God's Purposes in the Recession

John Piper preached a helpful message recently titled, "What is the Recession For?" He gives 5 of God's purposes in the recession: (1) To expose sin and bring repentance, (2) To awaken us to world poverty, (3) To relocate the roots of our joy in His grace, rather than in our goods, (4) To guard His glory by advancing His saving mission in the world precisely when human resources are low, and (5) To bring His church to care for her hurting members and grow in love. To read, listen, or watch the sermon, follow the above link.

Homeschooling Workshop by Gregg Harris

This is my first blog entry since we moved in the Fall. The Lord provided a larger house for our growing family, which is a real blessing! I have been super busy since then. We have decided to homeschool our kids, starting this next Fall. So in December, I started researching the various homeschooling philosophies. I found a series of lectures by Gregg Harris to be very helpful, both for parenting and homeschooling. It is called, "Basic Homeschooling Workshop." It is in MP3 format, and can be downloaded for $15.95. I considered it to be very worth my money.

There are 8 lectures, all relating to Christian homeschooling: (1) Why Home School?, (2) The Battle for Your Child, (3) Child Training God's Way, (4) How to Do a Great Job, (5) Delight-Directed Studies, (6) The Battle for Your Rights, (7) Teaching History in the Home, and (8) Home School Hazards: Passive Dads, Active Toddlers, and Teacher Burnout.

Here are some of the ideas that stood out to me. First, a benefit of homeschool is that your children receive much more personal instruction, like what a tutor gives, which is more effective. Second, your children will be more challenged to grow and mature than they would be in a classroom of 25 other kids at the same maturity level. Kids emulate those around them. In homeschool, they get a lot of interaction with their parent and are learning alongside their older siblings. Third, the teaching can be customized according to the interests and needs of the children, which helps keep it interesting. Fourth, the way for families to evangelize isn't sending their children into a public school, but using their home for hospitality, bringing unbelievers into their home. Fifth, in homeschool, older children can be taught how to start and run a family business. Sixth, children don't need traditional school for socialization, but can have adequate socialization time with children their own age at church. Seventh, it is vitally important for fathers to be involved in homeschooling. Eigth, teaching history biblically will highlight God's providential control, teach children how God is actively involved in history, and spur children on to trust in God.

The lecture, "How to Do a Great Job," is somewhat out-dated. It largely surveys various homeschooling books, many of which are now out-of-print. However, I found the section on teaching Bible to very helpful.

If you are only able to listen to a few, I would suggest the following lectures: "Why Home School?" "The Battle for Your Child," "Child Training God's Way," "Delight-Directed Studies," and "Teaching History in the Home."

The Necessity of Believing in Jesus Christ

As a pastor, I am sometimes asked about the Jewish people today who believe the Old Testament, but not the New Testament. Are they saved? The Bible is clear on this. When Jesus Christ came, God revealed Himself as a triune God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are hints of this in the Old Testament. But it was not revealed until Christ came. Now that God has revealed Himself as a triune God, He holds man accountable to believe in His triunity. In fact, the New Testament speaks many times of the necessity of believing in Jesus as the Christ and the unique Son of God. This morning I came across one such verse. 2 John 9 says, "Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son" (ESV). In other words, now that Christ has come, if a person does not believe and follow the teaching of Jesus, they neither truly know God nor are in relationship with God nor can receive His greatest blessings. This reminds me of 1 John 5:11-12, which says, "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (ESV). Now that Christ has come, eternal life is found only in relationship with Jesus. The reason for this is that it is Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins. There is no salvation apart from Jesus and the blood He shed for those who will believe in Him. The good news is that He graciously invites all to believe in Him for salvation!

Being a Doer of the Word of God

The last two Sundays I preached Luke 8:1-21, in which Jesus teaches about being a doer of the Word of God. Such a person is one who believes the Word, holds fast to it, and bears fruit with perseverance. I spoke about the importance of applying to our life every passage we read or hear preached, which is what Jesus is getting at. To be someone who is responsive to the Word, we need to understand the various ways in which God wants His Word to affect our lives. There is much more to the Word of God than commands to be obeyed. So there is much more to being responsive to the Word than obeying the commands. Below is a list of 8 questions that are helpful for discerning the way that God intends for us to respond to any passage of Scripture:

1. Is there a truth about God for which to worship Him?

In Exodus 34:6-8, the Lord revealed Himself to Moses, saying He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” Moses’ response was to worship the Lord. We also should worship Him for any truth about Him revealed in a passage we are meditating upon.


2. Is there a truth to believe?

For example, Romans 6:1-11 teaches that we who believe in Christ have died with Christ to sin and are alive in Christ to God. It teaches us this truth so that we will believe it, and so that believing this truth we will not live in sin. Actively believing this truth is an essential way to apply the passage to our life.


3. Is there a theological error to avoid?

Galatians 5:1-4 warns against seeking to be justified by obeying God’s law. Avoiding this error, and any other error Scripture warns against, is an essential type of application.


4. Is there an example for me to follow or avoid?

1 Corinthians 10:1-11 says God’s punishments of the Israelites for their sins that are recorded in the Old Testament, happened as an example so that we would not repeat the same sins. God intends that we will avoid the negative examples and follow the good examples in Scripture.


5. Is there a command to obey?

Some of the commands in Scripture are not for us, such as circumcision, which was only for the Israelites. But many of the commands in Scripture are there so that we will obey them, especially the commands of Jesus and the commands in the epistles. After Jesus gave such commands He asked, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).


6. Is there a promise to claim?

For example, in John 14:2-3 Jesus promised believers, “I go to prepare a place for you,” and “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” If you are a believer, an essential application of this passage is to believe this promise.


7. Is there a condition to meet?

For example, 1 John 5:14-15 teaches that if we ask anything according to God’s will, He hears us and we will have the requests which we have asked from Him. The condition given for answered prayer is asking according to God’s will. So an essential application of this passage is to seek to pray according to God’s will.


8. Is there a prayer to repeat?

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 is a prayer of Paul for the believers in Thessalonica. This and many of the other prayers in the Bible are examples for us of how God wants us to pray. Following these examples is one way in which God intends for us to apply them to our life.


The next time you read the Bible devotionally, ask these eight questions of the passage you are reading. Then respond to the passage appropriately, in the power of the Spirit, for the glory of God. Remember Jesus' promise of blessing upon those who are doers of the Word of God: "So take care how you listen; for whoever has [whoever is faithful to respond appropriately to the Word], to him more shall be given."

Christian Books for Children and Youth

I recently found a Christian book recommended reading list for children and youth, organized by grade-level. At the bottom is a set of links to other recommended reading lists for Christians that are not geared toward children. The list looks very good to me.

Is Christ an Authentic Example?

In my last post, I said that Jesus is an example for us to follow of befriending unbelievers for the purpose of leading them to salvation (Lk 7:34). An interesting question was raised in response to this. Is Jesus truly an example for us in this? Jesus couldn't be sinfully influenced by the unbelievers He befriended because he was 100% God. Just because Jesus could do it doesn't mean we are strong enough to do it. Then if Jesus could resist temptations that we can't, how do we use Christ as an example?

Here is my response. First, we need to be absolutely clear that Jesus lived His life as an example for us to follow. This is taught in the following verses:

1 John 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him [Jesus Christ] ought
himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 Peter 2:21-23 For you have been called for this purpose, since
Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His
steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

Second, we need to realize that, even though Christ was unable to sin due to His divine nature, He truly experienced temptation. The temptation He faced was real, authentic temptation. The only difference between His experience and ours is that He never gave in to the temptation.

Hebrews 2:17-18 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all
things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For
since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come
to the aid of those who are tempted.

Hebrews 4:15-16 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we
are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the
throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need.

As our example, who was "made like His brethren in all things" and was "tempted in all things as we are," Christ resisted temptation in the same way we are to resist temptation, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not use His own power to resist temptation, but relied on the Holy Spirit in the same we are to do, for after Jesus resisted the devil's temptations in the wilderness, the Bible says that "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit" (Luke 4:14 NASB). This is how Jesus lived His life. He lived in dependence upon the Spirit, which is part of what it means that Christ humbled Himself in becoming a man (Phil 2:6-8). If He had not depended on the Spirit, He would not be the authentic example for us that Scripture says He is.

The very same power Jesus used to resist temptation is available to all believers, the power of the Holy Spirit. We should never seek to resist temptation in our own limited power, always in the Spirit's infinite power. This requires faith exercised through serious prayer, which Jesus also models for us in His habits of serious prayer.

So Jesus' example of befriending unbelievers is an example that we can follow in the power of the Spirit and one that we should follow. This does not mean we should do something foolish like going with unbelievers to a bar if we have a tendency to get drunk. But it does mean we should seek to befriend unbelievers while exercising wisdom.

Of course there will be times when we give in to temptation. But the good news is that when we do sin, there is a sympathetic High Priest who is merciful and faithful, who has made propitiation for our sins!

Interaction with the World - Part 2

I received an excellent question regarding my last post. 2 Cor 6:14-18 instructs us, "Do not be bound together with unbelievers..." (NASB). How does this fit in with the idea I asserted that it is OK for a Christian to have a friendship with an unbeliever? I asserted that we have a tendency to become like the people we get to know, including unbelievers. But Christ sent us into the world (John 17:15-18). To keep ourselves from becoming like the world, the solution is not to isolate ourselves from unbelievers, but to (1) actively seek to get to know God and become like Him, and (2) exercise discernment, carefully examining everything unbelievers say and do, holding on to the good, and abstaining from every form of evil. So what about 2 Cor 6?

2 Cor 6 must be understood in the context of what Paul already said to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler-- not even to eat with such a one. (NASB)

So Paul's intention in his letters to the Corinthians is not to keep them from associating with the immoral people of this world. Because believers are, by the will of God, in the world, they will eat with unbelievers and associate with them in various other ways. To not do so is absurd in Paul's mind.

1 Corinthians 9:19-22 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself
a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so
that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though
not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the
Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without
the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are
without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have
become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. (NASB)

Paul gave his life as an example to the Corinthians, of drawing as near unbelievers as possible for the sake of winning them to Christ. Yet all the while Paul is seeking to submit to the "law of Christ." There are ways of life that unbelievers participate in that the law of Christ prohibits. Yet as far as the law of Christ allows, we are to draw near unbelievers for the purpose of leading them to Christ.

1 Cor 10:27 explicitly allows a believer to go to a meal hosted by an unbeliever, "If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience' sake" (NASB).

So then when Paul says in 2 Cor 6:14, "Do not be bound together with unbelievers" (NASB), he certainly isn't forbidding casual friendships with unbelievers, where you periodically share a meal or coffee together, or converse with one another. To learn what he is forbidding, we must consider the words Paul uses and the context.

Paul uses one Greek word translated, "bound together" (NASB), or more literally, "unequally yoked" (ESV). This word was surely associated in Paul's mind with the prohibition in Deut 22:10 of yoking an ox and a donkey together for plowing. It speaks not of any relationship between two people, but of a relationship which causes the two people to go the same direction in life.

We also need to consider the context. In this epistle, Paul is defending his ministry, because people in Corinth have been discrediting him. These people are false teachers and unbelievers. Paul says in 6:11-13 that the heart of him and his fellow missionaries is opened wide to the Corinthians, but the Corinthians' hearts are not opened wide toward Paul and his associates. The reason for the Corinthians' restraint toward Paul is the fact that they are being influenced by the people in Corinth who have been discrediting Paul. So when Paul then says not to be bound together with unbelievers in 6:14, and to "come out from their midst and be separate" (6:17), he has in mind the relationships the Corinthians have which are pulling them away from Paul. That this is Paul's thinking is evident as he continues in 7:1-2, giving similar instruction...

2 Corinthians 7:1-2 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God. Make room for us in your hearts; we
wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. (NASB)

So the prohibition, "Do not be bound together with unbelievers," meant that the Corinthians were not to be looking to unbelievers for spiritual leadership of any sort. Their having done this has soured them towards Paul.

So how do we apply 2 Cor 6:14-18 to our personal situations? Certainly the common application to marriage is a valid one--do not marry an unbeliever. Being one flesh involves being heavily influenced by one another. It is very hard to resist being influenced in the wrong direction by an unbelieving spouse. Yet God does give grace to empower one to do so, for 1 Cor 7:12-14 prohibits a believer from divorcing an unbeliever, as long as the unbeliever consents to live together. A second application would be that believers should not seek counsel for spiritual problems, such as anxiety, from unbelievers. A third application would be that believers should not seek Bible training from unbelievers, such as professors at liberal seminaries. We could make a long list of applications, but refraining from casual friendships with unbelievers wouldn't be one of them.

Because of Jesus' close interaction with unbelievers, such as is recorded in Luke 5:29-32, he was known by unbelievers as "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Lk 7:34). Jesus has commissioned us with continuing His ministry of calling sinners to repentance and making disciples. We must do so using His methods, which includes befriending sinners. Part of the key is to be intentional about calling them to repentance. It is when we let up on this, that we become susceptible to their influence away from Christ.