Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 56

A Tale of Two Journeys, Part Two: Elijah’s Faithful Journey

1 Kings tells us of two men. Ahab and Elijah, who two took very different life journeys. I showed you Ahab’s journey, and now I want to show you Elijah’s journey.  

If you find yourself in a hard place at a dark time, do not be surprised at this. This is the way God works. It is true that God raises up men and women who walk on the narrow path. And that is what God did in Elijah. 

Meet Elijah 

Elijah just appears on the scene. We’re not told anything about his father, his mother or his background. We know very little about Tishbe, the place he’s from, but Elijah is God’s man. God brings out his brightest light in the hardest place at the darkest time.  

Try to imagine the scene. Elijah wakes up one day saying, “Today is the day I’m going to tell the truth to the king?” Somehow Elijah arrives in Samaria, gets into the presence of the king and says, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1). 

We are not told that Elijah spoke to the king in his palace, but that seems like the most natural place. How did he pull this off? There must have been all kinds of security there. I don’t suppose the king was sitting there waiting to welcome visitors. 

One man who is going in a different direction in a darkening culture—where did he find that kind of courage? 

He Stood in the Presence of God 

As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand… (1 Kings 17:1) 

What does it mean to stand before the Lord? Picture the palace as Elijah walks up to Ahab. Around the room there are servants, and they are waiting to do whatever the king commands. 

The driver of Ahab’s chariot stands before him ready to move at his word. 

The waiter stands before Ahab, ready to serve food or drink at the movement of his finger. All around the room the king’s servants stand before him ready at any moment to respond to his direction. 

Elijah looks around the room at the men and women who stand before Ahab, and he says “I stand before the Lord.” To stand before the Lord means to come to the place where you are ready, available, and responsive to whatever he commands you to do. In the darkness, we need men and women who are standing before the Lord. Is that you? 

He Believed the Word of God 

What could Elijah do? Here is one man, surrounded by a tide of evil, more flagrant than in any previous generation. What can he do? 

He could believe the Word of God. Elijah did not have the Bible as we have it today. What he would have had is the first five books of Moses, and the history of Joshua, Judges and the books of Samuel. That’s about the first 300 pages of my Bible. 

Elijah was a man of the Word, and as he searched the Scriptures, he would have found this promise: 

Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then… [God] will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain… (Deuteronomy 11:16-17) 

This is the Word of God—the part of Scripture to which Elijah would have had access. If his people turned aside and served other gods and worshipped them, God said there would be no rain. 

Under Ahab this “turning aside” was happening. Not just a few altars to Baal here and there, but a house of Baal constructed and dedicated by the king himself. God’s own people were worshipping idols. 

So Elijah began to pray, “O, God, what you warned about is everywhere. Nobody cares about your Word. They think your Word is only words. They think it is only sociology, only psychology. Do what you said.” 

He Prayed for the Will of God 

Elijah… prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. (James 5:17) 

Elijah not only said it wouldn’t rain, and he also prayed it wouldn’t rain. If there’s no rain for three years cattle die and people die. Three years of famine would ruin the economy. He prayed fervently that God would wreck the economy of his own beloved nation! What kind of prayer is that? 

Even though Elijah himself would personally share in the suffering, he prayed that it would happen—why? There can only be one answer: Here’s a man who cares more about God’s glory than his own comfort. He cares more about peoples’ eternal destiny than their physical well-being. 

There was no doubt about the greatest need of the people in Elijah’s mind: “God, people need to know you live! Whatever it takes in this world for them to know that you are God, do it, so they don’t perish without you in the next.” 

It is better to endure any suffering in this world and turn to God than to enjoy any comfort in this world and to live without him. 

He Spoke in the Name of God 

“As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” (1 Kings 17:1) 

Standing before the Lord gave Elijah courage to stand before the king. His engagement with the Word and his submission to God’s will would enable Elijah to speak the truth to the king. 

“The Lord the God of Israel lives!” Ahab had never thought about that. He had thought of religion as a branch of sociology to be manipulated for the benefit of politics, an expression of human spirituality, a force in the community that could be used for good social purposes. He had never seriously considered that there was a God who really is. 

Suddenly, perhaps for the first time, the thought enters Ahab’s mind: What if there really is a God? What if the Lord, the God of Israel lives?

Photo Credit: Unplash 

Key Connections: Disobedient King, George Whitefield, and more…

Here are my favorite quotes from key Christian articles around the web, including a disobedient king, George Whitefield’s conversion, and more!

A Tale of Two Journeys, Part One: Ahab’s Disobedient Journey (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

Anger is not God’s natural state. The pagans believed in gods who were angry by nature. The Bible tells us that God is love. That is his nature. He doesn’t have to be provoked to love; He is love. The Bible never says that God is anger.

Is Christ Enough for You? (Augustus Lopez, Ligonier Ministries)

As a result of being united to Christ, believers have already received graciously from God perfection, wholeness, fullness, and satisfaction. The ultimate gnōsis of God is actually in Christ. He is the mystery of God, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:2–3), something infinitely superior to the gnōsis offered by the false teachers.

Blessed Are The Meek (Jennifer Hesse, Servants of Christ)

To be meek means “enduring injury with patience and without resentment,” according to Merriam-Webster. Meekness implies several fruits of the Spirit – patience, humility, gentleness, and long-suffering. Against such things, there is no law (Galatians 5:23), yet we rarely aspire to develop these less flashy characteristics. Instead, we often view meekness as weakness and label it as being passive, timid, or cowardly.

If You’re a Christian, You Have One Job (J. D. Greear)

That word “commission” means “individual assignment.” It is something given specifically to each of us in God’s family. God doesn’t just have this great, big, global mission that he assigns to the church at large. He also has an individual assignment—a commission—for you. He has a purpose for your time, talents, and treasures in the church.

A Short Recounting of George Whitefield’s Conversion (Allen Nelson, Things Above)

“It is said that George Whitefield, the great evangelist, preached on this text, ‘Ye must be born again’ [John 3, KJV] more than three thousand times. One day a friend said to him, ‘Mr. Whitefield, why do you preach so often on that text?’ Mr. Whitefield replied, ‘Because ye must be born again.’

Key Connections: Disobedient King, George Whitfield, and more…

Here are my favorite quotes from key Christian articles around the web, including a disobedient king, George Whitfield’s conversion, and more!

A Tale of Two Journeys, Part One: Ahab’s Disobedient Journey (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

Anger is not God’s natural state. The pagans believed in gods who were angry by nature. The Bible tells us that God is love. That is his nature. He doesn’t have to be provoked to love; He is love. The Bible never says that God is anger.

Is Christ Enough for You? (Augustus Lopez, Ligonier Ministries)

As a result of being united to Christ, believers have already received graciously from God perfection, wholeness, fullness, and satisfaction. The ultimate gnōsis of God is actually in Christ. He is the mystery of God, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:2–3), something infinitely superior to the gnōsis offered by the false teachers.

Blessed Are The Meek (Jennifer Hesse, Servants of Christ)

To be meek means “enduring injury with patience and without resentment,” according to Merriam-Webster. Meekness implies several fruits of the Spirit – patience, humility, gentleness, and long-suffering. Against such things, there is no law (Galatians 5:23), yet we rarely aspire to develop these less flashy characteristics. Instead, we often view meekness as weakness and label it as being passive, timid, or cowardly.

If You’re a Christian, You Have One Job (J. D. Greear)

That word “commission” means “individual assignment.” It is something given specifically to each of us in God’s family. God doesn’t just have this great, big, global mission that he assigns to the church at large. He also has an individual assignment—a commission—for you. He has a purpose for your time, talents, and treasures in the church.

A Short Recounting of George Whitfield’s Conversion (Allen Nelson, Things Above)

“It is said that George Whitefield, the great evangelist, preached on this text, ‘Ye must be born again’ [John 3, KJV] more than three thousand times. One day a friend said to him, ‘Mr. Whitefield, why do you preach so often on that text?’ Mr. Whitefield replied, ‘Because ye must be born again.’

When You Doubt, Seek His Face

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; 
be gracious to me and answer me! 
You have said, “Seek my face.” 
My heart says to you, 
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
Hide not your face from me. 
(Psalm 27:7-9) 

There was a time in my life when I questioned my faith. It wasn’t overt but rather it was a quiet doubt—more like, “Yeah, right” than, “There is no God and I hate him.” I just wasn’t so sure anymore, and skepticism grew like an older child with the Santa Claus mythology. Was someone putting me on about this Jesus character?

My doubt manifested in a dull emotional ache, like a mild cold of the soul. I wasn’t really aware of it. But I was certainly doubting the gospel, and it affected me. The hope I once clung to seemed to be fading.  

Nearly all believers, if they are honest, have moments of doubt similar to mine. These moments could last a minute or a year. But while it may be common, but it’s also deadly serious. Doubt is the symptom of an unbelieving heart, and if left alone, doubt can strangle our faith.

So what do we do? 

Believe with Your Heart and Soul and Yes—Your Mind 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) 

The Christian faith is intellectually and philosophically viable. We do not drop our brains and follow Christ. No, following Jesus should be an engagement of the whole person: heart, soul, and mind. 

When we have doubts, we should not run from the topic of apologetics—we should run to it. Engage your mind. If you have questions that bother you, seek the answers. Consider Proverbs 18:15:  

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. 

If there is a headwind of intellectual doubt blowing against you, do not turn the other way. Lean forward to confront your doubts, be it philosophically, scientifically, or historically. Seek knowledge. Do not merely doubt your faith; doubt your doubts. Once your doubts have borne scrutiny, their weakness will be evident.  

Proverbs, a book laden with wisdom, begins by setting one important ground rule: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). In seeking answers to our questions, we should do so in awe and reverence of God. Sit under the Word of God not as a critic but as an eager student. 

Crinkly Pages of Eternal Power 

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) 

Oh, the power of Scripture. Whether you have doubts or your faith is as strong as ever, the Bible is a powerful treasure. It is an endless mine of wisdom and truth. What’s beautiful about Scripture is that the Spirit applies the Word to us personally, convicting us and comforting us as needed. Not a letter is wasted. Each divinely-inspired word is a hand-crafted gift from God. 

Consider the comprehensiveness of Scripture. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul tells Timothy: 

The Bible is useful for teaching. The Bible is useful for reproof and correction. The Bible is useful for training in righteousness. The Bible is sufficient to make the Christian complete.  

If you have doubts, search the Scriptures. Thumb through the crinkly pages of eternal truth. Read Proverbs and tell me the Bible isn’t wise. Read the Sermon on the Mount and see if you aren’t in love with the heart of Christ. Or, read Lamentations and see if your stomach doesn’t turn. Browse Song of Solomon and try not to blush.  

The Bible is beautiful, true, and captivating. It is a supernatural document, as the Spirit of God helps to illuminate the truth within in an intimate and completely personal way as we read it. The entire Bible is about Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation. 

So if you have doubts (or if you don’t), approach Scripture with reverence and respect. You may not understand every sentence, but if you read it your soul will be refreshed. You will be changed as you read the Bible, and it’s quite possible your doubts will melt in the light of the glory of God.  

What is Faith Anyway? 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) 

Learning to address our doubts is not mere intellectual ascent; it is strengthening of our hope. Yes, we must have conviction of things that we cannot see—and sometimes that can be hard. But if we can learn to deal with our doubts, we will forge our faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result, we will be more convinced of our eternal hope. 

Doubts do not signify a dying faith, and the mere fact that we have doubts should not cause us to despair. Times of doubt are in fact wonderful opportunities to learn more about God, and if that knowledge turns to worship, you could say doubt is more than worth it. 

Our joy is tied up in our awe of God’s glory. And thus, if our doubts and questions—uncomfortable though they may be—cause us to trudge through tough times which eventually lead to deeper union with Christ, we can learn to engage with our doubts in eager expectation of future joy. 

When I had my doubts, it felt like my soul was sick with a cold. But when, by God’s grace, I navigated through my time of doubt, it was like my soul was refreshed. I was not only well from the malaise; I was better than before.  

Do not despair when you doubt. Lean into the Lord in eager expectation of a renewed and strengthened hope.  

Photo Credit: Unsplash

How the Cross Enlivens Friendship

Perhaps you’ve noticed the decline of friendship in contemporary culture. It’s common nowadays to have relationships through Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, without any face-to-face contact. We “friend” and “follow” one another on Facebook, people we’ve not actually met. We participate in online “communities,” even though self-disclosure is limited to the superficial bits.  

In other segments of culture, we see a hunger for transparency and vulnerability in a string of “bromantic” comedies such as Superbad or I Love You, Man—films in which two guys learn how to maintain a platonic relationship that entails a level of candor. It’s also been seen in television programs such as Broadchurch where main characters grapple with one another’s shortcomings. In either case, the message is clear: friendship is difficult.  

The Challenge of Friendship

It’s not a new problem. Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430) was among the first Christian thinkers to explain the difficulty of finding and keeping friendships. Near the end of his City of God he writes:

There is no greater consolation than the unfeigned loyalty and mutual love of good men who are true friends. (19.8)

But this gift of friendship, according to Augustine, always involves a measure of trepidation and heartache. He continues:

We become apprehensive… [that these friends] may fail us in faithfulness, turn to hate us and work us harm.  

If we were to identify the reason behind Augustine’s apprehension, we might use the word “vulnerability.” It is, simply put, the inescapable reality that genuine friendship always leaves us a bit exposed. For instance, here is how C.S. Lewis explains it: 

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable. (The Four Loves, 169)

Unfortunately, the need for vulnerability, with its attendant apprehension, keeps us from approaching others, a hesitation that impoverishes friendship. We must therefore lift our eyes above the horizon and find in the triune God the basic principles of which true friendship consists.  

Divine Friendship

In this current moment, as in ancient times, men and women crave a relationship with the divine, to somehow lay hold of a transcendent reality, something greater than ourselves. For example, in the mythologies of Egypt and around the Fertile Crescent into Mesopotamia, the relational impetus of religion was routinely driven by human initiative, an ascent from earth to a transcendent deity. Despite the frenetic activity of priests working in temples, sanctuaries, and precincts of animal sacrifice, the gods of the nations were recognized as aloof, distant, and generally unapproachable.  

This, however, was not the experience of Israel. From the beginning, the God of Abraham was decidedly unlike the gods of the nations, existing from eternity past in three distinct persons bound together in love—the supreme love of which all human friendships are merely a reflection. It is here, in the Persons of God, the purity and holiness of human friendship finds it source and inspiration.  

Furthermore, for Israel, relationship with this Triune deity was always a movement from heaven to earth, from God to humanity. It was decidedly by divine initiative. In abundant grace and mercy, the Lord didn’t simply look down, but he came down to his people: the Creator with the created, holiness with profanity.

And although frightening in that holiness, God disclosed his character in the context of Mount Sinai where he described himself as, “The LORD, the LORD, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Exodus 34:6-7).  

In revealing himself to Israel, the Lord revealed two crucial principles of godly friendship: a love that is holy and one that condescends in humility toward another person, principles that are made crystal clear in the pages of the New Testament.   

The Cruciform Shape of Friendship

The Gospel narratives reveal a quality of friendship that takes our breath away. Here we have God himself, who spoke the universe into existence by the word of his power, as a speechless baby. The incarnation of perfect love coming from the womb of a teenager, set in a humble feeding trough. In tears at the side of Lazarus’ grave, washing his disciples’ feet, and ultimately on the cross where he shed his blood to the point of death—Jesus has showcased divine love through supreme vulnerability.    

How does the cruciform love of Christ define and direct our friendships? Simply put, it rebukes our apprehensions toward vulnerability. Just as the cross of Christ involved rejection, so does friendship, calling us to love other sinful persons who may reject our affection. We realize that in many cases our love will never be reciprocated; it may even be scorned.

Nevertheless, we choose to love. Why? Because the Savior who calls us his friend has us to do the same: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).  

These are the cruciform contours of Christian friendship.

Photo Credit: Unplash

What I Completely Missed about The Ten Commandments

Growing up, I revered the Ten Commandments. My understanding of them, however, was limited in such a way that revealed my pride: They were to me a list of what I should (and could) do to earn God’s favor.  

To me, the Ten Commandments seemed an achievable measure of a sinless life. There’s only ten of them, I’d think to myself, it can’t be that hard. 

I read the Ten Commandments with me at the center. I thought God was talking about me only: Do this. Don’t do that. I thought he was telling me how I should behave in order to be a part of his family. 

I would learn the law was and is way more than this. The Ten Commandments are not pre-requisites to joining God’s people, but his response to the Israelites after he made them his people. Nor are they only about human behavior, but also about God’s character.

Through the Ten Commandments, which are given in all seriousness and severity, God graciously teaches his already adopted children how to be holy like him.  

Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount  

Thinking I could live a sinless life brought me into a place of great ignorance and naivety.  

I sinned, and I twisted the specificity of Exodus 20 to explain away my sin. For example, I placed many things before God, but, I explained to myself, I did not have any carved images I bowed down to. I hated others, but I hadn’t killed anyone. I coveted my friend’s PlayStation, but I didn’t covet their house, their wife, or their oxen! 

Did I really think that when I stood in front of the Judgment Seat I would be saved by some technicalities? 

It was Jesus who showed me how flawed my thoughts were, and how great a sinner I had always been. Read these chilling words, just one of many great truths in the sermon on the mount:  

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22)  

I call them chilling because they caused me to break out in a cold sweat, realizing I, without Christ, was liable to the hell of fire. I had not been perfect, nor could I ever be.

Jesus seems to be placing a heavy burden on people. He sets the standard unachievably high and says that anyone who slips up is “liable to the hell of fire.” And yet, Jesus will later say. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11.29-30).

How do we make sense of this?

Why Is the Standard Set So High? 

In this sermon Jesus gave from the mount, he said to those listening:  

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17) 

In other words, Jesus’s ministry did not preach that the Ten Commandments were null and void. He came to say that they were as active as ever! More than this, Jesus preaches that the commandments require more of me than I originally thought. 

More than avoiding a specific behavior, like murder, Christ reveals that perfect obedience to the law also requires one to abstain from evil thoughts against a brother! 

In Unlocking the Bible Story, Pastor Colin Smith offers some insight into why the law requires unrelenting perfection:  

Every one of the Ten Commandments… reflects some aspect of the character of God… Why should you not commit adultery? Because God is faithful… Why should you not lie? Because God is truth. (80-81) 

Far more than a man-centric to-do list, the Ten Commandments teach us about God’s perfect character. The laws are windows into God’s holiness. And it follows, then, to fulfill the law means to be God himself.  

Holiness 

Be holy, for I am holy. (Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2; 21:8; 1 Peter 1:16) 

God commands holiness. But never forget this wonderful truth about our God: God gives what he commands. He, in his grace and majesty, has provided holiness to us through the perfect life, atoning death, and death-defeating resurrection of Jesus Christ:  

For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. … I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:16, 20) 

When I re-read Matthew 5 and Exodus 20 with the above verses in mind, I can almost hear Jesus’s voice saying, “You must do these things. But you will never be able to do them on your own—you need me! Believe in me.” 

Praise Jesus, that he did not leave us after the Sermon on the Mount. God did not come down to earth only to show us our sin, though this was part of his mission. Jesus took on human flesh to pay the penalty for those sins. Jesus came so we may be reconciled back to God. 

Run Toward Lasting Joy 

Here is what I completely missed about the Ten Commandments: For the Christian, the law doesn’t push us from God, it brings us closer to him! The law, like all Scripture, graciously reveals God’s character to us. 

Without Christ, the law is frightening, “since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). With Christ, however, our sin is wiped away, and the law becomes a great gift revealing to us God’s holy, immutable nature.  

God does not keep himself secret from us. In his great mercy, our God reveals himself to us knowing that it will bring lasting joy. Through Jesus, we no longer fixate on our sins. While we still hate what is evil, we focus on what is good.   

We run toward holiness, toward lasting joy found in the Lord, with complete assurance due to our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Photo Credit: Unplash

A Tale of Two Journeys, Part One: Ahab’s Disobedient Journey

1 Kings tells us of two men. Ahab and Elijah, who two took very different life journeys. I want to show you Ahab’s disobedient journey, and then, in a second article, show you Elijah’s faithful journey.  

Meet Ahab 

Ahab came to the throne about sixty years after the death of Solomon. He was the seventh king in line after that terrible schism in which ten of the twelve tribes declared independence from the line of David’s descendants. 

Vast changes had taken place in just over half a century, “For Ahab it seemed like a light thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam” (1 Kings 16:31). 

Sins that had seemed shocking to one generation had come to seem light and trivial to the next. Older people, who could remember the days of Solomon, must have looked back and wondered, “What in the world happened in our nation? 

He Broke the Commandment of God

He took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him. (1 Kings 16:31) 

When God’s people entered the Promised Land, he gave them a clear command that they were not to marry, under any circumstances, people who worshiped idols (see Deuteronomy 7:3).  

The issue here is not interracial marriage. We know that because Ruth, a Moabitess who took refuge under the wings of the Lord, married Boaz, and took her place in the line of Christ. God smiles on the marriage of a man and a woman of a different race when they marry in the Lord.  

But God speaks clearly to his own people about entering marriage with someone who does submit to him. Ahab paid no attention to that. What did he care about old books written hundreds of years before his time? He would have said he was dealing with political realities. Assyria was growing in power and Ahab reckoned that the ten tribes of Israel needed a strong ally to bolster their defense. 

The Sidonians seemed to be the answer, and what better way to cement an alliance with them than for him to marry the crown princess, the daughter of Ethbaal, whose name was Jezebel. So that is what Ahab did. 

He Subverted the Worship of God 

He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. (1 Kings 16:32) 

In the first commandment, God says “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). What does that mean? There is only one God, but because our nature is to rebel against him, we invent other gods who fit comfortably with our pleasures. 

What is the second commandment? “You shall not make for yourselves an idol” (Exodus 20:4). It’s interesting how sin progresses in a culture. When the ten tribes in the north separated from the two tribes in the south, Jeroboam wanted to stop his people from going to Jerusalem to worship at the temple, so he set up his own places of worship in Dan and Bethel. 

Jeroboam made a golden calf for each location, and then he said, “These are your gods who brought you up out of Egypt” (1 Kings 12:28). “We are worshipping the same God, but we do it in our own place and we do it in our own way.” 

Ahab goes a step further. He doesn’t even pretend to worship God. He builds a house for Baal, “We’re going to worship in a new way. We’re done with the Bible.” Not only does he break the second commandment; he breaks the first as well. Ahab felt he had the freedom to choose his own god as well as his own lifestyle. 

He Provoked the Anger of God 

Ahab did more to provoke the Lord… to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. (1 Kings 16:33) 

The word “provoke” is important. Anger is not God’s natural state. The pagans believed in gods who were angry by nature. The Bible tells us that God is love. That is his nature. He doesn’t have to be provoked to love; He is love. The Bible never says that God is anger. But God hates evil, and when men pursue evil, he is provoked to anger. 

He Ignored the Warning of God 

In his days, Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. (1 Kings 16:34) 

What is the significance of this verse? Back in the book of Joshua, we read about the mighty act of God in which he caused the walls of Jericho to fall down. After that great victory, Joshua gave an instruction from God that no one was to rebuild the city (Joshua 6:26).  

Nothing could be clearer than this. There is a commandment of God not to rebuild this city: But what does a man like Ahab care about that? “Old documents, written hundreds of years ago, about a city whose walls fell down at the blowing of trumpets. Who believes that anymore?”  

Ahab had turned from giving any weight to the Word of God. There was money to be made in a place like Jericho, so Ahab commissioned this man Hiel to rebuild the city. 

In the time of Ahab, the people saw the books of Moses as just words, God talk. They felt that God was passive—they could do what they wanted and nothing would happen. Do you see this in our world today? People think God is only in people’s minds, not a living reality. 

Ahab’s Journey 

This is a story of the progress of evil in a person’s life and in society. It begins with disobeying the command of God. It continues by subverting the worship of God—if this god does not suit us, we will reshape god in our own image. And, it intensifies in provoking the anger as God and it ends up with men and women ignoring the warnings of God. 

As I’ve meditated on this, it’s clear to me that our beloved nation is on the same path. We define our own morality and choose our own gods. God says “I Am who I Am,” but instead of bowing before him and believing God is who he says he is, we redefine God, and we act as if God is who we say he is. 

How have you redefined God, and how can you use Scripture to bow before who he actually is? 

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Key Connections: Progressive Christianity, Lamentation, and more…

Here are my favorite quotes from key Christian articles around the web, including the 10 commandments of progressive Christianity, freedom in Christ, and a look into the best systematic theologies.

The 10 Commandments of Progressive Christianity (Michael J Kruger, canon fodder)

I have also been struck by how each of the commandments of progressive Christianity is partially true. Indeed, that is what makes them so effective.  They sound quite reasonable on the surface. It’s not until you dig down deep that you notice the problems.

From Desperation to Lamentation (Alexiana Fry, GCD)

As we seek to imitate Christ and follow those who have gone before us, we get the grace of employing every part of the Bible as our guide. This includes the psalms of lament. These laments provide words for what we most often do not have words for personally or communally.

Freedom in Christ (Burk Parsons, Ligonier Ministries)

Our abundant life of freedom in Christ is not a freedom to do anything we want to do but to have the uninterrupted, Spirit-sustaining power to do what we know we ought to do as the Holy Spirit changes our wants and daily makes all of our God-given duties delightful as we rest in the finished work of Christ (Rom. 8:3–4).

Systematic Theology Review (Kevin DeYoung, DeYoung, Restless, Reformed)

The good news is there are plenty of good resources that have served the church well and will strengthen your understanding of the faith. With only 5 to 10 minutes a day, you could read through an entire systematic theology in the course of a year.

What It Looks Like to Take God at His Word (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

God will provide what you need when you need it; not an overflowing jar and an overflowing jug. You can take him at his word, and you can trust him as you walk with him in faith and obedience. 

Church Is Home for the Grieving

The kind people at my home church would have been able to tell you that I cried through nearly every service—that is, every service I had the physical strength to last through—for weeks after our daughter went to glory

A Home through Song

At the mention of heaven, the sound of “weary” or “grief” amplified by the church’s speakers, or the proclamation of Christ’s triumph over death: tears.

I sobbed listening to this stanza:

When we arrive at eternity’s shore

Where death is just a memory and tears are no more

We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring

Your bride will come together and we’ll sing

You’re beautiful

I was stilled, with wetted cheeks, by these words:

Dear refuge of my weary soul,

On thee when sorrows rise;

On thee, when waves of trouble roll,

My fainting hope relies.

To thee I tell each rising grief,

For thou alone canst heal;

Thy word can bring a sweet relief,

For every pain I feel.

Hast thou not bid me seek thy face?

And shall I seek in vain?

And can the ear of sovereign grace

Be deaf when I complain?

No, still the ear of sovereign grace

Attends the mourner’s prayer;

O may I ever find access,

To breathe my sorrows there.

The list of welcomed input for my grieving heart from church could go on—for there, I was understood. Life and death were central to the proceedings. The precise themes treading within me were on full display before me. Church presented the relief I needed—the words I heard there testify to it.

A Home through Ordinances

On our first Sunday back at church after my daughter’s body failed her, once singing was done, I soon became transfixed on the pastor and an elder. They stood at a familiar table in the front of the sanctuary. What did he say? It sounded new.

“This is my body, which is for you.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

Then I listened in again, my thoughts in grief slow to recuperate:

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26)

Taking the bread and cup, my spirit remembered: His body was given to death. He is with me in this grief. It is being proclaimed.

Witnessing a baptism for the first time after my loss was much the same.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:5)

My heart swelled: In Christ, death leads to life. That joy transcends grief is a promise.

Reader, if you grieve today, perhaps you feel as though the world moves ahead without you. Know that Christ speaks to you at very point of pain. Before my daughter went to glory, I had not given much attention to the prominence of death in church ordinances, the Lord’s supper and baptism. But as I witnessed service after service, I could believe that my Lord would not brush past me or scurry my wounds to patched-up, peripheral healing. Through his death, he would deal directly with the core of the wound. At church, I would find reassurance that he alone can heal like that.

A Home through Christ’s Headship

In my experience, the love of the people in my local church was exceedingly sweet and evident. I could not have dreamed into being a better local gathering of God’s family to be a part of amidst the loss of our daughter—and I have heard this experience to be widely shared by others in their churches. Yet, I also cannot necessarily promise others the same. I cannot guarantee the same absence of insensitivities or utter outpouring of acts of service and genuinely shared mourning.

But, here is what I can promise: Christ is the Head of his church (Colossians 1:8). And the theological realities from the Word coming from his pulpits and through the ordinances he instituted are a constant—they emanate from the rich pillar and buttress of truth he established (1 Timothy 3:15). Through what he gave His Church to do and hear until he returns, we can be assured that he understands how intrinsic to the human experience death has woefully become.

Grieving brothers and sisters, as you seek God’s face in grief, see how he attends the mourner’s prayer directly through sound assemblies of his own people. In these churches, be refreshed by the proclamation that though death is a shadow of darkness, a great light has dawned through the Lamb who was slain (Matthew 4:16).

A Home through One Unique Death, Proclaimed

One day, death will only a memory. Yet, death will always be a memory. One day, in glory’s worship services, thoughts of death will not prompt sobs and sorrowful silences. Thoughts of death will not be a hovering shadow, but they will take on a different significance. They will evoke light that has scattered every shadow we have known because the death that will matter to God’s people will be his victorious one.

As the Church on this earth awaiting glory, God’s people proclaim his death: The core of our wound—sin—has been cleansed and pardoned; God’s wrath is turned away. So, we can anticipate eternal life from death. Here, when we feel depleted by death, he is with us—having been given there for us. As God’s people, we assemble beneath our Head, and proclaiming his unique death, we find a home when we grieve until he comes again.

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

___

From “You’re Beautiful,” by Phil Wickham

From “Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul,” by Anne Steele

Are You In Over Your Head? Rely on Prayer

Have you ever had a time, after getting yourself into a situation, you realize that you are in over your head? For me, this is any car project, ever! I consider myself to be pretty handy, but when it comes down to it, I always overestimate my abilities. And when this happens, YouTube to the rescue.  

Following Christ isn’t straight, and it isn’t easy. But there is something that will always be available to you if are “in over your head,” and is vital in your Christian walk with Jesus: Prayer 

In Acts chapter four, we see a time when the new Christ-followers were in over their head. Their life shifted from normal, to magnificent, to horrifying in a short amount of time. How did this happen? How did they respond? 

Revival 

Picture someone living down south in Beersheba. They heard about a possible Messiah – Jesus. Then they heard that he died at the hands of the Romans.  

Next, they heard miraculous stories that he had risen. Yet, they remained home. But soon it was time for the feast of Pentecost. So, they, along with thousands of other people, packed their bags to be gone for a few weeks to go worship at the temple.  

When they arrived, however, the news was confirmed that Jesus did rise from the dead! What’s more, during their stay, the Holy Spirit came! 

Things had changed—the Christ-following was rapidly growing. Many stayed after the end of the normal ceremony to continue to spread the news of how God had fulfilled his ancient promises. Leaders preached messages and proclaimed the Truth. Many were coming to faith and joining the Christian community, daily.  

And then, to add to this, Peter and John healed a man, in the name of Jesus, who had been crippled from birth. As a result, Peter was able to proclaim the gospel to the crowd that gathered. He used the healing as a platform to share Christ. 

When We Don’t Know, God Does 

What comes next? We can hardly contain ourselves while reading this story. Imagine what it would have been like to live through it! Will the church continue to thrive and build a massive following in Jerusalem? Is this the future of the Jesus movement, where Jerusalem will be the religious hub, just like Judaism?   

Though the believers didn’t know what was next, God did.  

Persecution 

Here’s what happened next: Right at the beginning of chapter 4, verses 1-3, we see that the religious leaders were upset that they were “preaching in Jesus the resurrection of the dead” (v.2). The religious leaders were beginning to fear the Jesus movement because the currency they dealt in was ‘power.’ The Jesus movement was gaining steam and the religious leaders were beginning to feel their power threatened.  

So, they had Peter and John arrested, and questioned (vv. 5-12). The question asked to Peter and John is very direct: “By what power, or by what name did you do this?” (v. 7). And, their answer is clear: “it is by the name of Jesus Christ.” (v.10). They go on to say:  

“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved!” (v.12) 

This was Peter and John’s first offense, so they are let off with a warning (v.21). Yet, readers of Acts will see that the religious leaders keep up this persecution. When it is found out that people continued to speak about Jesus Christ, the leaders desired to kill them.  

The Christ-Followers Prayed A Psalm 

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.” (Acts 4:29) 

As I said before, when I’m in over my head working on car repairs, I look to YouTube for specific help. Similarly, if you were one of the believers in Acts during this time you would certainly feel in over your head, being both at the start of a spiritual revival and at the start of great persecution. In response to this overwhelming situation, the Christ-followers turned to God in prayer.  

Look at Acts 4, verses 23-31. Notice what the believers, in their time of need and persecution didn’t pray for. First, they didn’t pray for judgment of those causing them harm, nor did they pray to avoid persecution. I would have been quick to pray these things!  

Rather, they did pray using a psalm. Notice specifically vv. 25-26, in which they prayed Psalm 2. They prayed according to the Bible. This led them to pray for strength amid persecution, to be able to preach the message more boldly. Not to cover in fear, but to better proclaim the message about Jesus Christ (v.28-30) 

Notice the intent of the believers’ prayer. They intended to be obedient despite the new threats. This prayer was not about their safety or their desires, but their prayer was for the continued work of spreading the gospel.  

They intended to glorify God with their lives, whatever the cost. 

God signals the reception of the prayer in verse 31. We are told, there, that the building they were praying in shook, and “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they continued to speak the Word of God with boldness.”  

And then, following, we hear more about how the believers lived in unity of heart and soul, and how they had all things in common and shared with one another.  

How We Can Pray Like Them  

In Acts, the believers had a message to proclaim, the Holy Spirit gave them great boldness and confidence to continue to share the message about Jesus, even after being threatened. They knew that there is no substitute for spending time in prayer.  

Do you ever find it difficult praying to God? Do you believe prayer makes a difference? I believe many of us put too much pressure on ourselves for our prayer times. How can we pray like the believers in Acts? 

Here’s the answer: The same Holy Spirit who gave them great boldness lives in me, and lives in you if Jesus has taken residence in your heart. The same message is proclaimed: Jesus is Lord and Savior. Therefore, we can and should reply in the same means: prayer.

[Photo credit: Unsplash]