Three Views on the Lord's Supper

Specifically in view in these three posts is, how frequently should we take the Lord's Supper?  This is a question I have given some thought to, but probably not enough. 

I'd love to know what you readers think with regard to this question.  Leave a comment and let me know...

Mere Christianity

(Thoughts here provoked by Kevin DeYoung)

Read these two quotes:

Now before I became a Christian I was under the impression that the first thing Christians had to believe was one particular theory as to what the point of this dying was. According to that theory God wanted to punish men for having deserted and joined the Great Rebel, but Christ volunteered to be punished instead, and so God let us off. Now I admit that even this theory does not seem quite so immoral and silly as it used to; but that is not the point I want to make. What I came to see later on was that neither this theory nor an other is Christianity. The central belief is that Christ’s death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start. Theories as to how it did this are another matter: A good many different theories have been held as to how it works; what all Christians are agreed on is that it does work.

The [theory] most people have heard is the one I mentioned before–the one about our being let off because Christ had volunteered to bear a punishment instead of us. Now on the face of it that is a very silly theory. If God was prepared to let us off, why on earth did He not do so? And what possible point could there be in punishing an innocent person? None at all that I can see, if you are thinking of punishment in the police-court sense. On the the other hand, if you think of a debt, there is plenty of point in a person who has some assets paying it on behalf of someone who has not.

This writer seems to be scoffing at the idea of penal substitutionary atonement, the idea that on the cross Jesus bore in His flesh the punishment for the sins of His people. If someone wrote this today (and, sadly, there are plenty of people writing it today), conservative evangelicals would label this heresy.

Yet the man who wrote these quotes is none other than C.S. Lewis, in his famous book Mere Christianity. Why do you think evangelicals are so fond of C.S Lewis, while regarding many contemporary writers saying the same thing as enemies of Jesus and the gospel?

Is this Funny?

The other day I posted a quote from Pastor Tullian that it's unwise to be serious when it's time to be silly, and unwise to be silly when it's time to be serious.

What response does wisdom dictate toward this two-minute clip?



Obviously the creators of this intend it to be funny...and I think in ways it certainly is funny. But I'm not sure that I should think it's funny.

What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know...

Double Jeopardy & God's Justice

"Did Jesus die for the sins of all people?" Almost every evangelical Christian is going to answer that question with a resounding, "Yes!"

But I think the question is worthy of some reflection, because of the idea of double jeopardy: that is, the legal principle that a person cannot be convicted and punished twice for the same crime.

The question about Jesus dying for the sins of all people begs this further question: if Jesus did in fact die for the sins of all people -- even those who reject Christ and endure eternal punishment in hell -- why would a righteous God send those people to hell? If Christ died for their sins, then the punishment has been paid. To send that person to hell would seem to significantly call God's justice into question.

So, did Jesus die for the sins of all people?

Praying with Eyes Open

A few times that I've watched Matt Chandler preach, I've noticed that he often (or maybe always) prays with his eyes open. So as he's preparing to pray at the beginning or end of his sermon, rather than shut his eyes he is looking at his congregation as he prays.

This struck me as a bit odd, but I wonder if it should. Does anyone else regularly pray with your eyes open? What do you think of this practice? Are there any biblical statements about shutting our eyes when we pray?

Ambition

Excuse the Twitter lingo:

RT @PastorTullian Dave Harvey: A good ambition becomes a selfish ambition when it's our only ambition. It's called idolatry.

My question: what if your only ambition is to magnify Christ?

Would Paul have prayed in Jesus' name?

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul says,

To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

So if Paul had a Jewish family over for dinner, do you think he'd pray in Jesus' name?

Or, more close-to-home, if I have my Jewish family members over for dinner, should I be explicit in naming the name of Jesus when I pray? Or, out of respect for the fact that they do not worship Jesus, should I simply give thanks to God without mentioning Jesus?

Agree or Disagree?

"Every discussion where His name (Jesus) is not heard is pointless."

Bible Memorization

Yesterday I was working on memorizing Habakkuk 3:17-19,

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

I have been familiar with these verses for a long time, but I have never committed them to memory. It seemed to me that personally and pastorally, these would be good verses to have firmly rooted in my mind and heart.

Not surprisingly, I found myself having a pretty good day. It is hard to get irritated or anxious about trivial things when the mind is musing on words like these all day. I know I've not been memorizing enough Scripture lately, so I've recommitted to putting some key passages to memory.

I've got a few in mind, but what are some that you would suggest?

What Kind of Detective are You?

A question from Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson's book Counsel from the Cross:

What phrase most accurately describes you in terms of your relationships with others:

a) Sin detective: Do you find it easy to point our others' sins and failures?

b) Grace detective: Do you love to point out evidences of God's grace in others' lives, even when they fail?

Does this make you want to read the book more, or less?

Looking at some books online at the Westminster Bookstore, I came across Mark Driscoll's book Vintage Jesus. On the page to order the book, there is this note from the Westminster bookstore staff:

Note from wtsbooks: Style of presentation and use of language in this book do not necessarily represent that which would be condoned or encouraged by the staff or management of Westminster Bookstore. We offer this book for sale as an example of a young pastor committed to presenting the Reformed faith in "edgy" ways that he believes communicate effectively to an unchurched generation. Readers should be aware that Rev. Driscoll's style and choice of words may be disturbing to some.

I found that this note actually made me more interested in reading the book, to see just what was so edgy and disturbing. What about you?

Jesus' Friends

Another quote from Tim Keller, this one from The Prodigal God:

In general, religiously observant people were offended by Jesus, but those estranged from religious and moral observance were intrigued and attracted to him. We see this throughout the New Testament accounts of Jesus' life. In every case where Jesus meets a religious person and a sexual outcast (Luke 7) or a religious person and a racial outcast (John 3-4) or a religious person and a political outcast (Luke 19), the outcast is the one who connects with Jesus and the elder-brother type (see Luke 15) does not. Jesus says to the respectable religious leaders "the tax collectors and the prostitutes enter the kingdom before you" (Matthew 21:31).

Jesus teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day. However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church.

That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did. If our churches aren't appealing to younger brothers, they must be more full of elder brothers than we'd like to think.

There are a lot of great quotes in Prodigal God, but this one might have provoked the most thought in me. What do you think? Is Keller right? And if so, what are the implications for those of us who follow Christ?

What Gifts of Common Grace are You Thankful For?

"Common Grace" is a bit hard to define, but essentially it refers to the grace God gives to all people (believers and unbelievers) which enables them to make valuable contributions to the world's culture, to do civic good and sustain earthly life and blessing (see Matthew 5:45).

Today, in the midst of fighting a wearying head cold, I am exceedingly grateful for the common grace gift of Afrin nasal spray. Whoever created this product has surely been an instrument of God's grace and kindness in my life, supplying me with the gift of breathing!

What's a gift of God's common grace that you are grateful for today?

Pop Quiz

In an otherwise excellent book by a well-known Christian writer, there is a discussion of the perfect world that God created, which was then marred by Adam and Eve's rebellion against God in the Garden. The writer then says:

"God now saw his world ravaged by sin. He was unwilling for it to stay this way, so he devised a plan. It would take thousands of years. It would mean harnessing the forces of nature and controlling the course of human history, but he could do it. From the moment of the Fall, for generation after generation, he controlled everything so that someday he could fix what had been so horribly damaged. Into this world, at just the right moment, he sent his one and only Son."

What's the theological problem with this paragraph?

What's Your Favorite Bible Verse?

Last night we opened our small group by sharing with one another what our favorite Bible verses are. Mine is Romans 8:32,

"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

Do you have a favorite verse or passage? Leave a comment and let me know...

Jesus: Not Just a Man of Sorrows

Below is a somewhat lengthy quote that I find intriguing and thought-provoking:

"On the one hand, [Jesus is] someone who left everything for the sake of the kingdom of God and lived in conditions that seem quite severe in their austerity. In this presentation, Jesus was displaced, sorrowful, and heavy-laden with the burden of this self-imposed way of life. He blessed the poor and was relentless, even to his own peril, in his condemnation of the rich and their lives of prosperity. He was the Son of Man with no place to lay his head. He lacked all feeling for worldly ties of any kind, and he urgently commanded other people to come out of the world, to leave everything and to follow him on his difficult way of faith into God's eternal kingdom. Meanwhile, he pressed on, rejected of men, toward death on the cross.

But on the other side, as it were, there was a Jesus whom Christian moral tradition has largely ignored. He was anything but austere. This Jesus was celebrative, he was the Son of Man who came eating and drinking with his lost people, now found. He lacked all moderation or pious restraint. He celebrated life with such intensity and abandon that it shocked members of the religious establishment. To their wooden souls, his life was embarrassing for the way it broke the constraints of polite moral convention.

They did not see him as anything like a "man of sorrows, acquainted with grief". Rather, they saw him as shamelessly acquainted with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other sinners. And for all these reasons good people gossiped that he was that wanton son of Deuteronomy, a drunkard and a glutton whose behavior was so destructive of virtue that he should be put to death.

But to his disciples and to the multitudes, to be with him was nothing of the kind. His very presence brought the warmth of new life -- freedom, camaraderie, peace, good cheer, and a mood of joyous celebration that could not be contained by the old wineskins of tradition. In leaving everything to be with him they got everything back many times over. In fellowship with him, they feasted and flourished as never before."

What do you think of this quote? Is it an accurate assessment of Jesus? Is the author correct in saying that Christian moral tradition has largely ignored a side of Jesus' character?

Leave a comment and weigh in with your thoughts...

Worn Hats, Worn Jeans...Worn Earth?

The other day in Target, I saw a dirty, faded Eagles hat for sale. It was brand new, but made to look worn out and beaten up. People like that kind of look. That made me think of how jeans today are often made that way too (like this photo). They actually sell jeans that look like that, at full price!

So if we like our hats and our jeans worn, is it possible that God also made the Earth to look worn? And that's why people dispute about whether the Earth is 'New' or 'Old'?

Of course, I'm not a scientist, and the age of the earth is not an area of theological study that I have spent much time contemplating.

Just sharing one of my musings from Target...I know, I need to get a life.

But does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Is God all that matters?

Abraham Piper is always thought-provoking; this post especially grabbed my attention yesterday. The title of the post is: If you think God is all that matters, you can't love people or honor God.

Then Piper writes:

God’s story includes essential roles besides God’s.

He’s not honored as the MAIN character when we act like he’s the ONLY character.

Piper was responding to this quote from Paul Washer:

"God saved you from Himself; God saved you for Himself; God saved you by Himself."

So what do you think about Piper's response?

Why Small Groups....Four Months Later

Back in July I began a study with my small group called Why Small Groups? Last week we finished the study, and it was fitting that just this past Sunday someone from our church asked me what our church's vision for the small group ministry is.

I love questions like this, because they help me to think through why we do what we do. And it is good to know that people in the congregation also want to know why we do what we do. After studying the book for four months, I feel much better equipped to answer this question than I did when we started our study.

If I were to say it in a sentence, I think I'd put it this way:

Small Groups exist to provide a context for the "one another's" of Scripture to be practiced, for the glory of God and the growth, edification and care of His people.

Of course, assumed in this summary sentence is that one is familiar with the "one another's" of Scripture (for a non-exhaustive list, check under the heading, Ways that the New Testament tells us to care for one another, in the sermon here).

So what do you think: do small groups matter? And if so, why?

Praying faster than the speed of light

A question for those who've read Paul Miller's A Praying Life:

How do you linger over a prayer card (I don't know any Ernies, this is a sample card) for only a few seconds? What exactly does that kind of prayer look like?

I love the idea of prayer cards, and am building my stack of them. But I can't figure out how Miller spends only a few seconds on one and prays meaningfully.

Let me know what you think...