An Old Testament Rant

Recently, I read a post on facebook that made me laugh.  A certain person was looking for another certain person to fulfill an obligation that was coming due.  This first person said that in comparison to their wrath, this other person would think “Daniel and Goliath were best buddies just playing with a rubber band!”  This made me smile, but then it disturbed me in a way.  Can you see anything wrong with their statement?

Yep, it wasn’t Daniel who used the rubber band, it was David.  Daniel was the guy in the lion’s den.

Obviously, since I read this on facebook, I know the person who made this witty remark.  I suspect that in the heat of posting it, they simply made a mental slip.  However, it did remind me that more and more people seem to have an ever decreasing knowledge of the Bible.  I don’t just mean in society at large, which is disturbing enough, but in our churches.  It is not uncommon for youth and some adults to have difficulty finding a particular book of the Bible.  Many people in our churches are unfamiliar with the great stories and characters of the Bible too.

So, who’s to blame?  We could point fingers, but what good would that do?  What we need to do is our part in reversing this trend.  As parents, we need to read Bible stories to our children (and read them ourselves).  If we teach, we need to make sure part of that teaching is to educate on the Bible and what it contains.  Personally, we need to educate ourselves in the richness and the beauty of God’s extended love letter to us.  He went to a lot of trouble to send it to us, the least we could do is read it!

Steve Jernigan

A Healthy Soul

In the early 1700’s, Rev. Henry Scougal wrote “but, certainly, that passion which accounteth its object a Deity, ought to be bestowed on him who really is so; those unlimited submissions, which would debase the soul if directed to any other, will exalt and ennoble it when placed here.”   Translated, that means the unconditional devotion, love, and submission that we rightly give to God, cannot be given to another without corrupting our very soul.

For example, we see this in people whose object of total devotion is their spouse or their children.  God is displaced in the lives of these people by a lesser object.  This eventually leads to a life of misery because the object of their devotion cannot possibly live up to the expectation of their devotion.  To truly love your spouse or your children, you must love God more than you love them.  Only through having your soul exalted by unlimited submission to God can you truly love others.  This was true in the 1700’s and is still true today.

It is troubling to see this played out in a person’s life or in the life of a nation.  We as individuals and as a nation must remember that our hope is in God and Him alone.  God must never be displaced by a person, organization, cause, government, or political party.  If our hope is placed in any of these, at the very least, we will eventually be disappointed.  Most likely, we will find ourselves soul-sick and without God, wondering how did this happen to me?

Who is the central object of your devotion?  In whom do you place your hope?  Choose carefully, your soul depends on it!

Steve Jernigan

Spiritual Maintenance

In order for a group to function well, each person within that group must function well.  This is true in sports, at work, and especially within the family.  This means that we have a responsibility to properly care for ourselves, not just for our own benefit, but for those who love us.

Many times we think of attacking one or two bad habits that we have and we attempt to do better in these areas.  This is like trying to treat a disease by only treating the symptoms.  We feel better for a while, but the underlying problem that caused the symptoms is still there.  Once we relax a little, the bad habits are back.

What can we do?  Well first, we determine the root cause.  As Christians, this is not that hard.  Even after Christ cleanses us of all our sin in respect to our heavenly standing, we still have the remains of our old sin nature to deal with in this life.  So, how do we get rid of the remains of this old nature and become more like Jesus?

One good way is to develop some Biblical habits for our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives.  What follows are three Biblical habits in each of these three areas.  As a self evaluation, see how you do in each one.  Rate yourself for each habit from 1 to 10 with 1 being the worst it can be to 10 being the best it can be.  Obviously, the higher your score the better.

Physical habits

1 Rest: It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night…God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest. (Psalm 127:2 LB)

2 Balanced diet: You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed your laws. (Psalm 119:73 LB)

3 Regular exercise: Honor God with your body. (I Corinthians 6:20 NLT)

Emotional habits

4 Solitude: So many people were coming and going…he [Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place to get some rest.” (Mark 6:31 NIV)

5 Recreation: [Jesus] came, enjoying life… (Luke 7:34 PH)

6 Laughter: Being cheerful keeps you healthy. (Proverbs 17:22 TEV)

Spiritual habits

7 Daily quiet time: The outward man does indeed suffer wear and tear, but every day the inward man receives fresh strength (2 Corinthians 4:16 PH)

8 Small group time: Two are stronger than one. (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

9 Worship: Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NLT)

So, how did you do?  Did the quoted scriptures speak to you about these habits or do you have others that do a better job for you?  Where are you in good shape and where do you need work?  No, there is no grade scale to compare your score against.  As Christians, our standard is Jesus and He is always the perfect 10.  So, we all need work, but the good news is He is our strength to do that work!

Adapted from Rick Warren’s 40 Days of Love.

I Believe in Order to Understand

St. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, said, “I believe in order to understand” (credo ut intelligam) and centuries later, St. Anselm of Canterbury, echoed his statement in similar fashion: “I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand.” These great Christian thinkers understood the proper use of reason must be preceded by faith in the proper object.  Not faith in ourselves or science, but faith in God, specifically in His revelation of Himself in His Son Jesus Christ.

Their statements echo the words of the writer of Hebrews when he said “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” (Hebrews 11:3 – NIV)

Our understanding of the world is driven to a large degree on how we understand ourselves.  If we believe we are the accidental result of a blind and uncaring natural process, then we will view the world through those lenses.  If, on the other hand, we believe that we were purposefully created by a Greater Power, then the lenses we look through become significantly different as does our view of the world.

As Christians, we believe this Greater Power is the God of the Bible who created us in His own image.  We also believe that we can come to understand both ourselves and Him through His revelation of Himself in His Son.  In Jesus, the transcendent God intersected with humanity in a way that gives us an understanding of who God is and how we were made to be.  In other words, in Jesus we see both God and man and by believing, we are given the ability to understand as much as our finite minds and rebellious souls can handle.

Not everyone can accept this.  Many modern skeptics see the Christian faith as a fool’s errand.  Oddly enough, while many say they do not believe in God strictly because there is no evidence of His existence, they operate on the same “believe to understand” principle.  They simply place their faith in their own ability to reason instead of in a loving God.  They place their faith in Charles Darwin and we place ours in Jesus Christ.

Steve Jernigan

Missional vs. On Mission

What is the difference between a church being described as Missional vs. On Mission?  Is there a difference?  Are we just arguing over the interpretations of evangelical buzz-words?  Are we like the people Paul described to Timothy in 1 Tim 6:4?  “He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions…”

It is commonly thought that the emergent movement in Christianity originally coined the word Missional.  Given the suspicion and sometimes hostility between the emergent movement and the traditional modern church, we could see this as an area of conflict.  However, if we look to see what each position has to offer, we might be richer for it.

Missional is something that you are.  On Mission is something that you do.  Missional is a way of life.  On Mission a way you implement that way of life.

Why is this distinction important?  Compartmentalization.  To be a church On Mission is to be a church that participates in mission activities.  This can have the effect of compartmentalizing the fulfillment of the Great Commission to only these activities.  This can lead us away from the Jesus model in which every daily activity is an opportunity to share the love of God with the people we meet.  To be Missional is to have a missionary mindset in your daily life.  Ordering a burger at Hardees is just as much an opportunity for sharing the love of God as is going to Africa on a mission trip.

A very short definition of Missional is “Live your faith. Share your life.”[1]

If we can transform the culture of our church so that each person becomes Missional, then we will automatically become a church On Mission.  Think how much easier it would be to fill up the roster of a mission trip, or any other mission activity, if everyone was Missional.

My current pastor said “Missional is just a new word for a very old idea.”[2]   He was right.  Jesus is our perfect example of being Missional.  While the emergent movement is correct in its assertion that the traditional modern church has strayed from this idea to a degree, it has not been lost.  There are many Missional people in the traditional modern church, whether they use that word to describe themselves or not.  However, we should thank the emergent movement for reminding us of the importance of a non-compartmentalized, 24/7 commitment to sharing the love of God with everyone we meet.

Steve Jernigan

[1] Brother Maynard. “Missional — A Shorter Definition.” Subversive Influence. Available from http://subversiveinfluence.com/?p=1608. Internet; accessed 21 February 2009.
[2] Dr. Ron Madison from his introduction to a Sunday School training seminar on Missional Sunday School.

Christians just try to control how you think!

Why would a person think that Christians wished to control a person’s thoughts or make them march lockstep in total conformity? Sadly, marching lockstep is a good example of how many people see Christianity and the local church in particular.

“The lockstep was a method of walking where each man walked with their arms locked under the man’s arms in front of them,” This method was devised by the penal system to keep tight control over large numbers of prisoners by restricting their movement and limiting their ability to communicate.[1]

Prisoners in lockstep

This gives the idea of confinement, control, and isolation. It is sad but true that many outside the church (and some inside) see us this way. They believe we are either the prisoners being controlled or wardens trying to get more prisoners.

Is this true? If we read Colossians chapter 2 (particularly verses 16-23), we see that even in the first century, the church was struggling with those who wished to have people march in lockstep to their ideas. However, while these people have been and still are with us, they are not the majority and they are not representative of how the people of the church relate to one another.

To be a follower of Christ is to be liberated from the artificial constraints that the world has placed on you. It is to be transformed into the truly unique individual that God made you to be. It is to be free to operate in that sweet zone that is yours alone. And the best part is that you are not alone. The church is not there to force fit you into an ill fitting mold, but to allow you to exercise your unique gifts in your unique way to build others up. The church is the gathering place for all the unique followers of Christ to fellowship together, to minister to each other, to worship God, and to reach outside to others and welcome them into the family of God (1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4).

In reality, the church is the freest place in the entire world.

Steve J.

[1] “Both Sides of the Wall: Auburn and Its Prison”, The Citizen, April 10, 2003 on Pages D8, D9, and D15, http://www.correctionhistory.org/auburn&osborne/artshow/citizenarticle.htm (accessed 9-Feb-2009)

Three Dollars Worth of Gospel

I ran across this the other day.  Powerful and convicting words.

“I would like to buy about three dollars worth of the gospel, please. Not too much—just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted. I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust. I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture. I want ecstasy, not repentance; I want transcendence, not transformation. I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad-minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races—especially if they smell. I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged. I would like about three dollars worth of gospel, please” (D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians, pp. 12-13).

Grace and peace…

Steve J.

The Real Thing?

Discerning a false teaching is like a man who walks up to a bank teller and gives him $200 in twenties for a deposit.  As the teller is counting the money, he places one bill off to the side.  The man asks the teller “Why did you separate that bill from the others?”  The teller responds, “I work with money everyday and I am very familiar with what the real thing looks and feels like.  The bill I put to the side is counterfeit.”

The best way to recognize a counterfeit is to intimately know the real thing.  To be able to discern real Christianity, we must be intimately familiar with real Christianity.  This means a personal relationship with Jesus, time in God’s word, and time in prayer.

Many people feel overwhelmed at this, thinking that a seminary degree is needed to tell the difference between a true Christian belief system and one that simply claims to be Christian.  It is true that if you have ever tried to compile a list of essential Christian doctrines, you found yourself quickly getting into debatable areas.  Thankfully, most of the time nothing this complicated is required.  One simple test is what a group believes about God.  If they fail this test, then you have found a counterfeit.

The Bible teaches that there is only one God and He reveals Himself in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  God has existed in this way in His unchangeable perfection from eternity past and will continue to exist in this way through all eternity.  This is a basic tenet of orthodoxy Christianity which is called the Trinity.  If a belief system denies the Trinity, then it is not orthodox Christianity.

Since I am Baptist, I would suggest looking at the Baptist Faith and Message for the Biblical support of this fundamental doctrine.  However, there are many other good references (Baptist and non-Baptist) that support this doctrine equally well.  To use the test, you do not have to be able to defend the doctrine of the Trinity in a debate; you simply have to ask if they believe it.

Most of us have been visited by Mormon missionaries or by Jehovah’s Witnesses on Saturday mornings.  Many people view the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses as just another Christian denomination.  Both of these groups will claim to be Christian, however both of them deny the Trinity.  They both fail the test and show themselves to be counterfeit versions of Christianity.

Join us in Sunday School and we’ll further examine God’s revelation of Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace…

Steve J.

Faith will overcome the world?

I passed a church the other day and the sign out front read, “Faith will overcome the world.”  I know I should have been comforted and encouraged by that message, but it struck me as wrong.  Faith is confidence or trust in some thing.  It is not a force in and of itself.  I believe the pastor of the church had the best intentions when he placed that message for all to see, but I feel it soft pedals the message to the point of making it ineffective.

Faith in what?  The statement “Faith will overcome the world” is very universal.  It is easy to apply your own viewpoint to it without a second thought.  Faith in myself?  Faith in the government?  Faith in the “goodness” of mankind?  Faith in the god of your choice?

You may object at this point and say the sign was in front of a church and that should provide the context for it.  Maybe.  In order for that to be true, the people who read the sign would have to know it was a Christian church and then be able to apply John 16:33 to the message on the sign.  Only then could they correctly insert the proper object of faith to understand the intended message.  Our faith is in the one who has overcome the world, Jesus.

Too often, we present our Savior and Lord to the world through non-threatening ecumenical statements.  Consciously or subconsciously, we have all been conditioned by society.  What can we do?  We must follow the advice of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:5 and take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.  We must learn to see things as God sees them through the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).

Will it be easy?  No.  Will the world embrace us?  Probably not.  Jesus is an offense and a stumbling block to many, but He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life for each and every person and indeed the whole world.

Grace and peace…

Steve J.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

As part of our last session on the Baptist Faith and Message (The Christian and the Social Order), I read a few sections from Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”.  Every time I read this letter, I am deeply moved.  I hope you will take a few minutes to read this letter for yourself.  It will be time well spent.

http://www.thekingcenter.org/prog/non/letter.pdf

Grace and peace…

Steve J.