On the Seasonal Gospel

So I mention the gospel a lot in these posts and I've talked often about the lack of gospel centrality in our churches, in Christian publishing and music, etc. Most of the bloggers listed on my sidebar share the same emphasis. For example, you can read Jared Wilson's recent post [Dude, Where's My Gospel?] for four reason why we need to be persistent about preaching the gospel:

1. Because we are forgetful.
2. Because it has the power to save.
3. Because it is of first importance.
4. Because it glorifies God.

Here's a snip from Jared's piece:

Friends, we have met the enemy, and the enemy is us. We are fickle, self-righteous, forgetful people. Yet we serve a steadfast, gracious, faithful God. Many preachers are fearful of highlighting the gospel every time they speak for fear of it appearing stale. But gospel redundancy is a good thing! We need it. We need the gospel every day (His mercies are new every morning) because we forget it and we sin every day.
Do not aid your community in its forgetfulness by relegating the gospel to the periphery of your proclamation. We need to be reminded of it constantly.

I go along with that. I go along with it hook, line, and sinker. In fact, if there's one thing I'm committed to, it is not to tithing, or being active in church ministry, or faithful attendance to Sunday worship, or any of the various other things my own church leaders has urged us to commit to lately . . .  but to the gospel, each and every day.

I'm mulling this over just now because of something a friend of mine recently said to me. He is very disappointed that I'm disengaging from my church (more on that in another post), and he said, "Bob, I respect your focus on the gospel and the cross and all that, but our church is just in a different season right now. For everything there is a season and a release."

You might have felt the tremor when my jaw hit the floor.

It just makes me wonder, you know?

• If Jesus is all in all, shouldn't he be the emphasis of our preaching?
• If Jesus is both the cornerstone and the capstone, shouldn't he be be given similar status in our preaching?
• If Jesus is the first born of creation and the one in whom all things hold together, shouldn't he "hold together" our sermon outlines?
• If he died for the saving of all humanity from eternal suffering, shouldn't he be the one we persistently make a big deal about in our Chruch talks?
• If he bestrides land and sea and if all creation will one day bow to him in awe, should we be preaching about, umm, behavior modification?
• And if he will one day return to judge both the living and the dead, should he not be routinely, decisvely central to everything we teach and preach as Christ-ians?
• And if the Holy Spirit lives to see to it that Christ alone is glorified, shouldn't our preachers preach Christ, knowing nothing among us but Christ and him crucified?

You know, that which Jesus has done for me and is doing for me is the source of all the peace I have ever known. No amount of preacherly urging to change my life has ever caused me to change it one bit. But Jesus, he has changed my life once and for all.

I wonder how someone can say, as my friend did, that there is a season for the gospel, and right now is not that season. As if the Bible is a book about many things, among them being something called the gospel, but right now the pastor is not "released" to preach that consistently, because, well, it's just not the season.

Amazing.  

Simply amazing.

Oh man . . . I really like this . . .

Sara Watkins

On the Connection between Seeing and Joy

I've begun reading John Piper's When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy. Nothing much to say about it yet, but I want to share something from page 43:

[T]he fight for joy is first and always a fight to see. Seeing the glory of Jesus Christ in the gospel awakens joy. And joy in Christ magnifies his worth. That is why Satan aims chiefly at blinding us us from seeing Christ for who he is. He hates to see Christ honored. And Christ is mightily honored when the sight of his glory gives rise to the kind of gladness that cuts the nerve of sin and causes radical sacrifice in the cause of the gospel.

Paul tells us about this design of Satan in 2 Corinthians 4:4: "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of god." If joy in Christ, with all the risk-taking love that flows from it, is to be stopped, then seeing the glory of Christ must be blocked. That is Satan's chief employment.

If you have avoided risk-taking love lately when it was clearly called for (I know I have), the solution is not to beat yourself up over it, but to see once again "the glory of Jesus Christ in the Gospel."

This is to be taken as a gentle but firm admonition to all who preach (or blog) in the name of Jesus. Is the end result of our preaching (or blogging) that people after hearing (or reading) our words cand truly say that their vision of "the gospel of the glory of Christ" has been clarified, enhanced, made bright?

Nice

Processing the Kingdom 2: Poor in Spirit

Jesus had just finished healing healing "every disease and affliction" among a large crowd of people who had apparently come to him with just that hope in mind. And when he had a moment to sit down with his new-fledged disciples, I imagine it was with great joy--and perhaps a nod toward some who had just been healed--that he said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

I am reminded of the old joke about the man who has fallen over a cliff and is clinging to a weak little bush on the side of the cliff. He shouts out, "Is there anyone up there who can help me?" God answers, "I am here, my son. All you have to do is trust me and let go. I promise I'll catch you." The man thinks about it for a moments and shouts, "Is there anyone ELSE up there who can help me?"

Clearly, that fellow wasn't poor in spirit. The ESV Study Bible footnote concerning the word "blessed" here refers to "more than a temporary or circumstantial feeling of happiness, this is a state of well-being in relationship to God that belongs to those who respond to Jesus' ministry. The poor in spirit are those who recognize they are in need of God's help."

I like that. It's all about dependence. But the question arises, what about after the healing. I once was blind, but by golly now I see! There is a way we have of turning the kingdom blessings of Jesus into a foundation for pride and self-reliance! Strange, how we can turn even the gifts of God into idols.

That's one of the reasons it's helpful to think of ourselves as "being saved" (continuous) rather than "saved" (one and done); it reinforces in our mind our need, our helplessness, as a continuing reality. As the old song says:

Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyelids close in death,
when I soar through tracts unknown
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.

But the great thing is, there is much room for joy in all this poverty of spirit, this helplessness and need. The joy is in the certainty of the love and power of the one who is saving us. Even as we are being saved from the peril, let the celebration of our salvation begin! Amazing grace!

Processing the Kingdom

After Jesus had gathered together a small group of devoted followers, he went about "proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people." [Matt. 4:23] It must have been something--healing every affliction! And you can be sure the disciples were with him during this time, hearing his message and witnessing the incredible healings.

I wonder how they "processed" all this. I think that when he takes them up to a high mountain to teach them a thing or two about this "kingdom" he's been talking about, he's out to sweep away skewed preconceptions and pride-induced misunderstandings. And so he sits down with them on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee (wouldn't you like to have been there?) and he says something that is shockingly powerful and cleansing of mental drek:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

That's worth repeating.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I'm going to spend some time here at Wilderness Fandango "processing" the teaching on the mount in Matthew 5 through 7. I hope you'll join me in allowing the words of Jesus to read your very heart.

A few simple thoughts for now, and then a question. Jesus' basic message here in the early days of his ministry had been, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And he healed many as a demonstration of that kingdom. Each of these "afflicted" came to Jesus in dire need, and in receiving healing they received a powerful foretaste of kingdom reality. Health! The lame walked. The blind saw. Those burdened by mental illness received understanding and clarity of mind.

And then Jesus turns to his disciples, and he draws them aside to teach them quietly, preparing them for the mission he will one day send them on (Matt. 28:19-20), and he says,

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

My question: Am I poor in spirit? Have I ever been? Do I really desire to be poor in spirit? In what way does my lack of this condition keep me from enjoying foretastes of the kingdom now?

Phil Keaggy

An explanation is in order . . .

I've been mulling over getting done with blogging for a while, but I don't think that's going to happen. I still like coming here frequently, and I enjoy the interaction with other bloggers. So I decided to change things up a little bit, changing the name of the blog though keeping the same address.

This makes the fourth blog-title for me. I started with Mr. Standfast (a name I first came across not in Pilgrim's Progress but in a John Buchan novel, as I recall), then moved on to gratitude and hoopla, before settling down In the Clearing for the last 600 posts or so. Clearly, it's time for a change.

I've spent a lot of time here posting my frustration with the church, and when I finally decided to stop doing that I sort of ran out of blogging steam. It had become the purpose of blogging to simply hammer away, refining my complaint.

I'm tired of that. Been tired of it for quite some time. But ever since I decided to disengage from my church for a while (beginning in June) I've been much more relaxed (even after hearing Gospel-less sermons like the one I sat through last week). I'm no longer intent on defending my critique here. I'm done with that. I'm moving on.

So what is Wilderness Fandango going to be about? Not sure, exactly. It will be much about the things I love (stories, beer, folks, rivers, music, Jesus, seasons, the Word, and much more). Oh yes, I'm making use of the word "wilderness" with a self-conscious nod to Michael Spencer's tagline, "Despatches from the post-evangelical wilderness." I get that. I'm there.

Did I mention The Word? If it is dwelling in me richly (is it?), it will dwell here richly too. I am still "in the clearing." It is a clearing in the wilderness. Remember what the author of the letter to the Hebrews said, "let us also lay aside every weight"? Yes, let us. The clearing is the place for dancing. I'm not good at that. I'm a bit of a klutz. It's like I have these weights on my feet. But I'm laying them aside, because the fandango looks really fun, and I want to step into it. I'm going to try.

All you need is faith to hear the diesel hummin'

Love me some Keith Jarrett

The Little Word "Word"

Yesterday I went to hear a talk about sharing your faith in the workplace. Two speakers. Each of them emphasized that the workplace was a mission field (good). And they both also emphasized that you don't have to beat people over the head with a Bible (that of course is a warn out straw-man, but let it pass). They both said we should let our lives and our demeanor be our message. And one of them repeated the alleged St. Francis quote, "Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words."

About that quote . . .

I'll admit that the first time I heard it I was beguiled. "Hey, yeah [that's what I say when I'm beguiled], it's really that easy!"

Now I think someone ought to take that quote out behind the barn and shoot it. Would somebody do that please?

Here's the thing. "Preach the gospel" really does mean "use words." When Acts 8:40 says, "But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea," do you think Philip was just loving people and sharing his life, etc. Or was he SAYING SOMETHING? [Sorry about the caps; I get excited sometimes, and exclamation points just aren't enough.]

When Paul advises Timothy, "preach the word," well that little word "word" is a dead give away.

And when Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, "and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation," it's clear that the Gospel is a form of naming the name of Christ.

Here's the point. I know pagans who are really nice loving folks (that's right, really I do!). Being a nice guy just ain't enough. And anyway there are days when I'm not so nice (yeah, really).

The thing is, being nice makes it all about me. Naming Christ makes it all about Him. It is an altogether harder thing to do, apparently, and that's why we keep telling ourselves we don't really have to do it!

I once heard a man say, "After all, the Gospel isn't about words, it's about lovin' on people!"

NOPE. IT'S ABOUT WORDS. REALLY IT IS.

One more thing. About that old straw man, "You don't have to beat people over the head with a Bible." Ummm, I just think there's some space to maneuver in between the two poles of "it's not about words," and "have Bible, will thrash." Just a little. Maybe.

Someday I'm going to hear a talk about sharing the Gospel in the workplace "without words," and I'm going to rise impertinently to address the speaker. "HEY, YOU WITH THE MICROPHONE! Would you mind sharing this message of yours without using words? I'm feeling kind of punky and can use some quiet time. Thanks ever so much."

Resolved . . .

Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it. –Resolution 25. Jonathan Edwards, The Resolutions.

Found on Alex Leung's excellent blog, Six Steps.

Friday is for Whiskey Before Breakfast

I got up really early this morning because I couldn't sleep. That's how I came to enjoy some whiskey before breakfast.

Friday is for Sweet Music

Jonas Fjeld with Chatham County Line

There he goes again...

Imonk channels Luther.

Easter Story told via Facebook

Passion Week on Facebook. I love it.

Found at bob.blog

Good Friday is for Sacred Rock n' Roll

"He promised to exalt us, but low is the way."

Helpless, Helpless, Helpless

Derek Trucks

I really love the Allman Brothers. And I really love Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes, chips of the old blocks. Yesterday we heard from Warren. Today, Derek:

Oh My!

Imonk is at it again.

It’s remarkable, considering the tone of so many Christian sermons and messages, that any church has honest people show up at all. I can’t imagine that any religion in the history of humanity has made as many clearly false claims and promises as evangelical Christians in their quest to say that Jesus makes us better people right now. With their constant promises of joy, power, contentment, healing, prosperity, purpose, better relationships, successful parenting and freedom from every kind of oppression and affliction, I wonder why more Christians aren’t either being sued by the rest of humanity for lying or hauled off to a psych ward to be examined for serious delusions.

Evangelicals love a testimony of how screwed up I USED to be. They aren’t interested in how screwed up I am NOW. But the fact is, that we are screwed up. Then. Now. All the time in between and, it’s a safe bet to assume, the rest of the time we’re alive. But we will pay $400 to go hear a “Bible teacher” tell us how we are only a few verses, prayers and cds away from being a lot better. And we will set quietly, or applaud loudly, when the story is retold. I’m really better now. I’m a good Christian. I’m not a mess anymore. I’m different from other people.

It's a good read, but if you're a "good christian," as Imonk says, you might want to "go do something else."

A little Bluesy Gospel - John the Revelator

David Bosch on the Mission of the Church

More from ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church, by Hirsch and Frost. On p. 29 we find this quote from David Bosch:

Mission takes place when the church, in its total involvement with the world, bears its testimony in the form of a servant, with reference to unbelief, exploitation, discrimination and violence, but also with reference to salvation, healing, liberation, and righteousness. . . . Looked at from this perspective mission is, quite simply, the participation of Christians in the liberating mission of Jesus, wagering on a future that verifiable experience seems to belie. It is the good news of God's love, incarnated in the witness of a community, for the sake of the world.

Hirsch and Frost on Letting Jesus be Jesus

ReJesus came in the mail yesterday. Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost are the latest in a long line of folks (through the centuries) who want to "recalibrate" the church in line with the Jesus of the New Testament. The great question underlying their book is, "Why is our experience of church so discontinuous with the Jesus of the NT? And what can we do to change that?"

Hirsch and Frost are "missional" types (as you can tell by their cool facial hair). ;-) They say that if we get Christ right (see him rightly and thus know him better) we will get mission right, and then we will get church right. That's the order they insist on: Christology > Missiology > Ecclesiology. And it makes sense to me.

I'm excited about this book. Hirsch and Frost write with passion and yet also with deliberate care. Here's a brief snip from the introduction (p. 10):

Surely the challenge for the church today is to be taken captive by the agenda of Jesus, rather than seeking to mold him to fit our agendas, no matter how noble they might be. We acknowledge that we can never truly claim to know him completely. We all brinb our biases to the task. But we believe it is inherent in the faith to keep trying and never to give up this holy quest. The challenge before us is to let Jesus be Jesus and to allow ourselves to be caught up in his extraordinary mission for the world.

Ah, this is good!

Mahaney on prayer:

As I make my way from meeting to meeting, decision to decision, and phone call to phone call, I find the counsel of Charles Spurgeon very helpful. “I always feel it well,” he wrote, “to put a few words of prayer between everything I do.” Throughout his busy days, Spurgeon scattered words of prayer between each activity, a model I have sought to emulate over the years.

The content of my “few words of prayer” is not unique and if you overheard them, you wouldn’t be impressed. I am a simple man and when I think of casting all my cares it is a simple acknowledgement of my dependence upon God and my need of grace throughout the day.

But the very act of pausing in a busy day to pray is an act of weakening pride in my life, acknowledging that I am a dependent creature. I am not self-sufficient.

And taking a brief moment to humble myself in prayer makes all the difference in my soul throughout the day.

At its root, weariness is often the result of pride and self-sufficiency in my life. When I neglect casting my cares upon the Lord, the heavy fatigue of weariness will settle into my soul.

Casting our cares upon the Lord and humbling ourselves before him are critical activities, regardless of how busy we are. And this practice cannot be replaced by hours of careful planning and scheduling.

How about you? Do you follow the practice of Spurgeon and “put a few words of prayer” between everything you do throughout each day? Are you casting cares or accumulating burdens? Are you humbling yourself before the Lord or displaying self-sufficiency?

John Piper on Wartime Mentality in the Church

I've been reading John Piper's The Pleasures of God. The book is like a slow-motion explosion in your brain. It seems to reach into every aspect of your thinking, calling for a radical transformation of all your assumptions and expectations. To give you an example, he speaks on page 228 of the need to "put the churches on a wartime footing." He laments that, instead, we have a peacetime mentality.

Thousands of Christians do not hear the diabolic bombs dropping and the bullets zinging overhead.They don't smell the hellish agent Orange in the whitened harvest of the world. They don't cringe or weep at the thousands who perish every week. They don't reckon with spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places and the world rulers of this present darkness. In fact, it is not dark, they say. It is bright and comfortable and cheery--just look at my home and car and office and cabin and boat. And listen to my new stereo and look at my new video equipment.

And skipping to the next page:

How can a sense of urgency and passion and zeal become a part of the Christian ethos today? How can the sweaty, bruised, thrilling courage of wartime camaraderie become as deeply ingrained in our mindset as the warm and comfortable images of family and flock? How might we ever get our conference meetings out of the posh, luxurious hotels and convention centers and meet in something fitting for the Calvary Road--something that says wartime austerity, and radical sacrifice, and Spartan readiness to go anywhere and do anything at any pain for the King?

Can't You Hear Jerusalem Moan

Gethsemane