Twenty Questions

Earlier this year around Valentine's Day, we hosted a "date night" at our church and showed the film Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron.  It as really well done and showed how the only way that marriage can be as it was meant to be is through the love of Jesus Christ.  The gospel is the fountain of a truly Christian marriage.

One resource that became available as a result of this movie is the book The Love Dare which is designed to fan the flame of your marriage.  At the back of the book, authors Steven and Alex Kendrick provide the following "Twenty Questions" to help you get familiar with your spouse all over again.  Keep in mind that these questions are no substitute for Scripture; they are merely a helpful means for applying Scripture on a very practical level.  Here are the questions:

Personal Questions

1. What is your greatest hope or dream?
2. What do you enjoy the most about your life right now?
3. What do you enjoy the least about your life right now?
4. What would your dream job be if you could do anything and get paid for it?
5. What are some things you've always wanted to do but haven't had the opportunity yet?
6. What three things would you like to do before the next year passes?
7. Who do you feel the most "safe" being with?  Why?
8. If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
9. When was the last time you felt filled with joy?
10. If you had to give away a million dollars, who would you give it to?

Marital Questions

1. What are three things that I do that you really like?
2. What are three things that I do that drive you crazy?
3. What have I done in the past that made you feel loved?
4. What have I done that made you feel unappreciated?
5. What are three things that I can work on?
6. Of the following things, what would make you feel the most loved? - Having your body massaged and caressed for an hour ... Sitting and talking for an hour about your favorite subject ... Having help around the house for an afternoon ... Receiving a very nice gift.
7. What things in the past do you wish could be erased from ever happening?
8. What is the next major decision that you think God would want us to make as a couple?
9. What would you like your life to look like five years from now?
10. What words would you like to hear from me more often?

My wife and I are headed off to Martha's Vineyard for a two-day getaway (compliments of our church family in honor of my tenth anniversary as pastor - thank you, dear flock!).  This would be a great time for us to ponder and answer these questions.  We challenge you and your spouse to do it as well.  In fact, we dare you!

Common Threads in the Facebook Fabric

Facebook has become a real sensation.  My experience has been a very positive one over all.  Early on, I was forced to limit my time on facebook, as it could easily consume my time if I let it.  For the most part I now "check in" two or three times a day, giving a quick read of status updates, recent photos and such.  It's a great way to stay somewhat personally in touch with so many folks at all varying levels of relationship with me, from casual acquaintances to good friends, to dearly loved family members and church members.

Before heading home for lunch, I logged on to facebook to "catch the latest," and something hit me that I hadn't really thought of before, that being the points of common interest.  For instance, moms with young kids tend to post status updates, pictures, and comments that revolve almost entirely around their children.  Adults in general tend to talk about their favorite TV shows and hobbies.  Guys (who do not frequent facebook as much as girls) usually talk about sports - whether it's one they're actually playing or watching on television.

But what I really noticed today was how one or two political topics have a way of drawing attention.  With all the national and global news that inundate us each and every day, I'm amazed at how just one or two items in particular become the subject of conversation.  Today, the two "hot topics" - at least in my facebook sphere - President Obama's speech at Notre Dame, and Miss California's statements regarding gay marriage.  (The discussion on the second issue isn't so much about her original comments that were said some time ago, but the discussion that has ensued since then.)

One former church member who moved out west wrote for his status update:  

"So let me get this straight, Obama wants a change in tone over the abortion debate. Basically what he is saying is, there will be no problems if you just agree with him. So everyone, let's just believe everything he believes and then there will be no more problems! Obama is nuts!"

Another facebook friend, a prestigious Presbyterian pastor down south, posted the following quote by radio Bible teacher Nancy Leigh DeMoss concerning Carrie Prejean:  

"... while I applaud her courage, I also believe some of her choices and public actions, past and present, are representative of many women who consider themselves Christians, but who lack clear biblical thinking and conviction on such matters as virtue, womanhood, beauty, modesty, and discretion."  

In response to that quotation, one of the pastor's friends noted, 

"On Hannity recently, Mrs. California said that 'in California, a bathing suit is no big deal.'  In other words, 'we are accustomed to revealing bathing suits, appropriate or not.'  I really hate that this young lady has gotten nailed for her comments on gay marriage but, she needs to mature some.'"

Facebook is a marvelous tool, so long as it is used properly in terms of time, manner of communication, and other considerations.  Other Christian bloggers have offered some good practical counsel on this issue (such as Dr. Albert Mohler); my point isn't to do that here.  I simply noticed that facebook gives us a personal glimpse into the thoughts, daily activities, and interests of others.  But that also means that it gives others a glimpse into our own thoughts, opinions, daily activities and such.  To me, this is a positive occurrence overall.  It's simply a reality we need to be aware of, and to be careful and conscientious in using facebook to reflect our authentically Christian views and lifestyles.

Atonement Appendix

If someone were to ask me how my vision is, I'd say it's 20/20 - especially in hindsight.  After posting my last article on the atonement, I didn't feel good about it.  Truth is, a topic such as that in a forum such as this tends to generate more heat than light.  This has nothing to do with the comment that was submitted and my response to it, for that was a gracious exchange.  The issue centers on my consideration of the TruthWalk readership and what would most benefit them, to God's glory.  

The atonement debate has been going on for centuries.  We're certainly not going to solve it here.  The reason Bible-believing Christians find it to be such a hot topic of debate in the first place is because there are so many verses that would seem to support both sides of the debate.  This does not mean there is any discrepancy in God's Word - only to our finite understanding.  (The apostle Peter acknowledges near the end of his second letter that some of Paul's writings are "hard to understand."  He doesn't say they are impossible to understand but that they are difficult, nonetheless.)

This evening I read some very wise counsel from theologian Wayne Grudem, whom I highly respect.  (His book, Systematic Theology, is the best of its kind I've come across.  I cannot recommend it highly enough, in light of its theological depth and breadth, its practical wisdom, and pastoral tone.)  Grudem devotes a full chapter to "The Atonement," wherein he explores the various Scriptures and lines of thinking that come into play.  But as he wraps up the chapter, he does something very wise.  He shows how those who hold to particular redemption ("limited atonement") and those who hold to general redemption ("unlimited atonement") agree at several key points.  They include:

1. Both sincerely want to avoid implying that people will be saved whether they believe in Christ or not.
2. Bot sides want to avoid implying that there might be some people who come to Christ for salvation but are turned away because Christ did not die for them....  Both sides want to affirm that all who come to Christ for salvation will in fact be saved.
3. Both sides want to avoid implying that God is hypocritical or insincere when he makes the free offer of the gospel.  It is a genuine offer, and it is always true that all who wish to come to Christ for salvation and who do actually come to him will be saved.
4. Finally, we may ask why this is so important at all.  [Note:  This to me was a critical point in reference to my last blog posting.]  Although Reformed people have sometimes made belief in particular redemption a test of doctrinal orthodoxy, it would be healthy to realize that Scripture itself never singles this out as a doctrine of major importance, nor does it make it the subject of any explicit theological discussion.  Our knowledge of the issue comes only from incidental references to it in passages whose concern is with other doctrinal or practical matters.  In fact, this is really a question that probes into the inner counsels of the Trinity and does in an area in which there is very little direct scriptural testimony - a fact that should cause us to be cautious.  A balanced pastoral perspective would seem to be to say that this teaching of particular redemption seems to us to be true, that it gives logical consistency to our theological system, and that it can be helpful in assuring people of Christ's love for them individually and of the completeness of his redemptive work for them; but that it also is a subject that almost inevitably leads to some confusion, some misunderstanding, and often some wrongful argumentativeness and divisiveness among God's people - all of which are negative pastoral considerations.  Perhaps that is why the apostles such as John and Peter and Paul, in their wisdom, placed almost no emphasis on this question at all.  And perhaps we would do well to ponder their example.

Having read that, I think I'll go pray, asking God for a good dose of that apostolic wisdom!

In the same vein, I would encourage the TruthWalk readership to dig deeply into God's Word.  That was my motive behind raising a controversial topic in the first place.  The fact is, too many Christians have "milk" appetites instead of "meat" appetites when feeding on the Word of God.  They skim the surface of Scripture instead of going down deep.  Incidentally, as I was finishing this, brother Don (the gentleman who commented on my last posting) responded to a personal e-mail I had sent him earlier.  By God's grace, we enjoyed a wonderful dialogue via e-mail that was spawned by the initial posting and ensuing comments.  Lots of Scripture shared in a respectful and gracious manner.  That's how it ought to be, with a desire to help one another grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).  

I'd like to summarize our discussion of the Atonement with the following words by Philip P. Bliss:

"Man of Sorrows," what a name

For the Son of God who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim!

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude, 

In my place condemned he stood;

Sealed my pardon with His blood;

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless, we;

Spotless Lamb of God was He;

"Full atonement!" can it be?

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die,

"It is finished," was His cry;

Now in heav'n exalted high;

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,

All His ransomed home to bring,

Then anew this song we'll sing:

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Here endeth the lesson.

Who's Limiting the Atonement?

One of the most controversial questions concerning the doctrine of the atonement is:  For whom did Christ die?  Did Jesus die as the Substitute for every individual sinner in the world, or did He die for the elect alone (i.e. those of every tribe, language, people and nation, whom God chose for salvation before the foundation of the world)?

Typically, Calvinists are said to be the ones who limit the atonement.  But, when you really stop to think about it, every biblical Christian believes in some form of limited atonement.  Otherwise, such a person would be a universalist (one who believes that the whole human race will be saved).  

So, who limits the atonement - the sinner or God?  This really is the crux of the controversy.  And on this point the great Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon set forth a cogent case for the "Calvinist" view:

We are often told that we limit the atonement of Christ, because we say that Christ has not made a satisfaction for all men, or all men would be saved.  Now, our reply to this is, that, on the other hand, our opponents limit it; we do not.  The Arminians say, Christ died for all men.  Ask them what they mean by it.  Did Christ die so as to secure the salvation of all men?  They say, "No, certainly not."  We ask them the next question - Did Christ die so as to secure the salvation of any man in particular?  They answer, "No."  They are obliged to admit this, if they are consistent.  They say, "No, Christ has died that any man may be saved if" - and then follow certain conditions of salvation.  Now, who is it that limits the death of Christ?  Why, you.  You say that Christ did not die so as infallibly to secure the salvation of anybody.  We beg your pardon, when you say we limit Christ's death; we say, "No, my dear sir, it is you that do it."  We say that Christ so died that he infallibly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number, who through Christ's death not only may be saved, but are saved and cannot by any possibility run the hazard of being anything but saved.  You are welcome to your atonement; you may keep it.  We will never renounce ours for the sake of it.

- Cited by J. I. Packer, "Introductory Essay," in John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (n.p., n.d.; reprint, London: Banner of Truth, 1959), 14.

Years ago while attending a small Bible Conference at which James Montgomery Boice was the keynote speaker, I asked him about his views regarding the doctrine of limited atonement.  I'll never forget his answer:  "I believe that when Jesus said, 'It is finished,' He made salvation complete, not just possible."

That's food for thought.

Holding My Hand

The other day during my morning devotions I came across two passages of Scripture that complemented one another in a very meaningful way.  The first passage was Psalm 37:23-24:

The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD,

He delights in every detail of their lives.

Though they stumble, they will not fall,

for the LORD holds them by the hand.

The next passage was Psalm 55:22:

Give your burdens to the LORD,

and He will take care of you.

He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

(Both passages above are taken from the New Living Translation.)

In reading the first text, I couldn't help but think of a little child just learning to walk.  If you are a parent, you can relate to the joy of seeing a baby take his or her first steps.  Each one was considered a major accomplishment and was met with applause.  The notion that God takes a sovereign, joy-filled interest in each step we take through life astounds me.  Not only that, but He is holding our hand all the way, so that even when we stumble, we are sure not to fall utterly.

For some reason, the second passage caused me to think of older people, even though it still carries the same essential concept of God holding on to us and not allowing us to fall.  I think the reason I thought of older people is that babies don't have the "burdens" that grown-ups do.  I've noticed that the older we get, the more we can be prone to worry.  Maybe this is due to our self-awareness that as we age, our bodies and minds grow more frail and feeble.  The elderly, like little children, often require assistance as they walk.  Yet sometimes they refuse it, convinced that they can do just fine themselves.  It's sad to see them fall and hurt themselves.

The thought that dawned upon me is that as we go through life, God is there to hold our hand.  But for us to hold His hand, we must release the burdens we're clutching.  We must humble ourselves and confess that we can't walk one step without our Lord's help.  We must become like little children, trusting our Father to hold us and help us, to guide us and steady us every step of our lives, until we reach our eternal home.

The following song doesn't have a lot of weighty theological substance, but the strain of truth that runs throughout it is sufficient to comfort any believer of any age:

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Through the storm, through the night,

Lead me on to the light,

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

When my way grows drear,

Precious Lord, linger near

When my life is almost gone

Hear my cry, hear my call,

Hold my hand lest I fall,

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

When the darkness appears

And the night draws near

And the day is past and gone -

At the river I stand;

Guide my feet, hold my hand,

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

The Blessing of Firm Beliefs

In last Sunday's sermon, I quoted Dr. Albert Mohler (President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) in his description of this postmodern era as "the age of no truth."  While that certainly sums up the spirit of relativism that pervades our culture, it is refreshing to see some exceptions.  I came across a couple of them recently.  

One has to do with Miss California, Carrie Prejean.  When asked during the Miss USA pageant about her stance on same-sex marriage, Miss Prejean responded, "... I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman."  Many believe that this answer cost Prejean the pageant.  Still, Miss California stood by her answer, saying, "It's not about being politically correct.  For me it was being biblically correct."

The second instance has to do with former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who currently has his own Fox News television show.  In one segment of his recent interview with World magazine, Huckabee was asked various questions regarding the political tactics of Christian conservatives.  (Huckabee himself is an ordained Southern Baptist preacher who pastored for 12 years before beginning his political career.)  When asked, "How do you break out of the Christian 'box'?", Huckabee responded, 

I don't want to break out of the box if that means people think I'm somehow abandoning my faith.  If my faith is the reason people say, "I'm not going to vote for him," then good, don't vote for me, because I'm not going to abandon who I am to get your vote. . . .  When I was governor people asked me, "Is it hard being a Christian?" and I said, "No, it's actually easier.  I don't have to wake up every day and decide what I'm going to believe today."  If I get defeated, I get defeated.  that's part of the deal.  I'd rather be defeated and go to my grave with some sense of consistency of conviction than that I had to win every last office in America including the presidency but had to sell my soul to do it.

Now I don't know Mike Huckabee or Carrie Prejean well enough (personally or otherwise) to affirm the validity of their faith or the consistency of their Christian walk.  But at least in terms of their words, they are spot-on.  Believers in Jesus Christ and biblical inerrancy, whose convictions arise from Scripture's teaching, don't have to play the guessing game when it comes to their stance on moral issues.  "What saith the Scripture?" serves as our credo.  The Lord Himself becomes our confidence and keeps our foot from getting caught (Prov. 3:26).

In an age of no truth, it's refreshing to see those who still stand up and affirm the Truth.  I pray that I will be one of them till the day I die.  I want to hear my Savior say, "Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.  Enter into the joy of your Master!"

You Pay, We Pray

There's an old hymn that goes:  Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord....  

But time is a precious commodity.  So what do you do if you don't want to take the time to pray yet still want to experience the benefits of prayer?  Simple!  You just pay to get a computer to pray in your stead!

This is the service provided by the Information Age Prayer website.  It doesn't matter of you're Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, or whatever.  According to World magazine, you can have the computer recite the Lord's prayer for you each day for just $3.95/month.  Or you can have the "Protestant Daily Prayer Package," wherein you "Get 8 Prayers in One Bundle."  If you're Catholic, you can purchase "The Complete Rosary Package" - purported to be worth nearly $50.  The site also has prayers for Muslims, coupled with a promise to point their speakers toward Mecca.

How exactly does this work?  The company (founded just this year) states, "We use state of the art text-to-speech synthesizers to voice each prayers at a volume and speed equivalent to typical person praying.  Each prayer is voiced individually, with the name of the subscriber displayed on screen.  If the prayer is for someone else, then that name is displayed on screen instead."

Most if not all of the TruthWalk readership would see such a service as absolutely ridiculous and highway robbery, run by religious hucksters "who suppose that godliness is a means of gain" (1 Timothy 6:5).  

I think the broader principle we need to be reminded of and take to heart is:  there are no short-cuts to holiness.  As D. A. Carson has so poignantly written,

People do not drift toward holiness.  Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.  We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith.   We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.

Ouch.  

Dear readers, do we take time to be holy?  Here are some questions for consideration:

• Do I ask people to pray for me or a given situation without devoting significant time to prayer myself?
  
• When I come across something in the Bible that I don't understand, do I take the time to dig into the Scriptures myself, or do I constantly look to a more knowledgeable Christian for a quick answer?
  
• If I'm wrestling with an issue of personal conviction, do I weigh out the matter before the Lord in prayer, asking Him to direct my conscience according to His Word, or do I take someone else's conviction as my own?
  
• When a need arises within my church family, do I ask the Lord what He would have me to do, or do I assume that someone else will meet that need?
  

While we may not be guilty of outsourcing our prayers to some computer, still we may be succumbing to similar sins of a more subtle nature.  

Time is a precious commodity.  And the time we spend in prayer is an indicator of how important prayer, even God Himself, is to us.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone;

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

I Had a Bad Day

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong?  I have - as recently as yesterday.

And yet the day started off so well!  I got up, grabbed a cup of coffee, and had a great, extended devotional time with the Lord.  When I was done, I looked out the window.  Yep, it looked like it was going to be a mighty fine day.  

Not!

Before getting started with all the yard work we had to do for the day, I went over to church to sign a couple of letters that had to go out in the mail that morning.  I took with me one of those aromatic plug-ins that Ruthie had given me for my office.  When I went to plug it in, I had trouble reaching the outlet behind my big filing cabinet.  I just about had it in, when it fell.  When I went to retrieve it, my fingers were about an inch and a half short of reaching it.  So I had to maneuver the filing cabinet out (not an easy task), pick up the plug-in, put it into the receptacle, then move the filing cabinet back.  Okay!  That's done!

Before going home, I stopped by the church shed to grab an extra shovel.  While in there reaching for a shovel, I dropped something I had in my hand (I can't remember what it was).  It fell right in between all the big equipment (riding lawnmower, snow blower, and hedge trimmers!).  That took some doing to retrieve it.  "Man, why am I so clumsy today?!" I thought. 

By now I was just a wee bit irritated but still doing okay.

Got home and began putting shovelfuls of mulch in a trash can, lugging it around and dumping it wherever my wife Ruthie wanted it.  "Where's the stinkin' wheelbarrow?" I wondered.  "I thought it was over in the church shed!"  Still, this wasn't too bad.  It was good exercise, provided I lifted it right and didn't strain my back.

A couple hours later while spreading mulch amidst our front bushes, I got poked in the eye ... bad.  For the next several hours, I had to flush it every 15-20 minutes, it would get so irritated.  And I still had yet to mow the lawn!  So I did that and got through it.

Are you tired of my story yet?  Just stick with me, I won't be much longer.

Several additional factors (that I won't bother going into) contributed to making this a super-lousy day.  I was anxious to put it behind me as we got ready for the first church softball game of the new season.  After that we could go home and relax.

That wasn't going to happen.

The game weather was great, but my attitude stunk.  I saw everything in gray or black.  Didn't like the line-up.  Didn't like sitting on the sidelines all but one inning.  Didn't like going 0-3 at the plate.

By the time I got home (we hadn't had dinner yet), I was in too foul a mood to eat.  (Let me assure you, I have to be really worked up to not eat!)  I knew my attitude was bad, so I immediately set out on a prayer walk.  Only the more I tried to pray, the angrier I got.  So I started giving God a piece of my mind.  

So what's up, God?  I got up, had a good quiet time, committed my day to You, and this is what I get?  Thanks a lot.  I'm better off not praying or reading my Bible.  Doesn't make much of a difference, does it?  It seems to make my day worse, not better.  Okay, God, I know I don't do what I do to "earn" your favor, but why don't you cut me some slack?  

On and on I went.  I'm telling you, this was a modern-day rehashing of God's conversation with Jonah.

God:  "Is it right for you to be angry...?"

Jonah:  "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!"

This whole scenario was ridiculous.  Yet it was real.  I was mad at God, mad at my wife, mad at my kids, mad at my softball team, mad at the world.  And now, to top it off, I was mad at myself.  How could I let myself get to this point?  Yet there I was, and I believed I was at the point of no return.  "I've already blown it, so I might as well make it worth it."

Have you ever thought this way?

For brevity's sake, let me summarize the rest of last night's experience with one word:  AWFUL.  I yelled at my wife, was rude to my kids, and hated myself.  It took the better part of two hours for the storm to subside, but even as I turned out the light, my soul was still dark.

I woke up this morning early (4:30) - so sad ... broken ... ashamed.  I know I needed to meet with God.  I did and tried to pray.  Couldn't.  Tried again.  Couldn't.  The words wouldn't come.  They felt hollow.  I felt hollow.  Everything felt so trite.  

Have you ever felt this way?

Finally, I picked up my Puritan prayer book, The Valley of Vision, and looked for a prayer that adequately expressed the anguish of my heart.  God in His grace led me to one.  It is entitled Peril and reads as follows:

Sovereign Commander of the universe,

I am sadly harassed by doubts, fears, unbelief, 

   in a felt spiritual darkness.

My heart is full of evil surmisings and disquietude,

   and I cannot act [exercise] faith at all.

My heavenly Pilot has disappeared,

   and I have lost my hold on the Rock of Ages;

I sink in deep mire beneath storms and waves,

   in horror and distress unutterable.

Help me, O Lord,

   to throw myself absolutely and wholly on thee,

   for better, for worse, without comfort,

      and all but hopeless.

Give me peace of soul, confidence, enlargement of mind,

   morning joy that comes after night heaviness;

Water my soul richly with divine blessings;

Grant that I may welcome thy humbling in private

   so that I might enjoy thee in public;

Give me a mountain top as high as the valley is low.

Thy grace can melt away the worst sinner,

   and I am as vile as he;

Yet thou has made me a monument of mercy,

   a trophy of redeeming power;

In my distress let me not forget this.

All-wise God,

Thy never-failing providence orders every event,

   sweetens every fear,

   reveals evil's presence lurking in seeming good,

   brings real good out of seeming evil,

   makes unsatisfactory what I set my heart upon,

   to show me what a short-sighted creature I am,

   and to teach me to live by faith upon thy blessed self.

Out of my sorrow and night

   give me the name Naphtali - 

   'satisfied with favor' -

   help me to love thee as thy child,

   and to walk worthy of my heavenly pedigree.

Have you ever prayed this way?

How glad I am that God's mercies are new every morning.  Heavenly Father, as I cross the threshold of this day, I recommit myself to You.  Mold me into the image of Your Son Jesus, my Savior.  May I speak each word as if my last word, and walk each step as my final one.  If my life should end today, let this day be my best day.  Amen.