If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? (Prov 24:10-12)
Basing his message on Proverbs 24:10-12, Denny’s sermon is a clarion call for men and women to get involved in the greatest civil rights issue of our generation. In it, Denny challenges all those who love the gospel of Jesus Christ to (1) Forsake Cowardice, (2) Rescue the Perishing, and (3) Reject Excuses.
Then in a time of Q & A (starting at 59:45), Denny tackled the issues concerning Hobby Lobby, Obamacare, and other matters pertaining to religious liberty.
The sermon and the Q & A lasts about 90 minutes, and is worth your time! Pass it on to others, and stand up to “rescue those who are being taken away to death!”
It is not everyday that the Bible is quoted on ESPN. And it is even more rare that if the Bible is quoted it is handled correctly.
This week, both of those things happened. In reacting to the controversy set off by Brady Quinn’s comments about Tim Tebow’s faith–which seem to have been reconciled— Skip Bayless does a good job quoting Matthew 6 and explaining how evangelical followers of Christ are to be Christians in private and in public.
Against the cultural sentiment that Christ should be kept out of the public square, Skip Bayless does a good job explaining why Tim Tebow and other true followers of Christ cannot simply keep their faith private. As Bayless points out, Christianity is a public faith. Check it out:
“Gods come pretty cheap these days. You can make one by putting a leather ball through an iron hoop.”
Those classic words, spoken by Barbara Hershey in the movie Hoosiers embody what has taken place in the life of Jeremy Lin in the last 72-hours. In less than half a week, he has gone from being a skilled bench warmer to an NBA superstar who just schooled one of the league’s best basketball players, Kobe Bryant.
However, it seems that Lin would want nothing less than to make him into an idol. Instead of using basketball as a means of promoting himself, it seems that his greatest aim is to make much of Jesus as he plays basketball. Give a listen.
It is doubtful that Lin, at the time of this interview, could have anticipated what took place in Market Square Garden last night. Just a few days ago, Kobe Bryant had never heard of Jeremy Linn–and neither had the rest of us. Today, Kobe and the basketball watching world knows all too well about the sensational point guard who came out of nowhere to outscore Kobe and to send the Los Angeles Lakers back to the West Coast with a defeat. Here are the highlights.
As I watched the highlights, I was–and still am–amazed. In four games, Lin has become a household name, scoring and 25, 28, 23 and 38 points–not to mention averaging over eight assists in those games. Because I have a fondness for basketball and underdogs, the Jeremy Lin story is great. Unrecruited out of high school and undrafted out of college, Linn’s success is even more amazing than the Heisman-winning, two-time national champion Tim Tebow.
But there is more. Not only is Lin a great ball player. He rightly sees basketball as a gift from God, and he desires to use it as a platform for ministry. To get a sense of this, read Timothy Dalrymple‘s eye-opening interview with Lin when he was still a college player (March 3, 2010). In it Dalrymple asks Lin about how his Christian faith and basketball intersect. His interview, is called “The Faith and Fate of Jeremy Linn” (Part 1, Part 2).
A FEW REFLECTIONS
Now in all the media hype of today, fittingly entitled, “Linsanity,” let me offer a few sobering reflections. As with Tim Tebow and other outspoken athletes, politicians, and public figures–especially underdogs whose rise is meteoric–it is wise to not hang our hopes on them. Consider the case of Josh Hamilton, another Christian-athlete who recently admitted to breaking his vow to never drink again. See Evan Lenow’s helpful post “When Heroes Fail,” as he issues a similar caution.
Trust in the Gospel, not media giants. While we ought to give thanks for the way God raises up modern-day Joseph’s (and Esther’s), we should be slow to trust in man (Ps 20:7-9; 118:8-9). Often times, Christians get more excited about the craze of attention public Christians get, thinking “this is how we are going to make a difference in the world.” And to be sure, God uses public figures with large platforms to advance the message of the gospel. But ought we to think that these extraordinary means are what we need for Christian impact to take place? I think not.
God uses great and small alike. God usually uses slower, more mundare means of sending his message–like mothers and fathers imparting the gospel into their children’s lives as they pray bedside for years. No one sees it. Many surely wonder of if something more spectacular is needed, and yet by the slow process of gospel witness and example, children are brought to faith. Don’t miss it. In the interview, Lin gives attention to the impact that his parents had on him in that regard.
Let the outspoken faith of public figures spur you on, not slow you down. While Christians have every reason to cheer on this brother in Christ, we must be careful not to make people like him and Tim Tebow our evangelistic replacements. Every member of the body of Christ is called to evangelize, not to fall prey to the idea that God has raised up big names to do our work for us. In comparison with Lin, it is tempting to distrust our own ability to influence others for Christ. The temptation arises: If only I had a greater testimony, than I could be useful. But such is not the case. The power of the gospel has never been in the vessels who herald the message, the power is always in the word itself.
Rejoice in Lin’s heavenly status more than his earthly stats. At the same time, we should remember that Lin’s superstar career is four-games old. He has shot into the NBA like a comet. It is possible that his career and impact will be just as brief as a shooting star. Or it may be God’s good pleasure to make Lin a perennial all-star. Whatever the case may be, might we give thanks to God that his name is written in heaven on the testimony of his faith, more than the fact that a good, moral brother has his name written in lights.
Pray. Last, pray for Jeremy Lin, for Tim Tebow, and others who are under enormous pressure to perform, constant scrutiny, and for all their fame are in grave danger of isolation and narcissism. May God protect their purity, their biblical fidelty, and their hearts from pride. Pray for their families and their churches to reach out to them and to draw be a safe environment for these Christians to understand better what God demands and promises, instead of being bombarded for another autograph.
In the end, I find the Jeremy Lin story compelling. It has my attention. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the story goes. But as I watch I will be praying that God will make the light of Jesus in his life outshine his own newfound fame.
David Mathis and Tony Reinke provide a nice quote from Jeremy Lin, where he talks about what God has taught him from Philippians 3 about basketball and the greater prize that is found in Christ — All Spheres of Life — Even Pro Basketball”
Gossip. It is a common disease—easily contracted, hard to cure. Yet, the surprising solution is not to gossip less. Just the opposite: You need to gossip more.
Let me explain.
You were made to gossip. God gave you speech and a heart curiously intrigued by other people. How else could talk radio, talk shows, and talking heads be so popular? They scratch a human itch—the desire to be in the know and to talk with Gnostic wisdom about someone or something.
There is a kind of pleasure that comes from hearing something known to a select few. We love secrets, and gossip is the pipeline for passing them, though every carbon copy erodes the secret. Therefore, we want more.
Now, in steps the religious professional who says: The Bible condemns idle talk and God hates gossip. Therefore, stop! His premises are right. God does condemn idle talk and hates any speech that tears down another. However, knowing the law never changed anyone.
No, pernicious gossip that plagues the human race does not need to reduced or discontinued; it needs to be converted! It needs a new object, a new secret to keep and then divulge.
Enter the gospel of grace. Nothing is more hidden and revealing than God. No person is more intriguing than Jesus. No secret is more fascinating than the news that sinners condemned to death have been declared innocent, set free, and rewarded because another has volunteered to take their place on the electric chair.
Indeed, evangelism is simply gossip about Jesus. This is what happened in Samaria (John 4). Jesus, a man of marriageable age, conversed with the town’s loosest woman at the local watering hole. Talk about gossip! This conversation surely evoked a few whispers. Even more, when the woman raced off to tell her town about the man Jesus Christ, she participated in God-ordained gossip.
The result was amazing. The whole curious town lined up to hear Jesus. And many were saved.
Here is the point: If you want to stop gossiping about things that will pollute your mind and shrink your soul, start gossiping about Jesus and the scandalous grace that he offers. This will mean that you need to know him, but that is what he loves to share with all those who come curious about his secrets.
This week, don’t gossip less. Gossip more about the only one worthy of such gossip!
Christian singer-songwriter, Matt Papa, has begun a series of posts on Christian radio that will be worth watching.
Since my earliest Christian memories have DC Talk’s Jesus Freak and Smalltown Poets Prophet, Priest, and King playing as background music, I will be very interested in what he has to say. With Mr. Papa, I am one who is frequently sickened by the shallow, trite, and godless banter that fills Christian radio.
Just this week I heard a K-Love disc jockey preach a gospel of self-salvation: “When I encounter hard times, I remember all that I gone through before and I endure.” What kind of non-Christian non-sense is that? It would make Paul stand up and say, “Oh, you foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?!” Or perhaps, it would incite a conversation like this, imagined by Matt Papa:
Imagine with me: The apostle Paul, John the Baptist, the prophet Isaiah, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, and Hudson Taylor all sitting in a room together. The year is 2012, and they’re listening to a mainstream christian radio station. After listening for an hour, someone finally speaks up:
Isaiah: um….
Paul: wow.
Luther: THIS IS CHRISTIAN?!?!
Augustine: Did that song just say ‘God you are super neat’?!?
Taylor: Haven’t heard a song about the cross yet.
John: This is embarrassing. (bites into a bug)
Over the next month or so, I’ll be writing a series of posts about the current state of the christian music industry, more specifically, the current state of that which spearheads it, namely christian radio. . . .
Mr. Papa continues,
As you might have gleaned from the title, what will follow will be a hard, honest, word of rebuke. I have no idea if anything I say in these posts will mean anything for the sake of change, but someone has to say it: Mainstream christian radio is altogether banal and shallow in both a musical sense and a spiritual sense. The songs are man-centered and the DJ’s and radio programmers are man-pleasers…..they play the songs that will attract the most listeners to their station, period. Christian radio is like Joel Osteen in musical form….safe, happy, and untruthful. It is the TBN of music…a large-scale, embarrassing presentation of Christianity to the world.
After this, he lists seven caveats that promise to make his posts not simply angry rants, but thoughtful examinations of a broken system. See his seven reflections.
I look forward to seeing what Mr. Papa will say, and what will be said in return. I am sure it will ruffle feathers, but I pray for good.
In his recent FREE online ebook, Exposing the Dark Work of Abortion, John Piper lists 15 critical ‘truths’ about abortion. As many churches celebrate life this Sunday and call an end to the genocide that is abortion, may these truths spur you on to fight the good fight of faith to protect life and proclaim eternal life whose guilt over a previous abortion leaves them scarred for life.
1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother’s womb (except in the case of abortion).
2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.
3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.
4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human per- sonhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.
5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.
6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three- month-old babies.
7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic makeup.
8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.
9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.
10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.
11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.
12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.
13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.
14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind, lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.
15. Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.
God in heaven, maker of life and limb, may you be pleased to end this murderous “right” in our generation. More than that, would you make abortion so ugly, so hated, so despicable to Christian and non-Christian alike, that to endorse, support it, or seek it would be as awful as the thought of lynching a man because of his skin color. Oh Father, you have given our country equal rights according to race; might you do the same for age. Use these truths and the sermons preached this month advocating life to spur us on towards loving life, and protecting the innocent.
The weeks that follow Christmas present a unique challenge. For all the holiday highs, there often comes an unforeseen holiday hangover.
As the lights come down and the daily grind resumes, a wintry chill easily replaces Christmas cheer.
But is that how it must go? Isn’t there anything lasting about Christmas besides credit card bills and an unwanted fruitcake? Such naïve hope is often shoved aside because like everything else in life, what goes up must come down. To get through it, we tell ourselves, life is short and so are most of its pleasantries.
However, it is different for those who know the child born in the manger. For Christians, there is just as much light on Jan. 13 or Aug. 27 as there is on Dec. 25. Indeed, if January blues follow the red and green of Christmas, it probably is the case that you are paying too much attention to the flickering lights of this world and not enough attention to the true light of the world.
In truth, Christmas is much more than a festive season; it is the announcement that the light of God has entered the world to stay. Those who know this know that the light has come to dwell among a sin-darkened people and will one day remove all darkness.
In fact, the gospel of John says as much. It reads, “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming to the world” (1:9). In a word, this is Christmas. However, this luminescent arrival is only the beginning.
Christ gives light for all seasons. In fact, John later records the words of Jesus: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (8:12). In context, Jesus says these words during the festival of booths, a season in Jerusalem when the whole city was covered with lights. Jesus intends for his audience to know that he is the superlative light, one that will never fade away.
The same is true today. He is the true light today, and all those who follow him, walk in the light of his truth, beauty and goodness. His radiance is able to outshine the darkest winter night, and his love is able to fill the emptiness caused by another Christmas past. For, he is the light of the world, and his light will never fade or disappoint those who look unto him for light and life.
Christmas is a beautiful time of year, one that prompts giving, singing, family gatherings, and worship of our Savior born in Bethlehem. Contemplating these things, I wrote an article for our church newsletter that The Gospel Coalition also ran on God’s hidden beauty revealed at Christmas.
To give a little backstory, I wrote it on a day when I had walked through the aisles of Wal-Mart and sadly had a bah-humbug spirit. Surrounded by God’s image-bearers my sinful heart was not loving my neighbor. It was simply wanting to get in, get out, and get done with what I had to do. Such an attitude is sinful and selfish, and it stems from a vision problem–I was not seeing the people around the way Christ sees them.
Accordingly, I wrote the piece “Beholding the Beauty of Christ in Wal-Mart” as a means of preaching the gospel to myself. I need the gospel everyday to remind me of my ugliness before the Lord, and how in Christ he has showered his beautiful grace on me. If there is anything good in me, it is from the Lord (John 15:5; 1 Cor 4:7). Prayerfully, such amazing love and forgiveness will result in greater love for others.
As I walked out of Wal-Mart that day, I was confronted with the ugliness of my un-love. I still groan over the fact that I am drawn to worldly beauty more than heavenly beauty, and that this causes me to slight people and make much of me. Ugh! I praying that God would continue to renew my mind and change my heart, and I to do so, I keep looking to the person and work of Christ. He alone is beautiful, and in his light we see light. As we behold him, we become like him. I wrote this article for that reason, and I share it with you that you might benefit too.
Here is how it begins,
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so the old saying goes. Just the same, we choose to behold (read: pursue and acquire) what we think is beautiful. Unfortunately, for so many of us, we have given little attention to what the Bible says about beauty. While Christians may have read the Bible for years, I wonder, when it comes to beauty, how many of us have been shaped by magazine covers, movies, and prom nights more than God’s inspired Word? Christmas may be one exception.
Occupy Wall Street. Obamacare. Socialism. Capitalism. Social Justice.
All of these terms have gotten a lot of air time recently. And one thing that is clear is that self-described evangelicals are divided on what God says about business, money, and the use of wealth.
Today I ran across a very helpful message on this subject that takes the biblical framework of Creation-Fall-Redemption-New Creation and applies to the area of business. It answer some questions about the place of business in God’s world, and serves as one resource for thinking through this complex issue.
At the Gospel & Culture Conference, Jeff Van Duzer’s message on “Why Business Matters To God,” is a great biblical theological resource to think more biblically about business.
In a few weeks children, teenagers, and some adults will adorn super-hero suits, clown wigs, and other silly costumes all for the purpose of having some seasonal fun and gathering a bag full of candy. Good Christians differ on what to do with this holiday, and without stepping into that firing line, I simply want to take note of the way that Halloween is a dramatic parable of the fleeting pleasures of sin handed out by the houses of this world.
In Hebrews 11, Moses is described as a man of faith because “he considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt” (v. 26). Because he was looking to the reward, he chose to be “mistreated with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (v. 25). With heaven in view, he sought God’s reward, instead of the treats of this age.
The same was true of Abraham. Earlier in Hebrews 11, the father of faith is depicted as a man whose hope is set on the city whose architect and builder is God (v. 10). Scripture says of him and his offspring, “If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (v. 15-16).
In these statements, we see that hope in God’s rewards defines the life of the Christian (Heb 11:6). While we do not yet see our treasure, we believe in the promises of God that Christ has gone away to prepare a place for us (John 14:2; Heb 11:16). We live in this reality. We say no to the world’s offerings because our hearts are in love with the world to come.
Here is where Halloween provides such a fitting parable. As trick-or-treaters dress up in search of candy, they hope to collect a sack full of Hershey miniatures and Starburst packets. On that night, the collection is sweet. Serious trick-or-treaters know where the best candy is, and they get there early to pull in the full-sized Snickers or Silver Dollar. Yet, all that is gained on that single night is soon eaten and the costume outdated or outgrown.
The joy of Halloween is as light as cotton candy and as long-lasting as cheap gum. Contrast this with the joy that comes from the Lord. Psalm 16:11 says, “In God’s presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures evermore.” So too, Psalm 46 describes his dwelling place as possessing “a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns” (v. 4-5).
In terms of our parable, God’s house is the one who doesn’t stop you at the door. He doesn’t demand a trick. He doesn’t leave you hungry by giving you an itty-bitty bag of candy-coated chocolate. Rather, his guests are invited to come and dine with him. His food is satisfying and cost of admission is free.
But here is the rub. In order to arrive at his home, the Christian must pass by all the other doors. He must say “no” to constant offers of SweetTarts, Smarties, and Milk Duds. Even when hunger sets in, he must keep plodding towards the mansion on the hill, whose invitation to dine with the king is sweeter than the houses in the valley of death.
So how will the Christian make it? Like Moses and Abraham, he must keep before him the promises of God and the reward at the end. Christian faith is not meant to be a stoic battle of the will, that says “I will do right, even when I don’t feel like it.” No. The Christian faith is much more like a long journey that says I will say “no” to the hospitality of this world, because I have the promise of an outstanding feast with the king ahead (See Isaiah 25:5-9).
To the world, this kind of reasoning sounds unappetizing. They will say, “Just Trick or Treat!” But to the Christian who takes God at his word, he becomes like the child who forsakes the city block to travel into the country to find the home he has never seen, but who has promised a Christmas dinner that is more than he could ask or imagine.
This fall, as you see children dressed in costume and pursuing an abundance of sugary treats, whether you partake or not, remember that such is the feasting of the world. It comes through personal effort; it lasts for only a night; and its fruits fade away within days. Contrast this with the city of God and the house of our Lord, whose gifts are never so small, never so fleeting, and never so empty… they only take time for them to come to us!
May we like Moses reject the fleeting treats of this world, because we remember that filling our bags with them is the devil’s trick.
Last Sunday night (January 20), our church (Calvary Baptist Church, Seymour, Indiana) heard a powerful message from Dr. Denny Burk, a professor at Boyce College, associate pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church, and a perceptive blogger, journal editor, and author (see his forthcoming What is the Meaning of Sex? )
Via Emmaus 