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“Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us.”
[Ephesians 4:1-3 HCSB]
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The call
Recently I taught through a series of passages that challenge Christians to make new relationships and repair old ones. The responses I received have affected me strongly, leading to great praise for the Lord and appreciation for my brethren.
For example, many notes described a scene like this phone call to an estranged sibling:
And so, I knew I needed to call her. I will never ever forget the verse that was in my head as the phone rang. “If God is for me, who can be against me!”
She answered!!
Me: Hi Sis!! How are you?
Sister: Is that you? Sis, is that you? Then she started crying. I started crying because I knew it made her so happy to hear my voice…
We talked for more than an hour.
Trust and obey
Of course, the Lord doesn’t always give such immediately positive outcomes. Nonetheless, it is always a blessing to do what He commands and trust Him with the results. As Romans 12 reminds us:
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. [Romans 12:16-18 ESV]
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January 19, 2017 | The Call
January 5, 2017 | Imagine
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“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.”
[Philippians 3:14-16 NLT]
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My notes
As I begin a new series at Frisco Bible, I am delighted that my personal study preparation notes can be used in the development of my brethren as well. Here they are for your use as well.
Imagine: a call for reform
Objective (what we hope to see God accomplish in us through the study): That we prepare Frisco Bible Church – both the organization and individuals who comprise it – for the next stage of ministry in this world.
Statements of the objective: 1 Chronicles 28
20 Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the Lord’s house is finished. HCSB
Premise (why we are studying this): The world is changing, rapidly. Families, individual relationships, and churches are all facing massive obstacles – and anyone who says otherwise is pretending. Yet rather than despair we should rejoice, because these challenges represent a grand opportunity. The local churches that respond to change and lead through it will fulfill their ministry for this season and prepare wisely for the chapters yet to come. The way to respond is to live out a bold commitment to being in tune with God’s Word while in touch with God’s world.
Statements of the premise: Philippians 3
14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. 15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. NLT
The buckle of the Bible Belt is coming off. That means the entire belt will soon fall off. And it is happening rapidly.
– Thom Rainier
Great leadership does not mean running away from reality. Sometimes the hard truths might just demoralize the company, but at other times sharing difficulties can inspire people to take action that will make the situation better.
– John Kotter, Harvard Business School Professor Emeritus, Leading Change
Theme of the study (what the study is about): We will fulfill our ministry by preparing for the future – in our homes, our society, and our church. While this can appear complex or even frightening, the reality is that it’s as simple as following God’s plan. He clearly calls us forward with these scriptural reminders:
Statements of the theme: Habakkuk 1
5 Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days-
You would not believe if you were told. NASB
I’m not minimizing the fact we live in a complex world, and I’m not suggesting that profit cannot be found in complexity. But…opportunity and profits are extracted from complexity through simplification, not by adding to the complexity. While many think it was Einstein who said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” the statement was actually borrowed from Leonardo de Vinci – both gentlemen were correct.
– Mike Myatt in Forbes
Historical background:
What a big difference a region makes. Or use to make.
I served as pastor of four churches, and three of them were in the Bible Belt. The Bible Belt refers to that region of the southeastern and south-central United States where church attendance has been higher historically, and where biblical values are more closely aligned with cultural values.
But the buckle of the Bible Belt is coming off. That means the entire belt will soon fall off. And it is happening rapidly.
There are thousands of churches in the Bible Belt. Sadly, too many of them are not adjusting to the changing realities of the area. They still act like it’s 1975. Here’s why:
Theological background: As we enter this series in our annual vision of reformation, we should recollect the take-aways God impressed on us recently:
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December 15, 2016 | He Ain’t Heavy
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“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
[Galatians 6:2 HCSB]
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Scottish pastor
Over the years, many people have tried to describe the attitude of Galatians 6:2 lived out in daily practice. One of my favorites came from a Scottish pastor in his 1884 book:
I met a wee girl walking the downs path carrying a very great baby boy. Watching her struggle with the load, I asked if she wasn’t tired. Surprised, she replied to me, “He’s na heavy. He’s mi brither.” – James Wells, The Parables of Jesus
American poet
Eighty-four years later, two American poets penned a beautiful picture, especially inspired by the fact that one of them was dying of cancer:
The road is long
With many a winding turn That leads us to who knows where Who knows when But I’m strong Strong enough to carry him He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother So on we go If I’m laden at all It’s a long, long road – Bobby Scott and Bob Russell, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”
Each of us
Here we are today, 48 years after Scott & Russell’s poem became a bestselling song, almost 2000 years after God gave Galatians 6:2 to the Apostle Paul. What will our expressions be? How will we inspire brother and burden carrying this year?
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December 8, 2016 | Internally In Step
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“I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out
the desire of the flesh. For…the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control…Since we live by the Spirit, we must also
follow the Spirit.”
[Galatians 5:16, 22-23, 25 HCSB]
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Keep in step
All of my life, every activity, is to be done according to the leadership of God’s Spirit. We live in harmony with the Spirit of God. He sets our march and we respond to Him.
And this is where modern Christians tend to get really unhappy with me, or more accurately, they get angry with God. What we want are “four easy steps to spiritual victory.” Right? We want physical, detailed, how-to, self-help guides.
With the laughing wind
Which causes God to laugh in our faces. In fact, He purposefully describes God the Spirit in the most non-physical, nebulous term possible. He specifically uses the Greek term πνεuμα Pneuma to describe the Person of the Trinity who indwells and guides us. Pneuma means “the wind” or “air.” That’s why it came into English as “pneumatic” – a term for air pressure.
This is not a solid thing. There is nothing less detailed, how-to, or self-help than the wind! We can’t control it. We can’t even see it. We can only see the effects of it. And yet that is supposed to be our daily guide. We are to keep in step with something invisible. How is that possible?
It’s possible the same way my kite flies in the air. I put a kite up in the air so it can catch the breeze. Then it moves according to how the wind blows. Likewise, I must throw my life up into God’s leadership. Every day I need to spiritually, internally, cast myself on the guidance and power of God. Then I can respond throughout the day according to His guidance.
A daily, internal response
I was discussing this with David Wade of our pulpit team, and he sent this insight:
Wayne, the old pastor A.B. Simpson had this to say: This…is an interior life, a spiritual life, and many persons do not know this, and do not want it. It holds too constant a check upon the heart, it requires too utterly that we should walk softly with our God. Most persons like to be their own masters, and the habit of walking step by step with God and submitting every thought and desire to an inward Monitor is intolerable to their imperious self-will, or at least unfamiliar to their experience. – A.B. Simpson, The Life of Prayer
Recently I met another great Christian teacher, Alistair Begg. He said this to me: “The Spirit’s fruit is not a Christmas tree with ornaments added from the outside. It rather comes from within.”
Keep that in mind as you decorate your tree at Christmas. Keeping in step with God’s Spirit is not an external decoration. It is an internal surrender.
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November 17, 2016 | Grace Frees From Perfectionism
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“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh?”
[Galatians 3:3 NASB]
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Grace
Just as toddlers learn to stand and walk instead of crawl, so Christians learn to move in God’s grace instead of our crawling along in own fleshly efforts. It’s difficult, and we often experience times of reversion to self-righteousness – something Galatians 3 exposes. One of the clues that I have learned to watch for is perfectionism. Though discernment is wise and desire for excellence can be God-honoring, perfectionism is all about my flesh. It reveals an insecure desire for control that is antithetical to standing in grace.
Perfectionism
Dr. David Seamands gives a great description of why perfectionism is so dangerous:
Perfectionism is a counterfeit for Christian perfection, holiness, sanctification, or the Spirit-filled life. Instead of making us holy persons and integrated personalities – that is, whole persons in Christ – perfectionism leaves us spiritual Pharisees and emotional neurotics…Perfectionism is the most disturbing emotional problem among evangelical Christians. It walks into my [counseling] office more than any other single Christian hangup.
– David Seamands, Healing for Damaged Emotions, 78-79
Friends, perfectionism does not lead to the fruit of God’s Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The perfectionist will always show these traits instead:
Tyranny of regret (I ought to have…)
Self – depreciation
Anxiety
Legalism
Anger (and denial of anger)
Conditional love based on performance
When I recently taught on Galatians 3, an insightful lady wrote me this response:
I was able to put a little check-mark next to each item on the list of “Fruits of Perfectionism” you discussed. I want to stop. My soul is crushed by the weight of every little thing I have chosen to carry, along with the associated anger and anxiety. I always feel like I have to do the exact right thing at the exact right time while saying the exact right words.
In the words of Elsa, I just need to “let it go.” Do you know how? I don’t seem to have a release button on me. Part of me is expecting an easy, step-by-step guidebook, but I know that isn’t how God works. I think it’s past time I stopped wallowing in my sin and accepted God’s discipline.
Walking, but not alone
I replied to her what I have learned myself:
1. Every person struggles with self-effort legalism. It is broken humanity’s default setting. But, by God’s grace, every person can learn to walk in the Spirit and stop crawling in our own flesh. Otherwise the Lord would not call us to do so. God’s grace really can, on a daily basis, free us from perfectionism 2. There is no magic formula and this will always be a fight. The most important step (pun intended) is to partner with God in continual monitoring of your thinking. God’s Spirit will expose your “stinking thinking” when you humbly engage with the Bible as a learner. 3. The second important step is to get good friends who will call you out. Real friends in Christ will lovingly point out your fleshly crawling – including perfectionism. If you have other suggestion re: walking in the grace of God, please let me know. It’s a blessing to walk in the Spirit with you.
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November 3, 2016 | Tyndale The Overlooked Reformer
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“Who abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight.”
[Micah 3:9 NASB]
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The forgotten Reformer
One of the most influential people in the history of the world was William Tyndale. Fighting off astoundingly ugly persecution, the brilliant Tyndale determined to accurately render God’s word into English so “that every plowboy may read the Bible and understand it himself.” Tyndale succeeded; and in the process, he became the father of modern English. The tongue destined to become the lingua franca of the 21st century was created just so the Bible could be understood.
And Tyndale’s influence on Bible study is also profound. Very soon after Luther ignited what we now call The Reformation, Tyndale picked up on the theme of sola scriptura. Doing so, he brought biblical scholarship back to the text. Brian Moynahan explains in his excellent biography of Tyndale:
To Tyndale, the decay of the faith sprang from Origen and the early scholars who had obsessively searched for allegory ’till they at last forgot the order and process of the text, supposing that the Scripture served but to feign allegories upon’. As a result, ‘twenty doctors expound one text twenty ways, as children make descant upon plain song’. And when the sophisters came with their ‘analogical and chopologicall sense’, they took a text half an inch long and ‘drew a thread nine days long’. Tyndale did not simply translate the Bible. In the sense of restoring its sweep and drama, he [rescued] it.
– Brian Moynahan, God’s Bestseller
The continual Reformation
We may not recraft the English language in a way that takes off like wildfire [though it would be fun to try! Let me know what brand-new words and sentence structure you want to introduce.] Yet we can and must recapture sola scripture for this generation, just as Tyndale did 500 years ago.
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