Scandalous Mathematics of Grace: March 2014

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Martin Luther Struggles to Love God

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” – Romans 1:15-17

Tim Keller writes about Martin Luther's early struggles with Romans:

Martin Luther was a German monk who had been taught that God required him to live a righteous life in order to be saved. And so he had grown to hate God, for first requiring of him what he could not do, and then for leaving him to fail. Then Luther read and finally grasped the meaning of Romans 1:17—"In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last”:

“I labored diligently and anxiously as to how to understand Paul’s word … the expression ‘the righteousness of God’ blocked the way, because I took it to mean that righteousness whereby God is righteous and deals righteously in punishing the unrighteous. Although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner…therefore I did not love a righteous and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him …Then I grasped that the righteousness of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us by faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise … I broke through. And as I had formerly hated the expression ‘the righteousness of God,’ I now began to regard it as my dearest and most comforting word.”

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Faith. Alone.

"And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." Romans 11:6

The man who has faith is the man who is no longer looking at himself, and no longer looking to himself. He no longer looks at anything he once was. He does not look at what he is now. He does not look at what he hopes to be as the result of his own efforts. He looks entirely to the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work, and he rests on that alone.

He has ceased to say, "Ah yes, I have committed terrible sins but I have done this and that."

He stops saying that. If he goes on saying that, he has not got faith.

Faith speaks in an entirely different manner and makes a man say, "Yes, I have sinned grievously, I have lived a life of sin, yet I know that I am a child of God because I am not resting on any righteousness of my own; my righteousness is in Jesus Christ, and God has put that to my account.”

— Martyn Lloyd-Jones, quoted by Tim Keller in The Message of Romans

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

What's the Difference between Mercy and Grace?

From Max Lucado:

We are poor, spiritually for sure; monetarily, perhaps. We’ve buried our dreams, desires, and aspirations. Like the mother with Lupus or the businessman in the unemployment line, we’re out of options.

Yet Christ approached us while we were yet sinners! “Will you cover us?” we asked him, and grace smiled.

He gave us grace. Not just mercy, mind you, but grace.

Grace goes beyond mercy. Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance. Grace threw him a party. Mercy prompted the Samaritan to bandage the wounds of the victim. Grace prompted him to leave his credit card as payment for the victim’s care. Mercy forgave the thief on the cross. Grace escorted him into paradise. Mercy pardons us. Grace woos and weds us.

Grace does this! Grace is God walking into your world with a sparkle in his eye and an offer that’s hard to resist.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

"Friend of Sinners" but not real sinners...

What do you think about this post by Jonathon Merritt?

Many people know that the New Testament refers to Jesus as a “friend of sinners,” but what does that mean exactly? Apparently not what some Christians think it does.

In response to a twitter comment I made about Christian singer Natalie Grant walking out of The Grammys, Joe Carter, prominent Calvinist and director of communications for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission rhetorically asked, “Didn’t [Jesus] only welcome those seeking forgiveness?” He went on to agree with another that “The sinners Jesus partied with were already followers.”

Theological sirens blared inside my head as Carter doubled down on his assertion that Jesus wasn’t really a friend of sinners, but I assumed it was probably a fringe view I wouldn’t likely encounter again.

A few days later, however, a friend emailed me a blog post from The Gospel Coalition titled, “Jesus, Friend of Sinners: But How?”, written by another Calvinist, Kevin DeYoung. He said that Christians needed to be “safeguarded against doctrinal and ethical error” regarding Jesus’ social habits.

“Jesus gladly spent time with sinners who were open to his teaching…Jesus embraced sinners who believed in him,” DeYoung wrote before concluding, Jesus “was very pleased to welcome sinners who were open to the gospel, sorry for their sins, and on their way to putting their faith in Him.“*

The sirens returned. Was there really a conditionality in Jesus’ relationships? Carter’s and DeYoung’s assertions didn’t square with what I know about Jesus from the New Testament. Christ preached the Kingdom everywhere he went, but he also indiscriminately and unconditionally forged relationships with those at the margins of society, offering them a seat at the table. This scandalous social practice earned Jesus that nasty nickname to begin with.

But I’m a columnist and not a Bible scholar, so I decided to investigate in case I was wrong. After all, hell hath no fury like a Calvinist scorned.

I first contacted Gary Burge, professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and author of such books as “The New Testament in Antiquity.” I asked him about the notions espoused by Carter and others that the “sinners” with whom Jesus fellowshipped were actually followers. Burge replied, “I’m surprised that someone would actually say that.”

He cited several texts such as Matthew 9:10-11 and 9:13 where Jesus extends fellowship to individuals and the text says “nothing about their interest in the gospel or their repentance or their willingness to put faith in him.”

Of DeYoung’s ideas, Burge says, “I think that Jesus’ reputation was just the opposite. The complaint against him was that he spent time with people without pre-conditions.”

Next, I spoke with Darrell Bock, senior research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and author of “Studying the Historical Jesus” and “Truth Matters.” When I asked him if Jesus only welcomed those seeking forgiveness, Bock said, “I don’t think that’s true at all.”

Bock referenced the New Testament stories of the woman caught in adultery and the woman at the well, two individuals who didn’t approach Jesus and brought nothing to the table. “Jesus is encouraging people who are taking positive steps, but he associates with all people with no strings attached,” Bock said.

Joel Green, professor of New Testament interpretation at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of “The World of the New Testament,” echoed Bock and Burge’s perspectives. He mentioned multiple passages in the Gospel of Luke—including chapters 7, 11, and 14—where Jesus has fellowship with those who don’t respond well or the story is left open. He described Jesus’ associations and meal-sharing practices as “fairly non-discriminate.”

Responding to DeYoung’s statements, he said, “I get the point that Kevin DeYoung is trying to make, but I think it would be problematic to think that Jesus has already predetermined what kind of ‘sinner’ he is going to hang out with in order to determine who will and won’t hear the good news. This makes it sound like Jesus will only hang out with those who will respond positively to him. This is not true.”

But does it matter that we correctly understand Jesus’ social habits?

It does actually. Because Christians believe they must “live as Jesus did.” If the faithful only build relational bridges with those who are open to converting, they will find it increasingly difficult to exist in a pluralistic, post-Christian culture.

Perhaps Carter’s ideas work well in his hometown of Ashburn, Virginia. Maybe DeYoung easily lives out the implications of his thinking in East Lansing, Michigan. But try living out the belief that you should offer fellowship only to those who “are open to the gospel” in New York City where only a tiny sliver of the population is Christian. Come to my neighborhood in Brooklyn where you’ll see far more menorahs at Hanukkah than trees at Christmas and see how well that works. You’d never leave home.

Additionally, this type of thinking can degrade the very essence of relationship by forcing us to see people more as projects than friends. As Christine Pohl, professor of church in society at Asbury Theological Seminary and co-author of “Friendship at the Margins” told me, “Befriending someone so that you can evangelize them is manipulative and undermining of trust.”

Pohl added that Christians who desire the best for their friends will share the Christian gospel with them, “[but] we undermine the practice of friendship whenever we use it instrumentally. When the bonds we form in friendship are mostly a means to another end, we dishonor both the person and the relationship.”

As some Christian leaders attempt to reimagine Jesus’ social habits, it’s time we set the record straight on the friend of sinners. There’s too much at stake.

A Jesus who loves us even if we don’t love back? A Savior who pursues us even as we run away? A Christ who offers fellowship to all indiscriminately without condition, no strings attached? That would be a Jesus who is better than we’ve imagined, and that would be good news.

- See more at: http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2014/03/20/setting-record-straight-jesus-friend-sinners/#sthash.BJOLLjro.dpuf

Many people know that the New Testament refers to Jesus as a “friend of sinners,” but what does that mean exactly? Apparently not what some Christians think it does.
In response to a twitter comment I made about Christian singer Natalie Grant walking out of The Grammys, Joe Carter, prominent Calvinist and director of communications for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission rhetorically asked, “Didn’t [Jesus] only welcome those seeking forgiveness?” He went on to agree with another that “The sinners Jesus partied with were already followers.”
Theological sirens blared inside my head as Carter doubled down on his assertion that Jesus wasn’t really a friend of sinners, but I assumed it was probably a fringe view I wouldn’t likely encounter again.
A few days later, however, a friend emailed me a blog post from The Gospel Coalition titled, “Jesus, Friend of Sinners: But How?”, written by another Calvinist, Kevin DeYoung. He said that Christians needed to be “safeguarded against doctrinal and ethical error” regarding Jesus’ social habits.
“Jesus gladly spent time with sinners who were open to his teaching…Jesus embraced sinners who believed in him,” DeYoung wrote before concluding, Jesus “was very pleased to welcome sinners who were open to the gospel, sorry for their sins, and on their way to putting their faith in Him.“*
The sirens returned. Was there really a conditionality in Jesus’ relationships? Carter’s and DeYoung’s assertions didn’t square with what I know about Jesus from the New Testament. Christ preached the Kingdom everywhere he went, but he also indiscriminately and unconditionally forged relationships with those at the margins of society, offering them a seat at the table. This scandalous social practice earned Jesus that nasty nickname to begin with.
But I’m a columnist and not a Bible scholar, so I decided to investigate in case I was wrong. After all, hell hath no fury like a Calvinist scorned.
I first contacted Gary Burge, professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and author of such books as “The New Testament in Antiquity.” I asked him about the notions espoused by Carter and others that the “sinners” with whom Jesus fellowshipped were actually followers. Burge replied, “I’m surprised that someone would actually say that.”
He cited several texts such as Matthew 9:10-11 and 9:13 where Jesus extends fellowship to individuals and the text says “nothing about their interest in the gospel or their repentance or their willingness to put faith in him.”
Of DeYoung’s ideas, Burge says, “I think that Jesus’ reputation was just the opposite. The complaint against him was that he spent time with people without pre-conditions.”
Next, I spoke with Darrell Bock, senior research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and author of “Studying the Historical Jesus” and “Truth Matters.” When I asked him if Jesus only welcomed those seeking forgiveness, Bock said, “I don’t think that’s true at all.”
Bock referenced the New Testament stories of the woman caught in adultery and the woman at the well, two individuals who didn’t approach Jesus and brought nothing to the table. “Jesus is encouraging people who are taking positive steps, but he associates with all people with no strings attached,” Bock said.
Joel Green, professor of New Testament interpretation at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of “The World of the New Testament,” echoed Bock and Burge’s perspectives. He mentioned multiple passages in the Gospel of Luke—including chapters 7, 11, and 14—where Jesus has fellowship with those who don’t respond well or the story is left open. He described Jesus’ associations and meal-sharing practices as “fairly non-discriminate.”
[Editor's note: the previous paragraph has been revised to clarify that Joel Green was responding to the general argument, not to anything specific that Joe Carter said.]
Responding to DeYoung’s statements, he said, “I get the point that Kevin DeYoung is trying to make, but I think it would be problematic to think that Jesus has already predetermined what kind of ‘sinner’ he is going to hang out with in order to determine who will and won’t hear the good news. This makes it sound like Jesus will only hang out with those who will respond positively to him. This is not true.”
But does it matter that we correctly understand Jesus’ social habits?
It does actually. Because Christians believe they must “live as Jesus did.” If the faithful only build relational bridges with those who are open to converting, they will find it increasingly difficult to exist in a pluralistic, post-Christian culture.
Perhaps Carter’s ideas work well in his hometown of Ashburn, Virginia. Maybe DeYoung easily lives out the implications of his thinking in East Lansing, Michigan. But try living out the belief that you should offer fellowship only to those who “are open to the gospel” in New York City where only a tiny sliver of the population is Christian. Come to my neighborhood in Brooklyn where you’ll see far more menorahs at Hanukkah than trees at Christmas and see how well that works. You’d never leave home.
Additionally, this type of thinking can degrade the very essence of relationship by forcing us to see people more as projects than friends. As Christine Pohl, professor of church in society at Asbury Theological Seminary and co-author of “Friendship at the Margins” told me, “Befriending someone so that you can evangelize them is manipulative and undermining of trust.”
Pohl added that Christians who desire the best for their friends will share the Christian gospel with them, “[but] we undermine the practice of friendship whenever we use it instrumentally. When the bonds we form in friendship are mostly a means to another end, we dishonor both the person and the relationship.”
As some Christian leaders attempt to reimagine Jesus’ social habits, it’s time we set the record straight on the friend of sinners. There’s too much at stake.
A Jesus who loves us even if we don’t love back? A Savior who pursues us even as we run away? A Christ who offers fellowship to all indiscriminately without condition, no strings attached? That would be a Jesus who is better than we’ve imagined, and that would be good news.
- See more at: http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2014/03/20/setting-record-straight-jesus-friend-sinners/#sthash.BJOLLjro.dpuf

Better

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Underdog.

From Philip Yancey:

Underdog.

I wince even as I write the word, especially in connection with Jesus. It’s a crude word, probably derived from dogfighting and applied over time to predictable losers and victims of injustice.

Yet as I read the birth stories about Jesus, I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and the powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog.

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty,” said Mary in her Magnificat hymn.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

What Could be Less Scary?

Among people who walled off a separate sanctum for God in the temple and shrank from pronouncing or spelling out the name, God made a surprise appearance as a baby in a manger. What can be less scary than a newborn with his limbs wrapped tight against his body? In Jesus, God found a way of relating to human beings that did not involve fear.

-Philip Yancey
The Jesus I Never Knew

Father, Forgive.

By Will Willimon:

Don’t you find it curious that the first word, the very first word that Jesus speaks in agony on the cross, is “Father, forgive”? Such blood, violence, injustice, crushed bone, and ripped sinew, the hands nailed to the wood. With all the possible words of recrimination, condemnation, and accusation, the first thing Jesus says is, “Father, forgive.” Earlier he commanded us to forgive our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. We thought the meant that as a metaphor. (I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve uttered a really good prayer for the souls of Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden.) On the cross, Jesus dares to pray for his worst enemies, the main foes of his good news, us.

How curious of Jesus to unite ignorance and forgiveness. I usually think of ignorance as the enemy of forgiveness. I say, “Forgiveness is fine—as long as the perpetrator first knows and then admits that what he did was wrong.” First, sorrowful, knowledgeable repentance, then secondary, gracious forgiveness. Right?

Yet here, from the cross, is preemptive forgiveness. We begin with forgiveness. Jesus’ first word is forgiveness. It’s as if, when God the Father began creating the world, the first word was not “Let there be light” but rather “Let there be forgiveness.” There will be no new world, no order out of chaos, no life from death, no new liaison between us and God without forgiveness first. Forgiveness is the first step, the bridge toward us that only God can build. The first word into our darkness is, “Father, forgive.”

“Father, forgive,” must always be the first word between us and God, because of our sin and because of God’s eternal quest to have us. Forgiveness is what it costs God to be with people like us who, every time God reaches out to us in love, beat God away.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Area Child Disappointed To Learn Parents’ Love Unconditional

From America's satirical news source, The Onion:

Area Child Disappointed To Learn Parents’ Love Unconditional

IRVINE, CA--

Saying he doesn’t even feel like trying anymore, 8-year-old Max Bledsoe expressed his strong disappointment Monday after learning that his parents’ love is unconditional.

“I always thought they loved me because I’d actually earned it, but unfortunately it turns out that their affection is apparently limitless,” said a frustrated Bledsoe, wondering aloud the point of doing well in school, learning how to play the piano, and always going to bed before 9 p.m. if his parents were just going to keep on loving him no matter what.

“Look at me: I just wasted the last three years of my life trying to win their approval by being a good kid. And for what? To get the love that was coming to me anyway?” Bledsoe added that he envied his adopted younger brother, who really has to work for his parents’ love.

________________________________________________________________

Isn't this caricature the reason that our Churches are scared to preach the unconditional love of God?

Don McAllister commented: "A grace so unconditional like this gets on some Christians nerves. They think people will have the same reaction that Max Bledsoe has here, which of course is ridiculous. What really happens when you learn that God’s love toward you is unconditional is actually the opposite of laziness. Grace inspires us to love Him back and to live out His redemptive story in all the interactions we have."

Tullian Tchividjian says:

"God's inexhaustible grace needs to be announced ever more urgently because the church, God's chosen mouthpiece in the world, has been so neglectful in announcing it! So many churches, either accidentally or purposefully, encourage our innate performancism—giving us nine ways to be better dads or seven ways to be more faithful stewards—that the landscape is littered with ex-church members. The percentage of Americans claiming no religious affiliation, which was 7 percent in 1990, had shot up to 16 percent by 2010.

I heartily "amen" the desire to take faith seriously and demonstrate before the watching world a willingness to sacrificially serve our neighbors rather than ourselves. The unintended consequence of this push, however, is that if we're not careful we can give the impression that Christianity is first and foremost about the sacrifice we make for Jesus rather than the sacrifice Jesus made for us; our performance for him rather than his performance for us; our obedience for him rather than his obedience for us. The hub of Christianity is not "do something for Jesus"; it's "Jesus has done everything for you." I fear too many people, both inside and outside the church, have heard this plea for intensified devotion and concluded the foundation of the Christian faith is our love for God instead of God's love for us.

I'm all for faith-fueled, grace-motivated effort, as long as we understand it's not our efforts, but God's effort for us in Christ, that has fully and finally set things right between God and sinners. The Reformation was launched by (and contained in) the idea that it's not doing good works that makes us right with God. Rather, it's the one to whom righteousness has been given who will do good works—that is, sacrificially love and serve our neighbor. Any talk of sanctification, therefore, which gives the impression that our efforts secure more of God's love, itself needs to be mortified. As Scott Clark has said, "We cannot use the doctrine of sanctification to renegotiate our acceptance with God."

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Was Peter's Denial Good? (Good for us?)

Start watching this at 13:38 minutes in. (Then you may want to go back and watch from the start!)

Liberate 2014 - Elyse Fitzpatrick from Coral Ridge | LIBERATE on Vimeo.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Seven Lies Christians Tell

By Tony Kriz:

I walked into the filled college lecture hall. The room seats about 200. The seats are terraced up to the two-doored exits at the auditorium's rear. I took my place alone on the floor of the semicircle, eight foot white boards and smart-screens behind me.

I stare around the room, trying to make eye contact with every person present. This is a breakout session at a conference on the "missional life." For this session, I have been asked to speak on evangelism, or as I prefer to call it. "Cross-Spiritual Communication" or, "How to talk about your faith without being a total jerk."

Once everyone is settled in, they realize that this is not going to be a typical evangelism seminar. I ask the room a question, "How do we Christians lie … How do we lie when evangelizing?"

At first the room is still and silent. It always starts silent when I ask this question. And then, once the question sinks in, hands dart up all over the room … the thoughts and ideas jump from the seats more quickly than we can even collect them. It feels like most people have never considered the question before, and then, as they ponder it for the first time, the epiphanies naturally flow. It is like pure discovery in action.

You want to know what is most enlightening about this phenomenon for me? I have witnessed this exact same scene more than twenty times before. Every time I ask this question to a mixed room of informed churchgoers, the room does not stay silent for more than a pregnant moment. Never, not once has a room been baffled or confused by the question. The look in people's eyes is never, "I don't think we lie." Instead, at least after that first momentary pause, it is not if we lie, it is instead, how many different ways we lie. And, as each person shares around the room, most all the other heads nod along in agreement.

Another fascinating thing that occurs is the lovely exhale of peace and freedom that follows an honest and thoughtful exchange about such matters … it is like we have always known such things to be true deep down inside, but we have never been given permission to just say the thoughts aloud.

I want to encourage an exhale of peace and freedom here. I am going to take a few minutes to simply start the conversation. Here is a short list, in no particular order, of seven of the ways that I am aware that I and others have lied (and still do) when we practice cross-spiritual communication. I hope that you will add your own thoughts in the comments below. Maybe we will get to share a classroom of epiphanies together right here in Leadership Journal.

We lie when we claim we are more confident than we really are. The culture of pretending within Christianity seems almost at an epidemic level. Many of us feel the need to hide our doubts and questions. We feel compelled to act like our faith life is totally satisfying, when in fact it often feels limited, dry, cold or numb. I think we also believe that our "witness" will be less powerful if we reveal a less than "perfect" religious experience. The funny thing is that the opposite is often true. Non-Christians are often drawn to stories of an authentic and even struggling faith.

We lie when we claim that unexplainable things are in fact explainable. God is transcendent and beyond even the shadowy wisps of imagination in our finite minds. The Trinity, for instance, is not as simple as a metaphor of water (ice, water, steam) or an egg (shell, white, yoke). Sometimes I think we would be better off if we just said, "These ideas are so beyond me that if God did reveal them to me, I am pretty sure my brain would explode."

We lie when we don't acknowledge our doubts within the drama of faith. This is similar to number one above but just on a more detailed level. When another person challenges us with a difficult theological/philosophical issue, sometimes it is best to just admit that those questions are very challenging and even emotionally taxing on the soul (I think people like to know that our faith is so important to us that it does impact our soul-state in both encouraging and difficult ways.) Difficult questions for me include: What is the destiny of people with no access to the true and loving message of Christ's gospel? Where did evil come from? Why did God put this whole human story into motion when it has caused so much pain?

We lie when we pretend like the Bible doesn't say some really nasty things when in fact it does. For instance, God commands genocide. He just does … at least from a clear and honest reading of the Bible. There is also a verse that says, "Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks (Psalms 137:9)." If we want the Bible to be our document, we need to own the whole thing. (The same thing can be said for the atrocities in the story of the church, past and present.)

We lie when we claim we understand other beliefs, faiths and world views. We need to stop saying things like, "I understand Islam," or, "I know what a Muslim thinks/believes." Do you want someone saying that they understand your faith experience because they once lived in a Greek Orthodox neighborhood? Do you think a Muslim would accurately understand your beliefs because they read a book about Christianity (particularly one written by Muslim scholars)? Belief systems are extremely diverse (heck, in Christianity there are hundreds of Protestant denominations alone, before we even talk about Orthodox, Coptic, Armenian, Syrian, Palestinian, just to scratch the surface). Other religions are just as diverse. Further more, faith experience can be as specific as a neighborhood, family or individual.

We lie when we claim that all of our beliefs are a "10". This one is probablygoing to frustrate some people, but we are disingenuous when we claim all of our dogmas with equal veracity. To put it another way, on a scale of one to ten, not all Christian beliefs are a "10." Do I believe in the historicity of a floating zoo? Yes I do. Do I hold to the specific details of that historic event with the same "lay my life on the line" conviction as I do the historical death on a cross and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? No, I do not. The details of the zoo are not a 10 for me. Jesus is a 10.

Finally, and most importantly, we lie (insidious and barbaric lying) when we pretend like we really, really, really love the other person when in fact we don't. We do not love people when we dismiss their story (including their hopes, values, beliefs and convictions). We do not love people when we do not empathically listen to them, as opposed to spending that time formulating a counter-argument. We do not love others when we reduce them to labels, caricatures, or opponents. If we love, then we will find them shockingly beautiful and fascinating creations. We will find their stories riveting. We will radiate affection. Humans know deep down when they are or are not truly loved.

I would like to close with a different sort of lie. This is not a way that I lie, but instead a way that I was lied to. I was lied to by religious people. They told me that cross-spiritual communication is dangerous. It is dangerous because when I do it, there is a strong possibility that it will divide and the other person will become my enemy.

Well, in my experience sharing my faith around the world and in my post-Christian city, if we can share honestly, authentically and with humility, division does not happen. Instead, Friendship Happens.

Tony Kriz is a writer and church leader from Portland, Oregon, and Author in Residence at Warner Pacific College.

It's not the Falling that is the Worst.

A prayer by Michel Quoist. He was a French Catholic priest who wrote glorious prayers that aren't so lofty and stale. His prayers are so honest and real.

I have fallen, Lord,
Once more.

I can’t go on, I’ll never succeed.
I am ashamed, I don’t dare look at you.

And yet I struggled, Lord, for I knew you were right near me, bending over me, watching.

But temptation blew like a hurricane,
And instead of looking at you I turned my head away,
I stepped aside
While you stood, silent and sorrowful,
Like the spurned fiancè who sees his loved one carried away to the enemy.

When the wind died down as suddenly as it had arisen,
When the lightning ceased after proudly streaking the darkness,
All of a sudden I found myself alone, ashamed, disgusted, with my sin in my hands.

This sin that I selected the way a customer makes his purchase,
This sin that I have paid for and cannot return, for the shopkeeper is no longer there,
This tasteless sin,
This odorless sin,
This sin that sickens me,
That I have wanted but want no more,
That I have imagined, sought, played with, fondled, for a long time;
That I have finally embraced while turning coldly away from you,
My arms outstretched, my eyes and heart irresistibly drawn;
This sin that I have grasped and consumed with gluttony,
It’s mine now, but it possesses me as the spiderweb holds captive the gnat.

It is mine,
It sticks to me,
It flows in my veins,
It fills my heart.

It has slipped in everywhere, as darkness slips into the forest at dusk
And fills all the patches of light.

I can’t get rid of it.
I run from it the way one tries to lose a stray dog, but it catches up with me and bounds joyfully against my legs.
Everyone must notice it.

I’m so ashamed that I feel like crawling to avoid being seen,
I’m ashamed of being seen by my friends,
I’m ashamed of being seen by you, Lord,
For you loved me, and I forgot you.
I forgot you because I was thinking of myself
And one can’t think of several persons at once.
One must choose, and I chose.

And your voice,
And your look
And your love hurt me.
They weigh me down
They weigh me down more than my sin.

Lord, don’t look at me like that,
For I am naked,
I am dirty,
I am down,
Shattered,
With no strength left.
I dare make no more promises,
I can only lie bowed before you.

[The Father's Response]
Come, son, look up.
Isn’t it mainly your vanity that is wounded?
If you loved me, you would grieve, but you would trust.
Do you think that there’s a limit to God’s love?
Do you think that for a moment I stopped loving you?
But you still rely on yourself, son. You must rely only on me.
Ask my pardon
And get up quickly.
You see, it’s not falling that is the worst,
But staying on the ground.

-Michel Quoist

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Inexhaustible Grace

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

_____________________________________________________________

Wherever I go and whoever I talk to (regardless of age or season in life) people are exhausted. People are exhausted relationally, emotionally, and spiritually. I’ve never been more convinced that the message of God’s inexhaustible grace is needed.

After talking to the spiritually exhausted people, I discovered that their exhaustion is due, in large part, to what they think they need to be doing in order to gain and maintain God’s love and favor. The root cause of our exhaustion has nothing to do with what goes on outside of us and everything to do with what’s going on inside of us. In other words, we’re not weary and heavy laden simply because we’re busy raising kids, working, maintaining relationships, and so on. The reason we’re so tired is because, through these things, we are trying to save ourselves. We are desperately trying to secure for ourselves meaning and worth – desperately trying to justify ourselves – in and through all of the things we’re so busy doing.

The good news of the gospel announces that everything we need in Christ we already possess, so we no longer have to win, be the best, succeed, raise the perfect kids, and so on, to feel like we matter. This brings huge relief and freedom to our lives and we find ourselves now enjoying our work and our kids and our spouse because we’re no longer relying on these things to “save” us.

In theological terms, most people live their life as if their justification depends on their sanctification: if I do and become all that I must do and become, God will love me and accept me. We need to be reminded that God’s love for sinners like me is not dependent on what we do, but on what Jesus has done for us. We are accepted and approved by God because of Christ’s work, not our work. This message desperately needs to be recovered in the twenty-first-century church. Pastors can lead the charge in making, once again, the Church to be the one place in all of society where the weary and heavy laden can come and find rest—not to-do lists.

--- Tullian Tchividjian

Thursday, March 6, 2014

An Advantageous Opportunity for Christ to Heal Us

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:15-17

I write this with all reverence: God Himself cannot deliver a person who is not in trouble. Therefore, it is to some advantage to be in distress, because God can then deliver you. Even Jesus Christ, the Healer of me, cannot heal a person who is not sick. Therefore, sickness is not an adversity for us, but rather an advantageous opportunity for Christ to heal us. The point is, your adversity may prove your advantage by offering occasion for the display of divine grace.

- Charles Spurgeon

Finished. Done. Ended. Over.

In Luke 4:18-20, Jesus read His mission statement:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (English Standard Version).
- See more at: http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/50456/20140217/billy-graham-s-grandson-tullian-tchividjian-at-linger-conference-2014-why-christians-are-exhausted.htm#sthash.9Z02IN4W.dpuf

In Luke 4:18-20, Jesus read His mission statement:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (English Standard Version).

"Church is the one place where people who are weary and heavy-laden should be able to come and find rest, so that when they leave they feel lighter that the pressure's off. They're reminded that everything you need, God has done for you in Jesus and given to you. Oftentimes, people don't leave worship services feeling like that. They feel more burdened, because they've been given a to-do list. They've been given a checklist of things they must do if they're gonna be a good Christian, a checklist of things they must do if they want God to really love them and even like them"

"Life doesn't have to be a tireless effort to save ourselves - by striving to be the best, the most beautiful, the most accomplished ... The Gospel of grace announces that Jesus came to satisfy the deep judgment against us, once and for all, so that we could be free from the judgment of God, from the judgment of others - even from the judgment of ourselves."

"Exhausted Christians are looking for something that we already possess in Christ - approval, love, and acceptance."

"You live your life under a banner that reads, 'It is finished."

--- Tullian Tchividjian

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

4 Things Jesus Never Said

From Michael Hidalgo in Relevant Magazine:

In the history of human kind, few people have been as widely quoted as Jesus. Which also means few have been misquoted as often as Jesus. I don’t mean we quote verses incorrectly; rather we associate thoughts, opinions, words and phrases with Jesus and the Bible that actually may not be there.

Here are a few things I hear frequently hear that we may need to rethink …

If You Had More Faith God Would Answer Your Prayer.

There was a man who had a son who suffered from convulsions, and was unable to speak. The father brought his son to Jesus for healing and said, “If you can do anything … help!” Jesus replied to the father, “If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23).

The father then said to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

What happens next is interesting. Jesus does not say, “I’m sorry, I’d love to help you out, but you need more faith before I can do anything” - not at all. Rather, he heals the boy in the midst of the father’s struggle to believe.

In fact, if we read through the Bible we see God at work in the lives of people in the midst of their doubt and unbelief. We see this with Sarah in Genesis 18, the people of Israel in Exodus 14, Naaman in 2 Kings 5, and Zechariah in Luke 1—to name a few.

We cannot forget the Bible is the story of God’s work, renewal, faithfulness and redemption in the midst of the unfaithfulness of humanity. He does not demand we believe and trust so he can work. He works, and invites us to believe and trust.

Doubting Is Dangerous.
Did Jesus say “Stop Doubting?” Yes. Is there more to the story? Yes.

Of all the disciples, the only one who was has an enduring nickname is Thomas, a.k.a. “Doubting Thomas.” We have traditionally thrown him under the bus for doubting Jesus rose from the dead, and condescendingly shake our heads at his resistance to believe.

But let’s not forget, he is not the only one who did not believe. When the disciples first hear of Jesus’ resurrection from the women who went to Jesus’ tomb, “they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11).

All the disciples doubted, but Thomas was the only one with the courage to admit he needed proof. He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). And when Jesus finally encountered Thomas, he did not rebuke him. Rather he gave Thomas what he needed. He invited Thomas to touch his wounds, and only then did Jesus tell him he could stop doubting.

The beauty of this is Thomas had an encounter with Jesus none of the other disciples did. He is the only one who touched the wounds of Jesus, because he had the faith to doubt. Nowhere does Jesus condemn doubt; rather he meets people right where they are in it.

Here is How You Can Get To Heaven.
What’s remarkable about Jesus is how little he talked about what happens to us when we die. He was far more concerned with what happens to us while we live here and now. I say this, because Jesus commented very little on heaven as a place somewhere out there we can go when we die.

However, Jesus talked nonstop about our life here and now. Make no mistake Jesus proclaimed the gospel, and the good news about the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of Heaven). But his desire was to see this Kingdom come to earth. By comparison we speak about the gospel being how we can leave earth to get to heaven and have eternal life after we die.

Which raises a question: Why does our gospel get us ready to die while the gospel of Jesus gets us ready to live?

Perhaps we should listen closely to the words of Jesus, and move from being consumed with where we will go when we die to being consumed with how we live here and now. How would that change, not only us, but also our world?

There Will Always Be Poor People Among You. Period.
I have a t-shirt that has the words “End Poverty” on the back. Several times when I have worn the shirt I’ve had people say dismissively, “Jesus said, ‘The poor you will have with you always …’” True, he did say that. But that is not all he said.

According to the gospel of Mark Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want” (Mark 14:7). Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 15 where God told his people, “There need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you … he will richly bless you” (Deuteronomy 15:4). God told his people there is no good reason for poverty to exist.

But God seemed to know how we operate, so he said, “If anyone is poor among your people in any of the towns … be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need …” And “There will always be poor people in the land … be openhanded toward those of your people who are poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11).

If anything, Jesus’ quote about the poor is a challenge to be generous, lending freely and openhanded toward them.

Jesus certainly had a lot to say; it’s no wonder he is often misquoted. However, when we take the time to truly hear what he has to say to us we will be both comforted and challenged by his words. And when we truly hear him, we will have much more to rethink.

In the history of human kind, few people have been as widely quoted as Jesus. Which also means few have been misquoted as often as Jesus. I don’t mean we quote verses incorrectly; rather we associate thoughts, opinions, words and phrases with Jesus and the Bible that actually may not be there.
Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/4-things-jesus-never-said#JlC53zDhKflmRGOS.99

In the history of human kind, few people have been as widely quoted as Jesus. Which also means few have been misquoted as often as Jesus. I don’t mean we quote verses incorrectly; rather we associate thoughts, opinions, words and phrases with Jesus and the Bible that actually may not be there.
Here are a few things I hear frequently hear that we may need to rethink …

If You Had More Faith God Would Answer Your Prayer.

Doubting Is Dangerous.

Did Jesus say “Stop Doubting?” Yes. Is there more to the story? Yes.
Of all the disciples, the only one who was has an enduring nickname is Thomas, a.k.a. “Doubting Thomas.” We have traditionally thrown him under the bus for doubting Jesus rose from the dead, and condescendingly shake our heads at his resistance to believe.
But let’s not forget, he is not the only one who did not believe. When the disciples first hear of Jesus’ resurrection from the women who went to Jesus’ tomb, “they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11).All the disciples doubted, but Thomas was the only one with the courage to admit he needed proof. He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). And when Jesus finally encountered Thomas, he did not rebuke him. Rather he gave Thomas what he needed. He invited Thomas to touch his wounds, and only then did Jesus tell him he could stop doubting.
The beauty of this is Thomas had an encounter with Jesus none of the other disciples did. He is the only one who touched the wounds of Jesus, because he had the faith to doubt. Nowhere does Jesus condemn doubt; rather he meets people right where they are in it.

Here is How You Can Get To Heaven.

What’s remarkable about Jesus is how little he talked about what happens to us when we die. He was far more concerned with what happens to us while we live here and now. I say this, because Jesus commented very little on heaven as a place somewhere out there we can go when we die.
However, Jesus talked nonstop about our life here and now. Make no mistake Jesus proclaimed the gospel, and the good news about the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of Heaven). But his desire was to see this Kingdom come to earth. By comparison we speak about the gospel being how we can leave earth to get to heaven and have eternal life after we die.
Which raises a question: Why does our gospel get us ready to die while the gospel of Jesus gets us ready to live?
Perhaps we should listen closely to the words of Jesus, and move from being consumed with where we will go when we die to being consumed with how we live here and now. How would that change, not only us, but also our world?

There Will Always Be Poor People Among You. Period.

I have a t-shirt that has the words “End Poverty” on the back. Several times when I have worn the shirt I’ve had people say dismissively, “Jesus said, ‘The poor you will have with you always …’” True, he did say that. But that is not all he said.
According to the gospel of Mark Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want” (Mark 14:7). Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 15 where God told his people, “There need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you … he will richly bless you” (Deuteronomy 15:4). God told his people there is no good reason for poverty to exist.
But God seemed to know how we operate, so he said, “If anyone is poor among your people in any of the towns … be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need …” And “There will always be poor people in the land … be openhanded toward those of your people who are poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11).
If anything, Jesus’ quote about the poor is a challenge to be generous, lending freely and openhanded toward them.
Jesus certainly had a lot to say; it’s no wonder he is often misquoted. However, when we take the time to truly hear what he has to say to us we will be both comforted and challenged by his words. And when we truly hear him, we will have much more to rethink.

Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/4-things-jesus-never-said#JlC53zDhKflmRGOS.99

In the history of human kind, few people have been as widely quoted as Jesus. Which also means few have been misquoted as often as Jesus. I don’t mean we quote verses incorrectly; rather we associate thoughts, opinions, words and phrases with Jesus and the Bible that actually may not be there.
Here are a few things I hear frequently hear that we may need to rethink …