Demolishing Arguments

(Adapted from Paul Tripp's Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands. You should stop reading this post and get this book ASAP and read it...seriously...right now...)

In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul sees one of his aims in ministry as demolishing all arguments and opinions that are contrary to the knowledge of God, and taking every captive thought to make it obedient to Christ.

What does that actually look like? The next time you experience a difficult situation that is embittering you or causing you anxiety, try out this exercise. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Truth: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man."
Ask yourself: where have you been tempted to think that your situation is unique and that you have been singled out for particular suffering?

Truth: "God is faithful."
Ask yourself: Where have you tended to believe that God has been unfaithful to His promises for you?

Truth: "He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability."
Ask yourself: Where have you thought that you've been given more than you can handle or that the extreme pressures of the situation have caused you to sin?

Truth: "He will provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
Ask yourself: Where have you tended to feel trapped, with no reasonable way to deal with your situation?

Demolish the arguments, and take every thought captive to Christ.

If You Won't Confront...

A few weeks ago I preached from 1 Corinthians 4:14 on the importance of admonishment in loving relationships. Had I read this quote from Paul Tripp prior to preaching that sermon, I probably would have shared this quote:

"We fail to confront, not because we love others too much, but because we love ourselves too much. We fear others misunderstanding us or being angry with us. We are afraid of what others will think. We don't want to endure the hardships of honesty because we love ourselves more than we love our neighbors."

The Cross and Criticism

In my sermon from this past Sunday, I mentioned that the church (at its best) ought to be a safe place to be judged.

But the church won't be such a safe place if we do not know how to give and receive criticism in light of the cross. This article by Alfred Poirier gives guidance on how to do that. If you have a difficult time receiving words of correction, you'd do well to read this and glean from Poirier's insights.

The Cross and Criticism

I'm not sure that I can stress too strongly my enthusiasm for Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson's book, Counsel from the Cross. Anyone involved in giving advice or counsel to others ought to give this book a read. Here's a quote from the chapter titled, "God's Love and Our Hearts":

"If you find it difficult to take criticism, it's because you haven't believed what the cross says about you. The cross is the most blatant statement of criticism ever displayed. It says that you deserve to die. You deserve to be stripped naked and humiliated and then to receive the righteous wrath of a just God for all eternity. That's what we all deserve.

But we have been given grace, forgiveness and relationship with him. You would need to defend yourself from criticism only if you didn't have a Savior who loved sinners. If you are defensive, you are missing the gospel."

How would you counsel this person?

Since every Christian is called to be a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17ff), it's good to think through how you might share with people in different situations. Here's a real situation with some made-up names. As a Christian, what would you say to help this person:

Amanda is an old friend from high school who knows that you are a pretty committed Christian. She is Jewish and identifies religion as being very important to her. She is married to Bill, who she explains is a devout Catholic. They are expecting a son in a few months, and are having a bit of a conflict in regards to whether to have their son undergo the Jewish tradition of a Bris, which is the ceremony of circumcision that takes place on the 8th day of the boy's life.

Bill is very opposed to performing the Bris, because he feels that it would be an indication that that they are committing to raise him as Jewish. Amanda doesn't understand why circumcision is a big deal, since it fulfills the covenant that was made with Abraham and is a part of the Old Testament which Christians embrace.

So what do you think about this situation? Should Bill allow his son to have a Bris? What would you say to Amanda with regard to why Christians don't perform a Bris for their newborn sons?

Are you growing in grace?

Some questions to help you arrive at an answer (adapted from Why Small Groups?):

Are you more aware of what Christ did for you at the Cross than what you have (or haven't) done for Him lately?

Are your weaknesses a point of discouragement or a place where you find God's strength?

When you haven't been diligent in spiritual disciplines, do you expect the worst?

Can you laugh at yourself?

Are you quicker to notice another believer's spiritual growth, or his or her faults?

After a good day, do you feel God is more pleased with you than after a bad one?

When you have been especially obedient, do you feel you deserve a unique measure of God's presence and power in your life?

Is the Cross a central focus in your life?

Is your relationship with God characterized by joy or rules?

Our Only Hope

It hit me around ten minutes ago that I have absolutely nothing to say to a person in serious crisis apart from this:

God is good, and God is in absolute control.

If I could not say both of these things, I might as well just keep my mouth shut. But I can say it, because the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross and His resurrection are historical fact. And those historical events were planned by God in order to redeem the world.

If not for these truths, there would be NO hope for the hurting. There would be no hope for anyone.

But praise God, it is indeed true.

He is our only hope!

On Giving Correction

"The reprover should have a lion's stout heart, or he will not be faithful, and a lady's soft hand, or he is not likely to be successful."

George Swinnock

Vacation, #1: A lesson in counseling

"If you read this, I'd value your prayers that Michelle and I would have a refreshing time together and with our girls."

Hard to believe that it was just a week ago that I wrote those words. Our week of vacation was anything but refreshing. Yet God was at work teaching me in the midst of it. On Monday, my first day of vacation, I read these words from Job 4, spoken by Eliphaz to Job:

4 Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees. 5 But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it touches you, and you are dismayed.

Eliphaz is saying, 'You have all the right words to comfort those who are in affliction, but now that the tables have turned on you, you aren't heeding your own advice.' These were challenging words to me. I can speak at length about the sovereignty of God, and God's loving purposes in suffering. But do I heed my own advice when some trouble comes my way?

I had a test in this during my vacation week, as I had to deal with some small pain, not nearly the magnitude that I have helped others through: sickness. Halle was the worst-hit, having pink eye in both eyes and ear infections in both ears. But Felicity got a cold too, and then Michelle and I got it from them later in the week. Between dealing with our sick kids and struggling with our own colds, it was not a fun week. A few times, I felt compelled to take the advice of this 'stress reduction kit'!

But I was grateful that at the beginning of that week, God knew I would need a reminder to heed my own advice. While I had moments during the week in which I struggled, this passage of Scripture was a comfort and a help. His lesson was clear:

To counsel others, you need to start by taking your own advice.