An email from Peacemaker Ministries this morning caught my attention. Matthew 18:15 tells us to go to our brothers when they offend us. The Greek tense of "go" implies continual action.
In other words, keep going.
Our initial temptation is not to go at all, just try to work through it ourselves. We may then work up the courage to go once, but if the discussion doesn't proceed well, console ourselves with the fact that we tried.
This seems to take reconciliation to a whole new level. Ouch!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Poverty in Spirit
A lady from our church recommended this message from John Piper - it is exceptional! I have downloaded it in full (with permission).
Blessed Are The Poor in Spirit Who Mourn
Matthew 5:3-4
Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are those who mourn,for they shall be comforted.
Back in 1978 I spoke in Aspen, Colorado, to a gathering of Inter-Varsity students and people off the street. At the end of my talk one of the students asked a very common question. He said, "Isn't Christianity a crutch for people who can't make it on their own?"
My answer was very simple. I said, "Yes." Period.
What's Bad About a Crutch?
I can't remember how the conversation went from there. So let me just pick it up here. My return question would be, "Why is the thought that Christianity is a crutch considered to be a valid criticism of Christianity?" People don't usually look at a crutch and say, "That's bad. It's just a crutch." People don't in general think that crutches are bad things. Why does a crutch become a bad thing when it's Christianity?
I think the answer that most critics would give is this: if Christianity is a crutch, then it's only good for cripples. But we don't like to see ourselves as cripples. And so it is offensive to our self-sufficiency to label Christianity as a crutch.
But Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). In other words, the only people who will ever come to get what Jesus has to give are sick people, people who know that they are spiritually and morally and very often physically crippled.
Everybody Has a Creed
Everybody has a creed. All people believe in something and shape their lives around it. Even agnostics believe very strongly that you ought not believe anything very strongly (which is why it is so hard to be a consistent agnostic). We all have a creed that we live by, whether we can articulate it or not.
What is the creed behind the conviction that if Christianity is a crutch, it is undesirable and unworthy of acceptance? I think the answer is this: the creed behind this criticism of Christianity is the confidence that we are not cripples, and that real joy and fulfillment in life are to be found in the pursuit of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-determination, and self-esteem.
Any Messiah who comes along and proposes to replace self-reliance with childlike God-reliance, and self-confidence with submissive God-confidence, and self-determination with sovereign grace, and self-esteem with magnificent mercy for the unworthy—that Messiah is going to be a threat to the religion of self-admiration. That religion has dominated the world ever since Adam and Eve fell in love with the image of their own independent potential when they it saw reflected back to them in the eye of the serpent: "You will not die; you will be like God."
The Creed of Self-Reliance
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet and philosopher who died about 100 years ago, wrote a famous essay called "Self-Reliance." It captured the spirit of the age, and the spirit of our age.
Trust thyself, every heart vibrates to that iron string. Discontent is the want of self-reliance. It is infirmity of will.
Ah-ha! Now we see the creed behind the criticism of Christianity as a crutch. The real infirmity of the world, according to Emerson, is lack of self-reliance. And so, to his dismay, along comes Christ, not with a cure for the disease, but a crutch! Christ is a stumbling block and an offense to Emerson and to all the Terry Cole-Whittaker's of our day—yes, and even to us—because it takes the disease that we hate most, namely, helplessness, and instead of curing it, makes it the doorway to heaven.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Saints in Scripture Who Were Poor in Spirit
What does this mean? What does it mean to be poor in spirit? To find out let's look at some great men of God in Scripture.
Abraham
In dealing with the Lord about Sodom and Gomorrah, he said, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18:27).
Jacob
When Jacob returned to the promised land after spending 20 years in exile, he wrestled with God in prayer and said, "I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness which thou hast shown to thy servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies" (Genesis 32:10).
Moses
When God came to him with a mission to lead his people out of Israel, he said, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? . . . Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of tongue" (Exodus 3:11; 4:10).
The reason God got angry at Moses is not because of his humble assessment of his own abilities, but of his lack of faith in God's ability. God responded and said to Moses, "Who made man's mouth? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak" (Exodus 4:11-12).
The Answer to the Paralysis of Low Self-Esteem
What is the biblical solution when a person is paralyzed by a sense of guilt or unworthiness or uselessness? I believe with all my heart that the solution is not self-esteem. God did not say to Moses, "Stop putting yourself down. You are somebody. You are eloquent." That is not the biblical way. What God said was, "Stop looking at your own unworthiness and uselessness and look at me. I made the mouth. I will be with you. I will help you. I will teach you what to say. Look to me and live!"
The biblical answer to the paralysis of low self-esteem is not high self-esteem; it is sovereign grace. You can test whether you agree with this by whether you can gladly repeat the words of Isaiah 41:13, "Fear not, you worm Jacob . . . I will help you, says the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." In other words, God's way of freeing and mobilizing people who see themselves as worms is not to tell them that they are beautiful butterflies but rather to say, "I will help you. I am your redeemer . . . Go to Egypt now, and I will be with you."
William Carey's Secret
William Carey did not have high self esteem. He castigated himself again and again for his sin. When the fire of 1812 destroyed dozens of his precious manuscripts, he didn't blame the devil. He said, "How unsearchable are the ways of God!" And then he accused himself of too much self-congratulation in his labors, and said, "The Lord has smitten us, he had a right to do so, and we deserve his corrections."
When he had outlived four of his comrades in mission, he wrote back to Andrew Fuller, "I know not why so fruitless a tree is preserved; but the Lord is too wise to err." When he died in 1834 in Serampore, a simple tablet was put on his grave with the words he requested. And when you hear these I want you to ask, What was William Carey's secret? How could he persevere for 40 years over all obstacles—as a homely man, suffering from recurrent fever, limping for years from an injury in 1817, and yet putting the entire Bible into six languages and parts of it into 29 other languages—what was the secret of this man's usefulness and productivity for the kingdom? The tablet on his grave reads,
WILLIAM CAREY
Born August 17the, 1761Died June 9the, 1834A wretched, poor, and helpless worm,On Thy kind arms I fall.
The secret for William Carey was not self esteem. He was poor in spirit to the very end. "A wretched, poor, and helpless worm," he calls himself, knowing very well his sin and failures.
His secret was in the last line of his epitaph: "On Thy kind arms I fall." This was his secret in dying and this was his secret in living. He cast himself, poor, helpless, despicable on the kind arms of God. For he knew the promise of Jesus: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belong the merciful and mighty arms of the King of kings.
More Saints from Scripture Who Were Poor in Spirit
My prayer is that all of us at Bethlehem will find the secret of productivity and usefulness and happiness NOT in the pleasures of self esteem, but in the power of sovereign grace. "Fear not you worm Jacob . . . I will help you, says the Lord."
David
"The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Everyone agrees that this is the spirit that pleases God after you are taken in adultery and murder. But what about the times when you are doing good?
When the collection for the temple was being taken, David prayed, "Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from thee, and of thy own have we given thee" (1 Chronicles 29:14).
In other words, even when David and his people were performing an act of virtue, David did not yield to the impulses of self-esteem. Instead he was carried away by the impulses of sovereign grace: "Who are we that we should be able thus to offer willingly! To God be the esteem, to God! and not to us, even in our virtue.
Solomon
"O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in" (1 Kings 3:7).
Job
"I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5-6).
Isaiah
"Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5).
So we learn from Job and Isaiah that one source of lowliness is to see God in his power and holiness.
John the Baptist
"I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie . . . He must increase, I must decrease" (John 1:27; 3:30). Could this be why Jesus said, "Among those born of women, none is greater than John" (Luke 7:28)? "If anyone would be first he must be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35).
The Tax Collector
Jesus told a parable of a Pharisee and a tax collector who went up the Temple to pray. Concerning the tax collector he said, "But the tax collector, standing far off, he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you this man went down to his house justified" (Luke 18:13-14). Which is just another way of saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
The Centurion
"When [Jesus] was not far off from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, 'Lord do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.' . . . When Jesus heard this, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude, 'I tell you, not ever in Israel have I found such faith'" (Luke 7:6-9).
The Canaanite Woman
When Jesus at first refused her request for help, since she was not a Jew, she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." To which Jesus responds, "O woman, great is your faith!"
So we learn from the centurion and the Canaanite woman that poverty of spirit is right at the very heart of what true faith is.
Peter
When he saw the power of Jesus on the Lake of Gennesaret, "Simon Peter fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord'" (Luke 5:8).
Paul
"I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh" (Roman 7:18).
"We have this treasure in earthen vessels to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
"I am the foremost of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:15-16).
What Then Is Poverty of Spirit?
It is a sense of powerlessness in ourselves.
It is a sense of spiritual bankruptcy and helplessness before God.
It is a sense of moral uncleanness before God.
It is a sense of personal unworthiness before God.
It is a sense that if there is to be any life or joy or usefulness, it will have to be all of God and all of grace.
The reason I say it is a SENSE of powerlessness and a SENSE of bankruptcy and a SENSE of uncleanness and a SENSE of unworthiness, is that, objectively speaking, everybody is poor in spirit. Everybody, whether they sense it or not, is powerless without God and bankrupt and helpless and unclean and unworthy before God. But not everybody is "blessed."
Who Is Blessed?
When Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," he does not mean everybody. He means those who feel it. That is why it is so appropriate to take the first and second beatitudes together. "Blessed are those who mourn," clarifies the subjective side of being poor in spirit.
Blessed are the poor in spirit who mourn. Blessed are the people who feel keenly their inadequacies and their guilt and their failures and their helplessness and their unworthiness and their emptiness—who don't try to hide these things under a cloak of self-sufficiency, but who are honest about them and grieved and driven to the grace of God.
Blessed are you! because you are going to be comforted. Fear not, you worm, Jacob! Fear not, Moses, Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6-8), Isaiah, Peter! For I will be with you, I will help you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Yours is the very kingdom of God. Amen.
© Desiring God
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Blessed Are The Poor in Spirit Who Mourn
Matthew 5:3-4
Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are those who mourn,for they shall be comforted.
Back in 1978 I spoke in Aspen, Colorado, to a gathering of Inter-Varsity students and people off the street. At the end of my talk one of the students asked a very common question. He said, "Isn't Christianity a crutch for people who can't make it on their own?"
My answer was very simple. I said, "Yes." Period.
What's Bad About a Crutch?
I can't remember how the conversation went from there. So let me just pick it up here. My return question would be, "Why is the thought that Christianity is a crutch considered to be a valid criticism of Christianity?" People don't usually look at a crutch and say, "That's bad. It's just a crutch." People don't in general think that crutches are bad things. Why does a crutch become a bad thing when it's Christianity?
I think the answer that most critics would give is this: if Christianity is a crutch, then it's only good for cripples. But we don't like to see ourselves as cripples. And so it is offensive to our self-sufficiency to label Christianity as a crutch.
But Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). In other words, the only people who will ever come to get what Jesus has to give are sick people, people who know that they are spiritually and morally and very often physically crippled.
Everybody Has a Creed
Everybody has a creed. All people believe in something and shape their lives around it. Even agnostics believe very strongly that you ought not believe anything very strongly (which is why it is so hard to be a consistent agnostic). We all have a creed that we live by, whether we can articulate it or not.
What is the creed behind the conviction that if Christianity is a crutch, it is undesirable and unworthy of acceptance? I think the answer is this: the creed behind this criticism of Christianity is the confidence that we are not cripples, and that real joy and fulfillment in life are to be found in the pursuit of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-determination, and self-esteem.
Any Messiah who comes along and proposes to replace self-reliance with childlike God-reliance, and self-confidence with submissive God-confidence, and self-determination with sovereign grace, and self-esteem with magnificent mercy for the unworthy—that Messiah is going to be a threat to the religion of self-admiration. That religion has dominated the world ever since Adam and Eve fell in love with the image of their own independent potential when they it saw reflected back to them in the eye of the serpent: "You will not die; you will be like God."
The Creed of Self-Reliance
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet and philosopher who died about 100 years ago, wrote a famous essay called "Self-Reliance." It captured the spirit of the age, and the spirit of our age.
Trust thyself, every heart vibrates to that iron string. Discontent is the want of self-reliance. It is infirmity of will.
Ah-ha! Now we see the creed behind the criticism of Christianity as a crutch. The real infirmity of the world, according to Emerson, is lack of self-reliance. And so, to his dismay, along comes Christ, not with a cure for the disease, but a crutch! Christ is a stumbling block and an offense to Emerson and to all the Terry Cole-Whittaker's of our day—yes, and even to us—because it takes the disease that we hate most, namely, helplessness, and instead of curing it, makes it the doorway to heaven.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Saints in Scripture Who Were Poor in Spirit
What does this mean? What does it mean to be poor in spirit? To find out let's look at some great men of God in Scripture.
Abraham
In dealing with the Lord about Sodom and Gomorrah, he said, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18:27).
Jacob
When Jacob returned to the promised land after spending 20 years in exile, he wrestled with God in prayer and said, "I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness which thou hast shown to thy servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies" (Genesis 32:10).
Moses
When God came to him with a mission to lead his people out of Israel, he said, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? . . . Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of tongue" (Exodus 3:11; 4:10).
The reason God got angry at Moses is not because of his humble assessment of his own abilities, but of his lack of faith in God's ability. God responded and said to Moses, "Who made man's mouth? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak" (Exodus 4:11-12).
The Answer to the Paralysis of Low Self-Esteem
What is the biblical solution when a person is paralyzed by a sense of guilt or unworthiness or uselessness? I believe with all my heart that the solution is not self-esteem. God did not say to Moses, "Stop putting yourself down. You are somebody. You are eloquent." That is not the biblical way. What God said was, "Stop looking at your own unworthiness and uselessness and look at me. I made the mouth. I will be with you. I will help you. I will teach you what to say. Look to me and live!"
The biblical answer to the paralysis of low self-esteem is not high self-esteem; it is sovereign grace. You can test whether you agree with this by whether you can gladly repeat the words of Isaiah 41:13, "Fear not, you worm Jacob . . . I will help you, says the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." In other words, God's way of freeing and mobilizing people who see themselves as worms is not to tell them that they are beautiful butterflies but rather to say, "I will help you. I am your redeemer . . . Go to Egypt now, and I will be with you."
William Carey's Secret
William Carey did not have high self esteem. He castigated himself again and again for his sin. When the fire of 1812 destroyed dozens of his precious manuscripts, he didn't blame the devil. He said, "How unsearchable are the ways of God!" And then he accused himself of too much self-congratulation in his labors, and said, "The Lord has smitten us, he had a right to do so, and we deserve his corrections."
When he had outlived four of his comrades in mission, he wrote back to Andrew Fuller, "I know not why so fruitless a tree is preserved; but the Lord is too wise to err." When he died in 1834 in Serampore, a simple tablet was put on his grave with the words he requested. And when you hear these I want you to ask, What was William Carey's secret? How could he persevere for 40 years over all obstacles—as a homely man, suffering from recurrent fever, limping for years from an injury in 1817, and yet putting the entire Bible into six languages and parts of it into 29 other languages—what was the secret of this man's usefulness and productivity for the kingdom? The tablet on his grave reads,
WILLIAM CAREY
Born August 17the, 1761Died June 9the, 1834A wretched, poor, and helpless worm,On Thy kind arms I fall.
The secret for William Carey was not self esteem. He was poor in spirit to the very end. "A wretched, poor, and helpless worm," he calls himself, knowing very well his sin and failures.
His secret was in the last line of his epitaph: "On Thy kind arms I fall." This was his secret in dying and this was his secret in living. He cast himself, poor, helpless, despicable on the kind arms of God. For he knew the promise of Jesus: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belong the merciful and mighty arms of the King of kings.
More Saints from Scripture Who Were Poor in Spirit
My prayer is that all of us at Bethlehem will find the secret of productivity and usefulness and happiness NOT in the pleasures of self esteem, but in the power of sovereign grace. "Fear not you worm Jacob . . . I will help you, says the Lord."
David
"The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Everyone agrees that this is the spirit that pleases God after you are taken in adultery and murder. But what about the times when you are doing good?
When the collection for the temple was being taken, David prayed, "Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from thee, and of thy own have we given thee" (1 Chronicles 29:14).
In other words, even when David and his people were performing an act of virtue, David did not yield to the impulses of self-esteem. Instead he was carried away by the impulses of sovereign grace: "Who are we that we should be able thus to offer willingly! To God be the esteem, to God! and not to us, even in our virtue.
Solomon
"O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in" (1 Kings 3:7).
Job
"I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5-6).
Isaiah
"Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5).
So we learn from Job and Isaiah that one source of lowliness is to see God in his power and holiness.
John the Baptist
"I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie . . . He must increase, I must decrease" (John 1:27; 3:30). Could this be why Jesus said, "Among those born of women, none is greater than John" (Luke 7:28)? "If anyone would be first he must be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35).
The Tax Collector
Jesus told a parable of a Pharisee and a tax collector who went up the Temple to pray. Concerning the tax collector he said, "But the tax collector, standing far off, he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you this man went down to his house justified" (Luke 18:13-14). Which is just another way of saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
The Centurion
"When [Jesus] was not far off from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, 'Lord do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.' . . . When Jesus heard this, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude, 'I tell you, not ever in Israel have I found such faith'" (Luke 7:6-9).
The Canaanite Woman
When Jesus at first refused her request for help, since she was not a Jew, she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." To which Jesus responds, "O woman, great is your faith!"
So we learn from the centurion and the Canaanite woman that poverty of spirit is right at the very heart of what true faith is.
Peter
When he saw the power of Jesus on the Lake of Gennesaret, "Simon Peter fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord'" (Luke 5:8).
Paul
"I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh" (Roman 7:18).
"We have this treasure in earthen vessels to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
"I am the foremost of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:15-16).
What Then Is Poverty of Spirit?
It is a sense of powerlessness in ourselves.
It is a sense of spiritual bankruptcy and helplessness before God.
It is a sense of moral uncleanness before God.
It is a sense of personal unworthiness before God.
It is a sense that if there is to be any life or joy or usefulness, it will have to be all of God and all of grace.
The reason I say it is a SENSE of powerlessness and a SENSE of bankruptcy and a SENSE of uncleanness and a SENSE of unworthiness, is that, objectively speaking, everybody is poor in spirit. Everybody, whether they sense it or not, is powerless without God and bankrupt and helpless and unclean and unworthy before God. But not everybody is "blessed."
Who Is Blessed?
When Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," he does not mean everybody. He means those who feel it. That is why it is so appropriate to take the first and second beatitudes together. "Blessed are those who mourn," clarifies the subjective side of being poor in spirit.
Blessed are the poor in spirit who mourn. Blessed are the people who feel keenly their inadequacies and their guilt and their failures and their helplessness and their unworthiness and their emptiness—who don't try to hide these things under a cloak of self-sufficiency, but who are honest about them and grieved and driven to the grace of God.
Blessed are you! because you are going to be comforted. Fear not, you worm, Jacob! Fear not, Moses, Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6-8), Isaiah, Peter! For I will be with you, I will help you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Yours is the very kingdom of God. Amen.
© Desiring God
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Monday, January 26, 2009
Wrong Worship Question?
During our recent service time survey, some respondents used the opportunity to tell the elders and staff what kind of worship music they preferred (traditional or contemporary, to utilize stereotypical terms).
I wonder if such sharing reflects that we may be asking the wrong question.
We ask (consciously or subconsciously), "What kind of music touches me?" I would submit that we are not the receivers, not the customers, rather, God is. So perhaps the question should be, "What kind of music touches God?"
Can such a question be answered? I would submit that it can, biblically. Consider that God gave His followers a "hymn book" (the psalms) that has lasted 3,000 years - then combine that with nine different passages (including twice in heaven) where He encourages us to sing & write new songs - note the softer & louder instruments used in His word - and it seems that there is room for both.
The music, of course, must be biblical and truthful (traditional and contemporary both can struggle there). The songs should reflect our emotional and physical experience with Him in this world (again, see the Psalms). The songs should connect man and God.
And, with the generational differences and preferences that can occur in a church (I count at least five in ours), I believe that the worship music should reflect a stylistic broadness, while impacting the majority a significant portion of the time.
My thoughts on a cold day.
I wonder if such sharing reflects that we may be asking the wrong question.
We ask (consciously or subconsciously), "What kind of music touches me?" I would submit that we are not the receivers, not the customers, rather, God is. So perhaps the question should be, "What kind of music touches God?"
Can such a question be answered? I would submit that it can, biblically. Consider that God gave His followers a "hymn book" (the psalms) that has lasted 3,000 years - then combine that with nine different passages (including twice in heaven) where He encourages us to sing & write new songs - note the softer & louder instruments used in His word - and it seems that there is room for both.
The music, of course, must be biblical and truthful (traditional and contemporary both can struggle there). The songs should reflect our emotional and physical experience with Him in this world (again, see the Psalms). The songs should connect man and God.
And, with the generational differences and preferences that can occur in a church (I count at least five in ours), I believe that the worship music should reflect a stylistic broadness, while impacting the majority a significant portion of the time.
My thoughts on a cold day.
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Blame Game
(Princeton Union Eagle Article)
While reading about the fall of man in Genesis chapter three, I was struck by the “Blame Game”, Adam & Eve’s attempt to deflect culpability and deny responsibility.
God confronted Adam, his response was to blame his wife and God: “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
God confronted Eve, her response was to blame Satan: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
God doesn’t play the “Blame Game”, so He punished Satan, the woman and the man. However, he also began His work of grace in their lives as well (read the passage for further details).
Nothing’s changed.
Our deep-seated and nearly automatic reaction when confronted is to deflect and deny. We are not responsible, rather, it’s our parents’ fault – our spouse’s – our children’s – our school’s – our employer’s – our government’s – or even God’s.
But God will not play. He knows that this game leads to our eventual ruin. If we don’t accept responsibility, if we will not seek forgiveness, we will become less than we should be, defined by our problems, missing God’s abundant life. We will seek escape rather than resolution. We will become mired in shallow relationships, rather than moving through conflict to truly deep fellowship. If we avoid truth, we will end up self-deceived (while others will not be deceived).
Don’t run, stand, and listen! Allow God to show you who you really are, including all the weaknesses and sins, then allow Him to change you into the best you can become – through Jesus’ death, through faith, through God’s forgiveness and renewal.
May you have a great weekend!
While reading about the fall of man in Genesis chapter three, I was struck by the “Blame Game”, Adam & Eve’s attempt to deflect culpability and deny responsibility.
God confronted Adam, his response was to blame his wife and God: “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
God confronted Eve, her response was to blame Satan: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
God doesn’t play the “Blame Game”, so He punished Satan, the woman and the man. However, he also began His work of grace in their lives as well (read the passage for further details).
Nothing’s changed.
Our deep-seated and nearly automatic reaction when confronted is to deflect and deny. We are not responsible, rather, it’s our parents’ fault – our spouse’s – our children’s – our school’s – our employer’s – our government’s – or even God’s.
But God will not play. He knows that this game leads to our eventual ruin. If we don’t accept responsibility, if we will not seek forgiveness, we will become less than we should be, defined by our problems, missing God’s abundant life. We will seek escape rather than resolution. We will become mired in shallow relationships, rather than moving through conflict to truly deep fellowship. If we avoid truth, we will end up self-deceived (while others will not be deceived).
Don’t run, stand, and listen! Allow God to show you who you really are, including all the weaknesses and sins, then allow Him to change you into the best you can become – through Jesus’ death, through faith, through God’s forgiveness and renewal.
May you have a great weekend!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Renewal
Renewal (Message to Nursing Home Residents later this afternoon)
Sometimes we are forced to agree with Samuel Butler, “Life is one long process of getting tired.” The apostle Paul has a bit of a different perspective in the book of 2 Corinthians, chapter four, verses 16-18: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
We Need to Focus on God’s Internal Work
- Our culture focuses so much on the external. Watch an hour of TV, see how many commercials emphasize beautiful bodies, cosmetics, fashions, hair restoration, anti-aging techniques, etc. We’re obsessed with the physical!
- God doesn’t want us to go there; and, as we get older, the techniques work less and less anyway. He wants us to be internally changed, inwardly renewed, focused on the development of our spirit, heart, mind. When we become Christians, we are recreated, made new. Romans 12:2 reminds us that we need to avoid conforming to the world’s values, but be renewed in our minds. God’s word renews us, prayer renews us, thinking through those things that are “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy” renews us.
We Need to Focus on God’s Eternal Work
- By nature, we are such worriers. We worry about our health – about how we look or what people will think of us – about where our money will come from - about success – we worry about family relationships – if it has any importance at all, we will worry about it. And that worry brings us down, affects our mindset, affects our health.
- Now we’re older. We can look back at things that we once worried about, and wonder why we worried. Our worry didn’t change the situation. God got us through. Time changes our perspective.
- Paul suffered through years of persecution and poor health, yet he called these “light and momentary”. He wasn’t diminishing the severity of the problems, rather, he was taking the long view, God’s view, knowing that his “now” problems would diminish in the light of eternity. If you are a believer, your “now” problems (as well as past) will diminish as you take God’s viewpoint – realizing that these problems will pass, and that they will be used by Him in the accomplishment of His will anyway.
We Need to Focus on God’s Invisible Work
- Our eyes have been called “the windows of our soul”. What we see greatly affects us. Think about the beauty of a flower, of Sherburne Refuge, of the Grand Canyon. Think about how you react to this room, your room, your environment. Think about how your inner person relates to a tragedy on TV – say, the recent airplane crash, or wartime pictures. We react to what we see.
- Our soul also has spiritual, invisible eyes. Our faith, our imaginations can visualize God at work. We can believe His promises to us, and sometimes catch Him in action. So often He works behind the scenes, so quietly, yet if we watch carefully, a pattern emerges, a pattern that shows His hand in our and others’ lives. In addition, there is a whole heavenly component that He shares in scripture – we need to apply our faith/imagination eyes to that as well. The invisible is at least as important – and often more important – than the visible.
- So, we need renewal. If we take the appropriate steps with our internal lives – if we focus on the eternal and invisible – we will experience that renewal, even as we are outwardly wasting away. We need not lose heart!
Sometimes we are forced to agree with Samuel Butler, “Life is one long process of getting tired.” The apostle Paul has a bit of a different perspective in the book of 2 Corinthians, chapter four, verses 16-18: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
We Need to Focus on God’s Internal Work
- Our culture focuses so much on the external. Watch an hour of TV, see how many commercials emphasize beautiful bodies, cosmetics, fashions, hair restoration, anti-aging techniques, etc. We’re obsessed with the physical!
- God doesn’t want us to go there; and, as we get older, the techniques work less and less anyway. He wants us to be internally changed, inwardly renewed, focused on the development of our spirit, heart, mind. When we become Christians, we are recreated, made new. Romans 12:2 reminds us that we need to avoid conforming to the world’s values, but be renewed in our minds. God’s word renews us, prayer renews us, thinking through those things that are “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy” renews us.
We Need to Focus on God’s Eternal Work
- By nature, we are such worriers. We worry about our health – about how we look or what people will think of us – about where our money will come from - about success – we worry about family relationships – if it has any importance at all, we will worry about it. And that worry brings us down, affects our mindset, affects our health.
- Now we’re older. We can look back at things that we once worried about, and wonder why we worried. Our worry didn’t change the situation. God got us through. Time changes our perspective.
- Paul suffered through years of persecution and poor health, yet he called these “light and momentary”. He wasn’t diminishing the severity of the problems, rather, he was taking the long view, God’s view, knowing that his “now” problems would diminish in the light of eternity. If you are a believer, your “now” problems (as well as past) will diminish as you take God’s viewpoint – realizing that these problems will pass, and that they will be used by Him in the accomplishment of His will anyway.
We Need to Focus on God’s Invisible Work
- Our eyes have been called “the windows of our soul”. What we see greatly affects us. Think about the beauty of a flower, of Sherburne Refuge, of the Grand Canyon. Think about how you react to this room, your room, your environment. Think about how your inner person relates to a tragedy on TV – say, the recent airplane crash, or wartime pictures. We react to what we see.
- Our soul also has spiritual, invisible eyes. Our faith, our imaginations can visualize God at work. We can believe His promises to us, and sometimes catch Him in action. So often He works behind the scenes, so quietly, yet if we watch carefully, a pattern emerges, a pattern that shows His hand in our and others’ lives. In addition, there is a whole heavenly component that He shares in scripture – we need to apply our faith/imagination eyes to that as well. The invisible is at least as important – and often more important – than the visible.
- So, we need renewal. If we take the appropriate steps with our internal lives – if we focus on the eternal and invisible – we will experience that renewal, even as we are outwardly wasting away. We need not lose heart!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Christian Environmental Ethics
I posted this recently on a birding forum. The specific issue was baiting an unusual owl for photography purposes - using a mouse to draw it close to the road, where it could be hit by passing vehicles.
Allow me to share a bit of a different perspective on this issue.
Those of you who know me (or those who read email addresses) know my vocation: I am an evangelical pastor (please do not translate that into "raging fundamentalist", the stereotype doesn't fit well) & former businessman. I came late to birding (mid-30's) and even later to environmental/nature care contemplation (late 40's), so be aware that this is all still "under development". I am currently teaching environmental ethics & concerns as part of an overall course, while learning on the fly.
Personally I find a solid foundation for such discussions and action in the Judaeo-Christian, biblical concept of stewardship. The concept includes ruling/management and service/care - for those of you who are interested, I can provide some references & sources. Unfortunately, the concept has also taken serious hits through historical Western cultural abuses on one side and significant treatises on the other (such as White's in 1967).
Enough background for the moment. Should we bait birds for photography (or pish during certain seasons, or play tapes to attract rare species, or harvest natural products when impact is inevitable, or a hundred other significant issues) is impacted by our underlying beliefs, our knowledge and experience, and by our motivations/desires. These are often in conflict with each other. For me - and for many thoughtful Christians who have been reexamining the issue for the last 20 years (see www.creationcare.org) - the concept of stewardship, of managing/serving/caring - when combined with knowledge & experience - while checking our motivations (eg, Sparky's selfishness thoughts, well expressed) - helps me to make decisions in the field.
Those decisions have not always been correct. Sometimes I have stepped over a boundary I should not have, through selfishness or ignorance or peer pressure. Forgiveness (on a variety of levels) and personal growth are essential.
So, would I have baited the Northern Hawk Owl for photography purposes? Probably not. As I internalize the event, I perceive that the possibilities for personal hastiness, selfishness and ignorance - ignorance of the true impact of my behavior on the bird (which I'd seen on Saturday as well) and its kind - cause enough questions for me to hold off. However, I would also be willing to listen to the North Dakota photographer's rationale (which we haven't heard), to see if my understanding is incorrect.
My perspective, which is perhaps a bit different in our increasingly secular culture.
Allow me to share a bit of a different perspective on this issue.
Those of you who know me (or those who read email addresses) know my vocation: I am an evangelical pastor (please do not translate that into "raging fundamentalist", the stereotype doesn't fit well) & former businessman. I came late to birding (mid-30's) and even later to environmental/nature care contemplation (late 40's), so be aware that this is all still "under development". I am currently teaching environmental ethics & concerns as part of an overall course, while learning on the fly.
Personally I find a solid foundation for such discussions and action in the Judaeo-Christian, biblical concept of stewardship. The concept includes ruling/management and service/care - for those of you who are interested, I can provide some references & sources. Unfortunately, the concept has also taken serious hits through historical Western cultural abuses on one side and significant treatises on the other (such as White's in 1967).
Enough background for the moment. Should we bait birds for photography (or pish during certain seasons, or play tapes to attract rare species, or harvest natural products when impact is inevitable, or a hundred other significant issues) is impacted by our underlying beliefs, our knowledge and experience, and by our motivations/desires. These are often in conflict with each other. For me - and for many thoughtful Christians who have been reexamining the issue for the last 20 years (see www.creationcare.org) - the concept of stewardship, of managing/serving/caring - when combined with knowledge & experience - while checking our motivations (eg, Sparky's selfishness thoughts, well expressed) - helps me to make decisions in the field.
Those decisions have not always been correct. Sometimes I have stepped over a boundary I should not have, through selfishness or ignorance or peer pressure. Forgiveness (on a variety of levels) and personal growth are essential.
So, would I have baited the Northern Hawk Owl for photography purposes? Probably not. As I internalize the event, I perceive that the possibilities for personal hastiness, selfishness and ignorance - ignorance of the true impact of my behavior on the bird (which I'd seen on Saturday as well) and its kind - cause enough questions for me to hold off. However, I would also be willing to listen to the North Dakota photographer's rationale (which we haven't heard), to see if my understanding is incorrect.
My perspective, which is perhaps a bit different in our increasingly secular culture.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Christian Abortion
How many believers get abortions? According to one study, one in five abortions in the United States is gotten by an evangelical or born again Christian.
That's 260,000 "Christian abortions" each year.
Astounding.
A few of these might believe that scriptures support abortion. But the rest? Have we as American believers become so ignorant - or so hard - or cave in so easily to the world's pressure - or so driven by our emotions - that we make choices like this?
Please believe this is not an attack on women (men are 1/2 or more of this equation as well), nor on those who are suffering from the guilt of past abortions.
Rather, it's a cry for strong discipleship, a cry to follow the Lord no matter what our circumstances are or emotions say, a cry to live truth before Him and the watching world.
That's 260,000 "Christian abortions" each year.
Astounding.
A few of these might believe that scriptures support abortion. But the rest? Have we as American believers become so ignorant - or so hard - or cave in so easily to the world's pressure - or so driven by our emotions - that we make choices like this?
Please believe this is not an attack on women (men are 1/2 or more of this equation as well), nor on those who are suffering from the guilt of past abortions.
Rather, it's a cry for strong discipleship, a cry to follow the Lord no matter what our circumstances are or emotions say, a cry to live truth before Him and the watching world.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Would Love Your Feedback
Would love to hear from a number of you on this general, but intriguing question:
Does what we do determine who we are?
Does what we do determine who we are?
Small Groups
From the notes for our small group organizational meeting this evening:
Small Groups
Community “means being Christ to one another, sharing the fullness of His life with everyone we meet. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it this way, ‘It means, first, that a Christian needs others because of Jesus Christ. It means, second, that a Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ. It means, third, that in Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united for eternity.” (Building a Church of Small Groups, Donahue and Robinson)
While Christianity started with significant numbers in the temple, it quickly realized the need for smaller groups: “They broke bread together in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46 & 47) Historical sources show that the home/smaller gathering model was primary in the early church.
American churches historically have been smaller organizations, and often met for times of fellowship, both within their buildings and in homes. However, two dynamics have impacted this:
Christian families have grown increasingly busy and isolated
Christian churches have grown beyond the size where people know each other well.
Princeton Free Church is no exception. We average 230-250 on Sunday mornings, and serve 400+ total with Wednesday’s youth/children’s ministries and the Sunday “irregular regulars” (those who would identify PEFC as their church, but come less than twice per month). We are too big to know each other well. Our Sunday Schools are designed for training & discipleship, not fellowship. Our ministries and councils meet to serve. Our events are either irregular or attract too many to fellowship deeply.
We have attempted to launch small groups movements over the last five years with limited success. In 2004 we trained 15 leaders, but only produced two groups, both of which have disbanded. During 2005-2006 we launched a Sunday evening ministry (message & groups), it started with 45-50 in attendance, declined to 15 by the end of the (school) year. During 2008 we attempted to launch an elder-based small groups ministry, which died as elders (and their spouses) realized how busy they already were.
We also face the additional challenge of living in a “commuter community”, people tend to have less time in the evenings for meetings or activities.
But we need the fellowship! We need the accountability! Newer people need to connect with our members and regular attendees! We need the dynamics that only tend to occur in groups.
The picture is not entirely dismal. There are active women’s and men’s small groups. The youth group is committed to small groups. There are a few “mixed” groups that have existed for years. But we simply do not have enough groups to meet the church’s needs.
Small Groups
Community “means being Christ to one another, sharing the fullness of His life with everyone we meet. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it this way, ‘It means, first, that a Christian needs others because of Jesus Christ. It means, second, that a Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ. It means, third, that in Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united for eternity.” (Building a Church of Small Groups, Donahue and Robinson)
While Christianity started with significant numbers in the temple, it quickly realized the need for smaller groups: “They broke bread together in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46 & 47) Historical sources show that the home/smaller gathering model was primary in the early church.
American churches historically have been smaller organizations, and often met for times of fellowship, both within their buildings and in homes. However, two dynamics have impacted this:
Christian families have grown increasingly busy and isolated
Christian churches have grown beyond the size where people know each other well.
Princeton Free Church is no exception. We average 230-250 on Sunday mornings, and serve 400+ total with Wednesday’s youth/children’s ministries and the Sunday “irregular regulars” (those who would identify PEFC as their church, but come less than twice per month). We are too big to know each other well. Our Sunday Schools are designed for training & discipleship, not fellowship. Our ministries and councils meet to serve. Our events are either irregular or attract too many to fellowship deeply.
We have attempted to launch small groups movements over the last five years with limited success. In 2004 we trained 15 leaders, but only produced two groups, both of which have disbanded. During 2005-2006 we launched a Sunday evening ministry (message & groups), it started with 45-50 in attendance, declined to 15 by the end of the (school) year. During 2008 we attempted to launch an elder-based small groups ministry, which died as elders (and their spouses) realized how busy they already were.
We also face the additional challenge of living in a “commuter community”, people tend to have less time in the evenings for meetings or activities.
But we need the fellowship! We need the accountability! Newer people need to connect with our members and regular attendees! We need the dynamics that only tend to occur in groups.
The picture is not entirely dismal. There are active women’s and men’s small groups. The youth group is committed to small groups. There are a few “mixed” groups that have existed for years. But we simply do not have enough groups to meet the church’s needs.
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