theologer

“He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” - Matthew 16:15-16

I know that I could have this answer. In the same way I could take a test in High School or College and within a day have forgotten everything. At least, thats the way I live.

I'm just shocked that I can have this head knowledge and not live like it.

I don't want to be saying, "I'm not good enough, I'll never be enough," or even, "I don't spend enough time in the word." Because of what Jesus did, we are just downright saved, righteous, justified. The sanctified part is the process.

But as I look at my life recently, I don't live like someone who truly believes because I don't wake up and seek the Lord with my whole heart. If I really believed this, and REALLY believed it, then I would desire the Lord SO much more than I do. Why must I be so stinkin' incompetent.

The problem lies a lot in the fact that I have a new member in the family. When I first got married it took me about six months or so to get back into the groove of regular quiet times because it took me that long to realize that I cant be married and spend time in the word at night. I have to wake up early to make it happen. But now, the child wakes up REALLY early, and in order to have the house be quiet and be able to spend time with the Lord I have to wake up even earlier.

I have what it takes, and I want to do what it takes. I'm sick of treating Him like a friend who I don't really get along with... I want to seek Him out of an overflow and an understanding of the great pleasure it is spend time with the Christ, the Son of the living God.

In application of this, I'm going outside to get some time with the Lord. Hopefully when I finally return tomorrow (after almost 4 months away) my life will take on some regularity and I'll find a time where I can be alone with the Christ, the Son of the living God.

"I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church." - 1 Corinthians 4:16-17

I'm trying to imagine a single situation in my life where I could feel like I lived a life representative enough of Christ to ask others to be imitators of me. Growing up my mother would say, "I'm cold, put on a jacket," but then she wasn't wearing a jacket and if I would call her out on it she'd respond, "Do as I say, not as I do." Because she knew she could not live up to a good enough standard for it to be imitate-able.

You know I've recently had my first daughter. She's now a mere two months old, but I'm already slightly horrified at many of the faults I see in myself being reflected in her. The times she gets overwhelmed are the same as me (or maybe its just that I'm like a child, it's hard to know). I found myself talking with my wife yesterday and saying, "No matter what we do, our children are going to spend the most time with us, and turn out most like us - and less like what we tell them to become. Therefore we need to determine to be who we want our children to be."

This means, if I want my kids to not be fearful, then I need to learn to cope with my fears and model a life free from fear. If I want my kids to truly follow Christ then I need to be a man who truly follows Christ. I would love to be considered a "beloved and faithful child in the Lord" worthy enough to "remind you of [Paul's] ways in Christ."

I would love to life a life exemplifying enough of Christ that my children - as they turn out like me - can be sent as ambassadors of Christ. If people imitate my children, they will be imitating me, and in turn, Christ.

Okay, I'm drawing this out maybe a bit long for the analogy with my children, but basically it comes down to this. Our children, like our disciples, will imitate us. Therefore, be who you want them to be. And that is obvious - IN LOVE WITH, AND LIKE JESUS.

Paul was able to be like Christ, enough so to be worthy of imitating. Are you that tough? I'm not, but I want to be.

"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;" - 2 Corinthians 5:14

We have all died, because one died for all. Great news, and I believe it. Or rather, I have concluded it, but has it lead to the love of Christ controlling me?

Reading this I couldn't help but wonder what it would look like for the love of Christ to control me, or even more - a whole group of people (notice the "us" is plural). The Bible tells us the non-believers will know us by our love for one another. I imagine if we were controlled by the love of Christ then our actions would reflect love, and then it would be obvious to others.

"and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." - v 15

He dies so that we would live a life controlled by His love. Was it in vain? Sure, His death lead to our salvation, but did it also lead to us living a life controlled by love?

I want so badly to live a changed life, leading others to see the controlling love of Christ and have that lead to their salvation, and changed life.

If we really believe the kingdom is here in part, I think its time we start living like it. I think its time I start living like it. Allowing the love of Christ to compel me to live as he would have me.

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" - 1 Corinthians 1:18

God chose to use the most ridiculous, backwards, illogical way imaginable to bring about his kingdom. The cross is folly to those who are not believers. Why would God use death to bring life?

I remember the movie The Mystery Men where there are bunch of wannabe super heroes who get together to try to accomplish superhero type missions. Throughout the whole movie there is one guy who leads everyone in their training and he basically takes obvious concepts and turns them around to be ridiculous but possibly wise sounding. He says things like "in order to see we must first be blind." Or "If we want to change the world the world must first change us."

The guy is just downright annoying because what he says is so predictable but doesn't seem to have an ounce of thought (let alone truth) behind it. But in a similar way that seems like what God did, "In order to really live, you must first die," or, "The last will be first and the first will be last."

Who says these kinds of things?

The answer is God. Our gospel is compelling because it seems too far fetched for a man to have come up with, which, while not a reason for it's validity, is a reason for its attractiveness. It challenges us to think differently about a world we recognize we are incapable of figuring out.

We know we don't have the answers through what seems logical to us. We've tried living life on our own understanding and we've failed (I know I have). God chose the cross. While foolishness to them, it is the very power of God to us.

The cross is power to us because it is salvation to us. It is power over death. Power over our old man. Power to not be dead in sin, but alive, filled with joy, and supernatural love. Our lives should be compelling to non-believers because of the power of the cross. Is yours?

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" - Philippians 3:8

Here is another clear and simple proclamation of the gospel. All things are rubbish in the light of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.

I once read something which suggested we all read the book of Philippians chapter 3 - 25 times in a row. It said it would change my life, and if it didn't it was because I hadn't read it 25 times. So I printed it out, sat down and read it through 25 times.

While I wouldn't say it changed my life, I did catch what Paul was going for quite a bit better than I had previously. This is the crucial verse. Everything in chapter 3 revolves around this verse. Paul counts everything as loss, everything as trash, to gain Christ.

It is so hard for me to give everything up for Christ. The truth is there are a lot of things I'm willing to give up. Home, comfort, even safety and health sometimes (though this last one is particularly hard for me), but giving up my computer? Internet? My wife? My child? There are things other people have sacrificed which I really don't know if I'd be able to.

Hudson Taylor's story has had a great impact on my life and ministry, and when I read about the two wives he lost, and the many children to disease and other things, I cannot fathom. My subconscious reminder to the Lord has become "Lord I'm willing to sacrifice, but only some things. You're good, but you're not that good."

I hate that this is where my mind goes, but I have a long ways to go to be a Paul, to count ALL things as rubbish. I desire the Lord with all my heart, er... most of my heart. I've still got some growing to do.

Thank you Lord that you are good, and loving, and caring. I want to be a hero for you, a soldier for you, willing to lay down everything for the surpassing worth of knowing you, but I don't know how. I like the gifts you've given me, I like them a lot. Help me to know your worth, and to follow you through thick and thin. If you truly are of surpassing worth, I want to truly believe it. I think Mark 9:24 should become a life verse for me "I believe; help my unbelief!"

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." - 1 Peter 5:10

I don't know about you but about the last thing in this world I would want to hear is "Oh, you're miserable in there? Well, after you've been miserable a little while, I'll send my buddy in to refresh you."

This verse is likely intended to instill confidence in our Lord and His ability to save us out whatever trials we face. The context for this is dealing with the attacks of the enemy. We want to worship a God who removes us from all strife and pain, but that isn't what the Lord is promising here.

Rather, he is telling us to rejoice in ours suffering, "knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." - verse 9. Our God is one who allows us to be refined by the difficulties of life but then promises to deliver us. He never told us He would take us out of this world, just that He would be with us in the midst of it.

I can name many times in my life which were absolutely miserable times, and I begged and begged the Lord to take me out of them, but He did not. Instead he let me suffer a little while. Then restored me, confirmed me, strengthened me, and established me. I can look back on all those experiences (granted some took years) and see the hand of the Lord and His great love in choosing to make me the man that I am today through such tough circumstances.

Suffering made me a man calm enough, and appreciative enough to be a decent husband to my wife (I wont say good...) and suffering has given me perspective enough to love my daughter even when she's crying in the middle of the night.

I praise God he let me suffer a little while, though admittedly, it isn't how I would have done it. But I suppose that's why I'm not the big guy upstairs. He is.

Do you find yourself praying, "Lord make me humble, but I don't want it to be embarrassing. Lord make me patient, but I don't want it to hurt. Lord make me like your son, but I don't want to go through the fire."?

I know I do, but His ways are higher than ours.

To me beer is part of the refreshing after the difficulty.

"May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ." - 2 Thessalonians 3:5

What I'd kill to be able to write such a loaded statement in only one line.

I'm not so sure I can even say much about this verse besides just that. Things like this make me think again about the teacher I long to become. The best professors, nay, the best teachers anywhere and in any profession can sit you down and drive home a point. Paul was a hero. Okay, we all know that, but seriously, this guy had his act together in a way most of us will never come close.

Think about this statement. If you could pray a nearly all encompassing prayer in one line how awesome would you be?

Mine usually come out like "God please send your salvation to this nation. Bring out workers to yield your harvest." Which might be close, but I have a long ways to go. But look at what Paul can say so concisely:

"May the Lord direct your heart" - that is guide your intentions, and your desires.

"To the love of God" - the ultimate goal for our intentions, desires.

"And to the steadfastness of Christ." - remember how our God never fails? He'll always be there for you? You'll be incompetent and start living for all the wrong things, but He'll always be there and be more than good to you? Remember how your God sent His son for you? Died for you? By His grace alone allows you to breathe this breath?

Yea, that God. That steadfast Christ. May the Lord direct your heart to Him.

Amen.

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ" - Colossians 3:23-24

How about "as for the Lord and not for yourself?" Although as I'm thinking that I'm also realizing the thing I have in mind is something I suppose is for men... as well as for me. Basically my life is like this... I begin to write. I love to write. I write because I want to write and because I want to develop my writing voice. I want to become a better writer. So I start to write. I find I can write things that I hope are pleasing to the Lord, things that edify me and teach me as I try to teach...

I love to write so I keep writing. Pretty soon people are reading what I write. Not tons of people, but nonetheless there are people out there (about 40/day) that read what I write. Suddenly I get a big head. Ohmygosh! People like reading what I write? People like reading what I write! And then all of sudden its not about pleasing God or even doing what I love to do, its about writing for people. Or rather, I write because people read.

This isn't necessarily inherently sinful. It just creeps into my every corner. I create a forum because I think I can benefit from it, I think it can glorify the Lord. Then I start to think about how much more traffic I'm going to get because the forum is attached to my blog.

Lame.

I want to do things as for the Lord. It's just so hard to keep my priorities straight. I want to get my inheritance from Him! Not ya'll (no offense). I want to serve the Lord Christ.

Finally, I want to mention that I think the Lord seems to have an unusual amount of grace for this sort of thing. He seems to allow us to do some things for the wrong reasons as longs as their the right things, and then later brings us around. I'm glad he's gracious.

"For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed,
—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—  
his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again see light.
Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish."
- Psalm 49:18-20

Preceding this verse is "Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases" - verse 16. Given verses 18-20 you would think this would read "be not jealous," not be not afraid, but thats not what I want to focus on.

Look at rest of this and specifically the first and last line. Man may count himself blessed, but without understanding he is like the beasts. I don't know why this generation is so intent on making animal equal to man, but then it occurs to me. Without God, while doing "well for yourself" and seeking all the wrong things, man becomes just like an animal, passing away without meaning.

That is, this verse brings to light our weird postmodern view that man is nothing. Animal is no worse than man and man is no worse than animal. If you are seeking after the wind, seeking praise and even counting yourself blessed in your possessions, then this view of life is absolutely accurate.

The man who lives a life not for Christ, dies having had as much meaning as the roadkill under your tire. You hit it and feel bad for a minute, but it's life was basically meaningless. These people will perish and we'll feel bad for a minute, but they will have made little or no impact in this world (even less on eternity), being like the beasts that perish. Ironically filled with pomp.

I feel like I'm saying this over and over again and not making it clear. Pomp, money, power, though looked upon by man as valuable will pass away as a squirrel under a tire. Carrion.

"But he said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'" - Luke 11:28

One of my brothers in law is here staying with us for the weekend. He'll be heading home today but he's an interesting guy to talk with as he's in the last semester of his seminary education. He's also lived overseas for a couple of years doing ministry and will likely go back.

I was talking with Him this morning about some of the blogs I read and how many people I read who are educated in the original languages or carry seriously interpretive Bibles to church on Sunday mornings and scrutinize everything the pastors say. I don't mean this in a bad way, being educated and not taking everything your pastor says at face value is not a bad thing. My comment was how I wasn't sure I would want to preach to these people feeling like they would pick apart my every argument.

His response was something along the lines of how it doesn't matter if you can preach to those people or not. There are people out there who are much more interested in the academia than they are in being able to preach and relate Christ. You need to worry yourself with the latter.

I thought this an interesting argument. The field in which I work is filled with several seminary educated people but our discussions are never about theology or scripture or these things at all. Rather we're always discussing what so and so needs to hear before they'll likely turn to the Lord, or about broken relationships, or disfunction in our churches and how we address such issues.

Then I get on a plane and I go to seminary in the summer for a few weeks at a time and I'm surrounded by people who care much more about a specific interpretation of one verse, or how great of professors they've had etc...

The field is just a different world than the academic campus. I guess I'm glad I get the best of both worlds. I just want to make sure I'm hearing the word of the Lord and spending my time keeping it rather than scrutinizing it. Seeking the Lord and loving Him and following His commands needs to have precedence in my life over my head knowledge. Both are important, but the Love and obedience need to come first.

"Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." Matthew 24:42

How do we take this to heart? I spoke maybe two weeks ago about the difficulty of living like the return of the Christ is imminent. But today I want to talk a bit about what we might be doing when the Lord comes.

Before I was married I tried to quietly hope the Lord wouldn't return before I had a chance to see what sex was like. I know, thats crude, but its true. Now that I have a child I actually sit and wonder about her growing up before the Lord returns. Part of me doesn't want to live like the Lord could return at any time because that seems like something only the wackos believe. The other part of me fears my not being able to see my child grow up. Or more frequently I think about this verse:

"And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!" - Verse 19 of the same chapter.

What if my wife is still nursing our infant? What sort of horrible thing will I have brought on my wife and child if I raise them during the tribulation? My eschatology here is vague which may be part of my fear, I tend to lead towards a-millennialism but these verses seem pretty clear it will be terrible for everyone.

The other thing I think about is what if, on the day the Christ returns, I'm in the middle of a good game of rugby? Or what if he returns just before the Broncos win the superbowl? Can I cope with that sort of thing? These things seriously bother me. How can I be awake? Do I want to be awake? Ideally I will be bored to tears and the Lord will return and it will be a sort of "saved by the bell" situation.

Am I alone in such musings?

 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;  
for my eyes have seen your salvation  
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,  
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.” - Luke 2:29-32

I don't know if you were a Matrix fan. Most people loved the first one and then saw the next two because they had to (you know the whole rules of society thing) and then were incredibly disappointed. I was in said category.

That said, the first one really was amazing. Today when reading this passage in Luke, I thought, Simeon was the Morpheus of the Bible. Rather, Morpheus was the Simeon of the Matrix. Morpheus was told he would not die until he met the chosen one. Simeon was told he would not die until he met the Christ. The difference is, Morpheus is excited he's found the chosen one, but Simeon was far more so.

Simeon knows the minute he sees Jesus this is the biggest deal of his life. He says "I may now depart in peace because your word has been fulfilled." He knows Jesus is salvation, he knows Jesus will change everything for the Gentiles and bring glory to Israel. He is so happy from this sight that he is willing and ready to die.

That is awesome. What were you like when you first met Jesus? Especially when He had already died for you?
When I meet Him in the morning I want this attitude. Sheer overwhelming joy at having known the Lord's Christ.

"A person hearing these words should recognize that they have no authority as authentic words of Jesus," he said. Christians who are reading the story, he said, should give it the same authority as any other unsubstantiated early Christian teaching about Jesus."
- DTS Professor Daniel Wallace on John 7:53-8:11

I read this article over at Christianity Today and was shocked this was the conclusion drawn.

Basically the article is about how, as my ESV puts it, "[The earliest manuscripts do not include John 7:53–8:11]," and how most lay Christians who read this will just assume they were placed in the Bible or accepted by the translators because they have some merit.

Admittedly this is the position I took/take. I assume someone along the lines thought it important enough to be included, and lean towards to the view presented by another professor:

"There is no reason to pull this out," said Craig Evans, a professor at Acadia Divinity School. "Nothing about it says Jesus didn't have this encounter." All of the stories about Jesus began orally — it was a few decades before they were written down — so it is possible that this story just did not get written down until much later, Evans said."

I've heard this section of the scripture be disputed in the past but until I know more about it I assume I'll continue to read this as the words of Christ.

I tend to think when it says "all scripture is breathed out by God," that God had some idea what the Bible ending up in our hands would look like, he knew this would be in, it is compatible with other teachings by Christ and probably should be taken as equal to the rest of the scripture. Take a gander, its not a long article, and quite fascinating.

Edit (4/28/08): This has been carried on here by Tim Ricchuiti, and here by me.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
- Matthew 24:45-51

Now this is the part that scares me. It's not only hard to live like Christ will be returning soon, its also dangerous if we don't. It doesn't even say "the master" will be angry but it says he will "cut him in pieces." I think this appropriately scares me.

But what does it look like to live like we're ready for Him to return? What do we change in our lives? If I knew the Lord was coming back this weekend I would legitimately get ahold of everyone I know and I love who isn't a believe and be begging them to reconsider their faith. I would not care if they never wanted to see me again. I would not care if I was suddenly considered crazy and was a plight to my neighbors. I would not care because their eternal life would be decided within the week.

How can we live like that when it's likely that we have a few more years? It's likely we can pray for our friends for years and set a model with our lives which they'll desire to imitate. It's likely some of our friends who we've shared with before will become believers before they die or the Lord returns.

How do we live with what we're ordered to do, and what the reality seems to be? What about your life should and can legitimately change in light of the immanent second coming?

"Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
- Matthew 24:42-44

For me there is a bit of a dilemma regarding the return of Christ. I know that we're told to be to ready for His return. I want to be ready but I also feel like He told them it would be soon and its been 2000 years, how can I live like it will be soon if it might be a few more thousands of years? But I know it could also be tomorrow, in my heart I just don't really believe it though.

I imagine this is like the master of the house going 2000 years without a break-in and then becoming complacent about his home security. That's what I've done.

The other thing is I feel if I get all caught up in the second coming then I'm being like a dispensationalist. They always seem really caught up in the Lord returning and with Israel being a nation now they think it really could be within the next 5-20 years. While I disagree with the theology, they may find it easier to live expecting the Lord to return because according to their thinking it must be immanent.

How do we live like the Lord will return any time when we're told to, but it just doesn't stinkin' feel like He will while we're still alive?

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." James 5:14

When I was in High School my father was a pastor and all of a sudden had a fascination with anointing people with oil. I asked him about it and he said he honestly didn't really understand, he said the only place in the Bible he knew of that mentioned it was just one verse in James. I remember that he kept bottles filled with olive oil in his church office and would anoint people whenever he prayed for them. Mostly just a dab on the forehead or hair, but he told me that occasionally he felt led to dump whole handfuls on people until it was dripping off of them (I hope and assume they weren't wearing suits).

Turns out this word is actually all over (Mar 6:13, Mar 16:1, Luk 7:78... among others).

Well this morning I was studying Psalm 2 for a class I'm taking on the poets. He mentioned in verse 2 where David says,

"The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, ..."

This word for anointed is where we get our root for Messiah. And this passage is even quoted in Acts 4:26, and in this verse the word is Χριστός (Christos, where we get Christ), but it can be translated anointed.

Doing a word study on it, I got this, "anointed; Septuagint for משיח, Messiah, a term applied to every one anointed with the holy oil, chiefly to the High Priest."

This makes me rethink the significance of anointing someone with oil. The Lord Jesus was the anointed one... with the oil. I guess I always read it as appointed one, but thats not what its saying.

Have you considered using oil when you pray for someone? To anoint them? What do you think about the connection to David the King, and to our Christ? Are we sharing something with them when we are anointed?