Radical?

 Today is a short post.

The Bible study I am a part of has recently started reading the book Radical by David Platt.  So far it has been very interesting.  The discussions have only moved us through chapter two, but I see where Platt is going, and I like it.  Last night one of the biggest discussions was churches use of technology.  In particular, whether or not it helps or hinders our worship.  I found this a difficult question to answer.  But best I can think here is where I am at:

Technology is not intrinsically bad.  In fact, it was created by God, so it is good.  We (humans) have a knack for twisting a perverting God's glorious creation.  With that being said I believe technology to be a catalyst to worship.  A feeding stream, if you will, into the river which is full worship of God.  Technology can be used for good if it is not distracting and actually helps the worshiper worship. It is bad if it becomes all about the technology and less and less about the God we are there to worship.  Also, when I look at Jesus' sermons it seems that he usually set the stage to teach; i.e. feeding the 5,000 or healing a sick man.  His follow-up is crucial though.  As soon as he had done a miracle or attracted the people he taught unhindered, unashamed truth.  So, best as I can figure, if technology is used in a way to bring people to a place where they can hear sound Biblical truth, then it is good.

I am curious what the select few people that read this have to say.  Shoot me a facebook message or comment here if you have time.

True Social Work

Today was an interesting experience in my school's chapel service.  They had a man there who started a company called Project 7.  At first glance the company and business model seemed really great.  He was a Christian selling goods that consumers already buy and using the profit to help feed families or give a village clean water.  There is more to it than that, but you can follow the link to see for yourself.  He said his whole goal of his business was for it to be his ministry.  That ministry can be in the workplace, not just in church.  He is right.  He said all these things about giving food, water, and schooling.  All good things.  But there was never once a mention of sharing the gospel. 

He was even asked if his work was founded on the Gospel and his response was something to the effect of "I don't think we need to give out tracts before every cup of water."  In the most literal instance I guess he is right.  I like what my friend Taylor tweeted after chapel, "Social work must be grounded in the redeeming Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not coffee." 

I don't want to sound like I am completely bashing the man and his business.  I think his heart is in the right place.  However, I think there is a lot of confusion about teaching, preaching, and sharing the Gospel message.  Soul saving news should not be hidden behind a bottle of water or a cup of coffee. How much bigger of an impact would companies like Toms and Project 7 have if they truly used their business to proclaim the Gospel everywhere?  I am terrible about seizing opportunities to share this news, but I am constantly reminded that it should always be at the tip of my tongue.  Just like so many people I try to replace teaching the Gospel with good deeds.  My good deeds couldn't save me, so why would they be able to save someone else?

I think Paul in his second letter to Timothy said it best. "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:  Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Trains

You know those times when it just feels like everything is going perfect? The weather is amazing, school/work is not that busy, and you are actually getting into the Word on the regular. That was my last two weeks.  It was awesome.  It was one of those times when I knew everything was right.  And then I got hit by a train.  This trains cargo was temptation, guilt, and laziness. I honestly think the weight of a large coal train would have been lighter. 

Everything that I worked so hard at to accomplish became easy. It was second nature. I thought that is what a Christian was striving towards. For all our Christiany things to become natural. In fact I still think it is our goal. So why has it been so hard. Why do I feel this weight now?

For one thing I think Satan doesn't like anyone striving to study and worship God.  While I think that is a big part of it, I don't know if that is a main reason or not. What I do know is that my attitude was so selfish in all those Christian actions.  It was as though I said to myself, "if I do this or that, I will get or feel x and y." 

I need to be in God's word so that I can battle sin and overcome temptation.  So that I can love my neighbor and live a right life. I know these things. But every day my biggest struggle is remembering that those things are not done by myself. God must give me the strength and ability to do those things. It is not about me. My actions don't save.

Plans

I have found myself extremely distracted the last few days.  My future plans, dreams, and goals sitting at the forefront of my mind.  These thoughts have been weighing on me.  My career in ministry and serving in the Army seem to be coming so fast.  It seems as though I have a billion decisions to make regarding both.  Do I try to go active duty? Or guard? Or do I try to apply for seminary and an academic delay from the Army?  And that is just a few of the questions I have to answer before too long. 

I think part of the reason these question are bugging me so much is the responsibility and "grown-upness" that comes with them.  I rather enjoy the minimal responsibility  and fun of college.  The even more weighty issue with the questions is the question that follows: What if I choose wrong? 

These are the things that are plaguing my sleep.  I lay there wondering what my future holds, because it seems to be looming just around the bend.  And then I think to myself, "why are you even worrying?"  Either way I will have a job, or an opportunity for even more training in Bible study and ministry. 

I, like everyone else I know, like to control things.  I want to know what is going to happen in my life.  The problem I am facing is that the more I study and read scripture, the more I am seeing God wants that control.  It is not something new.  Just something I am learning on a more first hand basis.  So today I am praying for help loving God by actually trusting Him and his sovereign plans. 

To My Mentors

This morning I started to study 1 Thessalonians.  I love reading Paul's letters.  They are always encouraging and convicting.  I only read chapter one today, but it was just what I needed.  It gave me some affirmation and a realization of how truly blessed I am.

I grew up in a Christian home and in a very solid church.  That is what I have known my whole entire life.  I have always had my parents as role models.  Besides them my youth pastor became a great mentor and friend.  He then introduced me to another pastor who took me under his wing.  There has never been a time in my life when I have not had a Godly example to follow. 

Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians commends them for their faith.  He praises them for following his example and then living their life as an example for others.  I believe he truly understood the Christian life.  It is about learning to live like Christ through the example of others, and then taking on that same role for others.  Paul's example would have been deemed of little value by the churches if they ignored it. 

All of my mentors have played large roles in my development into an adult and in my Christian walk.  I hope that each day I look more and more like Christ and less like myself.  There would be no greater compliment to those that showed me the way.

"And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia."-1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

Unexplainable

I love Ravi Zacharias.  Just listening to him makes me feel smart.  His podcasts are always enlightening, and usually a bit confusing.  I am currently reading a book by him titled The Real Face of Atheism.  It, like the podcasts, has a vast amount of vocabulary I am not familiar with.  However, his point still remains clear.  Atheism, and science in particular, never take solid steps with their logic.  The world we live in is too complex, too awe-inspiring to just wipe away the possibility of a creator. 

A quote by Aldous Huxley found at the beginning of the second chapter caught my attention.  "Science has 'explained' nothing; the more we know, the more fantastic the world becomes, and the profounder the surrounding darkness."  What peaked my interest about this quote is the truth it holds for science and creation, but for the very nature of the God we serve and worship. 

I like to think I know God.  But I don't.  I go to class after class learning how to study the Bible better, how church history effects us today, even how to read Greek.  I have three Bibles in my room and countless versions accessible online, yet I still don't fully know God.  He is the great mystery. Yet he came to us in the most recognizable of terms. As man!  He was one of us. 

It seems the more I discover, the more questions I have.  Yet, I am oddly comfortable with this.  Think about it.  Imagine a god which could be completely figured out and understood by human thought.  No thanks.  Instead I put my hope and faith in Him.  In the Father I can't fully grasp, in the Son who was killed for living perfectly, and in the Holy Spirit who I can't see.  I am thankful for the God who is unfigureoutable.  I am so grateful for a God who works in unexpected ways. 

Gifts

Yesterday was a day full of gifts.  At church the pastor preached through Romans 12:3-8, a passage which covers spiritual gifts.  Later that afternoon I spent time visiting with friends and family from home.  They informed me that their church covered spiritual gifts as well.  It was an uneventful day.  Perfect weather outside, yet too much snow still on the ground to really take advantage.  So I did what any normal college student does...ignored my homework.  I decided to go to chapel last night, and guess what? More spiritual gifts!  Maybe it is all coincidence, but I doubt it.  I try not to think of the God I serve and worship as one of happenstance. 

Leaving church yesterday I left with a sort of worried feeling.  What my pastor had said was spot-on.  That was a problem.  While covering the topic of teaching he had us turn to Ephesians 4:11-12 which says, "and he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ".   This shouldn't be a scary thing, right? I am just a student.  I am no teacher or evangelist.  Or maybe that is the problem. 

I did a fairly good job of ignoring this whole thing until chapel, when it came up for the third time.  So I started to ponder the real question at the heart of this issue.  Am I helping or hindering the building up of the body?  If I start to look at life through this lens more often maybe I won't miss an opportunity to share the gospel next time.  Or maybe I will see the brother or sister who needs a little support.  I was worried because I know I ignore these things so often. 

I am studying to be a teacher, so this passage hit home.  But it shouldn't just hit home with me.  We are all called to teach, minister, and proclaim the gospel.  Every member of God's church has a calling and gift that is meant to build up the body of Christ.  When that gets ignored, it is uglier than watching the number one ranked basketball team play with a point-guard who never passes.

Where Are All the Men?

I am addicted to the show Friends.  And yes, I am aware that this statement seems contrary to the title of this post.  However, there is a correlation. 

Last night I was sitting in my friends room and an episode where Chandler finds Joey making pot-holders and Ross applying makeup happened to be on.  Obviously the whole premise was a joke, but Chandler made an exclamation that made me ponder. After seeing both his friends participating in very feminine activities he asks, "Where are all the men?!"  The writers of Friends probably did not have any real message behind the episode, but I believe they touched on a truly pervasive social problem today. 

What is manliness anyway?  When I was a kid I thought it was some awkward combination between doing good things and John Wayne.  Today it seems most people frown upon the John Wayne image of manliness.  In fact, it seems if you don't have feminine qualities society thinks you are wrong. 

For a much better written post on the same subject: http://community.artofmanliness.com/profiles/blogs/a-biblical-look-at-manhood

Biblical Manhood:

    ⁃    Firm in Faith
    ⁃    Repentant
    ⁃    Humble
    ⁃    Strong
    ⁃    Courageous
    ⁃    Leads
    ⁃    All of these in love

Also a list of things that are not manly:

    ⁃    Dudes wearing chick pants
    ⁃    Spending more time on your hair than your mom/sister/girlfriend
    ⁃    Wearing eyeliner
    ⁃    Watching the Notebook without being forced
    ⁃    Not playing football with friends when you have the chance

No thanks St. Francis

"Preach the gospel at all times -- If necessary, use words."-St. Francis of Assisi

This quote, which has been attributed to St. Francis, Mother Teresa, and probably even King James himself, has been ingrained into Christian culture about as much as John 3:16.  I have heard it quoted in sermon after sermon.  I have never really questioned the saying.  After all, didn't some saint or some famous nun say it?  It is not until very recently that I have started questioning the validity of this statement. 

Actions are great.  We are called to do works all throughout scripture.  James tells us our faith is dead without them.  My struggle is this: Do my actions truly preach the Gospel message? The quick answer to that question is no.  I see people do nice things every day, and very rarely do I catch myself commenting on seeing Jesus through their actions.  This might be as serious a problem as not sharing the Gospel, but that is a whole different topic.

Another problem I have with the quote is its demeaning attitude towards words and preaching.  In Jesus' own ministry there was a struggle between actions and verbal teaching.  However, it was not a struggle of balance, rather a struggle for the observers.  John 6 tells the story of Jesus feeding the five-thousand. After he had fed them and left, the crowds followed.  Jesus understanding their hearts said, "...you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves."  Jesus ministry was marked by healing and by preaching.  He walked the walk and talked the talk. Shouldn't I?

My biggest struggle with this famous quote is the handicap it has put on my own life.  For years I have hid behind it.  Scared to even mutter a single word of the Gospel message, I would justify it by "doing good deeds".  It has so often served as my crutch.  Instead of stating a simple "by faith through grace" message I do the equivalent of helping the elderly cross the street.  It sure looks good to passers-by, but leads no one towards salvation. 

I am sure that in many people's lives this quote has been meaningful, even helpful.  In my own life, however, I am finding that it leads me to be like the Pharisees, for whom Jesus declares, "For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness." Matt 23:27

Apathy

Attending an "inter-denominational" Christian University means I get to see a myriad of ideas about faith.  Usually it is fun to see how others worship the Creator.  I love being in class and studying the Bible every day.  Unfortunately over the last couple of years I have noticed a trend in Christianity that frightens me.  It is best summarized in a phrase that has become like nails on a chalkboard to me: "We just need to love them where they are at." 

When I read the Gospel accounts of Jesus' I do not find this attitude.  In fact the start of His ministry in Matthew's account starts by stating, "..Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand" Matt 4:17. 

I am tired of serving a god that loves us where we are at.  The God of Scripture loves us always, but calls us to holiness, not mediocrity!  If Jesus only loved the disciples where they were, Matthew would have continued collecting taxes.  Peter, Andrew, James, and John would have continued their fishing lives. 

Jesus was not apathetic towards sin.  If he was he would not have preached repentance.  I live an apathetic lifestyle every day.  Worldly acceptance has replaced true love in so many areas of my life.  I "love them where they are" all the time.  I love myself where I am even more. 

As Christians we have been blessed by God with a message that holds eternal consequences.  It is time to stop being apathetic.

"For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God ? Or am I striving to please men ? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." Galations 1:10

Bold

I used to not like John MacArthur.  Mostly because I associated him with John Piper, who I still don't enjoy all that much.  He spits way too much.  But that is neither here nor there. 

Over Christmas break I picked up a book by MacArthur title "The Jesus You Can't Ignore".  I started reading it and was hooked.  I am still reading it but it has truly captured my attention.  For the first time in probably a year I am actually analyzing my actions.  Are they glorifying?  Do they help or hurt others?  Most importantly, are they bold statements of allegiance to Jesus Christ, or are they weak attempts to look moral without having to be "Christian"?

The scary part is I have found myself hiding 99% of the time.  I am tired of the hiding.  Tired of running from people and opinions that do not effect (side bar: still don't know whether to use effect or affect in this context.) my eternity. If I am following Jesus, why am I not acting like him?  He was bold!  Bold with the Samaritan woman.  Bold in his healings in Capernaum, Galilee, and Jerusalem.  He was not afraid to tell the Pharisees they were living wrong. 

It seems so often that people either hide or yell and scream without love.  I desire to live boldy, always speaking truth with love and grace.  If my words offend I hope it is because the Holy Spirit is convicting, not because I acted without tact. 

As my dad has said, "Us Schonebooms are dreamers."  It is a lofty dream, but one I think must be sought.



"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."-John 3:36