Timely Tonic

Tonic. It's a word that you don't hear much anymore. Kind of quaint, like something you'd see Doc Baker using on a Walnut Grove patient in Little House on the Prairie. Tonic is a "medicinal substance taken to give a feeling of vigor or well-being; something with an invigorating effect."

That's what one song did for my soul this morning. It's an old hymn that came to mind the very moment I woke up:

My faith has found a resting place--

Not in device nor creed;

I trust the Ever-Living One--

His wounds for me shall plead.

I need no other argument;

I need no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves--

This ends my fear and doubt;

A sinful soul, I come to Him--

He'll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word--

The written Word of God;

Salvation by my Savior's name,

Salvation through His blood.

My great Physician heals the sick--

The lost He came to save;

For me His precious blood He shed--

For me His life He gave.

I need no other argument;

I need no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

It is enough. There's nothing I need to add to Jesus' atoning work. There's nothing I can add. Salvation is all of grace--God's grace. "But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" (Colossians 1:22). That's a truth I need to tell myself every day, lest I get discouraged over my frequent failings.

Minutes later I had made my way from the bedroom into the living room, where I sat with the Bible in my lap and a freshly-poured cup of coffee in my right hand. As the text before me came into focus, my eyes settled on Ephesians 3:7-8: "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ."

This was Paul's testimony. This is my testimony. My service to the Lord, like my salvation from the Lord, is a gift of His grace. God didn't call me to preach because I'm great; He did it because He is great--and gracious. I re-read these verses several times. I intend to print them out and post them on the bulletin board by my desk.

Finally, I picked up our family's copy of Spurgeon's classic devotional work, Morning & Evening. I turned to this morning's entry, dated February 13. The text was 1 John 3:1-2: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God." In commenting on these verses, Spurgeon wrote (in part),

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God." That is easy to read, but it is not so easy to feel. How is it with your heart this morning? Are you in the lowest depths of sorrow? Does corruption rise within your spirit, and grace seem like a poor spark trampled under foot? Does you faith almost fail you? Fear not, it is neither your graces nor feelings on which you are to live: you must live simply by faith on Christ. With all these things against us, now--in the very depths of our sorrow, wherever we may be-- now, as much as in the valley as on the mountain, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God." "Ah, but," you say, "see how I am arrayed! My graces are not bright; my righteousness does not shine with apparent glory." But read the next: "It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him." The Holy Spirit shall purify our minds, and divine power shall refine our bodies, then shall we see Him as He is.

God has got it all covered, hasn't He? His grace is sufficient, from start to finish. My faith indeed has found a resting place. Thank you, Lord, for mixing that song and Scripture, with a dose of Spurgeon, into a wonderful elixir this morning. It's just what my soul needed.

Crashing Cars and Careless Words

A few nights ago after gulping down my dinner, I jumped into the car and headed off to church for a meeting. I backed out of the garage and went through my little "steering ritual," which requires some explanation. At the base of our driveway there is a drain that is sunk down too deep, so we always back out on the left side of it. But we also park our van on the left side of the driveway, to allow room for the car to back out of the garage. If our daughter is home, she also parks on that side of the driveway, behind the van.

So I backed out of the garage as I always due, looking at both side mirrors to avoid the van on my left and the grass on my right. Once I saw that I cleared the van, I turned the steering wheel to the left so that by the time I got to the end of the driveway, I could avoid the drain.

This ritual has become so common, I don't even think about it anymore. That, however, created a problem. As I continued to back out, I suddenly heard a sound of metal crunching against metal. "NOOOOO!" I yelled. Immediately I knew what happened. I had forgotten that my daughter was home and had parked her itty-bitty Mazda behind the van!

If you have ever made such a stupid mistake as I did, you can relate to the frustration I felt. One careless move, and I created unnecessary damage.

If we are not watchful, we can do the same thing with our words. "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts..." (Prov. 12:18). Rash can be defined as "displaying or proceeding from a lack of careful consideration of the possible consequences of an action." So, here, the Spirit of God is not talking about words that are intentionally mean or destructive, but ones that are given no thought in terms of their effects. Such words include:

• "harmless jokes" (i.e. laughter at someone else's expense - see Proverbs 26:18-19)
• newsy items (gossip)
• critical or sarcastic remarks (I didn't mean anything by it)
• complaining
• arguing

The list goes on and on. Again, we're not talking about intentional words but the kind that come out of our mouth without thinking. Again, that's the problem. We speak without thinking. That's pretty dangerous when you think of Jesus' warning, recorded in Matthew 12:36: "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak." Every careless word! That's sobering! We need to wise up!

How can we do that, i.e. "wise up" when it comes to our words? First, we can ask the Lord for help. We can pray as David did, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). Then, working in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, we can be purposeful in our use of words, choosing them carefully ... thinking before we speak. We can:

• Choose words of restraint. Proverbs 10:19 says, "When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent." It's been said that a wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool speaks because he has to say something. I think of what Neal Page (Steve Martin) said to Del Griffith (John Candy), the talkative shower-curtain-ring salesman in the movie Planes, Trains & Automobiles: "Everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate." There's some sound wisdom in that counsel!
• Choose words of truth. "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor..." (Eph. 4:25).
• Choose words of love. One can speak the truth but in a hurtful way. We must choose to be loving in our communication with others. Ephesians 4:15 says that believers in Christ are to be "proclaiming the truth in love."
• Choose words of grace. Again in Ephesians 4 we are commanded, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (v. 29).
• Choose words of forgiveness. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph. 4:32-5:2).

As you can see, Ephesians 4 alone is a chapter filled with rich exhortations regarding our choice of words. Paul David Tripp has expounded on these more thoroughly in his book War of Words, if you would like to delve more deeply into this subject, using that as a resource.

Bottom line: Mind what you say, or you'll say whatever comes to mind -- and do a lot of damage, both to yourself and others.

Putting the Super Bowl into Perspective

Four years ago, after the Patriots lost to the Giants (shudder, twitch, convulse), I posted a blog article entitled, The Superbowl, Brady, Belichick ... and Bread. Given the rematch coming up this Sunday, I thought it would be wise to repost the article before the "big show" this weekend. Of course I'm hoping that history doesn't repeat itself, but regardless of whether you are a Giants' fan or a Patriots' fan, we would all do well to keep this game in perspective. Read on!

Superbowl Sunday was marked by black Monday – at least here in Boston – as Patriot fans licked their gaping wounds from Sunday’s Super-disappointment. One gentleman sent me the following e-mail on Monday morning, which I have posted with his permission:

Good morning, Pastor Matt.
I have to confess, I am coming off a pretty much sleepless night. It is amazing to me how emotionally involved we can become in matters such as Super Bowl wins and losses. I need to find a way to disassociate myself from sports. I get so emotionally distraught when our "home teams" lose….primarily the big games. Have winning and sports become gods to us? Pastor Matt, I don’t understand how we can get so wrapped up in these things. The winning affects my life in no way at all other than the "good feeling" that accompanies rooting for the home team. The flip side seems so unbalanced.
Anyhow, I just thought I’d send you a note and ask that you somehow put this into perspective for me. No family member died…..no one got hurt….all are healthy and there are no debt collectors beating at the door…..and yet after the game, there was this giant sized hole/pain. Why do we take these matters so seriously? It’s silly really.. Have a great day.

I’m glad this brother wrote what most others are probably feeling but perhaps wouldn’t say. He raises some good questions, like why is it that we get so "emotionally distraught" over a simple game? Why do we take these matters so seriously? And perhaps the most important and revealing question of all: Have winning and sports become gods to us?

I think they have. After all, what is an idol but the object of our desires? "Worship is basically adoration, and we adore only what delights us" (John Piper, Desiring God, p. 19). Bear with me for a moment, as I paraphrase a few verses from the Psalms:

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for the Patriots. My soul thirsts for the Patriots, the undefeated Patriots. When can I go and watch the Patriots?

"O Patriots, how sweet are your wins to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

"My soul thirsts for a Superbowl win, my flesh yearns for one, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

My intent is not to be sacrilegious, but to engage in hyperbole for the sake of making a point. Isn’t it ridiculous that our enthusiasm and sentiments for a sports team comes even close to paralleling our affections for God?

The problem is not that we’re pursuing pleasure but that we’re trying to find it outside of God. The prophet Jeremiah put it like this:

"My people have exchanged their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate," says the Lord; "for my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that hold not water." (Jer. 2:11-13)

Like C. S. Lewis said, "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

We settle for football instead of Christ. If it’s not football, then it’s something else: clothes, computer games, a higher income, the approval of others, a great sex life, etc. The tragedy is that we have seen our worship of God as something separate – and perhaps even in opposition to – our pursuit of happiness. This is what John Piper has rightly called "the moral enemy of worship." Says Piper, "When worship is reduced to disinterested duty, it ceases to be worship. For worship is a feast."

Isn’t this precisely the point that our compassionate Lord makes in Isaiah 55:2, when He says, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food." You see, "the great hindrance to worship is not that we are a pleasure-seeking people, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures" (Piper). We think that football or sex or popularity or more money or a better marriage or physical fitness or the affirmation of others can satisfy the longings of our soul. The fact is, they can’t; only Christ can.

Even those who "follow Christ" must be careful to seek their pleasure in HIM, and not just His gifts. Remember what Jesus told the crowds when they followed Him after He fed the five thousand? He said, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval" (John 6:26-27 NIV).

Rather than seeing Jesus as the object of their desires, they saw Him only as a means of fulfilling their wants. Recently I read an outstanding lesson on John 6 by Paul David Tripp in his book, The War of Words. In a chapter entitled "Following the King for All the Wrong Reasons," he asked: "If you had to write down your dream for your life, what would you write? What is your ‘if only,’ ‘if I could just have,’ ‘if God would just give me. . . then I would be happy?’"

Think about that for a second. What would your answer to that question be?

Tripp goes on to share insights from John 6, centering on our struggle betweenphysical bread and spiritual bread: "In the middle of this struggle is the Deceiver, who would have us believe that life is all about physical bread, that spiritual things are of little consequence." Tripp then goes on to share four subtle but persuasive lies that Satan puts before us. Time and space forbid me from expounding on all four lies, but they all culminate in the fourth deception, which is: Life is found in physical bread. Read carefully Tripp’s comments on this vital point. It will be well worth your time:

This is the lie of lies–that somehow, some way, life can be found outside of a relationship with God. This was the lie told by the Deceiver in the Garden, and it is the lie told countless times again every day. Feeding on physical bread only leads to more hunger. It is only as you feed on Christ by faith, receiving his life, that you can ever be satisfied. He is the Bread. He is life! All other offers of life outside of Christ lead parched people to drink at dry wells. He is the True Bread. He is the river of life. Follow him and within you will flow rivers of living water (John 4:13-14). Without him you are dead, even though you physically live (Eph. 2:1-10).

It is so easy to buy into the lie that life can be found in human acceptance, possessions, and positions. It is so easy to have your life controlled by dreams of success in your career. It is so easy to believe that nothing else satisfies like romantic love. It is so easy to fall into pursuing the idol images of Western culture–big suburban house, luxurious car, lavish vacations, etc. When we do this, we quit feeding on Christ. Our devotional life begins to suffer. We pray less, and when we do, we pray more selfishly. We find our schedule doesn’t leave much time for ministry, and we spend more time with our colleagues at work than we do with brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Functionally, we are feeding on the world’s bread, not on Christ.

Our entire life will be determined by which bread we pursue. There are no more dangerous lies than the ones that lead us away from a loving hope and surrender to the Creator we cannot see, and toward a bondage to an endless, unsatisfying pursuit of what is passing away....

We fall into spiritual depression when [Christ] removes the physical bread so that we would hunger again for the Bread that really satisfies....

To the degree that you have based your life on something other than the Lord, to that degree God’s love and the hope of the gospel will not comfort you. You will not be comforted because you are hungry for another kind of bread. You long for a king who will give you the bread you crave....

As we look at our own lives and all that we are living for, we need to ask, Whose dream, which bread do we seek?...

Perhaps many of us, even though we have not physically forsaken the King, have lost our enthusiasm for his grace and mercy because following him has not led to the fulfillment of our dreams....

This can be something as "silly" as a Superbowl win or something more subtle but just as superficial. You can find your satisfaction in physical bread, or you can find it in Christ, the living Bread. You can pursue your own dream, what you think will make you happy – or you can pursue Christ and His dream for you -- "the good portion, which will not be taken away from [you]" (Luke 10:42).

SOHL Surfer

As most of you know, January 22 was Sanctity Of Human Life (SOHL) Sunday. I preached on this theme from several texts in Scripture. As a follow-up, I'd like to share two helpful links that would be good to check out the next time you're surfing the Web.

The first is a free download of John Piper's book, Exposing the Dark Side of Abortion. This is based on three sermons that Piper preached on this theme. Some of the statistics are a bit outdated, but God's truth is timeless, and the way Piper presents it packs a punch. To find more about this free download, go to http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/a-short-free-ebook-on-abortion.

The second link worth checking out is the home-page for CompassCare, a non-profit organization that provides expert service in helping women facing unplanned pregnancies. To find out more, visit http://www.compasscare.info/.

Thinking Some More About the Lord's Day

If you haven't read the previous post, "Thinking About the Lord's Day," you should read that before reading this, as I'm picking up here where I left off there.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Lord's Day lately, especially considering the "buzz" over starting a Saturday night service. The funny thing is, the question I posed to the Community Groups on that subject had nothing to do with any intention on my part to launch such a service! But since many churches have gone that direction, I thought I'd throw that scenario out there in light of our study of the Sabbath, its fulfillment in Christ, and the resulting implications for believers today, both individually and corporately.

In thinking further on this whole issue of a Saturday night service, I'm mindful of what my friend, Dr. Timothy Tennent, declared at the September convocation at Asbury Theological Seminary: "Only a sustained theological reflection is able to penetrate and unmask the pragmatic, market driven assumptions which largely go unchecked in today's evangelical churches." Tennent then goes on to cite just a couple of examples that, in his opinion, lead us into the very heart of the issue. I've highlighted what I consider to be particularly striking statements.

Somewhere in America at some church meeting a decision was reached to change the name of the place they worshipped from the word "sanctuary" to "worship center" or "celebration center." Furthermore, they decided to build a space which could be used as a gymnasium during the week and a place of worship on Sunday. Having a dedicated space only for worship seemed like a shocking waste of money. Indeed, they had at least 5 reasons for doing this. What concerns me is that they probably never stopped to reflect theologically that there just might be 6 reasons not to do it. Of course, maybe there were only four and the "celebration center" in the gym would have carried the day. The point is, that reflection never happened.

Somewhere in America on some Sunday morning the first man or woman walked into a worship service with a baseball cap and a cup of coffee in their hand. It is now quite common. The pastor would surely offer three or four impressive reasons why this was the "missional" way to go, but I can assure you that when the decision was made, serious theological concerns were not invited to participate.

These examples all seem so small and insignificant. Yet, that's how all drift happens. You see, liberal Protestants never woke up on morning and said to themselves, "Hey, let's adopt an Arian Christology, shall we?" No one said, "Wouldn't it be just wonderful if we could devote the next 50 years to undermining the apostolic faith." No! I've read their writings. They were deeply concerned, as we are, to make the gospel relevant to modern people. Evangelicals have not openly abandoned apostolic Christianity. No one sets out to cheapen the gospel, diminish God's holiness or downplay the cost of discipleship. It's just happening. A baseball cap here, omitting the word "wretch" from Amazing Grace there. The pressure to bring in new members made it best to just drop the required confirmation class for membership. Besides, people are just too busy to attend a new members class and it might hurt our annual membership goals. The call to career missions slowly became short term missions which slowly became vacations with a purpose. It all happened so seamlessly. We brought in a new youth director. He doesn't have any biblical or theological training, but, oh, how the youth love him. You should see the new worship leader we have! He doesn't know any theology, but he's just picking the choruses each week, and he can really play the guitar! You see, it happens in ten thousand small skirmishes, rarely in any big. bloody battle.

Note: I think Tennent's whole article is outstanding and well worth the time it takes to read. To see the whole convocation address, click here.)

Now, you might think by reading this, that I'm opposed to Saturday night worship gatherings. Not necessarily. The issue for me is that we give ourselves first to biblical and theological reflection before pragmatic considerations.

For instance, have you ever considered why the first day of the week is so significant, from a theological standpoint? O. Palmer Robertson has. In an article entitled Why Worship on Sunday?, Palmer invites us to "consider carefully the following evidence that the redemption accomplished through Christ's resurrection determined the day for Christian worship":

1. Jesus Christ arose on the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1). He entered into his rest from labor, not on Saturday (the seventh day), but on Sunday (the first day of the week). As Jesus entered into his rest on the first day, so he encourages us to begin the week by resting in the confidence that he will provide for all our needs for seven days with only six days of labor.

2. Jesus Christ appeared to his assembled disciples on the first day of the week, as well as to Mary and to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (John 20:10; Luke 24:13). By these appearances on the first day of the week, the resurrected Lord set a pattern for meeting with his disciples. They began expecting to meet with him on the day of his resurrection, which is the first day of the week.

3. Jesus appeared to the assembled disciples one week later on the first day of the week, with doubting Thomas present this time (John 20:26). Already a new pattern of assembly for worship was emerging. God's new covenant people were making it a habit to assemble together on the first day of the week, the day of Christ's resurrection. Jesus honored these assemblies by appearing to the disciples at this time, and encouraged their faith in him as the resurrected Lord.

4. The resurrected Christ poured out his Spirit on the assembled disciples exactly fifty days after the Sabbath of the Jewish Passover, which was the first day of the week (Acts 2:1; cf. Lev. 23:15-16). The word Pentecost means "fifty," referring to the fifty days after the Sabbath of the Passover. Forty-nine days would span seven Jewish Sabbaths or Saturdays, and the fiftieth day would then fall on a Sunday, the first day of the week. So it would appear that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit came on the first day of the week, when God's new covenant people were assembled for worship. So the pattern would be established more firmly. Both the resurrection of Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit occurred on the first day of the week.

5. As Paul spread the gospel of Christ among Jews and Gentiles throughout the world, the first day of the week was used as the time for Christians to assemble for worship. In Greece, Paul and Luke assembled with the people of God to break bread and to hear the preaching of God's word on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). This was the day that the people of the new covenant assembled to hear God's word.

6. Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth to establish the pattern for their presenting of offerings for the service of the Lord. He ordered the Christians in Corinth to follow the pattern that had already been set with the churches in Galatia (1 Cor. 16:1). On the first day of every week they were to consecrate their offerings to the Lord (1 Cor. 16:2). This schedule for honoring the Lord had become the pattern for God's people throughout the churches. The churches were not to present their offerings any time they wished. Rather, on the first day of each week, all the Corinthian Christians were to follow the pattern that had already been set among the Galatian churches. The first day of the week was the designated time for the presentation of offerings to the Lord.

7. The apostle John, now aged and perhaps the only living member of the original twelve apostles, had been banished to the island of Patmos. In this circumstance, he could not assemble for worship with the people of God. But the apostle informs us that "on the Lord's Day" he was "in the Spirit" (Rev. 1:10). The significance of his being "in the Spirit" seems quite clear. He had entered into the presence of the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was offering his adoration to him.

But what is the meaning of the phrase "on the Lord's Day"? In one sense, it may be said that every day of the week belongs to the Lord, and so might be called the "Lord's day." But John is referring to something more specific. He does not speak merely of "a" day that has been consecrated to the Lord. Instead he speaks of "the" Lord's Day.

That one day that may be called "the Lord's Day" was the day in which he proved to the world that he was Lord. On one particular day, Jesus made the universe understand that he was Lord of all. That day was the day of his resurrection. On that day, he conquered the last of the sinner's enemies, which is death. On the first day of the week, he showed that his power could overcome all enemies, even death itself. That day is "the Lord's Day."

So by the end of the lifetime of the first apostles, Christians knew about one day of the week that was called "the Lord's Day." On that day, they celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That day became the time for their assembly as they rejoiced in the resurrection of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So it is the same today. The original commandment to honor God by worship one day in seven still holds, since this requirement was a part of the Ten Words laying down the moral standards of God for men. One day in seven must be consecrated for worship and service to him. Both creation and redemption show that God must be honored in this way.

From the creation of the world until the coming of Christ, that day was the last day of the week. People in the days of the Old Testament were looking forward to the rest that the Savior would bring.

But now Christ has come. He has risen victoriously over all his enemies. This victory he won on the first day of the week. On this day he meets with his disciples as they assemble to commune with him.

So we are to celebrate the rest he has won for us. We are to taste and anticipate his rest by offering our worship on the first day of the week. For it is the only pattern demonstrated in the Scriptures of the new covenant for the worship of God's people today.

Those sound like pretty good arguments to me as far as making a case for the church to meet on Sundays for corporate worship. But on the other hand, arguments could be made for meeting on some other day for worship:

1. Worship for the Christian is to be a way of life (1 Cor. 10:31); therefore, we are to worship the Lord individually--and can do so corporately--any day of the week.
2. Saturday evening services may be implemented for evangelistic purposes. So long as he didn't compromise Scripture, Paul accommodated his ministry to those he was trying to reach, so that he might "with more of them" (1 Cor. 9:19). Paul's custom was to attend the Sabbath synagogue service to reason with the Jews from Scripture (Acts 17:2). Many Catholics in our day are used to attending Saturday night mass. So perhaps an evangelical might be more successful in inviting a Catholic friend to church on Saturday evening than on Sunday morning.
3. God commands Christians not to forsake the assembling of themselves together (Heb. 10:24-25). But some Christians, by nature of their jobs, have to work on Sundays. A Saturday night service actually affords them the opportunity to obey the Lord in this area and to enjoy the blessings that result from being an active part of the church body.

More arguments could be stated, probably on both sides. Here's how I come down on the whole issue personally:

1. I think it's fine to host a service on Saturday (or any other day of the week for that matter), so long as such a service is in addition to and not in lieu of Sunday worship.
2. Motive matters. If a church launches a Saturday night service for the sake of evangelism or to accommodate those with unavoidable conflicts on Sunday, then so be it. But if it is simply to satisfy our idolatrous priorities, then may it never be!

This second point is one of crucial importance. I believe it grieves the heart of God when Christians make little of him and make much of themselves ... when the Lord takes a back seat to the real loves of people's lives. A Saturday night service for many people is a means of getting worship out of the way and freeing up all of Sunday to do what they most desire: sleeping in, playing sports, going to the beach, watching TV, etc.. The sin is not in these activities themselves but counting them as more important than expressing our love and adoration to the God who has created us and redeemed us.

Imagine if you had a child who spent as little time with you as possible, let's say an hour or so a week, and that hour was spent at a time that was least intrusive to the things they really wanted to do. You took a back seat to everything else, and you always sensed they came to spend time with you not because they really wanted to, but because they felt they had to. How would you feel? How do you think God feels about our worship habits as His children?

I want God to know that He is my first love, has first dibs on my schedule, has first place in my affections. I want this to be true of me personally and of us as a church corporately. Motive matters. Worship matters. "Great is the Lord; He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure His greatness" (Psalm 145:3).

Thinking about the Lord's Day

My most recent sermon was an exposition of Mark 2:23 - 3:6, wherein Jesus declares, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Put another way, the Sabbath was instituted to be a blessing to people, not to put them under bondage. The Pharisees thought they had the final word on this issue with all their extra-biblical rules and regulations, but Jesus proved otherwise. After declaring His lordship over the Sabbath, Jesus "went on from there and entered their synagogue" (Matt. 12:9). He took the battle to them, demonstrating his lordship "on their turf" by healing a disabled man in the synagogue. Yes, the Sabbath was instituted to bring blessing, not bondage.

As a follow-up to the morning sermon, we posed some specific questions in our Community Groups that evening, narrowing our conversation to one particular line of discussion which had to do with our observance of the Lord's Day. Here are the questions we raised:

• What were Sundays like for you growing up, in terms of how it was observed by your family or community? Was it considered a "day of rest"? If so, what was and wasn't allowed?
• Consider the following statement by Fred Zaspel: "For those who rest in Christ, every day is a Sabbath." Do you agree? Why or why not?
• In Scripture, the first day of the week (Sunday) is referred to as "the Lord's Day," obviously because it was on this day of the week that Christ rose from the dead. Even if one does not regard Sunday as the "Christian Sabbath," do you think there are practical considerations that should make this day different from any other day of the week? Why or why not?
• What do you think of a church's having a Saturday night service in addition to, or in lieu of, a Sunday morning service? Would this be appropriate? Why or why not?

In an effort to help the TruthWalk readership to continue to think through these issues, I recommend that you read Pastor Steve Weaver's paper, "Is The Lord's Day the Christian Sabbath?: A Biblical and Theological Examination." I do not know Pastor Weaver personally but thought that his synopsis of this issue was well-researched, pointed, and concise. (You can give the paper a careful reading within a span of 15 minutes.)

Bottom line: As Lord of the Sabbath, Christ redirects our attention from the Sabbath to himself. The Sabbath finds its fulfillment in Him, as does all the law. Therefore, Sabbath requirements are no longer morally binding on Christians. Christians should make worship of Christ alone a requirement for this day.

Whatever conclusions and convictions you arrive at on this issue, I think it behooves all of us to consider the following testimony and exhortation by Don Whitney:

One example of how the Lord has been shaping my life is to conform more to His Word has to do with my beliefs and practice on the Lord's Day. Most conservative, Bible-believing Christians I know seem to make few choices about their Lord's Day activities based on Scripture. Rather they base their choices on their culture--their family culture, church culture, or the culture of society at large. So whether they go to the mall, watch football, play golf, eat out, take a nap, work in the yard, or whatever, they do what they do more because of the traditions of their family, church, or community than because of what the Bible says. If everyone in the church talks about or watches the big NFL game on Sunday, they probably will too. Or if they do not watch the game, it's only because they don't like football or have something else they would rather do or must do. Regardless, the decision is not made for biblical reasons.

As I examined the Scriptures pertaining to this issue, my habits on the Lord's Day were transformed. The Bible has directed me on this matter in ways that are refreshing, restorative, and recreative for my soul, mind, body and family. In summary, I have understood the Bible to teach that my greatest privilege and first responsibility on the Lord's Day is to worship Him with His people. Also, because the first day of the week is called in Scripture "the Lord' s Day" (Revelation 1:10), the day should be observed uniquely for the Lord, and every activity should be evaluated by that fact. However you choose to spend the Lord's Day, I appeal to you to base your decisions and actions on the revelation of God.

- Don Whitney, Ten questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, pp. 36-37

This blog post will not be the final word on this issue. I myself continue to wrestle with some of the questions posted above, thinking through their practical implications for me personally and for us as a church collectively. May God help us to grow in wisdom, that we might walk with the Lord in the light of His Word.

Romney, the Olympics, and Church Ministry

Mitt Romney, who just won the Iowa caucuses by the slimmest of margins, is going all out in his pursuit of the U.S. Presidency. Whether or not Romney will win the election and make a good President remains to be seen, but by all accounts he appears to be a good manager.

In last Sunday's edition of the Democrat and Chronicle, Sharon Cohen of the Associated Press reminded us that

Romney tasted defeat in his first campaign [for President] but found a new outlet for his management skills. He took over the floundering scandal-ridden Salt Lake Olympic Games and is credited with turning them into a financial success.

Gillespie, his former aide, says Romney bucked up a demoralized staff, recruited people with Olympic experience, and tackled problems with an orderly management style that involved asking probing questions.

"When somebody says, 'Look this is the way it's always done,' his first reaction is going to be, 'Not necessarily. Let's talk about why,'" she recalls. "There's a really intense challenging of the status quo."

I love that approach and can't help but wonder how much more effective and fruitful the local church would be if we were willing to ask the hard questions. And lest someone think, "Wait, that's incorporating worldly business practices into the life of the church," let's not forget that when Jesus told His disciples not to do what the Gentiles do, He was speaking in terms of lording it over people, i.e. using your position of leadership to serve yourself rather than others. Jesus was not denouncing the practice of asking probing questions and challenging the status quo. After all, the record of Scripture shows that Jesus himself asked probing questions and challenged the status quo as much as anyone!

Some church programs need to die. We can give them a good funeral, but let's let them die! In some cases, a swift execution would be an act of mercy to many.

Just because we may criticize other churches for doing things wrong doesn't mean that we're doing things right. Moreover, I concur with Harry Reeder that "true effectiveness is never achieved at the expense of faithfulness." But let's not confuse biblical truth with stubborn traditionalism. Faithful stewardship demands that we look at where our church resources (personnel, finances, time, energy, etc.) are being expended, and if this is the most effective means of pursuing a biblical vision for ministry.

In his immensely helpful book, The Deliberate Church, Mark Dever rightly states, "When it comes to building a people for His own name and glory, God cares how we go about participating in His redemptive purposes." How we "do church" says a lot about our theology and our faith (or lack thereof) in the power of the gospel.

It all boils down to the goal of Christian ministry, and that is to make disciples. Are we doing this effectively? That's the bottom line. And it's a question that even the most conservative evangelical churches must be willing to ask themselves. Colin Marshal and Tony Payne put it this way:

Even among those godly, faithful pastors who avoid the trendsetting fads of Christian marketing, there is confusion--most especially between what Christian ministry is in the Bible, and what Christian ministry has become in the particular tradition or denomination of which they are part. We are all captive to our traditions and influenced by them more than we realize. And the effect of tradition and long practice is not always that some terrible error becomes entrenched; more often it is that our focus shifts away from our main task and agenda, which is disciple-making. We become so used to doing things one way (often for good reason at first) that important elements are neglected and forgotten, to our cost. We become imbalanced, and then wonder why we go in circles.