Perspectives

Last night was the first class session of Chattanooga’s semester of Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, U.S. Center for World Mission’s outstanding college-level missions course. I’m taking it for both personal and professional reasons, and I’ve been told all along that this course “will change your life whether you want it to or not.” I was somewhat skeptical about that (as I am with all broad claims like that), but after the first session (delivered by speaker and author Bob Sjogren, of Cat and Dog Theology fame), I’m beginning to believe it.

This class blows away any notions that “missions” is just a New Testament phenomenon or that it is anything less than the heartbeat of God and all Scripture. To briefly sum up the first lesson, the Great Commission is not found in Matthew 28:18-20, but in Genesis 12:1-3. Christ in the Gospels is only reiterating what has been God’s purpose all along–to bless those who trust in Him in order that through them He may bless every nation with His love and fellowship for His great glory. We have a choice between understanding and obeying God’s call (and recognize that His blessings are never simply for us to enjoy but rather to fit us for service), or disobeying and sacrificing the joy of our salvation by keeping it to ourselves. In short, everything is about God and His plan–including your life, health, wealth, and faith.

If you have an opportunity to take this class, pounce on it–you won’t regret it. They’re offered on a rotating basis at various locations around the country (and around the world). Just go to www.perspectives.org to find a class meeting near you.

Posted by Justin Lonas on August 17th, 2009
Posted in Christian Life, Missions, Reading/Study | No Comments »

Mythology 101

Check out this post from “The Gospel Driven Life” blog on 25 myths Christians believe.

http://gospeldrivenchurch.blogspot.com/2009/08/25-evangelical-myths.html

Posted by Justin Lonas on August 3rd, 2009
Posted in Christian Life, Other writers | No Comments »

Christlikeness

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom to the prisoners, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified” (Is. 61:1-3).

When I think of “living like Christ”, why is it that what comes to mind has to do with morality, right doctrine, and personal holiness when so much of Jesus’ earthly ministry was concerned with restoratively re-introducing the lost to the peace and rule of God? Of course the Lord does not disparage the pursuit of truth and righteousness, but His overriding plan seems to revolve around the love that flows from His holiness–in other words, God is more concerned that we know Him and live rightly in order that He may use us as His ambassadors of reconcilation (2 Cor. 5) than He is with righteousness for righteousness’ sake (just ask the Pharisees).

It gives me pause to realize how little energy and how few resources the Western Church devotes to things that “bind up the brokenhearted,” “proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners.” You could argue that we do a passable job at “proclaiming the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God” through missions and evangelism, but without the follow-up of love-saturated discipleship, we’re still off the mark. It’s far too easy for us to forget how caring and engaging our Lord is–He quotes a portion of this passage to confirm his Messiahship to John the Baptist in Luke 4.

We would do well to remember that God is the author and perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2)–our job is to follow Him, not to try to take over the work of our sanctification from Him. As Isaiah’s prophecy points out, the end result of the Savior’s labor of love is the planting of “oaks of righteousness.” If we will trust Him, love Him, and take His cues for service to the Body and to the lost, He will take care of the growth of holiness in our hearts.

Posted by Justin Lonas on July 28th, 2009
Posted in Christian Life, Jesus | No Comments »

Casual Worship?

Living in the Southern United States, I pass several churches each morning on my way to the office. One in particular has a large sign out front trumpeting the latest, greatest ministries and programs they offer. For the past several weeks, however, the sign has advertised something they call “Casual Worship”, presumably a low-key service to attract young adults and other unchurched individuals. Good for them in trying to reach out to people who’ve left churches for all the wrong reasons but haven’t been let go of by God. Bad for them in a choice of words (and perhaps methodology)–true worship is anything but casual.

Ever since the fall, God has required that sinful men approach him with the greatest reverence for his holiness. Before Christ, this took the form of the Levitic priesthood, the tabernacle and temple, and the rituals of sacrifice and cleansing. Our Lord isn’t some spiteful, whimsical deity who wants us to go through a maze to find him, but a gracious God whose sheer being means that coming near him on anyone’s terms but His means death. Non-casual worship is God’s gift–He wants to fellowship with us, we’re the ones who made it very difficult by rebelling against Him.

In Christ, we have access to God’s throne, but God is no less holy today than he was in the Old Testament. Though God no longer cares explicitly about what we wear or eat in His presence, He is as concerned as ever with the attitude of our hearts. He can’t abide someone who abuses the privilege, coming to Him as if He was of no more worth than any other of our friends and acquaintances. Worship of God should be the most intentional thing we do, consuming our thoughts and actions and shaping every area of our lives.

Whether we mean to do it or not, too much of our worship is extremely casual–routine for routine’s sake is casual; ignoring God 6 out of 7 days is casual; leaving church without conviction is casual. Our God is not a casual God–everything He does has layers of meaning and purpose calibrated perfectly to His will. How dare we put Him in any sort of box? From now on, when I drive past that sign, I’ve asked God to make it a reminder to me to remember who He is and to avoid “casual worship” at all costs.

Posted by Justin Lonas on July 13th, 2009
Posted in Christian Life, Worship | 3 Comments »

The Soloist

I like movies. More specifically, I like movies that wield the power of the medium to shake me out of myself and allow the Spirit to work in my heart in places I didn’t even know I had sealed off. Since Hollywood tends to be the domain of those who make a living based on shutting out God and His work in the hearts of men, those films are few and far between. Still, I think I saw one this past week.

The Soloist (Dreamworks/Universal), starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jamie Foxx, and Catherine Keener, is based on the beautiful and heartbreaking true story of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Jr. (Foxx)–a Juilliard-trained cellist who dropped out of school and life after succumbing to schizophrenia and wound up on the streets of Los Angeles. Steve Lopez (Downey), a columnist for the L.A. Times, happens upon him one day playing beautiful classical music on a broken-down violin with 2 strings. Lopez, on a deadline, smells a story and tracks down some facts from the Ayers’ past to paint a superficial portrait of an interesting homeless man. When a reader is touched and sends a cello to Lopez to give to Ayers, he begins to realize that, for better, or for worse, entering the lives of others carries consequences and responsibilities.

The rest of the film deals with the tension of that relationship, as Lopez first attempts to keep his interaction with Ayers limited to a bit of casual do-goodism, is drawn in further to attempt to put him back on his feet, and meets the harsh fact that help has to be given on the recipient’s terms to be of any real value. The movie is more story-based than issue-based, but you can’t walk away without feeling some sense of the pain of isolation, mental illness, and homelessness and desire to do something about it. The message of the story, however, is that “doing something” isn’t glamorous and may not be successful or rewarding either–helping the helpless looks like taking a step into their lives and peeling back the layers of brokenness through patient friendship. Through his relationship with Ayers, Lopez grows to recognize the struggles with commitment and responsibility in his own life that dissolved his marriage.

Director Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice, Atonement) doesn’t pull any punches when showing the harsh realities of homelessness–the dark underbelly of the American dream–and some of the film’s camera work brings it gothically to life. The Soloist juxtaposes Christ-like work with the lost (which often isn’t tidy, spiritual activity) with preachy pseudo-concern for their fate, even while taking a few unecessary pot-shots at the faith (Lopez brings in an L.A. philharmonic cellist to give Ayers lessons, and he is portrayed as Catholic with a pompous attitude about God and His work in the world). On balance, however, the astute moviegoer should recognize the film as the piercing work of art that it is and take away a renewed commitment to Christ’s model of reaching the least-reached with truth and love.

Posted by Justin Lonas on June 25th, 2009
Posted in Christian Life, Culture | 1 Comment »

10 People Every Pastor Should Fear

Courtesy of Gospel Driven  Church 

All of these people need grace (except for #10, of course, who gives it), but pastors should guard their hearts against some of their words and deeds (except for #10, of course, whose words and deeds should be trusted, enjoyed, and proclaimed).

1. The guy who “subtly” reminds you how much he gives to the church.
He thinks he is buying influence, and because some of his money pays your salary, he thinks he is buying more access to you and more pull with you than others have. Relieve him of this illusion if necessary.

2. The young guy who likes it when you rant against stuff or preach angry.
Beware of pleasing young men too much. Young men are notoriously stupid. 

3. The guy or gal who doesn’t like it when you rant against stuff or preach angry. 
Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. If you’re sincerely and reliably preaching the Word, toes are going to be stepped on from time to time. If you’re not being self-indulgent about it and you are speaking the truth, beware those who think you should be more “positive” like those fellows on TV.

4. The lady with the unbelieving or spiritually unsophisticated husband who emails you a lot.
Danger, Will Robinson.

5. The person who finds you right after the message to point out something you got wrong, quibble over a minor point, or mention some other criticism.
You are tapped out right after your sermon, and this person will just crush your heart with one soft blow.

6. The person who likes every single one of your sermons.
You ain’t that great, and you know it. Don’t get puffed up.

7. The guy on the theological hobbyhorse.
His spiritual energy revolves around the rapture, paedocommunion, Calvinism or Arminianism, evolution, or what-have-you and he thinks yours should too. These are distractions especially tempting for nerd pastors like me. 

8. The podcast sermon connoisseur who thinks, “You really oughtta listen to what John Piper says about that.” Etc.
This person is a close relative of #5 and sometimes #2.

9. The worship leader who has CD’s of himself.
Always use a less talented guy with a submissive heart over a more talented guy who sees his role as a stepping stone to somewhere else.This is closely related to the pastor who has written books.

10. God

Posted by Justin Lonas on June 5th, 2009
Posted in Ministry, Preaching | 1 Comment »

Who Are You?

Do I give people a reason to ask me a reason for the hope that is in me (1 Peter 3:15)?
The answer, from my perspective, is no, I don’t.

I find an interesting trend in my life as a Christian; I use an excuse of being afraid to give the Gospel to those that I come into contact with, even if there is opportunity to do so. It then becomes very tempting to have thoughts like, “I am not gifted as an evangelist,” or, “I am better at one-on-one relationship building.” I might come up with other excuses like, “I work in a Christian organization and am not in the proximity of the lost.” These can certainly be very valid facts of life, but is this really the issue, is it really that I am not gifted or not in proximity, or is there a deeper issue?

If a lost person were to stand in line with me at the cash register at the local grocery store would my presence spawn a curiosity in that person to ask me what is so wonderfully different about my life?

I am reminded of a challenge in war, especially in hand to hand combat, a challenge of knowing your enemy. This can be stated in a different way also; in hand to hand combat you need to know who is your friend, not only who is your enemy. The ancient Roman army wore a battle uniform that stood out to all of the other armies of their time. During battle the Roman soldier knew who was his friend, or fellow comrade.

It is always interesting when my wife and I are out walking in the city and someone comes up to us, hands us a tract, and attempts (often feebly) to share the Gospel with us. We then inform them that we know Christ. At this point there is awkwardness and often a quick exchange of “good luck”, and then we part ways. Why is it that I am not even known by my fellow comrade as a friend in arms, as a soldier of Christ? And, if I am not known by soldiers of Christ as a fellow comrade, than how can I possibly be known as a soldier of Christ to those who are not part of the army of Christ.

I would suggest that I do not don the armor of Christ every day. When people see me they see me, not Christ, and that is the problem. I am not afraid to give the Gospel to those who are lost, I am afraid of them figuring out that I am only preaching to them because I feel like it is my duty, but in reality I am not fit for battle and I would be embarrassed to loose in a fight. So, in reality I am simply lukewarm in my “faith,” not desiring to wear the full armor and uniform of Christ because I know that if I put it on, it will take a magnitude of work that I have not been willing to take part in. If I put on the whole armor of God than I will be forced to fight because the enemy will know me and desire to stop me.

So, does my life stand out so brightly that people can’t help but ask me what is different about me? Can my fellow comrades tell me apart from the enemy? What about you?

Posted by markl on May 22nd, 2009
Posted in Christian Life, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

E-mail blast

On Friday, we sent out our first-ever Pulpit Helps e-mail blast with several unpublished items designed to supplement a subscription to the print magazine. If you get the print edition, the e-mail supplement would be sent out each month between issues (giving you something from PH every two weeks).

We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback so far, and it seems like this may be the “wave of the future” for our marketing–it’s low-key (no one is forcing you to read it), it’s low-clutter (in this day of sales run wild, who wants one more piece of mail on their dining room table?), and it’s much, much lower cost than deliver sample copies of the print version to prospective readers. Granted, most other publications have been doing this for at least a couple of years, but for a ministry to capitalize on a trend before it has completely fizzled out deserves at least some applause.

If you received the e-blast this week, please let us know what you thought and how we could improve it. If you didn’t get it, and you’d like to, please e-mail David Riley at circulation@pulpithelps.com and ask to be put on the list!

Posted by Justin Lonas on May 4th, 2009
Posted in Special, Uncategorized, Update | No Comments »

On Writing . . .

I’ve just finished my column for the June issue–8th in the series “Taken Captive: Cultural Heresies and the Church” (not posted here for obvious reasons), and I’m reminded again how difficult it is to string together 1,000 or so words in a fashion that is neither “dead on paper” nor so alive that it tinkers with Scripture and upsets readers for the wrong reasons (a little discomfort is always a hoped-for result–if I don’t feel convicted after writing, it’s a good indicator that God was not involved in the process and that I should probably not print it).

We go through that process each month, and even though I’ve been doing this for Pulpit Helps for nearly 3 years (and for other outlets for several years beforehand) it is just as difficult as it was the very first time. Doing a series is even more difficult than individual pieces because each successive article must both flow with the previous ones and surpass them (to some degree) in quality to ensure that the series ends with a high note. It’s always a tremendous encouragement when someone writes in to share that the Lord has used something I’ve written to impact their lives or congregations–it’s what keeps me going. If even one person learns something about God and His Word, than all the hours spent wrangling over themes and phrases is entirely worthwhile.

I hope the current series is doing that for some of you. Feel free to let us know!

Posted by Justin Lonas on April 14th, 2009
Posted in Personal, Reading/Study | No Comments »

Bearing Burdens

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restre such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load” (Gal. 5:25 - 6:1-5).

At our church men’s reatreat this past weekend, I heard this passage faithfully exposited by Dan Wilson from Harvest USA (www.harvestusa.org) in the context of several sessions on biblical masculinity and the call to fight the fight of faith.

I have to confess that I’ve often glossed over this passage, reading it (through the lens of our cultural feminism that is so hard to escape) as a “warm fuzzy” reminder that we’re not in this alone, that we should support each other in the faith. It’s so much more than that, however. A little contextual reading and a little Greek exegesis can help us see what Paul is really saying here.

Context
Galatians, it has been said, is “Romans written while Paul was angry.” He covers many of the same themes as are addressed in Romans (i.e. - justification by faith, struggle against sin, etc.) in a much more terse fashion, punctuated with refrains of  ”do you not know” or “but you know“–this was material they had already covered, and Paul is firmly reminding them that these truths should have a hold on their lives. The immediate context of this passage is a discourse on circumcision (more specifically, the spreading heresy that it was necessary to follow the Jewish law to attain salvation), the bondage to sin that comes from the rejection of grace, and the freedom that comes when we crucify our flesh with Christ. Paul here reminds the Galatians how to flesh out grace-filled living in a Christian community–he tells them to take sin seriously and contend for one another’s spiritual health.

Exegesis
The word translated “walk” in 5:25 is the verb stŏichĕō, which speaks of marching in cadence and conformity to a leader. The NIV’s translation of this phrase as “keep in step with the Spirit” is a more correct rendering of the meaning. Often Paul uses the verb pĕripatĕō to refer to our spiritual walk, but his use of a different verb here sets a military tone to let us know that we should listen to the Spirit as soldiers listen to a commander–that failure to hear and obey quickly and accurately can have disastrous results. Therefore, as we listen to the Spirit’s leading, we should be alert to the dangers of sin and contend for those who succumb to temptation, lovingly but firmly restoring them to right relationship with God and the Church.

The “burdens” that we are to bear together (6:2) are the Greek word baros, which always has the connotation of weight pressing down upon someone or something. Temptation and sin are a crushing load that individual believers should not have to (and indeed, are not able to) deal with alone. There is a definite call to brotherhood and mutual accountability among believers in dealing with sin in the Body. The command is a two-way street: brothers are not to let an individual struggle alone, nor is an individual to attempt to. If he thinks he can handle sin on his own, he is deceiving himself (6:3).

The apparent contradiction of the statement that “each one shall bear his own load” (6:5) so soon after we are told to “bear one another’s burdens” is resolved in the Greek. The word for “load” is phŏrtiŏn, meaning “something carried”. The idea of weight and struggle is not attached to this term–it is the word Christ used when saying that His “burden is light.” The concept here is that while a body of believers is necessary to confront the baros of sin, each individual is responsible for his own phŏrtiŏn of the spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, and meditation on God’s Word); phŏrtiŏn is like a soldier’s pack that contains his provisions, ammunition, and everything he needs to participate in battle and neglects at his own peril. Other believers are not accountable for our personal devotion–that’s between us and the Lord–but they are called to rescue us from the pits we fall into when we neglect our responsiblity.

Living this out is tough (we don’t like confronting our fellow men about their sins, and we like it even less when the shoe is on the other foot), but it is an absolutely crucial command for the Church. We cannot live for Christ in a vacuum–without brothers to encourage us and chastise us, our witness is shot full of holes by “the sin which so easily entangles us” (Heb. 12:1). I pray that more men of the valiant faith that Paul describes will be raised up in our churches to rescue them from the mire of irrelevance, cowardice, and unfaithfulness that so often characterizes them today.

Posted by Justin Lonas on April 6th, 2009
Posted in Christian Life | No Comments »

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