Given the upcoming election, I want to make a few Biblical observations that I believe shape our worldview and political conversations as followers of Jesus Christ.
1) We have a duty to be engaged in our political process (I Peter 2: 13). In our context, I believe that means exercising our right to vote and being informed about the issues. 2) The government of the world rests squarely on the shoulders of Jesus Christ. (Is 9:6,Mt 28:18). No matter who is in a position of authority at any level, Jesus Christ rules the world and His purposes will prevail (Prov. 19:21). Therefore we can trust in Him and not be afraid (John 16: 33). 3) Committed, orthodox, fully devoted followers of Christ have always disagreed about certain non-creedal matters of faith and life. This doesn’t mean we won’t be accountable for the positions we take. It just means we have to live in the tension of disagreeing and learn to love each other in the process. 4) Healthy political debate is a great value in our democratic nation. However we must be careful not to slide into personal attacks against one another. Eph. 4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word come from your lips” (Greek translation may also include emails! Col. 4:6 says, “Let your conversations be always full of grace.” We are to be gracious in our disagreements. 5) Questioning one’s spiritual standing based on political views is not only acting in the place of God but forbidden in scripture. (See Mt 7:1 – 5). In our political passion we must resist the temptation to play God and judge one another. (Rom 14:4.) 6) Finally, I want to encourage you to speak and write about your political convictions with as much factual evidence as possible (Eph 4:15). We have a responsibility to represent others’ views as accurately as possible. In a world of YouTube and email, there can be much manipulation of facts on all sides of a political campaign. Doing our homework is essential before articulating our positions or the positions of others. May the Lord lead us as we seek to follow Him and live out our faith in the public arena. Trusting God with you, ~ David
0 Comments
A number of you have asked me for a copy of the prayer that I read at the end of my sermon last week on Paul’s famous words, “To live is Christ, to die is gain (Philippians 1: 21)”. For those of you who weren’t here, it was found in the journal of a martyred African pastor after his death. Here it is again:
“I’m a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a follower of Christ and I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m done and finished with low living, sight walk ing, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, rely on prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power. My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my Lord is reliable and my mission is clear. I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me, for I am a follower of Jesus and my colors will be clear!” May the One who “works in us to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Phil 2:13) fill us with the same passion and devotion as we learn daily to follow Him. As we head into the summer months I want to encourage you to see the summer as an opportunity to both rest and to re-invest time in just being with the Lord and with others. As the structures God uses to help us grow (Bible Studies, Community Groups, programs and ministries) wind down for the summer, and as we travel and have new routines, I have found it is easy to slip into a pattern of ignoring God without my regular routines in place. In my own life, when I seek to just indulge the body on vacation without intentionally seeking time with God, I can come to the end of a summer less rested than when I started.
Here are a few ways I have learned to rest in the summer while cultivating a renewed heart for God, and for others, as the routine changes: 1) Proactively commit vacations and free time to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to give you true rest and to "sanctify" (i.e. set apart) that time for relational, emotional, spiritual and physical rest. 2) Read a good biography of a Christian. I might recommend Unbroken (Hillenbrand), A Severe Mercy (Vanauken), Tebow, The Hiding Place (Ten Boom), Bonheoffer, Through Gates of Splendor (Elizabeth Elliot) to name a few. 3) Read The Chronicles of Narnia series and look for the gospel in every chapter. 4) Read a book of the bible straight through. How about Esther, Luke, Romans, or Hebrews? 5) Participate in our summer daily Bible reading plan. (to be launched next week, 6/10) 6) Call up a Christian friend for lunch or coffee and ask them about how God is working in their life, what they are learning, or to share their life story. (I.e. listen and ask questions!) 7) Instead of TV watching, spend time in a hobby, lounging, sleeping, or calling old friends. 8) Attend a church while on vacation and ask God to speak in a new clear fresh way. 9) Institute "family devotions" during vacation - 15 minutes around the breakfast table of a prayer, a scripture reading or reading a short devotion, followed by prayer requests and prayer. It makes all the difference for us before we "run into fun". I know that the Drake family needs a rest this summer after a long year. My prayer for my family is the same for our church family: that we may "rest well" in the Lord this summer. Recently I have been pondering how to "move on" from personal mistakes or moral failure. We all make mistakes, failing to measure up to God's or our own standards and expectations, don't we? Words are said, actions taken, responsibilities neglected, promises broken, expectations crushed, and weaknesses exposed. Christians are not immune on this side of eternity from willfully or accidentally acting in ways that dishonor God and hurt others and ourselves.
The Bible is pretty clear about how to bounce back when we willfully or accidentally sin or just plain make mistakes. Here is a brief summary . . . 1. Call a spade a spade: Psalm 32:5 says: "Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity"Acknowledge the mistake or failure for what it is. If sin is involved, (rebellion against God or lack of love and respect toward our neighbors) own it! 2. Confess to God first. Psalm 51:10 says, "Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit with me." Getting right with God opens doors for peace, reconciliation, and power for dealing with the mistake or failure. 3. Ask God for wisdom, insight, conviction, perspective and strength to face the mistake or failure. Psalm 77:2 says, "When I was in distress, I sought the Lord." Also, Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask and it shall be given to you." 4. Seek wise counsel if necessary to discern how to deal with the mistake or failure. Proverbs 15:22 says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." A trusted friend can give perspective, offer prayer, and provide help with moving forward. 5. Make amends quickly with those you have failed. Matthew 5:25 says "Settle matters quickly with your adversary." An important aspect of bouncing back is taking responsibility for our actions and, as much as it depends on us, seeking to right our wrongs. 6. Remember God's promises: Romans 8:1 says, "No condemnation remains for those who are in Christ Jesus" - Don't get paralyzed by guilt. Remember, that "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret" (2 Corinthians 7:10). 7. Ask God to transform the mistake or failure for good.Romans 8:28 says, "God works all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes." 8. After steps 1 - 7, Let it go. Psalm 103:12, says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us." Move on, asking for God's perspective and the power to keep from making the same mistake again. Our God delights in redeeming mistakes. Will we let him? Oh, and one more thing: When we undergo this process ourselves, it makes it easier to offer forgiveness to others when they sin or make mistakes against us. Have you ever heard of Joseph? Gideon? Hezekiah? Moses? How about David, Stephen or Esther? What do they have in common? Each faced challenges that seemed unbeatable, overwhelming odds stacked against their ability to live in peace and accomplish God's purposes. And what did they do? They prayed, sought counsel, and walked in faith, putting their trust in the God "with whom all things are possible."
In his book Fresh Faith, Jim Cymbala writes: "So many times when we get into emergencies and the situation seems hopeless - it's actually a set up. God wants to do something great. He wants to demonstrate His power, so that His Name will be praised in a new and greater way ... [so that] the next generation will hear all about it... Why? Because God wants to publish everywhere through our lives the testimony of His mighty power and salvation." How about you? Facing any overwhelming challenges or emergencies today? Tempted to give up? Despair? Are you paralyzed with fear or disappointment? You are not alone. The People of God have faced overwhelming obstacles since day one. Here are a couple of ways to ignite the fire of faith in God in the face of overwhelming challenges: 1. Read God's Word. Read the stories of Joseph (Genesis 37), Esther, Daniel and Paul (Acts 9- 28). Read Psalms 25,27, 46, 91, or 103 to name a few. God's Word reminds us the power of God is available today. 2. Don't face challenges alone. As Archbishop Bishop Bob Duncan has said, 'Courage breeds courage.' We need each other to pray, process, and for encouragement and help. Get in a community group. Call a trusted Christian friend, a Christian counselor, talk to a member of staff, or contact the prayer team. 3. Commit your way to the Lord (Psalm 37: 5 - 6) Put faith in action by entrusting specific challenges into His hands and ask for the next "blue blaze" (trail marker) for you to see the way He is leading. 4. Spend time in worship: Worship fixes our hearts and minds on the greatness and power of God and off our own inadequacy to handle specific challenges. Listen to worship music of your choice, thank God for His power and attributes and faithfulness in the past. Pray the Psalms of Praise (145 is a good one). 5. Serve someone else in need. As we seek to serve others, we receive encouragement as we share encouragement and we sense God's power and love flowing through us. God has an amazing way of meeting us when we take our eyes off our selves and serve others. 6. Ask for more of God's Holy Spirit to equip, encourage, heal, teach, provide, give faith, and develop character in you during the times of challenge and discouragement. 7. Memorize 2 Corinthians 4: 17 - 18 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."Why? Because God uses challenges for greater purposes than we can see in the moment. As followers of Jesus Christ we can have confidence that the Lord will lead us through the challenges we face. And yet, will we trust Him and follow Him even when we can't see where He is leading? Remember: "Anything is possible for Him who believes." - Trusting Jesus with you ~ David As we celebrate the Easter season, I want to encourage you to ponder anew the implications of the gospel for us today. The historical fact is that Jesus, both fully God and fully Man, walked this earth, “lived the life we should have lived, and died the death we should have died” (Keller).
He took our sin in his body and suffered death on our behalf so that we would never have to face the eternal consequences of our traitorous rebellion against God. For “He [Jesus] who knew no sin, became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5: 21). And then He rose bodily from the grave! Jesus beat death, is alive forever and can be known and experienced by His Holy Spirit every day by those who put their trust in Him. As I've been reflecting on this season, I’ve been struck that Jesus’ Gethsemane prayer to be “saved from the hour of death” went unanswered. The man who committed no sin of unbelief asked God to move a mountain and the Father answered, “No!”. Yet Jesus accepted the "no." Then "with joy" endured the cross, scorned its shame and sat down at the right hand of God" (Heb. 12:3) Jesus knows what it is like to hear the Father’s “No” and trust and obey anyway. And yet the Father’s “No” was in actuality for us the ultimate “Yes!” Can I thank God for His divine “No” even when I can’t see immediate reasons or results? Am I willing to wait for God to vindicate Himself and His “No”? Have you heard a “No” from God recently to a prayer offered in faith? The gospel reminds us that God can be trusted to accomplish His will even when He gives us a “No.” Lord, increase our faith, and keep us open to the surprising miracles that often come with your “No”! Rejoicing with you that God’s Hardest “No” was our Biggest “Yes”, ~ David I have been spending time reading about what makes a great marriage lately. Not only am I doing “pre-marriage mentoring” for 4 couples at the moment, but it seems I am running into more and more people who share with me challenges they are facing in their marriages. Kristin and I continue to have to be diligent about prioritizing our own marriage amidst seeking to raise 4 kids, lead a growing church, teach honors physics, and manage all the other areas of our lives. As I constantly have been taught and continue to learn, great marriages take WORK. But as David Wilcox says, “It’s good work if you can get it.”
Here are some great resources I would recommend to any couple seeking to invest in their marriage, perhaps get out of a marriage rut, learn to communicate better, or ignite romance and joy. I would also recommend daily prayer (alone and together) and perhaps a good marriage counselor to help understand how to navigate specific marriage challenges. I also learned from John and Susan Yates the value of attending a Family Life Weekend every couple of years. Conference information can be found at www.familylife.com . Great Marriage Resources: The Meaning of Marriage Tim and Kathy Keller Real Marriage Mark and Grace Driscoll Love and Respect Dr. Emerson Eggerichs Books on Intimacy, Sex, and Romance Sheet Music Dr. Kevin Leman Under the Sheets Dr. Kevin Leman Sex and the Soul of a Woman – Paula Rhinehart Epiphany is the season we celebrate the good news that God’s invitation into His family is for all people, Jews and Gentiles alike. Just as Israel was called by God to Be His people because of His grace (Ezekiel 16) and to share that grace with the world (Isaiah 60), so Gentiles have now been invited to become sons and daughters of God by grace through faith and to share His grace with the world.
The faith of God’s people in the Old Testament culminates in God’s gracious provision of His Son Jesus Christ as the perfect Passover lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. By faith in his life, death and Resurrection, Jesus offers to anyone reconciliation with God and a place at God’s family table as an unconditionally loved son or daughter. This is amazing news! Grace – for everyone – available now – free of charge with daily and eternal benefits! Can you see why Epiphany is actually quite a controversial season for a pluralistic society such as ours? What do you mean God offers everyone regardless of moral record or ethnic background the same opportunity to receive grace and enter His family (Acts 2: 39)? What do you mean receiving grace by faith is the only way to stand before a holy God “without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22)? I want to invite you to church over the next 7 weeks as we explore the power of the gospel for the whole world. During the sermon we will be looking at the book of Acts and Paul’s remarkable church planting run in religiously diverse city after city. I am praying it will be an exciting Epiphany series as we look afresh at the power of the gospel to change the whole world one individual at a time. One of the reasons this is the “most wonderful time for the year” for me is that we get to participate in all our favorite “family traditions.” Highlights of the past and present Drake traditions include:
- A fondue Christmas Eve dinner before attending a late church service. - Leaving cookies (elves), carrots (reindeer), and Jack Daniels (to keep Santa warm on cold Winter nights my dad always said) in front of the fireplace. - Never being allowed downstairs before 7am. - Reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 then opening stockings, having a long breakfast with sticky buns before finally!! opening presents. - Growing up we had a wonderful Christmas dinner mid afternoon and always went to the movies Christmas night. As a Christian who worships the Lord in the Anglican tradition, I have grown to appreciate “traditions”: ways of worshiping Jesus that are familiar, authentic, and meaningful. Our liturgy, in all its Anglican varieties, offers a familiar context to worship each week filled with good theology, scripture, and invitations to engage the Lord in confession, prayer, and praise. As we begin to understand and know the reason for these weekly and yearly “traditions” that make up our worship, we begin to understand and know the Lord better. This Christmas, as we celebrate family traditions, may the gift of celebrating the yearly remembrance of our Lord’s entrance into human history fill us with anticipation, excitement, wonder and joy as we worship the One from whom all our Christmas and weekly worship traditions find their true meaning. As we enter the stretch run of Advent, I want to encourage you to take time amidst the busy season to rest in the knowledge that God is near. He is not silent. He speaks. He knows and cares and loves. He is active and faithful, forgiving and sovereign . . . always working for our best interests. He redeems every mistake, every disappointment, every loss, every sin, and every act of injustice in His perfect timing. The incarnation shouts to us that despite what we may feel or see around us, God is more concerned about us than we could have ever hoped or imagined. He has not left us to ourselves; nor will He ever forsake us.
So, this Advent if you are burdened by guilt, weariness, disappointment, failure, the loss of a job or a loved one, receive the good news: Christ has come. He is near. He is Emmanuel, God with us. And He offers Himself to us. As Malachi reminds us, He comes “as the sun of righteousness with healing in His wings.” (Malachi 4: 2) For those humble enough to receive Him, He redeems the past, is enough for the present, and promises to lead us into the future until we see Him face to face. |
About the ResBlogMembers of staff and Vestry will be posting on the ResBlog to help us think through who we are in light of the gospel so that we might “spur one another on to love and good deeds.”
|