant right from the very start of the service.
  
• Encourage your children to take notes.  Don't just let them randomly doodle, but draw a picture relative to the sermon or even to take notes, if they are old enough to do so.
• Have your children sit or stand or close their eyes when the service calls for it.
• Make sure they sit up straight and still - not lounging or fidgeting or crawling around, but respectful toward God and the other worshipers nearby.
• Look toward the worship leaders up front.  No people-gazing or clock-watching.
• Create an environment in your pew that makes worship easier.  Sit between children that are tempted to talk.  Sit near the front of the sanctuary.  Let your child place the offering envelope in the plate as it is passed.  When your children are old enough, encourage them to put in their own offering (from their allowance, gift money, etc.).  Share a Bible or songbook with them.

4.  Follow up after the service.

Noel writes, "When the service has ended, my first words are praise to the child who has behaved well.  In addition to the praise, I might also mention one or two things that we both hope will be better next time.

"But what if there has been disregard of our established expectations and attempt to behave?  The first thing that happens following the service is a silent and immediate trip to the most private place we can find.  Then the deserved words are spoken and consequences administered or promised."

Conclusion

Sunday services provide excellent opportunities on a weekly basis for families to worship God together in the broader context of the church community.  My own parents raised their children in this fashion, and we are all the better off for it.  Granted, there are some logistical hurdles to jump, and certain families will face some unusual challenges that warrant special care and attention.  But I hope that today's posting will generate some worthwhile discussion on this vital topic.  I welcome your feedback and hope that you will make use of the "Comments" section.

One final note:  After reading the appendix in Piper's book, I noted the familiar title, The Family: Together in God's Presence.  I wondered why it looked so familiar.  Then I remembered that a couple of years ago, I read essentially the same article in a published brochure, and I had ordered a couple hundred copies ... which up till now were still sitting in my office!  These brochures have now been placed on the Information Table in the narthex of our sanctuary.  Feel free to pick up one or more copies for yourself, your family and friends!

 

A Reminder by Rhyme

My dad has always had a knack for writing good poems.  Some of them are hilarious.  Others are rather profound.  All of them convey a wonderful talent that Dad has put to good use over the years.  

One of my dad's earlier poems centered on Christmas.  In it, Dad encourages his readers to keep their focus on Christ - not in the sense that the world does this time of season but with the knowledge of who He really is and what He came to do.

Many folks have liked the evangelical thrust of this poem so much, that they have placed miniature copies of it in their Christmas cards. Whether you keep this to yourself or pass it on to others, I pray that you will heed its vital message.

The Christ of the Cross

by James W. Fletcher

Amidst all the tinsel and trappings,

The holiday glitter and gloss,

God help us to see past the wrappings,

Remembering Christ and the cross.

While many grow tear-eyed and tender

When scenes of the stable they see,

To little Lord Jesus they'll render their thanks

But not the Christ of the tree.

Now marvel we must at the manger,

The Babe, and the Bethlehem birth.

But, oh, let us stay not a stranger

To why Jesus entered this earth.

For Christ in the cradle could never

Have saved us from infinite loss;

But praise Him forever and ever -

He's also the Christ of the cross!

The Heavenly Surgeon

This morning a dear friend and colleague is undergoing surgery.  Over the summer she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and for the last four months she has been receiving chemotherapy treatments.  The cancer was advanced enough to require a mastectomy.  This procedure, as extensive as it is, will still have to be followed by radiation treatments.

How glad I am that my friend and colleague is also my sister in Christ - a woman who loves the Lord and is loved by the Lord.  Her husband, too, is a marvelous Christian man who also serves as an elder in our church.  It was my joy to visit this fine couple last evening for just a bit.  After showing me some of their home improvement projects (I was impressed with their handiwork!), we sat down and talked just a bit.  Then we read Psalm 103, a precious chapter that ought to comfort and encourage the heart of any saint.  After reading this Scripture. we knelt in prayer together, calling on our heavenly Father and Great Physician to care for His child as only He can.

Later that evening, while doing a little bit of reading in bed before turning out the lights, I came across this quote from Charles Spurgeon:

The knife of the heavenly Surgeon never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary.  A father smites no harder than duty constrains.  "He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men."  A mother's heart cries, "Spare my child!"; but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious God.  When we consider how hard-mouthed we are, it is a wonder that we are not driven with a sharper bit.  So much rust requires much of the file; but love is gentle of hand.   The thought is full of consolation, that He who has fixed the bounds of our habitation, has also fixed the bounds of our tribulation.

What's Spurgeon saying?  That God disciplines His children with absolute precision, based upon His perfect knowledge of them and His perfect love for them.  

My guess is that if the doctor could have spared my friend from a full mastectomy, he would have.  But radical surgery was required to root out a deadly cancer.  If that is true in the physical realm, how much more essential is that in the spiritual realm?  "For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18).  This morning my friend is subjecting herself to the surgeon's knife, because she believes that he/she knows what's best for her and is qualified to perform this deep and delicate procedure.  How much more so is this true of the Great Physician, the Grand Surgeon, of our souls?  May we, in faith, submit ourselves to the scalpel of divine discipline, so that "after [we] have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called [us] to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish [us]" (1 Peter 5:10).

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus;

Life's trials will seem so small, when we see Christ!

One glimpse of His dear face all sorrows will erase,

So bravely run the race till we see Christ!

Newsweek's Bible Libel

Technically, libel occurs against a person, not a book.  But since the Bible is the Word of God, it's fair to say that Newsweek's cover story, The Religious Case for Gay Marriage, is an act of libel against the Author of Holy Writ.  Libel is any written statement that brings undeserved credit on a person by misrepresentation - and that's exactly what Lisa Miller of Newsweek (in this case NewsWEAK) has done with this cover story.  In fact, the misrepresentations are so numerous, it's hard to know where to begin.

How about at the beginning?  Here is Miller's opening paragraph:

Let's try for a minute to take the religious conservatives at their word and define marriage as the Bible does.  Shall we look to Abraham, the great patriarch, who slept with his servant when he discovered his wife Sarah was infertile?  Or to Jacob, who fathered children with four different women (two sisters and their servants)?  Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and the kings of Judah and Israel - all these fathers and heroes were polygamists.  The New Testament model of marriage is hardly better.  Jesus himself was single and preached an indifference to earthly attachments--especially family.   The apostle Paul (also single) regarded marriage as an act of last resort for those unable to contain their animal lust.  "It is better to marry than to burn with passion," says the apostle, in one of the most lukewarm endorsements of a treasured institution ever uttered.  Would any contemporary heterosexual married couple--who likely woke up on their wedding day harboring some optimistic and newfangled ideas about gender quality and romantic love--turn to the Bible as a how-to script?

Of course not, yet the religious opponents of gay marriage would have it be so.

Miller gets immediately off-base from the very start by looking to polygamous unions as the biblical definition for marriage!  Not only is she wrongfully using a description as a definition, but also she is using descriptions that were sinfully inconsistent with the scriptural definition/standard for marriage.  Having nearly completed a two-year study of Genesis in our church, I can attest to the fact that each time we came to one of the instances cited above, we appropriately labeled it as a sinful union that was inconsistent with God's blueprint for marriage.

Speaking of which, Miller went on to say that neither the Bible nor Jesus "explicitly defines marriage as between one man and one woman."  Hello!  Did God stutter when He said way back in Genesis 2 - immediately after creating the woman and bringing her to the man - "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Gen. 2:24).  Far more than a mere description, that is a divine directive!  And what about when Jesus answered a question on divorce and remarriage in Matthew 19?  He immediately pointed His listeners back to "the beginning" (Matt. 19:4, 8) -- God's standard as recorded in Genesis 2:24.  Read Jesus' dialogue with the Pharisees in Matthew 19, and you will come to the conclusion that He clearly understood marriage to be a one-man, one-woman, strong-bond, one-flesh, God-ordained, no-divorce union!  

What about the apostle Paul?  Did he really see marriage "as an act of last resort for those unable to contain their animal lust"?  Hardly.  He did see the sex-drive as something that could be properly fulfilled only in marriage.  He did say that marriage came with concerns that a single person does not have.  But he also acknowledged that "each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that" (1 Cor. 7:7) - i.e. marriage and celibacy.  But far from seeing as marriage as "an act of last resort," Paul sees it as a marvelous mysterious union that is to reflect the eternal covenant of love between Christ and His Bride, the Church (see Ephesians 5:22-33).  Furthermore, the author of Hebrews (who may well have been Paul) affirms, "Marriage is honorable among all" (Heb. 13:4).

So, as you can see from the opening paragraph, the Divine Author of Scripture has been grossly misrepresented by Newsweek magazine. Such falsity continues throughout the entire length of the article.  Yet such "Bible libel" is nothing new.  God's Word has been maligned, misrepresented, criticized, mocked and scorned throughout human history.  That's because "the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no man.  For 'who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:14-16).

"Let God be true, and every man a liar" (Rom. 3:4).  We who know and love the Lord also know that "every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him" (Prov. 30:5).

Note:  For a more detailed commentary on the Newsweek article, visit Dr. Albert Mohler's blog.

Got Game?

He was incredible.  Perhaps the greatest to ever play the game.  Unstoppable.  Unbeatable.  Absolutely unbelievable.  He would dazzle you with his high-flying dunks and take your breath away with his acrobatic jump shots.  He was consistent throughout the game and killer in the clutch.  There was something almost magical about watching him play.  You always had the sense that something phenomenal was about to happen when he took the ball in his oversized hands.  He redefined the game of basketball and was arguably the greatest player ever to step on a basketball court.  He simply dominated.  His name?

Matt Fletcher.  No, actually it was Michael Jordan.  The above quote is taken from chapter two of Game Day for the Glory of God, a book by Stephen Altrogge that is sub-titled "A Guide for Athletes, Fans, & Wannabes."  Given our own family's involvement with sports, I am finding this to be a practical resource that helps me to keep sports and ballgames in proper focus.  Most of my kids are involved in one sport or another.  (Just last night we attended two of our kids' basketball games.)

Sports are fun and can be marvelously instructive and helpful in teaching our kids about discipline, teamwork, and life in general.   But more than anything sports should point us to God, whether we're players, coaches, or fans.  If you want a good practical resource for yourself or for your kids, you'll find this to be a quick and engaging read (the book is just over 100 pages).  If you'd like to know more about it, click here.

Back in the Saddle Again

... And I'm not horsing around!  I'm talking about hiding God's Word in my heart through the discipline of Scripture memorization!  It all started a couple of weeks ago when I was praying for the congregation, using Philippians 1:3-11 as my guide.  I didn't want to read as I prayed.  I wanted to KNOW this prayer, so that I could pray it with fervency and with great feeling from my heart.  I've almost got it memorized!

I'm also currently working on memorizing Psalm 8.  I joined a Scripture memory group who work on memorizing the same passage, having a targeted deadline and holding one another accountable in an encouraging way.  This is a great way to "consider one another in order to stir up love and good works" (Heb. 10:24).  I can hardly wait to finish memorizing that psalm (I have till December 14!), for then I can pray or sing it as a song of praise to the Lord from my heart.

It's been said that "old habits die hard," but I have found that NOT to be the case when it comes to Scripture memory.  When I was a kid, I memorized Scripture like crazy - as an Awana clubber, then a Word-of-Lifer, as a Christian School and Bible College student, etc.  Even early on in my ministry as a pastor, I remained faithful in my commitment of Scripture memorization.  But over the years I've become lax in this vital discipline.  Yet recently the Lord has impressed upon me the importance of hiding His Word in my heart.  It provides me ammunition in battling temptation; it cheers my heart when I'm discouraged; it shows me the way to go when I need direction; it enables me to offer godly counsel to others; it forces me to meditate on God's Word, discovering gems that I would otherwise miss in a cursory reading of Scripture.

When one well-known pastor and author was asked why he spends so much time memorizing Scripture, he replied

I spend this much time on Bible memory because I believe in the power of the indwelling Word of God to solve a thousand problems before they happen, and to heal a thousand wounds after they happen, and to kill a thousand sins in the moment of temptation, and to sweeten a thousand days with the "drippings of the honeycomb."  I am jealous for you, my readers, that you would "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Col. 3:16).  This is the path to solid joy and all the service of love that it sustains.  Christ will be seen as the fortune he is when we treasure His Word more than money, and when the joy it wakens overflows with sacrificial love (2 Cor. 8:2).

What a timely word to keep in mind as we enter the holiday season and stand on the threshold of another year.  I challenge you to make Scripture memory a priority in your life.  You won't regret it.  Whatever investment you make will be well worth it, both in this life and in the life to come.

Worship - Gone to the Dogs

Last month, the Pilgrim Congregational Church in North Weymouth made national news when it launched its weekly "Woof 'n' Worship" services on Sunday evenings.  I first read about it not in the local newspaper, but in World Magazine, of which I am a subscriber.  According to World,, the Rev. Rachel Bickford said the idea comes from an invocation in Psalm 148: "Let all wild animals, creeping things, and flying birds give God praise."  That is a paraphrased summary of the psalm, which is actually much more specific in its call for all creation to praise the Creator (a point that I'll return to in just a moment).  In light of this psalm, Bickford thought it would be a "wonderful ting to let all things praise God together and have families bring their dogs to church."  She also noted that those parishioners who do bring dogs to the "Woof 'n' Worship" service will be responsible for cleaning up any mess created by the pets.

Mess created by the pets?  What about the mess created by the minister?  Talk about a convoluted interpretation of the Scriptures!  Yes, it is true that all creation is called to praise God, but certainly not in the same manner!  Even a cursory reading of Scripture itself shows this to be the case.  Take, for instance, the text cited by Bickford - Psalm 148.  Verse 3 says, "Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars."  How do the luminaries render praise to their Creator?  By their "shining," by radiating or reflecting light.  Elsewhere the psalmist writes, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Ps. 19:1).  All one has to do is gaze at the stars, and he knows that their Maker is powerful, good, creative, and majestic beyond imagination.  The same could be said in reference to "fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word" (Ps. 148:8).  Nature reveals to all observers - people of every tribe and language and nation and ethnic group - the awesome wonder and power of God our Creator.  Puritan commentator Matthew Henry summarizes well this truth in the context of this psalm, saying,

Much of the wisdom, power, and goodness of the Creator appears in the several capacities and instincts of the creatures, in the provision made for them and the use made of them.  Surely we cannot but acknowledge God with wonder and thankfulness.

Thus Romans 1:19-20 states, "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power an divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse."

"They," of course, refers to mankind, who, unlike the animal kingdom and lower forms of creation, has been created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) and has the powers of reason.  So to bring people with their pets to a worship service so that they can all praise God together is a gross misapplication of what the psalmist is saying.  In fact, it comes perilously close to "exchang[ing] the truth of God for a lie and worship[ing] and serv[ing] the creature rather than the Creator" (Rom. 1:25).  Take, for instance, the remark that one parishioner made about her pet joining her for worship:  "I love it.   My life revolves around making my dogs happy." 

Replace "dogs" with "God," and you'd have yourself a Christian worldview.  

Hope for the Dense Husband: Your Selfishness Can Work for You - by Jim Elliff

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her . . . (Ephesians 5:25)

Okay men, we are to love our wives. Most of us do. At least we say we do.

But, the bar for that love to our wives is set so high—so aggravatingly high. Wives, have sympathy for us. God requires us to love you as Christ loved the church! Who can do that?

Notice that the apostle Paul, the author of these words above, tells us to "love" (present tense) as Christ "loved" (past tense). He points first, not to Christ's ongoing love for the true church, but back to His supreme sacrificial act of dying for her. We are to love like that. Impossible!

Certainly, there has never been an act of love to this degree in the history of mankind. The cross was that act of love which presents the Bride, His church, blameless before God, "without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing." It washed and pardoned His church once-for-all, so that all believers will be received into God's eternal world.

We can't accomplish what Christ did when He died. But we are to love our wives in the same way that Christ did—by sacrificing for them. That's the point.

Need Motivation?

So, are we men to live in disappointing failure all our lives, constantly falling short of true biblical love for our wives? Who can consistently love like Jesus did when He died? I've often been so disappointed at the inadequate love I exhibit that I can hardly hold my head up. If you are like me, you need motivation.

Merely acknowledging that Christ's sacrificial act of love is our standard will not provide sufficient motivation to love our wives as we should. It may help us for a day or two, but God knows we need more. Thankfully, He has something to say that will make sacrificial love almost unavoidable. How would you like to fulfill your responsibility as a husband to love sacrificially because you want to, not because you to?

Read his logic:

So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of Christ. (vs. 28-30)

Here is the way it works: He states that Christ'songoing love for the church is due to the fact that the church has been made His own body. As Christians, we are "members" of Christ—that is, we are His hands, feet, ears, nose, and big toe. For Christ to love us is for Christ to love His own body. His love for Himself is the reason for His unselfish love for you.

Like Christ who lovingly cares for his spiritual Body, the church, we naturally care for our physical body! When we tenderly treat that painful hangnail, we are a living illustration of this astounding truth.

So what does all this have to do with loving our wives?

Simple: Our wife is also our own body, according to the Genesis passage Paul cites in his appeal. He concludes, "He who loves His own wife loves himself."

In fact, the more you love yourself, the more you love her! This principle turns selfishness into love! Because we're experts at loving ourselves, I'm confident that even the worst of us can do this!

Men, God has put the cookies down on the table where we can reach them now. Any old slug who can love himself, can love his wife sacrificially. When you are tempted to demean your wife, or dismiss her needs, say, "I'm doing this to myself!" If our perspective is right, our love will be right!

But, the minute you forget that, you will be the same old creep you've always been.

Copyright © 2008 Jim Elliff 
Permission granted for reproduction in exact form, including web address. All other uses require written permission
www.CCWtoday.org

Doing Deuteronomy

Today's staff meeting was sparse - just Chaplain Fred and myself.  Pastor Nick was at a doctor's appointment (I had met with him earlier), Elaine Allshouse was out sick (still recovering from her last chemo treatment), and Nancy Ahlstrom, our Office Manager, I can touch base with anytime, so I let her continue her work in the office.

So I sat down and started listening to Fred.  I learned a long time ago that Fred doesn't give you a 5-minute, bullet-point summary of his week.  He tells you stories of his visits to various persons and how God is working in each one's life.  This should not come as a surprise to anyone who knows Fred.  He is a lover of people, because he is first and foremost a lover of God.

But today's conversation was extra-special, because we weren't in a rush.  No other staff members were giving reports.  Anything I had to say from an administrative standpoint could wait and would have to be repeated anyway to the rest of the staff.   So I just led Fred talk, and as he shared stories from the lives of others, he recounted his own testimony. . . .

Back in 1932, when Fred was around twelve years old, he attended a Bible study with five other boys (one of which was Uta Gelo's brother Wendell, whom some of you may recall).   Their teacher was Fred's aunt, Ethel Bretten.  Aunt Ethel taught Fred and his friends this verse from the book of Deuteronomy:

Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.  Make them known to your children and to your children's children.

- Deuteronomy 4:9

With tears in her eyes, Ethel Bretten told this group of boys that as they got older and made their way out into the world, temptations would beset them.  She prayed that they wouldn't go astray.  "But if you do," said Ethel, "remember this verse.  Come back to the Lord and serve Him.  Teach these things to your children and to their children."

As Fred got older, he did drift from the Lord.  But he remembered this verse that his aunt had impressed upon his heart with her urgent words, her tears and her prayers - and Fred came back to the Lord.  Fred has served his Savior faithfully now for more than half a century.  Not only that, but he has taught God's Word to his four children and his many grandchildren.  Fred's been doin' Deuteronomy!  Our brother has been a living demonstration of this verse.

At the end of our session, it was my joy to give Fred a picture that I've had in my possession for about eight years now.  It's a picture of Fred, myself, and three other dear life-long friends of Fred, one of which is now with the Lord (Aiken Gelo).  As Fred looks forward to celebrating his 88th birthday next month, I am already celebrating a life lived to the glory of God.  It spurs me on in my own Christian walk and motivates me to pray, "O Lord, find me faithful!  Help me to finish well!"

By the way, Deuteronomy 4:9 became Fred's life verse.  Not a bad choice.  At the end of our meeting, I highlighted that verse in my Bible.  I have a feeling I'll be turning to it time and time again.

What to Look for in a Spouse

Last weekend our church hosted a Family Conference with Tom Harmon.  The sessions were Scripture-saturated and loaded with personal application.  During one of these sessions, Tom shared with us a "checklist" of sorts that his son developed when considering what kind of woman God would want him to marry.  Later, Tom's daughter(s) came up with a similar list for a husband.  So this is the list that Tom handed to me during the service that is a "composite" of the character qualities his kids wanted in their spouses.  Most of these characteristics are not gender-specific. Nevertheless, because there are a few distinctions, I have gone ahead and put these qualifications into two different lists.

"What to Look for in a Wife"

1. She is not only saved but truly loves the Lord and is committed to Him and His Word (Mark 12:30).
2. She is morally pure and lives a life of high moral standards.  She is a woman of character (1 Thess. 4:3-7).
3. She lives in harmony with authority, i.e. parents, church, government (Eph. 6:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-19).
4. She accepts herself as best evidenced by a meek and quiet spirit.  She doesn't make physical things her focus - clothes, makeup, etc. (1 Peter 3:1-6).  
5. She loves her parents, especially her dad.  If her parents are divorced or she has been wronged deeply, she forgives and honors them (Eph. 6:1-3).  
6. She has a purpose in life that includes a high priority on being a wife and mother and homemaker (Titus 2:4-5).
7. She is fun and light-hearted, and yet can be serious when the occasion calls for it (Prov. 17:22; Titus 2:4).

"What to Look for in a Husband"

1. He is not only saved but he truly loves the Lord and is committed to Him and His Word (Mark 12:30).
2. He is morally pure and lives a life of high moral standards.  He is a man of character (1 Thess. 4:3-7).
3. He lives in harmony with authority, i.e. parents, church, government (Eph. 6:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:13-19).
4. He accepts himself as best evidenced by a humble and contrite heart.  He is temperate and not given to anger (Matt. 11:29; Prov. 22:24; James 1:19).
5. He loves his parents, especially his mother.  If his parents are divorced or he has been wronged deeply, he forgives and honors them (Eph. 6:1-3).
6. He has purpose in life that includes a high priority on spiritual leadership.  He loves children (Eph. 5:24-29; Eph. 6:4).
7. He is honest and self-denying. He cares deeply about the feelings of those he is responsible for (Luke 9:23).

These are helpful lists indeed, but keep in mind that they are not comprehensive.  Further, we must realize that "the best of men are men at best" (the same is true of women).  The godliest of spouses will fail to be all that they should be, could be, and want to be.  As James says, "We all stumble in many ways" (3:2).  One of the best books on marriage I've come by in a long time is entitled When Sinners Say 'I Do.'  That's a great title, because it's true!  Both husband and wife are sinners; they're only hope for life and marriage is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So for marital fulfillment, our trust is in Christ, not a checklist.

But having said that, let us applaud those young people who seek to establish biblical criteria for their mates.  A believer shouldn't marry just anyone who claims to be a Christian, but one who is committed in his/her walk with Christ and spurs on others spiritually.  Paul told Timothy, "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22).

And let us be sure to strive after the same biblical standards that we set before our (future) spouse.  Someone once said to me, "Marriage is not so much finding the right person as it is being the right person."  That's wisdom.  God help each of us to take it to heart.

Justification and Christian Joy

I've been "down in the dumps" the last day or two.  It doesn't help that I have a cold, as that has a way of dragging one down.  Also, I find that I experience a bit of a let-down after an exhilarating conference or retreat, such as the one we had last weekend.

But in my heart I knew there was something more.  Something else was contributing to this state of discouragement.  One or two more external factors could be named that I know have come into play, but I also know that the real problem has arisen from within, not without.

So I began to do some heart-searching.  Certain sins and shortcomings came to mind:  I don't pray enough, I don't witness enough, I'm too impatient with my kids, I lack administration skills; I should be wiser than I am - as a husband, a parent, a pastor, and so on and so forth.  I confessed these sins to the Lord and asked Him to forgive me and to help me, acknowledging that without Him I can't do anything.  I thanked Him for His mercy and grace, His love and patience, as I wrapped up my time of meditation and prayer.

Still, the cloud of despondency remained over me.  I didn't feel much better at all.  I went down to my study, and there a pamphlet caught my eye.  It was one that had been given out (along with a bunch of other "freebies") at an expositors' conference I attended in early October.  The title of this particular pamphlet was Honey out of the Rock.  It was a devotional piece by Thomas Wilcox (1621-1687) that could be read in a half-hour or less.  The title appealed to me - sounded like a good "pick-me-up" sort of topic, so I began reading.

What I found was something I didn't expect:  a deliberation on the doctrine of justification.  My initial thought was: "Oh, I already know about that.  In fact, our speaker alluded to it this past weekend.  Justification is an instantaneous legal act by God whereby He declares me to be righteous by crediting my sins to Christ on the cross, and crediting Christ's righteousness to me.  This transaction is made by faith, as I put my trust solely in Christ for the forgiveness of my sins."

I know this, and I wondered why a pamphlet written for the sake of believers would camp out on this doctrine.  But as I read on, I found out why.  Here's what Wilcox said that really hit me:

When a sense of guilt is raised up, take heed of getting it allayed in any way but by Christ's blood; all other ways will tend to harden the conscience.  Make Christ your peace (Eph. 2:14); not your duties, your tears, etc.  You may oppose Christ by duties as well as by sins.

I kept reading that last statement over and over.  Usually I think of offending Christ by the bad things I do, not the good things I do!  But if I become fixated with myself -with how good I'm doing or how bad I'm doing as a believer - and fail to look to Christ as my righteousness, then I have lost sight of the gospel, have grieved the Spirit of Christ, and have lost the ground of joy.

Earnest believers, beware of this pitfall!  In our attempts to please Christ, we actually oppose Christ if we focus on how we're doing instead of who we are in Christ.  Here I'm going to quote Wilcox at length, so you can really grasp the practical implications of our justification.  Please take the time to read over the next several paragraphs carefully.

Stand with all your weight upon Christ's righteousness.  Take heed of having one foot on your righteousness, another on Christ's.  Till Christ come and sit upon a throne of grace in the conscience, there is nothing but guilt, terrors, secret suspicions, the soul hanging between hope and fear....  Whoever is afraid to see sin's utmost vileness, and to confess the desperate wickedness of his own heart, suspects the merits of Christ....

You complain much of yourself.  Do your sins make you look more at the righteousness of Christ, less at your own? - that is right; otherwise complaining is but hypocrisy.  To be looking at duties, graces, enlargements, when you should be looking at Christ, that is pitiful, and will make you proud.  Looking at Christ's grace will make you humble.  In all your temptations be not discouraged (James 1:2).  Those surges may be intended, not to drown you, but to heave off from yourself on to the Rock of Christ.

Do not legalize the gospel as if part remained for you to do, or suffer, and Christ were but a half Mediator; as if you must bear part of your own sin, and make some satisfaction.  Let sin break your heart, but not your hope in the gospel.

Look more at justification than sanctification.  In the highest commands consider Christ, not as an exacter to require, but as a debtor, an undertaker, to work in you and for you.  If you have looked at your resolutions, endeavors, workings, duties, qualifications, etc., more than at the merits of Christ, it will cost you dear.  No wonder you go mourning....  Every day your workings, your self-sufficiency, must be destroyed.

Many call Christ Saviour; few know Him to be so.  To see grace and salvation in Christ is the greatest sight in the world.  

Christ's obedience and sufferings, not your sanctification, must be your justification before God....  He that sets up his sanctification to look at for comfort, sets up a great idol, which will but strengthen his doubts and fears.  But do look off from Christ, and presently, like Peter, you sink in doubts.

The Great Physician has spoken!  He has correctly diagnosed the cause of my discouragement!  Self-fixation is my problem; looking to Christ is my cure!

I have already written too much for one blog posting, but allow me to close with these final exhortations from Wilcox:

A Christian never [lacks] comfort, but by breaking the order and method of the gospel, looking on his own, and looking off from Christ's perfect righteousness, which is to choose rather to live by candlelight, than by the light of the sun.  The honey that you suck from your own righteousness, will turn into perfect gall, and the light that you take from that to walk in, will turn into black night upon the soul.  Satan is tempting you by putting you to plod about your own grace, to get comfort from it.  There the Father comes and points you to Christ's grace - as rich, as glorious, as infinitely pleasing to Him, and bids you study Christ's righteousness.  And His biddings are enablings - a blessed power - a sweet whisper checking your unbelief.  Follow the least hint; close with much prayer; prize it as an invaluable jewel, it is an earnest for more to come.  

If you would pray, and cannot, and are so discouraged, see Christ praying for you....  If you are troubled, see Christ your peace (Eph. 2:14)....  You who have seen Christ as ALL, and yourself absolutely nothing, who make Christ all your life, and are dead to all righteousness besides; you are the Christian, one highly beloved, who has found favour with God, a favorite of heaven.

Family Harmony

In his book, Secrets of a Happy Home Life (first published in 1894), author J. R. Miller wrote:

One instrument out of tune in an orchestra mars the music which breaks upon the ears of the listeners.  One discordant life in a household mars the perfectness of the music of love in the family.  We should make sure that our life is not the one that is out of tune.  We do not need to worry about the other lives; if each looks to his own, that will do.

These words are very timely as we head into our weekend family conference here at First Baptist.  How easy it is for me to think, "My kids need to hear these messages and get back on track!"  or "I hope my wife pays real close attention to that message on on marriage!"  Or even as a pastor I could think, "I hope this or that couple comes to the conference because their family life stinks!  Their priorities are way out of line!  They need to come to this conference and get right with God!"

Now some or all of those things may be true, but the one I need to be looking at is ME.  Like the old Gospel hymn says, "It's not my brother, not my sister, but it's me, O Lord, standin' in the need of prayer!  Not the preacher, not the deacon, but it's me, O Lord, standin' in the need of prayer!..."  Whenever we come to the Word of God, our attitude should be, "Lord, wouldst Thou have ME to do?"

May God help me - and all of us - to approach His Word with such a mindset.  Then and only then will we have happy and holy homes.

Election Day Encouragement

I almost hesitated to write anything on today's election, given the plethora of articles that have already been posted.  But I wanted to send along just a brief word of encouragement, straight from Scripture.  This is one that a relative sent me and the rest of my extended family (most of whom are Christians) just yesterday, as part of our Family Day of Prayer, which takes place the first Wednesday of each month.  (We moved it up a day to have a special prayer emphasis for the election.)  Anyway, the Scripture he cited was Psalm 125:

1Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
   which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
   so the LORD surrounds his people,
   from this time forth and forevermore.
3For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
   on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
   their hands to do wrong.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
   and to those who are upright in their hearts!
5But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
   the LORD will lead away with evildoers!
    Peace be upon Israel!

Though this psalm was originally written to the nation Israel, it has a comforting message for all of God's people today.  As believers, our hope is not in the next President but in the King of kings and Lord of lords.  In Christ we are secure!  As my uncle put it in his note to the family, "We know the sovereign Lord of the nations will have His way on this Election Day."  Amen!  So let us rest - and even rejoice - in that reality.

If you would like to know how you can pray more specifically for today's election, using Scriptural principles to frame your prayers, I would encourage you to check out today's posting on Dr. Mohler's blog, which is entitled A Prayer for America on Election Day.

Halloween: Hallowed or Harmful?

"Uh-oh, here we go," some of you are thinking.  "Pastor's Matt's going to get on his high horse about Halloween."  No, I'm not.  After all, that wouldn't be much of a treat, now, would it?

I simply want to share with you something that caught my eye nearly twenty years ago and changed my way of thinking.  It was an article in October 29, 1990 edition of the USA Today entitled Satanist 'revival' rumors stir a furor.  This had to to with talk of a satanists' convention that was reportedly going to happen in D.C.  The reports were unconfirmed, with no verifiable data to give warrant to the hysteria that began to spread among evangelicals throughout the area.

But what caught my eye was one of those "blow-up" quotes that you'll often see in the midst of a newspaper or magazine article.  This quote was by Bryan Jordan, a Washington witch, who said,

"(Christians) don't realize it, but they're celebrating our holiday with us. . .  We like it."

What do we make of such a statement?  Jack  Kelley, the author of the USA Today article, wrote just prior to Jordan's remark, "While children typically trick-or-treat for candy on Halloween, it's a religious holiday for the underworld, with satanists performing sacrifices and witches quietly celebrating with prayer circles or meals for the dead."  Now, please remember, this is not Moody Monthly, Christianity Today, or World magazine putting out his article.  This is the USA Today - not exactly a bastion of conservative Christianity!  

If you do some research, you'll find that Samhain, the "original" Halloween, was a festival that marked the eve of the Celtic New Year, which began on November 1.  The Celts believed that during Samhain the "veil" that separated the living from the dead was at its thinnest.  They believed that on the evening of October 31, evil spirits and the souls of the dead passed through the barrier and entered the world of the living.  Such a thought created fever-pitch excitement ... and fear.  That night, the Celts would leave out food for the spirits, hoping that a "treat" would prevent a "trick."  You can probably see how the modern-day version of Halloween evolved from there.

In the 700s the Church decided to combat this festival with their own celebration of the Lord of life.  Instead of appeasing evil spirits, they chose to honor the saints - those who had lived godly lives.  In essence, Christians were saying, "Fine, if you want to have a holiday for the dead, let's celebrate the lives of faithful saints who are now with the Lord."  So November 1 became known as "All Saints' Day" or "All Hallows' Day."  The evening before was called "All Hallows' Eve," from which we get the modern name "Halloween."

Okay, then.  So we have two different paths of tradition concerning this holiday.  How should Christians handle Halloween?

First, we should realize that this is a matter of individual conscience and liberty.  Don't go against your conscience, and don't judge those who have a different conviction than you.  But having said that, let me offer a few alternatives to celebrating Halloween the way that the world does.  Instead of focusing on activities that are preoccupied with fear and death, let us celebrate the One who gives life.  Here are some ways that we can do this. 

1.  Celebrate All Saints' Day

Protestant Christians tend to shy away from honoring saints, for fear that admiration or respect will evolve into worship.  Indeed, we are to worship God alone.  But in Hebrews 11 and other passages, godly men and women are given "honorable mentions" for their faith in God, so that Christians who are reminded of their legacy will imitate their faith and so honor their Lord.

So there are saints in biblical history we can appreciate as well as saints in church history.  Incidentally, October 31 is also known as Reformation Day, for it was on October 31, 1517, that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church.  God used Martin Luther and faithful men like him to reawaken the Church to the true gospel, especially the doctrine of justification by faith.  These are great truths to celebrate.

2.  Have a different kind of party.

Our family hosts a fall harvest party.  We've belonged to churches that have had a Noah's Ark party, where the children dress up as different sorts of animals and hear the story of Noah, which reminds us of God's judgment against sin as well as His saving mercy and grace.  Others might have a costume party where the children (or adults!) dress up as Bible heroes or famous men and women from Christian history.  (One year here at First Baptist, we hosted such a party, and I came dressed as Billy Graham.)

3.  Use trick-or-treating as an opportunity to share the gospel.

Give a tract along with a treat!  Show the love of Christ in demonstrable ways to those whom God brings to your door.

These are just a few suggestions.  I'm sure you can think of some more.  What some mean for evil, we can use for good.  Whatever your convictions about Halloween, let's remember the exhortation of 1 Corinthians 10:31:  "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God."

Abortion: More Than a Political Issue

Abortion is more than a political issue.  It is a personal issue.  Too often we get desensitized to the abortion issue because we hear discussion on it without seeing a demonstration of it.

Don't get upset - the following video is not an actual demonstration of partial birth abortion (PBA); it is a gynecologist explaining to a classroom of adolescents the procedure, using a fake baby.  Yet this alone caused my heart to race, my palms to sweat, and my eyes to tear as I realized what this murderous act entails.

Yesterday my family and I participated in the Walk for Life, this particular one being a peaceable and prayerful Christian protest against the evils of abortion, regardless of when it takes place (first, second, or third trimester).  I am not a "political activist."  But as I said, I believe abortion to be far more than a political issue; it is indeed a very personal issue - one for which we will all give an account.  Hear the word of the Lord:

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.  If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

- Proverbs 24:11-12 ESV

With election day fast approaching, make sure you know where political candidates stand on the issue of abortion.  The President of the United States, in particular, has a tremendous amount of power and influence over this issue and how it is reflected in the laws of our land.  So be informed, and vote your conscience.

Avoiding the Sunday Morning Meltdown

Have you got seven minutes to spare between now and Sunday?  I hope you can carve out the time to watch the following video and then read my remarks afterwards.  I promise that it will be seven minutes well invested!  Watch the video, then return to read my comments.

We all have experienced what a friend of mine has referred to (jokingly) as "Sunday morning pychosis."  Sometimes the hour before coming to church is the most hectic and carnal hour of our week.  As James says, "My brethren, these things ought not to be so" (3:10b).

In dealing with this problem, we have to realize that ultimately it is a matter of the heart.  Hectic schedules, uncooperative kids, and unironed shirts do not "make" us react the way we do; they simply draw out the sin that already resides within our hearts (Matt. 15:18-20).  So we need first of all to repent of our ungodly attitudes, behavior, and words.

But having repented, what can we do to remedy the situation?  The answer lies in Romans 13:14:  "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."  For the sake of applying this verse, each of us should ask, "What can I do to honor the Lord Jesus and promote a spirit of worship in my heart, especially as I prepare to worship Him publicly with His people?"

With this in mind, I would like to offer five suggestions to help you get "READY" for worship.  As you can see, these are presented in the form of an acrostic to help you remember them:

Retire early.  Don't stay up late on Saturday night if you can avoid it.  Get a good night's rest so that you awake refreshed on the Lord's Day.

End the day with scriptural meditation and prayer.  As we sleep, our  mind tends to mull over the last things we thought about before going to bed.  So what better way to end the day than to meditate on Scripture and commune with the Lord in prayer?

Arise early.  Figure out how much time you'll need to get ready for church, then add an additional thirty minutes as a buffer.  Having gone to bed at a decent time, it shouldn't be difficult to get up at a decent hour to prepare your body, soul and spirit for worship.

Delight yourself in the Lord.  Turn on some good Christian music that will help to cultivate Godward thoughts and a spirit of joy in your soul.  Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord!

Yearn to be a blessing to others.  Begin with your own family members as you get ready to go to church.  Serve one another in love.  Come to church in the same spirit, desiring to build up the body of Christ and to be a blessing to as many people as possible (including people you haven't met or don't recognize).

May the Lord impress these things upon our hearts and help us put them into practice as we seek to worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Beware of Study Bibles

Beware of Study Bibles

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Author: Steve Burchett

I like resources that help me understand the Bible. My collection of commentaries grows yearly. The amount of books I own addressing various areas of theology numbers in the hundreds. There are a couple of websites that I visit regularly where numerous Bible study tools are offered. I also own four "Study Bibles," which include not only the biblical text, but introductions and outlines for each book of the Bible, notes that explain verses, maps, articles about major concepts, and a large concordance at the back. I have been strengthened by all of these resources, and I'm confident others could testify likewise. However, every good gift from God can be abused. Of all the study tools, perhaps in our day the Study Bible is the resource that is most often misused. For example, many who have taught the Bible have felt the frustration when, instead of meditating on the passage of Scripture being taught, several in the group were busy reading and then sharing from the study notes at the bottom of the page! Perhaps some might respond, "But at least these people are trying to understand what the Scriptures say." Indeed, their motives may be pure, but excessive reliance on study notes actually removes them from what a Study Bible intends to promote: The study of the Bible! James tells us to receive and live out the Word of God (James 1:21-22), not what somebody else says about the Bible. The Lord has given the church teachers (Ephesians 4:11), but we should follow the example of the Bereans who not only listened eagerly to Paul's preaching, but were known for "examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so" (emphasis mine). Maybe you are not convinced that you can really understand Scripture apart from the significant aid of others. Perhaps you have been led astray by certain preachers or writers who seem to imply that you have to be an expert in Hebrew or Greek (the original languages of the Old and New Testaments) in order to "really comprehend the Bible." Yes, a knowledge of the original languages is quite valuable, but it is not required. Peter does admit that "some things" in Paul's writings are hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16). Commentaries, Study Bibles, and conversations with other believers are a valuable tool when we come across these places in Scripture. But Peter didn't say everything is hard to understand! In fact, with a careful and contemplative reading of a verse or passage and its surrounding context, and with the help of the Holy Spirit (see 1 John 2:27), we can grasp what God is saying. Probably our larger struggle is living out what we clearly see. Does this mean you should throw away your Study Bible? No, but consider three ways to guard against misusing this tool: Don't use a Study Bible as your primary Bible. Regular Bible reading, group study, and personal study should be out of a Bible without study notes. This eliminates the temptation to look away from what God has said. Before you pull your Study Bible(s) off the shelf, force yourself to think hard about the text of Scripture alone. The person who "looks intently" at God's Word and lives it out is "blessed in what he does" (James 1:25). You may even want to purchase a Bible with wide margins in order to write down your thoughts, or maybe a notebook or journal. When you struggle to figure out what a verse or passage means, ask the Lord for help. You'll be amazed at what He helps you comprehend. If you still don't understand what you are reading, ask Him again and meditate longer. How often do we skip this vital step of depending upon the Lord? Who is more resourceful, a biblical scholar or God? Consider your Bible study methods: Do you spend more time focusing on the text of the Bible, or the words of non-inspired writers who are seeking to explain the Bible? When we are overly dependent on study notes, a subtle shift takes place from living "on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4) to living "by the words of Bible teachers." As I write, I'm aware of another Study Bible soon to be unveiled. It has been endorsed by a large number of well-known pastors and ministry leaders, and it includes over 20,000 notes, over 50 articles, and over 200 color charts. I'll probably buy one. More, and even better, Study Bibles will surely follow. There is no doubt that they will shed much light on the text of Scripture. But we must beware: They may also distract us from the very thing they are intended to illuminate. Copyright © 2008 Steve Burchett  Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc. Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in unedited form including author's name, title, complete content, copyright and weblink. Other uses require written permission. www.CCWtoday.org