Summoned by God

"Perhaps it seems rather crude to describe glory as the fact of being “noticed” by God. But this is almost the language of the New Testament. St. Paul promises to those who love God not, as we should expect, that they will know Him, but that they will be known by Him (I Cor. 8:3). It is a strange promise. Does not God know all things at all times? But it is dreadfully reechoed in another passage of the New Testament. There we are warned that it may happen to any one of us to appear at last before the face of God and hear only the appalling words, “I never knew you. Depart from Me.” In some sense, as dark to the intellect as it is unendurable to the feelings, we can be both banished from the presence of Him who is present everywhere and erased from the knowledge of Him who knows all. We can be left utterly and absolutely outside—repelled, exiled, estranged, finally and unspeakably ignored. On the other hand, we can be called in, welcomed, received, acknowledged. We walk every day on the razor edge between these two incredible possibilities. Apparently, then, our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation. And to be at last summoned inside would be both glory and honour beyond all our merits and also the healing of that old ache. "

—from “The Weight of Glory” (The Weight of Glory) C.S. Lewis

What Kind of Faith Are You Talking About?

A majority of Americans claim to have some kind of religious belief. And the majority of those claim some version of the Christian faith. A 2007 pew poll says that 78% of Americans claim to be Christians.  Of that group 51% claim to be Protestant, and 26% going to be evangelicals.  Close to 26% profess to be Catholics.  Of course statistics have their limits.  And it is almost certain that the landscape has further changed in the last 7 years.  This study tells us what people report about themselves.  

 But those percentages are significant.  Found hiding in those numbers is a group of serious religious people. They are caught up in the fight against secularism.  These people may find such numbers encouraging. Maybe things aren't so bad after all? On the other hand, people who are serious about Christianity may also find these numbers troubling. Why? Because there is a disconnect between the walk and the talk.   Does anyone really believe that 78% of Americans are even trying to follow the teachings of Jesus? Perhaps that standard is too high. Do even half of these "believers" faithfully follow the teachings of their own sects?  

This is not a new problem. When we read the Bible we encounter a similar situation. In the Gospel of John we read,  “Now when [Jesus] was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23-25, ESV)

In the original text of John chapter 2 something interesting is going on that we might miss in this translation.  The word for “entrust” in v. 24 is the same word describing that the people “believed” in his name (Pisteuo- in bold above).  We could translate it, “many people believed in his name…. But Jesus for his part did not believe in them.”  Their claim to belief was unconvincing.  And though we may be suspicious of religious claims, we do know what is going on deep in someone’s soul. But Jesus knew their hearts.  He skeptical was about their faith.

In James 2, we read about a similar problem. Some of the believers of the early church professed their faith in Jesus, yet they treated the rich and the poor radically different. They treated the poor with contempt.  This behavior was a kind of lie detector for their Christian profession. Their actions were inconsistent with their faith. He writes to them, “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”  It is not enough to have a claim of faith if your life doesn’t match up. And the great example is the faith of the fallen angels. They are good theologians and understand God. Even more than that, they have an appropriate emotional response, fear. They tremble before God. Which seems to be more than some of the folks reading the letter from James.

Last week at FGC we looked at Luke 8:26-39. In this passage we see an example of this demonic faith. It may have been the very incident that James had in mind. A man that was possessed by many demons falls down at the feet of Jesus.  The voices that come from him are the voices of these evil spirits. And they express acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus and fear of the coming judgment day. “When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” (Luke 8:28, ESV)  You can listen to the sermon here.

This is an important concept for Americans. We seem content with a little bit of religion, and a little bit of Jesus, and a little bit of pop Christianity.  But there is a kind of faith that isn’t worth much. The Bible talks about it in bitter terms.  It doesn’t transform the life. It doesn't make you a christian, it makes you an actor. And it is little better than the faith of demons.  Throughout the rest of Luke 8 we read about commendable responses to Jesus. Read the chapter for yourself. In fact, just before this passage (about the demon possessed man) he tells the parable of the sower. It is a story that vividly depicts the different kinds of responses to Jesus and his teaching. And only one really counts. It is the one the bears fruit.   Unseen faith in the heart always produces visible fruit. Not perfection. Not sinlessness. But real fruit.

As for the other kind of faith, Jesus doesn’t believe in it. I wonder what he would say about America? I wonder what he would say about my faith, and yours?

In The Storm With Jesus

On Sunday I preached on Luke 8:22-26.  This is the passage where Jesus calms the storm.  It is an amazing miracle, and the intent of the passage is to make clear just what kind of person Jesus is. He is not just a gifted teacher or religious pioneer.  At the end this section his disciples are in shock. We read in v.25,  “they marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?’”

Some folks take passages like this to mean that if we have enough faith that Jesus will calm all of our storms. And though we should gladly embrace his ability to calm every storm. And every Christian I know can tell numerous stories of help and rescue.  But, we should remember that even the very disciples in the boat on this occasion would later face storms that would NOT be calmed.  Peter and James would both later be imprisoned. Peter would escape, but James would loose his head to the sword of Herod (Acts 12:2) just like John the Baptist those 21 Egyptian Christians that were martyred by ISIS. 

There are several important lessons for us from this text.

First, Jesus is the eternal God come in the flesh. He is a real man that can take dangerous trips, and be so exhausted that he will fall sleep in a boat. But he is also has power over the wind and the waves. The ability to calm the storm is clearly a power reserved for the LORD God alone.  His disciples as well as anyone familiar with the Old Testament would recognize this. For example, Ps. 89:9 “You  [LORD of Hosts] rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.”  Our savior is powerful. He has strength to rule heaven and earth.

Second, He is with us in the storm.  From one perspective, this is why he came into the world. He entered this world full of death, suffering, and fear so he could bring the death of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Even in the middle of the storm, Jesus is there. And after rebuking the storm he rebukes them, “where is your faith?”  These men, including several professional fisherman, were so taken with the problem that they forgot that Jesus is with them in the boat. When they finally wake him and ask him for help, it is sadly not an expression of faith.  We are never alone in our suffering.   The one who holds heaven and earth in his hands will never leave us alone.

Third, He cares. Mark relates that after waking Jesus, the disciples scolded him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38) When we are in the middle of a trial, there is always the temptation to think that God is unconcerned.   We may not think we are alone, but that he is distant, or that he is not taking our phone calls. But based on the rest of the story, we know this is not true. Not only did Jesus calm this storm. He entered another storm that could not be calmed with a word. He went to the cross for our sins. He swallowed up the storm of death with his own death and resurrection, and he did this by taking our suffering upon himself. We may not know all of God’s reasons for our trials, but we know what the reason is NOT. It is not that he doesn’t care, for he has demonstrated that beyond dispute at the cross.

You can listen to the message here.

Photo Courtesy of the Internet Archive Book Images

Why You Should Respond To Truth

This morning we looked at Luke 8:16-18.  Below is a great passage from Bock’s commentary on the book of Luke.

“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” (Luke 8:16-18, ESV)

“Luke 8:16-18 calls people to respond to the light because of the dire consequences of not doing so. Jesus’ message is portrayed as light. He notes that one does not light a lamp to hide it, but to make its light available by placing it on a lampstand. The function of light is to make visible that which was previously hidden in darkness. So it will be with Jesus’ message. Everything that is hid will be made known, and all secrets will be brought to light. One must therefore listen with care, since we are all accountable. There is much at stake, for whoever has, in terms of responding to revelation, will get more. On the other hand, those who do not have because they refuse to respond will lose what they seemed to have, ending up with nothing.”

Bock, Darrell L. Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996. Print. The NIV Application Commentary.

Photo Courtesy of the George Eastman House

Understanding Grace

Josh read this quote on Sunday. We wanted you to have it as well as the source.

"When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. I am trusting and suspicious. I am honest and I still play games. Aristotle said I am a rational animal; I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer.

"To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side, I learn who I am and what God’s grace means. As Thomas Merton put it, “A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God.”

"The gospel of grace nullifies our adulation of televangelists, charismatic superstars, and local church heroes. It obliterates the two-class citizenship theory operative in many American churches. For grace proclaims the awesome truth that all is gift. All that is good is ours, not by right, but by the sheer bounty of a gracious God. While there is much we may have earned—our degree, our salary, our home and garden, a Miller Lite, and a good night’s sleep—all this is possible only because we have been given so much: life itself, eyes to see and hands to touch, a mind to shape ideas, and a heart to beat with love. We have been given God in our souls and Christ in our flesh. We have the power to believe where others deny, to hope where others despair, to love where others hurt. This and so much more is sheer gift; it is not reward for our faithfulness, our generous disposition, or our heroic life of prayer. Even our fidelity is a gift. “If we but turn to God,” said St. Augustine, “that itself is a gift of God.” My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.”

I am pretty sure that we would take exception to some of the things Manning says in the book. I feel this way about most books I read. But I am also thankful that we can grow and be challenged by others even we do not agree with on everything. We do this quite often with the church fathers and reformers. This is a sign of spiritual maturity.

Manning, Brennan. The Ragamuffin Gospel Sisters, Or.: Multnomah, 2000. Print.

Pastor Matt

Photo- soup kitchen New South Wales

9 Principles For Making Friendships As Means To Share The Gospel

Last week I preached at Redeemer Church in Modesto. You can listen to the message here. 

I have listed the main points with a little description below.

9 Principles For Making Friendships As Means To Share The Gospel 

Friendships are a key element to the spread of the gospel in the New Testament.  This was true for Jesus (Luke 5:27-32) and Paul (I Thess. 1:5, 2:1-8), as well as others. Building relationships in our current context can be difficult.  We face more cultural disintegration and social distrust than ever before.  Many Americans don’t know the people in their community, and they don’t want to know them. It’s too scary.  The following suggestions are offered to help you in overcoming obstacles and building trust.

Please note, this NOT a simple recipe for success. These are just some principles from scripture, tools to help you love people.  And these are certainly other ways to do this. But here is some good news: These things are completely within your reach. You don’t need any special training or a degree.  If you are a Christian, you can do this!

1.    Have no agenda but love. 

This may seem counter-intuitive.  But people are very perceptive. They know when they are a just a “project.” Years ago a pastor friend of mine developed an acquaintance with a Jewish Rabbi. Their friendship blossomed in many ways, and they often discussed the OT together. At one point the Rabbi asked my friend, “Did you only become my friend because you wanted me to become a Christian?”  This was a sensitive question and my friend answered with skill and wisdom: “I would want to be your friend even if you never became a Christian.” This should be our approach. We love people because they are valuable and made in the image of God. Of course we want them to hear the gospel and come to know Christ.  The agenda of love includes this, but it is much bigger. 

2.    Look for people that God is preparing. 

Throughout the New Testament there is a theology of the “open door.” For example in Col. 4:3-4 Paul says, “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” This means that God is at work in people’s lives long before we arrive. We should be sensitive to this and look for people who display openness to spiritual things.   Too often we are trying to pick fruit that is not ripe. James McDonald calls this “green apple evangelism.” We should look for ripe apples. One way to tell if a door is open is that people are willing to listen and talk about Christ. Doors often open during crisis. This means we don’t have to rush a friendship or force a conversation prematurely

3.    Look for natural opportunities

Our society is full of social distrust. We are easily annoyed and suspicious of people that “aren’t supposed” to be talking to us. Just think of the guy pushing samples at the mall, or the salesman that walks up to you while you are at the park with your family.  However, this distrust often disappears when we are in natural situations such as our kid’s soccer game, the gym, work, etc.  When we connect with people in these situations, their cultural defenses are often down and people are willing to talk. They might be open to build a friendship that they wouldn’t consider in other circumstances.

4.    Serve people.

We should be doing this anyway. This is our identity as Christians, we are servants. We are last. We follow the one who is the “king of slaves.”  He came “not to be served but to serve and give his life” a ransom for many.  When you truly love people you help them, you meet their needs.  And we should not only serve the people around us, we should serve alongside them!  This also means allowing them to serve you when you are in need. This is just part of being a decent human being! But even more, it is a great opportunity to display God’s work in us.

5.    Look for repeat exposures

Most likely there are people in your life that you will see again and again. Those are the people you should befriend. Work on developing trust and depth where possible. 

I have a friend that used to be a missionary in Bagdad. Once I asked her, “How do you share the gospel over there (in such a hostile place)?”  She answered, “The same way you should be doing it, we go to the same grocer every day, we go to the same shops and build trust with people and then look for opportunities to share Christ.” I was convicted at the simplicity of the suggestion.  Be deliberate and be focused. The apostle Paul operated this way.  He would go to the same marketplace every day. He would go to the same synagogue week after week.

In many places in scripture, sharing the gospel is compared to the work of a farmer. This job includes planting, watering, tending, and then reaping. Many people who talk about evangelism only talk about reaping. But in reality, most of the work that farmers do is NOT reaping. Harvest is a couple of weeks at the end of the season. You should work on planting, watering, plowing in your friendships.

If you are going to survive in this kind of endeavor, you will need to take the long view. Pray for reaping, but don’t worry about it, and don't rush it. Take your time, pray and trust God.

6.    Eat with people

This suggestion is so simple it may seem like a shock. Be like Jesus! He ate with all kinds of people. You are going to eat anyway. And so are they. Look for opportunities to share a meal. Invite people into your home and into your life to get to know them.  This can be a very easy way to learn more about someone’s life and story. My wife and I have even done this when homeless people ask for food. If I have time I will tell them I will be happy to buy them a meal if they will eat it with us so we can talk. This pretty quickly weeds out the scammers vs. those truly in need. It also provides a chance to do something more important than throwing money at a problem.

7.    Ask Questions and listen!

This is very much like Jesus! The book “Questioning Evangelism” by Randy Newman shows the way that Jesus used questions in his ministry.  He was always asking questions! Scholars estimate that he asked hundreds of questions. One author says the number is “307.” The occasions where Jesus is interacting without the use of questions is certainly the exception.

When we ask questions several important things can happen, IF we ask sincerely, and IF we care enough to listen to the answer. First, it shows a degree of humility. It says “I care about you.” Second, it helps you to understand the person. And if you work at this, you will find that people are truly interesting! Third, The right kinds of questions can be disarming. Even in conflict questions can help to lower a person’s sense of threat.  Finally, good questions can help people come to grips with what they already believe. In my experience, the right question can bring someone to wrestle with their own beliefs, perhaps for the first time. I have found this true in casual settings as well as “formal” events like street evangelism. 

8.    Look for Common Ground

We all have common experiences, common spaces, and common interests. This is one of the best ways to connect.  People are often willing to open up based on their hobbies, their reading interests, place of birth, favorite cuisine, their sports team, etc. 

One of the greatest areas of common ground is found in our weaknesses and struggles.  We are all sinners.  When Christians paint themselves as “having it all together,” it is not only a lie, it destroys a sense of common ground.  All of us have had times where we can’t pay the bills or face an untimely car problem.  So, if you find out that a neighbor is struggling with their teenagers or marriage, one of the best things you can do is talk about your own struggles in similar areas.  This may lead to a very concrete way to talk about a very abstract topic like grace or redemption.

9.    Pray

This is not an afterthought. This is one of the most important things, and we should do it at the beginning, middle and end of the process. Why? Because God is the one who changes hearts. 

Breath of Wine, Breath of Locusts

Last Sunday we looked at Luke 7:28-35 where Jesus provides commentary on why so many in Jesus generation (especially of the Pharisees) had rejected him and John the Baptist.   John was a great prophet that was in Jail and questioning whether he had misunderstood whether Jesus was "the one."  It seemed clear before, but prison and a looming death sentence can try the faith of the best men. Jesus bends over in love to show him again, and even to honor him before the listening crowds.

Then Jesus replies with a parable. He says that his generation is like children that go the to market place (the place where you are supposed to play), and yet refuse to play no matter which game is suggested.  One kid suggests they play the wedding game with music and dancing. "look, I brought flute." "Nope." Another says, "Well why don't we play funeral? We can act sad and cry and sing those funeral songs." "Get lost."  

Why would Jesus tell this story? Because the pharisees and others claimed that they reason they didn't listen to Jesus or John was because of their methods.  "John is strange, he lives in the wilderness, eats bugs, and wears strange clothes. He is always talking about judgment. He must be crazy, demon possessed. Jesus is always hanging out with the wrong people. John was an ascetic, but Jesus is a festival man. And he goes to the wrong parties. He must be a drunk himself. No self control. Junkie."  That is what they said. "We aren't listening to these guys and repenting because of the way they do business." Jesus says: No, not really. You pretend to want to play, but in the end you aren't willing to sing or dance. The given reasons weren't the real reasons.

One of the takeaways for me, is that this passage shows the diversity of methods and ministries God will use. These men had different methods, but a similar message. They called people back to God in repentance.  John did it as an Old Testament prophet.  He lived a life of self denial. He wore strange clothes, ate grass hoppers and never drank wine or strong drink. Jesus did it as the messiah, the savior himself.  Jesus did it with a full plate and a full glass of wine. He called the worst kind of people to the best thing of all: Forgiveness and Fellowship with God.  And he did it in a way that depicted the very message he preached.  

You can listen to the message here.

Photo used by permission Stefanlend. Some rights reserved