It was a real choice mission, and when it was over, I'd never want another.

How to be more like Jesus in the new year, 3 simple steps:

1. Join the church within driving distance most faithful to the Scriptures. If there isn't one that qualifies, move closer to one that does.

2. Ask the leadership for tasks/chores/duties nobody else wants to do.

3. Serve faithfully even though the following be true:

• You are un(der)appreciated.
• Your value isn't recognized by those you serve.

Related Scriptures:

• Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.


• Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.


• 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.


• Philippians 2:3-11 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

You have to ask yourself one question, "Do I feel lucky?"

The following are diagnostic questions* I came up with to help us take precautions regarding the destructive nature of our communication within the body of Christ.

• Q¹: Have I been involved in gossip at Providence Church, teller or hearer?
• Q²: Have I lied about a brother or sister?
• Q³: Have I said things that were true, but not with love? (Eph 4:15)
• Q⁴: Has my anger revealed my unrighteous heart? (James 1:19-20)
• Q⁵: Have my words injured someone, tearing down rather than building up? (Eph 4:29)
• Q⁶: If I answered, “Yes,” to any of those 5 questions, what should my repentance look like? (e.g., confession, restitution, asking forgiveness, etc.)

*I shared these diagnostic questions at Providence Church during Sunday's sermon, "Sticks and Stones." 

Look, I go to church every Sunday. Every "other" Sunday.

After the 6th day of creation, God rested on the 7th day to marvel at the goodness of His creation (Gen 1:31; 2:1-3). He would later explicitly command His people to rest from their labor on the 7th day, that they might likewise marvel at the fruit of His labor.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."
~Psalm 19:1

After Christ's work on the cross, His people would gather on the 1st day to reflect on Christ's work of redemption in making atonement for His people. Jesus appeased the wrath of God for His people who are new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) and we marvel at what Christ's has done on the cross and what the Spirit is doing in those new creatures. (cf. Phil 2:13; Gal 5:22-23)

"We gather together on the first rather than the seventh day of the week because redemption is even a greater work than creation and more worthy of commemoration and because the rest which followed creation is far outdone by the rest which ensues upon the completion of redemption. Like the Apostles, we meet on the first day of the week and hope that Jesus may stand in our midst and say, 'Peace be unto you.' Our Lord has lifted the Sabbath from the old and rusty hinges where on the law had placed it long before and set it on the new golden hinges which His love has fashioned. He has placed our rest day not at the end of a week of toil but at the beginning of the rest which remains for the people of God. Every first day of the week we should meditate on the rising of our Lord and seek to enter into the fellowship with Him in His risen life."
~Charles Spurgeon

Good answer. Good answer. I like the way you think. I'm gonna be watching you.

Bible scholar Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was once robbed of his wallet. Knowing he was to give thanks in everything (cf. 1 Thess 5:18), he reflected on this incident and recorded the following in his diary:

"Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."

The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force.

In the comments of a previous post, the question arose of God's grace as something active, or powerful. I thought the topic important enough to merit its own post.

When I was in seminary I encountered many who equated grace with leniency. For example, "I know our papers were due today, but how about a little grace, prof?"

God being gracious to us only meant letting things slide with regard to our behavior.

But, God's unmerited favor is something far beyond that. It's the manner in which He works in us, both to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Phil 2:12-13) unto our sanctification. We are confident that He will complete the good work in us (Phil 1:6), but not because we deserve it, but because of His grace ... which is efficacious.

"I know that I would surely fall away, except for grace, by which I'm saved."
-Keith Green, "Grace by which I Stand"

Though not known as a theologian, and we are not lockstep in agreement across the board, I think Keith gets it. God's saving grace is a preserving grace, a sanctifying grace.

Two texts immediately come to mind, where you see God's grace equated with His power.

• 1 Cor 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
  
• 2 Cor 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

When we say something has happened by His grace, we are not only attributing to God a recognition that we didn't deserve it, but also that it was something He actively did, not merely something He passively allowed.

"Grace doesn’t free a man to live as he will; instead, it empowers a man to live as he ought!" -Robert Lewis

Give in to your anger. With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant.

A solicitation of volunteers at the Providence Church members meeting last night brought to mind the following quote:

"It is bothersome to me when people claim they 'want to go deep' but have splinters in their rear ends from sitting around all day and doing nothing. Spiritual maturity is not only measured by knowledge; if that were the case, then the devil would be more spiritually mature than anoy pastor on the planet, because he knows way more than all of us! But maturity is developed when people do what Jesus did by serving others." (Perry Noble)

Of course, he's right. In fact, that's the measure of greatness in the kingdom, being the greatest servant of all ... according to Jesus.

• Mark 9:34-35 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
• Mark 10:42-45 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Then there's also that great Christological passage from Paul in Philippians 2:5-11, but often forgot is that the impetus is to be like Jesus ... with regard to His example of one who serves others to the detriment of Himself.

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:5-11 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Remember as well ... a call to "ministry" or a call to be a "minister" is a call to service or being a servant. That's what the word means. (cf. Mark 10:43-45 KJV)

Being a slacker is not congruent with spiritual maturity.

And this here's the TV. 2 hours a day, either educational or football, so you don't ruin your appreciation of the finer things.

Keeping with acrostics, I spend time in pre-marital counseling talking about S.M.I.R.K., 5 areas of potential conflict in marriage. I encourage couples to think and talk through these issues ahead of time, preferably prior to engagement ... but who am I kidding?

S … Sexuality

• To what extent have you shared your sexual past?
• What boundaries have you set prior to marriage?
• How important is the sexual side of a marriage relationship?
• How important is it to your potential spouse?
• How have past experiences impacted your views regarding sexuality?
• How does Bible address these issues so that your views might differ from the culture's?
  

M … Money

• Who will write out the checks, etc. to pay the bills?
• Who will balance the check book?
• Have you constructed a budget?
• How will big decisions be determined? Small decisions?
  
• Will you both work? Either way, how will household tasks be performed?
• Have you written a will?
• What are your thoughts and goals regarding debt, savings, and retirement?
• How does Bible address these issues so that your views might differ from the culture's?

I … In-Laws

• What boundaries have you established where family is concerned?
• What are the in-laws’ expectations of their new son/daughter-in-law?
• Have you discussed how you will handle family holidays?
• If there is divorce in your families, what have you learned from such exposure/experience? What are the grounds for divorce for you?
• How does Bible address these issues so that your views might differ from the culture's?

R … Religion

• How are your religious journeys/backgrounds different?
• What spiritual/church issues have you already discussed?
• Any compromises reached?
• What is your plan for developing the family’s spiritual growth?
• What is your anticipated participation in your church (e.g., attendance, finances, responsibilities, etc.)?
• How does Bible address these issues so that your views might differ from the culture's?

K … Kids

• If both parents work, who will look after the children?
• To what extent have you discussed your plans regarding children (e.g., how many, contraception, discipline, attire, religious instruction, schooling, etc.)?
• In the event of your deaths, who would raise your children?
• How do your children feel about the marriage? How have you discussed the upcoming changes?
• How does Bible address these issues so that your views might differ from the culture's?

General Questions:

• Why do you think you should get married?
• What counsel did you receive to encourage you to marriage?
• How do your families feel about you getting married?
  
• Are you in love? How do you know?
• What do you enjoy doing together?
• If one spouse is not going to be a stay-at-home parent, how will you allocate household chores?
• How do you demonstrate love to your potential spouse? How does your spouse prefer to be loved?
  
• What are your plans for conflict resolution?

But we think you're crazy to make us write this essay telling you who we think we are.

A.W. Tozer's Rules for Self Discovery:

1. What we want most
2. What we think about most
3. How we use our money
4. What we do with our leisure time
5. The company we enjoy
6. Whom and what we admire
7. What we laugh at

To make it an even 10, to those I would add the following:

1. What makes us cry
2. What we fear
3. What we pray about