Something to Think About

Recently, as I was visiting some of my favorite blog sites, I came across a fellow pastor's (my age) blog where he was reviewing some of the questions he posed to his own congregation after a message on "mission" (see Matthew 28:19-20).

This grabbed my attention since I recently reminded our own church family about being obedient to the Great Commission. His questions forced me to ponder, think, and examine myself... and well, I guess I thought his questions might be good for you to ponder and think about.

So, here they are (in no particular order)... [I'm adding some Scripture references too]:

1) Are you a disciple of Jesus? (see Luke 9:23-26; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8)

2) Are you growing? (see 2 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 4:15; Colossians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:3)

3) Are you pouring into other people? (see 2 Timothy 2:2)

4) Do you have just as much outflow of the gospel and teaching as you have intake (see Mark 16:15 & James 1:25)

5) Are you drinking deeply of Jesus and talking to others about Him? (see John 4:14, 6:35, 17:3 and Matthew 9:9-12)

6) Or do you just come to church because you like the moral conservative base?

My humble thanks to Pastor Matt Chandler (The Village Church; Dallas, TX) for these very good reminders/questions. May we all be challenged to be Christians on mission (i.e. fulfilling the Great Commission through our lifestyle, intentional witness, and financial investment of global missions).

How Do You View Repentance?

I came across a great blog this morning, and am delighted to pass it on to you. Read Luther's words on repentance slowly and carefully. Read Tim Keller's meditation, "All of Life Is Repentance". Take these words and review them closely. Pray through them. Think through them. Let them ruminate in your heart... come back to these words frequently in the coming days and see if God opens your eyes to seeing repentance more clearly (and, I might add, more beautifully).

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/08/19/atmospheric-repentance/

Praying we all will grow in our pursuit of this grace gift called 'repentance'.

Devoted to the Lord's Supper

Well, we're bringing this blog series ("What Are You Devoting Yourself To?") on Acts 2:42 to a close--but we still have one final spiritual discipline to discuss together: being devoted to the Lord's Supper.

This discipline is obviously connected to the observance of a Christian sacrament or ordinance, but my heart in this blog is to perhaps challenge your thinking about how or when this ordinance is to be observed by you--a follower of Jesus.

Obviously, time could be spent here teaching/explaining the different views (or understandings) of the Lord's Supper, but I will simply tell you that I view the Lord's Supper as a time when I a) personally remember, reflect, and ponder what Christ did on my behalf through His life (active obedience), death (passive obedience), and resurrection [By His life and by His death, Jesus not only earned my righteousness (which He bestows freely as a gift to all who recive Him by faith--Philippians 3:9), but He also absorbed God's wrath which I deserved because of my sins (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 5:9; John 3:36; Ephesians 2:3)]; and b) I commune with the risen Christ (by the presence of His Holy Spirit within me) and receive from Him the forgiveness of my sins and spiritual cleansing (2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 1:9).

Now you may or may not agree with my understanding of the purpose of the Lord's Supper as I have explained it above--but let me ask you some questions: 1) How often do you participate in the Lord's Supper? 2) Why do you participate in it that often? 3) Where do you partake of the Lord's Supper? 4) Why there (and not somewhere else)?

I ask those particular questions because I think two faulty concepts have arisen over time: 1) Some people argue vigorously about how often Communion should be observed (e.g. once a month, twice a month, once a quarter, once a year, every week, etc.), and 2) many people have been taught or assume that Communion can only be observed or distributed by clergy members within a church building.

Frankly, I believe Acts 2 (and the rest of the book) gives evidence that the early church did not have time, clergy or locale restrictions when it came to the Lord's Supper. In fact, as I understand church history, the Lord's Supper usually followed (or at least, accompanied) a meal amongst believers (hence, the phrase: "the breaking of bread"). In other words, believers would gather together for a meal, fellowship together around the table, and then as an act of spiritual worship and devotion, celebrate the Lord's Supper together in their homes.

I simply want to say that some of the most meaningful times of Communion that I have had have been with my wife in our home. On several occasions (when I was less than a godly husband), after I apologized to my wife for wounding her spirit, she and I would celebrate the Lord's Supper after we had made up. Not only was it a wonderful way to remind ourselves that forgiveness first came to us through Christ's sacrifice, but it was also a very tangible way for both of us to receive and offer forgiveness to each other as husband and wife. Now, I share that example NOT because you should only take Communion after you have a tiff with your spouse--but to show that you can celebrate the Lord's Supper in your home, with your family, with your small group, when you travel, in a hotel room, etc. Scripture does not forbid taking the Supper outside of the church building (remember, church buildings didn't come until about the 3rd century). What's more, I believe the Lord's Supper could become an even more precious gift to you if you intentionally consider when and where you might partake of this holy meal.

One final example: a dear couple whom I love and with whom I used to serve in local church ministry were both diagnosed with cancer some years back. In time, both of them were pretty much confined to their homes, but even before their mobility was hindered, they intentionally celebrated the Lord's Supper each day in conjunction with praying for each other, and others they knew who were also going through a battle with cancer. What a testimony! I know they received spiritual strength and grace through that practice, and I believe (more than anything) they wanted to be prepared to face Jesus... and what better way to prepare your heart each day (as though it may be your last) than by partaking of the Supper with holy self-examination and remembrance of the redeeming work of Christ.

I pray you, too, may learn to delight in the regular observance of the Lord's Supper in places and at times that some religious people would not expect. God bless you!

Devoted to Fellowship

What comes to your mind when you hear the word "fellowship"? Do you think of a casual date with someone from the opposite sex? Do you think about a pot-luck meal after the Sunday worship service? Is the only time you use the word 'fellowship' when you are describing the large hall of the church building where everyone seems to hang out before and after services?

It's sad. It's very sad that this word, fellowship, has lost its biblical meaning for Christians. The truth is we typically don't understand what the word fellowship (or even its Greek form = 'koinonia') really means.

Consequently--for the purposes of this little study on Acts 2:42 that we've been doing for a few weeks--it's hard to devote yourself to 'fellowship', if you don't know what fellowship refers to. So, I hope to provide a little illumination on that term, and a little challenge as well--that you engage in biblical fellowship.

First off, do a Bible study. The Greek word 'koinonia' is in each of the following verses... read them (Acts 2:42--fellowship; Romans 15:26--contribution; 1 Corinthians 1:9--fellowship; 1 Corinthians 10:16--sharing; 2 Corinthians 6:14--fellowship; 2 Corinthians 8:4--participation; 2 Corinthians 9:13--contribution; 2 Corinthians 13:14--fellowship; Galatians 2:9--fellowship; Philippians 1:5--participation; Philippians 2:1--fellowship; Philippians 3:10--fellowship; Philemon 1:6--fellowship; Hebrews 13:16--sharing; 1 John 1:3--fellowship; 1 John 1:6--fellowship; 1 John 1:7--fellowship). Are you getting a grasp of the depth of this word?

"Fellowship" is about sharing life with another; it's about giving for the sake of others in need; it's about deep relationships and intimacy; it's about joining others as partners to accomplish God-honoring goals; it's about recognizing that life is not a "lone ranger" experience; it's about recognizing that God is ever present with you and in you to comfort, empower, and strengthen you; it's about recognizing that the Christian life is a community process, not a solitary existence. ARE YOU SEEING IT? ARE YOU GETTING IT?

Fellowship isn't a meal you have in the gymnasium or basement of the church; it's not a hallway where folks drink coffee and engage in small talk. Fellowship is about the "one another's" of Scripture (e.g. Romans 12:10; Romans 12:16; Romans 13:8; Romans 14:13; Romans 14:19; Romans 15:7; Romans 15:14; Romans 16:16... just to name a few found in Romans). Fellowship is about recognizing that God has called you into relationship to Himself and to His other adopted children. In fact, He has even called you into relationship with the lost so that you might lead them to Christ (Matthew 11:19; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 9:22).

So, before this blog becomes a sermon... let me ask you a practical question: Are you regularly engaged in (biblical) fellowship? Are you partnering with your church? Are you fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit? Are you contributing to the needs of others (both physical and spiritual)? Are you "doing life" with other Christians--i.e. practicing the "one another's" of Scripture? Do you have a few people in your life with whom you have no secrets? If not, why not? Are you being discipled (mentored, invested in, etc.) by someone more mature than you in the faith? Are you discipling (mentoring, investing in, etc.) someone less mature in the faith than yourself (see 2 Timothy 2:2). Are you in a Discipleship Group (D-Group)? Are you spiritually accountable to some other people in your life?

If the above questions are real convicting--don't dwell on the guilt, just get in the game. Start. Start small. But start. Invest, give, share, open up, listen, empathize, sympathize, receive, accept, rebuke, counsel, etc. Engage in fellowship. It WILL change your life--God designed it that way.

Devoted to Prayer

Prayer is such a HUGE topic. There is so much that could be addressed when approaching this subject. People often have many questions when it comes to praying. In the end, though, I'm afraid our ongoing habit is this: we talk about prayer, but we don't actually pray.

So, that's my goal in this blog: I want to challenge you to pray more.

Now, I'm not saying that you have to pray for ________ minutes. You should take as much time as you need to pray. If you can pray about all that matters to God and you in 5 minutes... by all means, just pray for five minutes. However, I highly doubt five minutes will always be enough. If five minutes is always enough time--well, you likely don't know what you should be praying about (or what you can be praying about). But don't become a legalist. If five minutes is all you need-- FINE!

I not only want to challenge you to pray more, I also want to challenge you to use the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) as a model for your own prayers. Let's not forget that Jesus was asked by His disciples: "Lord, teach us to pray." And He did--He did teach them HOW to pray. So the Lord's Prayer isn't just for memorization (though it's good to memorize those verses), nor is it intended for recitation (though, I don't think anything is wrong or bad about repeating the Lord's prayer as a prayer). However, Jesus wants us to pray in a manner consistent with what He said in Matthew 6:9-13.

We should think about God as our "heavenly Father". What does that mean? What does that truth mean to you? Have you pondered lately the truth that you are God's adopted son or daughter? Have you pondered what it cost God to supply that privilege to you?

Do you regard (or treat) God as holy? That's what Jesus meant when He prayed: "Hallowed by Thy name". He is wanting us to pray that God be treated as holy in this earth... and in case you haven't noticed, most people (even in the church) don't see God in the beauty of His holiness.

Do you want Jesus to be the King and Lord of your life? Do you want God's will accomplished on this earth? Do you seek to obey the King of Kings? Do you want others to obey the King? Do you long for the day when Jesus will return and establish His eternal Kingdom forever? If so, get praying: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

What do you have need of? Do you need money for your rent? Do you have food to eat? Do you have enough money to share with those who are in need? Do the missionaries you care about have all of their needs met? Is someone you love ill and in need of healing? Do you need more patience? Are you lacking self-control in some area? Does your pastor need God's anointing for his preaching (he does!)? Then pray: "Give us this day our daily bread." NOTICE: we pray for today's grace, not tomorrow's or next week's.

Have you sinned lately? Trust me, I already know the answer to that. Confess, repent, lay out your transgressions before the Lord and He will be faithful to forgive and cleanse you (1 John 1:9). What a blessing--Jesus paid for our sin debt in full. We are forgiven by His grace (Ephesians 1:7). Still, God calls us to confess in prayer: "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

Any besetting sins in your life (Hebrews 12:1)? Are there one or two sins that you just can't seem to defeat? Ask for help. Ask the Spirit to give you the spiritual power to kill the sin in your life (Romans 8:13). Depend on Christ--who lives in you and who was sinless in His earthly life--to empower you to say NO to sin and YES to righteousness. Pray: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

Will you do it? Will you devote yourself to prayer? Will you commit to obeying the Apostle Paul today (and every day)?? He said, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That doesn't mean pray instead of go to work. It means pray while you are at work. It doesn't mean pray instead of driving your car, it means pray while driving your car. Ultimately, God wants you to stay in ongoing, continual contact with Him all day. In other words, never "hang up the phone" when it comes to talking to God--keep the line open and speak to Him regularly. He delights to spend time with you.

"Lord Jesus, teach us TO pray." Amen.

When Coming to the Scriptures

Well, we're in the midst of this mini-series of blogs on being devoted, and we're chatting about Acts 2:42. In particular, we looked last time at being devoted to the Apostles' teaching/doctrine. In fact, I tried to supply some information about the doctrine of inspiration as well as suggest some vital resources that can certainly help you become a better student of the Scriputres.

Today, I'd like to offer some practical "how to" suggestions for when you read/study your Bible.

Assuming you wish to do more than simply "get through" a "read the Bible in a year" chart... here are some things I suggest you do. First, find a place to read/study. Yes, it can (and should) be comfortable, but not so comfortable that you'll fall asleep within the first 2 minutes of your reading. I like at least a table (I prefer a desk) where I can lay my Bible(s) open, have a notepad handy, as well as a pen or pencil. Assuming you believe the Bible is God's Word, wouldn't you want to take notes on something God Almighty--the Creator of heaven and earth--is about to say to you??? If God convicts of you something while studying, don't you think it might be wise to write that down? "But Jason," you say, "It's already written down in the Bible." Yes, I know--but I think you will see His command to you as more personal if you jot it down for your own benefit and application.

Second, if you can afford to have several translations available--get them (I suggest an NASB/ESV for a literal translation, an NIV for a dynamic equivalent, and the NLT for a more common/contemporary language translation). When you see great discrepancies, it is possible that there may be some translation/interpretation issues going on in that passage or text. What do I mean? I mean Greek and Hebrew can sometimes be challenging to translate into English, and when a few verses seem very different when you read them in various translations, you may need to scout out some help (commentaries, pastors, study Bible notes, etc.).

Third, and I should have said this first, BUT I am saying it loudly and boldly: BEFORE YOU READ AND STUDY YOUR BIBLE, PRAY. Ask God to help you understand His Word (Psalm 119:18; Luke 24:45; John 3:27, 16:13; Ephesians 1:17-19; 1 John 2:27).

Fourth, ask questions of the text you are reading... and let the TEXT answer them. The Bible says, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). Ask the big six: who, what, when, where, why, and how? Who is being spoken of here? ANSWER: Jesus. What did Jesus do? ANSWER: He wept. Two answers to two questions... and guess what, there isn't a lot left in verse 35 to answer any other questions. Now, it's obviously not always that easy--but that's the process. If you were to ask where Jesus wept, verse 35 would not help you, but verses 34 and 38 would. So ask lots of questions, but let the Bible answer them... when you do, your theology will be based on the Bible and not your assumptions, presuppositions, preconceived ideas, personal opinions, etc.

Fifth, if you have questions that don't seem to be answered, jot them down on paper and keep them "close". As you ask questions on paper, ask God in prayer for answers too. You may be surprised that in a month or two you may find an answer when you're studying another passage or another book of the Bible. Some questions will always remain (Deuteronomy 29:29a), but you will be surpised how much you can learn after years of Bible study.

Sixth, when you study a passage of Scripture, re-read the text at least 10 times before jumping to any conclusions. The best thing you can do to understand the Bible is to read it over and over again. What's more, learn this process: 1) Read to observe (find out what the text says), 2) read to interpret (discern what the text means), and 3) read to apply (make sure you have some action steps from your study... you will either have a truth to believe, a promise to claim, a sin to avoid, a command to obey, an example to follow, etc.). Observation has to do with simply understanding and comprehending what the words mean in any given sentence, paragraph, passage, chapter, book, etc. Interpretation has to do with grasping what the original author intended for his original audience to understand. And application has to do with you drawing some practical conclusions from what the Bible says and means for your life.

Seventh, look for the main point of a passage. Try to discover how the other verses or sentences support that main idea. You may wish to try and outline the passage you are reading.

Eighth, and this should have been mentioned sooner too--but do some background research on the book you are studying. If you have a study Bible, read the introductory material. Who is the author, when was the book written, what were the circumstances surrounding the book, who were the original recipients, etc.???? (Commentaries are great for this purpose too). What type of literary genre is it? Is it poetry, historical narrative, a teaching letter, prophecy, etc??? If you don't know, resources are out there to help you ("How to Read the Bible Book by Book" By Gordan Fee & Douglas Stuart). You don't interpret a poem like you do a letter from the Apostle Paul.

Ninth, once you've done the hard work: 1) praying, 2) reading your background material, 3) reading and re-reading the text, 4) comparing translations, 5) asking questions of the text, 6) looking for the main point of the passage, 7) ensuring you know what certain words mean which you were unfamilar with, 8) outlining the passage, 9) jotting down ways this text can and should be applied to your life... thank God for His Word! God just spoke to you and His Word will change your life (John 8:32; 13:17).

Finally, be a doer of the Word (James 1:22). Don't just acquire Bible truth, apply Bible truth. Learning is for living when it comes to reading your Bible. And the blessing ONLY comes when you put into practice what you have learned.

My prayer is that we all will be devoted to the Scriptures (i.e. we will dedicate ourselves to the study of God's Word so that we might become more like Jesus, glorify God with our lives, and share God's truth and good news with others for their edification).

Devoted to the Apostles' Teaching

Practically, when we observe that the early disciples of Christ devoted themselves to the Apostles' doctrine (i.e. teaching), we conclude that we--as present day Christians--should be devoted to their teachings too... and their teachings are recorded for us (thankfully) in the Holy Bible.

That's why we spend time (as Christians) in the Word. It's in the Word that we discover the teachings of the early leaders of the church. We read from Matthew, John, Paul, Luke, James, Peter, and others. These were men who either sat at the Lord's feet themselves, or who were closely associated with those who did. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, they were empowered to write down on "paper" exactly what God wanted them to. In short, I'm referring to the doctrine of inspiration. Listen to this definition from the pen of Dr. Chuck Swindoll: the doctrine of inspiration is "the supernatural act of God whereby He so directed human authors of Scripture that, without destroying their individuality, literary style, or personality, His complete and connected thought toward humanity was received/recorded without error or contradiction--each word being supernaturally written and preserved so as to result in an infallible document in the origianl writings." [Check out these Scriptures as you ponder that definition: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21.]

Why am I taking the time to have you ponder the doctrine of inspiration? Because it's important for you (and every saint) to trust in the reliability of Scripture. In other words, if you are not convinced that God's holy, infallible and inspired (i.e. God-breathed) words are contained in the Bible, you will likely not invest your time reading the Book (of all books). However, I will also add this point: I believe God gives a hunger to each one of His children for the Scriptures, AND I also believe that a truly converted man or woman will seek to know and apply to his or her life the principles found within the Word of God (see 1 Peter 2:2 and John 8:31).

So let's get practical. Do you hunger for God's Word? Are you "feeding yourself" regularly? If you don't feel comfortable "feeding yourself", are you at least allowing someone else (more mature in the faith) to "feed you"? The truth is you need both. You need to meditate on the Word of God yourself (even as God exhorted Joshua--see Joshua 1:8), and you need to sit under godly and trained men who are gifted by God to teach and equip the church (that's the role of a pastor-teacher--see Ephesians 4:11-12). What's more, as followers of Christ, we are called to not just hear the Word (i.e. take it in), but obey (apply) it as well (John 13:17; James 1:22).

Obviously, there are some challenges to reading, understanding, interpreting, and applying the Scriptures to our life. So, let me suggest some resources that may help you grow in your ability to be a better student of the Book.

Basic "How to" books on the Bible:

"How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" by: Douglas Stuart & Gordon Fee

"Living by the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible" by: Howard Hendricks & William Hendricks

"The New How to Study Your Bible" by: Kay Arthur; David Arthur & Pete De Lacy

Various Reference Tools--Commentaries, Handbooks, Dictionaries, etc.:

"MacArthur Bible Commentary" and "MacArthur Bible Handbook" By: Dr. John MacArthur

"Ryken's Bible Handbook" By: Leland Ryken; Philip Ryken & James Wilhoit

"What's in the Bible" By: R.C. Sproul & Robert Wolgemuth

"The New Unger's Bible Dictionary" By: Merrill F. Unger

"A Bible Concordance" (Choose one which matches your Bible translation and which is exhaustive)

"Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words" By: W.E. Vine; Merrill Unger & William White Jr.

Study Bibles I would recommend:

"The Reformation Study Bible" (available in NKJV or ESV)

"The ESV Study Bible"

"The NIV or NASB Study Bible" (By Zondervan)

"The MacArthur Study Bible" (available in NKJV, NASB, or ESV)

OK... this blog has gotten too long. I'll come back next time and chat more about devoting ourselves to the Word (practical tips when reading/studying the Bible).