Tozer on True Worship

"If you will not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship Him one day a week."

Don't Forget to Groan, 3/31

Schneily Similien plays with his new prosthetic leg before trying it on at Hopital Albert Schweitzer in Deschappelles, Haiti, March 22. The 4-year-old was hurt in the Jan. 12 earthquake and had to have his left leg amputated.

Of course the receiving of a prosthetic leg is a great blessing, but the fact that it was necessary and that this boy had to have his leg amputated is another reminder of how broken this world is.

(Why should we groan?)

How the White House Made me Marvel at Jesus

(Recycled from Sunday's sermon, but posted here for those who don't listen to me preach)

This photo was taken last week, when I visited my sister and future brother-in-law in Virginia. On Saturday we visited my other sister Lindsay (far right), who is a student at George Washington University and had just gotten back from spring break in Hilton Head with my dad (next to Lindsay).

I have been to the White House before, but I was particularly struck this time at how difficult it is to get even remotely close to the President of the United States. Police cars block the street, so that cars are unable to get near the White House. If you look at the picture, you'll notice that we are standing in front of one large fence and a smaller blockade to keep us away from even the fence of the White House. There were armed guards and watchdogs at every entrance, and snipers on the roof of the White House.

As I took all this in, I couldn't help but feel small and insignificant. The whole experience gave me this impression: there is someone very important in that house, and I am not worthy to even come near his presence.

It's true that the office of president is a very important position, one of power and great dignity. Yet in comparison to Jesus Christ, the President is nothing more than a grasshopper, or a drop in a bucket. For Jesus is the King of kings, and Lord of lords. And as I looked, from afar, at the White House, I found myself marveling at the greatness of Jesus Christ: that though He is the Lord of the entire cosmos, He is filled with such love for me that He would personally leave His heavenly throne and descend to earth, cutting through all the fences and barriers which I had created by my sin, and rescue me from His righteous judgment, enlisting me in His service as His ambassador.

I have never, to my knowledge, committed an act of treason against my nation or the President. Nevertheless, fences, dogs, snipers and blockades keep me so distant from him. Yet I have committed cosmic treason against Jesus, the King of kings, by turning away from Him to be my own lord and master. Sin is treason, at the cosmic level. It is an attempt to rip away from God the glory and honor that He is due so that I can have it for myself. It is evil beyond our wildest imagination.

But what grace Jesus brings, that though I had made myself His enemy, yet in love He would come and personally bear my wrath and judgment, so that I can be declared innocent in the courtroom of heaven and eternally adopted into His family, as a co-heir of His Kingdom!

I am glad that whichever relative of mine it was decided to get a photo at the White House last week. In addition to reminding me of an enjoyable weekend with my family, it is an ongoing reminder of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ:

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:13)

Because of my innate rebellion, I deserve to be much farther away from the King of kings than I was from the President on that Saturday evening. But because of Christ's life, death and resurrection, the Lord of the cosmos brings me through all the gates, guards and snipers and seats me at His table in eternal fellowship with Him, the King of kings.

That is amazing grace!

Chill Out -- Postscript

Evidently, the quote I posted the other day about how the gospel frees us to chill out has caused a bit of a commotion over at JT's blog (155 comments as of my last check). To clarify why he posted the quote, JT wrote this.

Then today, Kevin DeYoung weighed in on the commotion with a post on his blog. He's a sharp guy, and I appreciate his insights on most everything I read from him. Here's an excerpt:

The fact is some Christians do need to chill the heck out. There is such a thing as pathological seriousness. It is possible to be too intense. Young Christians, especially when they are getting meaty theology and God-centeredness for the first time, can be prone to manic bouts of self-flagellation, spurts of judgmentalism, and unhealthy hyper-watchfulness. I know because there have been times in my life when I’ve been prone to all three...

I’m not arguing for careless exhortations, nor do I espouse moral relativism of any kind. But discernment is not the same as selling out. If you don’t need to chill the heck out, don’t. But some people do. And if you don’t think any Christians are wound too tight or introspective in unhealthy ways, then I’m concerned for you. Just like I’d be concerned if you thought the gospel was essentially about taking it easy.

I think that's very well said. Read the whole post here.

What do you think is going through this guy's mind?

Magnifying God with a Saxophone

I love it when this guy (the guy on the right, that is) leads worship on Sunday mornings at my church. But, in a different kind of way, God's glory is also magnified when he does this:



Maybe in the resurrection I will be able to play the sax. That would be pretty sweet!

Forgive me, but...

Yesterday in my sermon I mentioned Greg Gilbert's new book, What is the Gospel? Here's a quote I especially appreciated:

It's always interesting to watch what happens when people who insist that God would never judge them come face to face with undeniable evil. Confronted with some truly horrific evil, then they want a God of justice -- and they want him now. They want God to overlook their own sin, but not the terrorist's. "Forgive me," they say, "but don't you dare forgive him!" You see, nobody wants a God who declines to deal with evil. They just want a God who declines to deal with their evil.

FYI -- Westminster Books is currently running a great deal in which you can get this book and Tim Chester's You Can Change (which I wrote about here) for just $14.49. These are two great books for an excellent price. Click here to take advantage of the deal.

By the way, no one is paying me to make this advertisement; I just like recommending books that can help people grow in their knowledge of and love for God!

John Piper's Upcoming Leave

I was profoundly affected by the humility in this letter from John Piper written to his church. He will be taking a leave of absence from May 1st through December 31st:

As you may have already heard in the sermon from March 27-28, the elders graciously approved on March 22 a leave of absence that will take me away from Bethlehem from May 1 through December 31, 2010. We thought it might be helpful to put an explanation in a letter to go along with the sermon.

I asked the elders to consider this leave because of a growing sense that my soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry-pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, I love my Lord, my wife, my five children and their families first and foremost; and I love my work of preaching and writing and leading Bethlehem. I hope the Lord gives me at least five more years as the pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem.

But on the other hand, I see several species of pride in my soul that, while they may not rise to the level of disqualifying me for ministry, grieve me, and have taken a toll on my relationship with Noël and others who are dear to me...

Read the whole thing.

I imagine this was a very hard letter to write, but I pray that I'd be able to be this honest with my congregation. If you think of it, keep the Pipers in prayer.

The Gospel Frees You to Chill the Heck Out

Maybe it's because I am looking forward to watching some college hoops tonight, but I enjoyed this quote from Jared Wilson posted on JT's blog:

Yes, people watch too much TV and play too many video games and spend too much time on the Internet and what-have-you. But the proper response to our media over-saturation is not a rigorous attention to the explicitly “spiritual” in every margin of life. Be a Christian, not an ascetic. Don’t be lazy, but realize that Jesus Christ did not die and rise for you so that you would stress out about whether you’re being spiritual enough. So take a nap. Watch some television. The gospel frees you to chill the heck out.

What do you think?

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?

Christians and Politics

With all the talk this past week about healthcare and abortion, Tullian thought it was worth posting a section from his book Unfashionable dealing with the role of politics in cultural change.

And after reading his thoughts, I thought it was worth re-posting here. Let me know what you think:

When it comes to engaging culture, many Christians think exclusively of political activism. I fully agree that Christians need to be involved in the political process; as I’ve argued so far, Christians are to bring the standards of God’s Word to bear on every cultural sphere, politics included.

But political activism isn’t the only thing—definitely not the main thing—God had in mind when he issued the cultural mandate to mankind. Nor is politics a particularly strategic arena for cultural renewal, as theologian Vern Poythress writes:

Bible-believing Christians have not achieved much in politics because they have not devoted themselves to the larger arena of cultural conflict. Politics mostly follows culture rather than leading it. . . . A temporary victory in the voting booth does not reverse a downward moral trend driven by cultural gatekeepers in news media, entertainment, art, and education. Politics is not a cure-all.

After decades of political activism on the part of evangelical Christians, we’re beginning to understand that the dynamics of cultural change differ radically from political mobilization. Even political insiders recognize that years of political effort on behalf of evangelical Christians have generated little cultural gain. In a recent article entitled “Religious Right, R.I.P.,” columnist Cal Thomas, himself an evangelical Christian, wrote, “Thirty years of trying to use government to stop abortion, preserve opposite-sex marriage, improve television and movie content and transform culture into the conservative Evangelical image has failed.” American culture continues its steep moral and cultural decline into hedonism and materialism. Why? As Richard John Neuhaus observes, “Christianity in America is not challenging the ‘habits of the heart’ and ‘habits of the mind’ that dominate American culture.”

For a long time now I’ve been convinced that what happens in New York (finance), Hollywood (entertainment), Silicon Valley (technology), and Miami (fashion) has a far greater impact on how our culture thinks about reality than what happens in Washington, DC (politics). It’s super important for us to understand that politics are reflective, not directive. That is, the political arena is the place where policies are made which reflect the values of our culture—the habits of heart and mind—that are being shaped by these other, more strategic arenas. As the Scottish politician Andrew Fletcher said, “Let me write the songs of a nation; I don’t care who writes its laws.”

Don't Waste Your Health

I am 32, and cancer-free (I think). Zac Smith was my age when he learned that he had cancer in his colon. After watching this four-minute video of his story, I found myself longing for this kind of heart whenever my day of affliction comes.

Until then, I want to use my health the way Zac is using his cancer: to magnify the greatness of his God and King, Jesus Christ.

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

The Great Commission

A quote that challenged me this week from The Trellis and the Vine (for more on this book, click here):

The Great Commission is not just for the Eleven (apostles). It's the basic agenda for all disciples. To be a disciple is to be a disciple-maker. The radicalism of this demand often feels a world away from the ordinariness of our normal Christian habits and customs.

We go to church, where we sing a few songs, try to concentrate on the prayers, and hear a sermon. We chat with people afterwards, and then go home for a normal week of work or study or whatever it is that we do, in time to come again next week. We might read our Bible and pray during the week. We may even attend a small group. But would someone observing from the outside say, "Look: there is someone who has abandoned his life to Jesus Christ and his mission"?

A heart-probing question, for sure!

The Thrill of Victory (Part 2)

One of the best finishes to a basketball game I have ever seen:



And as I've written before, the thrill of victory is all about the second coming of Jesus.

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?