The Words We Speak

If you have ever been in a verbal confrontation with someone, you know that truths can easily be over-stated.  We often say things like, "You always..." or "How come you never...".  The truth is (and most of us know this) that comments that essentialize or over-state a reality are neither true nor helpful.         

But there are times when those kinds of (if you will) extreme and dramatic words are needed.  One of those situations is when Paul writes to the Church at Ephesus and in the 4th chapter says this:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your moths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Paul uses a very strong word when he says 'any'.  Here's my modern-day translation of Paul's writing: Do not let any unwholesome talk come from you, but instead your words should be all about building others up.  And in case you were wondering how God feels about unwholesome talk - it grieves Him.

Are my words defined by encouragement and edification?  Do I give myself leeway to say 'just a few' unwholesome or unhelpful things a day?  Paul doesn't give us that option.  And yet what he does tell us is that we have been given the opportunity  to bless and encourage others with our words.

Is my life characterized by words that build others up?  God, please help it to be so.

- tC  

My First Love

In preparation for the end of our church's "Read The Bible For Life" year-long reading experience, I was looking into the Book of Revelation today.  I am always intrigued by the seven letters John pens on behalf of Jesus as He speaks to seven real churches from that day.  Many argue about whether these churches are symbols of our churches today, and while it's worth discussing, the greater image and call of these letters is clear: be like the churches that do it well, don't be like the ones that fail.  
The one church I was most struck by today was the Church at Ephesus.  Interesting (to me at least) that I am leading a Bible study on the  Book of Ephesians right now with a great group of young adults, and that before I even made the connection, I was struck by this church's failures more than those of any of the other churches.  The charge from Jesus is this: you have lost your first love.

It's such a simple phrase but such a profound one as well.  The One you loved, the One who was your burning desire, the One who was constantly in your thoughts and heart - this One - He is no longer what He once was to you.  The passage doesn't read like they have completely forgotten their roots, but perhaps that is the scariest part.  It may be easier to hear something like, "You have totally forgotten Me, so come back" than it is to hear, "You are so busy doing for Me that you forgot Me."

In the hectic world in which we live, love is a hard thing to find.  We see all too often that other things either crowd out or kill love.  But the hard reality is this: love is not as often killed as much as we allow it die.  It is hard work to love, but there is nothing like it.  Jesus says in John 13 that we are blessed when we serve, when we humble ourselves, when we give ourselves for the sake of others.  This is love.  But it is also a deep sense within us that says, "You are my passion - I desire You."

May we forsake all other things - even those that are 'good' - and burn with loving passion for the One who made us for Himself.

- tC

Living A Life of Faith

Take 5 minutes and watch this.
Take heart - our God is able.




- tC

The Church is...

(FreeDigitalPhotos.net) 

As a young church worker, it can be easy to approach church with an attitude something akin to John Lennon's "All You Need Is Love".  We can think, "If I just love people and preach the Word and pray, it'll all work out."

Don't get me wrong, the centrality of love (1 Cor. 13, Galatians 5), the Word (Deuteronomy 6, John 4), and prayer (Ephesians 5:18-20) is vital.  But we live in a fallen world, a world where people don't pray sometimes, where people aren't interested in knowing, loving, and living according to God's Word.  And in light of this, we need to realize that the church is both (as one of my pastor's says) an organism and and organization.  We need to live with a view that we are the Body of Christ (a living entity) and also realize that when the widows were not being fed in Acts 6, the apostles made a strategic and organized AND Spirit-led decision to put Stephen (a man "full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom") in charge of reconciling the issue.

I think in the last 50 years, we have swung the pendulum toward organizing too much, toward planning and toward the strategic.  But even so, we can't toss out all organization in favor of just hoping for the best and shooting blindly.

The church has to be Spirit-led, and the Spirit will often lead us to organize and be strategic.  It doesn't have to be an either-or, it can be both-and.

- tC

Another Reason Theology Matters

(Frederico Stevanin - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Perhaps the greatest reason that theology is worth our time is that it gives us a more clear and more grand view of God.  Theology proper - the study of God - presses us into thinking about God in a way that clarifies who He is, who we are, and also how little we know about and understand Him.  Just last night I was listening to a lecture on God and Creation from Southern Evangelical Seminary, and throughout the lecture, I was repeatedly struck by how much knowledge there is in the world.  August, Aquinas, Anselm - these are just a few of the great minds who have influenced our view of God today.  To study even the works of these three man would take more than a lifetime.  And then to think of others like Calvin, Luther, Taylor, Lewis, and more - all this just shows us how small we truly are.  And consider that even if we could grasp fully all that these men had written and said in their lifetimes, it would still be but less than a single grain of sand on the shores of God's wisdom.

As you ponder the greatness of God, the vastness of His power and of His mind, we can see why Paul would end Romans 11 like this:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.

How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths tracing out.

'Who has know the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been His counselor?'

'Who has ever given to God that God should repay them?'

For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

- tC

Why Theology Matters

(Stuart Miles - FreeDigitialPhotos.net)

In recent weeks, I have been reading more theology than usual.  While I love it (and I realize most people don't), the nature of my work is that much of my reading is usually about leadership, discipleship, and other very 'hands on' topics.  But that, I find, is just the problem with people's perception of theology.  They see it as esoteric, disconnected from the day-to-day life of most humans, and often tainted with hints of intellectual snobbery (picture the ivory tower).  And while theology can be misused as means to look down on those who don't study in this field, it is of vital importance.  Let me explain why I think so.

Theology is the study of God, and as J.I. Packer notes He is the ultimate end of all things, the cause of all things, and the greatest subject of investigation that any person (not just seminary professors) can undertake.
If we are followers of Christ, if we study the Bible, then we are - by the literal definition - theologians.  So let us not relegate theology to just those who are pastors and professors - let us all see that we are all called to study and know God.

Additionally, good theology informs a well-lived life.  Don't be misled into the notion that what we think, believe, and understand doesn't matter.  The overflow of the heart leads to our actions, but the overflow of the heart is rooted in how we think.  "As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is" Solomon tells us (Proverbs 23:7).  Good theology leads to good thinking.  Good thinking gives us the greatest potential to live a good life.

Lastly, the call of the Christian is to be a disciple-maker (Matthew 28).  That being said, the Christian, as he or she engages with skeptics, friends, and family - the Christian cannot run to the pastor or professor every time a theological question is raised.  We are called to be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ (1 Peter 3:15), and so we must work at becoming more and more prepared.

Theology matters because thinking accurately about God matters.

Perseverance Showing Salvation

(freedigitalphotos.net)

I have recently been reading the various versions of The Parable of the Sower, and was struck by Luke's telling of this story found in Luke 8. At the end of the passage, after Jesus has explained what the three 'dead' soils represent, He says that the one good soil will produce fruit.  But there is a subtle truth slipped into His description of the good soil.  In verse 15 Jesus tells us that the good soil produces a crop by persevering.

If we don't read carefully, that concept of perseverance might bring up the idea of salvation by works, making is think that if we really gut it out and stick with Jesus, we will bear fruit and be saved.  But certainly Jesus is not teaching such a notion - we know from reading all over the Gospels that Jesus teaches salvation is by grace alone through His work on the Cross.  But what this parable does tell us is that He expects His followers to produce fruit, and that a fruitless life must make us question for ourselves or (graciously and humbly) for others if a person has truly been made new in Christ.  Thus we conclude that true followers are fruit-bearing followers.

That said, we should also note that the idea of perseverance speaks to a long-lasting faith.  This, for me, was a challenge years ago when I was involved in a great deal of outreach and evangelism.  There is a reality that occurs in the life of the person who truly is born again where the Spirit of God indwells such a person and (according to Paul and Peter in various locations in the Bible) a person with the Spirit will never be lost to God.  As a young evangelist, I was always trying to people to cross that line and make a true profession of faith.  But this parable shows that many appear to have true faith at first, but the mark of a truly regenerate individual is to not only bear fruit but to persevere.  Paul tells Timothy that he has "kept the faith", and so I think it more appropriate to ask not if a person (or if we ourselves) have prayed 'the prayer', but instead if we are persevering and producing fruit, thus showing we are truly His.  Legitimate salvation and conversion is often difficult to judge.

In the end, Jesus wants fruit-bearing disciples who persevere to the end.  If we are truly His, we will persevere not by human effort but by God's grace.

(Click HERE to look at Luke 8).

- tC