Planned Neglect

It’s now official . We are doing life in overdrive twenty-four hours a day. I woke up at two in the morning last night with a low-grade fever and began thinking how I wouldn’t be able to make the early morning meeting I had. So I took my Blackberry and sent a text to our associate pastor to ask him to cover for me. I’m laying back down praying my fever will break, when I hear my phone chirp. He’s returning my text! I started to text him back and tell him to turn off his phone and get some sleep, but there was this issue of a fully body sweat that was starting to distract me.

My point is to not talk about sweat, but to talk about the need that many of us have for a little planned neglect. There are an endless number of outlets to stay “in the loop” when it comes to our jobs and our relationships. And I’m beginning to think that many of us are falling into the trap of feeling like we have to respond to every issue, every question, every email, text, or tweet immediately. I know that I have. This is a real danger, because there is only one connection that must be continuously maintained and that’s the one that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Spirit is the Christ-conscious life. It’s the neglect of everything unnecessary in order to relentlessly pursue that one thing which is absolutely necessary. It’s planning time in your life to neglect the things that are window dressing and fluff so that you can do the hard work of extensively reading and concentrating on God’s Word , listening to His voice, journaling your insights, and living out your discoveries. Stop right now and consider the last time that you really did this. Or more importantly, have you ever really done it at all?

I’m praying that as you read this you are thinking about what you need to neglect today in order to get alone in God’s presence and soak in His greatness. And when you do, turn off your cell phone.

That's My King!

It's Thursday afternoon...so let's crank it up with one of my favorites.

There Once was a Man...

This week I begin a new message series entitled "Why?" I'm focusing on some of the questions that are most asked of God. And by far, the most asked question is "Why does God allow such suffering in the world?" That is where we will start this Sunday.

When suffering comes into your life, you have a choice. Will you run into the arms of Jesus, or will you turn inward with bitterness and resentment? I'll let you decide what choice Dora Tenenoff made.

In 1993 Rick Tenenoff and two other missionaries were trying to advance God's kingdom among the Kuna Indians. Columbia guerillas crossed the border into Panama and went into the village where the three men were ministering and kidnapped the group. For sixteen years now the group has been missing and is now presumed dead.

Rick's daughter, Dora, was a young child when she lost her father. At 15 she wrote a poem that expresses the heart of a daughter that has run into the arms of Jesus:

THERE ONCE WAS A MAN....
There once was a man, a man I once knew.
Who told me stories every night, laughed at my jokes, and held me tight.
He told me, "Don't quit! Always fight the good fight!"
He said, "Love the Lord with all your heart,
and serve Him with all your might!"
He begged me, "Do right!"

There once was a man, a man I once knew.
Who taught me how to tie my shoe,
and gently smiled at every picture that I drew.
He told me, "When you start something, don't stop until the job is through."
He said, "I love you."

There once was a man, a man I once knew.
I saw him in my dream, and it made me scream,
I called out, "Daddy!"
but he told me nothing,
He had nothing to say.
For what can you say,
When you are far, so very far away?
"Daddy? I said,
then a voice echoed in my head.
I lay quiet and still in my bed.
Again the voice,
Your daddy made a choice,
a choice to serve Me with all his might,
To not give up,
to fight the good fight!
He is doing a job for me and is not yet through,
so remember: I love you!"

There now is a man, a man I now know
He lived and He died to save men from their sin.
He made it possible for us to be born again.
I know because my daddy told me so.
And even though he's no longer here,
My God will always be near
To fill in the gaps and show me which way to go
I miss my dad so much,
But God has a plan.
So for now I'll just wait and watch the work of His Hand.

There once was a man,
A man I once knew
He's now just a memory slowly fading away.
"Dead or Alive?" you ask,
"I don't know." I say.
So I beg you, Please Pray!!
Pray my daddy knows that every night,
I whisper, "Daddy, I love you!"

There now is a man, a man I now know.
Every day He becomes more real to me
Every day in Him, I grow.
Every day I pray that my love for Him will show
I've made a choice, to serve Him with all my might.
To not give up, to fight the good fight.
Here on earth, I may not see my dad again,
but that's all right.
'Cause when my life is through,
I'll finally hear them both say
My child, I love you!!"

Read more about Rick and his companions here.

Thursday Afternoon Worship...

My plan is to set aside every Thursday afternoon for us to worship some together. Here's my first shot at it. No one better to get us started than the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Have a blessed and safe weekend.




P.S. I'll be preaching revival this week at First Baptist Church in Flomaton, AL. Keep me in your prayers and we'll catch up next week.

Trinity-Why It Matters...

As I wrap up the discussion about Trinity this week, I can't help but think of all the times I've heard someone say, "I don't really understand the Trinity, I just believe it." The deeper your understanding of this doctrine grows, however, the more obvious it is how important it is to let this truth about God's nature sink deep into your heart. Make no mistake. Understanding the Trinity matters, for several reasons.

1. The Trinity expresses what healthy relationships look like. At creation, at the cross, and throughout eternity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have related to one another in perfect harmony. They have different roles but there is no pride, no jealousy, or any of the sinful residue that exists in our relationships when we fail to walk alongside one another. If we would seek to affirm and appreciate one another's differences like the Trinity does, what a beautiful church we would be!

2. The Trinity emphasizes the priority of community. The Trinity doesn't just exist alongside one another. They are interdependent. What One does affects the Others. What One desires is accomplished by Another. A biblical community follows the lead of the Trinity by depending on deep connection to accomplish our mission.

3. The Trinity models the ideal expression of authority and submission. The world often sees these as undesirable values. God wisely and justly administers His plan for the world. Jesus gladly and obediently carries it out. The Holy Spirit gives powerful application to all of the Father and Son's wishes. Every spouse, parent, and child can learn what healthy authority and submission looks like by looking to the Trinity.

4.The Trinity sets the framework for biblical prayer. I was recently taken back to think of how often some of us "skim" through our prayers without really giving thought to the biblical pattern that Jesus gave us in prayer: "Our Father in heaven..." (Mat. 6:9). I'm not trying to institute "prayer police" to prevent you from praying to Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Just realize that the pattern Jesus gives us in prayer is to petition the Father. What about the rest of the Trinity? "For through Him (Jesus) we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."(Eph. 2:9 ESV) We should pray to the Father, through Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

5. The Trinity sets the framework for authentic worship. If you search the Scripture, you find that the Holy Spirit always shines the spotlight on Jesus. Jesus said that the Spirit would glorify Him by taking what has been accomplished by the Son and declaring it to the disciples (John 16:14). If worship focuses on the Holy Spirit apart from Jesus, it isn't following the way that the Trinity functions. We worship Jesus, through the power of the Spirit, to the glory of the Father.

Getting refocused on the Trinity and what it means has deepened my worship, given me greater clarity in reading the Bible, and improved my understanding of the treasure God has given me in relationships. I challenge you to take the foundation we've laid here and keep building on it as you seek to know God more and more deeply.

Trinity-Part 4

One of the more popular books of 2008 was The Shack by William Young. Young has said that the book was originally meant to be his own catharsis that helped him deal with the suffering and questions he had struggled with about God. His wife encouraged him to get it published and the rest is history. I read The Shack last year and understand why it has been so popular. It's a very gripping and heartfelt story that will speak to anyone who has grappled with questions about needless pain an suffering in this world.

Mack is the main character in the book and has endured a long period in life referred to as "The Great Sadness." It's a period brought on by the tragic abduction and murder of his daughter. One day in his mailbox he discovers a note from "Papa" to come and meet him at the shack (the location where his daughter was murdered). "Papa" is his wife's endearing term for God the Father, so Mack is skeptical about what the letter means. He finally decides to make the trip and so begins a weekend where he encounters God in Trinity.

"Papa" is a rotund black lady who loves to cook, has some interesting tastes in music, and a questionable sense of humor. Jesus is a middle eastern laborer. The Holy Spirt is a lady named "Sarayu." Although the story is engaging and may seem to help many who have struggled with God's ways, it contains some outright distortions about the Trinity.

First, it's modalism, plain and simple. Modalism was a heretical teaching in the early church that suggested that God existed in different expressions (or modes) throughout history. In the Old Testament He is God the Father. In the gospels He is the Son of God. After the Ascension He indwells believers as the Holy Spirit. In The Shack, Papa says at one point, "I am truly human in Jesus." That's modalism. God the Father isn't human; He is God. Only Jesus took on human flesh. This is alluded to again when "Papa" is described as having scars on His body as a result of His suffering. Again, only Jesus suffered for our sins, not the Father.

We read later, "When we three spoke ourselves into human existence as the Son of God, we became fully human." Sorry Mr. Young, but no, God didn't do that. Neither God nor the Holy Spirit have ever taken human form. This is the distinction we have spoken about in Trinity. To suggest that each of them have existed in this way is to ascribe to modalism.

In fact, my hunch is that Young rejects much of what the Nicene Creed (A.D. 325) asserted about the Trinity. In the Trinity, there is a hierarchy that illustrates perfect authority and submission. For instance, the Father has the role of planning and directing. At creation, everything comes into existence as a result of His command: "And God said..." God is the conductor of the symphony. The role of Jesus is that of being obedient to the Father and accomplishing His plan. God so loved that He "sent" His Son and Jesus fulfilled God's plan. The Holy Spirit's role is to obey the Father and the Son by applying the work of regeneration and empowering believers. If you read the Bible with this understanding, you will see these roles being carried out faithfully everywhere God is working.

The Shack rejects this structure for the Trinity. "So you think that God must relate inside a hierarchy like you do," Papa says. "But we do not." This is a typical viewpoint that the world has about authority and submission. It's frowned upon because sinful people misuse it. But perfect authority and submission is modeled in the Trinity. The divine mystery of God's nature is modeled in how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in being, but subordinate in their roles.

Unfortunately, there are other disturbing issues in the Shack that go beyond the Trinity. You can make the case that it affirms goddess worship. And what about the Bible's command to not make any graven images? When you put human and earthly faces on God's nature, you have essentially broken that commandment. So my suggestion is that rather than get your Trinity training in The Shack, go to some other good books like Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem or Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by Bruce Ward. Leave The Shack in the fictional section of the book store and read with caution.

Time-Out to Reflect on Wilkerson's Prophecy

Yesterday on Twitter and my Facebook page I posted the now widely circulated report from David Wilkerson concerning his prophecy that a great calamity is going to befall the urban centers of our nation, beginning with New York City. I've received a number of requests to share my thoughts on his words so I'm pausing in our discussion on the Trinity to give you my take.

First, let me say I have a lot of respect for David Wilkerson and his ministry. As he mentions in his article, he has been saying for ten years that "a thousand fires" would engulf New York City, and when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers on 9-11 many reflected on his words of warning. And the Bible tells us "Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thess. 5:20:21).

We don't need a "special" revelation from God to know that America is in deep trouble. Every disaster, past, present, and future is a blaring message from heaven to repent before it's too late. The disciples asked Jesus one day about a terrible massacre that occurred when Pilate had executed a number of Galileans. They were wanting to know the purpose, or the sign, behind these events. Jesus said, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:2-3) Jesus might say to us, "Do you think that the tragedies of 9-11 are signs of the end? They may be. But the message for you is 'Repent. The kingdom of God is at hand.'" I don't know what will happen in the days ahead but I know that the message from God in every calamity is the same: Repent.

There are some aspects of Wilkerson's prophecy that give me pause. John Piper has rightly observed that warnings to hoard food or pull all of your money out of the bank seems a little inauthentic. When we give in to those kinds of excesses I think we risk damaging the Lord's reputation. If thousands of people begin trampling each other at the grocery store and then this prophecy isn't true, who suffers for it? Not David Wilkerson, but more so the Lord's reputation.

On the other hand, if Wilkerson's prophecy does come true, thanks be to God! God is holding out His hand of mercy once again and calling on this world to repent before it's too late. The immediate impact of words like these are good in the sense that they remind us that the Bible is a serious book that promises judgment is coming. Why is it that when someone speaks words that remind us of that grim reality, we seem to become anxious? Could it be that we aren't as in love with the WHOLE counsel of God as we say we are? In that case, thank you David for the wake up call.

Trinity-Part 3

The first distortion of the biblical view of the Trinity was proposed by a man named Sabellius. In his attempt to protect the view of God being one, he suggested that God has manifested Himself throughout history in three different forms. The Father first revealed Himself as Creator and as the One who appeared to Moses and the Prophets. In the New Testament, He appears in the flesh as the Son of God. And when Jesus ascends to heaven, God came in the form of the Holy Spirit. This view is called "modalism" because it emphasizes that the Father, Son, and Spirit are all God appearing in different "modes" each time. Modalism falls apart when the Scripture tells us that the Father, Son and Spirit are present at the same time, such as when Jesus is baptized. Modalism never gained a large following, even though I still come across many believers that think about the Trinity in this way.

The biggest heresy regarding the Trinity was formulated by Arius. He suggested that although Jesus is a supreme Being and worthy of great honor, He was merely the first and greatest creation of God. Like modalism, the intent was to protect Christianity as a monotheistic religion. This teaching became popular enough that the early church called a council (The Council of Nicea in A.D. 325) to deal with this threat. The hero of the council was a theologian named Athanasius. He successfully argued that the New Testament teaches that Jesus is of the same substance, or essence, as the Father. The Council affirmed this and it proved to be a defining moment in the history of Christianity. You could argue that if the church had left behind the divinity of Jesus, we would have eventually died as a Great Commission movement. Remember, Jesus commands us to go and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If the Son and the Spirit aren't God, the Great Commission is meaningless.

These historical distortions of the Trinity have crept back into the church throughout the years in different forms. In fact, you may have already been exposed to it if you have read a recent bestseller, The Shack. We'll talk about that next.

Talking Trinity-Part 2

The accusation leveled by Islam is that Christians worship three gods. Like many, they distort the teaching of the Trinity by defining it on human terms. Millard Erikson has said, "We do not hold the doctrine of the Trinity because it is self-evident or logically cognent. We hold it because God has revealed that this is what He is like."

So how do we answer this objection that the Trinity is contradictory? The Law of Contradiction states that A cannot be both A (what it is) and non-A (what it is not). If I say, "The moon is made entirely of cheese," and then turn around and say "The moon is not entirely made of cheese" then I have contradicted myself. But, as R.C. Sproul has illustrated, there are some statements that seem contradictory at first, but they are not. For example, Charles Dickens' famous line "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." We understand that he is saying "In some ways this was the best of times and in some ways it was the worst of times."

It is not a contradiction for God to be both one and three because God is not one and three in the same way. Wayne Grudem (in Bible Doctrine) has described God as being one in essence and three in person. "Essence" describes God's being. It is God's substance. Essence describes what God is. "Person" describes who God is. Granted, person does not describe God in the same way it describes us. As a person I can exist separately from you, and the Trinity is not separate from one another. But as person, God regards Himself as "I" and the other members of the Godhead as "You." He is one in a different way than He is three.

I know it is mind-boggling, but there is no one else who exists this way, because there is only one God. Within God's one being, He "unfolds" into three personal distinctive Beings. And those who have resisted God's unique identity as God have constructed some inaccurate and dangerous teachings to support their explanations. We'll look at those next.

Talking Trinity-Part 1

We began last night going through a 3-week series on the Trinity called "3-in-1." Our objective was to take a "fly-by" of Scripture and discover how the Trinity is found throughout the Bible. We don't start with God the Father in the Old Testament, discover Jesus in the Gospels, and then get introduced to the Holy Spirit when Jesus ascends into heaven. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit have existed this way from eternity past.

This week I plan to both review last Sunday night's message and preview where I'm headed this Sunday night. I hope that you can be there, but if you miss any of the messages, click on the message archive to the left and you can get caught up.

The most important thing to get a grip on is the three core truths of the Trinity:

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons.

The Trinity is NOT just three different ways to think about God. God sent His Son into the world. The Son returned to the Father. The Father and Son sent the Holy Spirit. The Father isn't the Son and the Son isn't the Spirt and the Spirit isn't the Father. They are all distinct persons that have existed this way throughout eternity.

Each person is fully God.

Trinity doesn't divide God into three parts. The Bible says that "in Him (Jesus) all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9, ESV). So Jesus isn't one-third God, neither is any other member of the Godhead. These fit well with human logic, but the third core truth doesn't--

There is only one God.

There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:21-22 (ESV)

So how do we reconcile God's "oneness" with His "three-ness?" Is it a contradiction? How can God truly be one when He is also three? Stay tuned. We'll talk about that tomorrow.