Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 89

What If My Church Doesn’t Preach the Bible?

I remember visiting a church years ago and thinking to myself, When is this pastor going to finish his introduction and get to the text?

Before I knew it, the pastor closed in prayer. His “introduction” was the entire sermon, sharing entertaining stories and therapeutic applications, only lightly (and vaguely) touching Scriptural truth. I attended church that day to hear from God, and I heard a message that could have been on Oprah. I felt conned.

What should a Christian do if they find themselves in a church that doesn’t preach the Bible? There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but we can exercise wisdom as we approach the situation.

Why Churches Need Biblical Preaching

The necessity to preach the Bible is built on four key convictions¹:

The God who created the universe has spoken.
God’s spoken Word has been recorded in the Bible.
We are commanded to preach God’s Word (2 Timothy 4:1-2).
God’s Word brings life to those who receive it by faith (Isaiah 55:11; James 1:21).

Faithful communication of the Bible brings life to people and churches by bringing the very words of God to bear upon listeners. Preaching anything other than God’s Word not only keeps people from hearing and receiving the nourishment of the Word, but it potentially leads to spiritual destruction (see 2 Timothy 2:14-19; Jeremiah 23:9-40).

A failure to communicate God’s Word typically happens in one of two ways:

A preacher adds to God’s Word, usually inserting rules or opinions/speculations.
A preacher subtracts from God’s Word, not fully proclaiming what God has said. (Many do this today by not preaching a biblical view of sin and judgment.)

Thus, preachers are to “preach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”²

Diagnosing the Issue

Before we jump to steps you can take if your church doesn’t preach the Bible, let’s look at what may be a complex issue.

If you told me your church doesn’t preach the Bible, I would ask you, “Why do you say that?” There are many preaching styles that present biblical truth in different ways (expository preaching through entire books, topical preaching, preaching focused on application of biblical truth). Some claiming their church doesn’t preach the Word may actually be observing that their pastor doesn’t preach in the same style as their favorite preacher they hear on the internet.

Biblical preaching aims to produce faith and repentance and lift high the risen Christ.
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Others (and I suspect the majority asking the question this article seeks to answer) would say their pastor preaches his own thoughts, political talking points, popular ideas of the day, or motivational speeches.

Just because a pastor cites the Bible doesn’t mean he’s preaching the Bible. It’s easy to pull verses out of context to support our ideas. Tragically, many people did that to support slavery in the 16th and 17th centuries, and many do it today to support unbiblical views of sin and sexuality. Let’s not forget that Satan tempted Jesus with Scripture in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11)—and he certainly wasn’t preaching the Bible!

True biblical preaching explains and applies Scripture in accordance with God’s intent. It makes God’s Word the authority, not the preacher’s word. It exalts God, not man. And it aims to produce faith and repentance and lift high the risen Christ who alone can save.

If this type of preaching is foreign to your church, it’s probably time to leave.

What to Do If Your Church Doesn’t Preach the Bible

Because every situation is different, these steps are suggestions to be considered carefully.

1. Pray.

God cares about your situation and desire to hear his Word each week at church. Ask him for wisdom and humility in deciding what to do. Ask the Lord to keep your sinful heart from wrongly influencing the situation.

2. Seek godly counsel.

Seek mature believers to help you think through your situation. If you speak to others at your church, speak cautiously as to not create unnecessary dissension or division. This may be difficult for you if your only Christian connections attend your church or one similar to it.

3. Talk to your pastor.

This step isn’t for everyone and must be taken in prayer, humility, and with much care. You might tread lightly in approaching the pastor with a question like, “What is your view on how the Bible should inform preaching?” or “Can you help me understand how your preaching communicates the Bible?”

Your pastor might have a great answer and help you differentiate between preaching style and content. Your pastor might also show his hand and say he doesn’t want to offend people with Scripture or that it is irrelevant to life in the 21st century.

Rejecting the authority and sufficiency of Scripture is a major red flag and a great reason to leave a church. Since pastors are sinful and (hopefully) growing in theology and ministry, God could use this conversation to encourage your pastor toward a more faithful ministry.

4. If you feel called to stay, be a godly influence in your church.

This means looking for opportunities to serve others and speak God’s Word in various settings like small groups, Sunday school, or interpersonal relationships. Every church member is called to ministry (Ephesians 4:11–14). The Lord may use you in the life of your pastor and church to move toward a more biblical model of preaching. (This isn’t easy and the Lord won’t call everyone to this.)

5. If you feel called to go, find a church committed to biblical ministry.

Unless you see major red flags in your church, you should not be quick to leave. If you do feel called to leave, you may find The Gospel Coalition’s Church Finder or the 9Marks Church Directory useful for finding a church in your area.

No perfect churches exist; so ensure your reason to leave is a good one. There are people who constantly bounce around to different churches, finding faults in all of them. In some cases the churches are fine, and the fault lies with the faultfinder.

When There’s No Clear Answer

Unfortunately, some reading this article may have no good options. If you feel stuck, let God know that. God wants his children to worship him at healthy, Bible-proclaiming churches (Hebrews 10:24-25) and will guide you where he wants you (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Let your longing drive you to pray for gospel workers (Matthew 9:38). Take advantage of great online resources for going deeper in the Word (realizing that listening to a sermon at home is different than attending church and not sufficient). For some, a deep longing for a Bible-proclaiming church in your city may be God’s call for you to enter full-time ministry and plant a church.

Unlocking the Bible realizes the sensitive nature of this article and is praying for you to find a Bible-preaching community of other believers where you can grow in Christ and use your gifts to help others grow also.

[1] Peter Adam shares this in Speaking God’s Words (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 27. [2] See “Staying on the Line” in Leadership Resources International’s Dig & Discover Hermeneutical Principles booklet. Photo Credit: Lightstock]

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Four Hindrances to Prayer

God can seem far away when I pray.

It can feel like I’m beating my head against a wall. My prayers feel repetitive, self-indulgent, short, and they seemingly go unanswered.

When things are good, or when I have plenty, or even when I’m distracted, God gets too little of my time. When I do pray, my prayers are often filled with a wish list of things I want. Instead of being a time of communion with my Savior, prayer becomes a means to an end, and that end is self.

Four Hindrances to Prayer

I’m sure these are common problems for many believers: that praying is difficult and self-centered, and that our prayers seem hindered. Let’s look at the latter difficulty: What does Scripture say about what can hinder our prayers?

1. Ignoring God’s Word

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9)

If someone, even a professed believer, refuses to hear and heed God’s discipline and guidance, their prayers become detestable to the Lord.

This includes a rejection of the Bible’s authority as God’s revealed Word. If you reject God’s primary communication about Jesus and his work, how can you know him? You don’t love the real Jesus; you love a made-up Jesus. This fabricated Jesus doesn’t even exist, so he obviously can’t answer prayers.

2. Loving Sin

Psalm 66 points out another issue that restricts the reception of our prayers: “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18).

Our prayers won’t be heard if we “cherish iniquity,” holding unrepentantly to some sin. This does not include a believer struggling with a recurring sin who regularly and humbly repents, but this is anyone who willfully harbors sin and refuses to repent.

3. Desiring Wrongly

You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (James 4:2-3)

James makes two points here.

The first is that we don’t ask God for his help. I’ve fallen into this many times, either when I think my prayers are insignificant or selfish, or when I try to do things in my own power.

James’ second point speaks to our motivations. He writes this after saying that we’re too often ruled by our desires, and just as our unchecked passions may lead to quarreling and sin, they can inhibit our relationship with God, including his response to our prayers.

4. Doubting God

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:5-7)

God wants to give his children good things. Since he gave us his Son, the greatest gift of love and goodness and mercy, can we then believe he would withhold any of his love and goodness from us (Romans 8:32)?

Knowing and loving Jesus will change how, why, and what we ask of him.
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It may seem that evil in the world and the unending worries of life are too overwhelming to address in prayer. We would be constantly asking for help, and God would get sick of us, we think—

Or we get overwhelmed by our sin. We know the things we’ve done, we know how unlovable we are. God may have given us his Son, but we certainly don’t deserve any more than that, we think…

Both of these are examples of how doubt can creep into our prayer life. Doubt lies to us that God’s love, patience, and power have limits. James states clearly that actively doubting God’s graciousness and providence can impede our prayers.

Prayer That Delights God

In order to avoid blockades to prayer, it helps to know prayer’s purpose. Wonderfully, Jesus explains:

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (John 15:7-10)

To abide in Christ’s love, we follow his commands, which means knowing Scripture, “the word of Christ” (Colossians 3:16). As we increase in the knowledge of Jesus, we will also increase in love for him, which drives us to our knees in repentance. When you know Jesus and what he has done for you, it becomes progressively easier to turn from the ugliness of sin to the beauty of the Savior.

As we come to know and love Jesus, our prayers will be increasingly transformed. This will change how, why, and what we ask of him. We will love what he loves, hate what he hates, and desire what he desires. We will learn to submit to his timing in answering because we are learning to trust him more.

A Praying Faith

As our Father, God delights to give good gifts to his children (Luke 11:5-13). Knowing we ask according to his will, we can have faith that he will answer us, even when his answer doesn’t align with our understanding or timetable. When doubt still comes, we reject it and turn to our forgiving and compassionate God who will bolster our faith. We come to God humbly in prayer through Jesus, who opened the way for us to do so by removing all blockades to communion with God when he defeated sin and death.

Yes, we will still struggle with the flesh and the world; therefore our requests may be tainted, and our ability to notice God’s answers may be clouded. So we cling to Psalm 37:4: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Jesus has changed those who love him, delighting us in himself. Even when we don’t know how to ask or receive, he sees what we truly want—to know him, love him, and bear fruit for him—and knows how and when to provide and answer.

[Photo Credit: Lightstock]

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Effective Praying Right Living
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Hope for Loved Ones Who Have Resisted the Gospel

Anxiety over loved ones who have resisted the gospel and rebelled against the Lord is one of the heaviest burdens we carry in our mature years. When I ask members of our congregation how I can best pray for them, the request I hear most often involves sorrow over a family member who is far from God.

Where there is openness to the truth, you have the opportunity to speak into a person’s life, but sometimes the door to spiritual conversation is slammed shut, leaving you to tip toe round the things that are of supreme and eternal importance.

You can pray. But sustaining hope in prayer isn’t easy if, after years and maybe even decades, there is no sign of softening in the heart of someone you love. So I’m writing this month to bring some encouragement.

Hard, Thorny, Shallow Hearts

Our Lord spoke about different responses to his Word in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-20). The Word brings an abundant harvest in some lives, but in others, its results seem disappointing.

The problem does not lie in the seed but in the soil, which may be hard, thorny, or shallow. Your loved one may once have professed faith, but when trouble came, he or she lost all interest. Or perhaps, being preoccupied with the opportunities of their crammed lives, they have no room for the Lord. Or maybe they are simply defiant in their rejection of the truth, which seems to have made no lasting impression on their lives.

So what hope is there for hard, thorny, or shallow hearts?

God Wields the Plow

We are familiar with a pattern of farming in which fields are plowed before they are sown. But in the time of Jesus, it was the other way round: Farmers would scatter their seed first, and then they would plough the ground.

The farmer who scattered seed on hard ground did so knowing that, when the plough came, the resistant soil would be broken up. When that happened, the seed that lay on the surface would fall into the freshly broken ground.

Where God plows, there will always be a harvest, even if the seed was planted many years ago.
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The good news is that God can wield the plough long after the seed has been sown. God can break up the hardest ground, dig out the largest stones, and pull out the most stubborn weeds, and when he does, the living seed that was planted long ago will spring to life and bear wonderful fruit.

The Story of Luke Short

I came across a marvelous example of this in the story of Luke Short, a teenager who lived in the beautiful town of Dartmouth, England, in the middle years of the seventeenth century.

Luke attended church, but his heart was far from God, and despite the faithful preaching of his pastor, the seed of God’s Word made no impression on the hard ground of Luke’s heart.

One Sunday when Luke was about 15-years-old, his pastor, John Flavel, preached a solemn message on the words of 1 Corinthians 16:22: “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.” The sermon made a deep impression on many in the congregation, but it had no effect on Luke.

Some time later, Luke was among the early pioneers who sailed to America, where he became a farmer. Luke pursued a godless life in the new world until one day, remarkably at the age of 100-years-old, God brought the message Luke had heard as a 15-year-old back to his mind.

An Abundant Harvest

Luke knew he had not loved the Lord Jesus Christ. He felt the weight of the curse that was on him and, being deeply convicted of his sin, he turned in faith and repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ. The living seed of the Word of God lay on the hard-baked soil of Luke’s life for 85 years. But when the plough of God’s Spirit came, the seed produced an abundant harvest.

The good news is that you never know where the Spirit of God will be ploughing next. What you can be sure of is that where he plows, there will always be a harvest, even if the seed was planted many years ago.

[This article is adapted from Pastor Colin’s October 2017 column in  Mature Living Magazine .  Photo Credit: Unsplash]

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The post Hope for Loved Ones Who Have Resisted the Gospel appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

Seven Symptoms of a Prideful Heart

Pride is universal—something we all deal with, as ancient as Adam and as relevant as the morning news. Yet we don’t always see our own pride, which weaves like weeds around our lives.

Oh, we see it in the obvious ways, but we can be blind to its deceptive, subversive way in our hearts. We know the disease, but we don’t recognize the symptoms. And that’s why we need the insight of our spiritual Great Physician to reveal symptoms of pride and rescue us from it.

Seven Symptoms of a Prideful Heart

Here are seven symptoms of pride I’ve been seeing in God’s Word as his Spirit works in my own life:

1. Fear

Pride is at the root of fear and anxiety, when we refuse to humbly rest in God’s sovereign care. Fear simultaneously reveals our lack of trust and our poisonous self-reliance. We fear because we don’t have faith in the Lord, we are enormously preoccupied with ourselves, and we don’t have control.

When Peter stepped out on the stormy sea to come to Jesus, he was walking in humble faith. But when his gaze shifted to his circumstances and self-preservation, he trusted in himself, became afraid, and began to sink. It was Jesus who saved him, while admonishing him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31).

2. Entitlement

Self-sacrifice stems from a humble heart. Entitlement is rooted in a prideful heart. The core of the gospel is that we are not entitled to anything, except just punishment for our sins (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Yet we deceive ourselves into thinking we’re better than we are, so we deserve better than we have. We think we deserve God’s mercy. We think we deserve people’s praise. We think we deserve love, success, comfort, accolades. We certainly don’t think we deserve suffering, heartbreak, or discipline.

But when we do experience these things, we grow bitter, frustrated, and disturbed because we believe we’re entitled to more. We forget that apart from Jesus Christ we are sinners who deserve condemnation.

The disciples wrestled with entitlement many times. On one occasion, they were arguing about who was the greatest. They selfishly thought they deserved honor and glory. But Jesus’ response to them was a rebuke: “Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves” (Luke 22:26).

3. Ingratitude

Our proud hearts say we are good, that we should get what we want, and if we don’t, we’re justified in our ingratitude. If we’re uncomfortable or inconvenienced in any way, we can complain. It’s our right. Humility recognizes that God is good, that he gives us what he knows we need, so we have no reason to be ungrateful. There is nothing we lack (Deuteronomy 2:7; Psalm 34:9).

The Israelites’ grumbled in the wilderness, though God fed, clothed, and led them through it (Exodus 16:2; Deuteronomy 8:2). Their stubborn hearts rejected God’s daily mercies out of a foundation of self-idolization. But God’s Word rebukes our proud grumbling with this command: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” (Philippians 2:14-15).

4. People-Pleasing

Pride is self-worship and self-preservation at all costs—and people-pleasing is the direct result of pride. Some think people-pleasing is a positive trait because they’re so clearly concerned with serving others. But that belief is nothing more than a sneaky sheepskin we put over a wolfish habit. People-pleasing is all about self-satisfaction—fearing man more than God—and seeking the fleeting happiness that comes from man’s approval.

Jesus’ humility means forgiveness of our pride. That’s the sting and joy of the gospel.
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The apostle Paul knew human approval was a pointless and prideful pursuit. Because of that, he could say, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

5. Prayerlessness

Pride deceives us into thinking we can “do life” on our own—that we’re capable, independent, unstoppable, and self-reliant. We think we don’t need God every hour, that we don’t need his help, grace, mercy, courage, and hope. So, surely, we don’t need to pray.

But a humble heart submits itself to God in prayer because it knows it can do nothing without him.

When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah’s response was not to go to God in prayer. Instead, he fled, his heart furiously and arrogantly silent (Jonah 1:3). When God humbled him in the belly of a great fish, Jonah finally cried out in prayer (2:1).

6. Hypocrisy

When you’re proud, you elevate your status, forgetting the mercy God has shown you. You think you’re better and holier than everyone else, and you easily find fault with others. Pride produces a hypocritical spirit.

The Pharisees’ hypocritical pride blinded them to their sin and to God’s mercy—which made them cold-hearted and cruel toward others. Jesus had harsh words for them: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).

7. Rebellion

Rebellion against God manifests itself in resistance toward the Word and the spiritual leaders he has placed in our lives. It is the reflex of a prideful heart. It also shows itself in a lack of submission—wives, to your husbands; children, to your parents; employees, to your bosses; citizens, to your government. Rebellion says, “I know better than you, God,” when you don’t.

We see rebellion in the first people God created: Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Even though they had all they needed for life and joy, out of pride they rebelled against God’s good decree, thinking they knew better than him. And this rebellion brought pain, suffering, and death—for them and for us.

The Humble Servant

Yet there is hope for the proud heart in the incarnation of humility, Jesus Christ. Immanuel—God with us—condescended to live among us, die for us, and raise us to new life. He never owned a shred of sinful pride—no fear, entitlement, ingratitude, people-pleasing, prayerlessness, hypocrisy, or rebellion.

Philippians 2:4-6 says,

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Jesus is God, his equal, and yet emptied himself of all he deserved to save us from our pride. He who was entitled to the highest honor forfeited it for our redemption.

It’s because of Jesus’ humility that we can be forgiven of our pride. That’s both the sting and joy of the gospel. It deals with our pride by destroying it, reminding us that life is not about us, and that we deserve only the wrath of God for our sin. Jesus Christ also deals with our pride by taking the just punishment for it upon himself at the cross, that we might be renewed in the image of our Creator (Colossians 3:10) and made humble like our Savior.

Being humbled is not smooth or painless, but it’s our rescue.

Jesus is our rescue from pride.

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

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Key Connections (October 13, 2017)

What’s the Purpose of Pastors? (Tim Challies, Challies.com)

The Bible assures us that pastors exist to shepherd God’s people in local churches until Christ returns (1 Peter 5:1-5). The calling of the pastor is inextricably tied to the biblical metaphor of a shepherd tending to his flock of sheep.

How the Reformers Rediscovered the Holy Spirit and True Conversion (Sinclair Ferguson, 9 Marks)

It was just here, for Luther and Calvin, that the Holy Spirit entered, opening eyes to the fact that all our salvation and every part of it is found in Christ alone (as Calvin loved to say); here the Holy Spirit entered, opening blind eyes, melting hardened affections, and drawing forth the response of saving faith.

Despicable Me: Total Depravity – TULIP Pt. 1 (Clint Archer, The Cripplegate) 

When you evangelize, you don’t try to appeal to the person’s reason alone. Proof alone will never convince anyone. It is God’s power that will make them believe. We need to pray for God’s intervention. When someone comes to Christ, we give God all the glory. We don’t congratulate them on making the right choice, we glorify God for changing their mind and heart.

Museum of the Bible Overview

Museum of the Bible will be an unparalleled experience, using cutting-edge technology to bring the Bible to life. UTB is proud to partner with Museum of the Bible this month! Don’t miss the opening this November.

 

 

8 Questions to Help You Understand and Apply the Bible (Matthew Harmon, The Gospel Coalition)

God is the main character of the Bible, so he should be our starting point. Every passage of Scripture reveals something about God, even if he’s not specifically mentioned. Look for his character (Rev. 4:8), his conduct (Ps. 23:1–6), and his concerns (Exod. 22:21–22). Also pay attention to all three persons of the Trinity (Matt. 28:18–20; 2 Cor. 13:14).

Four Truths for the Infertile Married Couple (Meredith Hodge, Unlocking the Bible)

Christian, we serve a God who delights in lavishing grace and favor on repentant, dependent sinners. Our sin through infertility—even the brokenness of infertility itself—can only be dealt with at the cross and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The post Key Connections (October 13, 2017) appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

The Loving Service of Listening

The task was simple: Engage someone in conversation—ask about her life, work, class-load, past, or dreams for the future—and don’t interrupt once while she shares.

I’ll never forget when I received this assignment as a junior in college. I considered myself a good listener and was excited for an easy A.

Then I learned how often I interrupt.

The next day, as one of my dear friends shared her heart over a mug of coffee, I quickly realized that this assignment was not easy. It became apparent how naturally I interject with my own stories as people share theirs. I wanted to show I identified with my friend, but she didn’t need my points of identification—she needed someone who would love her enough to listen.

That day my pride took a much-needed blow by the stinging reality that I was neither quick to hear, nor slow to speak.

Three years later, I see how God used that assignment to begin teaching me about how the gospel directly correlates to serving others with my ears.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger… (James 1:19)

Serve Others through Silence

One of the best acts of service you can give someone is your ears and heart engaged at the same time. Roaring into every conversation with your guns fully loaded with the “right” answers to fire at people is not the most helpful or loving approach to serving others in conversation. It is through words that people give us their stories and hearts, so why would we not learn to cherish and serve one another, and represent Christ well by listening well?

We must discipline our flesh (which includes our tongues) and cultivate the service of listening. This is counter-cultural and extraordinarily like Jesus, who didn’t just tolerate people’s stories, concerns, or requests, but listened well and then responded appropriately by answering their needs. Jesus still seeks to operate this way through us, his body, the church.

One of the best acts of service you can give someone is your ears and heart at the same time.
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We also must remember that listening isn’t passive. As loving service, it’s an active and self-sacrificing role that, according to Janet Dunn, “invites another person to exist.”

With open ears, solid eye contact, and phone put away, you’re telling someone, “I see you. I hear you. I’m championing you across the table and in the midst of your struggle or victory. I value your thoughts above my own right now.”

Listening forces our dependence on the Holy Spirit and silently affirms that he, not our words, is what the person beside us needs most. We listen to God through his Word and Spirit and then, when the time comes for us to speak, our words are more likely to be seasoned with salt and ready to point our listeners back to him.

Serve Others through Discernment

Knowing the gospel allows us to proclaim it and apply it to the needs revealed in others’ stories. As you sincerely listen while someone shares their heart, whether it’s the story of their life, recent events, or prayer requests, you will hear what they believe about God, what they believe about themselves, and discern the particular area that needs to be addressed by the good news of Jesus.

You might be thinking, “Wait, isn’t the gospel the same no matter what story?” It is. The gospel never changes, but the way it is applied can vary. Contrast the self-righteous, performance-driven teenager to someone who lives to chase fleeting happiness and temporary satisfaction. Both need the gospel, but it’s applied in different ways. We won’t know how God wants to meet their individual needs or how the gospel is good news for them unless we’re listening to him while we listen to them.

Are you listening for how your specific audience needs to hear the gospel? How does it apply to them? The gospel is always good news, but what is good news to them in this moment, this situation, this trial, this victory?

Serve Others through Action

The loving service of listening is not solely for the purpose of verbally sharing the gospel. When you take time to hear someone’s heart, you’re also listening for ways to intentionally demonstrate the gospel. As we listen to people, we look for ways we can bless them through living acts of service.

He’s been struggling to tackle the big paint job in his house? How convenient!—it just so happens you have some friends from church who would be willing to demonstrate the gospel through sacrificially giving their time and energy to painting.

She has a family member in the hospital? Create a meal schedule for her. They have children in college or on the mission field? Send a care package. She’s an exhausted mom who could use an hour to go to the grocery store? Offer to babysit her kids and sneak her a gift card for a coffee treat.

As Jeff Vanderstelt said, “The ways to bless others are endless if you listen closely.”

May our listening speak highly of the compassion and character of God that he has revealed through his Son. May we never shrink from declaring anything profitable (Acts 20:20), but also humble ourselves to create a space safe for people to unload their hearts and minds and receive grace and mercy to help in time of need.

RELATED POSTS:

How to Tell Your Friend the Hard Truth
Wise and Discerning
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God’s Economy is Different Than the World’s

God’s economy is opposite of the world’s. The world gives to those who earn, and earnings often equal the accomplishment. Our Heavenly Father, however, gives abundantly more and with a completely different value system.

The world wants to possess by claiming and receiving. It wants ownership of what’s truly God’s. On the other hand, our Heavenly Father gives extravagantly—but not because of anything we have done.

God’s Greatest Gift

God’s greatest gift is completely and utterly free, by his grace. It doesn’t have to be your birthday or a holiday for you to receive it, and it isn’t a token of thankfulness for something you did. It costs you nothing, though it cost Christ everything—

This is God’s gift of salvation for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and repent of sin.

God hands over his Son so we can take hold of this gift and be saved. We should pay for it, but Jesus pays the price instead. It’s like we stand in the shopping line of a fancy boutique ready to purchase an expensive item when Jesus steps in, pays the cashier what we owe, and walks out with us to enjoy it together—but it’s much more than that.

Let us give even when we have little, for all we have was given to us by God.
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Scripture says he paid our ransom (Mark 10:45), which means “a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a prisoner,” according to Webster’s Dictionary. Without Christ, we sit in shackles, unable to break free from the greatest death sentence ever given, unable to pay for our release.

But if we trust in Christ, the outcome is different. On the cross, he pays the price we should pay, taking God’s wrath for our sin and giving us the greatest gift we could ever gain: his righteousness and peace with God. Then he promises to meet us in a heavenly place with no more pain to enjoy his presence forever.

This is the way God’s economy works, but the world’s way is quite the opposite.

Three Worldly Economic Assumptions

It’s important for us Christians to recognize the following “worldly economic assumptions” so we credit God as the Ultimate Giver of everything we’ve been given. If we give in to these earthly mindsets, we steal the glory he’s due, and we place the glory on ourselves. This creates a dangerous situation for us, as God will not give his glory to another (Isaiah 42:8). Therefore, let’s take these three assumptions to heart and ask, Have I believed these?

Assumption #1: “Everything is mine.”

Babies seem to exit the womb chanting, “Mine!” It’s their toy, their mommy, their everything. This assumption continues as a tight grip on possessions the older we get. People either view their homes as safe havens in peaceful isolation, for example, or they showcase their belongings.

The world consumes as much as it desires—even when money is limited. The acquiring of knowledge exists to propel people forward in the world, and it’s guarded if there’s a fear of competitors gaining an advantage. Other times, the world shares knowledge for the sake of boasting or promoting business. The world says, “Everything is mine.”

Yet, Christians live as everything is God’s. We too have the natural, sinful inclination to claim, “Mine!” But we desire to attribute all things as gifts from God that we value and steward:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:17-18)

We declare that everything we have belongs to God: our homes, money, knowledge, and possessions. Therefore, we aspire to be like God in how we use them. The Christian says, “This is what God’s given me for his glory and the good of others” (Acts 4:32-37).

Assumption #2: “I earned this.”

The world says, “I earned these talents and gifts.” Searching for the best education, athletic programs, and experiences to develop themselves into successes, people attribute their accomplishments to rigorous study and relentless training, with little regard for God.

As Christians, we credit God for our talents, gifts, and opportunities because we know he is our Creator. We say, “Only because he created us do we have such gifts!” Yes, we still work hard to develop our God-given skills and talents; however, we know our abilities and growth are only possible through the strength and ability given to us through Christ. Therefore, God gets the glory, not man (Colossians 3:23).

What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Assumption #3: “Give me more than I’ll give you.”

The world says, “Give me more than I’ll give you.” It emphasizes striving and achieving in human strength, so everything earned proves harder to release. People feel entitled to their possessions, time, energy, jobs, gifts, and relationships.

But Christians strive to give more than what we’ve received. We say, “Because Christ has given everything to us, we lack nothing, so we give to others, knowing it’s more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Give, Because God Gave

We’ve been given everything through the gospel. Nothing we own or possess comes from our will, but from God’s gracious will. Therefore, let us not hold on tightly to worldly gain, and let us give abundantly even to those who do not deserve it—as we don’t deserve the blessings of Christ.

Let us give even when we have little to give, for all that we have was also given to us. And may we not forsake to give others the best gift we’ve been given—the good news of Jesus Christ—so they too can enjoy his eternal blessings forevermore.

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

RELATE POSTS:

Do You Have What It Takes to Live in This World?
Are You Living the Dream?
A Generous God

The post God’s Economy is Different Than the World’s appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

Four Truths for the Infertile Married Couple

As Christians experiencing the pain and heartache of infertility, my husband and I have come to see Sarah and Abraham as dear friends. We would love to chat with them over a cup of coffee; we wonder what our conversations would be like if we asked them about their experiences.

Though we can’t chat with them directly, God’s Word is filled with guidance from their story. He has graciously given us this account of a couple who certainly understands the fear, weight, anxiety, and isolation that bears down upon modern-day couples struggling with infertility.

Four Truths for the Infertile Married Couple

Though Abraham and Sarah are both recognized for their great faith in Scripture, their sin, failures, and shortcomings are also recorded for our growth. Here are four truths we learn about the Lord from the story of Abraham and Sarah that we can apply to our struggles with infertility.

1. The Lord cares.

And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” (Genesis 15:3-6, emphasis added)

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. (18:11)

Abraham and Sarah were afflicted by childlessness, and the odds were stacked against them. Their old age and their doubt drove them to take matters into their own hands—and Abraham’s first child Ishmael was born through his servant, Hagar.

When blessings like children are withheld, our sinful, unbelieving hearts often conclude that our desires are insignificant to God or that he has forgotten us. As we believe these lies, we become our own god. But the Lord doesn’t want his children to act in impatience, fear, and doubt. Instead, our Father longs for his children to patiently wait for his answer with trust, reliance, and confidence in him.

2. The Lord is trustworthy.

For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15)

Sarah’s heart was full of guilt, fear, anger, and jealousy after Hagar conceived Ishmael, as her desire for a child gave birth to sin. Sarah’s sin increased and brought pain to her marriage as she blamed Abraham: “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering” (Genesis 16:5).

Abraham’s desire for a child also gave birth to sin as he failed to guard his marriage. He should’ve rebuked Sarah’s sinful suggestion and encouraged her to trust the Lord. Instead, he responded in agreement with passivity.

Sarah and Abraham both failed to protect the sanctity of their God-given union in their quest for a child. Their marriage suffered because they believed they could be the solution to their problem.

God’s good plan is often far broader than we can see or perceive (see Romans 4; 11:33-36).
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The Lord does not regard the sanctity of marriage lightly; he provides a bounty of Scripture that commands us to guard and nourish our union through love, respect, submission, and sacrifice, just as Christ has done for his people (Ephesians 5:21-29).

We see that when we try to handle our own desires, rather than trusting in the Lord, we sin and produce death—even more pain and suffering. So we watch our desires carefully and are aware of any seed of doubt, confessing it to the Lord lest it grow into greater sin that affects other areas of our walk with him or our spouse. This is why Proverbs 3:5-6 warns us:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

3. The Lord is able.

Over 13 years after Ishmael is born (Genesis 17:25), God promises that Sarah and Abraham will have a son. But Sarah laughs in response:

The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’  Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” (18:13-14)

This is one of my favorite verses in Scripture, where the Lord says to this couple’s disbelief: “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

Sarah’s womb was eventually blessed. She conceived Isaac (whose name translates to “he laughs”) and became the mother to the nation of Israel. Isaac would father Jacob. Jacob would father 12 sons who would become heads of the 12 tribes of Israel. From the tribe of Judah would come David, and finally, Jesus Christ—God’s promised Messiah who would redeem the world.

Our Savior was born because God did a miracle in a nearly 100-year-old woman. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. He is able.

4. The Lord gives joy.

At Isaac’s birth, Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (21:6, NIV). As a result of the Lord’s promise and provision, Sarah and Abraham could only boast in him.

Like Sarah, we too can enter into a life of joy and laughter when we acknowledge what God can and promises to do for us, even in the uncertainty. Our God of hope can fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

Hope for the Childless

Even though Sarah and Abraham’s blatant rebellion and unbelief were offensive to God, he didn’t abandon them. He waited for them to return to him and acknowledge him as Lord. He established a lasting covenant, and God’s promise to provide Abraham with offspring like the stars is ultimately fulfilled in Christ. God’s good plan is often far broader than we can see or perceive (see Romans 4; 11:33-36).

Christian, we serve a God who delights in lavishing grace and favor on repentant, dependent sinners. Our sin through infertility—even the brokenness of infertility itself—can only be dealt with at the cross and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As you wait for a child, search your heart and ask:

Am I trusting the Lord’s care for me?
Am I trusting that he is able to provide?
Am I walking uprightly, rather than taking matters into my own hands and giving opportunity for sin?

[Photo Credit: Lightstock]

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The Two Sides of Hope in Christ
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The post Four Truths for the Infertile Married Couple appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

A Three-Step Strategy for Fighting Sin

As you come to know God better, you will become more aware of your sin.

Suppose you go to the movies. While you are watching the film, you work your way through a bucket of popcorn drizzled with melted butter. When you come out, you realize that there are butter stains on your shirt. You didn’t see that in the theater because it was dark there. But when you come into the light, you see it.

Similarly, when you come into God’s light, you will see sin that you did not see before. And you will want to fight it.

The following is a three-step strategy for fighting sin and prevailing over it in your Christian life.

1. Know it.

When you become a Christian, the guilt of your sin is forgiven as you are covered by the shed blood of Jesus. The condemnation that would have come upon you is removed because Christ bore your punishment on the cross.

The reign of sin in your life is broken. You are no longer sin’s prisoner; you are now under grace. But the root of sin remains in the life of a Christian believer, and that is why the Christian life is always a struggle:

The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit desires what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other. (Galatians 5:16)

Our flesh is drawn to sin. Christian writers sometimes refer to this as “indwelling sin,” the impulse to sin that remains active in your flesh throughout your Christian life. Indwelling sin means you have a battle on your hands. But if you are going to engage effectively in the battle against sin, you have to know where to fight.

How does God reveal your indwelling sins, so you can battle against them? Through his Word: “The entrance of your Word gives light” (Psalm 119:130). Use the Bible as a tool for self examination. When you read the Bible one question to ask is, “Is there a sin to avoid?”

Try to see if there if what you are reading points to a sin that could be lurking in your life.

The first priority in turning from sin is that you should know it. The entrance of God’s Word gives light. Once you know what you are up against, you will be able to make progress.

2. Stalk it.

Once you have identified an area of sin you need to deal with, start watching for its movements. Suppose we are stalking pride or lust or laziness or unbelief. Ask, When am I most vulnerable to these sins? In what ways do I see them being expressed?

Ask envy what it aims at. Murder and destruction are its natural conclusion. Set yourself against it as if it had already surrounded you in wickedness. Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could. Every covetous desire would be oppression, and every unbelieving thought would be atheism.

Stalking sin is how you move from knowing your sin to killing your sin. It means getting to a position where you can see sin’s movement so you can take action against it.

If you have become aware of a particular area of sin in your life and you do not move in on it, then it will grow. Sin is a power. It has life and vigor in it. You have to track it down and deal with it, or it will destroy you.

You are stalking sin, and sin is stalking you. What sin is stalking you at this point in your life?
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Imagine living in a primitive jungle village. One day, you hear that a huge leopard has come into the village and killed one of the children. So you take your spear, and you move out from the village to go hunt the leopard. You look for signs of the leopard’s presence. You walk slowly, because you know that while you are stalking the leopard, the leopard is stalking you.

That’s how it is with sin. You are stalking sin, and sin is stalking you. What sin might be stalking you at this point in your life?

3. Kill it.

Always be killing sin or it will be killing you. (John Owen)

The clearest Scripture on this subject is Romans 8:13: “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if, by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Put to death the misdeeds of the body. That’s what the word “mortification” means. John Owen says that mortification consists in three things:

A habitual weakening of sin. Every time you say “no” to the flesh, you weaken its power.
Constant fighting and contending against sin. Don’t expect an end to your struggle with sin in this life. Sin’s root remains in us. You will always be fighting.
Frequent success. “Sin’s activity and actions are fewer and weaker than before and sin is not able to hinder man’s duty nor interrupt his peace.”

Notice this is the work God calls you to do. But you do it by the Spirit who lives in you: “If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body you will live.”

Owen lists six ways in which the Spirit is at work in the mortification of sin. The Holy Spirit:

Convinces your heart of the sin to be mortified
Reveals the provision of Christ for your relief
Establishes your heart in the expectation of relief from Christ
Brings the cross of Christ into your heart with its sin-killing power
Begins and will complete your sanctification
Supports all your soul’s prayers to God

The mark of a true Christian is that he or she is fighting against sin. The Christian has many failures along the way, but this is the path on which he or she walks. God is telling you today that you can do this, by the Spirit who lives within you.

There is a Redeemer, Jesus God’s own Son

Precious lamb of God Messiah, Holy One

Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son

And leaving your Spirit till the work on earth is done.

[This article is adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon “ Turning from as Much as You Know of Your Sin .” [1] John Owen, The Mortification of Sin, pg. 86. [2] Ibid., pg. 38. [3] Keith Green, “There Is A Redeemer,” 1969.]

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20 Practical Ways To Kill Sin Every Day
Turning From as Much as You Know of Your Sin, Part 1
Forsake Sin by Following the Good Shepherd

The post A Three-Step Strategy for Fighting Sin appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.

Key Connections (October 6, 2017)

Where Is God in a Mass Shooting? (Russell Moore, Russell Moore)

Christians sometimes suppose that our non-Christian friends and neighbors want to hear a detailed explanation, to justify God in light of such horror. The Bible doesn’t give us easy answers.

Look Up: Trading Introspection for Awe (Jared Mellinger, Desiring God)

Looking to Jesus is the best and surest way to become more like him. It is, therefore, a serious mistake to think that we grow in the Christian life by focusing on our sins and struggles. A biblical approach to transformation is not fundamentally introspective and self-focused, but Christ-ospective and gospel-focused.

The Holiness of Small Things (Tessa Thompson, Revive Our Hearts) 

In other words, our growth in holiness will often consist of a million little things that nobody besides God will know about. And to joyfully submit to that fact and yet still maintain a zealous desire to pursue holiness is nothing but a work of God’s mighty grace in our hearts—hearts that fall so easily to the lingering snare of pride.

Museum of the Bible Extended Fly-Through

Museum of the Bible will be an unparalleled experience, using cutting-edge technology to bring the Bible to life. UTB is proud to partner with Museum of the Bible this month! Don’t miss the opening this November.

 10 Things You Should Know About Temptation (Sam Storms, Enjoying God)

Whereas God tests our faith, he never tempts it (James 1:13). The purpose of divine testing is to sanctify and strengthen. The purpose of satanic tempting is to deceive and destroy. Evil neither exists in the heart of God nor is he its author. It most assuredly exists in our hearts and we are its author.

When Christ Asks for Everything (Nivine Ritchie, Unlocking the Bible)

Instead of asking Christ to validate what we think obedience should be, Christ asks us the difficult question of whether we will obey his command to give up everything for the joy of following him.

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