Stuff Christians Should Know

How to Explain the Gospel (part 4)

December 5, 2011 in Abundant Life, Practical Theology with 0 Comments

Welcome to Part 4 of the mini-series on explaining the Gospel!
Part 1 introduced the series,
Part 2 answered why we need the gospel,
Part 3 explained what the gospel does to save us,
and today we will understand how the gospel is applied to us.

As was stated last week, we are saved through faith (not to be confused with by faith). In other words, it is the means through which salvation is applied to us. Therefore, we need an adequate definition of what faith actually is.

The Dictionary defines faith like this: “confidence or trust in a person or thing.”

That is a decent definition, but I think it is incomplete. Let me explain.

A few years ago I went to New Zealand and had an incredible time. One of my best memories was bungee jumping off the Kawarau Bridge. The bridge is 43 meters (141 feet) above a river and the location of the world’s first commercial bungee jump.

Bungee jumping was a life dream of mine, so I seized the opportunity. As I got strapped in, I overheard one of the workers telling a nervous jumper that in 20 years, no one has died jumping. “Of course no one has died,” I thought, “these bungees are perfectly safe. Otherwise, they could never run a business!”

Free Falling

Everyone who jumped ahead of me was visibly nervous. Some wanted to walk away, but eventually they all jumped. When it was my turn, I naturally wanted to prove my manliness by not showing any traces of fear.

When I looked over the edge, however, my manliness forgot to show up. I was terrified. The entire canyon seemed to shift and grow both wider and deeper. All of a sudden, my faith in the “perfectly safe” bungee came into question. “What if my feet slipped? What if the tension is off? What if a crocodile jumps out of the river like in that youtube video?!”

You see, faith is more than just having confidence or trust in something or someone. True faith consists of dependency on that particular thing or person. Sure, I had “faith” the bungee cord would keep me safe when I was standing on the sidelines, but it was a different story when I stood on the edge of the bridge.

When I actually jumped, I put my faith into practice and literally depended on the rope to save me. The same is true about faith in Christ. We are not called to simply stand on the sidelines and believe he has power to save. We are called to depend on him for our salvation and to live our lives in that dependency. We must recognize that our chances of saving ourselves for eternity are equal to my chances of bungee jumping without a rope and then flying out of the canyon in my own power. We simply cannot save ourselves through our own power!

There is one reason I will dwell with God in eternity, and it has nothing to do with me. Doing good works cannot pull me out of the canyon! Only the good work of Christ can. He pulled me out of the wreckage of my sin, and now I have new life in Him.

As exciting as bungee jumping was, a life with Christ is even better.

The Adventure starts with faith.

Next week, we will seek to understand how we live our lives in light of our faith.

Is Jesus God?

December 2, 2011 in Cultural Connection, FAQ's of Faith, Practical Theology with 0 Comments

People often argue that Jesus, though a great man who did a lot of nice things, was not God. They say he should be respected and remembered, but they refuse to worship him. C.S. Lewis writes my favorite response to those who claim Jesus was not God in his book, Mere Christianity

“people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

There you have it! If Jesus claimed to be God, but was not God, then he was either crazy (I love the poached egg remark) or evil.

But there are some, still, who argue that Jesus did not claim to be God. They believe the apostles turned him into God in the later writings of the New Testament. This argument, however, does not stand either. In the Gospels, we see Jesus do the following:

In Mark 9:2-13 Jesus reveals his true nature to the disciples. Sorry, but his radiance does not come from being a moral teacher.

In John 5:18-29 Jesus clearly identifies himself as the Son of God. Although some people today may think this makes him less important than God, in the Jewish culture there was no mistake: being a son meant equality with God. Even the enemies of Jesus recognized the meaning of his claim!

In Matthew 28:19 he calls us to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three are equal, but notice how they are still unified as one! He does not say the names, but rather the name. Jesus shows us here that there is only one God, and yet three persons.

In John 8:53-58 we see a couple of things. First, a small explanation about why Jesus did not toot his own horn all the time about being God! If he glorified himself, it would mean nothing. His glory is demonstrated to the people through the Father. Secondly, we see one of the boldest claims Jesus made: “before Abraham was, I am.” This both identifies his eternal nature and union with God. “I AM” is the holy name that God identifies himself with when speaking to Moses in the burning bush. When Jesus said this, he was either speaking truth or the highest form of blasphemy possible in Israel.

So then, what do you think? Is Jesus the Lord, a Liar, or a Lunatic?

I highly recommend you purchase Mere Christianity. It’s an incredible read and an even better re-read. Get it here: Buy Mere Christianity
(affiliate link)

How to Explain the Gospel (part 3)

November 28, 2011 in Abundant Life, Practical Theology with 0 Comments

Last week we talked about why we need the Gospel. We established the very serious problem of sin: it destroys us and rends our relationship with God. The Gospel is our only hope of resolving this problem, and today we will look at how the Gospel hope is actualized.

2 Common Errors:

When trying to understand or explain the Gospel, there are two mistakes that people often make. Both can be corrected with a proper understanding of Ephesians 2:8-9.

You're odds of saving yourself are less than lifting this mountain with your hands

1) I am saved from my sin by good works: Almost all religions endorse this view. If you want to be made right with God, you must do good works. If you do enough good works, God will forgive you and restore you into relationship with Him. This means you get to go to Heaven!

Unfortunately, this belief is not Biblical and not true. As Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” If we want to be made right with God, then we must be perfect. 1 sin in an entire lifetime ruins the relationship, and no amount of good works can return you to perfection. Ephesians 2:9 clears this up, your salvation is “not a result of works.”

The good news: pressure relief! We can stop worrying about following every rule and being good, because it won’t help our case! The bad (or maybe good) news: We can do nothing to save ourselves!

2) I am saved by my faith: This mistake may seem picky, but it has important implications. Most of the time, when someone asks how you are saved, we respond “by faith.” This, however, is not true.
We are not saved by faith, we are saved by grace through faith. So what does that mean?

Grace, by definition, is a free and unmerited gift. This means that Jesus saves us. His death and resurrection is a free gift he gave to us, even though we do not deserve it. At the risk of sounding repeatedly repitious, our faith does not save us. Jesus’s gift saves us.

Why Did Jesus Need to Die?

Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death.” Because of my sin and your sin, we deserve death. This may seem harsh, but it reflects the horrible nature of sin. God could not have simply ignored our sin. He is a just God, and will never overlook sin without bringing it to justice. The price for sin had to be paid, either by ourselves or by a worthy substitute.

Jesus, God’s son, is the only person who could fulfill the role of substitute. God, desiring to restore the relationship between himself and man, chose to send His son to die in our place. If Jesus had sinned, he could not have taken our sin upon himself in death because he himself would have deserved death. But he did not sin, and therefore he could die in our place, taking the punishment we deserved upon himself. There is a big word for this, “propitiation,” and it simply means that Jesus was our substitute and died in our place.

If Jesus did not die, our faith would get us nowhere. His gift alone saved us from our sins.

So What’s the Point of Faith?

The death of Christ does not cover the sins of everyone, however. It only covers the sins of those who, through faith, accept the gift of grace he gave. Faith, then, has a pivotal and essential role. It is the means through which we receive the salvation God gave us. We do not receive the gift of God through works, but through faith alone.

Next week, we will take a deeper look at faith and seek to understand what it truly means to believe in God.

How to Explain the Gospel (part 2)

November 20, 2011 in Cultural Connection, Practical Theology with 1 Comment

Last Monday I started a mini-series on sharing the Gospel. Catch part 1 here.

Why?

If you want to convince someone to do anything, the first step is to answer the question, “why?” You can explain the Gospel and tell them exactly how to become a follower of Jesus, but if you fail to give an incentive, then they’ll have no reason for following.

Things are Not Quite Right

Have you ever noticed that things are not exactly right in the world? The Penn State scandal, world hunger and poverty, our own personal days of depression or injury. The list could go on and on, and you know exactly the type of thing I am talking about. If we know things are not right, however, then there must be a right standard. If only bad things existed in the world, they would not be bad. They would just be things.

There are certainly moments that bring peace and contentment and demonstrate that which is right. Maybe the moment strikes after a great meal, when you are enjoying time with your family, when you hear some incredible music, or when you are hiking and reach the top of the mountain. Whatever the case, when we’re honest we know the difference between the good things and the bad.

I consider this view a good thing

How do we know the good from the bad?

The reason we know the difference between good and bad is woven into our very DNA. When we do the things we were “meant” to do, we experience the feeling that things are right in the world. We were meant to be loved, we were meant for good music, and we were meant to be amazed by Creation! If there is no Creator, there is no purpose. If there is no purpose, there is no good or bad. Things just happen at random!

But we cannot deny that there are good and bad things. Therefore we cannot deny that we were meant for something. Therefore we cannot deny that we have a Creator. Even if we do not know our purpose, we have all spent time pondering it and wondering how we got here.

The Good

Where did the good come from? Our Creator. God created the heavens and the earth and all the living creatures within. He is a perfect God and made it perfectly. We were intended to only experience the good things, those things that bring peace, joy, and contentment. Because He desired to have authentic relationship with man, God gave us the choice to love Him in return. Instead, we chose to reject Him. This is when the bad things started.

The Bad

When man rejected God, we rejected the source of life, purpose, joy, peace, and things greater than our imagination can fathom. When we rebelled, we brought the bad experiences into the world. Hurt, pain, suffering, poverty, sickness, hunger, and everything else that makes you shake your head in disgust (Genesis 3:16-20 is not pleasant). All of it is a result of our sin.

Sin, by definition, is lawlessness. It is rebellion and rejection of God, and everyone is guilty of it. While it can twist the good things in life so that we find some pleasure in sin, it is an addictive trap and destructive force that ultimately separates us from our loved ones and from God.

Why?

Like I said, the first question to answer is, why? Quite simply, we need to accept the Gospel because it is our only hope of escaping the destructive power of sin. It is our only means of being restored to the relationship with God that we were created for. It is the only path to complete peace and fulfillment.

In other words, the Gospel is the solution to all the bad things in the world. And that is worth investigating. How does it resolve the problems? Stay tuned…

*All of the above can be found in Genesis 1-3

Friday’s FAQ’s of Faith: Why all the talk?

November 18, 2011 in Cultural Connection, FAQ's of Faith, Practical Theology with 0 Comments

Today’s question comes from Alecia: Lately I hear of so many people discussing the end times…terms like pre-millenium, post millenium, etc. Why are topics such as the end times & predestination so highly discussed?!?! They don’t determine our salvation.

Hey Alecia! Thanks for the question, and you are correct! Those things do not determine our salvation, but they do affect the way we live.

First, a couple of disclaimers:

1) Theological knowledge should never lead to pride: Many people like to discuss big words in theology (like eschatology, pre-millenialism, amyraldianism, supra lapsarianism, etc) just so they can sound smart and impress people. These types of people also enjoy making you feel stupid when you’ve never heard of a word, even though that word is named after some Latin fellow who died over 1,000 years ago. Basically, if you’re learning or discussing theology because we want to be smarter than others, you’ve completely missed the point of theology.

2) Major on the majors and minor on the minors: A major issue is a deal breaker for someone’s salvation. For instance, believing that Jesus died and rose again. A minor issue is one that is important and is discussed in the Bible, but does not negate your salvation. An example of a minor issue would be your view on end times (pre, a, or post-millenialism as you said). Discuss them, debate them, but at the end of the day remember you are unified by your belief and love of Christ, and that is the most important thing.

3) Learn to discuss with tact: Our culture seems to have forgotten how to do this. Any disagreement automatically leads to a shouting match that sounds like 4 year olds fighting over the last butterfinger in Earth. It is possible to debate someone without attacking them personally, raising your voice, or being a jerk. Until you learn how to do that, it’s probably best that you just pray for the people you disagree with.

To answer your question:

Those types of theology questions are important because a correct understanding of them will cause us to glorify God more. It will also help us to live in our identity and be free! While I don’t have time or space to address each issue you mentioned, I would encourage you to approach them with humility and recognize that they can add depth to your relationship with God.

I know a lot about my wife, I know enough about her to have married her! But there is still more to her that I want to find out about because those things make me love her all the more. The same is true with God, being redeemed and saved by Him is one thing, but our relationship will only get better when we seek Him out and desire to know His entire Word.

Thanks Alecia, and if anyone else has a question about religion, feel free to ask it in the comments!

Safe? Who said anything about Safe?

November 16, 2011 in Abundant Life with 0 Comments

One of my favorite books in the world is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Yes, it’s a kid’s book and I know this is supposed to be a deep theology blog, but I cannot help it! The story is so good and I love CS Lewis!

If, somehow, you’ve never read any Narnia or seen the movies, the story tells the tale of 4 children who step through a magical wardrobe into an entire new world. In this world, they meet talking animals and mythical creatures, but unfortunately their country is ruled by an evil witch. The children learn of a prophecy that says 4 children from another world will defeat the witch and return Narnia to peace. In order to achieve victory, however, the children will need some help from Aslan.

Image belongs to Disney Enterprises, Inc. and Walden Media, LLC

My favorite scene in the book takes place in the house of two beavers who explain the prophecies to the kids. They then tell the children about Aslan, and this is what they say…

From the Book:

“Is – is he a man?” asked Lucy
“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh,” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king I tell you.”

Course he isn’t safe

In today’s culture, we tend to forget about the importance of fearing God. We talk so much about Jesus’ love that we think of him as a jolly nice fellow who wants to wait upon us, hand and foot (or paw in the case of Narnian beavers).

Yes, God is extremely loving. Love is the most staggering thing about God! But this does not mean He does not deserve our respect. If anything, it means we should give it all the more.

Because God loves, He will not tolerate it when we hurt His beloved. Because God loves, He will not appreciate it when we hurt ourselves!

The good news, of course, is that when we are on God’s team we always have someone stronger than any enemy with us. No matter who you are, no matter what power you have, you cannot even dream of contending with the power of God. Jesus conquered the grave, and in him we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37-39).

We can, and should, approach God as a loving Father. He may not be safe, but He is good. As we do approach Him, we must remember to approach in reverence. We cannot contain Him, nor can we control Him.

He’s not a tame lion, you know.

And that demands worship.

If you have read/watched Narnia, what is your favorite scene?

Great Holiday Gift idea, purchase the entire Narnia series with color pictures: The Complete Chronicles of Narnia(affiliate link)

How to Explain the Gospel (part 1)

November 14, 2011 in Abundant Life, Practical Theology with 2 Comments

I work with a variety of students and adults who desire to serve God. One thing I always want to make sure of is their ability to share the gospel. Some of them have been in the church for years, while others are new to the faith. I have learned that, regardless of their years in the church, you can never assume someone’s complete knowledge of the Gospel.

Most conversations tend to go something like this:

Me: OK guys, I would love for you to explain the Gospel to me.

Student Leader(s): They are four of the books of the New Testament!

Me: Yes, that is true, but when I ask about the gospel, I want to know the message of those books.

Student Leader(s): Oh! Well then it means you you have to believe if you want to be saved!

Me: Good answer! But what does it mean to believe?

Student Leader(s): It means you’ve got to have faith.

Me: Ok, so what does it mean to have faith?

Student Leader(s): It means you believe.

Me: (In attempts to end the endless circle) Let me rephrase this question, what do I need to believe?

Student Leader(s): That Jesus died for your sins on the cross.

Me: Why did he have to die and what are sins?

This conversation goes on for a while

Typically, even though students know most of the right answers, they are not equipped to effectively share them in a logical and meaningful way. In smaller groups, I can almost always get them to piece together the entire Gospel story, but it takes some time.

I have, however, also heard plenty of other responses that miss the mark. “You have to follow the 10 Commandments to get into Heaven.” “If you’re basically good and you tell the truth God will save you.” “You just have to go to church.”

Why the Unclarity?

I often wonder why some people can spend so much time in the church and still struggle to share the Gospel clearly and quickly. Here are some of the top theories:

1) No one has trained them! Simply attending church does not necessarily equip you to share the Gospel. We need someone to intentionally train us.

2) Christianese: We tend to use our own words and vocabulary that are specific to Christianity. We’ve heard the terms thousands of times, but never truly think about what they mean. Christianese terms include: believe, repent, saved, God’s son, and so many more. These terms aren’t always bad, but we must understand what they mean!

3) Too many messages: We hear approximately 14.3 gazillion messages a day in the information age. With all these ideas flying around, it can be easy to forget truth. For this reason, it is extremely important that we are constantly reminded of the simple, complete truth of the Gospel. If not, we will lose clarity on the most important message of all time.

Moving Forward

Over the next few weeks, I will be laying out the Gospel as clearly as possible. It doesn’t matter if you have never heard the Gospel or have heard it 501 times, you can never hear it too much. Every time I study it, I appreciate it and understand it more. For this reason, we teach our students the complete Gospel multiple times a year. Not surprisingly, we have found that teaching the Gospel actually helps them understand it and explain it better.

Crazy, I know, but I bet the same thing will happen for you.

Marriage Contract vs Covenant

November 9, 2011 in Cultural Connection, Marriage with 0 Comments

The tabloids went crazy last week because of the Kardashian divorce. This infuriates me for a few reasons:

1) I still don’t understand why anyone cares about the Kardashians. They’ve done nothing worth anything that I know of.

2) I cannot stand divorce. (Just to clarify, this does not mean I cannot stand divorced people. In fact, part of the reason I cannot stand divorce is the way it hurts the people who have to go through it).

3) I hate the fact that our country is at a place now where people laugh and say, “saw this coming!”

One of the main problems in our culture is that we understand marriage as a contract, not as a covenant. The difference may seem subtle, but it is tremendously important.

Contract

In a contract involving two parties, you make the following agreement: Person A will give Person B something when Person B delivers something to Person A. For instance, when I was a young business mogel, mowing lawns in my neighborhood I (Person B) would get paid when I mowed the lawn for Person A. I delivered a service, and so received payment.

Many people view marriage in a similar context. Choosing two totally random names, let’s say Kim and Kris, the scene plays out like this. “I Kim, take you Kris, because you will make me happy. I’ll love you, because you brighten my day.”

The problem with this understanding of marriage is that, as anyone who has been married knows, there will be days when your spouse does not make you happy! When people start to feel unhappy about their marriage, they leave. Why? Because they think they got married to receive happiness from their contractual partner. When the service stops, so does the payment.

Covenant

A covenant, while still involving a mutual agreement, is quite different than a contract. In a covenant, Person A agrees to give Person B something, regardless of what Person B does. God loves us in this way. When we choose to believe in Him and follow Him, we are His no matter what. In marriage, the application is simple:

“I, Kim, will love you Kris, regardless of how you act on any given day. Rather than waiting on you to serve me, I will choose to serve you and love you no matter what.”

If we understand marriage as a covenant, then, happiness is not a good excuse for leaving. Why? Because we vowed to stay and love even on days when we weren’t happy! We recognize that our marriage and commitment is more important. We stay together through the hard times, and the payoff is actually worth it. Studies have shown that divorced people do not become happier, and have even found that 2/3 of marriages that decide to stick together through hard times are much happier 5 years later.

The beauty of this, of course, is that when both people in a marriage see their relationship as a covenant, they will typically be pretty happy. Why? Because when each person seeks to serve and love the other, regardless of what the other is doing, both people end up receiving a lot more love and service than could have been possible in a self-serving contract relationship.

Remember, marriage is a covenant, not a contract. Yes, there are extreme circumstances where even a covenant can be broken, but those decisions should not be taken lightly. Choose to love and serve your spouse, even on days when things are tough, and you’ll be blessed for it.

What is your favorite way to show your spouse that you love them?

Experience vs Truth

November 7, 2011 in Practical Theology with 0 Comments

Last Friday I guest posted over on Seth Caddell’s blog, “Life as Experienced.” Today, he is guest posting here! As I said on Friday, Seth is a really cool guy I met a few weeks back. After you read his post here, make sure you go check out his blog and I recommend following him out on twitter.

Few things shape a person more than their experiences.

Experiences build fears, establish norms, and shape our perspectives. Each of us bring our past experiences with us whenever we make a decision: ”I remember this worked in the past”, or “that didn’t matter previously.” We think in terms of what we have been through. This isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing as long as we’re aware of it.

Yet, too often we let our experiences override truth. Some look at the Bible and say, “I’ve never experienced a miracle, so it must not be true.” Some look to God and think, “I’ve never experienced Him, so obviously God isn’t real.” We base many major decisions on experiences, though they aren’t necessarily the most reliable resource.

I’ve never been to Antartica, and actually, none of my friends have either. So according to my experiences, I could claim that Antartica doesn’t exist. Yet, the truth is what matters. The truth is more important than my experiences. Obviously, I can find plenty of evidence that Antartica exists, through documentaries, books, even photos from space. But for many even the evidence that points to God isn’t enough to get past their experiences.

When have you had to make a decision that went contrary to your past experience?
When have you gone with what experience told you, only to find out you were wrong?

Photo Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net / Vichie81

Following All of God’s Commands

October 26, 2011 in Abundant Life with 0 Comments

The other day I was reading Exodus 40. To be honest, even though I love theology, I still struggle understanding half the rules and regulations of the first five books of the Bible (which are called the Pentateuch).

Chapter 40 tells the story of Moses building the tabernacle, the meeting place between God and man for the Israelites. This construction project involved a lot of work: laying bases and putting up frames, placing a large tent covering over the frame, filling it with different altars for different sacrifices, building a courtyard, and so much more.

Like I said, I have trouble fully understanding the purpose of each task Moses completed, but something rather significant caught my eye. It was hard to miss, because the phrase was used 8 times in the span of 17 verses!

Everything the man built, he did it “as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Sometimes God calls us to do things that we don’t fully understand. His Word itself challenges us to walk in ways that do not always seem to make sense. “Why can’t I have sex with a girl if I really love her? We’ll probably get married anyway!” “Why must I always be honest at work when others are cheating the system?” “Why must I encourage those who are constantly putting me down?”

Moses probably had a better understanding of the tabernacle’s purpose than I do, but it still impresses me how carefully he did everything exactly as the Lord commanded him. He did not try to cut corners or justify diversions from the plan. He trusted God’s wisdom and he did things God’s way. And it worked out quite well…

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”

We may not always understand God’s plans for our lives, but when we try to do things our own way bad things happen. Let’s follow the example of Moses, and let’s do things exactly the way God tells us to in His Word.

It is not always easy, and sometimes it can be down right hard, but the results are always vastly superior.

When do you find it hard to follow God’s will?

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