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?