I'm posting this morning from Kolda, Senegal. We are having a great time doing some preliminary work on our partnership here. Our goal is to help plant a church in a nearby village, Sarre Yoba, where there are no believers. It is an exciting type of ministry that I urge other churches to get involved in as you seek to take Acts 1:8 seriously.
A few days ago, we met with about 7-8 new believers and their friends here in Kolda. There was no building, or stained glass windows. Just a mango tree and a few wooden benches and our Bibles. This is really the first church in this area, and it is fascinating watching this small band of Christ-followers figure out how the are going to do church. There are no instruments and no bulletins to hand out; just baby Christians reading their Bibles and then discussing what they have discovered in God's Word.
They had chosen the passage in Luke 11:37-53 as their text for the evening. This is the passage where Jesus pronounces six woes on the Pharisees who are seeking to trip Him up. Now, this is a pretty challenging text I think, even for seasoned Bible students. As they turned to the passage, I was wondering, "Will they really be able to grasp the theme of this text?" Dumb question on my part.
In Kolda, there are several languages spoken. The primary one is probably French. The people group we work with speaks Fulani. Then there are Creoles. So in this group, the verses were read through three times, once in each language. I was asked to read it in English. Each reading took several minutes, but the entire group listened closely to every word. When they had finished reading it, they began discussing what they thought it meant. And within just a few minutes, they had nailed it: God's primary concern is the condition of your heart, not the outward dressing of religion. If you have a disobedient heart, no amount of religious fervor is going to please Him.
Wow! "How did they figure that out?" was my first thought. But I already knew the answer. When we listen to the simple Word of God, with a teachable heart, the Spirit speaks truth into our lives. The Spirit is skilled in French, Fulani, Creole, English, and every other language. I walked away from that worship service under the mango tree with a greater determination than ever to preach God's Word with faithfulness and passion. The Holy Spirit is fully qualified to do the rest. I am grateful to my new brothers and sisters in Senegal for teaching me this timeless truth.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Muslim Demographics
I will be in Senegal for the next week and a half with one of our mission teams, so I will be away from my blog for awhile. Our partnership in West Africa is focused on trying to plant a church in a region that is 98% Muslim. We take the gospel to these regions because of the sobering reality that this video illustrates. Please pray and join with us in asking God to give us the nations.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
When God has Regrets...
I have read through the Bible every year for several years now and each journey brings fresh insights of who God is and how great He is. No other book is like this. You can read Moby Dick hundreds of times and be bored out of your mind. Read the Bible hundreds of times and be changed.
This week’s reading brought me to 1 Samuel 15 where Saul commits a catastrophic act of disobedience. God gave him a specific command through Samuel--
I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey (Vv. 2-3).
It is a huge deal when God “takes note” of something. He had not forgotten the detestable nature of the Amalekites’ sin and had waited these years for the right time to administer justice. He chose to do so through the man that He appointed the first king of Israel. But the bigger picture here was that God was giving Saul an opportunity to show himself an obedient vessel to use in carrying out His purposes. And at this critical moment, Saul failed miserably.
But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction (Vv. 8-9).
So not only did Saul disobey God, he dishonored the name of God by devoting to destruction (a sort of sacrifice to God) what was worthless. God’s response to this type of disobedience and dishonor is chilling. He said to Samuel--
I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments (V. 11).
God plainly says that He regretted (the word is translated “repents” in the KJV) making Saul king. God is not man. He does not sin or have to say “Oops!” So why would He ever have regrets? To hear God express regret seems confusing. But we should read further. Samuel declared later after confronting Saul with this sin--
And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for He is not a man, that He should have regret (V. 29)
The Hebrew word here for “regret” means “to breathe strongly” (like a heavy sigh). In its negative definition it means “to avenge.“ I understand the Bible to be saying that sometimes, as in this case, the sinful responses of people result in God refocusing His attitude in another direction. Human regret is regret over a mistake we made, or sorrow that we got caught. By itself it doesn’t result in us doing anything about it. But God’s regret is refocusing His attitude to deal with sin that has dishonored His Name. He “will not” (v. 29) have regret by allowing His glory to be diminished by man. This is a primitive particle that, when put before the verb, means “never.” God will never let this sort of thing go. He will deal with Saul’s sin because it dishonors His glorious Name. And if you read the story, you know what God does. Saul and his family are removed from the royal lineage.
My question today is very simple. Have I made any choices in my life that have brought God regret? Have I dishonored His name? And what am I doing about it? God’s wants us to align our wills with His so that regret is resolved with righteousness. I want to be diligent to confess the sin in my life and seek after God’s approval daily. I don’t want to just sweep it under the rug, or chalk it up to difficult circumstances like Saul did. I’m praying that you will make today the starting line for living a regret-free life. Whatever you need to do to make things right, do it right now. If you don’t, God will.
This week’s reading brought me to 1 Samuel 15 where Saul commits a catastrophic act of disobedience. God gave him a specific command through Samuel--
I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey (Vv. 2-3).
It is a huge deal when God “takes note” of something. He had not forgotten the detestable nature of the Amalekites’ sin and had waited these years for the right time to administer justice. He chose to do so through the man that He appointed the first king of Israel. But the bigger picture here was that God was giving Saul an opportunity to show himself an obedient vessel to use in carrying out His purposes. And at this critical moment, Saul failed miserably.
But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction (Vv. 8-9).
So not only did Saul disobey God, he dishonored the name of God by devoting to destruction (a sort of sacrifice to God) what was worthless. God’s response to this type of disobedience and dishonor is chilling. He said to Samuel--
I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments (V. 11).
God plainly says that He regretted (the word is translated “repents” in the KJV) making Saul king. God is not man. He does not sin or have to say “Oops!” So why would He ever have regrets? To hear God express regret seems confusing. But we should read further. Samuel declared later after confronting Saul with this sin--
And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for He is not a man, that He should have regret (V. 29)
The Hebrew word here for “regret” means “to breathe strongly” (like a heavy sigh). In its negative definition it means “to avenge.“ I understand the Bible to be saying that sometimes, as in this case, the sinful responses of people result in God refocusing His attitude in another direction. Human regret is regret over a mistake we made, or sorrow that we got caught. By itself it doesn’t result in us doing anything about it. But God’s regret is refocusing His attitude to deal with sin that has dishonored His Name. He “will not” (v. 29) have regret by allowing His glory to be diminished by man. This is a primitive particle that, when put before the verb, means “never.” God will never let this sort of thing go. He will deal with Saul’s sin because it dishonors His glorious Name. And if you read the story, you know what God does. Saul and his family are removed from the royal lineage.
My question today is very simple. Have I made any choices in my life that have brought God regret? Have I dishonored His name? And what am I doing about it? God’s wants us to align our wills with His so that regret is resolved with righteousness. I want to be diligent to confess the sin in my life and seek after God’s approval daily. I don’t want to just sweep it under the rug, or chalk it up to difficult circumstances like Saul did. I’m praying that you will make today the starting line for living a regret-free life. Whatever you need to do to make things right, do it right now. If you don’t, God will.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Arguing with Emily Dickinson
As a pastor, I get a lot of requests from our college and high school students to assist them with projects that demand a pastor's point of view. This week one of our students, Rashell Reese, asked if I would provide a pastor's analysis of one of Emily Dickinson's poems she is studying, Some keep the Sabbath going to Church. Since I'm sure that many of you know people who choose to keep the Sabbath the same way Dickinson did, I thought my thoughts might be helpful to you as well. So below is the poem with my comments. And Rashell...if you get a bad grade, then my wife wrote this!
A Pastor’s Response to
Some keep the Sabbath going to Church
by Emily Dickinson
Some keep the Sabbath going to Church --
I keep it, staying at Home --
With a Bobolink for a Chorister --
And an Orchard, for a Dome --
Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice --
I just wear my Wings --
And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,
Our little Sexton -- sings.
God preaches, a noted Clergyman --
And the sermon is never long,
So instead of getting to Heaven, at last --
I'm going, all along.
As a Christ-follower and a pastor, I firmly believe that the first day of each week is the Lord’s Day. For Christians, it commemorates the Lord’s resurrection from the dead and is a time to worship God, both privately and publicly.
Dickinson’s poem expresses an objection that we often hear from those who claim to know God, but feel no obligation to make a commitment to a local church and worship God publicly on a regular basis. If a person has truly made a personal commitment to the Lord, there are several reasons that corporate worship on the Sabbath is vital.
Corporate worship powerfully expresses a sincere love for God and His people. Dickinson saw nature as the setting in which her worship took place. We can certainly worship God in the midst of His wonderful creation, but it was not birds and trees for whom Jesus, the Son of God, died. Jesus died for people; the people that would choose to trust Him and become a part of God’s family. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, ESV). Authentic Christians are committed to corporate worship because we love one another deeply and want to be together.
Corporate worship is observed on the day by which all other days should be judged. The Sabbath for a Christian is the one day when we express our affirmation that every believer should obey Christ, not only with private devotion, but with a corporate devotion. We are to be actively involved in the affairs of our community each week, but on the Sabbath, we are commanded in God’s Word to assemble together: “Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25, ESV). As Christians, corporate observance of the Sabbath is not an option. It is a commandment in Scripture.
Finally, corporate worship emphasizes the priority of Christ-centered friendships. The Bible teaches that God has given each believer the responsibility of encouraging and exhorting one another in the faith. “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13, ESV). In this sense, we believe that the eternal security for every believer is a congregational project.
History tells us that in 1845, Dickinson made a commitment to Christ during a revival in Amherst. The commitment did not last. She never made a public confession of her faith and it was years after this that she wrote “Some keep the Sabbath going to Church.” One wonders if she would have ever penned these words had she had strong relationships with other Christians to model the value of accountability in our relationship with Christ.
For an authentic follower of Jesus, there is no doubt. Observing the Lord’s Day each week is a vital element of a healthy and growing Christian faith. For this reason as believers we join in affirming the declaration “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” (Psalms 122:1, ESV)
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