Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Holiness: Possible and the Key to Being Used by God

The Bible tells us in Leviticus 11:44 that God says, "44For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy." The command is one that we almost passively read through because at the end of the day we know that we won't be holy as God is holy. We know far to well that we are sinners. We are not just people who sin, we are sinners. It is a part of our nature. Yet, this does not excuse us from God's command to be holy.

R.C. Sproul, a great theologian, lays out in his book Chosen by God that we are born with a sin nature. The reason for this sin nature is that we are under the curse of Original Sin from our first parents Adam and Eve. Before the Fall of Adam and Eve, man was able to sin, but he was also able to not sin. He has the choice between obedience and disobedience. After the Fall of Adam and Eve, the nature of humanity changed. We were now able to sin, and unable not to sin. In other words, we were free to sin with our choices, and at the same time, our freedom is restricted in the sense that we are unable not to sin. We will sin as a result of the Fall of Man. The beauty of the gospel and being a person set free in Christ is that we are no longer obligated to sin. Whoever the Son has set free, he is free indeed. When we are born-again we now go back to our pre-Fall nature: we can sin and we can not sin. The process of holiness is trusting and leaning on Christ more and more to be able to choose not to sin when sin is before us. If we are in Christ, we curse him if we continue to say that you sin because you can't do otherwise. Not so if you are in Christ. Will we still sin? Yes. But make no mistake, we no longer have to sin. Before our rebirth in Christ, we are unable not to sin because of our corrupt hearts, minds, and nature. In heaven, when we finally are glorified and redeemed fully, we will be able not to sin and be unable to sin. So we will not only have the ability to not sin, we will lack the ability to sin. Praise God for that!!

Back to the issue of holiness. Holiness is possible. If you are reborn in Christ, you can be holy, you can choose not to sin. People often talk about how they want God to use them. I hear people ask me all the time, "just pray that God would use me." I don't have a problem praying for that, but here's the deal: God will use you if you are 1. reborn in Christ and 2. living a life of holiness. If you are not doing those things, no need for me to pray. In fact, look at the passage from 2 Timothy 3:20-21

20Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."

The passage shows us that it doesn't matter what kind of vessel it is, as long as the vessel is clean it can be ready for honorable use. If it is clean, it can be set apart, useful to the master, ready for every good work. Paul is saying this: it doesn't matter what your spiritual gift is, your background, your age, etc. what matters in the issue of being used by God is holiness. We must be holy because God is holy. We must quit excusing our sin on our nature when in the rebirth we were given the ability not to sin. We must seek to be holy if we want to be used by God. We should quit praying for God to use us and instead focus on holiness. When we do that, God will wear us out.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Women Submit, Men Check-out

 
I know that the title of my post is exaggerated. I'm very aware that not all women submit and not all men check-out. The husband/wife dynamic is an interesting one to say the least. Throw into the mix the standards by which God expects us to uphold within that relationship according to the Scriptures and you have yourself a mess. The Scriptures in Ephesians 5 lays out the standard by which husbands and wives are to relate to one another. The popular passage from this chapter is tells wives to submit to their husbands. Every man, Christian and non-Christian, has likely quoted that passage to his wife at some point in their relationship, only to have her chirp back with something clever in return, leaving him grasping for a reply.

The Bible does tell women to submit to their husband's leadership in the home. The wife is supposed to respect her husband and fall under his leadership. The problem is: most guys do not lead in such a way that merits their wives to submit to them. Most guys checkout of their role as husbands and leaders of the home. The Bible gives men an even more difficult role than wives. The Bible says for men to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Christ gave his life for the church, and this is the example given for how husbands should love and honor their wives. 1 Peter 3:7 even tells us that the prayers of the man who doesn't honor his wife will be hindered. In other words, being the man God has called you to be to your wife and children is a HUGE responsibility.

Back to the Garden

I want to wrap up this post with a reminder of the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Who ate from the forbidden tree? Eve. However, Adam, who was checked-out, was there beside her. Eve is having a conversation concerning their obedience with the serpent and Adam is sitting by passively. Eve eats of the forbidden fruit, and gives some to Adam too. Then they recognize their sin, hide from God, and await what they know will be a dreadful encounter. What happens next? God comes and they are hiding. God addresses the issue. Who does God question about the incident? Eve? No. "What have you done?," is asked of Adam, the husband. God went to the leader of the family and made him given an account. Eve was the culprit, and God was fully aware of this, but He went to the man, the husband, and held him responsible.

Men, are you checked-out at home? Step up. Quit playing it safe from the sidelines and be the man your wife wants and needs you to be. Wives, submit to your husbands, even when they fail in their leadership. Don't chastise him or belittle him. Let him lead, be supportive, encourage him to lead as God desires. This is the picture of the marriage God designed to exist. We need to relearn what healthy relationships look like and quit defining the parameters for ourselves.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Haiti Disaster Relief

In response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti last week, The Journey Church will be working in conjunction with several local churches and organizations to collect the following items to send to the people of Haiti:


1. New or used shoes (adults, kids, babies)

2. New clothes (adults & kids)

3. Cases of bottled water

4. Preferably new tents, blankets, and duffel bags

5. Baby food and formula

6. Diapers (mainly sizes 2 & 3)

7. Baby bottles (with nipples) and sippy cups

8. Flashlights and batteries


Note: we will be collecting these items starting this Sunday 1/24 through Sunday 2/21. You can drop the items off at the Pathways table at the campus you attend each Sunday. If you have any questions, please contact the church office at 615-547-7070 or John Griffin atjohn@thejourneytn.org.


Let's try to step up Journey Church to do our part in being the hands and feet of Christ in the world.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Haiti, The Gospel, and God's Sovereignty

The tragic story of what has and is happening in Haiti is astounding. To think of thousands in a matter of moments being killed by such a unsuspecting event is horrifying. Yet in the midst of this tragedy and sorrow, we must be reminded that God is sovereign. Though we wish we could turn away and it disappear, we must be reminded that our world is broken and awaiting the return of its Savior to bring it to final redemption. And though we don't always understand why or how things like this can happen under God's watch, we are reminded that the people of Haiti need the gospel, and this tragedy will and can usher that in.

Unlike crazy Pat Robertson, who I can't believe I have to call a brother in Christ, I do not believe God was acting out some kind of judgment on Haiti. Instead, I believe it is a good reminder from God's Word (Romans 8) that all creation is moaning as in the pains of childbirth, awaiting the redemption of the sons and daughters of God. Awaiting the return of Christ. Awaiting final restoration.

As a church (The Journey), we are looking at ways that we can help bring relief to Haitian people. We will have updates to come soon on how you can get involved. In the mean time, here are several things we should partner together to pray for:

1. That the relief efforts and aid being sent and delivered would help relieve some of the physical suffering going on.

2. That the gospel of Jesus would come in power and that many would find hope and salvation.

3. That parents who lost children and children who lost parents would be comforted by the great Comforter.

4. That as a global community, God could use a tragedy of this nature, to remind us that the "betterment" of earth is not where our hope should lie. It is in Jesus Christ in whom we put our faith. We believe he is going to return to make right the wrongs that have occurred on earth. There will be final restoration. We look to that day.

Take some time today to pray for the country of Haiti. Pray for the people. Pray for the relief workers and missionaries who are hitting the ground. Pray for a mighty move of the Spirit of God there, that Jesus may be made known.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Church Discipline

I was in a class all week last week for my class: History of the Baptist. I know what you're thinking. It was exactly what I was thinking when I realized it was a requirement for my Master's Degree: "great, this sounds like fun!" Note this was said sarcastically. To my surprise, I learned more in that class than I have in many classes. The class was loaded with church history, theology, and the question of how church polity (governing) should be. I know some of you are still thinking, "wow, sounds like fun," but in my own little nerdy way, I really enjoyed the class.

This leads me to what I wanted to bring up in the blog. We learned a lot and studied a lot on the practice of church discipline. Now I know this is not a very familiar term today, but church discipline is something that happened from the New Testament churches all the way to the present, though presently very few churches practice or know church discipline. A definition of church discipline would be: the action taken by church governing bodies against individuals or groups of individuals whose actions, beliefs, or reputation effect the holiness and purity of the church body. It is important to note that this happened within the context of single congregations. Members of the church were held accountable for various types of attitudes, actions, and beliefs both inside and outside the church. The church would regularly conduct "tribunals" to try cases being brought up. Evidence would be presented for the accusation and the church would vote on a verdict, then a proper sentence would be given. Sometimes the sentence involved repentance and reconciliation with members of the church, and in many cases, the sentence was expulsion from the church. There were some who refused to undergo such trials to respond to accusations against them, but for the most part, individuals absolutely went through this process.

You see, in the past, church wasn't viewed as simply a place to show up on Sunday to worship. Churches were families. They were communities of faith. There was much love and affection for each other, but there was accountability. They believed the only two ways to leave a church were 1. death or 2. expulsion. You didn't want the reputation of having been expelled from a church. You would not be quickly received by other churches because they assumed that you had doctrinal or character issues that they didn't want exposed to their churches. Purity in the church was paramount!

When I read of this and reflect on what happens in our society today regarding church, I cringe. Very few people would dare to hear a charge brought against them, more-less publicly repent in order to be restored to the "right hand of fellowship" within the church. Today's churchgoer would simply leave and go somewhere else. The church they would go to would blindly receive them into the fold and more than likely, more issues would arise later.

Here's my questions for you: what are your thoughts on church discipline of the Church of the past (NT - 1800's) vs. the Church of today? Would you undergo church discipline or would you leave? What are your thoughts on how churches can, to some degree, recapture the ability to handle issues of discipline, yet retain the individual within the fold of the church? I would love to hear your thoughts.