Hard to believe it's been 9 years since the azure blue was sliced by fireballs, black smoke, and shattered lives. We sang this on Sunday and I've been singing it every day since. It's a good reminder for what ultimately matters.
My favorite lines:
The flames shall not hurt thee I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. I love the beauty and tenderness and goodness of God in the midst of trial.
I'll never no never no never forsake. I love the 3x repetition of that. Never, no never, no never forsake. No room left for doubt.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Reading Your New Testament - Wrap-Up
There have been a lot of conversations and interviews and op/ed pieces and blogs and commentaries about Pastor Terry Jones and his willingness to burn copies of the Koran, the holy book of Islam. Several in the Christian blogosphere have weighed in on why folks weren't more upset when the US Army, at the behest of Afghanis, burned a bunch of servicemen's and other donated Bibles (stories here and here). But with everything that has come to light, we can say that Pastor Jones is a nutcase in over his head with no judicious way to get out. Watching his interview on GMA this morning, I actually felt slightly sorry for the wingnut. Slightly. My friend Tommy said it well: there's a difference between legality and propriety. And while I'm at it, can someone say out loud that violent acts in response to stupid acts are just as stupid? Why don't we rally in the streets when an American flag is burned in Pakistan? Enough of that...
What is a holy book? It's a book full of holy words, right? That's what separates the Bible from Moby Dick or something of the like. But it's the message that is holy, not the literal pages or ink or gilding on the page edges. Some people treat the paper, glue and leather like they themselves are independently holy.
So with that in perspective, I offer the following suggestions for reading the NT in 75 Days Challenge:
1. Grab a pen and write in your Bible. I know some take offense at that because it's dishonoring to the holy book (see above, please). But I think you ought to have pen in hand and write questions, comments, and thoughts that come to you as you read.
2. Grab a pen and draw in your Bible. When you look at my personal ESV Bible that I study from, I have circles and lines all around the passages I have studied. Words that get repeated get circled and often are connected with a line. That helps me to visually see things that I might not see otherwise and this will certainly be true in the 3-5 chapters that we'll be reading together. For those familiar with Precept studies, I would suggest you NOT mark every word like you would in your Precept study but instead just the words that pop out of the text to you because of their repetition, etc.
3. Grab a pen and write on a notecard. Out of the 3-5 chapters you'll read in a day, take one thing and try to do it. The difference between the guy whose house crumbled and the guy whose house who stood was whether or not they obeyed what was said (Matthew 7.24-27). Take that notecard and the one thing you're going to try to obey and stick it in your pocket on the way out the door to work or wherever you're headed.
4. Read before you feed. Before you get up and have breakfast or whatever substitutes for breakfast at your house, take the time to read. I'm guessing it's a 10-15 minute exercise for most folks. So set your alarm a few minutes earlier, start the coffee earlier, and enjoy the meal set before you in the Scriptures. If you read before you feed, you won't forget to read and it will probably have greater impact in shaping your day.
5. Come back to it in the evening with your family or a friend. Bring it up at dinner or at bedtime. Talk about it over lunch with your coworker. If married, let that be the conversation that lulls you into sleep - CSI isn't all that important anyway. Come back to it often throughout the day.
I can't wait to see how God shapes us all. We have people from all over the country (quite literally coast to coast) fired up about this and participating with us. I'm ready for Monday!
What is a holy book? It's a book full of holy words, right? That's what separates the Bible from Moby Dick or something of the like. But it's the message that is holy, not the literal pages or ink or gilding on the page edges. Some people treat the paper, glue and leather like they themselves are independently holy.
So with that in perspective, I offer the following suggestions for reading the NT in 75 Days Challenge:
1. Grab a pen and write in your Bible. I know some take offense at that because it's dishonoring to the holy book (see above, please). But I think you ought to have pen in hand and write questions, comments, and thoughts that come to you as you read.
2. Grab a pen and draw in your Bible. When you look at my personal ESV Bible that I study from, I have circles and lines all around the passages I have studied. Words that get repeated get circled and often are connected with a line. That helps me to visually see things that I might not see otherwise and this will certainly be true in the 3-5 chapters that we'll be reading together. For those familiar with Precept studies, I would suggest you NOT mark every word like you would in your Precept study but instead just the words that pop out of the text to you because of their repetition, etc.
3. Grab a pen and write on a notecard. Out of the 3-5 chapters you'll read in a day, take one thing and try to do it. The difference between the guy whose house crumbled and the guy whose house who stood was whether or not they obeyed what was said (Matthew 7.24-27). Take that notecard and the one thing you're going to try to obey and stick it in your pocket on the way out the door to work or wherever you're headed.
4. Read before you feed. Before you get up and have breakfast or whatever substitutes for breakfast at your house, take the time to read. I'm guessing it's a 10-15 minute exercise for most folks. So set your alarm a few minutes earlier, start the coffee earlier, and enjoy the meal set before you in the Scriptures. If you read before you feed, you won't forget to read and it will probably have greater impact in shaping your day.
5. Come back to it in the evening with your family or a friend. Bring it up at dinner or at bedtime. Talk about it over lunch with your coworker. If married, let that be the conversation that lulls you into sleep - CSI isn't all that important anyway. Come back to it often throughout the day.
I can't wait to see how God shapes us all. We have people from all over the country (quite literally coast to coast) fired up about this and participating with us. I'm ready for Monday!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Reading Your New Testament - Letters
Outside of 6 or 7 books in the New Testament (NT), its content is basically letters to churches, sometimes called epistles. Most of those were written by Paul the Apostle, which includes all the letters ending in -ans along with both Timothy letters and Titus (those three often referred to as the pastoral epistles) and Philemon.
A few thoughts on reading those letters...
First, they are letters. They have a context both historically and personally. Some address problems, some personalities, some have other purposes. But they're letters. If you got a hand-written letter in the mail, you wouldn't start on page two or only read page four. We have a tendency to treat the epistles like that: we find our favorite parts and read them over and over and over again, never setting those favorite parts in their contexts. Don't do that. Read the whole letter and see how God is speaking.
Second, as both a challenge and an interpreting tool, you can ask the letter what was going on such that God through the author needed to say that to them. In seminary, we called this "mirror reading," because we're trying to know what's happening by one part of the conversation - much like sitting next to a person on the phone and by their responses trying to guess what the conversation partner is saying on the other end of the line. It's sometimes harder to do than others, but it's a good exercise.
Third, because most of the letters were written to churches, don't only apply it personally. You need to apply it personally, don't get me wrong. But not just personally - apply it to your church. Where are the things you're reading visible in your church and where do they need to be visible? What's your role in that? How does that change how you pray for your church and its leadership?
Lastly, if you have a hard time understanding a portion of a letter, why someone would say what they said, how you're supposed to translate it to the 21st century, or where to turn so you can understand it better, don't get frustrated. As a pastor, there are still portions of the Scripture that I don't have a firm grasp on. Two thoughts: (1) that doesn't limit its authority over my life because it's still God's Word even though I don't get it and (2) that doesn't mean that I'll never get it, so I should stay humble and keep studying, applying it the best I know how in the now.
Monday's coming and we'll kick off. I can't wait to see what God does.
A few thoughts on reading those letters...
First, they are letters. They have a context both historically and personally. Some address problems, some personalities, some have other purposes. But they're letters. If you got a hand-written letter in the mail, you wouldn't start on page two or only read page four. We have a tendency to treat the epistles like that: we find our favorite parts and read them over and over and over again, never setting those favorite parts in their contexts. Don't do that. Read the whole letter and see how God is speaking.
Second, as both a challenge and an interpreting tool, you can ask the letter what was going on such that God through the author needed to say that to them. In seminary, we called this "mirror reading," because we're trying to know what's happening by one part of the conversation - much like sitting next to a person on the phone and by their responses trying to guess what the conversation partner is saying on the other end of the line. It's sometimes harder to do than others, but it's a good exercise.
Third, because most of the letters were written to churches, don't only apply it personally. You need to apply it personally, don't get me wrong. But not just personally - apply it to your church. Where are the things you're reading visible in your church and where do they need to be visible? What's your role in that? How does that change how you pray for your church and its leadership?
Lastly, if you have a hard time understanding a portion of a letter, why someone would say what they said, how you're supposed to translate it to the 21st century, or where to turn so you can understand it better, don't get frustrated. As a pastor, there are still portions of the Scripture that I don't have a firm grasp on. Two thoughts: (1) that doesn't limit its authority over my life because it's still God's Word even though I don't get it and (2) that doesn't mean that I'll never get it, so I should stay humble and keep studying, applying it the best I know how in the now.
Monday's coming and we'll kick off. I can't wait to see what God does.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Reading Your New Testament - Gospels and History
The first five books of the New Testament (NT) are historical by nature. This helps in understanding them but it doesn't provide the full picture. Each of the four authors wrote with a particular purpose and audience in mind and, just as you and I would, tailored the message to that purpose and audience.
Matthew wrote essentially to Jewish folks, which is why you see a lot of Scripture quotations from the Old Testament (OT) in his Gospel. He formulates those with X happened so that the Scripture "quotation from OT here" might be fulfilled. Centered around five major discourses, the book is heavy on teaching. The most famous of those discourses is Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.
Mark is the shortest Gospel account and probably the earliest. Mark drew most of his material from Peter's recollection. It's a very fast-paced account of the life, ministry, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus. Mark's favorite phrase is "and immediately..." He doesn't use that as a time-delineator but more as a literary device to keep the story moving along, not unlike an excited teen telling his buddy about the football game on Friday: "And then...and then...and then...etc." There's a bit of controversy over the ending of Mark. I addressed it briefly in this sermon and so will save further discussion for now, but you're welcome to email me with questions.
Luke writes to Gentiles, meaning non-Jewish folks. He works hard on historical evidence and accuracy in his representation of God's Son, Jesus the Christ. He also, notably, includes significant interaction of Jesus with women, raising their status in society. One famous story from Luke's is the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Lastly, his Gospel is filled with Holy Spirit talk and action. That fits perfectly with his account of the early church in Acts, from the Spirit being poured out on the huddled believers in Jerusalem to the Spirit extending the church throughout the Roman empire.
John's Gospel is probably the last one written and written with Greek readers in mind. There are lots of specific miracles (signs) done in John's Gospel that point to Jesus' identity. There are also long conversations with folks like Nicodemus the Pharisee (ch. 3) and a socially rejected woman at a well (ch. 4). The most famous verse in the Bible is in John (3.16, in case you were wondering). The shortest verse is also in John (11.35, where Jesus weeps over his friend's death and the accompanying sadness of the family). A long teaching to Jesus' disciples is found in 13-16, with Jesus' longest prayer recorded in 17. John writes with the purpose of seeing people come to believe in Jesus for life (20.31).
In reading these, you get the most when you open yourself up to their message: that Jesus is the unique Son of God and those who come to Him in faith are those who experience real life. Reading for any other reason can make you scripturally smarter but spiritually smaller. But they're great for reading with families and friends, because they're amazing stories with incredible characters involved. Enjoy!
Matthew wrote essentially to Jewish folks, which is why you see a lot of Scripture quotations from the Old Testament (OT) in his Gospel. He formulates those with X happened so that the Scripture "quotation from OT here" might be fulfilled. Centered around five major discourses, the book is heavy on teaching. The most famous of those discourses is Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.
Mark is the shortest Gospel account and probably the earliest. Mark drew most of his material from Peter's recollection. It's a very fast-paced account of the life, ministry, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus. Mark's favorite phrase is "and immediately..." He doesn't use that as a time-delineator but more as a literary device to keep the story moving along, not unlike an excited teen telling his buddy about the football game on Friday: "And then...and then...and then...etc." There's a bit of controversy over the ending of Mark. I addressed it briefly in this sermon and so will save further discussion for now, but you're welcome to email me with questions.
Luke writes to Gentiles, meaning non-Jewish folks. He works hard on historical evidence and accuracy in his representation of God's Son, Jesus the Christ. He also, notably, includes significant interaction of Jesus with women, raising their status in society. One famous story from Luke's is the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Lastly, his Gospel is filled with Holy Spirit talk and action. That fits perfectly with his account of the early church in Acts, from the Spirit being poured out on the huddled believers in Jerusalem to the Spirit extending the church throughout the Roman empire.
John's Gospel is probably the last one written and written with Greek readers in mind. There are lots of specific miracles (signs) done in John's Gospel that point to Jesus' identity. There are also long conversations with folks like Nicodemus the Pharisee (ch. 3) and a socially rejected woman at a well (ch. 4). The most famous verse in the Bible is in John (3.16, in case you were wondering). The shortest verse is also in John (11.35, where Jesus weeps over his friend's death and the accompanying sadness of the family). A long teaching to Jesus' disciples is found in 13-16, with Jesus' longest prayer recorded in 17. John writes with the purpose of seeing people come to believe in Jesus for life (20.31).
In reading these, you get the most when you open yourself up to their message: that Jesus is the unique Son of God and those who come to Him in faith are those who experience real life. Reading for any other reason can make you scripturally smarter but spiritually smaller. But they're great for reading with families and friends, because they're amazing stories with incredible characters involved. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Reading Your New Testament - Introduction
In light of the New Testament in 75 Days Challenge starting less than a week from now, I thought I'd post some thoughts over the next few days as to how you can make the most of this challenge. Some are fairly unfamiliar with the New Testament Scriptures (often abbreviated as NT), so let me make some introductions.
The NT was written in the mid to late first century AD, covering about 50 or so years of history. For those who struggle with dates, something along the lines of 45-95 AD (depending on who you ask). It is comprised of 27 books authored by God, inspiring 9 humans. Its books comprise historiographies of Jesus most often called Gospels, a history book, several letters to groups and individuals, a sermon, and a piece of apocalyptic literature (the book of Revelation).
Many wonder about its reliability, asking the question can we trust its revelation of God to us? The overwhelming answer is yes. The textual evidence that it was faithfully and clearly and accurately reproduced far outweighs any other piece of literature in Antiquity and even through the Middle Ages. In other words, since they didn't have Xerox or Kinkos, they had to copy it by hand and did so with great care and amazing accuracy. You can google "New Testament Reliability" and come up with papers like this one that give historical evidence of God's preservation of His Word for the coming generations.
The bigger question, though, is how you and I will interact with it. If we pick it up, read it, walk away from it without any intention of doing it, we'll find ourselves biblically smarter but spiritually smaller. So in the midst of the reading, seek to obey it or find out how to obey it. You won't regret that.
The NT was written in the mid to late first century AD, covering about 50 or so years of history. For those who struggle with dates, something along the lines of 45-95 AD (depending on who you ask). It is comprised of 27 books authored by God, inspiring 9 humans. Its books comprise historiographies of Jesus most often called Gospels, a history book, several letters to groups and individuals, a sermon, and a piece of apocalyptic literature (the book of Revelation).
Many wonder about its reliability, asking the question can we trust its revelation of God to us? The overwhelming answer is yes. The textual evidence that it was faithfully and clearly and accurately reproduced far outweighs any other piece of literature in Antiquity and even through the Middle Ages. In other words, since they didn't have Xerox or Kinkos, they had to copy it by hand and did so with great care and amazing accuracy. You can google "New Testament Reliability" and come up with papers like this one that give historical evidence of God's preservation of His Word for the coming generations.
The bigger question, though, is how you and I will interact with it. If we pick it up, read it, walk away from it without any intention of doing it, we'll find ourselves biblically smarter but spiritually smaller. So in the midst of the reading, seek to obey it or find out how to obey it. You won't regret that.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Theology of Work on the Day Celebrating Workers
On Labor Day weekend, it seems appropriate to blog for a moment about work. I say this as I listen to the neighborhood lawn care guys mowing, edging, and blowing so they don't get behind this week in their HOA-determined rotation. I appreciate the fact that there are people all over the United States working on Labor Day, some of whom are there not by choice but necessity in order to keep jobs that feed families.
Paul says in Colossians 3.23, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." That verse comes in the context of other employer-employee principles found in the master-slave passages of the NT. For those whose hair on the back of their necks just stood up, please note that while not a direct correlation, the best analogy we can find for those passages is the employer-employee relationship. For more information, see this link to the commentary on Colossians and Philemon by my seminary prof, David Garland.
As to the passage, let me encourage you to look at three things.
First, look at the inclusiveness of this: whatever you do. That means serve as a pastor, physical therapist, photographer, yard guy, salesman, policeman, lawyer, garbageman, doctor, nurse, receptionist, clerk, pharmacist, or rocket scientist (and all in between). There are quite literally hundreds of thousands of things that can be done to honor Christ in the workforce. Martin Luther taught that even the milkmaid (the lowest of occupations in the 1500's) loves her neighbor by collecting milk. And Luther again: as long as what you do can be done in love for God and neighbor, it is an honorable occupation. Amen.
Second, look at the intensity of this: work heartily, or from the heart. From the inner core of who you are, work. Don't read "heart" and think "emotions" or "affections." The biblical heart is the deepest part of the human nature. Work from there. There is a passion and unction and perseverance that dwells in the heart which is to show up in our work. Even in the dullest or most trying times, work hard and well.
Third, the motivation: as for the Lord and not for men. Why do you work hard, from the heart when it's tough and dry and no fun? Because you're not working primarily for you, me, your company, your stockholders, your coworkers, your contractors, or anyone else. You're working for the Lord. And it is from the Lord that you will receive reward (v.24).
So happy Labor Day everyone. Labor well for Jesus' sake.
Paul says in Colossians 3.23, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." That verse comes in the context of other employer-employee principles found in the master-slave passages of the NT. For those whose hair on the back of their necks just stood up, please note that while not a direct correlation, the best analogy we can find for those passages is the employer-employee relationship. For more information, see this link to the commentary on Colossians and Philemon by my seminary prof, David Garland.
As to the passage, let me encourage you to look at three things.
First, look at the inclusiveness of this: whatever you do. That means serve as a pastor, physical therapist, photographer, yard guy, salesman, policeman, lawyer, garbageman, doctor, nurse, receptionist, clerk, pharmacist, or rocket scientist (and all in between). There are quite literally hundreds of thousands of things that can be done to honor Christ in the workforce. Martin Luther taught that even the milkmaid (the lowest of occupations in the 1500's) loves her neighbor by collecting milk. And Luther again: as long as what you do can be done in love for God and neighbor, it is an honorable occupation. Amen.
Second, look at the intensity of this: work heartily, or from the heart. From the inner core of who you are, work. Don't read "heart" and think "emotions" or "affections." The biblical heart is the deepest part of the human nature. Work from there. There is a passion and unction and perseverance that dwells in the heart which is to show up in our work. Even in the dullest or most trying times, work hard and well.
Third, the motivation: as for the Lord and not for men. Why do you work hard, from the heart when it's tough and dry and no fun? Because you're not working primarily for you, me, your company, your stockholders, your coworkers, your contractors, or anyone else. You're working for the Lord. And it is from the Lord that you will receive reward (v.24).
So happy Labor Day everyone. Labor well for Jesus' sake.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sermon Notes from Sunday 9.5.10
Here are the sermon notes from this Sunday, September 5th. In examining the first half of Mark 8, we looked at motivation and how we can be free to live with God, which I termed "Because Of People." As always, you can find these notes in PDF format as well as sermon audio at sermons.heritagepark.org. May God give us the grace and courage it takes to live authentically before Him.
God Sighs (Part 2)
Mark 8.1-21
Religion is the place people run to be respected when they refuse to be real.
Jesus Sighs at Religion (v.11-13)
- In the heart of the Pharisees was the question of what God could do for them.
- They related to God so that He would do as they wished.
- So That People don’t become giving people, praying people, serving people.
- Dire consequences result for So That People.
Why do we live as So That People?
- We don’t know God’s provision and power (v.1-10).
- We don’t deal with the idols of our hearts (v.14-16).
- We don’t understand God’s message (v.17-21).
The Gospel frees us to live as Because of People instead of So That People – not motivated by what God will do for us but by what He already has done for us.
Friday, September 3, 2010
What are you entitled to?
What are you entitled to?
I know you're not supposed to end sentences with a preposition, but, grammar aside, it's a crucial question. Entitlement is a huge issue in the lives of those with whom I do ministry and in our culture in general. Suburbia is full of it. The ministry landscape of American Evangelicalism is too.
Are you entitled to an easy life? Are you entitled to enough money - the "enough" getting defined by you? Are you entitled to a healthy body or healthy kids? Are you entitled to the newest and latest (hello iPhone 4)? Are you entitled to kids who don't whine? Are you entitled to a spouse who knows your every thought? Are you entitled to enough sleep? Are you entitled to people believing your every word because you're a preacher (hello, Ergun Caner)? Are you entitled to hurricanes missing your town or earthquakes happening elsewhere?
At the heart of these kinds of entitlement attitudes is the belief that God owes me something. I've done a good job at not yelling at my kids, so I deserve healthy kids. I go to church, so I should get a promotion. I do ________ well, so I should get ________ in return. It's "so-that" relating to God: I'm doing X so that God will do Y for me. It's also everything but Gospel.
There are certainly blessings that come our way because we live according to the revealed wisdom of God. But we balance that with the reality of our broken and busted world where sin and suffering and death are still our foes, defeated foes through Christ but still present.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
I know you're not supposed to end sentences with a preposition, but, grammar aside, it's a crucial question. Entitlement is a huge issue in the lives of those with whom I do ministry and in our culture in general. Suburbia is full of it. The ministry landscape of American Evangelicalism is too.
Are you entitled to an easy life? Are you entitled to enough money - the "enough" getting defined by you? Are you entitled to a healthy body or healthy kids? Are you entitled to the newest and latest (hello iPhone 4)? Are you entitled to kids who don't whine? Are you entitled to a spouse who knows your every thought? Are you entitled to enough sleep? Are you entitled to people believing your every word because you're a preacher (hello, Ergun Caner)? Are you entitled to hurricanes missing your town or earthquakes happening elsewhere?
At the heart of these kinds of entitlement attitudes is the belief that God owes me something. I've done a good job at not yelling at my kids, so I deserve healthy kids. I go to church, so I should get a promotion. I do ________ well, so I should get ________ in return. It's "so-that" relating to God: I'm doing X so that God will do Y for me. It's also everything but Gospel.
There are certainly blessings that come our way because we live according to the revealed wisdom of God. But we balance that with the reality of our broken and busted world where sin and suffering and death are still our foes, defeated foes through Christ but still present.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Rolling out the NT in 75 Days Challenge
I cannot tell you how personally excited I am about the NT in 75 Days Challenge. No really, I can't. I'm not even going to try. But I will try to explain it in words here so that you can jump in with us.
The What
It's not very hard to explain, actually. We as a church are challenging one another and you to read through the New Testament in a 75-day period this fall. We will begin September 13th, reading every Monday through Saturday and leaving Sunday for reflection and any catch-up that might need to happen.
Some other helpful information...
You'll be reading, on average, about 4 chapters per day.
For those with an iPhone or an iPod Touch, we have an app sent to Apple for approval that we should have available next week. I saw the beta version last night and it's cool. Props to Mike W.
We have cards available in the Welcome Center with the reading list on them. We'll also publish it on the front page of our website. You can also email me directly and I'll send you a PDF (my email is trent at heritage park dot org - I wrote that out so spammers don't scan blogger and send me more junk).
The adventure will end the week of Thanksgiving.
The How
One of the things that is going to make this so profitable is having the opportunity to share with others what you're seeing. It will also help keep you accountable. To that end, we'll be discussing it for a few minutes in Sunday School classes and small groups.
Parents: have a discussion each night at the dinner table or on the drive home about what you personally have seen. For parents of teens and preteens, EXPECT them to participate and then discuss for 5 minutes what they see. For parents of smaller kids, pick a verse, story, paragraph, or some portion and tell your children what it means. You don't have to be a teacher and, honestly, your smaller kids aren't going to listen more than about 3 minutes.
Spouses: encourage one another in the readings and then drift off to sleep after a brief discussion of what you've read.
Men: you should lead your families in the above. Step up and man up.
If you need some help on thoughts, I'll be blogging each day about the text and just a thought from it. You can also check out my wife's awesome idea, Testament Tuesdays. You can even participate or encourage others in the blogosphere to do so.
But what if you miss? You probably will, honestly. But that doesn't mean you stop. Just pick up and keep reading. You can catch up on the Sunday following. Don't let the Enemy, who hates the Truth of God's Word, keep you from it with accusation, guilt and condemnation.
The Why
Some have wondered about this, so let me try to put a rationale out there.
First, no spiritual growth happens apart from God's Word. Period. End of Story. Every step and stride made in the spiritual life with Jesus draws its strength from the Scriptures.
Second, we anticipate that having a concentrated and corporate time to do this will yield a synergy that will be far beyond just the sum of the individual parts. I have no idea what that's going to look like in November. But I am believing it will happen.
Third, reading larger portions of the Scriptures help us with bigger picture issues. We often see how God repeats themes throughout chapters or how stories tie together. For instance, in last week's sermon text, Jesus sighed at the brokenness of the world. In this week's text, Jesus sighs at the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees. You might miss that connection if you didn't read Mark 7 and 8 together.
Last, taking a challenge like this honors God and His Word. We're for both.
So jump in with us. We can't wait to see what all God does.
The What
It's not very hard to explain, actually. We as a church are challenging one another and you to read through the New Testament in a 75-day period this fall. We will begin September 13th, reading every Monday through Saturday and leaving Sunday for reflection and any catch-up that might need to happen.
Some other helpful information...
You'll be reading, on average, about 4 chapters per day.
For those with an iPhone or an iPod Touch, we have an app sent to Apple for approval that we should have available next week. I saw the beta version last night and it's cool. Props to Mike W.
We have cards available in the Welcome Center with the reading list on them. We'll also publish it on the front page of our website. You can also email me directly and I'll send you a PDF (my email is trent at heritage park dot org - I wrote that out so spammers don't scan blogger and send me more junk).
The adventure will end the week of Thanksgiving.
The How
One of the things that is going to make this so profitable is having the opportunity to share with others what you're seeing. It will also help keep you accountable. To that end, we'll be discussing it for a few minutes in Sunday School classes and small groups.
Parents: have a discussion each night at the dinner table or on the drive home about what you personally have seen. For parents of teens and preteens, EXPECT them to participate and then discuss for 5 minutes what they see. For parents of smaller kids, pick a verse, story, paragraph, or some portion and tell your children what it means. You don't have to be a teacher and, honestly, your smaller kids aren't going to listen more than about 3 minutes.
Spouses: encourage one another in the readings and then drift off to sleep after a brief discussion of what you've read.
Men: you should lead your families in the above. Step up and man up.
If you need some help on thoughts, I'll be blogging each day about the text and just a thought from it. You can also check out my wife's awesome idea, Testament Tuesdays. You can even participate or encourage others in the blogosphere to do so.
But what if you miss? You probably will, honestly. But that doesn't mean you stop. Just pick up and keep reading. You can catch up on the Sunday following. Don't let the Enemy, who hates the Truth of God's Word, keep you from it with accusation, guilt and condemnation.
The Why
Some have wondered about this, so let me try to put a rationale out there.
First, no spiritual growth happens apart from God's Word. Period. End of Story. Every step and stride made in the spiritual life with Jesus draws its strength from the Scriptures.
Second, we anticipate that having a concentrated and corporate time to do this will yield a synergy that will be far beyond just the sum of the individual parts. I have no idea what that's going to look like in November. But I am believing it will happen.
Third, reading larger portions of the Scriptures help us with bigger picture issues. We often see how God repeats themes throughout chapters or how stories tie together. For instance, in last week's sermon text, Jesus sighed at the brokenness of the world. In this week's text, Jesus sighs at the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees. You might miss that connection if you didn't read Mark 7 and 8 together.
Last, taking a challenge like this honors God and His Word. We're for both.
So jump in with us. We can't wait to see what all God does.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
I worry about some of my YRR friends...
Collin Hansen wrote a great little book detailing the rise of the popularity of Reformed theology among the younger generation of evangelicals called Young, Restless, and Reformed. It's a fascinating account of those who fit into that category and those who have influenced them.
But I'm worried about folks who fall into that category. There's a scary propensity in them (and in all of us, I know) to idolize those they follow or that which they believe or both. It reminds me of something...
I appeal to you brothers, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree though not necessarily about every jot and tittle, every application, every ministry model, every tertiary point, every Bible translation, every worthwhile conference, every podcast, or every option for children's church, but that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and same judgment. For it is quite obvious on blogs and comment sections of blogs and T4G conferences that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What is obvious (to everyone who doesn't absolutely agree with you on every point) is that some of you claim you follow Piper, some are Ligonierists, some drink with Chandler and Driscoll while others abstain with Mohler, some continue with Mahaney while others cease with MacArthur, but at least none are Rick Warren. Some sit on the sidelines and smugly claim to follow Jesus, which is hard to do when you're not actually doing anything that He did...Instead, let us remember that Christ didn't send the Gospel into the world to convince them of Calvin's best 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 points, depending on how you read it. He sent the Gospel into the world through untrustworthy folks like us that it might truly be the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. (my adaptation of 1 Cor. 1.10-17)
Let's follow Jesus. I don't mean that in some amorphous, spineless manner. I mean let's say what He said and do what He did. Let's become like Him. Above all, let's worship Him, not some theological system which, when worshipped, makes bigger brains but smaller lives.
But I'm worried about folks who fall into that category. There's a scary propensity in them (and in all of us, I know) to idolize those they follow or that which they believe or both. It reminds me of something...
I appeal to you brothers, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree though not necessarily about every jot and tittle, every application, every ministry model, every tertiary point, every Bible translation, every worthwhile conference, every podcast, or every option for children's church, but that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and same judgment. For it is quite obvious on blogs and comment sections of blogs and T4G conferences that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What is obvious (to everyone who doesn't absolutely agree with you on every point) is that some of you claim you follow Piper, some are Ligonierists, some drink with Chandler and Driscoll while others abstain with Mohler, some continue with Mahaney while others cease with MacArthur, but at least none are Rick Warren. Some sit on the sidelines and smugly claim to follow Jesus, which is hard to do when you're not actually doing anything that He did...Instead, let us remember that Christ didn't send the Gospel into the world to convince them of Calvin's best 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 points, depending on how you read it. He sent the Gospel into the world through untrustworthy folks like us that it might truly be the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. (my adaptation of 1 Cor. 1.10-17)
Let's follow Jesus. I don't mean that in some amorphous, spineless manner. I mean let's say what He said and do what He did. Let's become like Him. Above all, let's worship Him, not some theological system which, when worshipped, makes bigger brains but smaller lives.
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