THIS EXPLAINS A LOT

Language evolves over time.

In his book Stages of Faith, James Fowler describes how the word "believe" has changed over the centuries - a change which has done great damage to the Church as a result.

In our earliest Bible translations, "believe" was the English word of choice to translate the Greek pistuo, as in "believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved".

Here's the problem: what we understand by the word "believe" today is a pale shadow of what the word once meant. 

The earlier meaning was much closer to what the Bible has in mind when it speaks of belief and faith. Today's "believe" falls far short of the meaning carried by the Greek. 

Once upon a time, "believe" meant "to hold dear, to love, to consider valuable or lovely". "Belief" was something you directed towards a person, not an idea. 

Fowler quotes Wilfred Cantwell Smith on the difference:

"There was a time when 'I believe' as a ceremonial declaration of faith meant, and was heard as meaning: 'Given the reality of God, as a fact of the universe, I hereby proclaim that I align my life accordingly, pledging love and loyalty.' A statement about a person's believing has now come to mean, rather, something of this sort: 'Given the uncertainty of God, as a fact of modern life, so-and-so reports that the idea of God is part of the furniture of his mind.'" 

And so the modern "believer" is often proclaiming nothing more in their "belief" than that, in Fowler's words, they give "assent to a set of propositions" or commit "to a belief system". 

That is not the same. 

At all.

REINCARNATION

As a seasoned youth pastor in the late 90s, I was not terribly surprised at the words floated by the teenage girl as the two of us stood in the church’s foyer after youth group, waiting for her ride to arrive.

Raised in our United Methodist church since birth, Emily made an unusual profession of faith: "I have decided I believe in reincarnation." 

Her words were not a teenager’s attempt to get a rise out of an authority figure; she was just making conversation. 

I probed a bit: “What exactly appeals to you about the concept of reincarnation?” I was fairly certain she had no Hindu friends actively proselytizing her in our small Hoosier town. 

“I don’t know. I just think it sounds like a cool idea. If this life doesn’t go so well, you get to come back as somebody else in the next life.”

When I pointed out that the Bible denied the possibility of reincarnation, Emily seemed surprised and wanted to know what it had to say on the topic. I directed her to Hebrews 9:27: “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment”. (ESV)

I will never forget her response: “Well, I think the Bible is wrong then.” 

And at that she walked away.

RARE

We had all three of our college students home for just over 24 hours together starting Saturday noon.

With various comings and goings over that time, the six of us managed to sit down for a meal together once: Sunday morning breakfast. Waffles and strawberries and whipped cream and bacon.

It was the best - and not because of the waffles. Melissa and I are so blessed.

These times are getting increasingly rare. It didn't cross my mind until just now that I hadn't take a single photo all weekend.

But that's ok - I was too busy being in the moment.

WORLD RELIGIONS

I have a 4,000 word paper due on Wednesday for my doctorate work and I am reminded once more how much deeper the learning is when one must write about a topic as opposed to when one is simply reading about a topic. I feel like I learn a lot from a good book, but when I am forced to process the information in my own words, the lessons are solidified and new connections are made. 

But on this paper, I have found it very difficult to get excited about the topic: the similarities and differences between Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity and the best way for a Christian to evangelize in each case. 

The biggest enthusiasm killer is the lack of relevance - I just don't run into tons of Buddhists from day to day. Certainly not enough to invest tons of time into learning the distinctives of Buddhist beliefs. 

Besides, I could learn all those distinctives by heart, and if I do run into a Buddhist - and this is just an educated guess here - I am still going to find that he or she is 1) part of some smaller subset sect with its own distinctives just like each Christian is and 2) just as ignorant as an average Christian of the textbook orthodox beliefs they are "supposed" to hold as a member of their community anyway.

It seems to me that my knowledge of what I believe plus a willingness to foster a real relationship plus a dependence on the power of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit are still going to be way more instrumental on winning someone of another religion to Christ than me having some dry textbook understanding of their religion. 

Besides, there's always Google. 

LAUGHING

I am increasingly fascinated by the way the human brain works.

When I sent that photo of me on the ground (see yesterday's post), I laughed at my daughter's response because

1) It's super sweet that she was immediately concerned for my well being and ...

2) It didn't even cross her mind to question how I got a photo of myself falling from the roof.

But I assure you, I am not laughing at her. She's a bright girl. It's not a question of intelligence at all.

What amuses me about the incident is that I see it as a reflection of human nature in general. I see myself in her response: My own gullibility and the way my emotions so easily trump my critical thinking skills.

But these things are universal. We are all gullible. We all allow emotions to cancel critical thinking. 

And THAT is what makes me laugh. 

OFF THE ROOF

On a recent Sunday afternoon the temperatures were pleasant - for February - and I decided I'd take advantage by climbing onto the roof of our house to remove the Christmas lights. 

Now, my wife worries about me being up there - and for good reason. I did fall about 5 feet off the stepladder a couple of years ago and messed up my shoulder pretty good. 

So I was trying to get the chore done before Melissa and Sarah left for a few hours of clothes shopping in Indianapolis. I didn't want to risk plunging to my death when nobody was around to clean up the mess. 

The task taking more time than expected, I was still up there when my wife and daughter pulled out of the drive. 

Thankfully, within ten minutes I had finished without incident and I figured it would be considerate of me to let my wife know I was safely back on solid ground. 

But I couldn't resist turning my announcement into a dad joke.

Knowing Melissa would be driving and not checking her phone, I sent the following picture to Sarah's number, with the caption: "Let your mom know I am off the roof ..."

Her response made my day:

Ginger is our Haitian street dog.

A DAY

A day in my life:

An unexpected opportunity to spend a few precious hours with my best friend from college days. He was in state from California to help out with his aging father's health issues. I love this guy. Wish he lived next door. He and his wife met me and mine for dinner in Indianapolis. 

A frustration with some of the "teaching" that goes on in the local school. A lot of mediocrity is tolerated by the administration and parents alike. The mediocrity will continue unless the teachers are confronted. Hopefully this confrontation can be done in a loving and gentle way. The last time I felt I needed to confront a teacher our time together ended with the teacher in tears, confessing she had no idea what she was doing. And she hated me for a year. 

A lunchtime meeting of the various agencies who share space in the building where Mission Resource has its office. I have been there for over a year, but most of the faces in the room were unfamiliar. We each spend the majority of our time holed up in our own spaces. The discussion was partly about how the building management could create more community. This got people excited - human beings are relational creatures.

I guess I am giving up sweets for Lent. It doesn't feel very original or even all that challenging, but I definitely need to reign in my sweet tooth. After dinner at a Mexican restaurant and remembering that my doctor said I may have a problem with acid reflux, maybe I should give up spicy food as well. 

I have been grumbling the past couple of days about self-righteous Christians who feel the need to "warn" others about the recent "revival" in Wilmore, Kentucky. They have no firsthand experience of it, and they are simplistic binary thinkers: if this event is of God, it will be 100% good. If there is anything odd going on, any emotionalism, then it must be the work of the devil. Because emotions are bad ... or something. I guess true Christians always sit stony faced on hard pews. And warn others about false revivals.

4 BENEFITS OF FASTING

Ash Wednesday is upon us and it's a good time to give some thought to the spiritual discipline of fasting. 

Somehow over the years - although never promoted by any church I have been a part of - I picked up the practice of "giving up something for Lent". 

It can be a worthwhile discipline. Fasting is not just for Catholics. Or Muslims.

Huston Smith in The World's Religions writes about the benefits that Muslims find in their sun-up to sun-down fasting during the month of Ramadan. What he says applies to fasting in general and, even if to a lesser degree, to "giving up something" for Lent.

Smith's four good reasons for fasting are as follows:

"For one thing, fasting makes one think, as every Jew who has observed the fast of Yom Kippur will attest.

"For another thing, fasting teaches self-discipline; one who can endure its demands will have less difficulty controlling the demands of appetites at other times.

"Fasting underscores the creature's dependence on God. Human beings, it is said, are as frail as rose petals; nevertheless, they assume airs and pretensions. Fasting calls one back to one's frailty and dependence.

"Finally, fasting sensitizes compassion. Only those who have been hungry can know what hunger means. People who have fasted for twenty-nine days within the year will be apt to listen more carefully when next approached by someone who is hungry." (p.247)

Those are four great reasons to fast. 

Even if you haven't done so already, it's not too late to make a commitment - what are you giving up for Lent?

THE PROBLEM

In his new book The Truth and Beauty, author Andrew Klavan writes about a late-night conversation he had with his adult son, Spencer.

Klavan was expressing his frustrations with trying to understand some of the teachings of Jesus: 

"I don't understand the Sermon on the Mount. The thing is, I have this intense feeling that it all does actually make sense somehow. It's like a beautiful picture, but it's blurry to me. I feel if I could just turn the lens a little bit this way or that, it would all come suddenly into focus. But I can't seem to do it."

At this Spencer replied, "Maybe the problem is that you are trying to understand a philosophy instead of trying to get to know a man."

This response floored Klavan. He writes, "I recognized this on the instant as the single smartest thing anyone had ever said to me." 

Approaching Scripture in an attempt to "understand a philosophy" is quite different from reading with the goal of getting to know God Himself.

THE 3 MEMO RULE

At one point during my youth ministry days, I worked as part of a large pastoral team where the senior pastor was an easily distracted workaholic. He would fire off memos to various underlings throughout the week, assigning random new work projects as they would pop into his head. 

But he rarely followed through or checked on progress. 

A few months into my tenure at the church, one associate pastor pulled me aside to explain how she kept her workload light with her "3 Memo Rule". It was simple: she always threw away the first two memos he sent regarding any proposed new projects. If and when a third came, at that point she would get to work on it.

The third memo proved he was serious. 

Have you ever treated the Bible like it's Memo #1 from a distracted Boss in a distant office?

THE 5 WHYS

Recently I pointed out the sad state of American theology - as demonstrated by the shocking responses to a recent poll. Many American Christians were unsure of God's omniscience, His perfection, and even the divinity of Jesus.

My first response was: We need to be teaching more doctrine from the pulpit of every church!

But then I came across the 5 Whys Technique, an approach to problem solving first developed at Toyota decades ago. Once you hear it, it might strike you as common sense: it is simply to keep asking "Why?" until we reach the heart of an issue. 

Too often, when confronted with a problem, we only ask "Why?" once and then run with that answer toward a solution.

In reality, problems most often stem from a deeper place where our quick fix might not even reach.

So using the 5 Whys looks like this:

"American Christians don't know basic theology."

    Why don't they?

"Because they are not learning it on Sunday mornings."

    Why aren't they learning it?

"Upon a bit of reflection, I conclude it's not that doctrine isn't being taught - most sermons ARE propositional, like '7 Principles from the First Chapter of Romans' or 'What the Bible Teaches about Marriage'."

    So again, why aren't they learning it?

"The propositional and doctrinal teaching isn't sticking."

    Why isn't it sticking?

"The propositions are coming secondhand - from the outside. Truth is best learned firsthand. (Read the book, NOT the SparkNotes regarding the book!)"

    Why are the people in the pews not getting their Truth firsthand?

"They aren't reading the Bible for themselves. The propositional teaching from the pulpit serves as an easier substitute."

Therefore: My first kneejerk solution - "Teach more doctrine!" - might actually exacerbate the problem. (Especially if the doctrine is Calvinism, as in the case of the group who commissioned the poll on theology!) 

Maybe what the people in the pews really need from their pastors is guidance, encouragement, and modeling in approaching Scripture daily on their own. 

THE BIGGEST QUESTION REGARDING REVIVALS

Apparently the revival continues in Wilmore, Kentucky - and has spread to at least one other campus. I'm praying it makes the leap into our churches soon.

I have seen some discussion of whether this revival is genuine or not.

It's a valid question.

When I was a student at Asbury Theological Seminary in the late 90s, I witnessed two revivals - one was genuine and the other ... not so much. 

The first was a smaller version of what has been happening there over the past week and a half and took place in the very same auditorium. How do I know it was the real deal? It was quiet, unassuming, and was marked by repentance and public confession. 

It was beautiful.

The second was at a church on the edge of campus. I don't recall the details, but this "revival" was an extension of a small movement that had started in another town.

I walked to the sanctuary and slipped into a seat in the balcony to see what was going on. 

I left within half an hour. 

This particular stream of "revival" was marked by what people were calling "holy laughter". 

This "holy" laughter - intermittent, raucous guffaws from several individuals in the front pews - was said to be an expression of pure joy in the Lord. 

In reality, holy laughter turned out to be the perfect excuse for attention-seeking narcissists to grab a little time in the spotlight. 

It seemed highly unlikely to me that the Holy Spirit was the one inspiring these individuals to laugh loudly throughout the preaching time.

The difference between these two revivals was obvious to anyone with an ounce of spiritual sensitivity. 

THIS FAITH WAS MADE FOR WALKIN'

One of the greatest failings of the American Church could be summed up in Nancy Sinatra's famous line: "You keep same-in' when you oughta be a-changin'." 

We - as individual members of the Body - keep same-in' when we oughta be a-changin'. 

Please do not misunderstand - I am not saying the church as a whole needs to change, at least not in the sense of "keeping up with the times".

Far from it.

We need to go back to the Scriptures and we need to go deep. We need to understand that faith without works is dead, that the Spirit brings sanctification, and we are called to become like Christ.

All of these involve big change.

Christianity is not a matter of trying to be nice and going to church at least 3 Sundays out of 4. (That doesn't involve any significant change.)

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2

"Transformed" = BIG change.

The Church is the Body of Christ, right? The Apostle Paul implies that if we stay conformed to this world and our minds are not renewed - if we stay the same - then we end up cut off from God's will.

And if the Body is separated from the Head, that Body is a corpse. 

Let's stop "same-in'" when we "oughta be a-changin'". 

DOING GOOD TOGETHER

I have a growing conviction that God's intended domain for the accomplishment of good works is the Body of Christ just as much as the lives of individual believers. I would go so far as to say the Body is the primary domain for good works to happen.

Individual missionaries and parachurch organizations which sidestep the local body of Christ will always be limited in their effectiveness. 

The truly big work that needs to be done in this lost world requires entire networks of believers - with each individual exercising his or her unique God-given gifts in sync with each other and the Spirit's guidance. 

As an American, I have always read Ephesians 2:10 as applying individually, but is that the only way to read it?

"For WE are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for US to do."

SPARKNOTES

Some people approach the Bible as if it consists primarily of a set of doctrines to be learned. So they turn to the "experts" to hear their explanations of the various propositions it contains. 

But this is like "reading" a classic novel by studying the SparkNotes summary.

Sure, you might be able to spout back some plot details and describe a major theme or two and it will save you a whole bunch of time, but you will miss out on the joy of reading a masterpiece and the wonder of firsthand discovery.

And one thing is guaranteed: if you stick to the SparkNotes, that book will never have the chance to become your all-time favorite. 

Obviously, if you thought the book had something important to say, you would have read every word of it for yourself. 

And then you would draw your own conclusions about which characters are major and which minor and what symbolism spoke to you. 

Don't do SparkNotes for Bible. 

There IS a test coming. 

WILD CARD

Over the past couple of years I have heard many Christians express a critical view of American culture (deservedly so!) and a gloomy forecast for our country's future. 

Most recently, I heard it this morning in Sunday school. A man there said that he told his adult children - (I am paraphrasing) - "I know things are bad, but prepare yourself because they are going to get worse. In fact, as bad as things are right now, just remember that these are the best days you are likely to see in this country."

I can empathize. At times, I can get pessimistic about the future myself. 

It feels like the foundations are being kicked out from under us. Institutions aren't what they used to be, the media can't be trusted to tell us the truth, and so many people aren't even sure about what gender they are anymore. 

Certainty is vanishing. Confusion prevails.

But then ... God!

Did you hear what has been happening this past week on the campus of Asbury University in Kentucky? 

Revival has broken out: Students, professors, and townsfolk have been crowding into the school's chapel to worship God and to hear from Him. 

The most encouraging part of the story is the report of so many college students from other campuses, both Christian and secular, roadtripping to Wilmore, Kentucky to be a part of it. Some of these schools are 5 and 6 hours away.

There is a hunger! 

As our young people are groping around in this present cultural darkness, they are looking for something solid to grab hold of.

We should get our churches prepared. Let's not allow ourselves to get pessimistic about the future. 

The Holy Spirit is a wild card!

Act 17:26-27 - "And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us."

OPEN AND SHUT

It seems to me that in recent years American culture has made its goal to become as open minded as possible. And there are aspects of that goal which are commendable. 

But perhaps we have overshot the target. 

Here are a couple of quotes - from decades past - yet wise words of warning for present times:

"Cursed is he that does not know when to shut his mind. An open mind is all very well in its way, but it ought not to be so open that there is no keeping anything in or out of it. It should be capable of shutting its doors sometimes, or it may be found a little draughty." Novelist Samuel Butler

“The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid. Otherwise it is more akin to a sewer, taking in all things equally.” G.K. Chesterton

NO SHINGLES NEEDED

Here are more ponderings from the mind of Mark Twain, this time from "What is Man?" in 1906:

"We are always hearing of people who are around seeking after Truth. I have never seen a (permanent) specimen. I think he has never lived. But I have seen several entirely sincere people who thought they were (permanent) Seekers after Truth. They sought diligently, persistently, carefully, cautiously, profoundly, with perfect honesty and nicely adjusted judgment—until they believed that without doubt or question they had found the Truth. That was the end of the search. The man spent the rest of his life hunting up shingles wherewith to protect his Truth from the weather."

So in the end, how do you know if you have laid hold of real Truth or just another persuasive falsehood?

Twain implies an answer: authentic Truth doesn't need you to build it a shelter for protection from the weather.

THE LIFESPAN OF A LIE

In a similar vein to "People don't have ideas - Ideas have people" is this quote:

"It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled." 

Over the past decade or so, these words have often been attributed to Mark Twain, but the factchecking websites cannot find this quote in any of his written material. 

(If it matters, the false attribution was the work of Twitter.)

Still, the factcheckers did find a similar idea expressed in Twain's autobiography:

"How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again!" 

The curious thing about this quote is that in speaking of "how hard it is to undo a lie", Twain was thinking of two distinct difficulties: 1) Mustering up the courage to confess a lie and then 2) Convincing those who believed it that NOW you are telling the truth.

The difficulty of undoing a lie was a lesson Twain learned from one of his first experiences of "yarn-spinning" before a live audience. 

As a young boy, Twain had overheard a family visitor, one Dr. Peake, describe a horrific mansion fire he had once witnessed. The good doctor recounted the experience with drama and great detail. Young Twain was mesmerized.

During a return visit by Dr. Peake three or four years later, Twain - now an adolescent - rehearsed all the details of that great fire to an enraptured audience ... but under the pretense of seeing the whole thing in a hypnotic vision. Having overlooked the fact that Twain had heard the story from Peake himself, Peake and the others present were astonished.

Thirty five years later, Twain wrestled with a desire to come clean to his mother. To "undo" the lie. 

To Twain's amazement, when he confessed, his mother would have none of it. "She refused to believe that I had invented my visions myself; she said it was folly: that I was only a child at the time and could not have done it."

He could not convince her otherwise. She died wholeheartedly believing his original lie while, with equal firmness and determination, discounting his later confession as a lie. 

Twain concludes this episode with a poignant observation on the lifespan of a lie: "If I had taken out a life policy on this [lie] the premiums would have bankrupted me ages ago."

In other words ... some lies never die.

ONE WAY TO DISCERN GOD'S WILL

This world is headed in one direction. God in the other. 

Any action based upon the will of God, therefore, WILL create friction, for both the point person and bystanders. And friction is, at the very least, uncomfortable. 

More often it is downright frightening. 

It makes us question our mission. 

It tempts us to retreat to more familiar ground. 

If we're not careful, a pattern of behavior develops where we shrink back each time we should be moving forward. 

What happens when we recognize that fear as a signal that we are resisting God's will?

So here's a question worth pondering today:

What is the thing you know you ought to do, but it frightens you?

THAT just might be God's will. 

Do it. 

CONTROL

"People don't have ideas. Ideas have people."

I have heard this quote several times in recent years across social media. Apparently it is something that Jordan Peterson is relating as coming from Carl Jung's teachings.

Wherever it originated, it strikes me as true. 

To me, it means that ideas are powerful entities with a life of their own. And although we believe we are in charge of our own ideas - keeping only the true and useful ones while kicking all false or weak ones to the curb - our rule over ideas is largely an illusion. 

Put another way, in both subtle and profound ways, our ideas control us more than we control them. 

NO SKIPPING AHEAD

I don’t know about you, but when February rolls around, I find myself in the midst of a genuine struggle. On the one hand I recognize the spiritual necessity of being grateful for each day God gives. But on the other hand? I just want winter to be OVER. 

So I am tempted to wish time away.

Can't we just skip ahead to spring?

I don't suppose it was JUST February that the Apostle Paul had in mind when he advised, “Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph 5:15-16 ESV) 

The Lord would have us remember that we are living in a broken world - filled with struggles and, yes, evil. 

And in this broken world, we don't have the prerogative to wish away time. 

PRAYER CARD

My prayer cards came in the mail the other day. God willing, these will be a tool to raise prayer and financial support for my current position with Mission Resource International. 

As an American, I have an independent streak a mile wide - So I would love to be able to financially support my work with MRI without asking others to join me with prayer and finances. 

But I have felt a growing conviction lately that any work of God requires the support of a network of God's people. (And Mission Resource is doing Kingdom work.)

There's no avoiding it: God works through people.

Collaborating. 

It's kind of His thing. 

(It feels a little weird to have my own prayer card ... without Melissa and the kids in the picture. I am glad to have their support, though.)

GETTING TOGETHER

These past three weeks, my preaching has been focused on the story of Cornelius' meeting with Peter found in Acts 10. 

An angel visits Cornelius and tells him to send for Peter, 30-some miles away. The next day, the Spirit shows Peter a vision of a sheet filled with animals and tells him to "kill and eat". Peter is still pondering this vision and God's command to not call anything unclean that He has made clean when Cornelius' men show up. 

So God arranges this meeting between Peter and Cornelius and it ends with Peter sharing the Gospel with Cornelius and his entire household. The Holy Spirit falls on the crowd and everyone gets baptized.

What is striking is the way God works to bring these two together and teaches each a significant spiritual truth. 

Cornelius learns that he needs to put his faith in Jesus as God's Son. Peter learns that the Gospel is for the whole world and not just the Jewish nation. 

But did God really need Peter and Cornelius to meet? Couldn't the angel have related the Gospel to Cornelius? Couldn't the Spirit tell Peter explicitly that he was to begin evangelizing among the Gentiles? 

He certainly could have done it then and He could do it today. Nevertheless, the Lord chooses to work through us humans and our relationships.

Fascinating. 

THE STATE OF LIGONIER'S THEOLOGY

Statement 19 of the Ligonier survey of Americans' theological beliefs was more obviously Calvinistic than Statement 10 (see yesterday's post). 

And this blatant Calvinism, I believe, is the reason they found fewer who agreed with them on this point. 

Here's the statement:

The "Filtered Respondents" in the graph above are Evangelicals.

And how did the Evangelicals respond to the statement that God chose the people He would save before He created the world? 15% said they Somewhat Agree and 23% that they Strongly Agree. 

On the other side, 11% said they Somewhat Disagreed. (This is how you answer when you know the statement sounds wrong, but you don't know your orthodox Christian beliefs well enough to say why). 

And 34% Strongly Disagreed. (These are my people! 😉)

Of course, Ligonier takes issue with these non-Calvinists. According to Ligonier, the correct answer would be "Agree". Here's their brief justification:

"Before the foundation of the world, God predestined every Christian unto salvation according to His good pleasure (Eph. 1:5). Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9; Rom. 8:29–30)."

When you cherry-pick a single verse, plucking it out of its context, you are opening yourself up for misinterpretation. Take a look at Ephesians 1:5, but in the context of 3-10 and pay attention to the prepositional phrases:

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

So what exactly was predestined? That a random handful of individuals would be saved while all the rest of humanity was predestined to hell?

No. What was predestined was the work of Christ and all that it accomplished: everything that was now being revealed as available to sinful humans IN CHRIST. 

The emphasis here is on Jesus Christ and what He accomplished, not on the Father's supposed election of certain individuals to salvation. 

In fact, it seems to me that the Calvinist belief that God simply picked some individuals for salvation before the foundation of the world devalues the life and work of Christ. 

WHICH CAME FIRST?

Recently I cited a study on "The State of Theology" in the U.S. which showed some disturbing trends regarding American beliefs about what Scripture teaches. I revisited the website this week because I thought some of its information might be useful for my upcoming sermon.

The first time I looked at it, I hadn't paid too much attention to the sponsor of the report - Ligonier Ministries. 

That's R.C. Sproul's legacy, so there's a decidedly Calvinist bent to a couple of the questions.

Take for example "Statement #10" with which respondents were asked to agree or disagree:

The study found 21% of Evangelicals responded with "Somewhat Agree" and 37% with "Strongly Agree"! 

According to the authors of the study, these folks got the answer right because the statement is true. 

Here's their rationale:

"Jesus told Nicodemus that a person must be born again before he can see or enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3–5). Even the faith by which we enter the kingdom is a gift of God, who by His Spirit brings us to new spiritual life so that we can trust in Christ (Eph. 2:1–10). The Spirit, therefore, must give us new life before we can believe (Rom. 8:1–11)."

This is cherry-picking Scripture passages to find support for a purely Calvinist paradigm and they are ignoring all of the other verses which have belief coming before the new birth. 

If you look up the cited verses, you might find yourself scratching your head as to how they prove that you must be born again before you can have faith. Apparently, you need to be wearing Calvinist glasses in order to see it. 

I was saddened to see only 8% rated their opinion as "Somewhat Disagree" and only 19% said "Strongly Disagree". 

People don't understand what the Bible has to say about the Order of Salvation. 

You can see the entire study at thestateoftheology.com.

MOTIVATION

"Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly."

— Stephen R. Covey

How does a person reach the point where he or she is motivated from the inside to grow in faith?

Is it purely a work of the Holy Spirit?

Perhaps it is more aptly described as a cooperation with the Holy Spirit?

And a related question: Is there nothing which can be done to light the fire of motivation from the outside?